Teijin Ltd. announced that it is using a new solvent-based recycling method to produce high-quality recycled polycarbonate (PC) resin that matches the quality of virgin material. This new approach uses solvents to dissolve waste PC resin and separate clean polymers from impurities like surface coatings. It helps solve issues seen in mechanical recycling and carbon emissions linked to chemical recycling.

Polycarbonate resin is valued for its clarity and impact resistance and is used widely in automotive and electronic parts. However, waste PC often contains impurities that reduce the performance, transparency, and appearance of recycled material. To overcome this, Teijin is developing solvent-based recycling specifically for waste PC from sources like old vehicle headlamps.

Teijin works with PC resin that has already been crushed and washed through basic mechanical recycling but is still not clear enough for applications needing high transparency. The company then dissolves the material in solvents and removes contaminants, converting it back into reusable polymer. This process helps Teijin recover resin with properties that are close to virgin PC.

This method does not break the resin down into basic chemical components and it is more cost-effective than chemical recycling. Additionally, it requires fewer processing steps, which helps lower CO₂ emissions compared with chemical recycling methods.