This report examines technology advances enabling solid waste valorization, where waste streams, such as plastics, biomass, and municipal residues, are converted into valuable outputs (fuels, monomers, and specialty chemicals). As regulatory pressure increases and sustainability becomes core to industrial strategy, solid waste-to-chemical technologies offer a path to decarbonize material production, recover resources, and reduce landfill use. The report evaluates four key technology categories – chemical, biochemical, thermochemical, and physiochemical – covering solvent purification, depolymerization, fermentation, gasification, pyrolysis, and hydrothermal liquefaction methods. It assesses their readiness, operating parameters, industry-specific applications, and impact potential. Through deep diving into case studies, patent trends, and innovation hotspots, the report offers guidance on commercialization pathways, investment patterns, and ecosystem shifts. Stakeholders across chemicals, energy, automotive, and waste management can use this analysis to implement scalable circular strategies and reduce reliance on fossil-based inputs.

Scope

• Geography: global
• Industry: chemical, packaging, energy, agriculture, automotive, and construction
• Application: solid waste-to-chemical processes, including fuel generation, monomer recovery, fertilizer production, and high-purity material recycling

Contents

In this report, we examine:

• Key solid waste valorization pathways: chemical, biochemical, thermochemical, and physiochemical
• Technology maturity and impact of over 18 processes, including pyrolysis, gasification, enzymatic depolymerization, and HTL
• Adoption trends across packaging, energy, agriculture, and automotive sectors
• Regional investment analysis, policy frameworks, and commercial pilots
• Comparative efficiency analysis and future roadmap for modular, distributed deployment
• Strategic action points for R&D, infrastructure, regulation, and public-private partnerships

Membership(s)

Advanced SciTech