How does chemical recycling differ from mechanical recycling?

Mechanical recycling: plastic waste → sorting → grinding → washing → drying → regranulation. Products: pellets of quality slightly below virgin (usually 90–95%). Chemical recycling: waste → chemical reaction (pyrolysis, depolymerisation, glycolysis) → monomers → repolymerisation → pellets of 100% virgin quality. Chemical recycling handles materials mechanical recycling cannot (contaminated, mixed, multilayer).

Does chemical recycling generate more transport?

Yes, for two reasons. (1) Chemical recycling plants are few (one per country or region) — longer routes from sorting sites to the recycler. (2) Intermediate products (monomers, oligomers) may require additional transport between process stages. Plus a chemical recycler typically serves a larger radius (500–1,500 km) than a mechanical one (typically 100–500 km).

What intermediate products does chemical recycling generate?

After PET depolymerisation: BHET monomers (bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate) or TPA (terephthalic acid) + EG (ethylene glycol). After polyethylene pyrolysis: pyrolysis oil (a mix of liquid hydrocarbons). These intermediates are usually transported in tankers (liquids), not silo trailers. The final regranulate — by silo trailer, like standard pellets.

Can both recyclate types be transported in the same silo trailer?

The regranulate itself — yes. R-PET from mechanical recycling and R-PET from chemical recycling (after regranulation) are physically the same product — polyethylene terephthalate pellets. The difference is in certificates: chemical R-PET carries EFSA food-grade certification as standard, mechanical R-PET — only if the plant runs a super-clean process. Transport procedures are identical; documents of origin differ.

Where in the EU are chemical plastic recycling plants located?

Main installations: Germany (BASF ChemCycling — Ludwigshafen, BASF ChemCycling Antwerp with BP, projects in Schwarzheide; LyondellBasell — Wesseling), the Netherlands (Indaver — Antwerp), Austria (Borealis — Schwechat), Italy (Versalis — Mantua). Pilot projects and first commercial installations in Poland (Anwil, Synthos — 2024–2027 projects). UK outside the EU (Plastic Energy).

Does chemical recycling have a bigger future than mechanical?

The two types are complementary, not competing. Mechanical: energy-efficient for uniform streams (PET bottles, HDPE containers), high scale. Chemical: handles mixed, contaminated, and multilayer streams — where mechanical cannot cope. Industry forecasts: 2026–2035 — mechanical remains dominant (~70% of volume), chemical grows from ~5% to ~20–25%.

How does PHS Magnum handle transport from chemical recycling plants?

Routes from BASF Wesseling/Schwarzheide, LyondellBasell, and OMV (Borealis Schwechat) — routinely covered by PHS Magnum's pneumatic silo trailers. From the Chorula base (4 km from the A4, 180 km from the German border), routes of 600–1,200 km. Requirements of shippers at these plants: ISO 9001:2015, OCS Europe (a requirement being rolled out 2025–2026), batch traceability procedures. PHS Magnum meets / is implementing all these requirements.

regulacje transport 13.04.2026 PHS Magnum

Chemical vs Mechanical Recycling — Impact on Transport

Name: PHS Magnum
Address: ul. Kościelna 9, Chorula, Opolskie, 47-316, PL
Telephone: +48 602 716 551
Price range: $$

DAF silo trailer in bulk material transport

In short

Mechanical recycling is the dominant plastic recycling technology — sorting, grinding, washing, regranulation. Chemical recycling is the newer technology, breaking polymers down into monomers and repolymerising them into pellets of 100% virgin quality. Both types travel in pneumatic silo trailers, but they differ in: scale (mechanical — large, chemical — growing), geographic reach (mechanical — regional, 100–500 km; chemical — continental, 500–1,500 km), certificate requirements (chemical is food-grade EFSA as standard), and routes (mechanical in every EU country, chemical — concentrated in DACH and NL). After the PPWR in 2026, both types see strong demand, but their transport plays different roles in the supply chain.

Mechanical recycling — how it works and what transport it generates

The process:

Collection and sorting — the stream of plastic packaging from households and industry passes through a sorting plant (MRF — Material Recovery Facility). Automatic sorting (NIR — Near InfraRed) into polymer-specific streams: PET, HDPE, PP, LDPE, PS.
Grinding — packaging is mechanically shredded into flake (5–15 mm).
Washing — removal of labels, glue, and organic contamination. Requires significant water and energy.
Drying — moisture evaporation to <0.2%.
Regranulation — flake enters an extruder, is melted, filtered, and regranulated into pellets.

Final product: regranulate pellets (R-PET, R-HDPE, R-PP, R-LDPE) of a technical quality at 90–95% of virgin material.

Transport characteristics of mechanical recycling:

Sorting plants — dispersed across every district/region (municipal waste management)
Mechanical recyclers — many in every EU country (local to medium scale)
Routes: typically 100–500 km between sorting plant and recycler; 300–800 km between recycler and packaging producer
Equipment: standard pneumatic silo trailers for PE/PP/PET regranulate
Documentation: PCR Content certificate, RecyClass (a growing standard)

Scale: ~70% of current (2026) plastic recycling in the EU.

Chemical recycling — how it works and what transport it generates

The process (different technologies):

Pyrolysis (mainly polyolefins — PE, PP)

Mixed films / multilayer waste → preliminary sorting and cleaning
Oxygen-free pyrolysis at 400–600°C → pyrolysis oil (a mix of liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons)
Pyrolysis oil → steam cracking → monomers (ethylene, propylene)
Monomers → polymerisation → virgin-quality pellets

Depolymerisation (mainly PET)

PET waste (bottles, fibres, packaging) → preliminary cleaning
Glycolysis (with ethylene glycol) or methanolysis (with methanol) or hydrolysis (with water) → monomers (BHET, DMT, TPA + EG)
Polymerisation → virgin-quality PET pellets

Solvolysis and other advanced methods — at the pilot stage.

Final product: pellets of 100% virgin technical quality, with EFSA food-contact certification, accepted by all buyers.

Transport characteristics of chemical recycling:

Chemical installations — few in the EU (around 5–15 at present)
Routes to a chemical recycler: 500–1,500 km (from all over the EU to a handful of installations)
Equipment: pneumatic silo trailers for regranulate; chemical tankers for liquid monomers (intermediate stage)
Documentation: a full traceability chain, ISCC PLUS often required (mass-balance tracking)

Scale: ~5% of current plastic recycling in the EU, forecast to grow to 20–25% by 2035.

Comparison — what we transport in each model

Aspect	Mechanical recycling	Chemical recycling
Input	Sorted raw waste (flake)	Mixed / contaminated waste
Intermediate stages	Washing, drying	Monomers, oligomers
Output	Regranulate (90–95% virgin quality)	Regranulate (100% virgin quality)
Input transport	Waste containers, lugger, walking floor	Waste containers, walking floor
Intermediate transport	None (single-stage process)	Chemical tankers (liquid monomers)
Output transport	Pneumatic silo trailer	Pneumatic silo trailer
Typical distance	100–500 km (local/regional)	500–1,500 km (continental)
Documents	PCR Content, RecyClass	EFSA food-grade, ISCC PLUS, RecyClass
Recyclate price	60–90% of virgin price	100–130% of virgin price

Routes to the main chemical recycling plants from Poland

From the PHS Magnum base in Chorula near Opole (4 km from the A4):

BASF ChemCycling Ludwigshafen (DE) — output pellets (R-PE/R-PP from pyrolysis) or input monomers (in supplier partnerships). Distance: ~1,200 km, 14–16 h, typically a 2-day cycle.

BASF Schwarzheide (DE) — a mixed pyrolysis installation, smaller throughput. Distance: 400–500 km, 5–6 h, a one-day cycle.

LyondellBasell Wesseling (DE) — chemical recycling installations under expansion. Distance: 900–1,000 km, 11–13 h, a two-day cycle.

Indaver Antwerp (BE) — chemical PET recycling. Distance: 1,300–1,400 km, 16–18 h, a two-day cycle.

Borealis Schwechat / OMV Linz (AT) — chemical recycling and polymerisation. Distance: 700–900 km, 9–12 h, a one-day cycle (feasible).

Versalis Mantua (IT) — chemical PE recycling. Distance: 1,100–1,300 km, 14–16 h, a two-day cycle.

Polish projects (2024–2027, in start-up):

Anwil/Orlen Olefin — chemical PET recycling in Włocławek
Synthos — chemical PS recycling projects

Once the Polish installations are up — domestic routes (200–400 km), a significant reduction in cycle length.

Technical requirements — what differentiates a silo trailer for chemical vs mechanical recyclate

For all R types:

An aluminium or stainless steel pneumatic silo trailer
Dedication to a category (food-grade vs non-food)
A documented load history
PPLP-compliant on-board equipment

Specific to chemical food-grade recyclate:

A silo trailer dedicated exclusively to food-grade from the start of its service life
Material certification (seals, aeration pads) compliant with food-contact standards (EFSA, FDA)
A special wet washing procedure (if changing categories — not recommended for food-grade)
A dry compressed-air blow-through procedure (absolutely essential — PET is hygroscopic)

Specific to chemical recyclate from pyrolysis (R-PE/R-PP):

Possibly slightly elevated load temperature (up to 50–60°C)
Tolerates standard silo trailers

What PHS Magnum handles in the recyclate segment

Routes to chemical recycling plants in DACH — regularly to BASF Schwarzheide (DE) and Borealis Schwechat (AT), others on request
A dedicated food-grade fleet — selected silo trailers with a certified load history
A full PPLP equipment set — scoops, bags, funnel, straps on every vehicle
Traceability procedures — a cycle register, e-CMR (rollout planned for 2026)
Certificates: ISO 9001:2015 (DEKRA, current), OCS Europe (implementation in progress)

Contact for shippers in the recyclate segment: biuro@magnumchorula.pl , +48 602 716 551.

About the author

This content was prepared by the PHS Magnum team in cooperation with Aleksy Pasternak — Managing Partner of the company and a bulk material transport expert with 35 years of experience in trading plastic pellets, recyclates, and industrial minerals in the EU. Aleksy publishes industry analyses on the expert portal pasternak.me , covering regulatory topics (PPLP, PPWR, OCS), technical topics (silo trailers, TDT), and operations (big-bag transloading, contract packing).