英语新闻丨Chemical recycling to reduce plastic waste

Chemical recycling to reduce plastic wasteIt can also decrease carbon dioxide emissions and boost oil productionA recent report called for intensified efforts to tap chemical recycling as a key solution to addressing plastic pollution, considering its potential to dispose of low-value plastic waste that is difficult to recycle.最近有一份报告呼吁加大力度，利用化学回收作为解决塑料污染的关键解决方案，因为它有可能处理难以回收的低价值塑料废物。

By 2035, the oil output from chemical recycling could potentially be double that of China's largest oil production base, said the report, which was unveiled by the Academy of Macroeconomic Research on Monday, which was World Earth Day.中国宏观经济研究院在2024年4月22日(世界地球日)公布了这份报告。报告称，到2035年，中国化学回收的石油产量可能是中国最大石油生产基地的两倍。Chemical recycling is one of two major ways to recycle waste plastic. It splits polymer chains and creates products such as oil. The other way is mechanical recycling, which crushes waste to make new plastic products.化学回收是回收废塑料的两种主要方法之一。它分裂聚合物链并产生诸如油之类的产品。另一种方法是机械回收，将废物粉碎以制造新的塑料产品。

Mechanical recycling is a good way to recycle engineering plastics, plastic bottles and rigid plastic packages, said Zhang Deyuan, a researcher with the academy.中国宏观经济研究院研究员张德远表示，机械回收是回收工程塑料、塑料瓶和硬质塑料包装的好方法。

However, it is not economically or technologically viable for recycling flexible plastic packages and plastic films, which account for about 46 percent of the plastic produced in China, he said, adding that incineration and dumping in landfills are currently the main approaches used to dispose of such waste.张德远表示，然而，回收软性塑料包装和塑料薄膜在经济上和技术上都不可行，这些塑料包装和塑料薄膜约占中国塑料产量的46%。焚烧和填埋是目前处理此类废物的主要方法。

Citing statistics from the Plastic Recycling Association, an affiliate of the China National Resources Recycling Association, a news release from the academy said about 62 million metric tons of waste plastic was generated across the country last year, with about 19 million tons recycled.中国科学院的一份新闻稿援引中国资源回收协会下属机构塑料回收协会的统计数据称，去年全国共产生约6200万吨废塑料，其中约1900万吨被回收利用。

It said that placed China at an internationally advanced level in waste plastic recycling.这使中国在废塑料回收方面处于国际先进水平。

"However, like other countries and regions, China also faces the development bottleneck in further increasing the rate," it said. "There is an urgent need to tap chemical recycling."报告称：“然而，与其他国家和地区一样，中国在进一步提高生育率方面也面临着发展瓶颈。我们迫切需要利用化学物质回收。”

About 43 million tons of waste plastic was incinerated or dumped in landfills in China last year, the academy said.中国科学院表示，去年中国约有4300万吨废塑料被焚烧或倾倒在垃圾填埋场。

It said China is expected to produce 155 million tons of plastic a year by 2035. If chemical recycling is applied on a large scale, the country will be able to see remarkable drops in plastic waste and emissions of carbon dioxide, and a significant increase in oil production.报告称，预计到2035年，中国每年将生产1.55亿吨塑料。如果大规模应用化学回收，该国将能够显著减少塑料废物和二氧化碳排放，并显着增加石油产量。

If 30 percent of the country's plastic waste is chemically recycled in 2035, the country will manage to reduce plastic waste by almost 36 million tons a year, it said.报告称，如果到2035年，我国30%的塑料垃圾得到化学回收利用，我国每年将减少近3600万吨塑料垃圾。

Compared with incineration, chemical recycling can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 22.3 million tons and also save 108 million tons of oil.与焚烧相比，化学回收可减少二氧化碳排放2230万吨，节约石油1.08亿吨。

"This is roughly equivalent to building two Daqing oilfields," it said. “这大致相当于建设两个大庆油田。”

From 2003 to 2023, the annual oil and gas production at Daqing oilfield, China's largest oilfield, exceeded 40 million tons.2003年至2023年，中国最大油田大庆油田的年油气产量超过4000万吨。

The report listed a series of proposals to increase the chemical recycling of plastic waste.该报告列出了一系列增加塑料废物化学回收的建议。

It proposed incorporating chemical recycling as a key part of the country's governance system for controlling plastic pollution and guaranteeing energy security, as well as the country's policy and regulation system for managing plastic pollution.报告提出将化学回收作为国家控制塑料污染和保障能源安全的治理体系的关键组成部分，以及国家管理塑料污染的政策和法规体系。

It should be made a core solution to tackle plastic pollution, it said.这应该成为解决塑料污染的核心解决方案。

The report also suggested establishing a recycling system that furthers the development of chemical recycling, and rolling out demonstration projects that apply the approach.该报告还建议建立一个回收系统，以进一步发展化学品回收，并推出应用该方法的示范项目。regulation system调节系统plastic pollution塑料污染