Recycling automotive shredder residue with biomass via co-gasification reduces CO2 emissions, produces high-quality feedstock, and supports circular economy.
A recent study conducted by ETH Zurich in partnership with BASF SE explores an innovative approach to recycling mixed plastic waste from end-of-life vehicles by combining it with biomass. The research demonstrates a promising pathway for turning waste into high-value feedstock while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Specifically, recycling one kilogram of automotive shredder residue with three kilograms of biomass can lower emissions by over three kilograms of CO2-equivalent compared to conventional incineration for energy recovery. With the European Union poised to introduce updated legislation on end-of-life vehicles, these insights carry important implications for policy makers seeking to reduce environmental impact.
This investigation builds on a gasification pilot project executed in mid-2025 by BASF and BEST GmbH in Austria. For the first time, BEST’s pilot plant successfully integrated the gasification of biomass with plastics derived from automotive shredder residues. The approach demonstrates how less waste, coupled with innovative processing techniques, can produce entirely new feedstocks while simultaneously reducing emissions. Unlike traditional incineration, which primarily generates electricity and steam, co-gasification produces both steam and synthesis gas—a valuable raw material for the chemical industry. By supplying this circular feedstock, the chemical sector can reduce dependence on fossil resources, lower carbon emissions, and keep carbon within a closed-loop system.
“Closing the carbon loop through plastics recycling benefits both the climate and resource conservation. It is a critical step toward a plastics industry operating within planetary boundaries,” explains André Bardow, Professor at ETH Zurich. However, achieving a substantial shift from fossil-based feedstocks to alternatives derived from plastic and bio-waste requires supportive legal frameworks. Such regulations must recognize mixed plastic waste as recyclable and establish long-term targets to guide industrial adoption.
Professor Catharina Bening of ETH Zurich emphasizes, “Policies should focus on ambitious target-setting rather than opt-out clauses, while cross-sector collaboration is essential to accelerate emission reductions.” Currently, gasification of bio-waste benefits from legislative support, spurring investments in sustainable maritime and aviation fuels. In contrast, there is no equivalent framework for recycling plastic waste via gasification. Martin Jung, President of BASF’s Performance Materials division, notes, “Separate gasification facilities for bio-waste and plastics are inefficient. We advocate for policies enabling multi-purpose plants under a flexible, audited mass balance approach.”
The potential for utilizing automotive plastic waste is substantial. Estimates indicate that more than one million tons of automotive plastic waste in Europe are either incinerated or landfilled annually. While mechanical recycling can recover some plastics, residual mixed plastic streams will remain. The ETH-BASF study demonstrates that co-gasification of this residual waste with biomass is feasible in a single, multi-purpose facility and results in lower CO2 emissions than conventional incineration.
Moreover, the circular raw materials produced through this process are of exceptionally high quality. The resulting plastics meet stringent standards for high-performance applications, including safety-critical components in the automotive sector, effectively equating to new, virgin materials.
