Tapping into "Urban Oilfield": Unlocking the Value of Waste Plastic Film

How can discarded plastic film be converted into fuel and turned from waste into treasure?

HANGZHOU, China, Dec. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Hundreds of millions of tons of light materials exist in construction and demolition waste, with PP and PE film accounting for approximately 50%. Coupled with plastic film from municipal solid waste, landfill legacy waste, agricultural film and mulch film, these form massive "urban oilfields" waiting to be tapped. Yet, traditional sorting technologies fall short in achieving high-purity separation of PP/PE films,leaving this energy potential untapped for years.

The key to unlocking these "urban oilfields" lies in efficient sorting technology.

Light materials contain complex impurities like PVC film, PET film, wood chips, waste plastic, paper and sand. PVC and PET film, visually similar to PP/PE film, are the biggest sorting challenges—and critical to eliminate due to their severe harm to pyrolysis: PVC releases hydrogen chloride at high temperatures, corroding equipment and generating toxic dioxins; PET has a high pyrolysis temperature and produces oxygen-containing components that reduce fuel stability and calorific value.

DATABEYOND's FASTSORT-FILM (Film AI Hyperspectral Optical Sorter) powers the extraction of"urban oilfields".

Leveraging an industry-leading AI database and 256-band hyperspectral precision recognition, it sorts PP/PE film from complex light materials with over 95% accuracy, while efficiently removing PVC film, PET film and other impurities. This ensures feedstock purity for subsequent pyrolysis and eliminates impurity interference at the source.

High-purity PP/PE film can be converted into pyrolysis oil via anaerobic thermal cracking. Refined further, this oil becomes fuel components such as off-spec diesel and gasoline—each ton of PP/PE film yields 0.6–0.75 tons of oil. This process realizes a sustainable "waste-to-energy" cycle and significantly cuts carbon emissions.

"Urban oilfield" are no longer a distant dream but a green opportunity of our time. DATABEYOND's intelligent sorting technology is unlocking breakthroughs in the global energy transition and bolstering environmental protection. By harnessing innovation, we're energizing the circular economy. Join us in exploring these "urban oilfields" through collaboration and cutting-edge solutions to drive sustainable development.

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OPC12uKXCs

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