Across Asia-Pacific, circular economy technologies are moving discarded materials back into production. Retired EV batteries, old asphalt, used packaging and low-value plastics are being sorted, restored, depolymerized and recovered as storage systems, industrial feedstocks and new materials.
This week's signal is that circularity is becoming an operating system rather than an end-of-pipe activity. The strongest projects connect collection, identification, processing and reuse, keeping more value in materials before they become waste.
A retired EV battery project in Liyang will combine two lithium-battery recycling lines with a battery restoration line, targeting annual processing capacity of 50,000 tonnes in its first phase.
A field trial on National Highway 716 demonstrated a road layer containing 60% reclaimed asphalt pavement, using the REJUBIT rejuvenator to restore aged bitumen and reduce demand for virgin aggregates and imported materials.
Indonesia is piloting pyrolysis in five regions to process landfill waste that is difficult to recycle mechanically, converting it into diesel-equivalent fuel as a complement to waste-to-energy plants.
Kirin and Japan Steel Works have demonstrated alkaline PET depolymerization of more than 95% at a throughput of at least 250 kilograms per hour, using a twin-screw extruder to shorten reaction time and lower energy requirements.
Hyundai Motor, Kia and their partners have launched a 200-kilowatt-hour energy storage demonstration using retired EV battery packs, testing safety, retained performance and charge-discharge control in a real-world charging service.
A new solar-powered facility in Tuas uses cameras, robotic arms, magnets and near-infrared sensors to separate returned cans and several plastic types, with capacity to process up to two million containers a day.
Thai recyclers are expanding bottle-to-bottle production using flake-to-preform technology that removes crystallization and drying steps, with a planned capacity of about 400 million recycled PET preforms a year.
Uzbekistan has launched a reverse-vending pilot that accepts plastic, glass and aluminium containers, pays users through a digital wallet and channels collected packaging into secondary raw materials.
Climate Tech Pulse is a biweekly compilation of web-based news and information on climate technologies across Asia and the Pacific.
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