Facing growing disposal pressure from waste silicone rubber, China made tangible progress in chemical recycling in 2026. A “catalytic cracking–distillation coupling” technology co-developed by Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology (CAS) and industry partners can efficiently convert scrap silicone rubber into D4/D5 cyclic siloxanes with >85% yield and 99.5% purity—suitable for repolymerization.
This matters because cross-linked silicone rubber cannot be physically recycled; landfilling or incineration wastes resources and pollutes. Chemical recycling closes the loop. Pilot plants (5,000 tons/year each) are now operational in Zhejiang and Shandong, processing waste from PV frames, medical devices, and industrial seals.
Policy is catching up. In March 2026, MIIT’s Circular Economy Plan for Petrochemicals listed organosilicon in its “Key Recyclables Catalog” and encouraged extended producer responsibility. Some PV makers are piloting “trade-in + material recovery” programs.
