New EU project aims to turn plastic waste into valuable resources

Ergang Wang, Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, coordinates the EU-funded project SPECTRA, which starts in October 2026. Photo: Anna-Lena Lundqvist. The information behind this article is credited to Chalmers University of Technology.

-Upcycling plastic waste and increasing its value using a sustainable energy source would bring significant benefits for society. I am very grateful for this opportunity, says Ergang Wang.

Global plastic production exceeds 400 million tonnes annually, yet only a small share is effectively recycled. Current methods are energy-intensive and often produce lower-quality materials, leading to large amounts of waste being incinerated, landfilled, or exported.

-My WISE PhD project, Green Solvents Processable Conjugated Polymers for Organic Electronics, focus on developing sustainable materials for future electronic technologies. Through this research, we became increasingly aware that modern electronics contain large amounts of plastic-based materials, contributing to a growing global waste challenge. At the same time, we discovered that many of the light-absorbing organic molecules we develop for electronic and energy applications can also drive photocatalytic reactions that break down plastics. This inspired us to explore whether sunlight could be used to transform plastic waste into valuable resources, continues Professor Wang.

SPECTRA (Multispectral Solar Photoreforming Device for Selective Depolymerisation of Mixed Plastics) will develop solar-powered technologies to convert complex plastic waste into reusable resources. A key goal is to make plastic waste more valuable and attractive for industry.

-By increasing the value of plastic waste, we can create stronger incentives to address the long-term environmental impacts of plastic production. This is where our research can make a real difference, he says.

The project has received €4 million from the Horizon Europe EIC Pathfinder programme. It is one of only 30 projects funded out of 667 applications, and one of eight selected within the “Waste-to-Value Devices” challenge.