In the hazy industrial belt of Chandigarh, a quiet revolution is taking the first steps towards a potential solution to finally solve the world\u2019s most stubborn environmental crisis: flexible plastic waste. While we have mastered recycling rigid PET bottles, the multi-layered films used for snack packaging have long been the pariahs of the waste world.<\/p>\n
Globally, the recycling rate for these \u2018flexibles\u2019 remains in dismal single digits, with the vast majority destined for the methane-choked heights of landfills.<\/p>\n
A facility in Chandigarh, developed by Polycycl, boasts a technology that claims to turn this environmental dead end into a beginning. There is a “Contiflow” system in action inside the plant.<\/p>\n
This is a first-of-its-kind operation that reverses waste to fuel a circular economy. A circular economy is a regenerative system designed to eliminate waste by keeping materials in a constant cycle of use, ensuring today’s trash becomes tomorrow\u2019s high-value resource.<\/p>\n
“It is much more accurate to suggest that it is plastic waste that is a significant problem to society, not plastic as a material,” Amit Tandon, the founder of PolyCycl, told IndiaToday.in. For Tandon, the “spark” was ignited two decades ago after reading a paper in Nature magazine. Today, his facility stands as the physical manifestation of that scientific curiosity.<\/p>\n
THE MAGIC OF CONTIFLOW TECHNOLOGY<\/p>\n
The technical heart of the plant is the patented ‘Contiflow’ technology. Traditional chemical recycling often relies on “batch” reactors. These are essentially giant pressure cookers that must be cooled and manually scraped clean every few hours.<\/p>\n
Tandon describes this archaic method as a “hazard” that is resistant to scale and plagued by inconsistent output.<\/p>\n
PolyCycl\u2019s breakthrough is its sixth-generation reactor, which remains hermetically sealed throughout the process. In science, a closed system is the Holy Grail of efficiency.<\/p>\n
Low-grade consumer plastics converted into high-value hydrocarbons or pyrolysis oil. (Photo: Radifah Kabir)\n<\/p>\n
“Fundamentally, the challenge has been: how do you feed a reactor on a continuous basis while simultaneously removing solid residues?” Tandon explained.<\/p>\n
By keeping the reactor permanently sealed, PolyCycl maintains a relentless, oxygen-free environment. This prevents the plastic from burning into toxic smoke and ensures 24\/7 operation without the energy-draining “cool-down” cycles that have crippled the sector for years.<\/p>\n
FROM FILM TO FEEDSTOCK<\/p>\n
The process is a masterpiece of precision. At the feeding section, plastic films are compressed before entering the reactor for depolymerisation. Controlled by a sophisticated SCADA automation system, the plant breaks stubborn hydrocarbon chains back into their molecular building blocks.<\/p>\n
As the plastic vaporises, it enters a separation unit featuring a solid-gas separator and a distillation unit. Residual gases pass through a scrubber, where a caustic solution neutralises impurities, before any remaining gas reaches the flare stack. Meanwhile, solid waste is moved to a hopper via an automated “autochar” removal system. This is the mechanical secret to keeping the reactor closed and the process pure.<\/p>\n
THE INFINITE LOOP<\/p>\n
The result is a purified liquid hydrocarbon oil chemically identical to virgin fossil feedstock. “These loops are infinite,” Tandon noted, “the material undergoes no degradation.” This oil can be fed back into steam crackers to create new, food-grade plastics.<\/p>\n
The scientific impact is profound. PolyCycl\u2019s methodology is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 40 per cent<\/a> and slash fossil fuel usage by up to 90 per cent<\/a>.<\/p>\n Machines inside the Chandigarh plastic recycling plant. (Photo: Radifah Kabir)\n<\/p>\n Standing amidst the whirring of the Chandigarh plant, one realises that Tandon has done more than engineer a machine. He has engineered hope.<\/p>\n At PolyCycl, the landfill is no longer a graveyard for our consumption. It is a vast, untapped library of raw material, waiting for the right technology to breathe life back into its molecules. For the first time, we aren’t just managing our mess. We are erasing it.<\/p>\n (The coverage was produced via a hosted site visit).<\/p>\n – Ends<\/p>\n Published By: <\/p>\n Radifah Kabir<\/p>\n Published On: <\/p>\n Jan 16, 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the hazy industrial belt of Chandigarh, a quiet revolution is taking the first steps towards a potential…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":242010,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[130201,130198,130195,130197,130200,130196,242,85,46,130199,130194,141],"class_list":["post-242009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-advanced-pyrolysis-india","tag-amit-tandon-polycycl","tag-chandigarh-plastic-recycling","tag-chemical-recycling-india","tag-circular-economy-plastics","tag-contiflow-technology","tag-environment","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-plastic-to-oil","tag-polycycl","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=242009"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242009\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/242010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}