2025 Breakthrough in Nylon 66 Recycling Technology by Toray Sparks Industry Excitement

On February 18, 2025, Toray Industries announced a significant breakthrough in the chemical recycling of Nylon 66, utilizing a supercritical hydrolysis technique that can depolymerize nylon resin into monomer raw materials in just minutes. With Japan's annual demand for Nylon 66 estimated at 100,000 tons and global demand at 1.3 million tons, this advancement is poised to have a major impact, particularly in the automotive sector, which is a leading consumer of nylon products.

The push for this innovative recycling technology stems from stringent regulations regarding recycled plastics in the automotive industry. The European Union's proposed End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) directive requires new cars to contain at least 25% recycled plastic, specifically from scrapped vehicles. Although this requirement was reduced to 20% this year due to its strictness, the demand for sustainable solutions remains high.

Beginning last year, major automakers like Honda, Nissan, and Toyota partnered with Toray to explore plastic recycling solutions for vehicles, which includes the mandatory collection of Nylon 66 airbags for chemical recycling.

Toray's innovation builds upon its previous work with Nylon 6, announced in September 2023, which also involved the use of supercritical hydrolysis for recycling glass-fiber-reinforced Nylon 6 parts from scrapped vehicles. The new Nylon 66 process focuses on recovering hexamethylenediamine (HMD) and adipic acid (ADA), employing proprietary techniques to enhance efficiency and yield while reducing carbon emissions by 50% compared to petroleum-based materials.

Looking ahead, Toray plans to develop comprehensive recycling technologies for both Nylon 6 and Nylon 66, aiming to expand its chemical recycling capabilities into other industrial applications beyond automotive and textiles. This breakthrough reflects a broader trend in the industry, as INVISTA also recently announced advancements in Nylon recycling processes, including a new mechanical recycling patent.

As the demand for sustainable materials grows, Toray's advancements in Nylon recycling technology could reshape the future of the chemical industry.