The paper “Gallium-Catalyzed Recycling of Silicone Waste with Boron Trichloride to Yield Key Chlorosilanes,” jointly authored by researchers from Elkem and their partners, was recently published in the prestigious journal Science.

The paper reveals for the first time that with an efficient gallium catalyst, the reaction rate in recycling silicone waste can be boosted a millionfold at near-room temperature of 40°C. With this innovative technology, silicone waste can be converted into chlorosilane feedstock for the production of high-purity recycled materials. The finding further reinforces Elkem’s position as a leader in sustainable silicone solutions.

With outstanding mechanical strength, thermal stability, chemical resistance, and low toxicity, silicone materials are widely used in everyday products as well as in automotive manufacturing, electronic products and appliances, healthcare, aviation, and many other fields. However, traditional silicone production remains energy-intensive, generates significant carbon emissions, and relies largely on incineration or landfill to dispose of waste—practices that not only waste resources but also place growing pressure on the environment.

To overcome this challenge, the research team has developed an innovative chemical recycling method that can efficiently convert silicone waste into chlorosilanes at 40°C. The chlorosilanes can then be fed back into silicone production, achieving circular use of silicone materials.

Experiments have demonstrated that the technology works not only with silicone oils and rubbers but also with industrial silicone waste and complex silicone products containing fillers and additives. This breakthrough addresses a bottleneck in recycling silicone polymers and their derivatives. The team is now working with many parties to accelerate industrial-scale adoption of the technology. Looking ahead, it has the potential to enable large-scale global recycling of silicone waste, helping drive the sustainable growth of the silicone industry while contributing to worldwide carbon reduction efforts.