Dr. Marco J. Castaldi, Principal Investigator of the Combustion and Catalysis Lab and Professor at The City College of New York, was an invited panelist at the Baker Institute for Public Policy’s second Annual Sustainability Summit: Innovations and Collaborations in Circularity & Supply Chain Resilience, held on April 22, 2026, at Rice University.
The summit, hosted by the Baker Institute’s Center for Energy Studies in partnership with the University of Houston and the Recycling Science Council, convened researchers, industry leaders, policymakers, and students to examine sustainability challenges through a systems-level perspective. Dr. Castaldi participated in the session “‘Claim vs. Constraint’ Live Adjudication on Advanced Recycling of Plastics,” which focused on the scientific, technical, and practical considerations surrounding advanced recycling technologies.
Drawing on his expertise in thermal conversion, catalysis, and sustainable waste management, Dr. Castaldi’s prepared remarks emphasized the scale of the plastic waste challenge and the need for recycling technologies capable of matching that scale. He noted that mechanical recycling has remained limited at the national level, while plastic waste generation continues to represent a substantial fraction of the municipal solid waste stream. Within that context, he framed advanced recycling as one set of tools for converting waste plastics into useful intermediates that can re-enter the manufacturing chain.
Dr. Castaldi also highlighted the importance of distinguishing between thermal processes that are often conflated in public discussions. In particular, his remarks clarified that pyrolysis is not incineration or waste-to-energy: pyrolysis occurs without air or oxygen and produces intermediate products for further processing, while combustion-based processes use oxygen and serve different purposes. This distinction is central to evaluating advanced recycling technologies on their technical merits and understanding their potential role in broader circularity strategies.
More information about the summit and full agenda is available on the Baker Institute website.
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