Decarbonisation Technology November 2025 Issue

In one European refinery, the study evaluated recycling more than 100,000 TPA of mixed plastic waste. The analysis compared generating pyrolysis oil (pyoil) onsite with the TAC process, then co- processing the resulting pyoil in existing units

PETCHEM

Mixed plastics waste

Mainly Mix Soft PP/PE/PS

R MAX

Rewind MIX

TAC Process

Textile bres

PVC

Mainly rigid PP/PE

Polymerisation

Rewind PET

Hard to recycle PET/ Textile bres

PET PLANT

(fluid catalystic cracking and hydrocraking), with adding a dedicated unit, Rewind Mix, to upgrade the produce pyoil. Each option was assessed for profitability, scale effects (different capacities), and market pricing. This demonstrates how technologies from Axens bridge the gap between recycling limitations and market demand for high-quality plastics. Based on this detailed study, the customer de-risked their project and had several opportunities to integrate the circular economy in their existing facilities. Case study 4: Solvium – Solvolysis of end-of- life tyres, Europe End-of-life tyres (ELTs) are a complex waste stream containing rubber, steel, and textile. Traditional disposal methods – landfilling or incineration – are increasingly restricted under EU regulations. They present a unique recycling challenge; Axens combines solvolysis – breaking down rubber polymers into liquid intermediates – with specific hydrotreating, with optimised operating conditions to upgrade these intermediates into fuels, lubricants, or chemical precursors. Axens solvolysis is a simple process operating at low pressure; it does not require hydrogen or catalysts. This fundamental technology basis is depolymerisation of tyre rubber elastomers using a process-derived solvent. Contrary to pyrolysis processes (whether slow or fast pyrolysis), which consist in thermochemical decomposition at temperatures up to 700°C, Axens solvolysis occurs at moderate temperature (<400°C) and minimises cracking to light gases, maximises the yield of tyre derived oil (TDO) (>60 W%), and retains the quality of the recovered carbon Licen s ed by A xens

Under development

Figure 3 Rewind solutions for plastic recycling

• Product quality meeting virgin base oil specifications. • A 70% reduction in CO₂ emissions compared with virgin lubricant production. • Reduced dependence on virgin crude-derived feedstocks. After a recent project study, the Italian customer applied the study results, built, and successfully started up the unit in May 2025, producing Group II and even Group III regenerated base oil from an existing medium- pressure plant of 61,000 TPA of used oil. The goal was to minimise modification time implementation and capital expenditure (Capex) while achieving high-quality output. Case study 3: TAC and Rewind Mix – chemical recycling of plastics, Europe Mechanical recycling faces intrinsic limitations, including contamination, polymer degradation, and incompatibility with certain plastics. The TAC pyrolysis process, developed with Plastic Energy and already in operation for more than nine years, addresses these issues by breaking mixed plastic waste into pyrolysis oil. This oil is then purified using Rewind Mix, removing chlorine, metals, and other contaminants to meet steam cracker feedstock standards. Advantages include: • Enables production of virgin-quality plastics suitable for food-contact applications. • Compatible with existing petrochemical infrastructure. • Scalable and adaptable to varying feedstock compositions.