PTQ Q1 2026 Issue

break down polymers, resulting in significantly lower CO₂ emissions. Lummus Technology and Resynergi are devel - oping a modular pyrolysis solution, called Continuous Microwave Assisted Pyrolysis (CMAP). According to Resynergi, the microwave energy can break down plastic molecules faster than traditional pyrolysis reactors. More importantly, CMAP’s pyrolysis oil meets refinery quality standards. Lower CO2 emissions reduce the pyrolysis oil’s carbon footprint and support the circularity of produced polymers and fuels. The modular reactor design enables flexible operations, rapid installation, and scalabil - ity of units (Table 2). Advancements to watch Refinity, an advanced recycling and waste-to-value com - pany formed December 2024, is in collaboration with The Dow Chemical Company on plans to commercialise fluid - ised bed processes for converting mixed plastic waste into hydrocarbon products. More importantly, those products can be used in petrochemical and steam cracker operations. Refinity exclusively licensed the fluidised bed pro - cess from the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. Refinity is collaborating with VTT and other key partners to optimise and design the advanced recycling technology for commercial deployment. “Depending on the selected operating conditions, our flu - idised bed process is tunable to produce a range of hydro - carbons from naphtha-like liquids to olefin monomers, such as ethylene and propylene,” said William Grieco, Chief Executive Officer of Refinity. Post-pyrolysis products clean-up Pyrolysis alone cannot produce the maximum value from recycling waste plastics. High-value compounds are present in the pyrolysis products, as well as unwanted byproducts, including metals, nitrogen, chlorides, silicon, and diolefins. These unwanted compounds poison downstream catalysts and affect processing equipment (fouling and corrosion). Unfortunately, pyrolysis products vary in composition due to the changing composition of collected plastics feeds. As a result, process technology licensors are partnering with pyrolysis innovators to integrate clean-up solutions as part of the recycling roadmap. Purification processes are essential to successful pyroly - sis advancement and adoption. As more advanced chem - ical recycled products are available, centralised upgrading (hydrotreating) units are needed to purify pyrolysis oil for steam crackers and refinery operations. Processing realities deter plastic circularity Technology roadmaps illustrate the multiple pathways to integrate waste plastics into plant operations. However, no single solution advances both the environmental and eco - nomic targets of circular polymers and sustainable fuels. Here is why: • Plastic pyrolysis oil is not a pure resin. • Improved profitability is influencing the conversion to cir - cular products. Petrochemical and refining processes have stringent

feedstock specifications. Multiple proprietary technologies and processing steps are necessary to purify pyrolysis oil. The restructuring of existing ethylene crackers and refiner - ies to biorefineries and circular polymers enables the reuse of existing assets for profitable products, such as what is devel - oping in the European market. According to Axens,”Most European [ethylene] crackers can process small volumes of plastic pyrolysis oil by dilution only. Upgrading solutions can remove the impurities in pyrolysis oil and yield virgin-equiv - alent hydrocarbons.” “Plastic circularity is one of our key strategic priorities. We have actively engaged in this field for many years through development programmes at IFPEN. Axens has built a comprehensive technology portfolio, which includes our proprietary Rewind solutions and partnerships with pyrol - ysis innovators like Plastic Energy, whose TAC Process is licensed by Axens. We are also collaborating with SOREMA, a leading expert in plastic waste sorting and preparation, to strengthen our upstream capabilities. Our proven solutions cover the entire value chain, from waste to petrochemical drop-in feedstocks with a strong focus on retrofitting exist - ing assets and maximising synergies with current infrastruc - tures,” said Stéphane Fédou, Vice President Plastics Circular Economy, Axens. We are not there yet According to an OECD report, less than 10% of disposed plastic items are recycled, and only 6% is used as circu - lar materials. Why? Hard-to-recycle plastic projects have many obstacles and risks. Plastic pyrolysis technologies are moving from pilot plant to commercial scale. Yet, recycling waste plastics still struggles to establish value and eco - nomic benefits for refining and petrochemical organisations. ReOil is a mark of OMV. Thermal Anaerobic Conversion (TAC) and TACOIL are marks of Plastic Energy. Rewind is a mark of Axens. Hoop is a mark of Versalis (Eni). Acknowledgement The author extends a special thank you to Dr. Wolfgang Hofer, Advisor Innovation Technology and the inventor of ReOil, OMV; Ron Venner, Chief Growth Officer, Lummus Technology; Ian Temperton, CEO, Plastic Energy; Dr. William Grieco, CEO, Refinity; Stéphane Fédou, Vice President Plastics Circular Economy, Axens; and Valerio Coppini, Chief Commercial Officer, Alterra. Their guidance and support significantly contributed to the value and accuracy of this article. Further reading 1 Bain & Company, Europe’s chemical recycling requires over €400 billion in cumulative CAPEX to compete with virgin production – who will lead? , May 27, 2025. 2 OECD, Global Plastics Outlook: Economic Drivers, Environmental Impacts and Policy Options , OECD Publishing, Paris, 2022. https://doi. org/10.1787/de747aef-en. Stephany Romanow founded Global Energy Writers, a group that helps start-ups and tech companies share their successes and build strong connections with clients and investors. She spent more than 23 years as editor and senior process editor at Hydrocarbon Processing. Romanow holds a BS in chemical engineering with a minor in petro - leum engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.

PTQ Q1 2026