new technology is not required; all these strategies are within the general experience of the refining and petro - chemical industry. Catalyst and adsorbent providers are actively working to optimise their products and services to meet the needs of the pyrolysis oil market. Each WPO user should craft these considerations into a tailored pretreat- ment scheme that meets the needs of their specific appli - cation, considering the actual properties of the candidate pyrolysis oil and the needs of the downstream process. A Rainer Rakoczy, Technical Advisor, Fuels, Clariant, rainer.rakoczy@clariant.com Utilisation and conversion of waste plastic pyrolysis oil is of increasing industrial interest. There are multiple options from a technical standpoint utilising these materials with the highest desire to get the materials back to steam crackers to follow a circular economy concept. Nevertheless, a low-hanging fruit may be the utilisation of older or smaller process equipment in a refinery or a refinery complex with certain access to pet - rochemical equipment utilising small quantities of an available WPO source to treat or pretreat it for application through coprocessing in the hydrocracker or catalytic cracker. Clariant has expanded the proprietary Clarity, HDMax, and even Hydex portfolio to handle this demanding feedstock and con- vert it towards feedstock for the aforementioned processes. A Trine Dabros, Project Leader, R&D, Clean & Renewable Fuels Hydrotreating, Topsoe, trar@topsoe.com and Milica Folić, Product Line Director, Clean Fuels & Chemicals, Topsoe, mfol@topsoe.com Raw WPOs are highly contaminated and, therefore, can be fed directly to FCC or steam crackers only at very high dilution rates. To increase the recycled content in a feed stream, hydrotreating and, optionally also, hydrocracking are required to bring the WPO onto specification for down - stream processing. These hydrotreating and hydrocracking steps must be tailored for contaminant removal and prop- erty adjustment to enable the processing of this new type of feedstock. These steps (upgrading via hydroprocessing) can be understood as a pretreatment necessary to inte- grate WPO into the existing production facilities. However, some caution is needed when using the term pretreatment, as several of the steps in plastic recycling require some kind of pretreatment. This can, for example, be the sorting and cleaning steps required for plastic waste before pyrolysis, or it can be post-pyrolysis single contami- nant clean-up steps, as is the case for use of sorbents. The contaminant levels in common mixed plastic WPO can be successfully upgraded via tailored hydroprocessing with- out any additional pretreatment steps required, but a com- bination of different steps could have economic benefits. Q In what situations do advanced catalyst formulations and technical support affect/benefit downstream product investment, such as when separating olefins? A Mark Schmalfeld, Global Marketing Manager, BASF Refinery Catalysts, mark.schmalfeld@basf.com Advanced catalyst formulation and technical support can
significantly influence investment decisions and operational efficiencies in various chemical processes, including the generation of olefins and the equipment required for the separation of olefins. Here are several situations in which these factors provide substantial benefits: • Enhanced selectivity and yield Situation: In processes such as the separation of olefins from mixed hydrocarbon streams, advanced FCC catalyst formulations can improve selectivity towards desired ole- fins (for example, ethylene, propylene, and butylenes) while minimising byproducts. Targeted catalyst design and addi- tive use improve olefins selectivity. Examples are specific lower unit cell size for the Ultrastable Y zeolite, speciality zeolites (such as ZSM-5), and other types of zeolites that increase yields of olefins (often targeting propylene and butylenes), which helps to define goals for investment decisions. Benefit: Higher selectivity results in increased yields of target products, reducing the need for additional down- stream processing, thus saving on capital and operational expenditure. • Integration with process technology Situation: The integration of advanced catalysts with pro- prietary process technologies or reactor designs can lead to synergies that enhance olefin separation efficiency. Working with catalyst suppliers and equipment process licensors can improve the effectiveness of investment deci- sions for olefins separation. Benefit: Technical support that aids in integrating these technologies can lead to a smoother implementation pro- cess and quicker realisation of economic benefits. • Tailored solutions for specific feedstocks Situation: Different feedstocks can have varying composi- tions and impurities that affect olefin separation. Advanced catalyst formulations can be tailored to specific feedstocks (for example, resid feedstocks requiring metals-resistant catalyst designs, VGO feedstocks, or alternative feedstocks for the FCC such as pyoils from plastics vs pyoils from bio- mass materials all have alternative catalyst designs to sup- port olefins production and enable improved yields from separation units). Benefit: This customisation can lead to optimal perfor- mance and yields, justifying higher initial investments in catalysts tailored to specific operational needs. • Technical support for process optimisation Situation: Ongoing technical support from catalyst manu- facturers can provide refiners with insights into optimising operating conditions and troubleshooting issues during olefin separation. Benefit: This support can enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs, and increase profitability, making the initial investment in advanced catalyst technology more appealing. • Sustainability considerations: Situation: As sustainability becomes increasingly important,
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