Catalysis 2023 Issue

Pressure drops

(a)

(b)

Figure 8 Pressure drop profile of conventional catalysts (a) vs ReNewFine catalysts (b)

Benefits of waste plastics recycling Recycling is one way to reduce the build-up of waste plas- tics and minimise their environmental impact. Recycling has other benefits, including • Reducing greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. Today, the world produces more than 400 MMt of plas - tics yearly. Unfortunately, only about 9% of plastic waste is recycled globally, with the recycling rate in the EU at approxi - mately 15%, mainly through mechanical recycling. However, most plastics are not recyclable by this traditional pathway, leaving them destined for waste incineration or landfills. Chemical recycling is a complementary solution to tradi - tional mechanical pathways that enables the recycling of a wider range of mixed or contaminated plastic wastes. One primary chemical recycling technology is the liquefaction of plastic waste through a thermochemical process, like pyroly - sis, that transforms plastics into an intermediate liquid mate - rial like crude oil (Py-oil). Utilising advanced hydrotreating solutions, Py-oil can be further converted into petrochemical raw materials and fuels in a conventional refinery. • Reducing consumption of fossil resources • Reducing the use of land for landfilling Main market drivers Currently, recycling of waste plastics is driven mainly by demand from brand owners with ambitions to produce more sustainable products. Pyrolysis has been proven at demon - stration scales, but scaling up these technologies requires support from governments and regulators. Recent policies and regulations worldwide have introduced ambitious tar - gets to stimulate this market. Some policies and targets that will require chemical recycling at the industrial scale include: • Global policies : In March 2022, the United Nations pro - posed a treaty to address global plastics pollution. The treaty titled “End Plastic Pollution” is set to be finalised in 2024 and promises to be legally binding. • US policies : The US Environmental Protection Agency set a target of a national recycling rate of 50% by 2030. In addi - tion, US plastic manufacturers have committed to creating a circular economy that aims to recycle or recover 100% of plastics packaging in the US by 2040. • European Union policies : As part of the Action Plan for the Circular Economy Package, the EU has stimulated mea - sures to ensure 55% recycling of plastic waste packaging by 2030 and put bans on landfilling separately collected waste. Even more recently, the EP has given its backing to a new

law that would ban exports of plastic waste to non-OECD countries and phase out the export of plastic waste to OECD countries within four years. Challenges Conversion of waste plastic oils to petrochemical raw mate - rials and fuels can be accomplished using existing refinery assets. However, the nature of waste plastic oils differs from that of conventional crudes and varies widely depending on the origin of waste plastics. Features that pose operational challenges in a conventional refinery include: • High olefins content, which may result in problems with pressure drop and exotherm management • High halides content with potential for corrosion problems • Significant levels of ‘exotic’ metals contaminants • Appreciable presence of refractory oxygen compounds, which increases the severity required to match steam cracker specifications. Building a sustainable future Thanks to application know-how and a versatile portfo - lio, Ketjen’s catalyst technology and technical services can address the various challenges associated with waste plastic processing by: • Identifying the critical compositional features hindering the swift upgrade of a waste plastic oil • Balancing hydrogenation grading sequences to control (poly)olefin saturation • Capturing conventional and ‘exotic’ contaminants using advanced trapping technology • Satisfying the stringent oxygen specification of steam crackers with high HDO activity catalysts. Summary Ketjen is committed to developing traditional refining improvements through ongoing catalyst developments, securing supply chains, and providing excellent technical service. At the same time, we are committed to supporting our customers on their energy transition journey and helping them achieve their net-zero goals. Bibliography 1 Yaluris, G. (2022, October 19) Safeguarding FCC unit performance when co-processing metal contaminated feeds, As Symposium: FCC Co-processing of Pyrolysis Technologies. San Antonio: AFPM Summit 2022 .