Clariant: Pilot project for upgrading pyrolysis oil from plastic waste with Borealis and Sintef

Clariant has completed a pilot project together with Borealis and Sintef for upgrading pyrolysis oil derived from plastic waste. The aim was to convert the oil into steam cracker-ready feedstock for the production of new polyolefins.

The trials were carried out at Sintef’s research facility in Norway. Clariant’s “HDMax” catalyst was used in the process. According to the company, all relevant quality requirements were met, including the complete saturation of dienes and the conversion of impurities such as oxygen-, nitrogen-, and halogen-containing compounds.

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A technical feature of the process is that the entire hydrotreating process is carried out in a single multilayer reactor. Compared with processes using multiple reactors, this is intended to reduce capital expenditure and process complexity. A downstream hydrocracking stage can additionally produce naphtha-like hydrocarbon fractions.

In the project, Clariant supplied the “HDMax” catalysts for pyrolysis oil upgrading and “Hydex” for hydrocracking. Borealis defined the feedstock quality requirements for polyolefin production, while Sintef carried out and validated the pilot trials. The project is intended to demonstrate a technically feasible approach for returning plastic waste to the production of new plastics.

More information: www.clariant.com

Clariant International Ltd, Muttenz, Schweiz