Evonik develops solutions to enhance the chemical recycling of plastics, offering specialized catalysts and adsorbents to improve the quality of pyrolysis oil.
In the pyrolysis process, plastic waste is broken down into its chemical building blocks at high temperatures and in the absence of oxygen. The primary product of this process, pyrolysis oil, can supplement fossil feedstocks like naphtha derived from crude oil. Pyrolysis oil is further processed in steam crackers, which produce the essential building blocks for new plastics, such as ethylene and propylene.
However, pyrolysis oil often contains impurities such as chlorine, nitrogen, or silicon, which can compromise the efficiency and operational safety of steam crackers. “Cracker operators apply strict quality standards to the feedstocks they use,” says Hendrick Rasch, who is responsible for Circular Packaging and Plastics Recycling in Evonik’s Next Markets Program. “This is precisely where our products come in. They help to significantly improve the quality of pyrolysis oil.”
Evonik began developing technologies for pyrolysis oil purification several years ago, leveraging its extensive expertise in petrochemicals and feedstock processing.
With its Purocel™ product line, Evonik now offers adsorbents specifically designed to remove impurities from pyrolysis oil. A standout product is Purocel™ 505, which combines two processes. First, chlorine atoms are separated from larger molecules in a catalytic reaction, and then the resulting hydrogen chloride is bound. This technology removes up to three times more chlorides from pyrolysis oil compared to conventional solutions.
