Pilot Plant Demonstration of Plastic Upcycling for the Production of Sustainable Petrochemical Alternatives

This project aims to bring catalytic hydrogenolysis up from TRL4 to TRL6/7 through waste stream development, site development, catalytic hydrogenolysis scale-up and optimization, and product testing to easily demonstrate relevant quantities of plastic-derived waxes and lubricant base oils are achievable by interfacing with local waste streams and producing safe, sustainable petrochemical alternatives.

Assuming that the recycling rate for recyclable polyefins doubles from 17% to 34%, and the recycling rate for non-recyclable polymers rises from 0.6% to 10%, the TPM impacts are anticipated to be a 13.2 MMT increase in secondary feedstock, embodied energy savings of 77.7 MMT, and emissions reductions of 5.87 MMT CO2e.