Clariant Demonstrates Pyrolysis Oil Upgrading for Circular Plastics with Borealis and SINTEF

Project Overview

Clariant, in collaboration with Borealis and SINTEF, has successfully demonstrated a pilot-scale project for upgrading pyrolysis oil (pyoil) derived from plastic waste into steam cracker-compatible feedstock. This marks a significant step in advancing circular economy solutions for the plastics industry.

Technological Advancements

The project utilized Clariant's proprietary HDMax catalyst, achieving full conversion of plastic waste-derived pyoil to high-quality feedstock suitable for virgin polyolefin production. The process met all cracker-grade quality specifications, including complete saturation of dienes and conversion of contaminants like oxygenates, nitrogenates, and halogenides.

Efficiency and Cost Reduction

A key feature of Clariant's HDMax technology is its ability to complete the hydrotreating process in a single reactor, unlike alternative methods that require multiple units. This innovation significantly reduces capital investment, operational complexity, and energy consumption, while enabling subsequent hydrocracking to produce naphtha-like hydrocarbon fractions.

Collaborative Efforts

The partnership leveraged the strengths of each organization: Clariant provided specialized catalysts, Borealis contributed industry expertise and defined target quality, and SINTEF conducted comprehensive pilot-scale testing at their research facility in Norway. This collaboration demonstrates a viable closed-loop pathway for converting plastic waste back into high-quality virgin polyolefin feedstock.