Patent Application
20250188358
There is an increasing interest in alternative feedstocks for replacing at least partly crude oil, in the production of hydrocarbons suitable as fuels or fuel components, for example, as transportation fuels, or compatible with fuels. Biofuels are typically manufactured from feedstock originating from renewable sources including oils and fats obtained from plants, animals, algal materials, fish, and various waste streams, side streams and sewage sludge. These feedstocks, particularly the various waste streams and side streams, contain varying amounts of contaminants, such as gums, organic chlorine compounds, phospholipids and other phosphorus compounds, metals and metal compounds, and residual soaps, which are, for example, deleterious to converting catalysts.
In addition, the world has seen extremely rapid growth of plastics production. According to Plastics Europe Market Research Group, the world plastics production was 335 million tons in 2016, 348 million tons in 2017, 359 million tons in 2018, and 367 million tons in 2020. According to Mckinsey & Company, the global plastics-waste volume is estimated to be 460 million tons per year by 2030 if the current trajectory continues.
Single use waste plastic has become an increasingly important environmental issue. At the moment, there appear to be few options for recycling waste plastics such as, for example, polyethylene and polypropylene waste plastics, to value-added chemical and fuel products. Presently, only a small amount of polyethylene/polypropylene waste plastic is recycled via chemical recycling, where recycled and cleaned plastic pellets are pyrolyzed in a pyrolysis unit to make fuels (naphtha, diesel), steam cracker feed or slack wax. The majority, greater than 80%, is incinerated, land filled or discarded.
In accordance with an illustrative embodiment, a continuous process for transporting one or more waste plastic feedstocks to a refinery processing unit, comprises:
receiving, in a blending unit, one or more waste plastic feedstocks, one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks and a recycled inert carrier fluid received from a refinery processing unit,
generating, in the blending unit, a homogeneous solution comprising the one or more waste plastic feedstocks, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks and the recycled inert carrier fluid, and
processing the homogeneous solution in the presence of a catalyst under catalytic cracking conditions in the refinery processing unit.
In accordance with an illustrative embodiment, a continuous process for transporting one or more waste plastic feedstocks to a refinery processing unit, comprises:
adding a recycled inert carrier fluid received from a refinery processing unit to a non-homogeneous mixture comprising one or more waste plastic feedstocks and one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio to form a homogeneous solution comprising the one or more waste plastic feedstocks, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks and the recycled inert carrier fluid, and
processing the homogeneous solution in the presence of a catalyst under catalytic cracking conditions in the refinery processing unit.
In accordance with yet another illustrative embodiment, a continuous process for transporting one or more waste plastic feedstocks to a refinery processing unit, comprising:
processing a first homogeneous solution comprising one or more first waste plastic feedstocks, one or more first waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks and a recycled inert carrier fluid in the presence of a first catalyst under catalytic cracking conditions,
separating the recycled inert carrier fluid from the processed first homogeneous solution,
generating a second homogeneous solution comprising one or more second waste plastic feedstocks, one or more second waste plastic-immiscible waste plastic feedstocks and the separated recycled inert carrier fluid, and
processing the second homogeneous solution in the presence of a second catalyst under catalytic cracking conditions.
In combination with the accompanying drawings and with reference to the following detailed description, the features, advantages, and other aspects of the implementations of the present disclosure will become more apparent, and several implementations of the present disclosure are illustrated herein by way of example but not limitation. In the accompanying drawings:
Various illustrative embodiments described herein are directed to continuous processes for transporting one or more waste plastic feedstocks to a refinery processing unit using one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks and a recycled inert carrier fluid. As mentioned above, there is an increasing interest in alternative feedstocks for replacing at least partly crude oil, in the production of hydrocarbons suitable as fuels or fuel components, for example, as transportation fuels, or compatible with fuels. Biofuels are typically manufactured from feedstock originating from renewable sources.
Waste plastic has become an increasingly important environmental issue. Plastics are inexpensive, easy to mold, and lightweight with many commercial applications. Once the plastic products have outlived their useful lives, they are generally sent to waste disposal such as landfill sites, adding to serious environmental problems, like land, water, and air pollution or recycled by reprocessing the waste into raw material for reuse. In addition, the disposal costs for the post-industrial plastic waste poses an extra burden on processors and manufacturers. Also, there is the consideration that a high demand to produce more virgin resin material places a burden on an already limited and depleting natural resource.
The use of post-industrial and post-consumer polymers (“plastic waste”) through recycling has a variety of benefits over producing virgin resin. Unfortunately, while the economic and environmental demand for products made from recycled plastic exists, the added value created by conventional recycling methods is comparatively low. As a result, large amounts of used plastics can be only partially returned to the economic cycle. Moreover, conventional methods of recycling plastics tend to produce products with lower quality properties. For example, present methods of chemical recycling such as via pyrolysis cannot make a big impact for the plastics industry. The current pyrolysis operation produces poor quality fuel components (naphtha and diesel range products), but the quantity is small enough that these products can be blended into fuel supplies. However, this simple blending cannot continue if we have to recycle very large volumes of waste polyethylene and polypropylene to address the environmental issues. The products produced from the pyrolysis unit have too poor quality to be blended in large amounts (for example, 5 to 20 vol. % blending) in transportation fuels.
Presently, waste plastics have been fed to a fluid catalytic cracking unit using a feed solvent such as a vacuum gas oil (VGO) or atmospheric tower bottoms (ATBs). However, these solvents have drawbacks such as a limited ability to dissolve the waste plastic as well as forming a product with high pour point and high viscosity. In addition, it has also been challenging to form homogeneous solutions of waste plastics in waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks. The illustrative embodiments described herein overcome these and other drawbacks by providing processes for transporting one or more waste plastic feedstocks to a refinery processing unit using one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks and a recycled inert carrier fluid resulting in a renewable product as well as a lower carbon intensity source of cracked waste plastic.
Among other factors, it has been found that by adding a recycled inert carrier fluid received from a refinery processing unit to one or more waste plastic feedstocks and one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks, a homogeneous solution including the one or more waste plastic feedstocks, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks and the recycled inert carrier fluid can be generated thereby allowing the waste plastic to be more efficiently and effectively recycled while also complementing the operation of a refinery in the preparation of higher value products such as gasoline, jet fuel, base oil, and diesel fuel.
It has also been found that the recycled inert carrier fluid described herein is not extensively cracked (i.e., converted) in the refinery processing unit as compared to the one or more waste plastic feedstocks and the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks thus allowing it to more easily transport the non-homogeneous mixture. In addition, by separating the recycled inert carrier fluid from the refinery processing unit effluent, the separated recycled inert carrier fluid can be continuously recycled back to a blending unit where it can more easily dissolve other incoming waste plastic feedstocks and waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks in a continuous process resulting in a thermal energy savings. Further, the recycled inert carrier fluid will exit the refinery processing unit at an elevated temperature such that it can more easily dissolve the one or more waste plastic feedstocks during blending. Accordingly, lower energy consumption is realized for the overall continuous process from using the recycled inert carrier fluid in converting recycled waste plastics to a chemical or fuel product.
To define more clearly the terms used herein, the following definitions are provided. Unless otherwise indicated, the following definitions are applicable to this disclosure. If a term is used in this disclosure but is not specifically defined herein, the definition from the IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology can be applied, as long as that definition does not conflict with any other disclosure or definition applied herein or render indefinite or non-enabled any claim to which that definition is applied. To the extent that any definition or usage provided by any document incorporated herein by reference conflicts with the definition or usage provided herein, the definition or usage provided herein controls.
As used in this disclosure the word “comprises” or “comprising” is intended as an open-ended transition meaning the inclusion of the named elements, but not necessarily excluding other unnamed elements. The phrase “consists essentially of” or “consisting essentially of” is intended to mean the exclusion of other elements of any essential significance to the composition. The phrase “consisting of” or “consists of” is intended as a transition meaning the exclusion of all but the recited elements with the exception of only minor traces of impurities.
The terms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include plural alternatives, e.g., at least one. The terms “including,” “with,” and “having,” as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open language), unless specified otherwise.
Various numerical ranges are disclosed herein. When Applicant discloses or claims a range of any type, Applicant's intent is to disclose or claim individually each possible number that such a range could reasonably encompass, including end points of the range as well as any sub-ranges and combinations of sub-ranges encompassed therein, unless otherwise specified. For example, all numerical end points of ranges disclosed herein are approximate, unless excluded by proviso.
Values or ranges may be expressed herein as “about,” from “about” one particular value, and/or to “about” another particular value. When such values or ranges are expressed, other embodiments disclosed include the specific value recited, from the one particular value, and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment. It will be further understood that there are a number of values disclosed therein, and that each value is also herein disclosed as “about” that particular value in addition to the value itself. In another aspect, use of the term “about” means±20% of the stated value, ±15% of the stated value, ±10% of the stated value, ±5% of the stated value, ±3% of the stated value, or ±1% of the stated value.
The term “continuous” as used herein shall be understood to mean a system that operates without interruption or cessation for a period of time, such as where reactant(s) and catalyst(s) are continually fed into a reaction zone and products are continually or regularly withdrawn without stopping the reaction in the reaction zone.
The term “bio” refers to biochemical and/or natural chemicals found in nature. Thus, a bio feedstock or bio-oil would comprise such natural chemicals. The preferred starting bio feedstocks for the blend preparation include triglycerides and fatty acids, plant-derived oils. The term “municipal solid waste” as used herein refers to nonliquid waste that comes from homes, institutions, and small businesses.
The term “waste plastic” as used herein refers to any post-industrial (or pre-consumer) and post-consumer plastics, such as, for example, one or more polyesters, one or more polyolefins (PO), and/or polyvinylchloride (PVC).
The term “post-industrial plastic” (or “pre-consumer” plastic) as used herein includes all manufactured recyclable organic plastics that are not post-consumer plastics, such as a material that has been created or processed by a manufacturer and has not been used for its intended application, has not been sold to the end use customer, or has been discarded or transferred by a manufacturer or any other entity engaged in the sale or disposal of the material.
The term “post-consumer plastic” as used herein refers to a plastic that has been used at least once for its intended application for any duration of time regardless of wear, has been sold to an end use customer, or has been discarded into a recycle bin by any person or entity other than a manufacturer or business engaged in the manufacture or sale of the material. Examples of post-industrial or pre-consumer plastics include rework, regrind, scrap, trim, out of specification materials, and finished materials transferred from a manufacturer to any downstream customer (e.g., manufacturer to wholesaler to distributor) but not yet used or sold to the end use customer.
The term “one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks” as used herein shall be understood to mean a single bio feedstock or a mixture of two or more bio feedstocks that when combined with one or more waste plastics form a non-homogeneous mixture at temperatures lower or higher than the plastic melting temperature.
The term “one or more waste plastic-miscible bio feedstocks” as used herein shall be understood to mean a single bio feedstock or a mixture of two or more bio feedstocks that when combined with one or more waste plastics form a homogeneous solution at temperatures higher than the plastic melting temperature and do not form precipitation or a separate phase when temperatures are reduced to below the plastic melting temperature.
The term “non-homogeneous mixture” as used herein shall be understood to mean that (1) in the case where the waste plastic is in a melted state, the waste plastic in the melted state forms a separate liquid phase from the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks, (2) in the case where the waste plastic is in a semi-melted state, the waste plastic in the semi-melted state forms a separate liquid/solid phase from the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks, and (3) in the case where the waste plastic is in a solid state, the waste plastic in the solid state forms a dispersed phase with the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks.
The term “virgin” denotes the newly produced materials and/or objects prior to their first use, which have not already been recycled.
The term “equilibrium catalyst” or “ECAT” is used herein to indicate the inventory of circulating fluid cracking catalyst composition in an FCC unit operating under catalytic cracking conditions. For purpose of this disclosure, the terms “equilibrium catalyst,” “spent catalyst” (catalyst taken from an FCC unit) and “regenerated catalyst” (catalyst leaving a regeneration unit) shall be deemed equivalent.
A “fresh catalyst” as used herein denotes a catalyst which has not previously been used in a catalytic process.
A “spent catalyst” as used herein denotes a catalyst that has less activity at the same reaction conditions (e.g., temperature, pressure, inlet flows) than the catalyst had when it was originally exposed to the process. This can be due to a number of reasons, several non-limiting examples of causes of catalyst deactivation are coking or carbonaceous material sorption or accumulation, steam or hydrothermal deactivation, metals (and ash) sorption or accumulation, attrition, morphological changes including changes in pore sizes, cation or anion substitution, and/or chemical or compositional changes.
A “regenerated catalyst” as used herein denotes a catalyst that had become spent, as defined above, and was then subjected to a process that increased its activity to a level greater than it had as a spent catalyst. This may involve, for example, reversing transformations or removing contaminants outlined above as possible causes of reduced activity. The regenerated catalyst typically has an activity that is equal to or less than the fresh catalyst activity.
The term “steady state” as used herein is used herein to indicate operating conditions within an FCC reactor unit wherein there exists within the unit a constant amount of catalyst inventory having a constant catalyst activity at a constant rate of feed of a feedstock having a defined composition to obtain a constant conversion rate of products.
The term “catalyst activity” as used herein can be determined on a weight percent basis of conversion of a standard feedstock at standard FCC conditions by the catalyst microactivity test in accordance with ASTM D3907.
The term “upgrade” or “upgrading” generally means to improve quality and/or properties of a stream and is meant to include physical and/or chemical changes to a stream. Further, upgrading is intended to encompass removing impurities (e.g., heteroatoms, metals, etc.) from, for example, a hydrocarbon stream, converting a portion of the hydrocarbons into shorter chain length hydrocarbons, cleaving single ring or multi-ring aromatic compounds present in a hydrocarbon stream, and/or reducing viscosity of a hydrocarbon stream.
The term “octane number” refers to the percentage of iso-octane in a mixture of iso-octane and n-heptane that would have the same knock resistance as the presently tested fuel, according to ASTM D2699 and D2700. Octane numbers typically range from 0 to 100, with higher values indicating better fuel performance. Octane numbers are unitless.
The term “Research Octane Number” (RON) refers to the octane number obtained by testing at lower engine speed and temperature, typically about 600 rpm, according to ASTM D2699.
The term “Motor Octane Number” (MON) refers to the octane number obtained by testing at higher engine speed and temperature, typically about 900 rpm according to ASTM D2700. Given that engine inefficiency inherently increases as temperature increases, RON is typically higher than MON.
“Anti-knock index” is defined by the arithmetic average of the two octane numbers: (RON+MON)/2.
Applicant reserves the right to proviso out or exclude any individual members of any such group of values or ranges, including any sub-ranges or combinations of sub-ranges within the group, that can be claimed according to a range or in any similar manner, if for any reason Applicant chooses to claim less than the full measure of the disclosure, for example, to account for a reference that Applicant may be unaware of at the time of the filing of the application. Further, Applicant reserves the right to proviso out or exclude any members of a claimed group.
Although any processes and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the illustrative embodiments described herein, the typical processes and materials are herein described.
The illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure will be specifically described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. For the purpose of clarity, some steps leading up to the separation of the cracked waste plastic feedstocks, waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstock and recycled inert carrier fluid as illustrated in
The system 100 first includes blending unit 110 for receiving one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 and one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks 103. Blending unit 110 can be any conventional unit for receiving one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 and one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks.
The waste plastic may originate from one or more of several sources. In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the waste plastic may originate from, for example, plastic bottles, diapers, eyeglass frames, films, packaging materials, carpet (residential, commercial, and/or automotive), textiles (clothing and other fabrics) and combinations thereof. This list is merely illustrative, and any source of waste plastic is contemplated herein.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, a waste plastic includes, for example, high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), high molecular weight polyethylene (HMWPE), low molecular weight polyethylene (LMWPE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) and mixed plastics, e.g., a mixture of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS) or a mixture of LDPE, HDPE and PP.
In an illustrative embodiment, a high-density polyethylene has a number average molecular weight of about 100,000 to about 250,000. In an illustrative embodiment, an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene can have a number average molecular weight of at least about 500,000. In an illustrative embodiment, a high molecular weight polyethylene can have a number average molecular weight of from about 50,000 to about 400,000. In an illustrative embodiment, a low molecular weight polyethylene can have a number average molecular weight of from about 5,000 to about 50,000. In an illustrative embodiment, a high molecular weight polypropylene can have a number average molecular weight of from about 100,000 to about 700,000. In an illustrative embodiment, a high molecular weight polypropylene can have a weight average molecular weight of from about 220,000 to about 700,000. In an illustrative embodiment, a low molecular weight polypropylene can have a number average molecular weight of from about 10,000 to about 100,000.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the one or more waste plastic feedstocks can comprise at least about 50, or at least about 55, or at least about 60, or at least about 65, or at least about 70, or at least about 75, or at least about 80, or at least about 85, or at least about 95, or at least about 99 weight percent of, for example, polyolefins such as high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, and polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), copolyesters and terephthalate copolyesters (e.g., containing residues of TMCD, CHDM, propylene glycol, or NPG monomers), polyamides, poly(methyl methacrylate), polytetrafluoroethylene, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polyurethanes, cellulose and derivatives thereof (e.g., cellulose diacetate, cellulose triacetate, or regenerated cellulose), epoxy, phenolic resins, polyacetal, polycarbonates, polyphenylene-based alloys, polystyrene, styrenic compounds, vinyl based compounds, styrene acrylonitrile, polyvinyl acetals (e.g., PVB), urea based polymers, melamine containing polymers, thermosetting, thermoplastic elastomers other than tires, and/or elastomeric plastics and the like and combinations thereof.
Examples of polyesters may include, but are not limited to, those having repeating aromatic or cyclic units such as those containing a repeating terephthalate, isophthalate, or naphthalate units such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), modified PET, or those containing repeating furanate repeating units. As used herein, “PET” or “polyethylene terephthalate” refers to a homopolymer of polyethylene terephthalate, or to a polyethylene terephthalate modified with one or more acid and/or glycol modifiers and/or containing residues or moieties of other than ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid, such as isophthalic acid, 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid, diethylene glycol, 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol (TMCD), cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM), propylene glycol, isosorbide, 1,4-butanediol, 1,3-propane diol, and/or neopentyl glycol (NPG).
Also included within the definition of the terms “PET” and “polyethylene terephthalate” are polyesters having repeating terephthalate units (whether or not they contain repeating ethylene glycol-based units) and one or more residues or moieties of a glycol including, for example, TMCD, CHDM, propylene glycol, or NPG, isosorbide, 1,4-butanediol, 1,3-propane diol, and/or diethylene glycol, or combinations thereof. Examples of polymers with repeat terephthalate units can include, but are not limited to, polypropylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, and copolyesters thereof. Examples of aliphatic polyesters can include, but are not limited to, polylactic acid (PLA), polyglycolic acid, polycaprolactones, and polyethylene adipates. The polymer may comprise mixed aliphatic-aromatic copolyesters including, for example, mixed terephthalates/adipates.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the waste plastic may comprise terephthalate repeating units in an amount of at least about 1, at least about 5, at least about 10, at least about 15, at least about 20, at least about 25, at least about 30, at least about 35, at least about 40, or at least about 45 and/or not more than about 75, not more than about 70, not more than about 60, or not more than about 65 weight percent, based on the total weight of the plastic in the waste plastic stream, or it may include terephthalate repeat units in an amount in the range of from about 1 to about 75 weight percent, about 5 to about 70 weight percent, or about 25 to about 75 weight percent, based on the total weight of the stream.
Examples of polyolefins may include, but are not limited to, high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), high molecular weight polyethylene (HMWPE), low molecular weight polyethylene (LMWPE), polypropylene (PP), atactic polypropylene, isotactic polypropylene, syndiotactic polypropylene, crosslinked polyethylene, amorphous polyolefins, and the copolymers of any one of the aforementioned polyolefins. In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the waste plastic may include polymers including linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), polymethylpentene, polybutene-1, and copolymers thereof. In an embodiment, the waste plastic may comprise flashspun high-density polyethylene.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the one or more waste plastic feedstocks can include, for example, thermosetting, thermoplastic, and/or elastomeric plastics. For example, the number average molecular weight of the thermosetting, thermoplastic, and/or elastomeric plastics can be at least about 300, or at least about 500, or at least about 1000, or at least about 5,000, or at least about 10,000, or at least about 20,000, or at least about 30,000, or at least about 50,000 or at least about 70,000 or at least about 90,000 or at least about 100,000, or at least about 130,000 and up to about 300,000, or up to about 200,000, or up to about 150,000, or up to about 100,000, or up to about 90,000, or up to about 70,000, or up to about 50,000, or up to about 30,000, or up to about 20,000, or up to about 10,000, or up to about 5,000, or up to about 1,000.
Examples of cellulose materials include, but are not limited to, cellulose acetate, cellulose diacetate, cellulose triacetate, cellulose acetate propionate, cellulose acetate butyrate, as well as regenerated cellulose such as viscose. Additionally, the cellulose materials can include cellulose derivatives having an acyl degree of substitution of less than about 3, not more than about 2.9, not more than about 2.8, not more than about 2.7, or not more than about 2.6 and/or at least about 1.7, at least about 1.8, or at least about 1.9.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, a waste plastic may include a mixed plastic waste (“MPW”) containing any combination of the foregoing waste plastics.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the one or more waste plastic feedstocks can be any organic synthetic polymer that is solid at 25° C. at 1 atm. For example, in an illustrative embodiment, the organic synthetic polymers that are solid at 25° C. and 1 atmosphere of pressure may have a number average molecular weight (Mn) of at least about 300, or at least about 500, or at least about 1000, or at least about 5,000, or at least about 10,000, or at least about 20,000, or at least about 30,000, or at least about 50,000 or at least about 70,000 or at least about 90,000 or at least about 100,000 or at least about 130,000, or at least about 150,000 Daltons. The weight average molecular weight (Mw) of the polymers can be at least about 300, or at least about 500, or at least about 1000, or at least about 5,000, or at least about 10,000, or at least about 20,000, or at least about 30,000 or at least about 50,000, or at least about 70,000, or at least about 90,000, or at least about 100,000, or at least about 130,000, or at least about 150,000, or at least about 300,000 or at least about 400,000 Daltons. In an embodiment or in combination with any embodiment mentioned herein, the polymers have an average molecular weight, Mw, in the range of about 5,000 to about 150,000. In an embodiment or in combination with any embodiment mentioned herein, the polymers have an average molecular weight, Mw, in the range of greater than about 150,000 to about 400,000.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the form of the one or more waste plastic feedstocks can include any of the forms of articles, products, materials, or portions thereof. For example, a portion of an article can take the form of sheets, extruded shapes, moldings, films, carpet, laminates, foam pieces, chips, flakes, particles, agglomerates, briquettes, powder, shredded pieces, long strips, randomly shaped pieces having a wide variety of shapes, or any other form other than the original form of the article and adapted to feed to the FCC unit discussed hereinbelow.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the one or more waste plastic feedstocks can be in the form of solid particles, such as chips, flakes, or a powder. In another embodiment, the one or more waste plastic feedstocks may comprise particulates such as, for example, shredded plastic particles, chopped plastic particles, or plastic pellets.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the one or more waste plastic feedstocks can include at least about 50, or at least about 55, or at least about 60, or at least about 65, or at least about 70, or at least about 75, or at least about 80, or at least about 85, or at least about 95, or at least about 99 weight percent of recycled textiles and/or recycled carpet, such as synthetic fibers, rovings, yarns, nonwoven webs, cloth, fabrics and products made from or containing any of the aforementioned plastics. The textiles can include woven, knitted, knotted, stitched, tufted, felted, embroidered, laced, crocheted, braided, or nonwoven webs and materials. The textiles can include fabrics, fibers separated from a textile or other product containing fibers, scrap or off spec fibers or yarns or fabrics, or any other source of loose fibers and yarns. Furthermore, the textiles may also include staple fibers, continuous fibers, threads, tow bands, twisted and/or spun yarns, grey fabrics made from yarns, finished fabrics produced by wet processing gray fabrics, garments made from the finished fabrics, or any other fabrics. Textiles include apparels, interior furnishings, and industrial types of textiles. Textiles also include post-industrial textiles or post-consumer textiles or both.
Examples of textiles in the apparel category (things humans wear or made for the body) include, but are not limited to, sports coats, suits, trousers and casual or work pants, shirts, socks, sportswear, dresses, intimate apparel, outerwear such as rain jackets, cold temperature jackets and coats, sweaters, protective clothing, uniforms, and accessories such as scarves, hats, and gloves. Examples of textiles in the interior furnishing category include furniture upholstery and slipcovers, carpets and rugs, curtains, bedding such as sheets, pillow covers, duvets, comforters, mattress covers; linens, tablecloths, towels, washcloths, and blankets. Examples of industrial textiles include transportation (auto, airplanes, trains, buses) seats, floor mats, trunk liners, and headliners; outdoor furniture and cushions, tents, backpacks, luggage, ropes, conveyor belts, calendar roll felts, polishing cloths, rags, soil erosion fabrics and geotextiles, agricultural mats and screens, personal protective equipment, bullet proof vests, medical bandages, sutures, tapes, and the like.
The nonwoven webs that are classified as textiles do not include the category of wet laid nonwoven webs and articles made therefrom. While a variety of articles having the same function can be made from a dry or wet laid process, the article made from the dry laid nonwoven web is classified as a textile. Examples of suitable articles that may be formed from dry laid nonwoven webs as described herein can include those for personal, consumer, industrial, food service, medical, and other types of end uses. Specific examples can include, but are not limited to, baby wipes, flushable wipes, disposable diapers, training pants, feminine hygiene products such as sanitary napkins and tampons, adult incontinence pads, underwear, or briefs, and pet training pads. Other examples include a variety of different dry or wet wipes, including those for consumer (such as personal care or household) and industrial (such as food service, health care, or specialty) use.
Nonwoven webs can also be used as padding for pillows, mattresses, and upholstery, batting for quilts and comforters. In the medical and industrial fields, nonwoven webs of the present invention may be used for medical and industrial face masks, protective clothing, caps, and shoe covers, disposable sheets, surgical gowns, drapes, bandages, and medical dressings. Additionally, nonwoven webs as described herein may be used for environmental fabrics such as geotextiles and tarps, oil and chemical absorbent pads, as well as building materials such as acoustic or thermal insulation, tents, lumber and soil covers and sheeting. Nonwoven webs may also be used for other consumer end use applications, such as for, carpet backing, packaging for consumer, industrial, and agricultural goods, thermal or acoustic insulation, and in various types of apparel. The dry laid nonwoven webs as described herein may also be used for a variety of filtration applications, including transportation (e.g., automotive or aeronautical), commercial, residential, industrial, or other specialty applications. Examples can include filter elements for consumer or industrial air or liquid filters (e.g., gasoline, oil, water), including nanofiber webs used for microfiltration, as well as end uses like tea bags, coffee filters, and dryer sheets. Further, nonwoven webs as described herein may be used to form a variety of components for use in automobiles, including, but not limited to, brake pads, trunk liners, carpet tufting, and under padding.
The textiles can include a single type or multiple types of natural fibers and/or a single type or multiple types of synthetic fibers. Examples of textile fiber combinations include all natural, all synthetic, two or more types of natural fibers, two or more types of synthetic fibers, one type of natural fiber and one type of synthetic fiber, one type of natural fibers and two or more types of synthetic fibers, two or more types of natural fibers and one type of synthetic fibers, and two or more types of natural fibers and two or more types of synthetic fibers.
Natural fibers include those that are plant derived or animal derived. Natural fibers can be cellulosics, hemicellulosics, and lignins. Examples of plant derived natural fibers include hardwood pulp, softwood pulp, and wood flour; and other plant fibers including those in wheat straw, rice straw, abaca, coir, cotton, flax, hemp, jute, bagasse, kapok, papyrus, ramie, rattan, vine, kenaf, abaca, henequen, sisal, soy, cereal straw, bamboo, reeds, esparto grass, bagasse, Sabai grass, milkweed floss fibers, pineapple leaf fibers, switch grass, lignin-containing plants, and the like. Examples of animal derived fibers include wool, silk, mohair, cashmere, goat hair, horsehair, avian fibers, camel hair, angora wool, and alpaca wool.
Synthetic fibers are those fibers that are, at least in part, synthesized or derivatized through chemical reactions, or regenerated, and include, but are not limited to, rayon, viscose, mercerized fibers or other types of regenerated cellulose (conversion of natural cellulose to a soluble cellulosic derivative and subsequent regeneration) such as lyocell (also known as TENCEL™), Cupro, Modal, acetates such as polyvinylacetate, polyamides including nylon, polyesters such as PET, olefinic polymers such as polypropylene and polyethylene, polycarbonates, poly sulfates, polysulfones, polyethers such as polyether-urea known as Spandex or elastane, polyacrylates, acrylonitrile copolymers, polyvinylchloride (PVC), polylactic acid, polyglycolic acid, sulfopolyester fibers, and combinations thereof.
The textiles can be in any of the forms mentioned above, such as size reduction via chopping, shredding, harrowing, confrication, pulverizing, or cutting a feedstock of textiles to make size reduced textiles. The textiles can also be densified. Examples of processes that densify include those that agglomerate the textiles through heat generated by frictional forces or particles made by extrusion or other external heat applied to the textile to soften or melt a portion or all of the textile.
In some embodiments, the one or more waste plastic feedstocks can be obtained from a plastic source including, by way of example, a hopper, storage bin, railcar, over-the-road trailer, or any other device that may hold or store waste plastics. In an embodiment, the plastic source can include a municipal reclaimer facility, an industrial facility, a recycling facility, a commercial facility, a manufacturing facility, or combinations thereof.
In illustrative embodiments, the waste plastics can be washed to remove any metal contaminants such as sodium, calcium, magnesium, aluminum, and non-metal contaminants coming from other waste sources. Non-metal contaminants include contaminants coming from the Periodic Table Group 14, such as silica, contaminants from Group 15, such as phosphorus and nitrogen compounds, contaminants from Group 16, such as sulfur compounds, and halide contaminants from Group 17, such as fluoride, chloride, and iodide. The residual metals, non-metal contaminants, and halides need to be removed to less than about 50 parts per million (ppm), or less than about 30 ppm or less than about 5 ppm.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks 103 for mixing with the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 can include, for example, one or more bio feedstocks with a high degree of unsaturation exhibiting an iodine number of greater than 95. In some embodiments, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks include, for example, bio feedstocks exhibiting an iodine number of greater than or equal to about 96. In some embodiments, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks include, for example, bio feedstocks exhibiting an iodine number of greater than or equal to about 97. In some embodiments, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks include, for example, bio feedstocks exhibiting an iodine number of greater than or equal to about 98. In some embodiments, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks include, for example, bio feedstocks exhibiting an iodine number of greater than or equal to about 99. In some embodiments, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks include, for example, bio feedstocks exhibiting an iodine number of greater than or equal to about 100. In some embodiments, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks include, for example, bio feedstocks exhibiting an iodine number of greater than or equal to about 105. In some embodiments, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks include, for example, bio feedstocks exhibiting an iodine number of greater than or equal to about 110. In some embodiments, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks include, for example, bio feedstocks exhibiting an iodine number of greater than or equal to about 115. In some embodiments, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks include, for example, bio feedstocks exhibiting an iodine number of greater than or equal to about 120. In some embodiments, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks include, for example, bio feedstocks exhibiting an iodine number of greater than or equal to about 125. In some embodiments, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks include, for example, bio feedstocks exhibiting an iodine number of greater than or equal to about 130. In some embodiments, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks include, for example, one or more bio feedstocks with a high degree of unsaturation exhibiting an iodine number of up to about 200. It is to be understood that any of the lower limits can be combined with the upper limit.
As one skilled in the art will appreciate, the one or more bio feedstocks exhibiting an iodine number as discussed above include a single bio feedstock exhibiting the given iodine number or a mixture of two or more bio feedstocks where the mixture exhibits the given iodine number. For example, a mixture of two or more bio feedstocks can contain a first bio feedstock having a first iodine number and a second bio feedstock having a second iodine number different than the first iodine number, where the mixture has a third iodine number that is greater than 95.
The iodine number (or iodine value) is a measure of the amount of unsaturation in fats, oils and waxes. It is determined by measuring the mass of iodine in grams consumed by 100 g of substance. A higher value means a substance is more unsaturated. It is similar to the use of the bromine number to measure unsaturation in petroleum samples.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks 103 having the foregoing iodine numbers greater than 95 include, for example, polyunsaturated triglycerides. Suitable polyunsaturated triglycerides include, for example, soybean oil (with an iodine number of 130), canola (with an iodine number of 120), rapeseed oil (with an iodine number of 110), sunflower oil (with an iodine number of 130), linseed oil (with an iodine number of 185) etc. In some embodiments, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks 103 can be a mixture of waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks, wherein the mixture of waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks has an iodine number of greater than 95.
In some embodiments, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, blending unit 110 can further receive one or more waste plastic-miscible bio feedstocks 104. Suitable one or more waste plastic-miscible bio feedstocks 104 are bio feedstocks having an iodine number less than 95 and include, for example, polyunsaturated triglycerides. Suitable polysaturated triglycerides include, for example, tallow (with an iodine number of 45), palm oil (with an iodine number of 50), lard (with an iodine number of 60), coconut oil (with an iodine number of 10), butter (with an iodine number of 35) etc.
The one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks 103 and the optional one or more waste plastic-miscible bio feedstocks 104 are fed into blending unit 110 with recycled inert carrier fluid 155. In some embodiments, the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 and the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks 103 are fed into blending unit 110 and mixed together to form a non-homogeneous mixture. In some embodiments, the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 are fed into blending unit 110 in a melted state and mixed with the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks 103 and the optional one or more waste plastic-miscible bio feedstocks 104. In this particular embodiment, the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 are heated to a temperature above the melting point of the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101. As one skilled in the art will readily appreciate, when the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 is a single waste plastic feedstock, the melting point is of that particular waste plastic feedstock. In the case where the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 are more than one waste plastic feedstock, then the melting point of the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 will be the melting point of the waste plastic with the highest melting point. Thus, the melting points of all the one or more waste plastic feedstocks must be exceeded.
In some embodiments, the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 are fed into blending unit 110 in a semi-melted state and mixed with the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks 103 and the optional one or more waste plastic-miscible bio feedstocks 104. In this particular embodiment, the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 are heated to a temperature at either above the melting point of the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 which are then allowed to cool to a temperature to produce a semi-melted state of the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101, or the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 are heated to a temperature in proximity to the melting point of the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 to form the semi-melted state.
In some embodiments, the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 are fed into blending unit 110 in a solid state and mixed with the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks 103 and the optional one or more waste plastic-miscible bio feedstocks 104.
In some embodiments, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks 103, the optional one or more waste plastic-miscible bio feedstocks 104 and the recycled inert carrier fluid 155 are fed into blending unit 110 simultaneously and at the same or different flow rate. In some embodiments, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks 103, the optional one or more waste plastic-miscible bio feedstocks 104 and the recycled inert carrier fluid 155 are fed into blending unit 110 at different intervals and at the same or different flow rate.
In an alternative embodiment, as depicted in
In some embodiments, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, blending unit 102 can further receive one or more waste plastic-miscible bio feedstocks 104 as discussed above.
In some embodiments, the non-homogeneous mixture will contain from about 1 wt. % to about 20 wt. %, based on the total weight of the non-homogeneous mixture, of the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101. In another illustrative embodiment, the non-homogeneous mixture will contain from about 1 wt. % to about 10 wt. %, based on the total weight of the non-homogeneous mixture, of the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101. In the illustrative embodiments, the remaining amount of the non-homogeneous mixture will be composed of the waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks 103.
In some embodiments, the one or more waste plastic-miscible bio feedstocks 104, when used, are employed in amounts which do not change the non-homogeneous mixture to a homogeneous solution. The amounts of the one or more waste plastic-miscible bio feedstocks 104 can be, for example, an amount ranging from about 1 wt. % to about 40 wt. %, based on the total weight of the non-homogeneous mixture.
Recycled inert carrier fluid 155 is received as a continuous stream in blending unit 110 and combined with either the incoming one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 and one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks 103 (
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, recycled inert carrier fluid 155 can be any inert carrier fluid for forming a homogeneous solution stream 120 of one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 and the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks 103 and transporting homogeneous solution stream 120 to refinery processing unit 140 while also being capable of being recycled back to transport another homogeneous solution stream 120 to refinery processing unit 140 in a continuous process. In other words, recycled inert carrier fluid 155 is an inert carrier fluid which has a relatively low conversion rate when fed into refinery processing unit for processing such that a relatively high amount of inert carrier fluid can be separated from the processed waste plastic feedstocks and recycled back to the blending unit 110. In this manner, the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 can be substantially converted. For example, in an illustrative embodiment, the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 have a conversion rate in a refinery processing unit of greater than about 70%. In another illustrative embodiment, the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 have a conversion rate in a refinery processing unit of greater than about 90%.
In some embodiments, recycled inert carrier fluid 155 can be a recycled inert carrier fluid having a conversion rate in a refinery processing unit of less than about 40%. In some embodiments, recycled inert carrier fluid 155 can be a recycled inert carrier fluid having a conversion rate in a refinery processing unit of less than about 20%. In some embodiments, recycled inert carrier fluid 155 can be a recycled inert carrier fluid having a conversion rate in a refinery processing unit of less than about 10%.
In some embodiments, recycled inert carrier fluid 155 can be a recycled inert carrier fluid having a conversion rate in a refinery processing unit in the presence of an ECAT catalyst of less than about 40%. In some embodiments, recycled inert carrier fluid 155 can be a recycled inert carrier fluid having a conversion rate in refinery processing unit in the presence of an ECAT catalyst of less than about 25%.
In some embodiments, recycled inert carrier fluid 155 can be a recycled inert carrier fluid having a conversion rate in refinery processing unit in the presence of a ZSM-5 catalyst of less than about 20%. In some embodiments, recycled inert carrier fluid 155 can be a recycled inert carrier fluid having a conversion rate in refinery processing unit in the presence of a ZSM-5 catalyst of less than about 10%.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, recycled inert carrier fluid 155 can be characterized as follows:
having a total paraffin content of less than or equal to about 20 wt. %; and
a total aromatics content of from about 50 wt. % to about 99 wt. %.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, when recycled inert carrier fluid 155 is processed in the presence of a ZSM-5 catalyst, recycled inert carrier fluid 155 can be characterized as follows:
having a total paraffin content of from about 0.1 wt. % to about 20 wt. %; and
a total aromatics content of from about 50 wt. % to about 99 wt. %.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, when recycled inert carrier fluid 155 is processed in the presence of an ECAT catalyst, recycled inert carrier fluid 155 can be characterized as follows:
having a total paraffin content of from about 0.1 wt. % to about 20 wt. %; and
a total aromatics content of from about 50 wt. % to about 99 wt. %.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, suitable recycled inert carrier fluids include, for example, light cycle oil (boiling range of 221° C. to 343° C.) (430° F. to 650° F.), heavy gasoline (boiling range of 130° C. to 221° C.) (265° F. to 430° F.), heavy reformate (boiling range of 138° C. to 188° C.) (280° F. to 370° F.), heavy heavy reformate (boiling range of 149° C. to 310° C.) (300° F. to 590° F.) and the like and mixtures thereof. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, these recycled inert carrier fluids are obtained from refinery operations in a refinery processing unit such as a catalytic reforming process.
In another illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, recycled inert carrier fluid 155 can include any inert carrier fluid with a boiling point in the range of about 300° F. to about 700° F. suitable for dissolving waste plastics.
In some embodiments, when exiting refinery processing unit 140, the recycled inert carrier fluid 155 will be a hot recycled inert carrier fluid such that the heat can be used to accelerate the dissolution rate of the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101. In an illustrative embodiment, recycled inert carrier fluid 155 will be received in blending unit 110 having a temperature ranging from about 75 to about 250° C. In another illustrative embodiment, recycled inert carrier fluid 155 will be received in blending unit 110 having a temperature ranging from about 150 to about 250° C. Accordingly, in some embodiments, to dissolve one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101, the recycled inert carrier fluid 155 is fed into blending unit 110 at a temperature above the melting point of the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 such that the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 are dissolved thereby forming homogeneous solution stream 120 including the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks 103 and recycled inert carrier fluid 155.
In some embodiments, recycled inert carrier fluid 155 is fed into blending unit 110 at a temperature below the melting point of the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101. Thus, it may be necessary to operate the blending unit 110 at a temperature above the melting point of the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 to form homogeneous solution stream 120.
In some embodiments, the homogeneous solution stream 120 of the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks 103 and recycled inert carrier fluid 155 can be prepared by mixing either the incoming one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 and one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks 103 (
In the case where there is an insufficient amount of recycled inert carrier fluid 155 to dissolve the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 and transport the homogeneous solution stream 120, an additional inert carrier fluid stream 115 can be introduced into blending unit 110 to be combined with the non-homogeneous mixture 105 and recycled inert carrier fluid 155. Inert carrier fluid stream 115 can be composed of any of the inert carrier fluids discussed above. In an illustrative embodiment, inert carrier fluid stream 115 is the same inert carrier fluid as recycled inert carrier fluid 155. The recycled inert carrier fluid stream 115 is generally at room temperature.
In some embodiments, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, it may be necessary to operate the blending unit 110 at a temperature of from about 75° C. to about 250° C. to form homogeneous solution stream 120 at a residence time of from about 1 minute to about 240 minutes, or from about 5 minutes to about 60 minutes and at a pressure of about 1 atm to about 5 atm.
The homogeneous solution stream 120 is a hot homogeneous liquid containing the dissolved one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks 103 and optionally one or more water miscible bio feedstocks in the recycled inert carrier fluid 155. In an illustrative embodiment, the homogeneous solution stream will contain from about 1 wt. % to about 20 wt. %, based on the total weight of the homogeneous solution stream, of the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101. In another illustrative embodiment, the homogeneous solution stream will contain from about 1 wt. % to about 10 wt. %, based on the total weight of the homogeneous solution stream, of the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101. In another illustrative embodiment, the homogeneous solution stream will contain from about 1 wt. % to about 50 wt. %, based on the total weight of the homogeneous solution stream, of the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks 103. In the illustrative embodiments, the remaining amount of the homogeneous solution stream will be composed of from about 40 wt. % to about 98 wt. % of the recycled inert carrier fluid 155.
In some embodiments, the one or more waste plastic-miscible bio feedstocks 104, when used, are employed in amounts which would not change any in-situ formation of the non-homogeneous mixture of the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 and the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks 103, which, when combined with the recycled inert carrier fluid 155 results in the homogeneous solution. These amounts of the one or more waste plastic-miscible bio feedstocks 104 can be, for example, an amount ranging from about 1 wt. % to about 40 wt. %, based on the total weight of the homogeneous solution.
System 100 can optionally include a filtration unit 125 for receiving homogeneous solution stream 120 to remove any undissolved plastic particles or any solid impurities that may be present in the homogeneous solution stream 120 to form filtered stream 130. Any undissolved plastic particles or impurities removed exit the filtration unit 125 via waste stream 135. The most common impurities in waste plastic are Ca, Mg, Si and Ti that may come from plastic consumer product manufacturing such as calcium carbonate, silica, talc which are commonly used filler material. Al, Fe, P, Zn can also be present in substantial quantities.
System 100 further includes refinery processing unit 140 for receiving homogeneous solution stream 120 or filtered stream 130 for processing the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 to form processed stream 145. Suitable refinery processing units include, for example, a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit, hydrocracking unit, and hydrotreating unit, to process the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 in the presence of one or more catalysts with simultaneous conversion of the waste plastic. By employing the recycled inert carrier fluid 155 in the process described herein, the refinery processing unit can process the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 such as by cracking without substantially converting the recycled inert carrier fluid 155 as described above so that the recycled inert carrier fluid 155 can be further recycled and reused.
The presence of one or more catalysts in the refinery processing unit 140 allows for conversion of the one or more waste plastic feedstocks 101 to higher value products at a lower operating temperature than the typical pyrolysis temperature. The yields of undesirable byproducts (e.g., offgas, tars, coke) are also lower than the typical pyrolysis process. For the hydroprocessing units (hydrocracking and hydrotreating units), hydrogen is added to units to improve the conversion of the plastics. Fluid catalytic cracking and hydrocracking processes are preferred modes of catalytic conversion of the solution of waste plastic feedstock in the inert carrier fluid.
In an illustrative embodiment, refinery processing unit 140 of
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the homogeneous solution stream 120 or filtered stream 130 can be introduced into the fluidized catalytic cracking unit in its present state to subject it to cracking in the presence of one or more catalysts as discussed below. In illustrative embodiments, the fluid catalytic cracking process in which the one or more waste plastic feedstocks in the homogeneous solution stream 120 or filtered stream 130 will be cracked to, for example, lighter hydrocarbon products, takes place by contact of the homogeneous solution stream 120 or filtered stream 130 in a cyclic catalyst recirculation cracking process with a circulating fluidizable catalytic cracking catalyst inventory consisting of particles having a size ranging from about 20 to about 100 microns.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the cracking catalyst that can be used herein can be any known cracking catalyst for use in a fluidized catalytic cracking unit. Suitable cracking catalysts include, for example, FCC catalysts which generally comprise a zeolite. In an illustrative embodiment, a cracking catalyst can comprise either a large-pore zeolite or a mixture of at least one large-pore zeolite catalyst and at least one medium-pore molecular sieve catalyst. Suitable large-pore zeolites include, for example, a Y zeolite with or without rare earth metal, a HY zeolite with or without a rare earth metal, an ultra-stable Y zeolite with or without a rare earth metal, a Beta zeolite with or without a rare earth metal, and combination thereof. Suitable medium-pore zeolites include, for example, ZSM-5, ZSM-11, ZSM-12, ZSM-23, ZSM-35, ZSM-48, and other similar materials.
In non-limiting illustrative embodiments, a suitable cracking catalyst for use herein is an equilibrium catalyst (ECAT catalyst) such as, for example, typical ultra-stable Y based FCC catalysts such as Y based zeolite catalysts. In non-limiting illustrative embodiments, a suitable cracking catalyst for use herein is a circulating inventory of an equilibrium catalyst composition. In other non-limiting illustrative embodiments, a suitable cracking catalyst for use herein is a ZSM-5 catalyst.
In an illustrative embodiment, representative examples of the steps in the cyclic process include: (1) the feed is catalytically cracked in a catalytic cracking zone, normally a riser cracking zone, operating at catalytic cracking conditions by contacting the feed with a source of hot, regenerated cracking catalyst to produce an effluent comprising cracked products and spent catalyst containing coke and strippable hydrocarbons; (2) the effluent is discharged and separated, normally in one or more cyclones, into a vapor phase rich in cracked product and a solids rich phase comprising the spent catalyst; (3) the vapor phase is removed as product and fractionated in the FCC main column and its associated side columns to form liquid cracking products including gasoline; and (4) the spent catalyst is stripped, usually with steam, to remove occluded hydrocarbons from the catalyst, after which the stripped catalyst is oxidatively regenerated to produce hot, regenerated catalyst which is then recycled to the cracking zone for cracking further quantities of feed.
Suitable cracking conditions include, for example, a reaction temperature of about 425° C. to about 650° C. (e.g., about 450° C. to about 600° C., or about 500° C. to about 575° C.), a catalyst regeneration temperature of about 600° C. to about 800° C.; a hydrocarbon partial pressure of about a pressure of from about 100 kPa to about 1100 kPa (e.g., about 200 kPa to about 400 kPa); a catalyst-to-oil mass ratio of from about 3 to about 12 (e.g., about 4 to about 11, or about 5 to about 10); and a catalyst contact time of from about 0.1 to about 15 seconds (e.g., about 0.2 to about 10 seconds). Suitable catalyst regeneration temperatures include a temperature ranging from about 600° C. to about 800° C. at a pressure ranging from about 100 kPa to about 1100 kPa.
The term “hydrocarbon partial pressure” is used herein to indicate the overall hydrocarbon partial pressure in the riser reactor. The term “catalyst-to-oil ratio” refers to the ratio of the catalyst circulation amount (e.g., ton/h) and the feedstock supply rate (e.g., ton/h). The term “catalyst contact time” is used herein to indicate the time from the point of contact between the feedstock and the catalyst at the catalyst inlet of the riser reactor until separation of the reaction products and the catalyst at the stripper outlet.
Turning back to
In some embodiments, the processed one or more waste plastic feedstocks which have been subjected to fluidized catalytic cracking conditions provide a product with a lower carbon footprint than the corresponding hydrocarbon product produced from a petroleum-based feedstock.
In some embodiments, the processed one or more waste plastic feedstocks which have been subjected to fluidized catalytic cracking conditions are separated out and sent for further processing via stream 160. For example, the processed one or more waste plastic feedstocks can have a variety of cracked hydrocarbon products that may be separated into two or more constituent streams by conventional means. In non-limiting illustrative embodiments, constituent streams may include a fuel gas stream, an ethylene stream, a propylene stream, a butylene stream, an LPG stream, a naphtha stream, an olefin stream, a diesel stream, a gasoline stream, a heavy cycle oil (HCO) stream, an aviation fuel stream, a cat unit bottoms (slurry/decant oil) stream, and other hydrocarbon streams.
In some cases, the conversion of waste plastic into clean fuels takes less energy than production of fuels from a virgin petroleum feedstock. As the collection and processing of waste plastic improves, as is happening now, the gain in energy efficiencies will further improve. In those cases, fuels produced from the blend of waste plastic and oil will have recycled contents and lower carbon footprints than the corresponding fuels made from pure petroleum feedstock. The process of the non-limiting illustrative embodiments disclosed herein can produce clean gasoline, jet fuel and diesel with recycled contents and lower CO2 (lower carbon) footprints from waste plastic.
In some aspects, a constituent stream may be further processed. In an illustrative embodiment, an olefinic constituent stream may be sent to an alkylation unit for further processing. For example, a C3 olefin/paraffin mix stream of propane and propylene mix can be sent to and separated by a propane/propylene splitter (PP splitter) to produce pure streams of propane and propylene. The propylene can be fed to a propylene polymerization unit to produce polypropylene.
The pure propane may be fed to a propane dehydrogenation unit to make additional propylene, and then ultimately polypropylene in the propylene polymerization unit.
Dehydrogenation of propane is practiced widely in the industry to produce propylene. The reaction is endothermic, and conversion is maintained by multi-stage reactors and inter-stage heaters. The unit typically operates at high temperature (>900° F.) and low pressure (<50 psig) in the presence of noble metal (Pt) catalyst. The multi-stage process generates approximately 85% purity propylene/propane mixture. This stream is directed to a propane/propylene (PP) splitter which is a high efficiency distillation column. The splitter produces pure propylene stream with 99.5 to 99.8% purity.
The PP splitter unit and/or propane dehydrogenation unit can be located away from a refinery, near a refinery, or within a refinery. The propane/propylene mix is sent to the PP splitter by truck, barge, rail car or pipeline. It is preferred that the PP splitter unit and propane dehydrogenation unit are in close proximity to the refinery FCC unit.
In addition, olefins from the constituent streams may be further separated and recovered for use in renewable plastics and petrochemicals.
In an illustrative embodiment, C4 and other hydrocarbon product streams, such as a heavy fraction from an FCC unit, can be sent to appropriate refinery units for upgrading into clean gasoline, diesel, or jet fuel. The gasoline from the FCC unit may be passed directly to a gasoline pool or further upgraded before sending to a gasoline pool.
Hydrocarbon fuel products may be sold or further processed. Examples of further processing include blending, hydroprocessing, or alkylating at least a portion of the hydrocarbon fuel product. Hydrocarbon fuel products may be used as a blend stock and combined with one or more petroleum fuel products and/or renewable fuels. Petroleum-based streams include gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel, or other hydrocarbon streams obtained by refining of petroleum. Examples of renewable fuels include ethanol, propanol, and butanol.
In some aspects, the product stream can comprise a gasoline fraction in an amount ranging from about 30 to about 60 wt. % (e.g., about 40 to about 50 wt. %), based on the total product stream composition, as measured by ASTM D2887.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, when one of the separated constituent streams is a heavy cycle oil (HCO), it can be subjected to coking followed by calcination to obtain needle coke. In an illustrative embodiment, the heavy cycle oil can be sent to a delayed coker unit as known in the art and subjected to coking under coking conditions to form an intermediate coke product. In an illustrative embodiment, the coking conditions include, for example, exposing the heavy cycle oil to a temperature ranging from about 450 to about 520° C. for a time period ranging from about 12 to about 24 hours.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the heavy cycle oil can be subjected to coking in the presence of an aromatic polymer material followed by calcination to obtain needle coke. In an illustrative embodiment, the heavy cycle oil and the aromatic polymer material are sent to a delayed coker unit as known in the art and subjected to coking under coking conditions to form an intermediate coke product. In an illustrative embodiment, the coking conditions include, for example, exposing the heavy cycle oil and the aromatic polymer material to a temperature ranging from about 450 to about 520° C. for a time period ranging from about 12 to about 24 hours.
In an illustrative embodiment, the heavy cycle oil can be co-fed with the aromatic polymer material into the delayed coking unit. In another embodiment, a solution of the heavy cycle oil and the aromatic polymer material are fed into the delayed coking unit. For example, the solution is obtained by dissolving the aromatic polymer material in the heavy cycle oil. In an embodiment, the solution can contain from about 0.1 to about 10 wt. % of the aromatic polymer material.
In an illustrative embodiment, the aromatic polymer material includes, for example, polystyrene. Styrene is also known as ethenylbenzene, vinylbenzene, or phenylethene. The styrene-based monomer is then polymerized (facilitated by the vinyl group) to form a homo- or copolymer. For example, the styrene-based monomer is polymerized as a homopolymer to form polystyrene.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the intermediate coke product obtained from the delayed coker unit is calcinated in a calciner under calcinating conditions to obtain needle coke. Suitable calcinating conditions include, for example, a temperature ranging from about 1250 to about 1400° C. and for a time period ranging from about 30 to about 60 minutes.
The following non-limiting examples are illustrative of the present disclosure.
Three commercial plastic samples, low density polyethylene (LDPE) and low molecular weight polypropylene (LMPP) were purchased and their properties are summarized in Table 1.
The bio feedstock used to prepare blends with the waste plastic includes soybean oil. The properties of soybean oil as compared to palm oil and tallow are shown in Table 2.
The petroleum feedstock used to prepare the homogeneous solutions with waste plastic and water immiscible bio feedstocks include light cycle oil (LCO). The properties of inert carrier fluids LCO, as compared to Aromatic 100 and hydrotreated vacuum gas oil (VGO) are set forth in Table 3. The solubilities of the waste plastic of several plastics in LCO were tested and the results are set forth in Table 4.
The catalytic cracking of LCO using an ECAT catalyst and a ZSM-5 catalyst.
Catalytic cracking experiments were carried out in an Advanced Cracking Evaluation (ACE) Model C unit fabricated by Kayser Technology Inc. (Texas, USA). A schematic diagram of the ACE Model C unit is shown in
During the catalytic cracking and stripping process the liquid product was collected in a sample vial attached to a glass receiver, which was located at the end of the reactor exit and was maintained at −15° C. The gaseous products were collected in a closed stainless-steel vessel (12.6 L) prefilled with N2 at 1 atm. Gaseous products were mixed by an electrical agitator rotating at 60 rpm as soon as feed injection was completed. After stripping, the gas products were further mixed for 10 minutes to ensure homogeneity. The final gas products were analyzed using a refinery gas analyzer (RGA).
After the completion of the stripping process, in-situ catalyst regeneration was carried out in the presence of air at 1300° F. The regeneration flue gas passed through a catalytic converter packed with CuO pellets (LECO Inc.) to oxidize CO to CO2. The flue gas was then analyzed by an online infrared (IR) analyzer located downstream of the catalytic converter. Coke deposited during the cracking process was calculated from the CO2 concentrations measured by the IR analyzer.
The results of experiments showing the catalytic cracking of VGO and LCO using an ECAT catalyst and a ZSM-5 catalyst are set forth below in Table 5.
1Conversion is defined as the total amount of feed converted to a boiling point less than 430° F.
2True conversion is to subtract initial fraction of feed that boils below 430° F. For example, about 13% of LCO boils below 430° F. while almost 100% of VGO boils above 430° F.
3All properties and yields below this in the table are based only on the gasoline fraction (C5-430° F.) of the total product.
The results in Table 5 show that an inert carrier fluid such as LCO cracks significantly less than VGO. For example, VGO had a conversation of 74.77 using an ECAT catalyst as compared to 34.14 for LCO and a true conversion even lower of 24.30 for LCO using an ECAT catalyst. The true conversion, as described in Table 5 reflects the actual amount of feed that boils above 430° F. has been converted to products that boil at temperatures lower than 430° F. Thus, LCO cracks much less than VGO resulting in significantly more LCO that can be recycled and reused for transporting the one or more waste plastic feedstocks. This benefit is even more pronounced when using ZSM-5 as the catalyst. One can see using ZSM-5 as catalyst, VGO has a conversion of 16.8 while LCO has a conversion of 15.91 with a true conversion of only 3.34. Thus, more LCO can be recycled and reused for transporting the one or more waste plastic feedstocks using ZSM-5 as the catalyst than using ECAT as the catalyst. Furthermore, when the recycling of LCO has established its steady state, the LCO will become more aromatic, less crackable and hence even more inert.
The catalytic cracking of waste plastic, soybean oil (SBO) and LCO via FCC using a ZSM-5 catalyst.
To study the impact of processing waste plastics, SBO and LCO in a refinery FCC unit, laboratory tests with a fluidized catalytic cracking (FCC) process as discussed above were carried out with solutions of sample plastic, SBO and LCO using a ZSM-5 catalyst.
The results of the experiments are set forth below in Table 6.
As previously discussed, while plastics do not form a stable blend with SBO, which is a waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstock due to its high iodine number, the addition of LCO as an inert carrier fluid will result in the formation of stable ternary blends. In addition, one can calculate the conversion of SBO based on the data in Table 3 and Table 6. For example, using ZSM-5, LCO has a conversion of 15.91 and 50/50 LCO/SBO has a conversion of 55.15, which gives back-calculated 100% SBO conversion of 94.39. This result means the waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks are very easy to crack using ZSM-5. Finally, the results in Table 6 show that LMPP cracked more easily than LCO when looking at the back-calculated conversion of LMPP is 78.45, which is much higher than that of LCO. The results further show that a significant amount of HCO is generated which can be used to produce needle coke, and the gasoline is high in aromatics with high octane, primarily due to the use of ZSM-5 as the catalyst and LCO as the solvent.
The catalytic cracking of waste plastic, SBO and LCO via FCC using an ECAT catalyst.
To study the impact of processing waste plastics, SBO and LCO in a refinery FCC unit, laboratory tests with a FCC process as discussed above were carried out with solutions of waste plastic, SBO and LCO using an ECAT catalyst.
The results of the experiments are set forth below in Table 7.
The results in Table 7 show that again, waste plastics cracked more easily than LCO. For example, the back-calculated conversion is 72.37 for LMPP while the conversion approached completion for added LDPE. Similar to Table 6, the results in Table 7 also show that a significant amount of HCO is generated which can be used to produce needle coke, and the gasoline is high in aromatics with high octane, primarily due to the use of LCO as the inert carrier fluid.
According to an aspect of the disclosure, a continuous process for transporting one or more waste plastic feedstocks to a refinery processing unit comprises receiving, in a blending unit, one or more waste plastic feedstocks, one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks and a recycled inert carrier fluid received from a refinery processing unit, generating, in the blending unit, a homogeneous solution comprising the one or more waste plastic feedstocks, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks and the recycled inert carrier fluid, and processing the homogeneous solution in the presence of a catalyst under catalytic cracking conditions in the refinery processing unit.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the one or more waste plastic feedstocks comprise one or more polyesters, one or more polyolefins and combinations thereof.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the one or more waste plastic feedstocks comprise one of a polyethylene or polypropylene waste plastic.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks have an iodine number greater than 95.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks have an iodine number greater than 120.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the one or more waste plastic feedstocks comprise one of a polyethylene or polypropylene waste plastic and the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks comprise soybean oil.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the recycled inert carrier fluid is characterized as follows:
having a total paraffin content of less than or equal to about 20 wt. %, and
a total aromatics content of from about 50 wt. % to about 99 wt. %.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the recycled inert carrier fluid is one of a light cycle oil, a heavy gasoline, a heavy reformate and a heavy heavy reformate.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the recycled inert carrier fluid has a conversion rate in the refinery processing unit of less than about 10% using a ZSM-5 catalyst.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the recycled inert carrier fluid has a conversion rate in the refinery processing unit of less than about 25% using an ECAT catalyst.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, generating the homogeneous solution comprises dissolving the one or more waste plastic feedstocks in the recycled inert carrier fluid.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the homogeneous solution comprises about 1 to about 20 wt. %, based on the total weight of the homogeneous solution, of the one or more waste plastic feedstocks, about 1 to about 50 wt. %, based on the total weight of the homogeneous solution, of the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks, and about 40 to about 98 wt. %, based on the total weight of the homogeneous solution, of the recycled inert carrier fluid received from a refinery processing unit.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the catalyst is an ECAT catalyst or a ZSM-5 catalyst
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the process further comprises separating the recycled inert carrier fluid from the processed homogeneous solution, receiving, in the blending unit, one or more other waste plastic feedstocks, one or more other waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks, and the separated recycled inert carrier fluid, generating, in the blending unit, another homogeneous solution comprising the one or more other waste plastic feedstocks, the one or more other waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks and the separated recycled inert carrier fluid, and processing the other homogeneous solution in the presence of another catalyst under catalytic cracking conditions in the refinery processing unit.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, where receiving in the blending unit further comprises receiving one or more waste plastic-miscible bio feedstocks.
According to an aspect of the invention, a continuous process for transporting one or more waste plastic feedstocks to a refinery processing unit, comprises adding a recycled inert carrier fluid received from a refinery processing unit to a non-homogeneous mixture comprising one or more waste plastic feedstocks and one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks to form a homogeneous solution comprising the one or more waste plastic feedstocks, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks and the recycled inert carrier fluid, and processing the homogeneous solution in the presence of a catalyst under catalytic cracking conditions in the refinery processing unit.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the one or more waste plastic feedstocks comprise one or more polyesters, one or more polyolefins and combinations thereof, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks have an iodine number greater than 95 and the recycled inert carrier fluid is one of a light cycle oil, a heavy gasoline, a heavy reformate and a heavy heavy reformate.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the catalyst is an ECAT catalyst or a ZSM-5 catalyst.
According to an aspect of the invention, a continuous process for transporting one or more waste plastic feedstocks to a refinery processing unit, comprises processing a first homogeneous solution comprising one or more first waste plastic feedstocks, one or more first waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks and a recycled inert carrier fluid in the presence of a first catalyst under catalytic cracking conditions, separating the recycled inert carrier fluid from the processed first homogeneous solution, generating a second homogeneous solution comprising one or more second waste plastic feedstocks, one or more second waste plastic-immiscible waste plastic feedstocks and the separated recycled inert carrier fluid, and processing the second homogeneous solution in the presence of a second catalyst under catalytic cracking conditions.
In an illustrative embodiment, as may be combined with one or more of the preceding paragraphs, the one or more waste plastic feedstocks comprise one or more polyesters, one or more polyolefins and combinations thereof, the one or more waste plastic-immiscible bio feedstocks have an iodine number greater than 95 and the recycled inert carrier fluid is one of a light cycle oil, a heavy gasoline, a heavy reformate and a heavy heavy reformate and the catalyst is an ECAT catalyst or a ZSM-5 catalyst.
Various features disclosed herein are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, but may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination. All combinations of the embodiments are specifically embraced by the illustrative embodiments disclosed herein just as if each and every combination was individually and explicitly disclosed. In addition, all sub-combinations listed in the embodiments describing such variables are also specifically embraced by the present compositions and are disclosed herein just as if each and every such sub-combination was individually and explicitly disclosed herein.
It will be understood that various modifications may be made to the embodiments disclosed herein. Therefore the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplifications of preferred embodiments. For example, the functions described above and implemented as the best mode for operating the present invention are for illustration purposes only. Other arrangements and methods may be implemented by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. Moreover, those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto.
