Plastic WAste To CHemicals (WATCH)

In the WATCH project, four complementary groups will combine their scientific infrastructure and expertise to improve the chemical understanding of the conversion of plastic waste for the production of basic chemicals such as short olefins, aromatics, styrene and diols. The aim is to develop, demonstrate and compare three technologies for the conversion of plastic waste to liquid energy carriers and chemicals via (catalytic) pyrolysis. The first and second technologies include a conventional fluidized or sprayed bed reactor while the third technology involves a new, disruptive reactor concept using a rotary bed. Apart from kinetic modeling and reactor technology, emphasis will be placed on optimally selecting the raw materials to optimize the individual yields of the desired products depending on the feed (thermosetting versus thermoplastic polymers). The plastic waste streams chosen are those that are currently not (mechanically) recycled, but are incinerated or landfilled: mixed PE / PP / PS, multi-layer packaging, waste PS, polyurethane flexible and solid foam. Efforts will be made for the further catalytic upgrading of the pyrolysis oil fraction and the purification and separation of valuable components through advanced membrane separation processes, possibly in combination with liquid-liquid extraction. A life cycle analysis will be performed to analyze both technologies and the further work-up in the field of sustainability.