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CN-122003393-A - Conversion of polymers in mixtures of organic compounds under supercritical conditions

CN122003393ACN 122003393 ACN122003393 ACN 122003393ACN-122003393-A

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a process for converting a polymer to a light hydrocarbon chain product. The process involves supplying polymer, a light hydrocarbon solvent, and a hydrogen feed to a mixer to form a dissolved polymer feed. The process further includes recycling the light hydrocarbon vapor formed in the process back to the mixer.

Inventors

  • I. Jeff Tovich
  • S.A. Schenker
  • C. Lizandalapyo
  • R. GLUCK
  • H. U.K. Jatoi
  • J. Lecher
  • O. Y. Gutierrez Tinoko
  • S.JIN
  • HEYL LAWRENCE

Assignees

  • 巴斯夫公司
  • 巴特勒记忆研究所太平洋西北分部

Dates

Publication Date
20260508
Application Date
20240806
Priority Date
20230811

Claims (20)

  1. 1. A process for converting a polymer and/or pyrolysis oil to light hydrocarbon chain products, wherein the process comprises: Supplying a polymer and a light hydrocarbon solvent feed to a mixer, wherein the light hydrocarbon solvent comprises a linear or branched C 3 to C 10 , or a mixture thereof; Applying hydrogen in the mixer; Feeding the polymer, the light hydrocarbon solvent, and the hydrogen mixture to a reactor to form an effluent, and The effluent from the reactor is directed to a first separator.
  2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reactor comprises a fixed bed reactor, a semi-batch reactor, a slurry reactor, or a mixed bed reactor.
  3. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the reactor comprises a metal-containing catalyst.
  4. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the reactor comprises a heterogeneous catalyst (mono-, bi-or poly-metallic) suitable for hydrogenolysis.
  5. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the reactor comprises a heterogeneous catalyst comprising at least a transition metal group, wherein the transition metal comprises a platinum group metal, a non-platinum group metal, or a combination thereof.
  6. 6. The method of any one of claims 1-5, wherein the converting occurs under supercritical fluid conditions.
  7. 7. The method of any of claims 1-6, wherein the feed comprises a polyolefin, an oligomer, or a combination thereof. And/or pyrolysis oil.
  8. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the polyolefin comprises polypropylene, polyethylene, polyisobutylene, polymethylpentene, polybutene, polybutadiene, polyisoprene, mid-range hydrocarbons, polyethylene wax, or combinations thereof, and wherein the polyolefin is linear, branched, or combinations thereof.
  9. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the polypropylene has a molecular weight of about 30,000 g/mol to about 5,000,000 g/mol.
  10. 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the polyethylene has a molecular weight of about 300 g/mol to about 6,000,000 g/mol.
  11. 11. The method of any one of claims 1-10, wherein the feed has a concentration of about 4 g/L to about 80 g/L polymer.
  12. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the feed comprises pyrolysis oil.
  13. 13. The method of any one of claims 1-11, wherein the reactor is maintained at a temperature of about 150 ℃ to 400 ℃.
  14. 14. The method of any one of claims 1-11, wherein the method is operated at a temperature between about 190 ℃ and about 230 ℃.
  15. 15. The method of any one of claims 1-14, wherein hydrogenolysis is performed on the polymer and light hydrocarbon solvent feed.
  16. 16. The method of any one of claims 1-15, wherein the reactor has a pressure of about 20 to about 100 bar.
  17. 17. The method of any one of claims 1-16, further comprising forming light hydrocarbon vapor and liquid hydrocarbon products after the first separator.
  18. 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising recycling any remaining liquid hydrocarbon solvent into the mixer.
  19. 19. The method of claim 17, further comprising feeding the effluent and the light hydrocarbon vapor and the liquid hydrocarbon product from the first separator to a second separator.
  20. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the light hydrocarbon vapor is recycled to the mixer after feeding the light hydrocarbon vapor and the liquid hydrocarbon product to the second separator.

Description

Conversion of polymers in mixtures of organic compounds under supercritical conditions Cross Reference to Related Applications The present application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/532,156, filed 8/11 of 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety. Technical Field The present disclosure relates generally to the field of catalytic processes for continuously converting polyolefin and/or pyrolysis oil into smaller chain products. More specifically, the process can be operated under supercritical conditions to achieve a high degree of control over product distribution and yield. Background Each year, up to 75% of all plastics (including polymers) are discarded into landfills in the united states, which can be an irreparable loss of material and pose a serious threat to the environment. However, plastics (including polymers) can be used as fuels or reprocessed to produce low quality materials. Thus, there is a need to utilize any plastic or polymer as a carbon source for refinery feedstocks and chemical production. Unfortunately, current recycling practices do not effectively utilize chemically stable plastics, particularly polyolefins and polystyrene. Existing chemical routes to convert polymers into smaller molecules rely on elevated temperatures above 400 ℃, which is associated with a low degree of control of the product distribution and low yields of useful molecules. Methods reported in the art describe thermal gasification and pyrolysis or catalytic hydrocracking using zeolites or a combination of zeolites and supported metal catalysts. Some methods utilize noble metals supported on perovskite, but depending on the use of the melt, this may not be practical in a continuous process. Other methods rely on the addition of external solvents (such as water) which may be chemically incompatible with the polymer. In view of this, the current methods are expensive and have low yields. Accordingly, there is a need in the art to develop a process with a high level of control to convert plastics for use in recycled products or refinery feedstocks. Disclosure of Invention In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a process for converting a polymer and/or pyrolysis oil to light hydrocarbon chain products is provided. In some embodiments, the method may be operated under supercritical conditions. That is, the process may be operated at a combination of temperature and pressure sufficient to induce supercritical fluid conditions of the reaction mixture. The method may include supplying a polymer and a light hydrocarbon solvent feed to a mixer, wherein the light hydrocarbon solvent may include linear or branched C 3 to C 10, or a mixture thereof, applying hydrogen in the mixer, feeding the polymer, light hydrocarbon solvent, and hydrogen mixture to a reactor to form a first effluent, and directing the effluent from the reactor to a first separator. In some embodiments of the process, the reactor may comprise a fixed bed reactor, a semi-batch reactor, a slurry reactor, a mixed bed reactor, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the reactor may contain a metal-containing catalyst. In some embodiments, the reactor may contain a heterogeneous catalyst, including a heterogeneous catalyst (mono-, bi-or poly-metallic) suitable for hydrogenolysis. In some embodiments, the heterogeneous catalyst suitable for hydrogenolysis may be a catalyst comprising a platinum group metal ("pgm"). In other embodiments, the heterogeneous catalyst suitable for hydrogenolysis may be a catalyst comprising a family of transition metals, wherein the transition metals comprise pgm, non-pgm, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the method may be operated under supercritical fluid conditions. In some embodiments, the polymer feed may include a polyolefin. In some embodiments, the polyolefin may include polypropylene, polyethylene, polyisobutylene, polymethylpentene, polybutene, polybutadiene, polyisoprene, mid-range hydrocarbons, polyethylene wax, or combinations thereof, and wherein the polyolefin is linear, branched, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the polypropylene may have a molecular weight of about 30,000 g/mol to about 5,000,000 g/mol. In some embodiments, the polyethylene may have a molecular weight of about 300 g/mol to about 6,000,000 g/mol. In some embodiments, the feed can have a polymer concentration that reaches the saturation limit of the solvent under supercritical fluid conditions. In certain embodiments, the feed may have a concentration of about 4 g/L to about 80 g/L. In some embodiments, the reactor may be maintained at a temperature of about 150 ℃ to 400 ℃. In some embodiments, the process may be operated at a temperature between about 190 ℃ and about 230 ℃. In some embodiments, the hydrogenolysis can be performed on the polymer and light hydrocarbon solvent feeds. In some embodiments, the reactor may have a pressure of about 20 to a