PYROLYSIS OF WASTE PLASTICS IN A FILM REACTOR

1 . A chemical recycling process comprising:

(a) providing a liquefied waste plastic;

(b) introducing at least a portion of said liquefied waste plastic into an upflow pyrolysis film reactor comprising a plurality of stationary film-generating structures; and

(c) flowing at least a portion of said liquefied waste plastic upwardly along said stationary film-generating structures to thereby pyrolyze said liquefied waste plastic and form a pyrolysis effluent comprising a pyrolysis gas.

2 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein said stationary film-generating structures comprise tubes, wires, plates, rings, saddles, sheets, grids, screens, nets, or combinations thereof.

3 . The process according to claim 2 , wherein said liquefied waste plastic has a residence time in said upflow pyrolysis film reactor of 2 to 300 seconds.

4 . The process according to claim 3 , wherein said upflow pyrolysis film reactor operates at a temperature of 450° C. to 1,100° C.

5 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein said providing of step (a) comprises liquefying at least one solid waste plastic in a melt tank to form said liquefied waste plastic.

6 . The process according to claim 5 , wherein said liquefying occurs in the presence of at one dissolution solvent.

7 . The process according to claim 6 , wherein said dissolution solvent comprises a pyrolysis oil.

8 . The process according to claim 7 , wherein said pyrolysis oil is derived from said pyrolysis effluent.

9 . The process of any of claims 5 through 8 , wherein said solid waste plastic comprises at least 90 weight percent of one or more polyolefins.

10 . The process of any of claims 5 through 8 , wherein said solid waste plastic comprises not more than 3 weight percent of PET, PVC, or a combination thereof.

11 . The process of any of claims 1 through 8 , wherein said liquefied waste plastic has a viscosity of less than 3,000 poise at 350° C. and 10 radians/s.

12 . The process of any of claims 1 through 8 , wherein said liquefied waste plastic has a halogen content of not more than 100 ppmw.

13 . A chemical recycling process comprising:

(a) liquefying at least one solid waste plastic to form a liquefied waste plastic having a viscosity of less than 800 poise at 350° C. and 10 radians/s;

(b) introducing at least a portion of said liquefied waste plastic into a pyrolysis film reactor; and

(c) converting at least a portion of said liquefied waste plastic in said pyrolysis film reactor into a pyrolysis effluent comprising a pyrolysis gas.

14 . The process of according to claim 13 , wherein said liquefied waste plastic has a residence time in said pyrolysis film reactor of 2 to 300 seconds, wherein said pyrolysis film reactor operates at a temperature of 450° C. to 1,100° C.

15 . The process according to claim 13 , wherein said liquefying comprises liquefying said solid waste plastic in a melt tank to form said liquefied waste plastic.

16 . The process according to claim 15 , wherein said liquefying occurs in the presence of at one dissolution solvent.

17 . The process according to claim 16 , wherein said dissolution solvent comprises a pyrolysis oil.

18 . The process according to claim 17 , wherein said pyrolysis oil is derived from said pyrolysis effluent.

19 . The process according to claim 13 , wherein said solid waste plastic comprises at least 90 weight percent of one or more polyolefins, wherein said solid waste plastic comprises not more than 3 weight percent of PET, PVC, or a combination thereof.

20 . A chemical recycling process comprising:

(a) separating a solid waste plastic feed into a polyolefin-enriched stream and a polyolefin-depleted stream;

(b) liquefying said polyolefin-enriched stream to thereby provide a liquefied waste plastic;

(c) introducing at least a portion of said liquefied waste plastic into a pyrolysis film reactor; and

(d) converting at least a portion of said liquefied waste plastic in said pyrolysis film reactor into a pyrolysis effluent comprising a pyrolysis gas.

21 . The process of according to claim 20 , wherein said liquefied waste plastic has a residence time in said pyrolysis film reactor of 2 to 300 seconds, wherein said pyrolysis film reactor operates at a temperature of 450° C. to 1,100° C.

22 . The process according to claim 20 , wherein said liquefying comprises liquefying said solid waste plastic in a melt tank to form said liquefied waste plastic.

23 . The process according to claim 22 , wherein said liquefying occurs in the presence of at one dissolution solvent.

24 . The process according to claim 23 , wherein said dissolution solvent comprises a pyrolysis oil.

25 . The process according to claim 24 , wherein said pyrolysis oil is derived from said pyrolysis effluent.

26 . The process according to claim 20 , wherein said solid waste plastic feed comprises at least 90 weight percent of one or more polyolefins, wherein said solid waste plastic comprises not more than 3 weight percent of PET, PVC, or a combination thereof.

27 . A chemical recycling process comprising:

(a) liquefying at least one solid waste plastic in the presence of a dissolution solvent to form a liquefied waste plastic, wherein said dissolution solvent comprises a pyrolysis oil;

(b) introducing at least a portion of said liquefied waste plastic into a pyrolysis film reactor; and

(c) converting at least a portion of said liquefied waste plastic in said pyrolysis film reactor into a pyrolysis effluent comprising a pyrolysis gas.

28 . The process of according to claim 27 , wherein said liquefied waste plastic has a residence time in said pyrolysis film reactor of 2 to 300 seconds, wherein said pyrolysis film reactor operates at a temperature of 450° C. to 1,100° C.

29 . The process according to claim 27 , wherein said liquefying comprises liquefying said solid waste plastic in a melt tank to form said liquefied waste plastic.

30 . The process according to claim 27 , wherein said pyrolysis oil is derived from said pyrolysis effluent.

31 . The process according to claim 27 , wherein said solid waste plastic feed comprises at least 90 weight percent of one or more polyolefins, wherein said solid waste plastic comprises not more than 3 weight percent of PET, PVC, or a combination thereof.

32 . The process of any of claims 13 through 31 , wherein said pyrolysis film reactor comprises a falling film reactor, a wiped film reactor, a structured packing reactor, a screen reactor, a parallel wires reactor, a vacuum film reactor, a perforated plate reactor, an upflow tubular reactor, or a combination thereof.

33 . The process of any of claims 13 through 31 , wherein said pyrolysis film reactor comprises a falling film reactor.

34 . The process of any of claims 13 through 31 , wherein said pyrolysis film reactor comprises an upflow film reactor.

35 . The process of any of claims 13 through 31 , wherein said liquefied waste plastic has a viscosity of less than 500 poise at 350° C. and 10 radians/s.

36 . The process of any of claims 13 through 31 , wherein said liquefied waste plastic has a halogen content of not more than 100 ppmw.

37 . A chemical recycling process comprising:

(a) providing a liquefied waste plastic;

(b) introducing at least a portion of said liquefied waste plastic into a pyrolysis film reactor comprising a plurality of stationary film-generating structures and operating at a temperature of at least 525° C.; and

(c) flowing at least a portion of said liquefied waste plastic downwardly along said stationary film-generating structures to thereby pyrolyze said liquefied waste plastic and form a pyrolysis effluent comprising a pyrolysis gas.

38 . The process according to claim 37 , wherein said stationary film-generating structures comprise tubes, wires, plates, rings, saddles, sheets, grids, screens, nets, or combinations thereof.

39 . The process according to claim 37 , wherein said liquefied waste plastic has a residence time in said pyrolysis film reactor of 2 to 300 seconds, wherein said pyrolysis film reactor operates at a temperature of 525° C. to 1,100° C.

40 . The process according to claim 37 , wherein said providing of step (a) comprises liquefying at least one solid waste plastic in a melt tank to form said liquefied waste plastic.

41 . The process according to claim 40 , wherein said liquefying occurs in the presence of at one dissolution solvent.

42 . The process according to claim 41 , wherein said dissolution solvent comprises a pyrolysis oil.

43 . The process according to claim 42 , wherein said pyrolysis oil is derived from said pyrolysis effluent.

44 . The process according to claim 37 , wherein said solid waste plastic comprises at least 90 weight percent of one or more polyolefins and not more than 3 weight percent of PET, PVC, or a combination thereof.

45 . The process of any of claims 37 through 44 , wherein said liquefied waste plastic has a viscosity of less than 800 poise at 350° C. and 10 radians/s.

46 . The process of any of claims 37 through 44 , wherein said liquefied waste plastic has a halogen content of not more than 100 ppmw.

47 . A chemical recycling process comprising:

(a) liquefying at least one solid waste plastic to form a liquefied waste plastic;

(b) removing one or more halogens from said liquefied waste plastic to thereby form a halogen-depleted liquefied waste plastic;

(c) introducing at least a portion of said halogen-depleted liquefied waste plastic into a pyrolysis film reactor; and

(d) converting at least a portion of said halogen-depleted liquefied waste plastic in said pyrolysis film reactor into a pyrolysis effluent comprising a pyrolysis gas.

48 . The process of according to claim 47 , wherein said liquefied waste plastic has a residence time in said pyrolysis film reactor of 2 to 300 seconds, wherein said pyrolysis film reactor operates at a temperature of 450° C. to 1,100° C.

49 . The process according to claim 47 , wherein said liquefying comprises liquefying and removing occur in a melt tank.

50 . The process according to claim 47 , wherein said solid waste plastic comprises at least 90 weight percent of one or more polyolefins, wherein said solid waste plastic comprises not more than 3 weight percent of PET, PVC, or a combination thereof.

51 . A chemical recycling process comprising:

(a) liquefying solid waste plastic in a melt tank to produce a liquefied waste plastic;

(b) subjecting said liquefied waste plastic to at least one of the following steps -

(i) sparging a stripping gas into said liquefied waste plastic to produce a multi-phase mixture, and

(ii) heating at least a portion of said liquefied waste plastic in a heat exchanger outside of said melt tank to thereby provide a heated liquefied waste plastic;

(c) disengaging a gaseous phase from a liquid phase of said multi-phase mixture and/or said heated liquefied waste plastic to thereby provide a halogen-enriched gaseous material and a halogen-depleted liquefied waste plastic;

(d) introducing said halogen-depleted liquefied waste plastic into a pyrolysis film reactor; and

(e) converting at least a portion of said halogen-depleted liquefied waste plastic in said pyrolysis film reactor into a pyrolysis effluent comprising a pyrolysis gas.

52 . The process of according to claim 51 , wherein said liquefied waste plastic has a residence time in said pyrolysis film reactor of 2 to 300 seconds, wherein said pyrolysis film reactor operates at a temperature of 450° C. to 1,100° C.

53 . The process according to claim 52 , wherein said solid waste plastic comprises at least 90 weight percent of one or more polyolefins, wherein said solid waste plastic comprises not more than 3 weight percent of PET, PVC, or a combination thereof.

54 . The process of any of claims 47 through 53 , wherein said pyrolysis film reactor comprises a falling film reactor, a wiped film reactor, a structured packing reactor, a screen reactor, a parallel wires reactor, a vacuum film reactor, a perforated plate reactor, an upflow tubular reactor, or a combination thereof.

55 . The process of any of claims 47 through 53 , wherein said halogen-depleted liquefied waste plastic has a viscosity of less than 500 poise at 350° C. and 10 radians/s.

56 . The process of any of claims 47 through 53 , wherein said halogen-depleted liquefied waste plastic has a halogen content of not more than 100 ppmw.

57 . A chemical recycling facility, said facility comprising:

(a) a waste plastic liquification system for liquefying at least one solid waste plastic, wherein said waste plastic melting system comprises a halogen removal system for removing one or more halogens from said liquefied waste plastic thereby providing a halogen-depleted liquefied waste plastic; and

(b) a pyrolysis film reactor connected in fluid communication with said waste plastic melting system and configured to receive at least a portion of said halogen-depleted liquefied waste plastic and convert at least a portion of said halogen-depleted liquefied waste plastic to pyrolysis effluent comprising a pyrolysis gas.

58 . The facility according to claim 57 , wherein said pyrolysis film reactor comprises a falling film reactor, a wiped film reactor, a structured packing reactor, a screen reactor, a parallel wires reactor, a vacuum film reactor, a perforated plate reactor, and/or an upflow tubular reactor.

59 . The facility according to claim 57 , wherein said pyrolysis film reactor comprises a falling film reactor.

60 . The facility according to claim 57 , wherein said pyrolysis film reactor comprises an upflow film reactor.