US 12,270,009 B2
Plastic waste conversion to lubricant production
Pingping Sun, Downers Grove, IL (US); Guiyan Zang, Woodridge, IL (US); Theodore R. Krause, Naperville, IL (US); Amgad A. Elgowainy, Lisle, IL (US); Ryan Hackler, Chicago, IL (US); Massimiliano Delferro, Chicago, IL (US); and Vincenzo Cappello, Chicago, IL (US)
Assigned to UCHICAGO ARGONNE, LLC, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed by UCHICAGO ARGONNE, LLC, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed on Aug. 2, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/816,899.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/250,757, filed on Sep. 30, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0109450 A1, Apr. 6, 2023
Int. Cl. C10M 177/00 (2006.01); C10M 107/04 (2006.01); C10N 70/00 (2006.01)
CPC C10M 177/00 (2013.01) [C10M 107/04 (2013.01); C10N 2070/00 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A process for conversion of a plastic feedstock to a liquid lubricant product, comprising:
admixing the plastic feedstock with a hydrocarbon solvent;
heating the plastic feedstock and hydrocarbon solvent in the presence of a hydrogenolysis/hydrocracking catalyst in a conversion reactor with a flow of H2 to a conversion temperature to form a slurry;
holding the slurry at the conversion temperature for a retention time sufficient to convert substantially all of the plastic feedstock to a liquid lubricant;
removing the liquid lubricant and hydrocarbon solvent from the conversion reactor and flowing the liquid lubricant and hydrocarbon solvent into a distillation column, wherein the liquid lubricant and hydrocarbon solvent is separated from the hydrogenolysis/hydrocracking catalyst before the liquid lubricant and hydrocarbon solvent is flowed into the distillation column;
recovering the hydrogenolysis/hydrocracking catalyst separated from the liquid lubricant and transferring the recovered catalyst to a catalyst filter unit after the liquid lubricant is removed from the conversion reactor;
washing the recovered catalysts in the catalyst filter using a washing solvent introduced into the catalyst filter, wherein any lubricant remaining on the recovered catalysts will be dissolved into the washing solvent during washing;
returning the washed catalyst to the conversion reactor for reuse;
flowing the washing solvent after catalyst washing to the distillation column;
purifying the liquid lubricant, hydrocarbon solvent and washing solvent in the distillation column to recover hydrocarbon solvent and washing solvent;
recovering the purified hydrocarbon solvent and washing solvent for reuse; and
collecting the liquid lubricant product.