Characterise waste plastic feedstock streams and their contamination risks for pyrolysis processing.
Oil, Gas & Energy
Plastic Waste Pyrolysis Oil as Steam Cracker and Refinery Feedstock
Evaluate plastic waste pyrolysis oil as a feedstock for steam crackers and refineries, covering feedstock sourcing, upgrading, quality specification, co-processing integration and mass balance certification.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
Chemical recycling of mixed and hard-to-recycle plastic waste through pyrolysis produces a hydrocarbon oil that can substitute part of the fossil feedstock used in steam crackers and refineries, but only if contaminants such as chlorine, metals and unsaturated compounds are removed and the oil meets the acceptance specification of the receiving unit. This course works through the full chain from waste plastic characterisation and pyrolysis reactor operation to oil upgrading, quality testing, cracker and refinery co-processing, and the mass balance chain of custody that allows recycled content to be allocated to specific output products. Teaching draws on process flow diagrams, specification sheets and mass balance calculations to show how feedstock quality decisions at the pyrolysis plant affect furnace fouling, catalyst life and product yield downstream. Participants finish able to assess pyrolysis oil quality against cracker or refinery acceptance criteria, design an upgrading and testing programme, and structure the certification and commercial arrangements needed to bring recycled feedstock into an existing plant.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Compare rotary kiln, fluidised bed and screw pyrolysis reactor designs against feedstock and product goals.
Design a dechlorination and hydrotreating sequence to upgrade raw pyrolysis oil to feedstock quality.
Specify analytical testing and acceptance limits for pyrolysis oil entering a cracker or refinery.
Assess the impact of pyrolysis oil co-processing on furnace fouling, catalyst life and product yield.
Apply mass balance and chain-of-custody methodology to certify recycled content in output products.
Build an economic and regulatory case for investing in pyrolysis oil feedstock supply.
Who Should Attend
Process engineers evaluating pyrolysis oil as a refinery or cracker feedstock.
Chemical recycling plant operators and feedstock quality managers.
Refinery and petrochemical planners assessing co-processing opportunities.
Sustainability and circular economy specialists in petrochemicals.
Feedstock traders and offtake managers handling recycled hydrocarbon streams.
Regulatory affairs professionals managing recycled-content certification.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Waste Plastic Feedstock and Pyrolysis Process Fundamentals
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Feedstock Characterisation and Sourcing
- Classify waste plastic feedstock streams by polymer type, including polyethylene, polypropylene and mixed waste fractions.
- Identify contamination sources such as PVC-derived chlorine, metals and moisture that affect pyrolysis oil quality.
- Evaluate sorting and pre-treatment technologies, including shredding, washing and near-infrared sorting.
- Draft feedstock specification agreements that set contamination limits with waste suppliers.
Session 2Pyrolysis Reactor Technology and Operation
- Compare rotary kiln, fluidised bed and screw reactor pyrolysis technologies for different feedstock types.
- Optimise operating temperature and residence time to balance oil yield against char and gas production.
- Plan management of pyrolysis char and off-gas as by-products or on-site fuel sources.
- Calculate mass and energy balances across a pyrolysis unit to verify process performance claims.
02Pyrolysis Oil Upgrading and Quality Control
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Contaminant Removal and Oil Upgrading
- Design a dechlorination process to bring raw pyrolysis oil within cracker or refinery chlorine limits.
- Apply hydrotreating to saturate olefins and remove trace metals from pyrolysis oil.
- Select distillation cuts that separate pyrolysis oil into fractions suited to different downstream units.
- Specify filtration and stabilisation steps that prevent gum formation and fouling during storage.
Session 2Feedstock Quality Specification and Testing
- Define analytical testing requirements covering chlorine, sulphur, olefin and ash content in pyrolysis oil.
- Set specification limits that determine whether a batch is acceptable to a cracker or refinery unit.
- Establish sampling protocols that give a representative result from variable pyrolysis oil batches.
- Prepare certificates of analysis that document feedstock quality for the receiving plant.
03Integration into Steam Crackers and Refineries
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Steam Cracker Co-Processing and Furnace Impact
- Determine blending ratios of pyrolysis oil with conventional naphtha for steam cracker feed.
- Assess how pyrolysis oil contaminants change coking and fouling rates in cracker furnace coils.
- Predict shifts in ethylene, propylene and other product yields when pyrolysis oil is introduced.
- Design a pilot trial programme to qualify a new pyrolysis oil source before full-scale use.
Session 2Refinery Co-Processing Routes
- Identify suitable insertion points for pyrolysis oil, including the fluid catalytic cracker, hydrocracker and coker.
- Assess catalyst poisoning risk from pyrolysis oil contaminants across candidate refinery units.
- Evaluate corrosion management measures needed where chloride carryover affects refinery metallurgy.
- Quantify the yield and product quality impact of co-processing pyrolysis oil against a baseline case.
04Certification, Economics and Market Development
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Mass Balance Chain of Custody and Certification
- Apply mass balance methodology, including ISCC PLUS principles, to track recycled content through processing.
- Allocate certified recycled content to specific output products under a chosen allocation method.
- Maintain chain-of-custody documentation that links feedstock batches to certified product volumes.
- Prepare a facility for third-party certification audits of its mass balance system.
Session 2Economics, Regulation and Market Development
- Model feedstock cost and processing margin for pyrolysis oil against virgin naphtha benchmarks.
- Assess how extended producer responsibility rules and recycled-content mandates affect feedstock demand.
- Structure offtake agreements that allocate quality, volume and certification risk between parties.
- Build an investment case for adding pyrolysis oil feedstock capacity to an existing plant.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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