(229a) Valorization of Polyolefin Waste Streams By Lubricant Production

Upcycling, the conversion 150 MT of polyolefin (PO) waste material into higher value lubricants, can help to recover the value in the carbon-carbon bonds of these engineered materials and provide new economic incentives for incorporating new, modular processes into existing distributed waste management infrastructure and workflows. The catalytic conversion of polyethylene using Pt/STO by hydrogenolysis gives high quality liquids, with carbon chain lengths ranging from C₄₀ to C₆₀, rather than a broad distribution of all hydrocarbons with >95% yield by mass.

A systematic analysis of the relationships between technical, economic, and environmental performance is conducted to understand the trade-off between economic and environmental performance. This study also provides the initial results from the first high-resolution material flow analysis of fossil-based lubricants flows through the U.S. economy, including historical data on manufacturing, consumption, stocks, and waste management. This analysis also includes how upcycling plastics waste can influence the supply chain and downstream markets of lubricants and reduce the consumption of fossil fuels.