Nitrogen removal from reformer feedstock comprising recycled content

Abstract

Processes and facilities for producing a recycled content organic chemical compound directly or indirectly from waste plastic. Processing schemes are described herein for converting waste plastic (or hydrocarbon having recycled content derived from waste plastic) into useful intermediate chemicals and final products. The processing schemes may comprise a process for removing nitrogen from a feedstock for catalytic reforming. In some aspects, recycled content aromatics (r-aromatics) can be processed to provide recycled content paraxylene (r-paraxylene). which can then be used to provide recycled content terephthalic acid (r-TPA) and/or recycled content polyethylene terephthalate (r-PET).

1 . A method for producing recycled content para-xylene (r-pX), the method comprising:
 (a) removing nitrogen from a recycled content pyrolysis oil (r-pyoil) stream in a nitrogen removal unit to thereby provide a nitrogen-depleted product stream;   (b) reforming at least a portion of the nitrogen-depleted product stream in a reformer unit to thereby provide an aromatics-containing stream; and   (c) processing at least a portion of the aromatics-containing stream in an aromatics complex to produce a recycled content para-xylene (r-pX) product stream comprising at least 85 weight percent of para-xylene.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein removing nitrogen (a) comprises contacting the at least a portion of the r-pyoil stream with an adsorption material. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the adsorption material comprises adsorbent clays, zeolites, molecular sieve, resins, alumina, silica, active carbon, modified alumina, modified silica, silico-aluminates, silica-alumina-phosphate oxides (SAPOs), and/or metal organic framework (MOFs). 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the nitrogen removal unit comprises a fixed bed unit comprising adsorbent clay. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the contacting the at least a portion of the r-pyoil stream with the adsorption material occurs under one or more of the following conditions:
 (i) a temperature of at least 25° C. and/or not more than 200° C., not more than 150° C., or not more than 100° C.; and/or   (ii) a pressure sufficient to maintain the process stream in liquid phase conditions.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the nitrogen-depleted product stream comprises less than 5, less than 2, less than 1, less than 0.5, or less than 0.1 ppm nitrogen (N) content. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein, prior to reforming (b), at least a portion of the nitrogen-depleted product stream is combined with a naphtha stream to form a reformer feed stream. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the naphtha steam comprises one or more of:
 (i) a naphtha product stream from an atmospheric distillation unit;   (ii) a hydrocracked gasoline stream; and/or   (iii) a fluidized catalytic cracker (FCC) gasoline stream.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the reforming (b) comprises catalytic reforming. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the nitrogen-depleted product stream that undergoes reforming comprises:
 (i) less than 500 ppm sulfur;   (ii) less than 300 ppm chlorine;   (iii) less than 500 ppm water;   (iv) less than 500 ppb arsenic; and/or   (v) less than 1500 ppm nitrogen.   
     
     
         11 . A chemical recycling process comprising:
 (a) pyrolyzing waste plastic to produce a recycled content pyrolysis oil (r-pyoil) stream;   (b) optionally, hydrotreating at least a portion of the r-pyoil stream to produce a hydrotreated pyoil stream; and   (c) removing nitrogen from at least a portion of the r-pyoil stream and/or at least a portion of the hydrotreated pyoil stream in a nitrogen removal unit to thereby provide a nitrogen-depleted product stream.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the pyrolyzing (a) produces a pyrolysis gas stream comprising predominantly C5 and lighter hydrocarbons and a pyrolysis oil stream comprising predominantly C6 and heavier hydrocarbons. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising separating at least a portion of the pyrolysis oil stream to form at least:
 (i) a light pyrolysis oil stream comprising predominantly C6-C10 hydrocarbons, and   (ii) a heavy pyrolysis oil stream comprising predominantly C10 and heavier hydrocarbons.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the r-pyoil stream comprises at least a portion of the light pyrolysis oil stream. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein at least a portion of the light pyrolysis oil stream is hydrotreated to produce at least a portion of the hydrotreated pyoil stream. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the light pyrolysis oil stream is not hydrotreated before removing the nitrogen. 
     
     
         17 . A method for producing a recycled content organic chemical compound (r-organic chemical compound), the method comprising:
 (a) introducing a recycled content reformate (r-reformate) stream into an aromatics complex, wherein the r-reformate stream is obtained by subjecting to reforming a recycled content pyrolysis oil (r-pyoil) stream that has passed through a nitrogen removal process; and   (b) processing the r-reformate stream in the aromatics complex to provide an r-px stream comprising at least 85 weight percent para-xylene.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the processing (b) comprises subjecting one or more components of the r-reformate stream to at least one of a separation step, an alkylation step, a transalkylation step, a toluene disproportionation step, and/or an isomerization step. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the separation step comprises one or more of an extraction step, a distillation step, a crystallization step, and/or an adsorption step. 
     
     
         20 . A method for producing a recycled content organic chemical compound (r-organic chemical compound), the method comprising:
 (a) introducing a stream of recycled content paraxylene (r-pX) produced by the method according to  claim 1  into a terephthalic acid (TPA) production facility; and   (b) processing at least a portion of the r-pX in the TPA production facility to provide recycled content purified terephthalic acid (r-PTA).