There are articles about revolution in the market of oil in mass media practically every year. Over and over again somebody invents a way to make black gold from used tires or plastic.

In any case, the astonished audience is introduced to this version of events, not forgetting to add that now Russia’s hydrocarbon revenues will come to an end. After all scientists (!) have come up with a way to produce artificial oil! But the reality, is not so dramatic, as usual, but is much more interesting. The oil and gas companies think about giving the second hydrocarbon life to plastic and tires and actively work in this direction.

About half of all oil extracted in the world is used as automobile fuel. Another 16% go on needs of water and air transport. In any case such a distribution was observed before the pandemic. Now the aviation service is used less intensively. But the difference will be insignificant and specification will change nothing essentially as all the same two thirds of all black gold extracted in the world are used as fuel. Actually this share is even more if to remember about oil products which go for electricity generation.
So high fuel component also forces many organizations to be skeptical about prospects of demand for oil as at the moment in the professional environment the concept of «green» power transition extremely dominates. This concept means that everywhere where it is possible, non-renewable power sources will be replaced with the electric power received due to wind, the sun and biomass.
But demand for oil (as well as on hydrocarbon raw materials in general) is a changing quantity, and over the last 50 years it doubled. Besides in the world there are at least 900 million people now who do not have access to the electric power. And there are simply undeveloped regions. All these are potential sales markets for energy carriers. Considering results of climatic conference in Glasgow, it is necessary to notice that «gardening» of the countries with less developed economy lags behind even moderate forecasts. At least in the next decades growth of energy consumption in these regions will be at the expense of oil, gas and coal, thus pushing up world demand for traditional energy carriers.
Of course, the reverse example is the United States, where energy consumption level considerably advances the other countries of «golden billion». Therefore, by the way, the USA is the world leader in carbon dioxide emissions per capita. So, Americans consume about 20% of all oil extracted in the world, although they account for about 4% of the world’s population.
If we really proceed from the rational use of natural resources on a global scale, then it is necessary not only to raise the level of energy consumption in the least developed regions but also to reduce this indicator to reasonable values in countries characterized by excessive consumption.

Not only fuel

An average level of energy consumption, most likely, will grow in planet scales. But whatever direction of development of the global energy sector would become dominant, it will not be possible to do without hydrocarbon raw materials, since it will not be possible to do without synthetic polymers, first of all, without plastics.
Today, production of plastics occupies a small share relative to motor fuels in the global consumption of oil and hydrocarbon raw materials in general. But if to estimate absolute measures, it is about enormous volumes. According to the Statista Company, at the moment about 350 different million tons of plastic are made in the world. First of all it is polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene and polyvinylchloride (PVC).
Polystyrene occupies about 7,5% of world production of plastic that makes it only to the fourth on prevalence. PVC fights with polypropylene for the second place, but polypropylene wins so far. And the most demanded product is polyethylene.
According to the existing forecasts, by 2050 production of plastics can treble. Let’s add to this picture growth of automobilization within which (irrespective of the used fuel) consumption of tires will increase. It means that the problem of utilization of products of deep oil refining and other hydrocarbon raw materials will become aggravated. Of course, in some cases it is possible to refuse stabilizers that will accelerate destructive processes in plasticity under the influence of oxygen, sunlight, temperatures and mechanical tension. But we will leave this courageous course for «biodegradable» packages in supermarkets. Plastic must be safe.

Quantity and quality

The more plastic goods appear, the more actively internal competition is shown. For example, polystyrene and PVC are exposed to sharp criticism for ecological reasons (concerning utilization and toxicity). Partly it leads to their replacement with polypropylene.
Processing of PVC becomes complicated that in process can emit chlorine which causes corrosion of the equipment.
The greatest difficulties arise with utilization of three types of plastic: polyvinylchloride, polystyrene and the mixed types. The matter is not only in a chemical composition of the material, but also that they are, as a rule, strongly polluted and demand separate preparation. Extraneous contamination generally interferes with effective chemical processing. Characteristics of these plastics worsen after processing that narrows possibility of their repeated application.
It is not surprising that technologies of chemical processing of the most widespread plastics polyethylene and polypropylene most actively develop.
In some countries and regions try to solve a problem of safe utilization of plastics by means of prohibitive measures at the legislative level.
«Plastic remains the most demanded material in the FMCG segment and, apparently, remains such in the future,” the Director of JSC Gazprom Neft — Industrial Innovations Mikhail Nikulin noted. “Everybody clearly realizes a need of resolute actions concerning production and processing of plastic but offers various ways of solution. The measures taken by the EU became an example of prohibition policy: the law dated 2019, according to which all European Union countries have to refuse a market turn of disposable plastic products, took effect on July 3, 2021. This measure will allow reducing negative impact on some time but will not solve the problem: it is impossible to refuse plastics completely. They have a considerable potential in other branches: in construction, transport, electronics and medicine».
Let’s also consider inevitable growth of average capital expenditure for production of hydrocarbon raw materials in the world in connection with complication of conditions of production and reduction in production on the operating fields. This factor also urges on searches of effective technologies of secondary processing.
«The economy of closed cycle will help maximize the potential of plastics, allowing either to process polymers efficiently or return them to production, or to produce biodegradable polymers that will be disposed of in nature,» Mikhail Nikulin stressed. «The recycling of plastics at oil refineries will be one of the most tangible steps towards a closed-cycle economy – plastic waste will turn into a source of energy for enterprises and raw materials for the production of polypropylene.»

Abroad

Technologies of mechanical processing are most widespread now. Despite relative simplicity they demand effective infrastructure for collecting and sorting of plastic waste. But a universal trend today is technologies of pyrolysis, depolymerization, gasification and dissolution of plastics for receiving valuable raw materials.
According to McKinsey, pyrolysis possesses a smaller carbon trace than plastic burning. In modern conditions it is essential additional argument in favor of processing.
Not only large energy companies deal with issues of secondary processing of plastics but also rather small enterprises which most willingly advertise the work as revolution and a guarantee of «release from fossil raw materials». There is nothing surprising in this excessive pathetic: small enterprises need to involve financing and to achieve attention and favor of the state. And it is easier to make it if you use loud attractive slogans.
It is possible to give a plant on processing of waste in Swindon (Great Britain) as an example. It is managed by Recycling Technologies Company. The number of employees is quite essential — 130 people. In ten years of the functioning the plant attracted nearly 40 million pounds sterling in the form of the share capital and grant financing. Here portable installations of chemical processing of plastic in oil are applied (by pyrolysis). They can transform 7000 tons of plastic to 5250 tons of liquid hydrocarbons a year. The company, of course, seeks to rescue the planet.
Mura Technology Company which loudly sounded in world mass media as the founder of the first-ever plant on processing of all types of plastic is also worth mentioning. The process used by it received the name HydroPRS. According to the existing information, it allows to recycle plastic in naphtha, heavy oil residues, etc. However, the first line of the plant (power of 20 thousand tons a year) is planned to put into operation in the current year. But due to cooperation with Dow firm by 2025 it is planned to bring processing volume to 1 million tons. Appeal of HydroPRS is connected with its declared universality which, in principle, makes sorting of plastic waste unnecessary.
Own project on processing of plastic is realized by the OMV energy company. The first test facility was launched by it in the technological center at oil refinery in Shvekhat (Austria). In the course of thermal decomposition of plastics liquid solvent is applied which mixes up with plastic at the beginning of process. And the new ReOil installation can process to 100 kg of plastic in an hour, making about 100 liters of crude oil.

Gazprom Neft — Industrial innovations

Gazprom Group also deals with the problems of secondary processing of plastics. So, Gazprom Neft sees prospect in chemical ways of processing, select reactions for decomposition of polymers and create new materials from the resulted molecules.
Gazprom Neft — Industrial innovations is engaged in comprehensive study of technology of secondary processing and production of biodegradable plastics.
«Estimating the existing and perspective technologies of secondary processing of plastics, we pay attention to ability to utilize the mixed raw materials with variable structure,” — Mikhail Nikulin noticed. “Today high cost of processing is caused by need of division and preparation of raw materials. If the technology allows avoiding this part of process, it will quickly extend. Considering specifics of branch, we see prospect in technologies of thermolysis by means of which it is possible to receive not coke, but intermediate products suitable for use as fuels or raw materials for petrochemicals. In one of our projects, we are working on the possibility of converting a mixture of polymer waste into thermolysis oil sent to catalytic cracking plants, from which recycled polypropylene comes out. Thus we close the cycle».
It is worth explaining that plasticity differs on the physical and chemical properties. For example, polypropylene melting temperature is about 170 degrees Celsius, and at polyethylene (depending on density) is 107-131 degrees. Besides, this plasticity in general is steady against influence of alkalis and acids. However, polyethylene decomposes under the influence of fifty-percentage nitric acid (at the room temperature). For some plastics, fluorine can serve as a solvent, for some – benzene, ether, etc. With the help of properly selected solvents, it is possible to achieve the recovery of polymers that practically do not differ in quality from the primary plastic. «Pyrolysis technologies decompose plastic waste into kerosene, diesel fuel, paraffin and naphtha, which are then used as raw materials for new polymers,» Mikhail Nikulin noted. — Depolymerization is used to decompose plastic into precursor molecules, which are subsequently combined again into a polymer. Gasification makes it possible to obtain synthesis gas from plastic, paper and textile waste».

Plastic will help RES

Now Europe dismantles the first generation of land wind turbines. According to WindEurope, by 2025 about 25 thousand tons of blades and by 2030 — 52 thousand tons will be annually taken out of service. There are no universal, commercially justified decisions on processing of this type of waste yet. Perhaps, petrochemicals and oil processing will help renewable generation.
Of course, such a help is not considered by them among priority questions yet, at least because the corresponding regulatory policy and the markets in Russia, as well as other countries, have not developed yet. But, according to Mikhail Nikulin, considering that the number of spent blades and photo panels is growing every year, these mechanisms will work in the near future and will require technological solutions.
«In blades of wind generators composite materials are used and the main components of solar batteries are the silicon, plastics and various metals united in one product. Their processing will demand effective technologies of separating that will affect the process cost. The pyrolysis method will be also in demand here», Mikhail Nikulin emphasized.
A part of recycled material will be used as fuel for processing, and other components will be separated, cleaned and reused, including by methods developed by the efforts of large energy companies for the processing of plastics.