Aromatics are foundational to Europe’s sustainable plastics value chain, underpinning packaging, fibers, and engineering polymers. Securing low carbon supplies of BTX (Benzene, Toluene and Xylene) is therefore strategic: European demand is on the order of 15 Mt/y for BTX. Chemical recycling via pyrolysis can address this need by converting yet non-recyclable plastic waste streams into high-value hydrocarbons while reducing contaminants. The Pyromat technology developed at Fraunhofer UMSICHT employs pyrolysis char – the solid by-product of the initial pyrolysis step – as an alternative reforming/upgrading agent, promoting aromatic formation and lowering heteroatom contents in a single process.

Systematic studies reveal clear temperature and residence-time dependencies of selectivity: optimized temperatures and residence times increase yields of aromatic base chemicals (e.g., BTX) while suppressing side reactions. The process demonstrates robust removal performance for halogens and metals – including chlorine, bromine, aluminum, phosphorus, and other heteroatom species – achieving thresholds compatible with drop-in petrochemical processing.

A 500 kg/h demonstration plant validates continuous operation and stability. Using pyrolysis char as the reforming agent drastically reduces costs for technical adsorbents and delivers an oil quality amenable to state-of-the-art upgrading without continuous regeneration of reactor guard beds (e.g., in hydrotreaters). This enables the production of recycling-based chemical intermediates without reliance on steam cracking, improving the economic and environmental outlook for circular aromatics in Europe.