Recycled content dioctyl terephthalate

Abstract

The present invention relates to the production of recycled dioctyl terephthalate (r-DOTP) using a method or system, wherein the method and system apply credit-based recycled material from one or more feed materials to DOTP produced from such feed materials.

Description

Prior Technology

[0001] Dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP) is a phthalate-free plasticizer. Due to its excellent toxicological properties, it is considered safer than phthalate plasticizers. DOTP is commonly used to soften PVC plastics. Its main applications include extrusion, calendering, injection molding, rotational molding, dip molding, blow molding, and coating.

[0002] The demand for recycled chemicals continues to grow, but there is no clear pathway from mechanical recycling to recycled DOTP. Therefore, a commercial method for producing recycled DOTP is needed. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a method for producing dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP) with recyclables, wherein the method comprises the steps of: (a) reacting propylene with syngas to provide n-butyraldehyde; (b) converting at least a portion of the n-butyraldehyde into 2-ethylhexanol; (c) reacting at least a portion of the 2-ethylhexanol with terephthalic acid to provide DOTP; and (d) applying the recyclables to at least a portion of the DOTP to provide recyclable DOTP (r-DOTP). The application of step (d) includes (i) attributing recyclables from at least one raw material having physical recyclables to at least one target material via recyclables credit, (ii) tracing the recyclables along at least one chemical pathway from the at least one target material to the DOTP, and (iii) distributing the recyclables to the DOTP at least in part based on the tracing of the recyclables along the chemical pathway.

[0004] In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a method for producing dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP) with recycled material, wherein the method comprises the following steps: (a) producing a first syngas with physical recycled material from waste plastics used to prepare a first syngas; (b) producing a second syngas without physical recycled material or with less physical recycled material compared to the first syngas; (c) crediting the recycled material from the waste plastics and / or from the first syngas to the second syngas; (d) feeding at least a portion of the second syngas to a DOTP production facility; and (e) producing recycled dioctyl terephthalate (r-DOTP) in the DOTP production facility.

[0005] In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a method for producing dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP) with recycled material, wherein the method comprises the following steps: (a) carbon recombining a first carbon-containing feed comprising waste plastic to produce a first syngas having physical recycled material from the waste plastic; (b) registering recycled material credits attributable to the first syngas in a digital inventory; (c) gasifying a second carbon-containing feed comprising solid hydrocarbons, liquid hydrocarbons and / or gaseous hydrocarbons to produce a second syngas without physical recycled material attributable to waste plastic; (d) assigning recycled material credits from the digital inventory to the second syngas; (e) reacting at least a portion of the second syngas with propylene to form n-butyraldehyde; (f) converting at least a portion of the n-butyraldehyde into 2-ethylhexanol; and (g) reacting at least a portion of the 2-ethylhexanol with dimethyl terephthalate to produce recycled dioctyl terephthalate (r-DOTP). Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0006] Figure 1 is a block flow diagram illustrating the main steps and facilities of a method for preparing dioctyl terephthalate (r-DOTP), wherein the r-DOTP comprises credit-based recoveries from recoverable syngas (r-syngas); []

[0007] Figure 2 is a block flow diagram illustrating the main steps and facilities of a method for preparing r-DOTP, wherein the r-DOTP comprises a credit-based recovery from r-syngas and a physical recovery from the recovered propylene (r-propylene); []

[0008] Figure 3 is a block flow diagram illustrating the main steps and facilities for the preparation of r-DOTP, wherein the r-DOTP comprises a credit-based recovery from r-syngas and a physical recovery from dimethyl terephthalate (r-DMT). []

[0009] Figure 4 is a block flow diagram illustrating the main steps and facilities for the preparation of r-DOTP, wherein the r-DOTP comprises credit-based recoveries from r-syngas and physical recoveries from r-propylene and r-DMT; []

[0010] Figure 5 is a block flow diagram illustrating the main steps and facilities for preparing r-DOTP with 100% total recoveries, wherein the r-DOTP has credit-based recoveries from r-syngas, r-propylene, and r-DMT; []

[0011] Figure 6 is a block flow diagram illustrating the main steps and facilities for preparing r-DOTP with 100% total recoveries, wherein the r-DOTP comprises credit-based recoveries from r-syngas and r-DMT and physical recoveries from r-propylene; []

[0012] Figure 7 is a block flow diagram illustrating the main steps and facilities for preparing r-DOTP with 100% total recoveries, wherein the r-DOTP comprises credit-based recoveries from r-syngas and r-propylene, and physical recoveries from r-DMT; and []

[0013] Figure 8 is a block flow diagram illustrating the main steps and facilities for preparing r-DOTP with 100% total recoveries, wherein the r-DOTP has credit-based and / or physical recoveries from r-syngas, r-propylene and r-DMT. Implementation

[0014] We have discovered a novel method and system for producing dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP) with recycled materials. More specifically, we have discovered a method and system for producing DOTP in which recycled materials from waste materials (such as waste plastics) are applied to the DOTP in a manner that promotes the recycling of waste plastics, and provide DOTP with up to 100% recycled materials.

[0015] Figure 1 illustrates a method and system for producing recycled dioctyl terephthalate (r-DOTP) according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, waste materials, such as waste plastics, can undergo carbon reforming to produce recycled syngas (r-syngas) containing physical recycled materials. In one embodiment, the feed into the carbon reforming may comprise both a recycled feed component (e.g., waste plastics) and a non-recycled feed component (e.g., coal, liquid hydrocarbons, and / or gaseous hydrocarbons). In one embodiment, the carbon reforming is a partial oxidative gasification with a coal and waste plastic feed. In another embodiment, the carbon reforming is a plasma gasification primarily using waste plastic feed. In yet another embodiment, the carbon reforming is a partial oxidative gasification with a non-recycled liquid or gaseous hydrocarbon feed and recycled pyrolysis oil produced from the pyrolysis of waste plastics.

[0016] As described in further detail below, even if waste plastics and r-syngas are not physically used to prepare r-DOTP, recyclables from r-syngas, waste plastics, or both can be ultimately applied to DOTP to provide r-DOTP.

[0017] In the embodiment of Figure 1, DOTP is produced in a DOTP process / facility via a multi-step method comprising (a) hydromethionization of syngas and propylene to produce n-butyraldehyde, (b) aldehyde-alcohol condensation and aldehyde reduction of n-butyraldehyde to produce 2-ethylhexanol, and (c) esterification of 2-ethylhexanol and terephthalic acid to produce DOTP. The terephthalic acid fed to the esterification may be dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) or terephthalic acid (TPA).

[0018] In the method and system depicted in Figure 1, the r-syngas produced from carbon reforming of waste plastics is not directly fed to hydromethane. In fact, the recycled credit from the r-syngas products of carbon reforming is attributed to the syngas fed to hydromethane. Therefore, the r-syngas from carbon reforming serves as the "raw material" for the recycled credit, and the syngas fed to hydromethane serves as the "target material" to which the recycled credit belongs.

[0019] In one or more embodiments, the raw material has physical recyclability and the target material has less than 100% physical recyclability. For example, the raw material may have at least 10, 25, 50, 75, 90, 99, or 100% physical recyclability and / or the target material may have less than 100, 99, 90, 75, 50, 25, 10, or 1% physical recyclability.

[0020] The ability to attribute recyclable credits from raw materials to target materials eliminates the co-location requirement between facilities used to produce raw materials (with physical recyclables) and facilities used to produce DOTP. This allows a chemical recycling facility / site in one location to process waste materials into one or more recyclable raw materials, and then apply recyclable credits from those raw materials to one or more target materials, which are processed in existing commercial facilities located far from the chemical recycling facility / site. Furthermore, the use of recyclable credits allows for the separate production of raw materials and r-DOTP by different entities. This allows for the efficient use of existing commercial assets to produce r-DOTP. In one or more embodiments, the raw materials are prepared at a facility / site at least 0.1, 0.5, 1.5, 10, 50, 100, 500, or 1000 miles away from the facility / site using the target materials to produce DOTP.

[0021] Recycling credits from raw materials (e.g., gamma-syngas products from carbon reforming) to target materials (e.g., syngas fed to hydromethane) can be achieved by transferring recycling credits directly from raw materials to target materials. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 1, recycling credits can be applied to DOTP from waste plastics, gamma-syngas, or both via a recycling inventory. The recycling inventory can be a digital inventory or database used to record and track recycling of various materials at various times and locations.

[0022] When using a recycling inventory, recycling credits from raw materials with physical recyclables (e.g., waste plastics and / or r-syngas in Figure 1) are registered in the recycling inventory. The recycling inventory may also contain recyclables from other sources and from other time periods. In one embodiment, recycling credits in the recycling inventory can only be assigned to target materials that have the same or similar composition as the raw materials. For example, as shown in Figure 1, recycling credits from carbon-reconstituted r-syngas registered in the recycling inventory can be assigned to syngas fed to hydromethionization because the two syngas have the same or similar composition. However, recycling credits from r-syngas cannot be assigned to propylene fed to hydromethionization or terephthalic acid fed to esterification because the raw materials and target materials are not the same or similar.

[0023] Once the recyclable credit has been assigned to the target material (e.g., the syngas fed to hydromethionization in Figure 1), the amount of credit-based recyclable allocated from the syngas to the DOTP is calculated by tracing the recyclable along the chemical pathway from the target material (e.g., the syngas fed to hydromethionization in Figure 1) to the DOTP. The chemical pathway includes all chemical reactions and other processing steps (e.g., separation) between the target material and the DOTP. []

[0024] In one or more embodiments, the conversion factor may be associated with each step along the chemical pathway. The conversion factor takes into account the amount of recovered material diverted or lost at each step along the chemical pathway. For example, the conversion factor may take into account the conversion, yield, and / or selectivity of the chemical reactions along the chemical pathway. []

[0025] The amount of recyclables applied to r-DOTP can be determined using one of several methods for quantifying, tracking, and distributing recyclables among various materials. One suitable method, referred to as "mass balancing," quantifies, tracks, and distributes recyclables based on the mass of the recyclables tracked by this method. In some embodiments, the methods for quantifying, tracking, and distributing recyclables are overseen by an accredited entity that verifies the accuracy of the methods and provides accreditation for applying recyclables to r-DOTP. []

[0026] In one or more embodiments, the recyclables of the r-DOTP product may include physical recyclables and credit-based recyclables. As used herein, the term "total recyclables" refers to the cumulative amount of physical and credit-based recyclables from all sources.

[0027] In the embodiment depicted in Figure 1, if, for example (i) the syngas fed to hydromethionization has 100% credit-based recovery and (ii) the propylene and terephthalic acid fed to hydromethionization and esterification have no recovery, then the r-DOTP product may have a total recovery of 5 to 60%, 10 to 40%, or 15 to 25%. If the syngas, propylene, and terephthalic acid have no physical recovery, then all recovery of r-DOTP is credit-based recovery. As discussed below with reference to Figures 2 through 8, the amount of recovery applied to the DOTP product may vary depending on the physical and / or credit-based recovery of the syngas, propylene, and polydimethylformamide fed into the DOTP production process.

[0028] Figure 2 illustrates the r-DOTP production method and system, wherein credit-based recyclables are supplied via syngas fed to hydromethionization, and physical recyclables are supplied via propylene (r-propylene) fed to hydromethionization.

[0029] As depicted in Figure 2, r-propylene can be produced from pyrolysis waste plastics to generate a pyrolysis effluent containing, for example, r-propylene, r-pyrolysis oil, r-pyrolysis gasoline, and / or heavier components (e.g., char, tar, and wax). In some cases, r-propylene may leave the pyrolysis step as a component of r-pyrolysis gasoline. In other cases, as part of the pyrolysis step, r-propylene may be separated from r-pyrolysis gasoline, and the separated r-propylene may then be fed directly into hydromethane via autopyrolysis. In one or more embodiments, r-pyrolysis oil may be co-fed with non-recovered liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons into the cracking step to produce a cracking effluent containing r-propylene. In one or more embodiments, r-pyrolysis gasoline may be fed into a separation zone of a cracking facility downstream of the cracking furnace for the separation / recovery of r-propylene. The recovered r-propylene from the cracking facility may then be fed into hydromethane. In the embodiment depicted in Figure 2, the pyrolysis and pyrolysis facility is co-located with the DOTP production facility, while the carbon reforming facility is located away from the DOTP production facility.

[0030] In one or more embodiments, r-DOTP has both credit-based recyclables (e.g., from r-syngas in Figure 2) and physical recyclables (e.g., from r-propylene in Figure 2). For example, r-DOTP may have at least 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50% physical recyclables and at least 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50% credit-based recyclables.

[0031] As discussed above, the amount of credit-based recoveries allocated from a target material (e.g., syngas in Figure 2) to r-DOTP is determined by tracing the credit-based recoveries along the chemical pathway from the target material to DOTP. Similarly, the amount of physical recoveries allocated from a feed material having physical recoveries (e.g., r-propylene in Figure 2) to r-DOTP can be determined by tracing the physical recoveries along the chemical pathway from the feed material to DOTP. This chemical pathway includes all chemical reactions and other processing steps (e.g., separation) between the feed material having physical recoveries and DOTP. In one or more embodiments, a conversion factor may be associated with each step along the chemical pathway of physical recoveries. The conversion factor takes into account the amount of physical recoveries diverted or lost at each step along the chemical pathway. For example, the conversion factor may take into account the conversion, yield, and / or selectivity of the chemical reactions along the chemical pathway. []

[0032] In the embodiment depicted in Figure 2, if, for example, (i) the hydromethionized syngas has 100% credit-based recovery, (ii) the hydromethionized propylene has 100% physical recovery, and (iii) the esterified terephthalic acid has no recovery, then the r-DOTP product may have a total recovery of 30 to 95%, 50 to 80%, or 60 to 70%. In this scenario, r-DOTP may have both physical and credit-based recovery, including, for example, (i) 5 to 60%, 10 to 40%, or 15 to 25% credit-based recovery from r-syngas and (ii) 10 to 80%, 25 to 65%, or 40 to 50% physical recovery from r-propylene.

[0033] Figure 3 illustrates the r-DOTP production method and system, wherein credit-based recyclables are supplied via syngas fed to hydromethionization, and physical recyclables are supplied via dimethyl terephthalate (r-DMT) fed to esterification.

[0034] As depicted in Figure 3, r-DMT can be produced from the solvent decomposition (e.g., methanololysis, alcoholysis, and / or hydrolysis) of waste plastics to produce r-DMT for esterification. In one embodiment, the solvent decomposition step is the methanololysis of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste plastic. The recovered r-DMT from the solvent decomposition facility can then be fed into esterification. In the embodiment depicted in Figure 3, the solvent decomposition facility is co-located with the DOTP production facility, while the carbon reforming facility is located away from the DOTP production facility.

[0035] In the embodiment depicted in Figure 3, if, for example, (i) the hydromethionized syngas has 100% credit-based recovery, (ii) the hydromethionized propylene has no recovery, and (iii) the esterified r-DMT has 100% physical recovery, then the r-DOTP product may have 25 to 90%, 40 to 75%, or 50 to 60% total recovery. In this scenario, r-DOTP may have both physical and credit-based recovery, including, for example, (i) 5 to 60%, 10 to 40%, or 15 to 25% credit-based recovery from r-syngas and (ii) 10 to 70%, 20 to 55%, or 30 to 40% physical recovery from r-DMT.

[0036] Figure 4 illustrates the r-DOTP production method and system, wherein credit-based recyclables are supplied via syngas fed to hydromethionization, and physical recyclables are supplied via r-propylene fed to hydromethionization and r-DMT fed to esterification.

[0037] In the embodiment depicted in Figure 4, the r-propylene production facility and the r-DMT production facility may be co-located with the r-DOTP production facility, while the r-syngas production facility may be located away from the r-DOTP production facility.

[0038] In the embodiment depicted in Figure 4, if, for example, (i) the hydromethionized syngas has 100% credit-based recovery, (ii) the hydromethionized r-propylene has 100% physical recovery, and (iii) the esterified r-DMT has 100% physical recovery, then the r-DOTP product may have 100% total recovery. In this case, r-DOTP may have both physical recovery and credit-based recovery, including, for example, (i) 5 to 60%, 10 to 40%, or 15 to 25% credit-based recovery from r-syngas, (ii) 10 to 80%, 25 to 65%, or 40 to 50% physical recovery from r-propylene, and (iii) 10 to 70%, 20 to 55%, or 30 to 40% physical recovery from r-DMT.

[0039] Figure 5 illustrates the r-DOTP production method and system, where credit-based recoveries are supplied via syngas fed to hydromethionization, propylene fed to hydromethionization, and DMT fed to esterification. In this configuration, r-syngas from carbon reforming, r-propylene from pyrolysis / cracking, and r-DMT from solvent decomposition are all "raw materials" with physical recoveries, while the syngas fed to hydromethionization, propylene fed to hydromethionization, and DMT fed to esterification are all "target materials" to which the recoveries credits belong. The recoveries credits attributed to the syngas, propylene, and DMT target materials originate from the r-syngas, r-propylene, and r-DMT raw materials, respectively.

[0040] In the embodiment depicted in Figure 5, the r-syngas production facility, the r-propylene production facility, and the r-DMT production facility can all be located far from the r-DOTP production facility.

[0041] In the embodiment depicted in Figure 5, if, for example, (i) the hydromethionized syngas has 100% credit-based recovery, (ii) the hydromethionized propylene has 100% credit-based recovery, and (iii) the esterified DMT has 100% credit-based recovery, then the r-DOTP product may have 100% total recovery. In this scenario, r-DOTP has only credit-based recovery, including, for example, (i) 5 to 60%, 10 to 40%, or 15 to 25% credit-based recovery from r-syngas, (ii) 10 to 80%, 25 to 65%, or 40 to 50% credit-based recovery from r-propylene, and (iii) 10 to 70%, 20 to 55%, or 30 to 40% credit-based recovery from r-DMT.

[0042] Figure 6 illustrates the r-DOTP production method and system, wherein credit-based recyclables are supplied via syngas fed to hydromethionization and DMT fed to esterification, and physical recyclables are supplied via r-propylene fed to hydromethionization.

[0043] In the embodiment depicted in Figure 6, the r-propylene production facility may be co-located with the r-DOTP production facility, while the r-syngas production facility and the r-DMT production facility may be located away from the r-DOTP production facility.

[0044] In the embodiment depicted in Figure 6, if, for example, (i) the hydromethionized syngas has 100% credit-based recovery, (ii) the hydromethionized r-propylene has 100% physical recovery, and (iii) the esterified r-DMT has 100% credit-based recovery, then the r-DOTP product may have 100% total recovery. In this scenario, r-DOTP may have both physical and credit-based recovery, including, for example, (i) 5 to 60%, 10 to 40%, or 15 to 25% credit-based recovery from r-syngas, (ii) 10 to 80%, 25 to 65%, or 40 to 50% physical recovery from r-propylene, and (iii) 10 to 70%, 20 to 55%, or 30 to 40% credit-based recovery from r-DMT.

[0045] Figure 7 illustrates the r-DOTP production method and system, wherein credit-based recyclables are supplied via syngas and propylene fed to hydromethionization, and physical recyclables are supplied via r-DMT fed to esterification.

[0046] In the embodiment depicted in Figure 7, the r-DMT production facility may be co-located with the r-DOTP production facility, while the r-syngas production facility and the r-propylene production facility may be located away from the r-DOTP production facility.

[0047] In the embodiment depicted in Figure 7, if, for example, (i) the hydromethionized syngas has 100% credit-based recovery, (ii) the hydromethionized propylene has 100% credit-based recovery, and (iii) the esterified r-DMT has 100% physical recovery, then the r-DOTP product may have 100% total recovery. In this case, r-DOTP may have both physical and credit-based recovery, including, for example, (i) 5 to 60%, 10 to 40%, or 15 to 25% credit-based recovery from r-syngas, (ii) 10 to 80%, 25 to 65%, or 40 to 50% credit-based recovery from r-propylene, and (iii) 10 to 70%, 20 to 55%, or 30 to 40% physical recovery from r-DMT.

[0048] Figure 8 illustrates an r-DOTP production method and system, wherein credit-based and / or physical recyclables are supplied via r-syngas / syngas to hydromethionization, r-propylene / propylene to hydromethionization, and r-DMT / DMT to esterification. Figure 8 shows that the chemical reactions for preparing r-DOTP can each be fed with the same type of feedstream, one containing physical recyclables and the other containing credit-based recyclables. For example, r-syngas with physical recyclables and syngas with only credit-based recyclables can be fed to the hydromethionization step, r-propylene with physical recyclables and propylene with only credit-based recyclables can be fed to the hydromethionization step, and r-DMT with physical recyclables and DMT with only credit-based recyclables can be fed to the esterification step.

[0049] In the embodiment depicted in Figure 8, one r-syngas production facility, one r-propylene production facility, and one r-DMT production facility may be co-located with the r-DOTP production facility, while another r-syngas production facility, another r-propylene production facility, and another r-DMT production facility may be located away from the r-DOTP production facility.

[0050] In the embodiment depicted in Figure 7, if, for example (i) the hydromethionized r-syngas and / or the syngas has 100% credit-based and / or physical recoveries, (ii) the hydromethionized r-propylene and / or the propylene has 100% credit-based and / or physical recoveries, and (iii) the esterified r-DMT and / or the DMT has 100% credit-based and / or physical recoveries, then r-DOTP may have 100% total recoveries. In this context, r-DOTP may have both physical recyclables and credit-based recyclables, including (i) 5 to 60%, 10 to 40%, or 15 to 25% credit-based recyclables and / or physical recyclables from r-syngas, (ii) 10 to 80%, 25 to 65%, or 40 to 50% credit-based recyclables and / or physical recyclables from r-propylene, and (iii) 10 to 70%, 20 to 55%, or 30 to 40% credit-based recyclables and / or physical recyclables from r-DMT. [Explanation of Patent Application Scope] [-] [First Embodiment] []

[0051] In a first embodiment of the present invention, a method for producing dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP) with recyclables is provided, wherein the method comprises the following steps: (a) reacting propylene with syngas to provide n-butyraldehyde; (b) converting at least a portion of the n-butyraldehyde into 2-ethylhexanol; (c) reacting at least a portion of the 2-ethylhexanol with terephthalic acid to provide DOTP; and (d) applying the recyclables to at least a portion of the DOTP to provide recyclable DOTP (r-DOTP). The application of step (d) includes (i) attributing recyclables from at least one raw material having physical recyclables to at least one target material via recyclable credits, (ii) tracing the recyclables along at least one chemical pathway from the at least one target material to the DOTP, and (iii) distributing the recyclables to the DOTP at least in part based on the tracing of the recyclables along the chemical pathway.

[0052] The first embodiment described in the preceding paragraphs may also include one or more of the additional features listed in the following paragraphs. Each of the following additional features of the first embodiment may be an independent feature or may be combined with one or more of the other additional features to a consistent degree.

[0053] In an additional state of the first embodiment, step (d) is applied using mass balance.

[0054] In an additional embodiment of the first embodiment, the method further includes the self-certified entity obtaining authentication for the application of step (d).

[0055] In an additional sample of the first embodiment, the recycled materials are derived from waste plastics.

[0056] In the additional sample of the first embodiment, the raw materials and the target materials contain the same type of materials.

[0057] In the additional sample of the first embodiment, at least one of the following criteria is met: (i) both the raw materials and the target material contain syngas, (ii) both the raw materials and the target material contain propylene, and / or (iii) both the raw materials and the target material contain dimethyl terephthalate.

[0058] In the additional sample of the first embodiment, the raw materials and the target materials have substantially the same physical composition.

[0059] In the additional samples of the first embodiment, at least 50, 75, 90, 95, 99, or 100% by weight of the raw materials are the same as the target material.

[0060] In an additional embodiment of the first embodiment, the attribution includes (i) registering recyclable credits attributable to the at least one raw material in a digital inventory, and (ii) assigning recyclable credits from the digital inventory to the target material.

[0061] In an additional state of the first embodiment, the tracking includes determining one or more conversion factors along one or more chemical reactions of the chemical pathway.

[0062] In the additional state of the first embodiment, the conversion factor takes into account the conversion rate, yield and selectivity of the chemical reaction in the chemical pathway.

[0063] In an additional variant of the first embodiment, the attribution includes assigning credit-based recyclables from a digital inventory to the target material, and the conversion factors determine how much of the credit-based recyclables applied to the target material is allocated to the DOTP.

[0064] In an additional sample of the first embodiment, r-DOTP has a total recovery of at least 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 75, 90, 95, or 100%.

[0065] In an additional state of the first embodiment, r-DOTP has both physical recyclables and credit-based recyclables.

[0066] In an additional variant of the first embodiment, r-DOTP may have at least 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50% physical recyclables and at least 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50% credit-based recyclables.

[0067] In an additional sample of the first embodiment, the raw materials include recycled syngas (r-syngas) having physical recyclables and the target material includes the syngas of step (a).

[0068] In an additional sample of the first embodiment, r-DOTP has 5 to 60%, 10 to 40%, or 15 to 25% credit-based recoveries from r-syngas.

[0069] In an additional sample of the first embodiment, the raw material comprises recycled propylene (r-propylene) having physical recyclables and the target material comprises the propylene of step (a).

[0070] In an additional sample of the first embodiment, r-DOTP has 10 to 80%, 25 to 65%, or 40 to 50% credit-based recyclables from r-propylene.

[0071] In an additional sample of the first embodiment, the raw material comprises recycled terephthalic acid (r-terephthalic acid) having a physical recycled material and the target material comprises the terephthalic acid of step (c).

[0072] In an additional sample of the first embodiment, r-DOTP has 10 to 70%, 20 to 55%, or 30 to 40% of credit-based recyclables from r-terephthalic acid.

[0073] In the additional sample of the first embodiment, terephthalic acid is at least one of dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) and / or terephthalic acid (TPA).

[0074] In an additional sample of the first embodiment, the raw material has physical recyclables and the target material has less than 100% physical recyclables.

[0075] In an additional sample of the first embodiment, the raw material has at least 10, 25, 50, 75, 90, or 99% physical recyclability.

[0076] In an additional sample of the first embodiment, the target material has less than 99, 90, 75, 50, 25, 10, or 1% physical recyclables.

[0077] In an additional sample of the first embodiment, the raw material has 100% physical recyclables and the target material has no physical recyclables.

[0078] In the additional sample of the first embodiment, none of the propylene, synthesis gas, and terephthalic acid had physical recoverable material.

[0079] In the additional sample of the first embodiment, at least one of propylene, syngas, and terephthalic acid has a physical recoverable product.

[0080] In the additional sample of the first embodiment, at least two of propylene, syngas, and terephthalic acid have physical recoveries.

[0081] In the additional sample of the first embodiment, propylene, synthesis gas and terephthalic acid all have physical recoverables.

[0082] In an additional embodiment of the first embodiment, the application further includes applying physical recyclables to at least a portion of the DOTP, such that the r-DOTP has both physical recyclables and credit-based recyclables.

[0083] In the additional sample of the first embodiment, the physical recyclable material applied to DOTP is derived from at least one of propylene, syngas, and terephthalic acid.

[0084] In an additional state of the first embodiment, the target material comprises syngas and is distributed to at least a portion of the credit-based recyclables of DOTP via a first chemical pathway from syngas to DOTP.

[0085] In an additional state of the first embodiment, at least a portion of the physical recyclables applied to DOTP are derived from propylene, and at least a portion of the physical recyclables are traced via a second chemical pathway from propylene to DOTP.

[0086] In an additional sample of the first embodiment, the raw materials include at least one of the following: (i) waste plastics, (ii) recycled syngas (r-syngas) having physical recyclables from waste plastics, (iii) recycled propylene (r-propylene) having physical recyclables from waste plastics, and / or (iv) recycled terephthalic acid (r-terephthalic acid) having physical recyclables from waste plastics.

[0087] In an additional state of the first embodiment, the target material comprises at least one of the following: (i) syngas, (ii) propylene and / or (iii) terephthalic acid.

[0088] In the additional sample of the first embodiment, r-DOTP has credit-based recyclables from r-syngas.

[0089] In the additional sample of the first embodiment, r-DOTP has a physical recovery from at least one of r-propylene and / or r-terephthalamide.

[0090] In the additional sample of the first embodiment, the raw materials include r-syngas.

[0091] In an additional embodiment of the first embodiment, the application includes attributing credit-based recyclables from r-syngas to syngas via a digital inventory.

[0092] In the additional state of the first embodiment, the chemical pathway includes a hydromethionization reaction fed with syngas and propylene, an aldol condensation reaction fed with n-butyraldehyde, an aldehyde reduction reaction fed with the product of the aldol condensation, and an esterification reaction fed with 2-ethylhexanol and terephthalic acid.

[0093] In an additional embodiment of the first embodiment, the method further includes producing r-syngas by carbon recombining a feed comprising recycled feed components.

[0094] In an additional sample of the first embodiment, the recycled feed component includes waste plastics and / or materials derived from waste plastics.

[0095] In the additional state of the first embodiment, the feed entering carbon reorganization further includes non-recycled feed components.

[0096] In the additional sample of the first embodiment, the non-recovered feed component includes at least one of coal, liquid hydrocarbons and gaseous hydrocarbons.

[0097] In the additional state of the first embodiment, carbon recombination includes partial oxidation and gasification.

[0098] In an additional state of the first embodiment, at least a portion of the r-syngas is produced at a first location, and DOTP is produced at a second location.

[0099] In an additional example of the first embodiment, the first and second locations are spaced at least 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, or 1000 miles apart.

[0100] In the additional state of the first embodiment, at least a portion of the r-syngas is produced by an entity different from the entity that produces DOTP.

[0101] In an additional state of the first embodiment, the raw material comprises γ-propylene.

[0102] In an additional embodiment of the first embodiment, the application includes attributing credit-based recyclables from r-propylene to propylene via a digital inventory.

[0103] In the additional state of the first embodiment, the chemical pathway includes a hydromethionization reaction fed with syngas and propylene, an aldol condensation reaction fed with n-butyraldehyde, an aldehyde reduction reaction fed with the product of the aldol condensation, and an esterification reaction fed with 2-ethylhexanol and terephthalic acid.

[0104] In an additional embodiment of the first embodiment, the method further includes producing r-propylene by pyrolysis and / or pyrolysis of a feed comprising recycled feed components.

[0105] In an additional sample of the first embodiment, the recycled feed component includes waste plastics and / or materials derived from waste plastics.

[0106] In the additional state sample of the first embodiment, the feed entering the pyrolysis and / or pyrolysis further includes non-recycled feed components.

[0107] In the additional sample of the first embodiment, the non-recovered feed component includes at least one of liquid hydrocarbons and gaseous hydrocarbons.

[0108] In the additional sample of the first embodiment, at least a portion of the r-propylene is produced via the pyrolysis of waste plastics.

[0109] In the additional state sample of the first embodiment, pyrolysis produces pyrolysis gas containing γ-propylene.

[0110] In an additional embodiment of the first embodiment, the production of r-propylene includes pyrolyzing waste plastic to produce a pyrolysis effluent containing recycled material, and then cracking at least a portion of the pyrolysis effluent to provide at least a portion of r-propylene.

[0111] In an additional sample of the first embodiment, at least a portion of the r-propylene is produced at a first location, and DOTP is produced at a second location. In an additional sample of the first embodiment, the first and second locations are spaced at least 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, or 1000 miles apart.

[0112] In the additional sample of the first embodiment, at least a portion of r-propylene is produced by an entity different from the entity that produces DOTP.

[0113] In an additional state of the first embodiment, the raw material comprises γ-terephthalamide.

[0114] In an additional embodiment of the first embodiment, the application includes attributing credit-based recyclables from r-terephthalic acid to terephthalic acid via a digital inventory.

[0115] In the additional state of the first embodiment, the chemical pathway includes an esterification reaction fed with 2-ethylhexanol and terephthalic acid.

[0116] In an additional embodiment of the first embodiment, the method further includes producing γ-terephthalic acid by solvent decomposition of a feed comprising recycled feed components.

[0117] In the additional state sample of the first embodiment, r-terephthalic acid-based recovered dimethyl terephthalate (r-DMT) was used.

[0118] In the additional state sample of the first embodiment, the solvent decomposition system is methanol decomposition.

[0119] In an additional sample of the first embodiment, the recycled feed component includes waste plastics and / or materials derived from waste plastics.

[0120] In an additional sample of the first embodiment, at least a portion of γ-terephthalamide is produced at a first location, and DOTP is produced at a second location. In an additional sample of the first embodiment, the first and second locations are spaced at least 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, or 1000 miles apart.

[0121] In the additional sample of the first embodiment, at least a portion of the r-terephthalamide is produced by an entity different from the entity that produces DOTP.

[0122] In the additional sample of the first embodiment, r-DOTP has 100% total recoveries.

[0123] In the additional sample of the first embodiment, a first portion of the total recovered material may be attributed to recovered syngas (r-syngas) having physical recovered material, a second portion of the total recovered material may be attributed to recovered propylene (r-propylene) having physical recovered material, and a third portion of the total recovered material may be attributed to recovered terephthalic acid (r-terephthalic acid) having physical recovered material.

[0124] In an additional sample of the first embodiment, the first portion of the total recyclables is 10 to 40%, the second portion of the total recyclables is 25 to 65%, and the third portion of the total recyclables is 20 to 55%.

[0125] In the additional sample of the first embodiment, at least one of the following criteria is met: (i) r-syngas is at least one raw material and the target material comprises the syngas of step (a), (ii) r-propylene is at least one raw material and the target material comprises the propylene of step (a), and (iii) r-terephthalic acid is at least one raw material and the target material comprises the terephthalic acid of step (c).

[0126] In the additional sample of the first embodiment, at least one of the following criteria is met: (i) the syngas in step (a) is r-syngas with physical recoverable material, (ii) the propylene in step (a) is r-propylene with physical recoverable material, and (iii) the terephthalic acid in step (c) is r-terephthalic acid with physical recoverable material. [Explanation of Patent Application Scope] [-] [Second Embodiment] []

[0127] In a second embodiment of the present invention, a method for producing dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP) with recycled material is provided, wherein the method comprises the following steps: (a) producing a first syngas with physical recycled material from waste plastics used to prepare a first syngas; (b) producing a second syngas without physical recycled material or with less physical recycled material compared to the first syngas; (c) crediting the recycled material from the waste plastics and / or from the first syngas to the second syngas; (d) feeding at least a portion of the second syngas to a DOTP production facility; and (e) producing recycled dioctyl terephthalate (r-DOTP) in the DOTP production facility.

[0128] The second embodiment described in the preceding paragraphs may also include one or more of the additional features listed in the following paragraphs. Each of the following additional features of the second embodiment may be an independent feature or may be combined with one or more other additional features to a consistent degree.

[0129] In the additional state sample of the second embodiment, at least a portion of the recovered credits can be attributed to the first syngas.

[0130] In the additional state of the second embodiment, the second syngas does not have physical recoverable material.

[0131] In an additional sample of the second embodiment, r-DOTP has 5 to 60%, 10 to 40%, or 15 to 25% credit-based recyclables.

[0132] In an additional embodiment of the second embodiment, the method further includes, prior to step (a), receiving waste plastic into a first facility for producing first syngas, and registering the recyclables attributable to waste plastic and / or the first syngas in a digital inventory.

[0133] In an additional variant of the second embodiment, steps (a) and (b) are performed by the same entity at different locations at intervals of at least 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, or 1000 miles.

[0134] In an additional variant of the second embodiment, steps (a) and (b) are performed by different entities at different locations spaced at least 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, or 1000 miles apart.

[0135] In an additional state of the second embodiment, the production of step (e) includes (i) reacting at least a portion of the second syngas with propylene to form n-butyraldehyde, (ii) converting at least a portion of the n-butyraldehyde to 2-ethylhexanol, and (iii) reacting 2-ethylhexanol with dimethyl terephthalate or terephthalic acid to produce r-DOTP.

[0136] In an additional state of the second embodiment, the production of step (a) includes carbon recombining at least a portion of the waste plastic, thereby providing at least a portion of the first syngas.

[0137] In the additional state of the second embodiment, carbon recombination includes gasification.

[0138] In the additional state of the second embodiment, the feed entering the gasification process contains at least a portion of waste plastic.

[0139] In the additional state of the second embodiment, the feed to gasification also includes carbon sources selected from the group consisting of: coal, liquid hydrocarbons, gaseous hydrocarbons, and combinations thereof.

[0140] In an additional embodiment of the second embodiment, the method further includes tracing the recovered product along a chemical pathway from the second syngas to r-DOTP.

[0141] In an additional embodiment of the second embodiment, the method further includes at least in part distributing credit-based recyclables from the second syngas to r-DOTP based on the tracing of the recyclables along the chemical pathway.

[0142] In the additional sample of the second embodiment, tracking and allocation are performed using mass balancing.

[0143] In an additional state of the second embodiment, the tracking includes determining one or more conversion factors along one or more chemical reactions of the chemical pathway.

[0144] In the additional state of the second embodiment, the conversion factor takes into account the conversion rate, yield, and selectivity of the chemical reactions in the chemical pathway.

[0145] In the additional state of the second embodiment, the conversion factor determines how much of the credit-based recyclables assigned to the second syngas are allocated to DOTP.

[0146] In an additional embodiment of the second embodiment, the assignment in step (c) includes registering the recyclable credits attributable to the first syngas in the digital inventory and assigning the recyclable credits from the digital inventory to the second syngas.

[0147] In an additional embodiment of the second embodiment, the method further includes subjecting a first carbon-containing feedstock containing waste plastic to carbon recombination in a first conversion facility, thereby producing a first syngas having physical recyclable material.

[0148] In an additional embodiment of the second embodiment, the method further includes subjecting a second carbonaceous feedstock containing one or more hydrocarbons to partial oxidation and gasification in a second conversion facility, thereby producing a second syngas.

[0149] In the additional state sample of the second embodiment, the carbon recombinant system is partially oxidized and vaporized.

[0150] In an additional example of the second embodiment, the first and second conversion facilities are spaced apart from each other by at least 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500 or 1000 miles.

[0151] In an additional embodiment of the second embodiment, the method further includes obtaining a recovered propylene (r-propylene) having a physical recovery, and reacting at least a portion of the r-propylene with at least a portion of the second syngas to produce n-butyraldehyde.

[0152] In an additional state sample of the second embodiment, waste plastic including pyrolysis and / or pyrolysis is obtained, thereby providing at least a portion of r-propylene.

[0153] In an additional embodiment of the second embodiment, at least a portion of r-propylene is received from an entity or facility other than the entity or facility that produces r-DOTP.

[0154] In an additional embodiment of the second embodiment, the method further comprises obtaining a recovered terephthalic acid (r-terephthalic acid) having a physical recovered product, and reacting at least a portion of the r-terephthalic acid with 2-ethylhexanol to produce r-DOTP.

[0155] In an additional state of the second embodiment, r-terephthalamide contains r-DMT and undergoes solvent decomposition of waste plastic, thereby providing at least a portion of the r-DMT.

[0156] In the additional state of the second embodiment, solvent decomposition includes methanol decomposition of waste polyethylene terephthalate.

[0157] In an additional embodiment of the second embodiment, obtaining at least a portion of r-terephthalamide is included from an entity or facility other than the entity or facility that produces r-DOTP.

[0158] In an additional embodiment of the second embodiment, the method further includes classifying the recyclable material from a first propylene having physical recyclable material to a second propylene not having physical recyclable material, and reacting at least a portion of the second propylene with at least a portion of the second syngas to produce n-butyraldehyde.

[0159] In an additional embodiment of the second embodiment, the method further includes pyrolyzing and / or pyrolyzing waste plastics to provide at least a portion of the first propylene.

[0160] In an additional embodiment of the second embodiment, the method further includes receiving at least a portion of the first propylene from an entity or facility other than the entity or facility that produces r-DOTP.

[0161] In an additional embodiment of the second embodiment, the method further includes classifying the recovered material from a first dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) having a physical recovered material to a second DMT not having a physical recovered material, and reacting at least a portion of the second DMT with 2-ethylhexanol to produce r-DOTP.

[0162] In an additional embodiment of the second embodiment, the method further includes solvent decomposition of waste plastics, thereby providing at least a portion of the first DMT.

[0163] In the additional state of the second embodiment, solvent decomposition includes methanol decomposition of waste polyethylene terephthalate.

[0164] In an additional embodiment of the second embodiment, the method further includes receiving at least a portion of the first DMT from an entity or facility other than the entity or facility that produces the r-DOTP. [] [Explanation of Patent Application Scope] [-] [Third Embodiment] []

[0165] In a third embodiment of the present invention, a method for producing dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP) with recycled material is provided, wherein the method comprises the following steps: (a) carbon recombining a first carbon-containing feedstock comprising waste plastic to produce a first syngas having physical recycled material from the waste plastic; (b) registering recycled material credits attributable to the first syngas in a digital inventory; (c) gasifying a second carbon-containing feedstock comprising solid hydrocarbons, liquid hydrocarbons and / or gaseous hydrocarbons to produce a second syngas without physical recycled material attributable to waste plastic; (d) assigning recycled material credits from the digital inventory to the second syngas; (e) reacting at least a portion of the second syngas with propylene to form n-butyraldehyde; (f) converting at least a portion of the n-butyraldehyde into 2-ethylhexanol; and (g) reacting at least a portion of the 2-ethylhexanol with dimethyl terephthalate to produce recycled dioctyl terephthalate (r-DOTP). []

[0166] The third embodiment described in the preceding paragraphs may also include one or more of the additional features listed in the following paragraphs. Each of the following additional features of the third embodiment may be an independent feature or may be combined with one or more of the other additional features to a consistent degree.

[0167] In an additional sample of the third embodiment, r-DOTP has a total recovery of at least 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 75, 90, 95, or 100%.

[0168] In the additional sample of the third embodiment, r-DOTP has 5 to 60%, 10 to 40%, or 15 to 25% credit-based recoveries from the first syngas.

[0169] In the additional state of the third embodiment, r-DOTP has both physical recyclables and credit-based recyclables.

[0170] In an additional sample of the third embodiment, r-DOTP may have at least 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50% physical recyclables and at least 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50% credit-based recyclables.

[0171] In an additional state of the third embodiment, steps (a) and (c) each include partial oxidation vaporization.

[0172] In an additional state of the third embodiment, the first carbon-containing feed comprises coal and waste plastic.

[0173] In an additional state of the third embodiment, the second carbon-containing feed comprises liquid hydrocarbons and / or gaseous hydrocarbons.

[0174] In an additional example of the third embodiment, steps (a) and (c) are carried out in reactors spaced at least 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, or 1000 miles apart.

[0175] In an additional variant of the third embodiment, steps (a) and (b) are performed by different entities at different locations spaced at least 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, or 1000 miles apart.

[0176] In an additional embodiment of the third embodiment, the method further includes obtaining a recovered propylene (r-propylene) having a physical recovery, and reacting at least a portion of the r-propylene with at least a portion of the second syngas to produce n-butyraldehyde.

[0177] In an additional state of the third embodiment, waste plastic including pyrolysis and / or pyrolysis is obtained, thereby providing at least a portion of r-propylene.

[0178] In an additional embodiment of the third embodiment, at least a portion of r-propylene is received from an entity or facility other than the entity or facility that produces r-DOTP.

[0179] In an additional embodiment of the third embodiment, the method further comprises obtaining a recovered dimethyl terephthalate (r-DMT) having a solid recovered product, and reacting at least a portion of the r-DMT with 2-ethylhexanol to produce r-DOTP.

[0180] In the additional state of the third embodiment, solvent decomposition of waste plastic is obtained, thereby providing at least a portion of r-DMT.

[0181] In the additional state of the third embodiment, solvent decomposition includes methanol decomposition of waste polyethylene terephthalate.

[0182] In an additional state of the third embodiment, at least a portion of the r-DMT is received from an entity or facility other than the entity or facility that produces the r-DOTP.

[0183] In an additional embodiment of the third embodiment, the method further includes classifying the recyclable material from a first propylene having physical recyclable material to a second propylene not having physical recyclable material, and reacting at least a portion of the second propylene with at least a portion of the second syngas to produce n-butyraldehyde.

[0184] In an additional embodiment of the third embodiment, the method further includes pyrolyzing and / or pyrolyzing waste plastics to provide at least a portion of the first propylene.

[0185] In an additional embodiment of the third embodiment, the method further includes receiving at least a portion of the first propylene from an entity or facility other than the entity or facility that produces r-DOTP.

[0186] In an additional embodiment of the third embodiment, the method further includes classifying the recovered material from a first dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) having a physical recovered material to a second DMT not having a physical recovered material, and reacting at least a portion of the second DMT with 2-ethylhexanol to produce r-DOTP.

[0187] In an additional embodiment of the third embodiment, the method further includes solvent decomposition of waste plastics, thereby providing at least a portion of the first DMT.

[0188] In the additional state of the third embodiment, solvent decomposition includes methanol decomposition of waste polyethylene terephthalate.

[0189] In an additional embodiment of the third embodiment, the method further includes receiving at least a portion of the first DMT from an entity or facility other than the entity or facility that produces the r-DOTP. [definition]

[0190] It should be understood that the following is not intended to be an exclusive list of qualifying terms. Other definitions may be provided in the foregoing description, such as when used in the context of the qualifying terms. []

[0191] As used in this article, the terms "a / an" and "the" refer to one or more. []

[0192] As used herein, when used in a list of two or more items, the term "and / or" means that any one of the listed items may be used alone, or any combination of two or more of the listed items may be used. For example, if a composition is described as containing components A, B and / or C, then the composition may contain A alone; contain B alone; contain C alone; contain a combination of A and B; contain a combination of A and C; contain a combination of B and C; or contain a combination of A, B and C. []

[0193] As used in this article, the phrase "at least a portion" includes at least a portion and at most (and including) the entire quantity or period.

[0194] As used herein, the term "chemical pathway" refers to one or more chemical processing steps (e.g., chemical reaction, physical separation, etc.) between input materials and product materials, wherein the input materials are used to prepare the product materials.

[0195] As used herein, the term "chemical recycling" refers to a waste plastic recycling method that includes steps of chemically converting waste plastic polymers into low molecular weight polymers, oligomers, monomers, and / or non-polymeric molecules (e.g., hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane, ethane, propane, ethylene, and propylene), which are useful and / or suitable as raw materials for other chemical production methods.

[0196] As used herein, the term "co-location" refers to the characteristic that at least two objects are located at a common physical location and / or within one mile of each other.

[0197] As used herein, the terms “comprising,” “comprises,” and “comprise” are open-ended transitional terms used to transition a topic described before the term to one or more elements described after the term, wherein the one or more elements listed after the transitional term are not necessarily the only elements constituting the topic. []

[0198] As used in this article, the term "cleavage" refers to the breaking down of complex organic molecules into simpler molecules through the breaking of carbon-carbon bonds.

[0199] As used herein, the terms “credit-based recyclables,” “non-physical recyclables,” and “indirect recyclables” all refer to substances that cannot be physically traced back to waste materials, but whose recyclable credit has been assigned.

[0200] As used herein, the term "directly derived" refers to having at least one physical component derived from waste material.

[0201] As used herein, the terms "including," "include," and "included" have the same open-ended meaning as "comprising," "comprises," and "comprise" provided above. []

[0202] As used herein, the term "indirectly derived" refers to having an applied recyclable that (i) is attributable to waste material, but (ii) is not based on having a physical component derived from waste material.

[0203] As used herein, the term "far away" means a distance of at least 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, or 1,000 miles between two facilities, sites, or reactors.

[0204] As used herein, the term "quality balance" refers to a method for tracking recyclables based on the quality of recyclables across various materials.

[0205] As used herein, the terms "non-partial oxidation (POX) gasification" or "POX gasification" refer to the high-temperature conversion of carbonaceous feedstock into syngas (carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide), wherein the conversion takes place in the presence of oxygen at a level below the stoichiometric level. Feedstock entering POX gasification may include solids, liquids, and / or gases.

[0206] As used in this article, the terms "physical recyclables" and "direct recyclables" refer to substances that are physically traceable waste materials.

[0207] As used herein, the term "major" means greater than 50% by weight. For example, a major propane stream, composition, feedstock, or product is a stream, composition, feedstock, or product containing more than 50% by weight of propane. []

[0208] As used in this article, the term "pyrolysis" refers to the thermal decomposition of one or more organic materials at high temperatures in an inert (i.e., essentially oxygen-free) atmosphere.

[0209] As used herein, the term "pyrolysis gas" refers to the composition obtained from pyrolysis, which is gaseous at 25°C.

[0210] As used herein, the term "pyrolysis oil" or "pyoil" refers to a composition obtained from pyrolysis that is liquid at 25°C and 1 atm.

[0211] As used herein, the term "pyrolysis residue" refers to a composition obtained from pyrolysis that is not pyrolysis gas or pyrolysis oil and mainly comprises pyrolysis char and pyrolysis heavy wax.

[0212] As used herein, the term "recyclable" refers to a composition or comprising such composition, which is directly and / or indirectly derived from recycled materials. Recyclable is generally used to refer to both physical recyclables and credit-based recyclables. Recyclable is also used as an adjective to describe materials that are both physical recyclables and / or credit-based recyclables.

[0213] As used herein, the term "recycling credit" refers to a non-physical measure of physical recycling that can be directly or indirectly (i.e., via digital inventory) attributed from a first material having physical recycling to a second material having less than 100% physical recycling.

[0214] As used herein, the terms "solvent decomposition" or "ester solvent decomposition" refer to the chemical decomposition of ester-containing feedstocks in the presence of a solvent to form a primary carboxyl product and / or a primary diol product. Examples of solvent decomposition include hydrolysis, alcoholysis, and ammonolysis.

[0215] As used herein, the term "terephthalic acid" refers to a molecule that includes the following groups:

[0216] As used herein, the term "major terephthalic acid" refers to the major or critical terephthalic acid product recovered by solvent decomposition methods.

[0217] As used herein, the term “total recyclables” refers to the cumulative amount of physical recyclables from all sources and credit-based recyclables.

[0218] As used herein, the term "waste material" refers to used, scrap, and / or discarded material.

[0219] As used herein, the terms “waste plastic” and “plastic waste” refer to used, scrap, and / or discarded plastic materials. [The scope of the patent application is not limited to the disclosed embodiments]

[0220] The preferred embodiments of the invention described above are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. Modifications to the exemplary embodiments set forth above can be readily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. []

[0221] Hereinafter, the inventors declare that they intend to determine and evaluate the reasonable and fair scope of the invention on the principle of equivalence, because it relates to any device that does not substantially depart from the invention but is outside the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. []

Claims

1. A method for producing dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP) having a recyclable, the method comprising: (a) reacting propylene with syngas to provide n-butyraldehyde; (b) converting at least a portion of the n-butyraldehyde into 2-ethylhexanol; (c) reacting at least a portion of the 2-ethylhexanol with terephthalic acid to provide DOTP; and (d) applying the recyclable to at least a portion of the DOTP to provide recyclable DOTP (r-DOTP), wherein the application in step (d) comprises (i) attributing the recyclable from at least one raw material having a physical recyclable to at least one target material via a recyclable credit, (ii) tracing the recyclable along at least one chemical pathway from the at least one target material to the DOTP, and (iii) distributing the recyclable to the DOTP at least in part based on the tracing of the recyclable along the chemical pathway; The raw material comprises at least one of the following: (i) waste plastic, (ii) recycled syngas (r-syngas) having physical recyclables from waste plastic, (iii) recycled propylene (r-propylene) having physical recyclables from waste plastic, and / or (iv) recycled terephthalic acid (r-terephthalic acid) having physical recyclables from waste plastic, wherein the target material comprises at least one of the following: (i) the syngas, (ii) the propylene, and / or (iii) the terephthalic acid.

2. The method of request item 1, wherein the application of mass balance in step (d) is performed.

3. The method of request item 1, further comprising obtaining authentication from the self-authenticating entity for use in the application of step (d).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the recycled material is derived from waste plastic.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the following criteria is met: (i) both the raw material and the target material contain syngas, (ii) both the raw material and the target material contain propylene, and / or (iii) both the raw material and the target material contain dimethyl terephthalate.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein attribution includes (i) registering recyclable credits attributable to the at least one raw material in a digital inventory, and (ii) assigning recyclable credits from the digital inventory to the target material.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking includes determining one or more conversion factors along one or more chemical reactions along the chemical pathway, wherein the attribution includes assigning credit-based recyclables from a digital inventory to the target material, wherein the conversion factors determine how much of the credit-based recyclables applied to the target material is allocated to the DOTP.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the r-DOTP has at least 20% total recyclables.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the r-DOTP has at least 10% physical recyclables and at least 10% credit-based recyclables.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the following criteria (i)-(iii) is met: (i) the raw material comprises recycled syngas (r-syngas) with physical recyclables, the target material comprises the syngas of step (a), and the r-DOTP has 5% to 60% credit-based recyclables from the r-syngas; (ii) the raw material comprises recycled propylene (r-propylene) with physical recyclables, the target material comprises the propylene of step (a), and the r-DOTP has 10% to 80% credit-based recyclables from the r-propylene; and / or (iii) the raw material comprises recycled terephthalamide (r-terephthalamide) with physical recyclables, the target material comprises the terephthalamide of step (c), and the r-DOTP has 10% to 70% credit-based recyclables from the r-terephthalamide.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the application further comprises applying physical recyclables to at least a portion of the DOTP such that the r-DOTP has both physical recyclables and credit-based recyclables, wherein the physical recyclables applied to the DOTP are derived from at least one of the propylene, the syngas, and the terephthalic acid.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the target material comprises the syngas, and at least a portion of the credit-based recyclables distributed to the DOTP are traced via a first chemical pathway from the syngas to the DOTP, wherein at least a portion of the physical recyclables applied to the DOTP originates from the propylene, and at least a portion of the physical recyclables are traced via a second chemical pathway from the propylene to the DOTP.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the raw material comprises the r-syngas, wherein the application includes attributing credit-based recyclables from the r-syngas to the syngas via a digital inventory, wherein the chemical pathway includes a hydromethionization reaction fed with the syngas and the propylene, an aldol condensation reaction fed with the n-butyraldehyde, an aldehyde reduction reaction fed with the product of the aldol condensation, and an esterification reaction fed with the 2-ethylhexanol and the terephthalic acid.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising producing the r-syngas by carbon recombining a feed comprising a recycled feed component, wherein the recycled feed component comprises waste plastics and / or materials derived from waste plastics.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein at least a portion of the r-syngas is produced at a first location and the DOTP is produced at a second location, wherein the first location and the second location are at least 0.1 miles apart.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the r-DOTP has 100% total recoveries, wherein a first portion of the total recoveries is attributable to recoverable syngas (r-syngas) with physical recoveries, wherein a second portion of the total recoveries is attributable to recoverable propylene (r-propylene) with physical recoveries, wherein a third portion of the total recoveries is attributable to recoverable terephthalic acid (r-terephthalic acid) with physical recoveries, wherein the first portion of the total recoveries is 10% to 40%, the second portion is 25% to 65%, and the third portion is 20% to 55%. The target material comprises at least one of the following criteria: (i) the r-syngas is the at least one raw material and the target material comprises the syngas of step (a); (ii) the r-propylene is the at least one raw material and the target material comprises the propylene of step (a); and (iii) the r-terephthalic acid is the at least one raw material and the target material comprises the terephthalic acid of step (c).

17. A method for producing dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP) with recycled material, the method comprising: (a) producing a first syngas with physical recycled material from waste plastics used to prepare a first syngas; (b) producing a second syngas without physical recycled material or with less physical recycled material compared to the first syngas; (c) crediting the second syngas with recycled material credits from the waste plastics and / or from the first syngas; (d) feeding at least a portion of the second syngas to a DOTP production facility; and (e) producing recycled dioctyl terephthalate (r-DOTP) in the DOTP production facility.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the r-DOTP has 5% to 60% credit-based recyclables attributable to the first syngas.

19. A method for producing dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP) with recycled material, the method comprising: (a) carbon recombining a first carbon-containing feedstock comprising waste plastic to produce a first syngas having physical recycled material from the waste plastic; (b) registering recycled material credits attributable to the first syngas in a digital inventory; (c) gasifying a second carbon-containing feedstock comprising solid hydrocarbons, liquid hydrocarbons and / or gaseous hydrocarbons to produce a second syngas without physical recycled material attributable to waste plastic; (d) assigning recycled material credits from the digital inventory to the second syngas; (e) reacting at least a portion of the second syngas with propylene to form n-butyraldehyde; (f) converting at least a portion of the n-butyraldehyde into 2-ethylhexanol; and (g) At least a portion of the 2-ethylhexanol is reacted with dimethyl terephthalate to produce dioctyl terephthalate (r-DOTP) having 10% to 40% of credit-based recyclables from the first syngas.

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