Aromatics alkylation with cracked recycled plastics

A process is disclosed for the production of alkylaromatic compounds employing olefinic liquid from thermally or catalytically cracked plastics as alkylating agent. The process comprises contacting a feedstream comprising alkylatable aromatics and the olefinic liquid with acidic alkylation catalyst under alkylation conditions in an alkylation zone; and recovering an effluent stream comprising alkylaromatic compounds. The alkylation can be performed with the product of plastics pyrolysis or with non-degraded plastic feedstock in-situ with thermal/catalytic degradation of the plastic.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a novel process for the disposal of plastic waste 
material. The invention especially relates to a process for the disposal 
of olefinic cracked plastic material by utilizing the catalytically or 
thermally cracked plastic as alkylating agent for aromatics alkylation 
individually, in combination with other chemicals or as contained in a 
petroleum refinery stream. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Where once material recycling and resource recovery were common words and 
practice in but a few industries, in a surprisingly short time they are 
now common in virtually every home and industry in the land. Responding to 
the new awareness of the fragility of our ecosystem with passion and 
prudence, society has set about the rectification of past material 
excesses by falling upon the more ubiquitous materials used in modern 
civilization for corrective recovery. There is none more ubiquitous than 
plastics and no more ubiquitous plastics than polyethylene and 
polypropylene. 
Most plastic materials are produced from petroleum derived raw materials. 
Petroleum derived hydrocarbons are the main component of petroleum derived 
fuels and petrochemicals. There have been many attempts made in the past 
to convert all sorts of waste materials into petroleum type products, 
either fuels, lubricating oils, coke, or other products. In U.S. Pat. No. 
1,950,811 there is disclosed a process for recovering oil and coke from 
oil bearing residues in combination with non-petroleum raw materials such 
as coal, peat or sawdust by treating a suitable feed at high temperatures 
of about 900.degree. to 1,000.degree. F. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,412,879, a 
process for producing coke is disclosed wherein the feed to the coker is a 
mixture of conventional petroleum based coker feed and about 1-1 0% 
cellulosic material. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,909,364, a carbonizable waste, such as garbage and 
sanitary sludge, is mixed with coal. This mixture is then devolatilized to 
produce a char which is mixed with residual oil to produce a solid fuel 
product. 
None of these prior processes has taken into account or been designed to 
treat plastic waste materials. Pyrolysis processes have been described as 
offering the possibility of conversion of some solid organic wastes. 
Reference is here made and incorporated by reference to "Industrial Solid 
Wastes Management", pp 356-406, Proceedings of the National Industrial, 
Solid Wastes Management Conference, for a discussion of some of the 
conventional means for carrying out this desirable work. Pyrolysis of 
plastics is also the objective of a joint-industry program on plastics 
pyrolysis. Pyrolyzed plastics are produced through the program and the 
pyrolyzed product is available for utilization studies. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,730, there is disclosed a means for disposing of 
solid polymeric wastes, such as rubber tires, plastic wares, plastic 
packaging, scrap plastic, etc. The process dissolves these materials in 
heavy petroleum oils such as FCC heavy cycle oil in the absence of added 
hydrogen. The feeds are dispersed and dissolved with little or no gas 
evolution. The resultant liquid is said to resemble crude oil and to make 
an excellent feed to a catalytic cracker. The cracking of this feed 
results in the usual array of products from a cat cracker. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,118,281, a process has been disclosed for the 
dissolution of organic waste materials, including garbage, plastic, paper, 
wood, rubber, etc. in a conventional feed to a delayed coker unit process. 
Thermal decomposition of this mixture under conventional coker operating 
conditions is said to convert this feed into oil, water, gases and coke. 
The waste material which is being used to augment the conventional coker 
feed is suitably dissolved in a refinery fraction such as catalytic 
cracker recycle, FCC main column bottoms, TCC syntower bottoms, and the 
like. The preferred dissolving materials for these wastes are set forth to 
be fresh or recycle petroleum coker feed. This patent holds that carrying 
out the process described therein produces more oil than gas phase 
pyrolysis of organic waste materials. 
As noted above, the high conversion petroleum refining processes of fluid 
catalytic cracking and coking have been adapted as means to dispose of 
plastic materials conjointedly with hydrocarbon processing. Plastics 
pyrolysis has been successfully achieved to produce a pyrolyzed plastic 
liquid product that is rich in olefins and aromatics. The challenge to the 
artisan is to find methods to utilize these pyrolyzed plastic stream that 
are practical and economically advantageous. 
It is an objective of the present invention to develop processes for 
upgrading the liquid product obtained from plastic pyrolysis into higher 
value, commercial material. 
A specific objective of the present invention is to provide methods to 
employ liquid pyrolyzed plastic streams as aromatics alkylating agents for 
a variety of aromatics rich streams found in the basic chemical and 
petroleum industries so that these waste plastics may, in effect, be 
returned to commerce as high value materials. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Pyrolyzed plastics have been found to be a very useful source of olefins 
for alkylation of various types of mononuclear and polynuclear aromatics 
individually and separately or as contained in a petroleum refinery 
stream. Alkylation, it has been discovered, proceeds with typical acidic 
aromatics alkylation catalysis but has been found to be particularly 
rewarding when alkylation is carried out in contact with solid 
metallosilicate catalyst particles. It has been found that the total 
liquid product (TLP) of plastics pyrolysis can be employed as alkylating 
agent or portions of the TLP containing a preponderance of higher boiling, 
non-aromatic olefins can be successfully utilized to prepare alkylated 
aromatic for automatic transmission fluid (ATF), linear alkyl benzenes 
(LABs) for detergents, and the like. 
More particularly, a process has been discovered for the production of 
alkylaromatic compounds employing olefinic liquid from thermally or 
catalytically cracked plastics as alkylating agent. The process comprises 
contacting a feedstream comprising alkylatable aromatics and the olefinic 
liquid with acidic alkylation catalyst under alkylation conditions in an 
alkylation zone; and recovering an effluent stream comprising 
alkylaromatic compounds. 
The process alkylation catalyst is selected from Lewis acids such as HF, 
H.sub.2 SO.sub.4, AlCl.sub.3, BF.sub.3, FeCl.sub.3, TiCl.sub.4, ZnCl.sub.2 
and P.sub.2 O.sub.5. Also, effective catalyst are selected from acidic 
layered clays, acidic natural or synthetic zeolites and mixed metal oxide 
super acids. Mixed metal oxide super acids are described in M. Hino and K. 
Arata, J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun., 1987, 1259; and K. Arata and M. Hino, 
Proc. 9th Int. Cong. on Catal., 1988, 4, 1727. 
The effective zeolite catalysts include ZSM-5, ZSM-11, ZSM-12, ZSM-23, 
ZSM-35, and ZSM-48, ZSM-50, Zeolite Beta, MCM-56, MCM-22, MCM-36, MCM-49, 
ultrastable zeolite Y (USY), zeolite X, TMA Offretite, TEA Mordenite, 
Clinoptilolite, Mordenite, rare earth-exchanged zeolite Y (REY), Amorphous 
Silica-Alumina and Dealuminized Y. Catalysts also include mixed metal 
oxide superacids and acidified clays. 
Useful alkylatable aromatics for the process comprise alkylatable aromatics 
in a petroleum refinery stream especially lube oil raffinate and extracts, 
catalytic or thermal crackate and light cycle oil. However, apart from 
refinery streams, aromatics such as benzenes and naphthalenes may be 
alkylated by the process of the invention. 
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Aromatics alkylation is a key step in the manufacture of several products 
in the chemical industry such as linear alkyl benzenes (LABS) for 
detergents. It is also of importance in the fuels component of the 
petroleum refining industry in processes such as the alkylation of light 
cycle oil (LCO) to improve cetane index for use as diesel fuel. Another 
important process in the lubes component of the petroleum industry is the 
alkylation of lube extracts from solvent refined neutral distillates. 
Alkylation of the extracts has the potential to lower their mutagenicity 
index (MI) and upgrade them to higher value streams. In addition, there is 
a growing environmental pressure for conversion of scrap plastics into 
usable products in a safe and effective manner. 
This invention teaches a process for alkylation of aromatics with the 
olefins generated from thermal or catalytic degradation of scrap plastics. 
Alkylation is carried out in the presence of conventional acidic 
alkylation catalyst but preferably in the presence of solid acid catalysts 
such as acidified clay, mixed metal oxide superacids such as WOx/ZrO2 or 
zeolites such as USY and MCM-56. The use of olefins generated from 
degradation of scrap plastics for the alkylation of aromatics not only 
provides a lower cost alternative to existing olefin sources but also has 
the potential for generating products with unique properties. The process 
provides a low cost, environmentally friendly method to recycle scrap 
plastics to higher-value products. 
Preferably, the process of the invention is carried out using the product 
of a prior process for pyrolysis or degradation of plastics where the 
pyrolyzed product contains the olefins that are effective as alkylating 
agent. However, another approach to alkylation is to conduct the 
alkylation in-situ concurrent with the thermal or catalytic degration of 
the plastic materials. Indeed, predegraded or non-degraded plastic 
materials can be used directly as feedstock for alkylation under 
conditions that produce the requisite alkylating agent in the presence of 
alkylatable aromatics. 
The selection of thermally or catalytically cracked or pyrolyzed plastics 
useful in the process of the invention is not limited to those degraded 
plastics produced by but one specific process. The artisan knows well that 
there is a plethora of cracking processes and conditions that can produce 
the olefinic alkylating agent from plastics useful in the present 
invention. Some plastics cracking processes may be superior but the 
production of the olefinic alkylating agent is the only paramount 
criterion for selection of the cracking product from a process useful in 
the invention. However, it is preferred, but not restricted, that the 
crackate be produced from high or low density polyethylene, polypropylene, 
polystyrene or mixtures thereof. 
Catalysts useful in the present invention include the more conventional 
Lewis acid type catalysts known to be effective in alkylation of 
aromatics. These include HF, H.sub.2 SO.sub.4, AlCl.sub.3, BF.sub.3, 
FeCl.sub.3, TiCl.sub.4, ZnCl.sub.2 and P.sub.2 O.sub.5, and the like. 
Catalysts preferred for use herein include the crystalline aluminosilicate 
zeolites having a silica to alumina ratio of at least 12, a constraint 
index of about 1 to 12 and acid cracking activity greater than 120. Acid 
cracking activity (alpha value or alpha number) is a measure of zeolite 
acidic functionality and is more fully described together with details of 
its measurement in U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,218, J. Catalysis, 6, pp. 278-287 
(1966) and J. Catalysis, 61, pp. 390-396 (1980). 
Representative of the ZSM-5 type zeolites are ZSM-5, ZSM-11, ZSM-12, 
ZSM-23, ZSM-35, ZSM-48. ZSM-5 is disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 
3,702,886 and U.S. Pat. No. Re. 29,948; ZSM-11 is disclosed and claimed in 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,709,979. Also, see U.S. Pat. No. 3,832,449 for ZSM-12; 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,842 for ZSM-23; U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,245 for ZSM-35. 
A preferred catalyst for use in the present invention is MCM-56. MCM-56 is 
a member of the MCM-22 group useful in the invention which includes 
MCM-22, MCM-36, MCM-49 and MCM-56. MCM-22 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 
4,954,325. MCM-36 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,250,277 and MCM-36 
(bound) is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,698. MCM-49 is described in 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,575 and MCM-56 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 
5,362,697. 
In general, the useful zeolite catalysts embrace two categories of zeolite, 
namely, the intermediate pore size variety as represented, for example, by 
ZSM-5, which possess a Constraint Index of greater than about 2 and the 
large pore variety as represented, for example, by zeolites Y and Beta, 
which possess a Constraint index no greater than about 2. Both varieties 
of zeolites will possess a framework silica-to-alumina ratio of greater 
than about 7. The method by which Constraint Index is determined is 
described fully in U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,218, to which reference is made for 
details of the method. 
The large pore zeolites which are useful as catalysts in the process of 
this invention, i.e., those zeolites having a Constraint Index of no 
greater than about 2, are well known to the art. Representative of these 
zeolites are zeolite Beta, zeolite X, zeolite L, zeolite Y, ultrastable 
zeolite Y (USY), dealuminized Y (Deal Y), rare earth-exchanged zeolite Y 
(REY), rare earth-exchanged dealuminized Y (RE Deal Y), mordenite, ZSM-3, 
ZSM-4, ZSM-12, ZSM-20, and ZSM-50 and mixtures of any of the foregoing. 
Zeolite Beta is described in U.S. Reissue Pat. No. 28,341 (of original U.S. 
Pat. No. 3,308,069), to which reference is made for details of this 
catalyst. 
Zeolite X is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,882,244, to which reference is 
made for the details of this catalyst. 
Zeolite L is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,789, to which reference is 
made for the details of this catalyst. 
Zeolite Y is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,130,007, to which reference is 
made for details of this catalyst. 
Low sodium ultrastable zeolite Y (USY) is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 
3,293,192; 3,354,077; 3,375,065; 3,402,996,; 3,449,070; and 3,595,611, to 
which reference is made for details of this catalyst. 
Dealuminized zeolite Y (Deal Y) can be prepared by the method found in U.S. 
Pat. No. 3,442,795, to which reference is made for details of this 
catalyst. 
Zeolite ZSM-3 is described in U.S. Pat. No.3,415,736, to which reference is 
made for details of this catalyst. 
Zeolite ZSM-4 is described in U.S. Pat. No.3,923,639, to which reference is 
made for details of this catalyst. 
Zeolite ZSM-12 is described in U.S. Pat. No.3,832,449, to which reference 
is made for the details of this catalyst. 
Zeolite ZSM-20 is described in U.S. Pat. No.3,972,983, to which reference 
is made for the details of this catalyst. 
Zeolite ZSM-50 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,829, to which reference 
is made for details of this catalyst. 
Included within the definition of the useful zeolites are crystalline 
porous silicoaluminophosphates such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 
4,440,871, the catalytic behavior of which is similar to that of the 
aluminosilicate zeolites. 
Aromatic compounds which can be alkylated according to the process of the 
invention comprise mononuclear and polynuclear aromatics such as benzene, 
naphthalene, anthracene, phenanthracene, substituted and unsubstituted. 
Substituent groups include halide, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, alkoxy, 
alkoxo, amino, acetamido, carbamoyl, hydroxy, and mercapto. These aromatic 
compounds can be alkylated with pyrolyzed plastic neat, in solution or as 
a component part of a complex mixture such as a petroleum refinery stream. 
Petroleum refinery streams of particular utility as feedstreams for 
aromatics alkylation according to the process of the invention include the 
crackate from catalytic or thermal cracking processes, reformate, lube 
raffinate and extract, light cycle oil (LCO), light and heavy gas oil and 
straight run gasoline. 
The alkylation can be either performed with pre-degraded plastics or 
conducted in-situ with thermal/catalytic degration of the plastic. 
The pyrolyzed plastics used in this invention were obtained from the 
joint-industry experimental program on plastics pyrolysis. Table 1 and 
Table 2 provide the physical properties and compositional analysis of the 
pyrolyzed plastics. 
TABLE 1 
______________________________________ 
Properties of Pyrolyzed Plastics 
______________________________________ 
Specific Gravity 
0.8617 
Pour Point 15 F 
Viscosity @ 75.degree. F. 
1.266 cst 
Viscosity @ 122.degree. F. 
1.083 cst 
Sulfur 460 ppm 
Nitrogen 85 ppm 
Chlorine 8 ppm 
Metals 
Al &lt;5 ppm 
Ca 29 ppm 
Mg 2.5 ppm 
Zn 7.5 ppm 
Na &lt;1.5 ppm 
Fe &lt;1 ppm 
______________________________________ 
TABLE 2 
______________________________________ 
Compositional Analysis of Pyrolyzed Plastics 
Yield of 500-.degree. F. Plastics: 64 wt % 
500-.degree. F. 
500+.degree. F. 
Total 
______________________________________ 
Aromatics, wt % 78.5 37.5 63.8 
Olefins, wt % 18.44 7.3 28.8 
Paraffins, wt % 0.2 3.4 1.3 
Naphthenes, wt % 2.9 11.8 6.1 
______________________________________ 
While the 500-.degree. F. cut of the pyrolyzed plastics primarily contains 
the aromatic olefins (styrene), the 500+.degree. F. cut contains the 
aliphatic olefins. Carbon number of the olefins in the plastics is 14. 
The alkylation process of the invention is illustrated in the following 
examples.

EXAMPLE 1 
Alkylation of Methyl Naphthalene with 500+.degree. F. Pyrolyzed Plastics 
Alkylated naphthalene is used as solubilizer in automatic transmission 
fluid (ATF). This example illustrates the alkylation of a model two-ring 
aromatic, methyl naphthalene, in the presence of WOx/ZrO2, USY 
(ultra-stable Y) and MCM-56 catalysts with the 500+.degree. F. fraction of 
the pyrolyzed plastics at 400.degree. F. for 6 hours. Feed aromatic to 
olefin ratio was 3 to 1 while the weight ratio of the feed to the catalyst 
was 10 to 1. The 500+ F. fraction of the pyrolyzed plastics has been 
depleted of styrene which is primarily in the 500-.degree. F. fraction of 
the pyrolyzed plastics. 
Supercritical Fluid Chromatography (SFC) of the alkylation product 
indicates alkylation of the methyl naphthalene with the olefins in the 
pyrolyzed plastics. Detailed analysis of feed and product with olefin 
conversion to alkylated aromatics is given below in Table 3 for the three 
catalysts. 0.1 gram of the respective catalyst was used under the 
conditions described. 
TABLE 3 
______________________________________ 
Methyl WOx/ 
Napth/ MCM-56 USY ZrO.sub.2 
Plastics Feed 
Product Product 
Product 
______________________________________ 
Paraffins, wt % 
3.0 3.2 3.7 3.1 
Naphthenes, wt 
0.9 0.9 1.3 0.9 
Olefins/Olig, wt % 
11.8 5.8 6.4. 7.5 
Other Arom, wt. % 
9.4 18.5 18.7 14.6 
Methyl Napth, wt. % 
75.0 71.7 70.0 73.9 
% Olefin Conv.(approx) 
50 45 35 
to Alkylated Aromatics 
______________________________________ 
EXAMPLE 2 
Methyl Naphthalene Alkylation with TLP from Pyrolyzed Plastics 
This example illustrates the alkylation of a model two-ring aromatic, 
methyl naphthalene in the presence of MCM-56, USY, WOx/ZrO2 and acidified 
clay with the total liquid product (TLP) of pyrolyzed plastics (3:1 methyl 
naphthalene/plastics mole ratio) at 400 F for 6 hours at a weight ratio of 
1 to 0.1 of feed to catalyst. 
The feed and product were analyzed by Field Ionization Mass Spectroscopy 
(FIMS). FIMS is a soft ionization technique that produces primarily 
molecular ions. From the profiles of the molecular ions shifts in 
molecular weight can be determined and, depending on sample complexity, 
determine which classes of compounds are undergoing reactions. FIMS 
analysis of the alkylation reaction products for each catalyst shows 
alkylation of methyl naphthalene with styrene and other olefins with 
methyl naphthalene alkylated with styrene being the primary reaction 
product. The FIMS analysis indicates olefin conversion with the model 
compound feed wherein the product is a mixture of alkylated methyl 
naphthalene and olefin oligomers. Alkylation of the methyl naphthalene 
results in a molecular weight shift of the heavy olefin envelope to the 
right as a result of alkylation and oligomerization. 
The FIMS results show that the molecular weight shift with MCM-56 is 
greater than that of USY. The double envelope in the FIMS spectrum of the 
reaction product is due to monoaromatic and diaromatic alkylation 
respectively with the olefins in the plastics. The alkylation of two 
aromatic molecules with one olefin molecule allows more efficient 
utilization of the olefin and also permits the formation of molecules with 
unique lube properties. 
EXAMPLE 3 
Alkylation of Toluene with 500+.degree. F. Pyrolyzed Plastics 
This example illustrates the alkylation of a model one-ring aromatic, 
toluene, in the presence of acidified clay, USY (ultra-stable Y) and 
MCM-56 with the 500+.degree. F. cut of pyrolyzed-plastics at 400.degree. 
F. for 6 hours. FIMS spectra was obtained of the reaction products from 
processing 1 g of the feed over 0.1 g of acidified clay, USY and MCM-56 
respectively. As with methyl naphthalene, FIMS analysis indicates aromatic 
alkylation/olefin oligomerization with alkylated toluene being the primary 
reaction product. Alkylation over all three catalysts results in a shift 
in the molecular weight envelope to the right as a result of toluene 
alkylation with the heavy olefins in the plastics. FIMS spectra over both 
USY and MCM-56 indicate the double molecular envelopes resulting from 
monoaromatic and diaromatic alkylation with the heavy olefins which is 
similar to the behavior displayed by methyl naphthalene in Example 1. 
EXAMPLE 4 
Alkylation of Toluene with the TLP from Pyrolyzed Plastics 
This example illustrates the alkylation of a model one-ring aromatic, 
toluene, in the presence of USY (ultra-stable Y) and MCM-56 with pyrolyzed 
whole plastics at 400.degree. F. for 6 hours. FIMS spectra of the reaction 
product was obtained from processing 1 g of this feed over 0.1 g of MCM-56 
and USY respectively. As with methyl naphthalene, FIMS analysis indicates 
toluene alkylation/olefin oligomerization with toluene alkylated and 
styrene being the primary reaction product. 
For all the cases involving alkylation of model compounds with pyrolyzed 
plastics, FIMS analysis shows that the rate of reaction is roughly in the 
order MCM-56&gt;USY. Both WOx/ZrO2 and acidified clay result in lower olefin 
conversion than MCM-56 or USY. 
EXAMPLE 5 
Alkylation of Lube Extract with TLP from the Pyrolyzed Plastics 
This example illustrates the alkylation of a lube extract from a 
furfural-refined Arab Light 483 having the properties depicted in Table 4. 
The feed was the entire pyrolyzed plastics and the reaction was carried 
out over USY (ultra-stable Y) and MCM-56, respectively. The alkylation 
reaction was conducted in a 1 liter autoclave using 125 g (0.42 moles) of 
lube extract and 25 g (0. 1 78 moles) of pyrolyzed plastics (2.4:1 mole 
ratio of aromatic/olefin) with 15 g of catalyst for 8 hours at 400.degree. 
F. under a nitrogen pressure of 400 psig. After decanting and filtering 
the catalyst, the total liquid product was vacuum distilled at 650.degree. 
F. to obtain lube range material. The conversion of 650-.degree. F. 
material in the feed to 650+.degree. F. lube range material is detailed in 
Table 5. 
TABLE 4 
______________________________________ 
Properties of Arab Light 483 Extract 
______________________________________ 
kv 40.degree. C. 5.194 cS 
kv 100.degree. C. 49.650 cS 
Sulfur 5.2 wt % 
Nitrogen 1500 ppm 
Simulated Distillation (.degree.F.) 
IBP 568.5, 10% 653.6, 30% 701.1, 50% 739.9, 
FBP 805.8 
______________________________________ 
TABLE 5 
______________________________________ 
650+.degree. F. Yield in Furf Extract/Plastics Feed: 77.5% 
MCM-56 USY 
______________________________________ 
% 650+.degree. F. Yield 
82 81 
% Shift in 650+.degree. F. Yield 
4.5 3.5 
% 650-.degree. F. Incorporated 
.about.20 
-15 
to 650+.degree. F. 
______________________________________ 
Based on compositional analysis of the products generated by alkylation of 
the model compound methyl naphthalene with the pyrolyzed plastics, the 
increase in lube yield with the furfural extracts is considered to be due 
to aromatics alkylation, which should lower the mutagenicity index of the 
lube extract and upgrade it to a higher value product. 
EXAMPLE 6 
Alkylation of Hydrotreated Light Cycle Oil 
This example illustrates the alkylation of a hydrotreated light cycle oil 
(LCO) with the total liquid product from the pyrolyzed plastics over 
MCM-56. The alkylation reaction was carried out in a 1 liter autoclave 
using 103.6 g (0.66 moles, MW=158) of hydrotreated LCO and 46.5 g (0.33 
moles) of pyrolyzed plastics (2:1 mole ratio of LCO/plastic) with 10 g of 
catalyst for 6 hours at 400.degree. F. at 400 psig. The liquid product was 
then vacuum distilled at 650.degree. F. to obtain distillate and lube 
range fractions. The cetane index of the distillate fraction was 32 
compared to 29 for the hydrotreated LCO feed. The cetane increase is 
considered to be due to aromatic alkylation. 
Alkylation of mono and polynuclear aromatics is a key processing step in 
the chemical, fuels and lube components of the petroleum industry. 
Alkylation of lube extracts is one possible way to lower their 
mutagenicity index, thereby upgrading a low value refinery stream to 
higher value products such as printing inks, aromatic oils, plasticizers, 
rubber extenders or even lube basestock. Alkylation of LCO is a potential 
way to improve its cetane index for use as diesel fuel. Alkylated 
aromatics such as naphthalene are produced as solubilizers in automatic 
transmission fluid (ATF) while linear alkyl benzenes (LABS) find 
application in the detergent business. The use of thermally or 
catalytically degraded plastics for the alkylation of aromatics provides a 
lower cost alternative to existing olefin sources and simultaneously 
offers a safe, environmentally friendly method to recycle scrap plastics 
to useful products.