Evonik's Purocel 505 catalyst removes up to three times more chlorides from pyrolysis oil than conventional solutions, the specialty chemicals group says, targeting a quality bottleneck that has kept mixed-plastic chemical recycling output from meeting steam cracker feed specifications.

The company markets Purocel 505 within a product line engineered to purify pyrolysis oil before it enters steam crackers, where it supplements fossil feedstocks such as naphtha to produce ethylene, propylene and other olefin building blocks.

"Cracker operators apply strict quality standards to the feedstocks they use," Hendrik Rasch, who leads Circular Packaging and Plastics Recycling in Evonik's Next Markets Program, said. "This is precisely where our products come in. They help to significantly improve the quality of pyrolysis oil."

What does the catalyst actually do?

Purocel 505 combines catalytic separation of chlorine atoms from larger molecules with subsequent hydrogen chloride binding. Evonik built the line on its petrochemical process expertise and pairs it with hydrotreating — a step that uses hydrogen to convert residual impurities into volatile compounds that exit the stream.

The company recycles its Purocel H catalysts into the hydrotreating stage to maximize material recovery. For higher-purity applications, Evonik enhances adsorption with hydrotreating on top of the base catalytic step, layering removal technologies for demanding cracker specifications.

How does Evonik integrate the technology at existing sites?

Rather than asking operators to build dedicated purification trains, Evonik sells pre-configured column modules under the "Rocket Technology" name. Each module ships loaded with adsorbents such as Purocel 510 and connects to existing pyrolysis or cracker infrastructure, the company says, avoiding the extended downtime and capital outlays tied to grassroots construction.

The modular pitch targets both small-scale pyrolysis operators and large petrochemical complexes — a deliberate split Evonik positions as a system-partner play rather than a one-off catalyst sale.

Where does chemical recycling fit?

Mechanical recycling handles clean streams like PET bottles efficiently, but mixed and contaminated plastics — a sizable share of post-consumer waste — require thermal routes. Pyrolysis breaks those streams into chemical building blocks at high temperature in the absence of oxygen, producing an oil that requires cleaning before steam cracking can convert it to monomer.

Evonik's products target the impurities — chlorine, nitrogen and silicon compounds — that compromise cracker efficiency and operational safety when left in the feed. As regulators raise recycled-content mandates globally, pyrolysis-based chemical recycling has moved from pilot curiosity to procurement priority for petrochemical buyers.

What commitment anchors the commercial rollout?

"Our solutions demonstrate how technological innovation can advance the circular economy," Rasch said. "We are convinced that chemical recycling is a key pillar of a sustainable plastics economy."

Rasch's Next Markets Program sits inside Evonik's broader growth structure, where circular packaging and plastics recycling is one of several new-business bets the group tracks against internal deadlines. The company frames the Purocel and Rocket Technology portfolio as a comprehensive offer spanning catalyst chemistry, adsorbents and modular hardware — positioning it to capture work whether a pyrolysis plant sits inside an integrated petrochemical complex or operates as a standalone waste-to-feedstock venture.

What happens next?

The milestone to track is whether cracker operators and petrochemical complexes convert current deployments of Purocel 505 and Rocket Technology modules into commercial-scale offtake agreements as recycled-content mandates tighten across major jurisdictions. Announced capacity is one number; purchased tonnage of purified pyrolysis oil is the trade the industry will measure.