Waste plastic pyrolysis oil (PPO, also WPPO) is the highest-value pyrolysis oil, but only if it can reach a steam cracker. We broker it between plant operators and crackers, refiners and hydrotreaters across Europe. The gap between fuel value and circular-feedstock value is large, and two things close it: total chlorine down to single-digit ppm, and ISCC PLUS mass balance so the polymer producer downstream can make a certified circular claim. Everything else in the negotiation is secondary to those two. We are actively looking for light and middle fraction for buyers of ours; full range undistilled oil we will still look at, but the fractionated cuts place faster and better.
Chlorine: the number the whole trade turns on
PVC and chlorinated additives in the input plastic carry straight through pyrolysis into the oil. Untreated oil from mixed post-consumer feed routinely tests in the hundreds or low thousands of ppm. Steam crackers generally work to single-digit ppm on total chlorine, and some tighter still, because chloride causes corrosion in the furnace and downstream train and poisons catalyst in any hydrotreating step.
Confirm the individual buyer's limit rather than trusting a market rule of thumb, they differ, and a plant will not bend the number for a trial cargo.
There are four ways the gap gets closed, and they have very different costs:
- Input sorting: keeping PVC out of the feed upstream. Cheapest and most durable, and the reason post-industrial feed prices above post-consumer.
- In-process capture: chlorine scavengers or a dechlorination stage in the reactor train.
- Post-treatment: adsorption, washing or a dedicated dechlorination unit on the produced oil.
- Blending down: mixing into a much larger compliant stream. Works only where the receiving party has the volume and is willing, and it is the first thing a buyer withdraws when the market softens.
The three fractions, and which two we are buying for
Oil leaving the reactor is full range. Distillation splits it into three cuts with genuinely different homes and genuinely different prices, and a plant that can fractionate is in a stronger commercial position than one that cannot. Cut points vary by operator, so treat the temperatures below as the usual convention rather than a standard.
- Light fraction, naphtha range, roughly C5 to C12, initial boiling point to around 180 C. This is the cut a steam cracker actually wants: most naphtha-like, lowest boiling, and where the circular polymer value sits.
- Middle fraction, gasoil and diesel range, roughly C12 to C20, around 180 to 360 C. Routes to hydrotreating, to diesel blending, or to a cracker depending on how chlorine, sulphur and nitrogen come back.
- Heavy fraction and residue, above roughly 360 C. Waxy and high boiling. Frequently recycled back into the reactor, otherwise placed as industrial fuel or as carbon black feedstock.
The rest of the specification
Chlorine gets the cargo considered. These decide whether it is accepted, and silicon in particular kills more deals than sellers expect because it is permanent, it does not wash out and it does not blend away.
| Total chlorine | Organic and inorganic reported separately where possible. The gate. |
|---|---|
| Silicon | From siloxanes and antifoam. Permanent hydrotreating catalyst poison; screened even when not on the spec sheet. |
| Nitrogen | Tracks polyamide, ABS and polyurethane in the input. |
| Sulphur | Low from clean polyolefin feed; rises sharply with PET, PVC or rubber contamination. |
| Bromine | Flame retardants, where WEEE plastics entered the mix. |
| Metals (Na, Ca, Fe, Zn, Pb, K) | Fouling and catalyst deactivation; zinc and lead point at tyre or e-waste input. |
| Water (Karl Fischer) | Phase separation, freight cost, corrosion. |
| Distillation profile | Which cracker or refinery cut the oil competes against; naphtha-range material is the target. |
| Diene value / MAV | Gum and fouling tendency in storage and preheat. |
| TAN | Corrosivity in storage and transfer. |
| Olefin content | Reactivity and stability during storage. |
| Filterable solids / ash | Char carry-over from the reactor. |
ISCC PLUS mass balance is the product
The commercial reason a cracker pays above fuel value for PPO is that it lets a polymer producer downstream sell a certified circular grade to a brand owner who has a recycled-content commitment. That claim travels on ISCC PLUS with mass balance chain of custody. Without it, the same molecules are a hydrocarbon and price like one.
Three things go wrong often enough to be worth checking in week one: the pyrolysis unit sits outside the certified boundary; the certificate covers the wrong product group; or the mass balance accounting period does not line up with the delivery schedule. Any of the three collapses the premium at exactly the wrong moment.
Downstream demand is underpinned by the recycled-content targets in the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (EU) 2025/40, which applies from 12 August 2026 and sets binding minimum recycled content from 1 January 2030. Chemical recycling is one of the routes brand owners are counting on to get there, see waste PET for the parallel mechanical route.
How a cracker qualification actually runs
Nobody buys a bulk parcel of PPO on a certificate of analysis. The path is predictable and it is worth knowing before you start, because sellers who expect a purchase order in week two lose patience and lose the buyer.
- Paper screening: full COA, the certificate and its scope, feedstock description, plant capacity and a realistic monthly volume.
- Laboratory sample: typically a few litres to an IBC, into the buyer's own laboratory. They will re-test everything and they will find things your lab did not report.
- Consistency check: three or more batches over time. This is where most plants fail: one flattering COA is worthless if batch two looks different.
- Trial parcel: an isotank or small bulk lot, co-processed at low ratio.
- Term discussion: only now, and only if the numbers held.
- Expect months, not weeks. A plant that can show a stable rolling analysis across batches compresses this more than any commercial argument.
Waste status, classification and what we do
Whether PPO moves as a waste or a product decides the paperwork, and it is decided nationally, see pyrolysis oil for the Waste Shipment Regulation and CN classification detail, which applies identically here. Settle it before fixing freight.
We act for plant operators placing production and for crackers, refiners and traders sourcing feed. Because we never take title, we will tell a plant plainly when its chlorine number rules out the cracker route for now and the realistic outlet is a fuel or blending buyer, which is a far better conversation to have in month one than in month six.
Frequently asked questions
Which fraction of plastic pyrolysis oil are you buying?
Light and middle fraction, for buyers of ours. The light cut, naphtha range to around 180 C, is what a steam cracker actually wants. The middle cut, roughly 180 to 360 C, routes to hydrotreating, diesel blending or a cracker depending on how chlorine, sulphur and nitrogen come back. We will still look at full range undistilled oil, but the fractionated cuts place faster and at better levels.
What are the three fractions of plastic pyrolysis oil?
Light, naphtha range roughly C5 to C12 up to about 180 C. Middle, gasoil and diesel range roughly C12 to C20 between about 180 and 360 C. Heavy and residue, above roughly 360 C, waxy and often recycled back into the reactor or placed as industrial fuel or carbon black feedstock. Cut points vary by operator, so these are conventions rather than a standard.
Is it worth fractionating before selling?
Usually yes, if the capital is there. A plant that can deliver a defined light or middle cut is selling a product a cracker or hydrotreater can take directly, instead of a full range oil the buyer has to work out what to do with. It widens the buyer list and shortens qualification.
What chlorine level does a steam cracker accept in plastic pyrolysis oil?
Generally single-digit ppm on total chlorine, with some plants tighter still. Untreated oil from mixed post-consumer feed commonly tests in the hundreds or low thousands of ppm because of PVC and chlorinated additives. Always confirm the specific buyer's limit, there is no single industry figure, and plants do not relax it for trial cargoes.
How is chlorine removed from plastic pyrolysis oil?
Four routes, in rough order of cost-effectiveness: sorting PVC out of the input upstream; capturing chlorine in-process with scavengers or a dechlorination stage; post-treating the produced oil by adsorption, washing or a dedicated unit; or blending into a much larger compliant stream. Input sorting is the most durable, which is why post-industrial feed prices above post-consumer.
What is the difference between PPO and bionaphtha as circular cracker feed?
Both go to a steam cracker and both carry a certified renewable or circular claim, but they are different products. PPO is derived from waste plastic and supports a circular (recycled-content) claim. Bionaphtha is a bio-based co-product of hydrotreating fats and oils and supports a bio-based claim. Brand owners' targets often specify which one they need, so they are not interchangeable. See bionaphtha.
Do I need ISCC PLUS to sell plastic pyrolysis oil?
Not to sell it as fuel. You need it for the cracker route, because ISCC PLUS with mass balance chain of custody is what allows the polymer producer downstream to sell a certified circular grade. Check that the pyrolysis unit is inside the certified boundary, that the product group is right, and that the mass balance period matches your delivery schedule.
How long does it take to qualify with a steam cracker?
Months rather than weeks. The sequence is paper screening, laboratory sample, a consistency check across three or more batches, a trial parcel co-processed at low ratio, and only then a term discussion. The step that fails most often is consistency, a single good COA counts for very little if the next batch looks different.
Why is silicon such a problem?
It comes from siloxanes and antifoam agents in the input and it permanently poisons hydrotreating catalyst. Unlike water or solids it cannot be filtered out, and unlike chlorine it cannot realistically be blended away. Any buyer with a hydrotreater tests for it whether or not it appears on the offered specification, and a failure usually ends the conversation.
Is there a standard specification for PPO?
There is no universal trading specification. ASTM D8577 is a standard guide for characterising waste plastic process oil and is a sensible basis for a COA. In practice every buyer applies its own acceptance limits, so the question that matters is not whether the oil meets a standard but whether a specific plant can run it.
Who to ask about Plastic pyrolysis oil (PPO)
Ask us. Producing PPO, or qualifying a feed? Send the COA with chlorine and silicon and we will tell you which outlets are realistic. We answer the same working day, in English or Dutch, and there is no charge and no obligation for a market read or a second opinion on a specification.
You get Bart van den Brug directly, not a call centre and not a form that goes nowhere. We are an independent broker: we never take title, we do not trade our own book, and we are paid a commission only on business that actually concludes. That is why we will also tell you when the answer is no.
+31 6 115 83 448
[email protected]
Sustainable Commodities 3 B.V., Lemmer, the Netherlands
Last reviewed 09 August 2026 by Bart van den Brug, Sustainable Commodities 3 B.V. (KvK 99665042), Lemmer, the Netherlands. Regulatory references are given for orientation and are not legal advice; verify against the current Official Journal text before contracting.