Sustainable Commodities is an independent broker of pyrolysis oil, working from the Netherlands across Europe and beyond. We place tyre-derived pyrolysis oil (TPO), waste-plastic pyrolysis oil (PPO/WPPO) and biomass pyrolysis oil with refiners, steam crackers, carbon black producers and industrial fuel users. In practice a pyrolysis oil deal is decided by five numbers (chlorine, silicon, sulphur, water and metals) plus one question that catches most newcomers: is the oil a waste or a product?
The three pyrolysis oils are not one product
Almost every stalled pyrolysis oil enquiry we see starts with the same mistake: seller and buyer both say "pyrolysis oil" and mean different liquids. They have different chemistry, different buyers and prices that are not remotely comparable.
- Tyre pyrolysis oil (TPO), from end-of-life tyres. Strongly aromatic, sulphur typically 0.5 to 1.2 %, with a characteristic limonene fraction. Homes are carbon black production, industrial and marine fuel blending, or upgrading into a refinery cut. Not a drop-in cracker feed without treatment.
- Waste plastic pyrolysis oil (PPO / WPPO), from mixed polyolefins, LDPE, HDPE, PP. Naphtha-like and paraffinic. The prize is a steam cracker taking it as circular feedstock under ISCC PLUS mass balance, which is where the value sits. Chlorine is the gate.
- Biomass pyrolysis oil (bio-oil, FPBO), from wood and agricultural residues. A different animal entirely: 20 to 30 % water, heavily oxygenated, acidic (pH 2 to 3), not miscible with hydrocarbons and not a drop-in fuel. Specified under ASTM D7544 as grades G and D for industrial burners.
What buyers actually screen on
A specification sheet gets a cargo looked at. These parameters get it bought. Anything a buyer cannot design around is a hard no, not a discount, and it is better to find that out from the retained sample than from the discharge survey.
Chlorine is the single biggest gate for cracker feed. PVC and chlorinated additives in the input plastic carry straight through into the oil, and untreated mixed-plastic pyrolysis oil routinely comes back in the hundreds or low thousands of ppm. Crackers generally work to single-digit ppm on total chlorine. Whether that gap is closed by dechlorination, by input sorting or by blending down is, commercially, the entire conversation.
Silicon is the quiet deal-killer. It comes in from siloxanes and antifoam agents and permanently poisons downstream hydrotreating catalyst. Buyers with a hydrotreater will test for it even when it is not on the spec sheet, and a cargo that fails on silicon does not get a second look.
| Total chlorine | The gate for cracker and refinery feed. Organic and inorganic chlorine reported separately where possible. |
|---|---|
| Silicon | Catalyst poison. Screened by any buyer with a hydrotreater. |
| Sulphur | Low in polyolefin-derived oil; materially higher in tyre-derived oil. |
| Nitrogen | Tracks polyamide, ABS and polyurethane in the input. |
| Water content | Karl Fischer. Drives phase separation and freight cost. |
| Metals (Fe, Na, Ca, Mg, Zn, Pb, K) | Fouling and catalyst deactivation; zinc and lead point back to tyre or e-waste input. |
| Distillation profile (IBP/FBP) | Decides which refinery or cracker cut the oil competes with. |
| Density and flash point | Blending, storage classification and freight. |
| Diene value / MAV | Fouling and gum-forming tendency. |
| TAN (total acid number) | Corrosivity in storage and transfer. |
| Filterable solids / ash | Char carry-over from the reactor. |
| Bromine | Flame-retardant carry-over where WEEE plastics are in the mix. |
Waste or product: the question that strands cargoes
Whether pyrolysis oil is legally a waste or a product decides the entire paperwork chain, and it is the most common reason a first cargo sits at the terminal. If the oil is still a waste, a cross-border shipment falls under the EU Waste Shipment Regulation (EU) 2024/1157: prior written notification and consent from the competent authority at both ends, a financial guarantee, and a movement document travelling with the cargo. If end-of-waste status has been established, it moves as a normal product.
The catch is that this is decided nationally. The same oil can be a product in one member state and a waste in the next, and the receiving authority's view is the one that counts. Treat it as a commercial risk to be settled before fixing freight, not as a formality for the shipping department.
Customs classification is equally unsettled. There is no dedicated CN code for pyrolysis oil. Depending on origin, aromatic content and intended use, parcels have moved under headings 2707, 2710, 2713 and 3824; a UK advance tariff ruling classified heavy plastic-derived pyrolysis oil under 2710 19 71. Agree the code with your customs agent and, where the value justifies it, obtain a binding tariff information before the vessel loads.
Certification and the circular premium
For plastic-derived oil, certification is not administration, it is the product. ISCC PLUS with mass balance chain of custody is what allows a polymer producer downstream to sell a certified circular grade. Without a credible, auditable chain of custody the same molecules trade as fuel, and the difference between those two prices is the whole business case for a pyrolysis plant.
For biomass-derived oil heading into an energy outlet, ISCC EU or REDcert is the relevant route, with the sustainability characteristics and GHG saving carried on a proof of sustainability.
We will ask for your certificate scope early. A plant certified for the wrong product group, or with the pyrolysis unit outside the certified boundary, is a problem worth finding in week one.
How we broker pyrolysis oil
We work both directions: plant operators with production to place, and refiners, crackers, carbon black producers and fuel blenders looking for consistent feed. Because we are a broker and never take title, we have no reason to talk a marginal cargo into a buyer who cannot run it.
- COA and retained sample first, price second. We ask for a full analysis and a representative retained sample before we approach anyone. It is faster for everybody than three rounds of hopeful indications.
- Trial parcel, then bulk. Most first deals run as IBCs or an isotank into the buyer's own lab, then a flexi or a parcel tanker once the numbers hold.
- Independent survey at load and discharge. Sampling and sealing by a recognised inspection company, with retained samples held by both sides.
- Agree the failure case in the contract. What happens if chlorine comes back above the limit, rejection, price adjustment, or reprocessing at whose cost, belongs in the contract, not in a dispute after discharge.
- Consistency is the real product. Buyers commit to volume when batches look alike. A plant that can show a stable rolling analysis will be taken seriously well before one quoting a single flattering COA.
Frequently asked questions
Does tyre pyrolysis oil count as a biofuel under RED III?
Partly, and that is the point. A tyre is part natural rubber and part synthetic, so the oil carries both biogenic and fossil carbon. Under RED III the biogenic fraction is treated as an advanced biofuel aligned with Annex IX Part A, while the fossil fraction can contribute through the recycled carbon fuel route. Published estimates put the biogenic share of TPO in the region of 40 to 50 %.
How do you prove the biogenic content of TPO?
Radiocarbon analysis, carbon-14 testing. Fossil carbon has no measurable C14 left, so the ratio tells you the biogenic share. Since RED III accounts for the two fractions separately, a credible and repeatable biogenic percentage from a recognised laboratory is now part of the product rather than a nice extra. If you have not had it measured, do that before your next buyer conversation.
What GHG saving does TPO have to achieve?
It depends which door the fraction goes through: broadly 70 % for the recycled carbon fuel route and 65 % for advanced biofuels from newer installations. Confirm the threshold that applies to your specific installation and delivery years rather than working from a general figure.
What is the difference between tyre pyrolysis oil and plastic pyrolysis oil?
They are different products with different buyers. Tyre pyrolysis oil (TPO) is aromatic with sulphur typically around 0.5 to 1.2 %, and goes to carbon black production, industrial and marine fuel blending or refinery upgrading. Waste plastic pyrolysis oil (PPO/WPPO) from polyolefins is naphtha-like and paraffinic, and its highest-value home is a steam cracker under ISCC PLUS mass balance. Quoting one against the other is the fastest way to lose credibility with a buyer.
What chlorine level do steam crackers accept in pyrolysis oil?
Crackers generally work to single-digit ppm on total chlorine, and some run tighter still. Untreated mixed-plastic pyrolysis oil frequently tests in the hundreds or low thousands of ppm because of PVC and chlorinated additives in the feed. Closing that gap, by input sorting, dechlorination, or blending into a larger stream, is the central commercial question in almost every plastic pyrolysis oil deal. Always confirm the individual buyer's limit; there is no single industry figure.
Is pyrolysis oil classified as waste in the EU?
It depends on the member state and on whether end-of-waste status has been established for that specific material and process. If it is still a waste, a cross-border shipment needs prior written notification and consent under the EU Waste Shipment Regulation (EU) 2024/1157, plus a financial guarantee. Because the receiving authority's view governs, settle this before fixing freight.
Which CN code applies to pyrolysis oil?
There is no dedicated code. Depending on origin, aromatic content and intended use, cargoes have moved under CN headings 2707, 2710, 2713 and 3824, and a UK advance tariff ruling placed heavy plastic-derived pyrolysis oil under 2710 19 71. Agree the classification with your customs agent in advance and consider a binding tariff information, because a reclassification after arrival can move duty, excise and energy taxation all at once.
Do I need ISCC PLUS to sell plastic pyrolysis oil?
Not to sell it as a fuel. You do need it if the buyer intends to make a certified circular polymer claim downstream, which is where the premium comes from. ISCC PLUS with mass balance chain of custody is the usual route in Europe. Check that the pyrolysis unit itself sits inside the certified boundary and that the certificate covers the right product group.
Is there a standard specification for waste plastic pyrolysis oil?
There is no universal trading spec. ASTM D8577 is a standard guide for characterising waste plastic process oil and is a sensible basis for a COA. Biomass-derived pyrolysis liquid for industrial burners is specified under ASTM D7544 (grades G and D). In practice each buyer applies its own acceptance limits, so the useful question is not "does it meet the standard" but "can this specific plant run it".
Can pyrolysis oil be used to make sustainable aviation fuel?
Biomass-derived routes to SAF are established and certified under ASTM D7566. Plastic-derived pyrolysis oil into aviation fuel is a live area of standards work rather than a settled, widely certified pathway, and eligibility under EU renewable fuel rules is a separate question from technical suitability. Treat any offer that presents it as routine with caution, and ask which approved pathway is being claimed.
What parcel sizes do you broker?
From an isotank trial of roughly 20 to 25 tonnes through to full parcel tanker cargoes. First business between new counterparties is almost always a trial parcel into the buyer's own laboratory, with bulk following once two or three batches look alike.
Who to ask about Pyrolysis oil
Ask us. Have pyrolysis oil to place, or looking for consistent feed? Send the COA and we will tell you honestly who can take it. 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.