Transforming plastic waste into clean fuel and chemical: zeolite-catalyzed dechlorination and cracking of plastic-derived oil

• ZSM-5 and Mordenite achieved 90–94 % dechlorination at 350–450 °C due to strong acidity and microporous structures. • Beta and USY excelled at 450–500 °C, producing naphtha and olefins via cracking of bulky hydrocarbons. • ZSM-5 favored light olefins, while Beta and USY balanced acidity and mesoporosity for bulkier hydrocarbons. • Zeolite FCC catalysts effectively removed chlorine and upgraded hydrocarbons, offering a pathway for waste-to-fuel conversion. Plastic pyrolysis offers a promising method for converting waste into valuable fuels and chemicals, but chlorine contaminants pose major challenges by causing corrosion and catalyst deactivation. This study investigates the catalytic decontamination and upgrading of plastic-derived oil (PDO) using four fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts of ZSM-5 (FCC-Z), Mordenite (FCC-M), USY (FCC-Y), and Beta (FCC-B). Experiments in a fluidized bed reactor showed FCC-Z and FCC-M achieved the highest dechlorination efficiencies (90–94 %) at 350–450 °C, attributed to their microporous structures and strong acidity. FCC-Y and FCC-B, while less effective at chlorine removal, demonstrated superior hydrocarbon upgrading at 450–500 °C, yielding higher naphtha and light olefins due to their larger pore sizes and mesoporosity. NH 3 -TPD and BET analyses confirmed the strong acid sites in FCC-Z, and the balanced acidity and mesopore volume in FCC-Y and FCC-B, ideal for cracking bulkier hydrocarbons. These results highlight the importance of selecting appropriate zeolite catalysts and operating conditions to enable simultaneous dechlorination and fuel upgrading, offering a sustainable and efficient pathway for plastic waste valorization.