The WATCH project aims at the development and demonstration of a new disruptive technology for the conversion of plastic waste to chemicals via catalytic fast pyrolysis based on an innovative reactor concept. The latter technology will be benchmarked against classic, state-of-the-art pyrolysis technology and a sustainability assessment will be performed. Four plastic waste streams will be investigated: mixed polyolefinic waste, multilayer packaging, PS  and PUR.

Next to the reactor technology, novel catalyst systems will be developed to catalytically convert pyrolysis fractions into valuable, well-defined products with lower or comparable production cost in order to (partially) replace their petrochemical counterparts.

Downstream of the pyrolysis process itself, focus will lie on the replacement of classical thermal processes (such as distillation) by more efficient processes for separation of valuable components. As such a significant cost-saving and reduction in CO2 emissions could be achieved.