The target of a carbon-neutral economy in 2050 pushes oil refineries to reduce their carbon footprints and gradually increase their circularity. CO₂, plastic waste, and biomass have been regarded as new carbon sources for the refinery of the future to achieve sustainable and circular development. The fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process, a core unit for lighting heavy oil in current refineries, is identified as a promising platform for integrating these renewable feedstocks due to its flexibility and adaptability. In the short term, co-processing waste plastics and biomass with conventional FCC feedstocks is a practical approach to producing fuels and base chemicals, such as light olefins and aromatics. In our Preliminary experiments, plastic waste and biomass were pyrolyzed to obtain pyrolysis oils, which were then blended with FCC feedstock. Co-catalytic cracking of 10% plastic pyrolysis oil and 90% FCC feedstock oil in a fixed fluidized bed reactor demonstrated feasibility, with increased yields of gasoline and olefins and reduced coke deposition. Furthermore, we have introduced CO₂ into the regeneration process of spent FCC catalysts to replace air. Traditional air regeneration leads to 40-45% of CO₂ emissions in refineries while CO₂ regeneration can reduce carbon emissions and convert worthless coke to Syngas. CO₂ regeneration experiments in a fixed-bed reactor achieved effective coke removal and produced a considerable concentration of Syngas, demonstrating the significant potential of the new FCC regeneration process. At last, material balance calculations were performed using China’s FCC capacity as a benchmark, revealing significant economic and industrial benefits from the substitution of conventional FCC feedstocks with plastic waste and biomass, and lowering feedstock costs while aligning with circular economy goals. Our current work integrates CO₂, plastic waste, and biomass into the FCC process by leveraging existing infrastructure to reduce emissions and promote sustainability, which will pave the way for the refinery of the future to transition toward a circular economy.

Dr. Feng JU is an Associate Professor at the School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST). He earned his PhD in Power Engineering and Engineering Thermophysics from ECUST in 2017. His research focuses on the transformation mechanisms of FCC flue gas pollutants and the catalytic conversion of plastic waste and biomass in FCC processes. Dr. JU has authored over 40 publications and has led several notable research initiatives, including projects funded by the National Science Foundation of China and the 2023 Pujiang Talent Program.