Fischer‐Tropsch Wax from Renewable Resources as an Excellent Feedstock for the Steam‐Cracking Process

A heavy side‐product of the Fischer‐Tropsch (FT) process called waxes are potential renewable feedstocks for the steam‐cracking process. Samples of FT wax and distillation cuts thereof were investigated using laboratory pyrolysis in order to compare their pyrolysis performance with traditional steam‐cracking feedstocks, i.e., primary naphtha and hydrocracking products. At 815 °C, waxes provided significantly higher yields of the desired products ethylene and propylene, and lower yields of oil compared to traditional feedstocks. The yields of waxes blended in traditional feedstocks and the sensitivity of cracking product yields to temperature and residence time were also examined experimentally. Fischer‐Tropsch synthesis is a promising process providing a synthetic fuel from syngas, which can be also produced from renewable sources. The inevitably formed side product called wax would require future reprocessing to provide fuel but it is also an excellent feedstock for the steam‐cracking process providing significantly higher yields of desired steam‐cracking products compared to traditional feeds.