Recovery of aliphatic hydrocarbons

A process for the recovery of aliphatic hydrocarbons from a liquid hydrocarbon feedstock stream comprising aliphatic hydrocarbons, heteroatom containing organic compounds and optionally aromatic hydrocarbons, wherein the liquid hydrocarbon feedstock stream comprises at least part of a hydrocarbon product formed in a process comprising cracking of waste plastics, said process comprising the step of:

• a) contacting at least part of the liquid hydrocarbon feedstock stream with an extraction solvent a) which contains one or more heteroatoms and subjecting the liquid hydrocarbon feedstock stream to liquid-liquid extraction with the extraction solvent a), resulting in a first stream comprising aliphatic hydrocarbons and a second stream comprising extraction solvent a), heteroatom containing organic compounds and optionally aromatic hydrocarbons;
• and
• b) mixing at least part of the second stream resulting from step a) with a demixing solvent b) which contains one or more heteroatoms and has a miscibility in heptane which is lower than the miscibility of extraction solvent a) in heptane, and separating the resulting mixture into a first stream comprising heteroatom containing organic compounds and optionally aromatic hydrocarbons and a second stream comprising extraction solvent a) and demixing solvent b);
• wherein:
• (i) before step a), part of the heteroatom containing organic compounds is removed from the liquid hydrocarbon feedstock stream by contacting at least part of that stream with a sorption agent;
• and
• (ii) after step a), heteroatom containing organic compounds are removed from the first stream resulting from step a), wherein that stream comprises aliphatic hydrocarbons and heteroatom containing organic compounds, by contacting at least part of that stream with a sorption agent.