Recovery of aliphatic hydrocarbons

A process for the recovery of aliphatic hydrocarbons from a liquid hydrocarbon feedstock stream from waste plastics comprising aliphatic hydrocarbons, heteroatom containing organic compounds and optionally aromatic hydrocarbons, said process comprising the steps of:

• a) mixing at least part of the liquid hydrocarbon feedstock stream with a washing solvent a) which contains one or more heteroatoms and separating the resulting mixture into a first stream comprising washing solvent a) and heteroatom containing compounds and a second stream comprising aliphatic hydrocarbons, heteroatom containing organic compounds and optionally aromatic hydrocarbons;
• and
• b) contacting at least part of the second stream resulting from step a) with an extraction solvent b) which contains one or more heteroatoms and subjecting that stream to liquid-liquid extraction with extraction solvent b), resulting in a first stream comprising aliphatic hydrocarbons and optionally heteroatom containing organic compounds and a second stream comprising extraction solvent b), heteroatom containing organic compounds and optionally aromatic hydrocarbons;
• wherein:
• (i) during step a), at least part of the liquid hydrocarbon feedstock stream is contacted with a sorption agent before the first and second streams are separated in step a);
• and
• (ii) between a step preceding step a) and the step a), at least part of a second stream resulting from the step preceding step a) is contacted with a sorption agent;
• and
• (iii) between steps a) and b), at least part of the second stream resulting from step a) is contacted with a sorption agent;
• and
• (iv) the first stream resulting from step b) comprises aliphatic hydrocarbons and heteroatom containing organic compounds and, after step b), at least part of that stream is contacted with a sorption agent.