SANJANA SHARMA

PRN - 1814110199
SEAT NO. -
2214390237
ROLL - 13
GUIDE – PROF. S.C.
BANDPATTE

TURNING PLASTIC WASTE

INTO OIL
A. Plastics

-plastics are synthetic organic materials produced by polymerization.

-are typically of high molecular mass, and
-may contain other substances besides polymers to improve performance and/or reduce costs.
-polymers can be moulded or extruded into desired shapes.

There are two main types of plastics:

1) thermoplastics and thermosetting polymers.
Thermoplastics can repeatedly soften and melt if enough heat is applied and hardened on cooling, so that they can be made
into new plastics products. Examples are polyethylene, polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride, among others.
2) Thermosets or thermosetings
can melt and take shape only once. They are not suitable for repeated heat treatments; therefore after they have solidified,
they stay solid.
Target waste plastic

The conversion methods of waste plastics into fuel depend on the types of plastics to be targeted and the properties of other wastes that
might be used in the process. Additionally the effective conversion requires appropriate technologies to be selected according to local
economic environmental, social and technical characteristics.

1) Smooth feeding to conversion equipment:

Prior to their conversion into fuel resources, waste plastics are subject to various methods of pre-treatment to facilitate the smooth and
efficient treatment during the subsequent conversion process. Depending on their structures (e.g. rigid, films, sheets or expanded
(foamed) material) the pre-treatment equipment used for each type of plastic (crushing or shredding) is often different.
2) Effective conversion into fuel products:
In solid fuel production, thermoplastics act as binders which form pellets or briquettes by melting and
adhering to other non-melting substances such as paper, wood and thermosetting plastics. Suitable heating is required to produce
pellets from thermoplastics and other combustible waste. In liquid fuel production, thermoplastics containing liquid hydrocarbon can
be used as feedstock.
3) Well-controlled combustion and clean flue gas in fuel user facilities:
It is important to match the fuel type and its quality to the burner in order to improve heat recovery efficiency. Contamination by
nitrogen, chlorine, and inorganic species, for instance, can affect the flue gas composition and the amount of ash produced. When
using fuel prepared from waste plastics, it must be assured that the flue gas composition
complies with local air pollution regulations.

FUEL DEMAND
The present rate of economic growth is unsustainable without saving of fossil energy like crude oil, natural gas or coal. International
Energy Outlook 2010 reports the world consumption of liquid and petroleum products grows from 86.1 million barrels per day in2007 to
92.1 million barrels per day in 2020 and 110.6 million barrels per day in 2035 and natural gas consumption increases from 108 trillion
cubic feet in 2007 to 156 trillion cubic feet in 2035. This way, the oil and gas reserve available can meet only 43 and 167 years further.
Thus mankind has to rely on the alternate/renewable energy sources like biomass, hydropower, geothermal energy, wind energy, solar
energy, nuclear energy, etc.
CLASSIFICATION OF PLASTICS
Plastics are classified into two types, they are
1) High-density polyethylene
Polypropylene and polystyrene. Also, plastics are classified by their chemical structure of the polymer's backbone and side chains.
Some important groups in these classifications are the acrylics, polyesters, silicones, polyurethanes, and halogenated plastics. Plastics
can also be classified by the chemical process used in their synthesis, such as condensation, poly addition, and cross-linking.

2) Low-density polyethylene
Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is used for its toughness, flexibility, and relative transparency. LDPE is used to make bottles that
require extra flexibility. To take advantage of its strength and toughness, it is used to produce grocery bags and garbage bags,
squeezable bottles, shrink wrap, stretch films, and coating for milk cartons. It can also be found in toys, container lids, and
packaging. Polypropylene (PP) is known for its high melting point, which makes it ideal for holding hot liquids that cool in the
bottles It can be manufactured to be flexible or rigid. PP is used to make containers for yogurt, margarine, takeout meals, and deli
foods. It is also use for medicine bottles, bottle caps, and some household items.
METHODOLOGY
A. Pyrolysis
Pyrolysis is generally defined as the controlled heating of a material in the absence of oxygen. In plastics Pyrolysis, the macromolecular
structures of polymers are broken down into smaller molecules or oligomers and sometimes monomer units. Further degradation of these
subsequent molecules depends on a number of different conditions including (and not limited to) temperature, residence time, presence of
catalysts and other process conditions. The Pyrolysis reaction can be carried out with or without the presence of catalyst.
Accordingly, the reaction will be thermal and catalytic Pyrolysis. Since majority of plastic used are polyolefin, so extensive research has
been done on this polymer which is summarized as below.
B. Thermal Pyrolysis of Polyolefin
The non-catalytic or thermal Pyrolysis of polyolefin is a high energy, endothermic process requiring temperatures of at least 350–500 °C.
In some studies, high temperature as 700–900 °C is essential in achieving decent product yields. The extent and the nature of these
reactions depend both on the reaction temperature and also on the residence of the products in the reaction zone, an aspect that is
primarily affected by the reactor design. In addition, reactor design also plays a fundamental role, as it has to overcome problems related to
the low thermal conductivity and high viscosity of the molten polymers. Several types of reactors have been reported in the literature, the
most frequent being fluidized bed reactors, batch reactors and screw kiln reactors.
 Characteristics of thermal degradation of heavy hydrocarbons can be described with the following points;
• High production of C1s and C2s in the gas product.
• Olefins are less branched.
• Some olefins made at high temperature.
• Gasoline selectivity is poor i.e. oil products are a wide distribution of molecular weight.
• Gas and coke products are high.
• Reactions are slow compared with catalytic reactions.

C. Catalytic Cracking of Polyolefins

Addition of catalyst enhances the conversion and fuel quality. As compared to the purely thermal Pyrolysis,
the addition of catalyst in polyolefin Pyrolysis
1) Significantly lowers Pyrolysis temperatures and time. A significant reduction in the degradation temperature and reaction time under
catalytic conditions results in an increase in the conversion rates for a wide range of polymers at much lower temperatures than with
thermal Pyrolysis.
2) Narrows and provides better control over the hydrocarbon products distribution.
3) Increases the gaseous product yields. Under similar temperatures and reaction times, a much higher
gaseous product yield is observed in the presence of a catalyst for polyethylene.
MAIN DEVICES USED IN THE PROCESS
A. Condenser
It cools the entire heated vapour coming out of the reactor. It has an inlet and an outlet for cold water to run through its outer area. This
is used for cooling of the vapour. The gaseous hydrocarbons at a temperature of about 350°C are condensed to about 30 – 35°C.
B. Reactor
It is stainless steel tube of length 300mm, internal diameter 225mm, outer diameter 230mm sealed at one end and an outlet tube at the
other end. The reactor is placed under the LPG burner for external heating with the raw material inside. The reactor is made with the
following: stainless steel, mild steel and clay for lagging. The reactor is heated to a temperature of about 450°C and more.
C. Process Description
Thermal cracking process without catalyst was used in converting waste plastic into liquid fuel. Two types
of waste plastic are selected for this particular experiment. By weight 50% of each Low density
polyethylene and polypropylene was selected for the experiment. Both wastes plastic are solid hard form.
Collected waste plastic was cleaned using liquid soap and water. During waste plastics are cleaned is cerates
waste water. This waste water is purified for reuse using waste water treatment process. Washed waste
plastics are cut into 3- 5 cm size to fit into the reactor conservatively. For experimental purpose we used
600gm sample 300gm of PP and 300gm of LDPE.
MAIN DEVICES USED IN THE PROCESS
D. Catalytic Pyrolysis of plastic
Compared with gasification pyrolysis produces less amount of heat i.e. between 840 and 1,020 degrees F so it is more energy
efficient .Through catalytic pyrolysis, a system was devised to convert waste plastics into liquid hydrocarbons, coke and gas, which can
then be used as boiler fuel for power generation. The technology uses lower temperatures than gasification significantly lower, so it's more
energy efficient to produce. Through "random de-polymerization," or selective breaking of carbon-to-carbon bonds, in addition to feeding
in proprietary catalytic additives, the reactor melts and vaporizes waste plastic in one step at temperatures between 840 and 1,020 degrees
F. On average, 79-80 percent of every pound of plastic fed into the system is converted to liquid hydrocarbons, coke and gas. The resultant
coke can be further processed to produce additional fuel oil. This catalytic pyrolysis system additional fuel oil.
E. Distillation
The gas is converted to liquid form Acid removal process: removal of acids that form in the breakdown of some scrap plastics. These acids
require removal because they can be corrosive to the PTF systems as well as the engines that will consume the fuel.
Separation/refining/final blending: the final steps required to make this product consumer ready can either be done on site or in some
other plant. The total yield of fuel oil is 50-65% [3]. The problem for this process is the pyrolysis equipment’s corrosion incurred by PVC
in mixed plastic wastes. [4]. However, the temperature caused by pyrolysis is higher and all the reactive time is longer than the other
methods. The octane number of gasoline gained is relatively low and the pour point of diesel oil is high. More paraffin is produced in the
process of pyrolysis. Although this process is simple and convenient, the converting rate and yield is still lower.
THANKS 