Low temperature conversion of plastic waste into light hydrocarbons

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials 2010-07, Vol.179 (1), p.15-20
• Main Authors: Shah, Sajid Hussain, Khan, Zahid Mahmood, Raja, Iftikhar Ahmad, Mahmood, Qaisar, Bhatti, Zulfiqar Ahmad, Khan, Jamil, Farooq, Ather, Rashid, Naim, Wu, Donglei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Catalysis; Catalysts; Catalytic reactions; Chemical engineering; Chemical Industry; Chemistry; Combustion; Conservation of Natural Resources - methods; Conversion; Energy conservation; Energy from waste; Exact sciences and technology; General and physical chemistry; Hydrocarbons; Hydrocarbons - chemistry; Industrial Waste - analysis; Municipal solid waste; Operating temperature; Plastic waste recycling; Plastics - chemistry; Pollution; Polyethylenes - chemistry; Pyrolysis; Pyrolytic reactor; Reactors; Residues; Solvents; Temperature; Theory of reactions, general kinetics. Catalysis. Nomenclature, chemical documentation, computer chemistry; Urban and domestic wastes; Wastes; Zeolites
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2010.01.134

Advance recycling through pyrolytic technology has the potential of being applied to the management of plastic waste (PW). For this purpose 1 l volume, energy efficient batch reactor was manufactured locally and tested for pyrolysis of waste plastic. The feedstock for reactor was 50 g waste polyethylene. The average yield of the pyrolytic oil, wax, pyrogas and char from pyrolysis of PW were 48.6, 40.7, 10.1 and 0.6%, respectively, at 275 °C with non-catalytic process. Using catalyst the average yields of pyrolytic oil, pyrogas, wax and residue (char) of 50 g of PW was 47.98, 35.43, 16.09 and 0.50%, respectively, at operating temperature of 250 °C. The designed reactor could work at low temperature in the absence of a catalyst to obtain similar products as for a catalytic process.