17-06-2014, 03:12 PM
FUELS FROM PLASTIC WASTES
[attachment=64981]
. INTRODUCTION
Plastics are polymeric materials, a material built up from long repeating chains
of molecules. Polymers such as rubber occur naturally, but it wasn't until the
development of synthetic polymers around 1910 that the polymers tailored to the
needs of the engineer first started to appear. One of the first commercial plastics
developed was Bakelite and was used for the casing of early radios. Because the early
plastics were not completely chemically stable, they gained a reputation for being
cheap and unreliable. However, advances in plastic technology since then, mean that
plastics are a very important and reliable class of materials for product design.
Plastic is a marvel of polymer chemistry, plastics have become an
indispensable part of our daily life. But repeated reprocessing of plastic waste, and its
disposal cause environmental problems, pose health hazards, in addition to being a
public nuisance. The biggest current threat to the conventional plastics industry is
likely to be environmental concerns, including the release of toxic pollutants,
greenhouse gas and non-biodegrable landfill impact as a result of the production and
disposal of petroleum and petroleum based plastics.
Various methodologies have been tried and tested to process waste plastics for
many years, with recycling becoming the most common method reflecting today’s
environmental requirements. Liquefaction of plastic is a superior method of reusing
this resource. The distillate product is an excellent fuel and makes ThermoFuel one of
the best, economically feasible and environmentally sensitive recycling systems in the
world today. ThermoFuel diesels can be used in any standard diesel engine, trucks,
buses, trains, boats, heavy equipment and generators.
2. WHAT ARE PLASTICS?
The term "plastic" covers a wide range of synthetic polymer materials. What
they have in common is that they are all made by joining together or "polymerizing" a
bunch of molecules (monomers). There are two main families of plastics,
thermosetting and thermoplastics.
3. CONVERTING WASTE PLASTIC INTO LIQUID FUEL
Many may not realize throwing away plastic is throwing away a ready fuel
source. Plastic is primarily petroleum and burns with high efficiency. Plastics are
commonly made from fossil fuels which is usually an irreversible process, process
have been developed which recycles plastic waste back into oil.
ThermoFuel technology is used to convert Waste Plastic into Liquid Fuel.
ThermoFuel is a ten year old commercially proven technology with nine operational
STRUCTURE OF THE SYSTEM
The system consists of stock in feed system, pyrolysis gasification chamber,
catalytic converter, condensers, centrifuge, oil recovery line, off-gas cleaning, and
adulterant removal. Waste plastics are loaded via a hot-melt in feed system directly
into main pyrolysis chamber. When the chamber temperature is raised, agitation
commences to even the temperature and homogenize the feed stocks. Pyrolysis then
commences to the point of product gasification. Non-plastic materials fall to the
bottom of the chamber. The gas goes through the (patented) catalytic converter and is
converted into the distillate fractions by the catalytic cracking process. The distillate
then passes into the recovery tank after cooling in the condensers. From the recovery
tank, the product is sent to a centrifuge to remove contaminants such as water or
carbon. The cleaned distillate is then pumped to the reserve tank, then to the storage
tanks.
Figure-3 Structure of the System
5. OPERATIONS
5.1 PRE-TREATMENT
Pre-treatment, depending on the form of delivery of plastics to the plant, may
include shredding and granulating. The system accepts granulated to a flake size of
2.5 cm or less in order for it to be conveyed and metered uniformly via a melt infeed
system into the chamber. However, Thermofuel can process most sizes and types of
plastics with suitable pre-treatment equipment.
5.2 PYROLYSIS
The heart of the pyrolysis system is the prime chamber, which performs the
essential functions of homogenization, controlled decomposition and out gassing in a
single process. The process requires minimal maintenance apart from carbon residue
removal, and produces consistent quality distillate from mixed and low-grade plastic
waste. The key to an efficient pyrolysis process is to ensure the plastic is heated
uniformly and rapidly. If temperature gradients develop in the molten plastic mass
. CONCLUSION
ThermoFuel is a truly sustainable waste solution, diverting plastic waste from
landfills, utilizing the embodied energy content of plastics and producing a highly
usable commodity that is more environmentally friendly than any conventional
distillate. The Thermofuel system converts these waste plastics into high-grade
"green" distillate fuel. The result of this process is claimed to be a virtually nonpolluting,
(100%) synthetic fuel that does not require engine modification for
maximum efficiency. Post consumer, post-industrial unwashed and unsorted waste
plastics are the feedstock for the Thermofuel process, and with an expected
production efficiency of over 93%, the resultant diesel output would almost equal the
waste material input.
[attachment=64981]
. INTRODUCTION
Plastics are polymeric materials, a material built up from long repeating chains
of molecules. Polymers such as rubber occur naturally, but it wasn't until the
development of synthetic polymers around 1910 that the polymers tailored to the
needs of the engineer first started to appear. One of the first commercial plastics
developed was Bakelite and was used for the casing of early radios. Because the early
plastics were not completely chemically stable, they gained a reputation for being
cheap and unreliable. However, advances in plastic technology since then, mean that
plastics are a very important and reliable class of materials for product design.
Plastic is a marvel of polymer chemistry, plastics have become an
indispensable part of our daily life. But repeated reprocessing of plastic waste, and its
disposal cause environmental problems, pose health hazards, in addition to being a
public nuisance. The biggest current threat to the conventional plastics industry is
likely to be environmental concerns, including the release of toxic pollutants,
greenhouse gas and non-biodegrable landfill impact as a result of the production and
disposal of petroleum and petroleum based plastics.
Various methodologies have been tried and tested to process waste plastics for
many years, with recycling becoming the most common method reflecting today’s
environmental requirements. Liquefaction of plastic is a superior method of reusing
this resource. The distillate product is an excellent fuel and makes ThermoFuel one of
the best, economically feasible and environmentally sensitive recycling systems in the
world today. ThermoFuel diesels can be used in any standard diesel engine, trucks,
buses, trains, boats, heavy equipment and generators.
2. WHAT ARE PLASTICS?
The term "plastic" covers a wide range of synthetic polymer materials. What
they have in common is that they are all made by joining together or "polymerizing" a
bunch of molecules (monomers). There are two main families of plastics,
thermosetting and thermoplastics.
3. CONVERTING WASTE PLASTIC INTO LIQUID FUEL
Many may not realize throwing away plastic is throwing away a ready fuel
source. Plastic is primarily petroleum and burns with high efficiency. Plastics are
commonly made from fossil fuels which is usually an irreversible process, process
have been developed which recycles plastic waste back into oil.
ThermoFuel technology is used to convert Waste Plastic into Liquid Fuel.
ThermoFuel is a ten year old commercially proven technology with nine operational
STRUCTURE OF THE SYSTEM
The system consists of stock in feed system, pyrolysis gasification chamber,
catalytic converter, condensers, centrifuge, oil recovery line, off-gas cleaning, and
adulterant removal. Waste plastics are loaded via a hot-melt in feed system directly
into main pyrolysis chamber. When the chamber temperature is raised, agitation
commences to even the temperature and homogenize the feed stocks. Pyrolysis then
commences to the point of product gasification. Non-plastic materials fall to the
bottom of the chamber. The gas goes through the (patented) catalytic converter and is
converted into the distillate fractions by the catalytic cracking process. The distillate
then passes into the recovery tank after cooling in the condensers. From the recovery
tank, the product is sent to a centrifuge to remove contaminants such as water or
carbon. The cleaned distillate is then pumped to the reserve tank, then to the storage
tanks.
Figure-3 Structure of the System
5. OPERATIONS
5.1 PRE-TREATMENT
Pre-treatment, depending on the form of delivery of plastics to the plant, may
include shredding and granulating. The system accepts granulated to a flake size of
2.5 cm or less in order for it to be conveyed and metered uniformly via a melt infeed
system into the chamber. However, Thermofuel can process most sizes and types of
plastics with suitable pre-treatment equipment.
5.2 PYROLYSIS
The heart of the pyrolysis system is the prime chamber, which performs the
essential functions of homogenization, controlled decomposition and out gassing in a
single process. The process requires minimal maintenance apart from carbon residue
removal, and produces consistent quality distillate from mixed and low-grade plastic
waste. The key to an efficient pyrolysis process is to ensure the plastic is heated
uniformly and rapidly. If temperature gradients develop in the molten plastic mass
. CONCLUSION
ThermoFuel is a truly sustainable waste solution, diverting plastic waste from
landfills, utilizing the embodied energy content of plastics and producing a highly
usable commodity that is more environmentally friendly than any conventional
distillate. The Thermofuel system converts these waste plastics into high-grade
"green" distillate fuel. The result of this process is claimed to be a virtually nonpolluting,
(100%) synthetic fuel that does not require engine modification for
maximum efficiency. Post consumer, post-industrial unwashed and unsorted waste
plastics are the feedstock for the Thermofuel process, and with an expected
production efficiency of over 93%, the resultant diesel output would almost equal the
waste material input.