Tertiary recycling of waste plastic using catalytic cracking into crude oil

摘要

Disposal of waste plastic and excessive use of fossil fuels have caused environmental problems in the world. According to an estimate, more than 100 million tonnes plastics are produced every year and after their usage these plastics are discarded to become waste. Both plastic-and petroleum-derived fuels are hydrocarbons that contain the elements of carbon and hydrogen. The main difference between these hydrocarbons is that plastic molecules have longer carbon chains than those of LPG, petrol and diesel fuels. Therefore, it is possible to convert waste plastic into fuels. Pyrolysis is a prospective method to handle waste plastics. The purpose of this study is to explore the ability of different types of catalysts in conversion of plastic waste to low-emissive hydrocarbon fuel. Pyrolysis experiments were conducted using three different catalysts to check their ability in increasing the production. Catalytic degradation with potato peels yielded 74.52 wt% liquid fuel product. So far, the use of potato peels as a biocatalyst in pyrolysis process has not been reported. The pyrolysis oil was analyzed by GC/MS to determine its elemental composition. The liquid products obtained were compatible with international standards. Therefore, two main global problems such as problem of waste plastic management and problem of shortage of fuel are being tackled together.