Waste plastics to fuel conversion using pyrolysis

CONVERSION OF WASTE PLASTICS TO FUEL
A PROJECT
by
DEEPAK KUMAR.T ( 21906114012 )
GANESH.P ( 21906114015 )
HARICHARAN.A.V ( 21906114020 )
KARTHIK.R.S ( 21906114029 )
SRI VENKATESWARA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
SRIPERUMBUDUR - 602105
Oct 4, 2015 1

Oct 4, 2015 2
Under the guidance of
Dr.K.PADMANABHAN
PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
SVCE
&
Dr.G.DEVASAGAYAM
PROFESSOR & HEAD
DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED CHEMISTRY
SVCE

Oct 4, 2015 3
NEED FOR ENVIRONMENT
PROTECTION
Necessity is the mother of all inventions. With improving technology the comfort level of
humans have risen tremendously but at the expense of environment. One such example is the
POLLUTION.
There are many pollutants that are haunting the face of environment, one such common
pollutant is the waste plastics.
Plastics are not only obtained from non-renewable source of energy, but it is generally
non-biodegradable. Plastics will be visible for weeks or months and waste will settle in landfill sites
for years without degrading.
Plastic wastes block drains, stopping the flow of rain water and sewerage, causing an
overflow which becomes the breeding ground for germs and bacteria causing many diseases.
The toxic smoke produced while burning plastics kills thousands each year and people
living near a plastic or resin factory are prone to certain kinds of cancer and birth defects.

Oct 4, 2015 4
NECESSITY FOR AN ALTERNATE SOURCE OF FUEL
• The major environmental concern, according to an IPCC report, is that "Most of the observed
increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is due to the observed increase
in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations" . Since burning fossil fuels is known to increase
greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, they are a likely contributor to global warming.
• Other concerns which have increased demand revolve around the concept of peak oil, which
predicts rising fuel costs as production rates of petroleum enter a terminal decline. When the
production levels peak, demand for oil will exceed supply and without proper mitigation this gap will
continue to grow as production drops, which could cause a major energy crisis.
• Lastly, the majority of the known petroleum reserves are located in the Middle East. There is
general concern that worldwide fuel shortages could intensify the unrest that exists in the region,
leading to further conflict and war.

Oct 4, 2015 5
AIM OF THE PROJECT
Our project aims to solve the twin problem of environmental pollution
due to plastics and the need for an alternative fuel. The main aim of our project
is to find a solution to the mounting problem of plastic disposal, for which the
plastics are converted into usable fuel thereby making them environment
friendly.

Oct 4, 2015 6
LITERARY REVIEW ABOUT PLASTICS
• Oil and Natural gas are the major raw materials used to manufacture plastics.
• The plastics production process begins by heating components of crude oil or natural gas
through a process called CRACKING.
• The process results in the conversion of these components into hydrocarbon monomers such as
ethylene and propylene. Further processing leads to a wider range of monomers which are
chemically bonded into chains called polymers.
• The different combinations of monomers yield plastics with wide range of properties and
characteristics.
• Even though the basic makeup of many plastics is carbon and hydrogen, other elements such as
Oxygen, Chlorine, Fluorine and Nitrogen are also found in molecular make up of many plastics.

Oct 4, 2015 7
TYPES OF PLASTICS
PLASTICS
THERMOPLASTICS THERMOSETTING PLASTICS
• Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE)
• Polystyrene (Styrofoam)
• Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
• Polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon)
• Polyethylene, LDPE and HDPE
• Polypropylene (PP)
• Phenol – Formaldehyde Resin
• Urea – Formaldehyde Resin
• Melamine – Formaldehyde Resin
• Epoxy Resin
• Silicone Resin

Oct 4, 2015 8
PROPERTIES OF PLASTICS
1) They are less brittle than Glass, yet they can be made equally transparent and smooth.
2) They are light weight and at the same time posses good strength and rigidity.
3) They posses good toughness.
4) Their high dielectric strength makes them suitable for electric insulation.
5) They resist corrosion and the action of chemicals.
6) The ease at which they can be mass – produced contributes greatly to the popularity as wrappers
and bags.
7) They posses the property of low moisture absorption.
8) They can be easily molded to desired shapes.

Oct 4, 2015 10
DESIGN OF APPARATUS

Oct 4, 2015 12
COMPONENTS IN SETUP
S.No
ITEM DESCRIPTION WITH
SPECIFICATION
CAPACITY QUANTITY
1 Three Neck Round Bottom Flask 20 litre 1
2 Single neck flat bottom flask 5 litre 2
3 Catalytic Unit - 1
4 Condenser Unit - 2
5 Conical Flask 2 litre 2
6 Electric Heater 1500 W 1
7 Gear Motor 200 rpm 1
8 Electric Immersion Rod 1000 W 1
9 Structural Fittings - -
10 Plastic Bucket 30 litre 4
11 Hose Pipe - 15 meters

Oct 4, 2015 13
THREE NECK ROUND BOTTOM FLASK

Oct 4, 2015 14
SINGLE NECK FLAT BOTTOM FLASK

Oct 4, 2015 17
NEUTRALIZING UNIT

Oct 4, 2015 18
ELECTRIC MOTOR WITH STIRRER

Oct 4, 2015 20
ELECTRIC IMMERSION ROD

Oct 4, 2015 23
The conversion process includes the following :
• Physical cleaning and Shredding of waste plastics
• Cracking of plastics
• Fractional distillation of crude oil
• Neutralizing the non – condensing gases

Oct 4, 2015 24
PHYSICAL CLEANING AND SHREDDING OF WASTE PLASTICS
• The plastics such as polyethylene or polypropylene grocery bags, trash bottles,
syringe, plastic tumblers, industrial wastes etc. which are considered to be waste
products after use are collected and physically cleaned.
• More persistent staining can be removed by washing the object in warm water
containing a few drops of non-ionic detergent.
• Severe soiling can be removed with white spirit or isopropyl alcohol,
but only where the polymer has been identified as safe for the treatment.
• The plastics which are collected and cleaned are shredded into small
pieces to facilitate easy charging of plastics.

Oct 4, 2015 25
CRACKING OF PLASTICS
• Cracking in general term implies the breaking down of carbon-carbon bonds to
obtain light hydrocarbons from a heavier feedstock.
• The rate of cracking and the end product are strongly dependent on the
temperature and presence of any catalysts.
• Cracking, is a breakdown of a large alkane into smaller,more useful alkanes and
alkene.
• At temperature between 2500
C -4000
C,the feed hydrocarbon vapors passes
through the catalytic unit where the process of cracking occurs.
• The smaller hydrocarbons passes through the condenser and gets condensed
to liquid.

Oct 4, 2015 26
CRACKING OF PLASTICS
(CH2=CH-CH3)n 2500
C – 4000
C MIXTURE OF LIGHTER
POLYPROPYLENE Δ
FRACTIONS
CATALYST
(CH2=CH2)n 2500
C – 4000
C MIXTURE OF LIGHTER
POLYETHYLENE Δ FRACTIONS
CATALYST
• The condensed liquid is collected in separate delivery flasks depending upon the
boiling point of the liquid as Low boiling point liquid (LBP) and High Boiling point
liquid (HBP).
• The catalytic cracking delivers the wide range of products which can be separated
using the Fractional Distillation process.

Oct 4, 2015 27
FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION OF CRUDE OIL
Fractional distillation is the separation of a mixture into its component parts,
or fractions, such as in separating chemical compounds by their boiling point by heating
them to a temperature at which several fractions of the compound will evaporate. It is a
special type of simple distillation.

Oct 4, 2015 28
NEUTRALIZING THE NON – CONDENSING GASES
The outgoing flue gases might contain traces of dioxins and other toxic gases
which leads to air pollution. Hence these gases are passed through chambers of
sodium hydroxide of varying normality. The toxicity in the gases are henceforth
removed and the clean gases are passed to the atmosphere.

Oct 4, 2015 29
LOADING PLASTICS (PP)

Oct 4, 2015 30
CLOUD FORMATION

Oct 4, 2015 31
PASSING OF VAPORS

Oct 4, 2015 32
REACTION OF CATALYST

Oct 4, 2015 33
COLLECTION OF CRUDE OIL

Oct 4, 2015 34
COLLECTION OF LOW BOILING POINT LIQUID

Oct 4, 2015 35
FORMATION OF WAX

Oct 4, 2015 36
NEUTRALIZING NON-CONDENSATION GASES

Oct 4, 2015 38
TESTS CONDUCTED
The following tests were conducted using the fuel obtained.
• Determination of Dynamic Viscosity by Redwood Viscometer
• Flash and Fire Point Test
• Aniline point
• Grease Drop Point Test
• ASTM Distillation Test
• Composition Analysis of crude oil

Oct 4, 2015 39
Temperature of oil (0
C) Viscosity of oil Redwood
viscometer ( seconds )
34 34.60
45 33.60
50 33.56
55 33.15
60 31.50
DETERMINATION OF DYNAMIC VISCOSITY BY
REDWOOD VISCOMETER
The viscosity test is conducted using Redwood Viscometer and the following
results were obtained.
Dynamic Viscosity,µ= 0.0016217 Ns/m2

Oct 4, 2015 40
ANILINE POINT TEST
The Aniline point of the crude oil is 780
C.

Oct 4, 2015 41
ASTM DISTILLATION POINT
Temperature at which first drop was obtained = 420
C

Oct 4, 2015 42
COMPOSITION ANALYSIS OF CRUDE OIL

Oct 4, 2015 43
S.No Composition Percentage
1 C 88.19
2 H2 11.80
3 O2 0.01
4 S Not Detected
5 Pb Not Tested
COMPOSITION ANALYSIS OF CRUDE OIL

Oct 4, 2015 44
S.No Tests Conducted Result
1 Determination of Dynamic
Viscosity by Redwood
Viscometer
m= 0.00162Ns/
m2
2 Flash and Fire Point Test Flash point = 340
c
Fire point = 380
c
3 Aniline point 780
c
4 Grease Drop Point Test 520
c
5 ASTM Distillation Test Recovery = 92 mL
out of 100 mL
6 Composition Analysis of
crude oil
C = 88.19 %
H2 = 11.80 %
O2 = 0.01%
RESULTS OF TEST CONDUCTED

Oct 4, 2015 46
COST ANALYSIS
TOTAL COST =
COST OF RAW MATERIALS
+
COST OF ELECTRICITY
+
COST OF DISTILLATION

Oct 4, 2015 47
COST OF RAW MATERIALS
Waste plastics can be obtained for Rs.3/- per Kg.
To get one litre of crude oil we require 1.23(app.) Kg of waste plastics.
Thus, the cost of plastic is 1.23 x 3 = Rs.3.69
Cost of catalyst required for reaction is Rs.9.50 for 1.23 kg of plastics.
Net Cost = 3.69 + 9.50 = Rs.13.19
( To obtain 1 litre crude oil )

Oct 4, 2015 48
COST OF ELECTRICITY
PARAMETER ELECTRIC
MANTLE
ELECTRIC
MOTOR
IMMERSION
ROD
Current
(Ampere)
6.5 0.6 4.5
Voltage (Volt) 230 220/230 230
Power (Watt) 1500 138 1000

Oct 4, 2015 49
The fuel is produced by cracking. The source for heat is an Electric mantle and an
Electric motor is used to stir the charge of plastics. Also an Electric Immersion Rod is used to heat
the water to 700
c to pass through the first condenser. From the above data, the total energy consumed during
the trial is the sum of power consumed by Heater ,Immersion rod and Motor .
Thus, Power consumed for 1 hour = 1500 + 138 + 1000
= 2638 Watts
Total run time of Experiment (considering Trial 1) = 245 minutes ~ 4.083 hrs
Therefore,2638 x 4.083 = 10652.24 Whr = 10.652 Kwhr.
We know that 1 unit = 1 Kwhr.
Cost of Electricity is Rs.3/- per unit.
Thus cost of production of fuel = 3 x 10.652
= Rs.31.956 (to obtain 4.8 litres of crude
oil)
COST OF ELECTRICITY

Oct 4, 2015 50
COST OF DISTILLATION
100 ml of crude oil is distilled using ASTM Distillation apparatus. About 45
minutes was required to distill 100 ml of crude oil. The capacity of distillation apparatus is 200
Watts per hour.
Thus the electrical consumption to distill 100 ml crude oil = 200 x 0.75
= 150 watts.
Therefore, the electrical consumption to distill 4.8 litres of crude oil = 7200 watts
Thus the cost of electricity = 7.2 x 3
= Rs.21.60 ( for 4.8 liters of crude oil )
Thus the cost of distillation = Rs.21.60

Oct 4, 2015 51
TOTAL COST OF FUEL
TOTAL COST FOR 4.8 LITRES OF CRUDE OIL = ( 13.9 X 4.8 ) + 31.956 + 21.60
= Rs.120.276
Therefore, cost for obtaining 1 litre of fuel = Rs.21.05

Oct 4, 2015 52
CONVERSION EFFICIENCY CALCULATION
Conversion efficiency calculation is based on the Law of Reactions i.e. the mass o
reactants is
equal to the net mass of the products.
Mass of waste plastics = 5.5 kg
Mass of catalyst = 190 grams
Volume of crude oil extracted = 4.8 liters = 4.8 x 10-3
m3
Density of crude oil =0.855 kg/m3
Mass of crude oil = 4.104 Kg
Mass of Low boiling point fuel = 0.171 Kg
Mass of wax = 0.5 Kg
Total mass of reactants = 5.5+(190/1000)=5.69 Kg
Total mass of products =4.275 Kg
Mass accounted =4.275 + 0.5 = 4.775 Kg
Conversion Efficiency = (mass of products / mass of reactants) x 100
Conversion Efficiency = (4.775/5.69) x 100
Conversion Efficiency = 83.92 %

Oct 4, 2015 54
PERFORMANCE TEST ON KIRLOSKAR ENGINE TEST RIG

Oct 4, 2015 55
LOAD
IN %
TIME TAKEN
FOR
CONSUMPTI
ON OF 10 cc
FUEL
(SECONDS)
INLET
TEMPERATURE
(0
C)
SPEED
(RPM)
VOLTAGE
(VOLTS)
0 70.16 142 1548 230
25 49.65 181 1523 230
50 47.34 262 1490 230
75 35.87 320 1473 230
100 25.47 380 1448 230
Fuel used: B5 Diesel
Amount of fuel used : 600 ml
PERFORMANCE TEST

Oct 4, 2015 56
LOAD IN %
FILTER SMOKE
NUMBER
DENSITY OF SMOKE
(mg/m3
)
0 0.08 1
25 0.27 4
50 0.74 9
75 1.45 13
100 3.53 81
SMOKE TEST

Oct 4, 2015 58
COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE PROPERTIES OF PETROL AND PLASTROL
S.No CHARACTERISTICS 88 octane 93 octane Plastrol
1. Colour Orange Red Straw yellow
2.
Density at 150
C
Kg/m3
710-770 710-770 885
3.
Distillation
Recovery up to 700
c
10 10 6
Recovery up to 1000
C 50 50 10
Recovery up to 1800
C 90 90 35
Final boiling point, 0
C 215 215 338
Residue, %vol 2 2 11
4. Sulphur, % by mass 0.1 0.1 Not detected
5. Lead content,gm/lit 0.013 0.013 Not tested
6. Octane number 88 93 89.9

Oct 4, 2015 59
COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE PROPERTIES OF DIESEL AND PLASTEL
S.NO CHARACTERISTICS STANDARD
DIESEL
PLASTEL
1. Flash point, ( 0
C ) 38 32
2. Kinematic Viscosity @ 400
C 2.0 to 7.5 1.973
3. Distillation percent recovery
@ 3500
C
90 96.2
4. Density, @ 150
C, kg/m3
840 782.5
5. Sulphur, total percent by mass 0.25 NOT
DETECTED
6. Smoke point 22 23

Oct 4, 2015 60
DISCUSSIONS BASED ON RESULTS
From the comparative study of plastrol and petrol based on properties, we can infer the
following:
1) The properties of plastrol are similar to that of original petrol.
2) In the case of plastrol the absence of Lead and Sulphur is a good sign for better fuel.
3) Further that the octane number of the fuel ( 89.6 ) is marginally higher than that of the
conventional petrol having 88 but lesser than that of the Premium one having 93.This infers that
the fuel has better anti-knocking characteristics.
4) The important fact is that petrol comes after nearly 20 years of continuous research but
plastrol is relatively new, yet it betters the original petrol in some aspects.
From the comparative study of plastel and Diesel based on properties we can infer the
following.
1) The properties of plastel are similar to that of the original diesel.
2) In the case of plastel, the absence of Lead and Sulphur is a good sign for better fuel and hence
it reduces the emission drastically.
3) Here again the important fact is that Diesel comes after 20 years of continuous research but
plastel is relatively new, yet it betters the original diesel in some aspects.

Oct 4, 2015 61
VISCOSITY CURVE

Oct 4, 2015 62
ASTM DISTILLATION CURVE

Oct 4, 2015 63
EMISSION OF NOX

Oct 4, 2015 66
CONCLUSION
• The world’s annual consumption of plastic materials has increased from
around 5 million tonnes in the 1950’s to nearly 100 million tonnes;thus,20 times more
plastic is produced today than 50 years ago.
• Plastic waste recycling is one of the most established recycling activities in
Economically developed countries and Developing countries as well,
as it generates resources and provides jobs.
 The recycling of waste plastics also has a great potential for resource conservation
and GHG emissions reduction, such as producing diesel fuel from plastic waste.
• Heavy imports in the field of petroleum can be reduced by converting the
waste plastics to fuel. This increase the economic stability.

Oct 4, 2015 67
FUTURE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT
This project is a small step to emphasize that waste plastics can be converted
to fuels. It is a research based project and a lot of studies is yet to be conducted. The
design of the apparatus can be modified to meet the demands of the product.
• The catalyst used in the pyrolysis process can be used along with the plastics instead
of having it as a separate unit.
• A mix of plastics could be used in the process. The cooling water can be circulated
by means of a pump so that the flow rate could be altered depending on the rate of
cooling required.
• The fuel obtained is a crude one. Further refinement is necessary to improve the
properties of the fuel. Long term impacts of the fuel is yet to be ascertained. The non-
condensing gases could be collected and can be tested for any practical usage.

Oct 4, 2015 68
REFERENCES
• Alka Zadgoankar “ Catalytic conversion of waste plastics to Energy ”
• Guruprasad.A.N, Sridhar.S, Lakshmanan.V, Jaikar Sathish.B,
“Multidimensional approach for enhancing cleaner environment using plastics”
• D.S.Achilias, E.Antonakou, C.Roupakias, P.Megalokonomos, A.Lappas.
“Recycling Techniques of Polyolefins from Waste Plastics”
• Jain and Jain “Engineering Chemistry”, Dhanpat Rai Publications.
• K.Subburayudu, Pyrolysis of Carbonaceous solid wastes as a means of
Disposal and Generation of value added fuels and chemicals.
• M. S. Mulgaonkar, C. H. Kuo, A. R. Tarrer “Plastics Pyrolysis and Coal
Processing with Waste Plastics”
• United Nations Environment Programme “ Converting Waste Plastics into a
Resource – Compendium of Technologies”

Oct 4, 2015 69
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We express our thanks to Shri.A.C.MUTHIAH, Chairman, and
Dr.R.RAMACHANDRAN, Principal of Sri Venkateswara college of Engineering
for their support and encouragement towards our project. We express our profound
sense of gratitude to Dr.N.NALLUSAMY, Professor and Head, Department of
Mechanical Engineering, Sri Venkateswara college of Engineering,
Dr.K.PADMANABHAN, Professor, Sri Venkateswara college of Engineering and
Dr.G.DEVASAGAYAM, Professor and Head, Department of Applied Chemistry,
Dr.K.PITCHANDI, Assistant Professor, Sri Venkateswara college of Engineering for
their excellent guidance, help, constant encouragement, support and useful
suggestions throughout our project work.
We take this opportunity to thank Mr.GANGADHARAN of New Venus Industries,
Chennai and all Teaching and Non – teaching staff of Department of Mechanical,
Automobile, Chemical Engineering and Department of Applied Chemistry of
Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering for their co-operation and help during this
project work. Last but not least, we thank our parents who have been a source of
Inspiration and support for us throughout this project work, standing by us during the
difficult times and for providing us with lot of encouragement. We also thank
all those who have either directly or indirectly helped us during this project work.

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