Liquid fuel production by pyrolysis of polythene and PET plastic

Abstract

Pyrolysis is considered as the most promising thermochemical conversion technology for converting solid wastes into liquid fuels. The present work focused on the production of liquid fuel from polythene and PET plastic through pyrolysis process. A fixed bed liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) heating reactor was used to carry out the experiment with diameter 7.6 cm and height 45.6 cm. The pyrolysis of polythene with PET plastic at different blends was carried out at 400-500°C with feed sizes 2cm x 2cm and 1cm x 1cm for polythene and PET plastic respectively. The reactor is heated by means of precisely designed LPG burner. The liquid and char products were collected separately. The addition of polythene into PET plastic in the pyrolysis process not only increased oil yields but also improved oil characteristics. The maximum liquid yield (46%) was obtained from 100% polythene. The maximum heating value for the liquid was found 37500 kJ/kg when 100% polythene was used as feed material.