There is a valorization process very much in demand nowadays, and that is the transformation of plastic waste into biofuels. This process receives the name of waste-to-biofuel or waste-to-fuel, and is carried out by means of pyrolysis.
Waste-to-fuel is the transformation of waste into fuel, by means of pyrolysis.
Pyrolysis is a common technique, designed for the thermal processing of waste to generate a usable by-product.
The pyrolysis equipment consists typically of an externally-heated rotary kiln operated in the absence of oxygen. Within these conditions, the solid waste is decomposed into a gas (pyrolysis gas) and char. The char is a material highly densified in carbon and depending on the waste source it has its most typical applications as fertilizer or charcoal fuel. The pyrolysis gas, on the other hand, contains the light hydrocarbons fractions from the raw waste and it can either be burned in a combustion chamber or can be recovered and further processed for generation of a new generation of eco-fuels.
The advantages of pyrolysis can be summed up as follows:
- Waste disposal solutions tailored for every waste management problem.
- Giving waste a second life through waste valorization solutions.
- Waste to fuel possibilities reducing CO2 footprint and dependence from fossil sources.
- Solutions for Biochar production as a fertilizer closing the carbon life cycle.
- Projects integrated in circular economy values.
- Improved added value to client through possibility of award of carbon credits.
Types of Applications
The applications of pyrolysis can be in the areas of:
- Wastewater Treatment Sludge
- Biomass & Forrestal Waste
- Plastic Recycling
- Bio-Char Production
- Waste-to-Product
- Waste-to-Fuel
- Circular Economy
- Activated Carbon Regeneration
- Industrial Waste
- Liquid & Pasty Wastes
Is pyrolysis environmentally friendly?
Pyrolysis has become the alternative technology for energy recovery that has minimum impact on the environment and is capable to generate heat and electricity. Pyrolysis plants include a flue gas treatment system afterwards that collects and eliminates the gases generated, following an efficient and safe procedure, to guarantee maximum respect for people and the environment.
How can we make biofuels from plastic waste?
Waste-to-biofuel comprises a material valorisation process similar to that of waste-to-product, in which the aim is to distil hydrocarbons or biofuels from raw materials that can be considered “renewable” due to their ability to be reused (e.g. biomass, plastic waste). The medium used to distil these products is the production of syngas prior to pyrolysing the waste in reactors in rotary kilns. The non-condensable part of the syngas is used to make sure the pyrolysis process is autothermal, while the condensable part is condensed to enable its subsequent distillation in columns similar to those used in the petrochemical industry and conventional refinement processes.
Waste, oxygen and steam are fed into a gasifier, a high-temperature pressurized vessel. The syngas is purified and pressurized with iron-based catalysts, producing hydrocarbons.
The process places polypropylene in a reactor filled with water, and heats it up to high temperatures ranging from 380-500 degrees Celsius. This continues for up to five hours at high pressure. At this high heat and pressure, water breaks down the plastic and converts it into oil.
How much liquid fuel can be obtained from one ton of waste plastic?
In real plants, 450 litres of liquid fuel are usually obtained from one ton of waste plastic, although that can vary and go up to 800 litres. The quality of the obtained fuel depends to a great extend on the quality and contamination of the raw materials, and nowadays its price is still slightly higher than conventional fuel.
Is plastic waste-to-biofuel profitable?
According to a recent academic article**, the valorization of plastic waste to value-added products is economically feasible – it is a high profitable business indeed. The two products that are generated at a pyrolysis plant are fuel oil and char, which are versatile products, very high in demand.
Moreover, the valorisation of plastic waste has been proven to be a circular economy route, according to that same article. As for technical barriers, however, we find that there are: capital cost, energy consumption and the scale of technology.
At Tecam, we can help your company with your waste-to-fuel projects. There are numerous project references in which Tecam has developed pyrolytic processes designed to treat and process highly diverse types of raw material or waste. That, combined with the integration of leading providers of distillation and condensation systems, and Tecam experience in the commercialization of the end products produced by our customers, means we are able to offer our customers 360º solutions that include the technology and all of the documentation necessary to make the project viable.
For further information and support, please contact us today.
Reference:
** “Recent advancements of thermochemical conversion of plastic waste to biofuel-A review”, Mohammed B. Al Rayaan, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science & Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia