Conversion of Waste Plastics to Fuel Oil. Final Report, September 18, 1979-October 31, 1981

摘要

Most of the plastics in use in the world today are produced from crude oil. The production of plastics has been growing at a phenomenal rate having recently surpassed the production of iron and steel on a volume basis. This increased use of plastics results in an increased generation of discard and waste. In the case of thermoplastics, the types which constitute the bulk of the plastics in high volume use, it is theoretically possible to recycle discard and waste into virgin plastics. However, due to type incompatibility, and contamination with foreign materials, this approach has not proven economically feasible except for a small quantity of the discard and waste stream. A pyrolysis process was successfully demonstrated which converted atactic polypropylene, APP, to fuel oil and a small fraction of fuel gas. In the current program, a commercial plant, with capacity of 17,000,000 lb/year feedstock, was designed for the pyrolysis of APP waste to fuel oil. In addition, the feasibility of this approach was extended to waste or discarded isotactic polypropylene, PP, and low density polyethylene, LDPE, through pilot plant work, process design, and economic considerations. (ERA citation 07:044042)