Fu el Pot e n t i a l fro m th e Pyroly s i s of Pla s t i c

Charl es Homoki, Marin e Acade m y of Technology and Environ m e n t a l

Scienc e , 195 Ceda r Bridg e Rd, Mana h a w ki n New Jersey 0805 0
Abstra c t
Plastic is an impor t a n t part of almos t every aspec t of peopl es lives. It is
used in num e r o u s indus t ri e s for a variety of applica tion s . The met ho d s of
dealing with plastic wast e curr e n tly consist of incine r a tio n and landfill
dispos al. Over time, plastic does not biode g r a d e ; inste a d , small amou n t s
leech into the enviro n m e n t due to photod e g r e d a t i o n and weat h e r i n g .
Suita bl e land for dum pi n g plastic is dwindling, and an alte r n a tiv e way
dispos e of plastic wast e is nee d e d . Pyrolyzing plastic is a novel alter n a t iv e
met ho d for disposin g plastic wast e. The pyrolysis of wast e plastic conver t s
the wast e, which would othe r wi s e be throw n away, into hydroc a r b o n
prod u c t s that can be use d in many ways, includin g fuel, medicin e, and othe r
che mic al uses. For this study, high density polyet hyle n e (HDPE) was heat e d
to tem p e r a t u r e s betw e e n 400C and 600C to induc e pyrolysis. The mas s e s
of the liquid and solid prod u c t s wer e mea s u r e d , and a perc e n t a g e of the
gas eo u s , liquid, and solid mat e ri al yielde d was calcula t e d . The liquid
prod u c t s wer e analyze d by sepa r a t i n g the gasoline- ran g e hydroc a r b o n s
from the diesel- rang e hydroc a r b o n s by boiling point. On avera g e , the
prod u c t yield consis t e d of 47% solids, 32% liquids, and 21% gas e s. The
liquid produ c t s were mad e of 0% diesel- ran g e hydroc a r b o n s and 100%
gasolin e- ran g e hydroc a r b o n s and wat e r.

Intro d u c t i o n
Plastic is used in almos t every aspe c t that affects peoples everyd a y
lives,

includin g

pack a gi n g

mat e ri als,

auto m o bile s,

agricult u r e ,

and

tech nology. In 2012, 32 million tons of plastic were prod u c e d in the Unite d
Stat e s alone and only about 9 perc e n t of that plastic was recove r e d for
recycling (Plastics 2014).
The most com m o n way to deal with plastic wast e is by disposin g of it
in a landfill, and incine r a ti o n. Both of thes e met h o d s are detri m e n t a l to the
environ m e n t by relea si n g har mful pollut a n t s into the grou n d and air (Pinto
et al. 1999). Plastic pyrolysis is an alter n a t iv e met ho d to dest royin g plastic
was t e that prod u c e s usable prod u c t s like oil. Som e studie s have show n the
pyrolysis of plastic to yield 33% solid residu e , 35% liquid oil, 12% scra p
(solid) and 20% gas eo u s prod u c t s (Par a d e l a et al. 2009). Almost all of the
prod u c t s

yielde d

can

be

used

as

fuels,

or refine d

into

othe r

usa ble

subs t a n c e s .
Pyrolysis is a ther m a l deco m p o si tio n proc e s s that take s place in the
abs e n c e

of

air/oxyg e n.

Plastic

pyrolysis

caus e s

the

macro m ol e c ul a r

struc t u r e of the solid plastic to bre a k d o w n into smalle r molec ul e s. Thes e

molecul e s consis t of a large ran g e of hydroc a r b o n s , includin g gas e s, liquids
(par affin, olefins, naph t h e n e s , and arom a ti c s ), and solid resid u e s (Demir b a s
2004). The prod u c t s of pyrolysis can be use d in a variety of ways by both

cons u m e r s and indus t ri e s . One of the main produ c t s , the liquid oil, cont ai n s
seve r al chemic al grou p s of gasolin e- ran g e hydroc a r b o n s , such as alke n e s ,
olefins, cycloalk a n e s , napt h e n e s , and arom a ti c molec ul e s . These molecule s
are the main compo n e n t s of gasoline, a fuel that is used worldwid e (Opha r d t
2003). It is possible that pyrolysis is a more ene r gy efficient met ho d for
disposin g of plastic wast e than incine r a tio n. This study aims to demo n s t r a t e
the conc e p t of using plastic pyrolysis to prod u c e usable hydroc a r b o n fuels,
quan tify the type s of fuel prod u c e d from pyrolysis, and analyze the ener gy
efficiency of plastic pyrolysis.
Met h o d s
Pyrolysis Set u p
A inch (1.91 cm) hole was cut in the top of an empty Freo n tank,
and a inch (1.91 cm) piece of steel pipe was welde d to fit the hole. A
thre a d e d elbow joint was use d to conne c t the welde d pipe to a four foot
(122 cm) lengt h of pipe. The four foot lengt h of pipe was then conn e c t e d to
anot h e r

elbow joint facing down to anot h e r

pipe exte n di n g

down w a r d

(Figu r e 1). The piping led into a wate r cooler which was used for the liquid
prod u c t collection cham b e r . A thre e inch hole (7.62 cm) was cut in the top
of the Freon tank and fitted with a thre e inch thre a d e d steel bus hin g and
cap to make the input hole. A prop a n e burn e r and tank wer e use d as a heat
sourc e for pyrolysis.

Figure 1 . Pyrolysis setu p whic h includ e s the heati ng vessel and heat source (Right), gas
trans por t pipe (Cent e r) and liquid produc t collection cha m b e r (Left).

Data Collection
Approxim a t e ly

250.0

gra m s

of type

2 High

Density Polyet hyle n e

(HDPE) plastic was hea t e d betw e e n tem p e r a t u r e s of 400- 600 C for thre e to
four hours

each

to pyrolyze

the plas tic. The liquid prod u c t

collection

cha m b e r was mas s e d befor e trial and afte r each trial to obtain the liquid
prod u c t yield (Figur e 2). The rem ai ni n g subs t a n c e in the heatin g vess el was
deca n t e d into a met al can and mas s e d (gra m s ). This mea s u r e m e n t was use d
as the solid produ c t yield. The gas eo u s prod u c t yield was deduc e d from the
liquid and solid produ c t s mass e s . Liquid produ c t sampl e s from each trial
were take n and store d in glass 1 pint (473 mL) Maso n jars (Figu r e 3).

Figure 2 . Liquid Produc t Collection Cham b e r

Figure 3 . Liquid produc t sampl e s (n=12) in the 473 mL Mason jars.

Liquid Produc t Analysis

The liquid prod u c t

sam ple s

were

analyze d

by extr a c tin g

a small

amou n t of the oil from the top of each sam pl e (Figur e 3). The sam pl e s were
mas s e d and hea t e d to 400 C for 10 minut e s in crucible s to boil off the
gasolin e- ran g e hydroc a r b o n s and wat e r in the mixtur e . The gasolin e- rang e
hydroc a r b o n mas s e s of eac h sam ple wer e det e r m i n e d by the differe n c e in

mas s before and after hea tin g. The mas s rem ai ni n g was ded uc e d to be the
diesel- ran g e hydroc a r b o n s .
Statistical Analysis
A linea r regr e s si o n test was used to whet h e r the pyrolysis time had an
effect on the prod u c t yields of solid, liquid, and gas eo u s fuel compo n e n t s .
No significa n t differe n c e indicat e s that eac h sam pl e was heat e d for an
appr o p ri a t e amou n t of time relative to the othe r sam pl e s . Ener gy efficiency
for plastic dispos al was also analyze d by using the comb u s tio n ener gi e s of
plastic, and the fuels prod u c e d from pyrolysis. The net ene r gy input for the
prod u c tio n of fuel via pyrolysis was calcula t e d using the High e r High Value
(HHV) and Lower High Value (LHV) heat of comb u s tio n s for prop a n e , which
were 50.35 MJ/kg and 46.35 MJ/kg resp e c tively. The net ene r gy input for
incine r a ti n g HDPE was also calculat e d and comp a r e d to the net ene r gy
input for pyrolysis.
Res u l t s
The mea n perc e n t a g e s of fuel prod u c tio n calcula t e d were abou t 32%
liquid, 21% gas, and 47% solid prod u c t s . Comp a r e d to the acce p t e d values
used pyrolysis prod u c t yield, ther e was less tha n a 5% deviation from the
acce p t e d and expe ri m e n t a l res ult s. The liquid (n = 1 2 ), gas (n= 1 0), and solid
(n= 1 0 ) produ c t yields were also comp a r e d to the pyrolysis time by using a
linea r reg r e s s io n test. None of the produ c t s show e d significa n c e (Table 1).
The liquid prod u c t analys e s show e d that the liquid prod u c t s cont ain e d a
mixtu r e of 100% gasoline- rang e hydroc a r b o n s and wate r, and about 0%

diesel fuel compo n e n t s . A T-test was use d to dete r m i n e significa n c e (P <

0.05)

betw e e n

the

gasolin e

and

dies el- rang e

hydroc a r b o n

perc e n t a g e s

(n= 1 2 ). A P-value less than 0.000 1 show e d that the gasoline and diesel
ran g e hydroc a r b o n perc e n t a g e s wer e significa n tly differ e n t .

Figure 4 . Mean experi m e n t al produ c t yields com par e d to produc t yields from
al. 2009.

Paradela et

Figure 5 . Liquid, Solid and Gaseou s produ c t yields (n=1 0).

Figure 6 . Linear Regre s si o n (n = 10; P-value = 0.854 5) analyzin g gaseo u s produc t mass
(gra m s)
and pyrolysis tim e (min).

Figure 7 . Linear Regre s si o n (n = 12; P-value = 0.720 1) analyzin g liquid produ c t mass
(gra m s)
and pyrolysis tim e (min).

Figure 8 . Linear Regre s sio n (n = 10; P-value = 0.716 8) analyzin g solid produc t mass
(gra m s)
and pyrolysis tim e (min).

Dis c u s s i o n

The prod u c t yields from the plas tic pyrolysis on aver a g e were 47%
total solids, 32% liquids, and 21% gas e s. The perc e n t a g e s obtain e d in this
study

corr el a t e d

(Para d e l a

et

al.

with

the

2009).

acce p t e d

Both

the

perc e n t a g e s
liquid

and

as seen

gase o u s

in Figur e

prod u c t s

wer e

flam m a b l e , demo n s t r a t i n g the ability to be used as a comb u s ti bl e fuel. In

ter m s

of total fuel prod u c tio n, 53% (the combi n e d

gase o u s

and liquid

prod u c t yield) of the plastic pyrolyzed was conve r t e d into a fuel withou t
refine m e n t . Refining the prod u c t s could produ c e clean e r , more efficien t
fuel. The solid produ c t s can also be refine d into othe r usabl e petrole u m
bas e d prod u c t s .
Gasoline- ran g e hydroc a r b o n s were the majority of the fuel molec ul e s found
in the liquid produ c t
compo n e n t s

existing

mixtu r e s .

The reas o n

in the liquid produ c t

for little to no dies el fuel

are

most

likely due

to the

tem p e r a t u r e at which the plastic was heat e d and crack e d (Williams and
Williams

1997).

Pyrolysis

at

highe r

tem p e r a t u r e s

would

incre a s e

the

prod u c tio n of diesel- rang e hydroc a r b o n s .

The ene r gy cost for the prop a n e requir e d for the pyrolysis of HDPE
plastic was calcula t e d to be betw e e n 271.91 and 295.3 7 MJ/kg, withou t
consid e ri n g the ene r gy produ c e d in fuel from pyrolysis. Comp a r e d with the
heat of comb u s tio n for polyet hyl e n e (47.74 MJ/kg), the ene r gy cost for
pyrolysis was betw e e n 5.7 and 6.2 time s gre a t e r tha n the theo r e tic al cost to
incine r a t e the sam e mass of HDPE plas tic (Table 2; Walte r s , Hacke t t, and
Lyon 2001). Despit e the highe r ene r gy costs for pyrolysis, usa ble prod u c t s

can be obtain e d thro u g h plastic pyrolysis, whe r e a s incine r a ti o n wast e s the

pote n ti al fuel cont ain e d within the plastics. The pyrolysis setu p used in the
expe ri m e n t was also inefficie nt with every use, for much of the hea t from
the burnin g prop a n e esca p e d into the air. With 100% ene r gy utilization
from the fuel sourc e, pyrolysis could still have pote n ti al to matc h or even be
lower in ter m s of ene r gy cost tha n incine r a tio n.
Table 1 . Energy cost com pari so n bet w e e n incineratio n and pyrolysis of plastic. Incinera tion
woul d require approxi m a t e l y 6.25 time s less energy to dispos e of the plastic than pyrolysis.

Mea n Prop a n e Mass (kg)

Pyrolysis High (MJ/kg)

1.467

Pyrolysis Low
(MJ/kg)
271.9 1 0

295.37 6

Theor e ti c al Incine r a ti o n
Ene r gy (MJ/kg)

47.74 0

47.74 0

Ene r gy Cost Differe n c e

247.63 6

224.1 7 0

Pyrolysis
reso u r c e s

such

is

also

as solar

pote n ti al
powe r

into

meth o d

for

conver ti n g

nonr e n e w a b l e ,

rene w a bl e

fossil fuels.

Large

amou n t s of ther m al ene r gy are req ui r e d to induc e pyrolysis, and using othe r
comb u s ti bl e fuels is not the only meth o d for providing the r m a l ene r gy. Solar
ene r gy can be used to powe r elect ric heat e r s , which powe r pyrolysis. In that
case, solar ene r gy is conve r ti n g wha t would othe r w is e be throw n away into
a wide arr ay of valua bl e produ c t s .

Con c l u s i o n
The pyrolysis of plastic conver t e d almost all of the plastic used into
som e form of a usabl e prod u c t. The liquid prod u c t s obtain e d wer e 100%

gasolin e- ran g e hydroc a r b o n s beca u s e the pyrolysis tem p e r a t u r e

was not

high enoug h to crack the heavie r hydroc a r b o n s left in the solid prod u c t s .
Thoug h the ene r gy cost in term s of Joules is not nea rly as effective as
incine r a tio n,

plastic

pyrolysis prod u c e s

usa ble

produ c t s

and

elimina t e s

Mr. Jason

Kelsey for

plastic wast e simult a n e o u s ly.

Ack n o w l e d g e m e n t s
I would

like to thank

Dr. John Wnek and

mento ri n g me, and I would like to tha nk the Marin e Acade m y of Technolo gy
and

Environ m e n t a l

Scienc e

for allowing

me

to use

various

piece s

of

equip m e n t that wer e crucial to this study. I would also like to than k my
fathe r for helpin g me weld and fabric a t e the pyrolysis cham b e r .

Ref e r e n c e s

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