CFSC Manjeri, Industries Dept., Govt.

of Kerala

Plastic Waste Pyrolysis

PROFILE
ON

THE SETTING UP OF PYROLYSIS PLANT FOR

PLASTIC WASTES CONVERSION INTO
INDUSTRIAL DIESEL (PYROLYSIS OIL),
GASEOUS FUEL & CARBON BLACK

Prepared By:
Dr. T. Muraleedharan Nair

Common Facility Service Centre, Manjeri

CFSC Manjeri, Industries Dept., Govt. of Kerala

Plastic Waste Pyrolysis

PLASTIC WASTE PYROLYSIS

INTRODUCTION

Environmental pollution due to plastic wastes is a global phenomenon today.

Recycling waste plastics into reusable plastic products is a conventional strategy
followed to address this issue for years. However this technique has not given
impressive results as cleaning and segregation of waste plastics was found difficult
but indispensible in this technique. It is estimated that approximately 10 thousand
tons of plastics waste per day is generated in our country. Plastic wastes include
different types viz. Low Density Poly Ethylene (LDPE), High Density Poly
Ethylene (HDPE), Poly Ethylene Terephthalate (PET), Polypropylene (PP),
Polystyrene (PS), Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) etc. As the plastic waste segregation
is difficult it was essential to have novel technologies for plastic waste disposal.
Today, sophisticated technologies are available for plastic waste management.
Pyrolysis is one such technique used not only for waste disposal but to produce
useful products like industrial diesel, gaseous fuel, carbon black etc. This project
discusses the pyrolysis of waste plastics into useful gaseous and liquid fuels along
with carbon black.
PYROLYSIS

Pyrolysis is the thermal degradation of waste in an oxygen-starved environment in

which the oxygen content is low for gasification to take place. Pyrolysis
liquefaction is a non-combustion heat treatment that catalytically (chemically)
decomposes waste material by applying heat, directly or indirectly to the waste
material in an oxygen free environment. It is an endothermic reaction which
requires an input of energy that is typically applied indirectly through the walls of
the reactor in which the waste material is fed into. Pyrolysis liquefaction occurs
under pressure and at operating temperatures above 430oC. Industrial Oil
(Pyrolysis oil), Charcoal and Syn-gases are produced.

CFSC Manjeri, Industries Dept., Govt. of Kerala

Plastic Waste Pyrolysis

CONVERSION EFFICIENCY

The output of a plant with input capacity of 10,000 Kgs mixed plastic wastes/day is
as follows;
Pyrolysis Oil (Diesel: 85%, Kerosene: 7% & Petrol: 8%): 6500 to 9000 lit
Hydrocarbon Gas: 500 to 1000 Kg
Carbon Black: 500 to 700 Kg
WASTES RECOMMNDED

Waste plastic, Electronic scrap, Mixed Plastic (LDPE, LLDPE, HDPE, PP, Nylon,
Teflon, PS, ABS, FRP), Multilayered Plastic, Waste tyres, Rubber
WASTES NOT RECOMMENDED

Agricultural waste
MARKET AND SCOPE

The successful implementation of this project depends on the regular supply of

plastic wastes. As the plastic waste generation is alarmingly increasing every day
there will not be any scarcity for this material. There is tremendous scope for the
products of pyrolysis like Industrial Diesel (Pyrolysis Oil), Gaseous Fuel and
Carbon black. The important applications are;
* Pyrolysis oil (Industrial Diesel): Used in Electric Generators, Boilers, Diesel
Pumps, Furnace, Hot air generators, Hot water generators, Thermic fluid
heater, etc.
* Hydrocarbon Gas: Reused in the Plant
* Carbon Black: Used in Rubber Industry, Plastic Industry, Paints, Inks etc.

CFSC Manjeri, Industries Dept., Govt. of Kerala

Plastic Waste Pyrolysis

PROJECT PARAMETERS

i) Production Capacity/Annum Proposed:

Conversion of 31,20,000 Kg of plastic wastes into 21,84,000 lit Industrial Oil,
1,56,000 Kg Carbon Black and 1,56,000 Kg Hydrocarbon Gas
ii) Land required:
Minimum 40-50 cents of land is required
iii) Location:
Industries Land at Thiruvanathapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode
iv) Raw Material and other Utilities:
Raw material includes waste mixed plastic scrap of various kinds like LDPE,
LLDPE, HDPE, PP, PS, Electronic scrap, Multi layered Plastic etc. Depolymerization Catalyst and special additives are required. Water requirement is
about 2 KL/day and connected load is estimated at 50 KVA.
V) Plant and Machinery:
The following machinery is essentially required;
Machines
Machinery Include:
Bucket Elevator with hopper and duct, Raw Material Feeder, Pyrolysis Reactor
System, Heating System, Condensers, Receivers for Pyrolysis Oil, Hydrocarbon
Gas Collection System, Exhaust pipe, Suction blowers, Cooling tower, Scrubbing
system, Charcoal recycler, Charcoal Filter, Charcoal pulverizer, Fittings and
Fixtures etc.
Total Cost : 2,19,00,000/-

CFSC Manjeri, Industries Dept., Govt. of Kerala

Plastic Waste Pyrolysis

vi) Man Power:

Man power requirement is estimated as 18 which include 10 semi-skilled workers,
3 Managers, 1 Maintenance Engineer, 2 Office Assistants and 2 Watch men
vi) Project Cost:
Total project cost is estimated at Rs. 3,09,71,200/- lakhs
Item

Cost (Rs.)

Fixed Capital:
Land (IE) & Building

14,50,000

Machine

2,19,00000

Furniture

50,000

Preliminary Pre-operative Expense

1,50,000

Taxes, licensing expenses,

transportation, installation etc

22,00000

Sub Total

2,57,50,000

Working Capital
Personnel/2month

4,57,600

Raw Material/2month

41,96,400

Utilities/2month

4,25,200

Contingencies, technical know-how,

Pre-operating expense etc./2 month
Sub Total
Total Capital Investment

1,42,000
52,21,200
_________
3,09,71,200

CFSC Manjeri, Industries Dept., Govt. of Kerala

Plastic Waste Pyrolysis

vii) Means of Finance:

Self

100,00000

Loan from banks/FIs

2,09,71,200

Total

3,09,71,200

viii) Sales Turnover

Sales turnover/year is estimated to be Rs. 7,70,64,000
FINANCIAL INDICATORS
Net profit/year: 3,88,92,332
Breakeven point: 17.05 %
Investment Payback Period: 0.80 years
Net Profit Ratio: 50.47 %
Rate of Return on Investment: 125.58 %
CONCLUSION
The project is technologically and economically viable. There is no scarcity for
plastic wastes as the plastic waste generation has already become a habit of our
society. In Trivandrum city alone the plastic waste generated per day is estimated
as 28 tons. The end products like Industrial oil, Carbon black and Gaseous fuel
manufactured from plastic wastes invites customers as these products are
extensively used for various applications and the cost of these items are lower
compared to the same products produced from petroleum sources. Hence this
project is viable and recommended for implementation.
______________________________________________________________
If any queries on this project please feel free to contact, Common Facility Service Centre
(Department of Industries & Commerce, Govt. of Kerala), Payyanad, Manjeri.
Contact Nos: 0483-2768507/09495500526/09388479254