Chapter 1

Introduction
The word Pyrolysis is coined from Greek derived elements pyro Fire and lysis separating.
The process Pyrolysis involves heating of material to moderate temperatures, 400 to 700 oC, in
the absence of oxygen. The organic components of the material are then decomposed,
generating liquid (oil) and gaseous products, which can be useful as fuels and/or sources of
chemicals. The inorganic ingredients remain practically unaltered and free of binding organic
matter and therefore can be reused for certain applications like additive or fillers for other
plastics. This will certainly result in a much lower volume of plastic to be placed in a landfill.

1.1

Need and Background

Plastic takes approximately million years for decomposition. Per year around 15000 billion kg
of plastic is used out of which only 5% plastic is recycled. Remaining goes in landfills, it also
decreases the productivity of land thus the question of dumping waste plastic is also
considerable. Plastic contains carbon and hydrogen which are major constituents of fuel.
Recovering energy from waste plastic could be the one of the best alter