Conversion

of Dumped
Plastic into
Fuel
Report on Final Year Project

Project Supervisor : Dr.Engg M

Sabeel Khan
Group Members :

Table of Contents
Problem Statement:.................................................................................................... 2
Abstract :.................................................................................................................... 2
Introduction:............................................................................................................... 2
Methodology:.............................................................................................................. 2
Selection of Input material:........................................................................................ 3
Reactions:................................................................................................................... 4
Components or Apparatus:......................................................................................... 4
Impacts on Society:.................................................................................................... 4
Products:.................................................................................................................... 6
Applications of Products:............................................................................................ 6
Progress:..................................................................................................................... 7
Future tasks:............................................................................................................... 8
Conclusion:................................................................................................................. 8
Literature Review:....................................................................................................... 9

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Problem Statement:
To convert waste plastic into green fuel by installing a Plant that carries out
the process of pyrolysis.

Abstract :
The final year project report provides the introduction of the problem
statement and the methodology which will be followed to attain the desired
results.It also provides the reactions aiding the methodology and system
parameters.The report also provides an indepth review of the importance of
the project for the society and progress made uptill now.

Introduction:
The project Conversion of dumped plastic to fuel as suggested by the name aims
to recycle the waste plastic in to the high quality fuel. The process involves Pyrolysis
that is melting a substance in the absence of oxygen, it is carried out in a feedstock
while heat is provided through the burner. This project has been carried out now in
several countries like Japan,US and India however its first breakthrough happened in
1990s in China. Its products are majorly Diesel fuel and gasoline at a minor level.

Methodology:
If you heat plastic waste in non-oxygen environment, it will melt, but will not
burn. After it has melted, it will start to boil and evaporate, you just need to
put those vapors through a cooling pipe and when cooled the vapors will
condense to a liquid and some of the vapors with shorter hydrocarbon
lengths will remain as a gas. The exit of the cooling pipe is then going
through a- bubbler containing water to capture the last liquid forms of fuel
and leave only gas that is then burned. If the cooling of the cooling tube is
sufficient, there will be no fuel in the bubbler, but if not, the water will
capture all the remaining fuel that will float above the water and can be
poured off the water. On the bottom of the cooling tube is a steel reservoir
that collects all the liquid and it has a release valve on the bottom so that
the liquid fuel can be poured out.

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Figure 1

Selection of Input material:

Plastic has infinite types because of the ability of carbon and hydrogen to make
longer chains but for the easy of understanding and usability the Society of Plastic
industry (SPI) has classified them into seven types which are as follows

Code 1 : Polyethylene terephthalate(Plastic Bottles)

Code 2 : HDPE (bottles with edible items)

Code 3 : PVC

Code 4 : LDPE (Bags)

Code 5 : PP (Baskets)

Code 6 : PS (Styrofoam)

Code 7 : Miscellaneous

We have selected Polyethylene (HDPE,LDPE,PET) as the input raw material

because of its best efficiency of 97 % and results as compared to other six
classified plastic types [3].Calculations for the heat energy to be input have
also been done which are as follows
Heat Energy = calorific value x Mass(input)
Heat Energy = 1.3 x 10^3(kJ/kg) x 30(kg)
Heat Energy = 3900 kJ OR 1.083 (KW/h)

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The calorific value of Polyethylene is taken as 1.3 x 10^3 (KJ/Kg)

For mass = 30 kg for one batch production

Reactions:
Following is the reaction that is carried out in the feedstock.

The reaction that takes place in the respective pyrolysis process.

Temperature parameter requirements are 400 to 450 degree Celsius.

Components or Apparatus:
Following are the components that are involved in the methodological
process

Feedstock

Burner

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Aluminum Oxide Bricks

Insulations

Pipes

Condenser

Vacuum Pump

Base

Impacts on Society:
The Project primarily focuses on the improvement of Environment and needs
of the society through its products. As mentioned the project recycles the
dumped plastic in to high quality fuel thus providing two major benefits
which are

Cleaning of the waste

Meeting needs of the fuel

The first stance focuses on the use of plastic that is contaminating the
ecology of the Planet earth to a huge level. Plastic has contaminated the
lands and the water reservoirs as well. According to a report there are more
fragments of plastic in the oceans right now than the total number of fishes
combined. Ten to 20 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean each year,
from litter, runoff from poorly managed landfills, and other sources [1] .This
concern is also raising economic issue as US alone faced losses of around 13
Billion dollars in year 2014 [1].
The second stance of the project is to manage the growing dearth of fuel and
to meet the need of fuel as the usage of fuel is growing by folds while
simultaneously the oil recovers are decreasing rapidly around the world.
Thus the project has a very positive impact on the society in both sense that
is to remove the waste and add green energy to the system.

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Figure 2[1].

Our Project aims to meet both the need as to eradicating the waste and
increasing fuel resources. Our project also aims to provide material and
practical support for the upcoming students so they can research in the
same field and take a step further than previous research.

Products:
Primary liquid products include [2].
1: Diesel Oil (90-95 %)
2: Gasoline (5 10 %)

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Figure 3 [7].

Applications of Products:
Following are the uses of the two products

Diesel Oil Applications include[5]

Generators

Vehicles

Heavy Machinery

Gasoline Oil Applications include

Electricity generators

Compressors

Lawn movers

Paints

Varnish

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Progress:
Until now we have been successful in designing the Prototype Plant that will
carry out the whole process as per our record time (as shown by the Gantt
chart).

The amount of single batch as per different calculations for the process has
also been made.Outsouring to different Universities like NUST and HITEC for
aiding the project has also been done while the Market survey with the
details of cost has also been acquired along with the quotations from
different members.

Cost analysis has also been carried out through market survey and internet
surfing [4] as shown in the table

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Table 1

Future tasks:
In the time constraints as shown by the Gantt chart we will be doing
following tasks

Fabricate the plant

Analysis of the product
Thesis of the project
Research paper of the project

Conclusion:
The respective project intends to convert waste plastic into usable high
quality fuel. Design of the plant has been completed and methodology with
several parameters has also been chosen thus the very next step is to
fabricate and obtain the output product which will be subject to lab test and
ready as for the daily life uses afterwards.

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Literature Review:
[1] : http://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/24/world/ocean-plastic-trash/
[2]:chromeextension://klbibkeccnjlkjkiokjodocebajanakg/suspended.html#uri
=http://www.energeticforum.com/renewable-energy/7040-how-turn-plasticwaste-into-diesel-fuel-cheaply.html
[3]: https://www.qualitylogoproducts.com/lib/different-types-of-plastic.htm
[4]: http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/vacuum-pump.html
[5]: http://www.dieselserviceandsupply.com/why_use_diesel.aspx
[6]: http://www.scielo.br/pdf/bjce/v28n4/a11v28n4.pdf
[7]:

http://www.energeticforum.com/renewable-energy/7040-how-turn-plasticwaste-into-diesel-fuel-cheaply.html

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