How to turn plastic waste into diesel fuel cheaply

[wheels]

dear freinds did any one gone for pyrolysis of polystyrene if yes please share the experience

Yes I process it often. White expanded Polystyrene produces a clear liquid of Ethyl Benzene which is another name for Styrene. It has an Octane Number of 107
The issues you will run into is that a lot of Polystyrene in it's expanded form makes very little Fuel. So if you do a batch, a full retort produces very little fuel. If you melt the stuff down using acetone or even Petrol, to form a goop you will see what I mean by how much can be melted into such a small amount. But if you then fill the retort with that goop, you will produce a lot more fuel. Commercially, Polystyrene is crushed down in a huge Auger and so much pressure is applied that it heats and melts the stuff into a goo which squirts out the end of the machine like toothpaste, but on a large scale. It then cools into a solid to then be processed.
At 107 Octane, it will not run so well on it's own as a Petrol. But it can be blended with Petrol and will help raise the Octane but still remain in a usable level. Or you can blend it with Diesel and have it raise the Cetane Level.
Styrene (ethyl Benzene) is the proper solvent for Polystyrene and it dissolves the stuff quickly. So once you produce some, you can melt down more solid using what you produced.
Being a very lightweight fraction, you will need to cool the Gas output well so that you capture as much condensable liquid as you can, or you will lose most of it as Vapor.

[Farmhand]

Observing my plants' distillate flow in the sight glass have taught me a lot. In the early stages of a run the condensate is perfectly clear. As retort temperature increases the color turns to beautiful yellow amber. Push temperature higher has the color change to shades of red. Higher still has the color go to dirty brown opaque.
The trick seems to be, keep the flow coming at amber to lighter red. However the temptation is to crank up the heat because you want faster flow. Faster will work and even yield the correct weight but color will suffer.

In the moonshine industry they have what's called a doubler. Such a vessel is used to improve purity. In short the product stream is condensed and immediately re-evaporated. A series of doublers can improve quality in stages. I had thought about using similar technique but the downside is the cost of additional heat. Pondering on the subject I thought my vapor stream exiting the reflux could be quenched just enough to liquefy. Immediately it would be reheated to say 325°C subsequently re-evap'ing. This would be a form of double distilling...

I understand that you probably already know that the doubler or (thumper)
when used in distilling alcohol does not require an additional heat source,
the heat is provided by the vapor which is why it is so good to use a doubler
for increasing the purity of ethanol, the doubler is "charged" with a
reasonably high alcohol content liquid to begin with for best results.
A good reflux still can still produce a more pure product I think. However the
benefit of a double distillation done in one go with only the same one heat
source is very good for some. Sometime there is a big benefit from two
separate distillations as the wash can be treated with sodium bicarbonate
before the second distillation if desired.

Interesting topic this.

..

[Excalibur]

Hi Farmhand
Yes, I've studied doublers quite a lot. I like the design that forces incoming vapor to bubble through the doublers' liquid contents. This would force heat exchanging to the liquid so driving the lightest fractions off.
It might just work and be sustained on the vapor stream heat which is quite relentless. Yes, the retort/reactor operating at 400°C+ there's a lot of heat!

It seem that interest in making fuel from waste plastic or oil has declined, no doubt because of low fuel prices. Just a matter of time before the next oil shock though.

[alejandroramallo]

White expanded Polystyrene produces a clear liquid of Ethyl Benzene which is another name for Styrene.

Hello wheels. Ethyl benzene and styrene have 2 different formulas. I am employed in a company that produces ethyl benzene and styrene. Beyond this detail, very good post

[wheels]

Hello wheels. Ethyl benzene and styrene have 2 different formulas. I am employed in a company that produces ethyl benzene and styrene. Beyond this detail, very good post

Yes you are correct. But it is too darn long and winded and complex to bother with on here, at least as I see it anyway.
Hi, welcome and great to see someone here that has some chemical knowledge. I am not a "Chemist", I just have a knowledge of the subject good enough to get me by in this game ;-) So am happy to stand for correction.

Styrene, C8H8 and can also be written as C6H5CH=CH2 is a derivative of Benzene C6H6.
Other names for Styrene are,
Vinyl benzene, cinnamene, styrol, phenylethene, diarex HF 77, styrolene, styropol, vinylbenzene, phenylethylene.

Ethylbenzene C6H5CH2CH3 or C8H10 can also be known as Ethylbenzol, Phenylethane and alpha-Methyltoluene.

Benzene C6H6 is Highly Toxic and a known High Risk Cancer causing Chemical. Ethylbenzene is naturally occurring and relatively safe.

Commercially, Ethlybenzene is mainly produced via a catalytic reaction of Benzene and Ethylene.

This is where I have made the mistake.
Styrene is made by Hydrogenating Ethylbenzene C6H5CH2CH3 → C6H5CH=CH2+H2

[alejandroramallo]

You're right, my intention is to give a positive contribution when I can, although very small in comparison to yours. But beyond that, your posts are always very good, and it is a pleasure that people like you who go day to day in this and shares his experiences with us there are. Thank you. Best regards.

[rozier56]

rozier56

I notice excalibur runs his retort and reflux at approx 380-390*C. My Question is that retort temp measuring the melted plastic or the vessel temp.
Further a question about the difference when melting WMO or plastic. The plastic will melt down to a oil that must be similar to the WMO OR NOT?
If so then the problem i am having of achieving a reflux temp 280*c with good liquid, although under diesel s.g spec.When the reflux temp is increased slightly i.e 290*c then we end up with a waxy product. We are running PE and pp.

Further we have tried to only start the water flow too the condenser only at the 208*C so as not to produce the lighter fractions early and distort the diesel fraction we are after.We have tried a reflux return system back too the retort in the beginning, but end up with a lot of water contamination as the steam generated is also returned, not all water goes out the reflux return exhaust.
Is wax produced only after one has produced the other petro products?

[Excalibur]

I notice excalibur runs his retort and reflux at approx 380-390*C. My Question is that retort temp measuring the melted plastic or the vessel temp.
Further a question about the difference when melting WMO or plastic. The plastic will melt down to a oil that must be similar to the WMO OR NOT?
If so then the problem i am having of achieving a reflux temp 280*c with good liquid, although under diesel s.g spec.When the reflux temp is increased slightly i.e 290*c then we end up with a waxy product. We are running PE and pp.

Further we have tried to only start the water flow too the condenser only at the 208*C so as not to produce the lighter fractions early and distort the diesel fraction we are after.We have tried a reflux return system back too the retort in the beginning, but end up with a lot of water contamination as the steam generated is also returned, not all water goes out the reflux return exhaust.
Is wax produced only after one has produced the other petro products?

My temperature targets:
Retort = 380°C -420°C.
Reflux = 320°C - 350°C depending in the weight of diesel I'm aiming for.
These temps are for WMO as feedstock. Retort TC is in the retort liquid. Reflux TC is inside, quite near vessel exit.

Comparing WMO and plastic as feedstock at processing temperatures, they would appear similar consistency apart from color.

If there is wax in the finished product, it is not fully cracked. The heavy fractions that create the wax aren't being allowed to condense in the reflux and run back to the retort for re-cracking. You must discover the reason for this and correct it.

[rozier56]

rozier56

Excalibur, thanks for your reply. I have done a new repack of the reflux column and will run early next week. Hope this helps.

[rozier56]

rozier56

After my repack of the reflux column we had a good run.
We can safely run up to temp 320*c.
When we go higher in temp it tends to want to wax!
I will be installing a temp probe into retort in the plastic liquid next.
Also considering making the reflux column longer, maybe this will provide me more distillation time and less waxing effect. My current reflux column is 200mm wide and 500mm long.

[sunilkm153]

Yes I process it often. White expanded Polystyrene produces a clear liquid of Ethyl Benzene which is another name for Styrene. It has an Octane Number of 107
The issues you will run into is that a lot of Polystyrene in it's expanded form makes very little Fuel. So if you do a batch, a full retort produces very little fuel. If you melt the stuff down using acetone or even Petrol, to form a goop you will see what I mean by how much can be melted into such a small amount. But if you then fill the retort with that goop, you will produce a lot more fuel. Commercially, Polystyrene is crushed down in a huge Auger and so much pressure is applied that it heats and melts the stuff into a goo which squirts out the end of the machine like toothpaste, but on a large scale. It then cools into a solid to then be processed.
At 107 Octane, it will not run so well on it's own as a Petrol. But it can be blended with Petrol and will help raise the Octane but still remain in a usable level. Or you can blend it with Diesel and have it raise the Cetane Level.
Styrene (ethyl Benzene) is the proper solvent for Polystyrene and it dissolves the stuff quickly. So once you produce some, you can melt down more solid using what you produced.
Being a very lightweight fraction, you will need to cool the Gas output well so that you capture as much condensable liquid as you can, or you will lose most of it as Vapor.

I got polystyrene not in expanded form but as tiny small shiny granules of polystyrene sulphonate
( resin used in water treatment plants)

[wheels]

I got polystyrene not in expanded form but as tiny small shiny granules of polystyrene sulfonate
( resin used in water treatment plants)

No that is not pure polystyrene. It is a cross linked polymer of polystyrene. If it remained on it's own, it could possibly be processed. But in this case, I am not totally sure, but suggest it could be full of issues. I assume this is used and this mostly spent, but there could still be a sufficient amount of acid left to cause issues.
The Polymer is prepared by the process of Sulfonation to create Sulfonoc Acid that is locked into the Polymer. Sulfonic Acid is a crystaline solid and a very powerful Acid. Basically it is a Solid form of Sulpuric acid. It is used in Water treatment as a water softener, via Ion exchange. But it is also used as a catalyst in Organic Chemistry and dissolves into Organic liquids. So that means it will likely dissolve into the Fuel you produce. At the temperatures we use I am not sure what would then happen exactly, but most likely you are going to have some major corrosion issues. Another possible is that a closely related acid called Sulfurous Acid could also be created. It is, once again, basically Sulfuric Acid in a Gas form. So that is likely going to pass through the system, causing corrosion on the way and then expelling into the air. That could be dangerous if you breathed it. So my opinion is forget trying to use this stuff.

[sunilkm153]

No that is not pure polystyrene. It is a cross linked polymer of polystyrene. If it remained on it's own, it could possibly be processed. But in this case, I am not totally sure, but suggest it could be full of issues. I assume this is used and this mostly spent, but there could still be a sufficient amount of acid left to cause issues.
The Polymer is prepared by the process of Sulfonation to create Sulfonoc Acid that is locked into the Polymer. Sulfonic Acid is a crystaline solid and a very powerful Acid. Basically it is a Solid form of Sulpuric acid. It is used in Water treatment as a water softener, via Ion exchange. But it is also used as a catalyst in Organic Chemistry and dissolves into Organic liquids. So that means it will likely dissolve into the Fuel you produce. At the temperatures we use I am not sure what would then happen exactly, but most likely you are going to have some major corrosion issues. Another possible is that a closely related acid called Sulfurous Acid could also be created. It is, once again, basically Sulfuric Acid in a Gas form. So that is likely going to pass through the system, causing corrosion on the way and then expelling into the air. That could be dangerous if you breathed it. So my opinion is forget trying to use this stuff.

Yes I know it is an cross linked polymer & also I am thinking on the same line as you that's why today i use only 100 gms of it in a pilot plant made up of mostly glass components & result is , it emits only very small amount gas may be some acid as per you and rest black char or carbon no petroleum residue at all so the conclusion is that it not suitable for pyrolysis .Thanks wheels for your input . keep posting to maintain this wonderful forum alive

[taibaniimran]

Hello to everyone
We stop working due to bureaucratic obstacles. video link-related tests are below. If you're curious about something, I'm around.

1. home reactor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlJZCBD8nt0
2. only paraffin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xaq_oKcIqs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOscVDOy96A
3. finished https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Khn29RY1WU

Hello,
I can't excess this videos. Please help me.

[Excalibur]

Hello,
I can't excess this videos. Please help me.

The videos have been removed by the YouTube user. No longer available to view. Withdrawn.