How to turn plastic waste into diesel fuel cheaply

[extraloud]

melting tires

i am not totally sure that tires melt the same way plastic does. my gut tells me that they go from solid to vapor in one step - i could be wrong - anyone else know ?

i think there are many academic papers/studies regarding tires to oil. you can use the google to find more info.

i have not done tires myself - if i try i will let you know what happens - and give suggestions.

you may want to experiment with that on a small scale -

be careful of harmful sulfur compounds created in the process ( H2S ) - your oil will have high sulfur as well - and maybe harmful to burn. there maybe ways of overcoming this ( see the google )

i have heard of people doing tires with used motor oil often as well.

Thank you for very inspiring thread. It took a while to read everything but it was totally worth of it.

I have given a thought for this non stop for a week. My target would be making oil from tires when everything is tuned. I had a thought how to handle tire melting. I would make separate unit which would contain some oil which have higher evaporating point than where tires melt. So eventually tires should melt and I would have liquids in two layers + steel sinks in the bottom.

Then the liquid tire soup would be transferred to actual distilling unit. I have no problems with generated carbon and steel waste.

Would this work? I mostly need oil to heat house and carbon can be used for heating green house.

[TeemuT]

My plan is to start in small scale but first I'll try plastics. Process need to be a bit different to remove all bad stuff from end product. Maybe with more research and studies there is way to use oil from tires for heating.

[ehtiyar]

WhatsUP

Are the his forum is closed?
Why anyone not writing ?

[batwicho]

Are the his forum is closed?
Why anyone not writing ?

Because everything is written if you read carefully... you need only to work and desire to experiment and unleash your imagination... and get better results...

[TeemuT]

Because everything is written if you read carefully... you need only to work and desire to experiment and unleash your imagination... and get better results...

I don't believe that everything is said. Topic is long and there is plenty of information. I would be blaabing around but I spilled water on my laptop and spare parts are in the way There is still a lot to explore and make better units.

[velacreations]

unstable fuel fix?

Hello all! thanks for a wonderful thread! I just finished the 43 pages of this thread, reading it over and over. This is exactly what I have been searching for!

I have access to a lot of free WMO locally (400L per month), so I will be building a unit to process that into diesel.

Way back in this thread, several people were talking about producing an unstable fuel from this process. It would change colors then produce a sludge. There is a more technical description of it way back in the thread, but I can't remember the exact details. Several members mentioned having problems with this.

Did we ever get a fix for this? I know several folks mentioned additives, etc, but I can't find where anyone used an additive and reported that it worked.

Do any of the catalysts (lime, clay, perlite, etc) address this issue?

Did anyone ever try the perlite+WMO idea? That sounded like it had some promise. Perlite is cheap here in Mexico.

Anyway, thanks again, and I'll be going back to the beginning to re-read everything again several times before I build, but these were the issues that seemed to be unresolved.

Oh, and has anyone ever purchased these plans? WasteOilDiesel.com - Used Oil Recycling Waste Oil Into Usable Diesel

I can't afford them (need to save money for my reactor!), and I think there is probably more and better information on this thread, but just curious if he has anything valuable to offer in those plans. I wish more people were as open and honest as the people in this thread, the world would be a much different place!

[diesel]

found this on youtube What I use to make fuel - YouTube

Is looks very simple.

[mercedes 308]

Just an idea

Using Jetis's reactor as a basis (Turned on its side to enable cleaning of char, with out moving it).
Feed stock is fed into a pre chamber, where oxygen is purged using propane or butane under pressure.

A opens to allow feedstock to enter
A close's, B and C open allowing gas to enter and force oxygen out of C and down to heater unit.
C close's gas pressurizes pre chamber.
B close's and D opens to allow feedstock under pressure, to fall into main reactor.
Wax's and heavy oils are pumped from under cyclonic filter, into hopper to lubricate valves and add weight to feedstock, before being re cracked.
Any gas used to purge feedstock travels through the system and is fed to the heater unit.

It should work

Thoughts please

[drmattfombong]

Just an idea

Hi Mercedes,
We are two junior members with similar ideas, I think.
Look at it this way: your idea of a horizontal is the same as mine, your purging the system is also similar.
But to me, it seems much easier to use a liquid than a gas to purge the system of oxygen.
Using combustible gases from the system, subjecting them to temperature and pressure variations is highly dangerous as there are possibilities of leakage, contamination with oxidation materials and possibilities spontaneous combustion or explosions.
waste oil from the system is easier to be managed and can be heated up to 250 centigrade before mixing with the plastic particles; helping these to dissolve , soften up and even melt before reaching the reaction chamber.

The use of two valves in the in-feed section and the heating of the feed at the intermediary level is much recommended. Exhaust gases from the system can be used for this. what happens here however is quite complicated and makes the addition of an inert or compatible fluid a necessity: first to distribute heat in the plastics, raise temperature [as well as pressure] and increase flow-ability of feed-stuff into the reaction chamber.

However, note that something must push the feed-stuff from the intermediate chamber into the reaction vessel or vaporizer. In your case this compressible and combustible gases from the system. I suggest however that we use a mechanical piston which may [like the two valves] be manually operated. This is less risky and with the additional dissolution of the plastics in heavy oils from the system to cause easy flow into the vaporizer, the system become quite safe.

This is the system that I will start building come May 5, 2012.
Stay with me on, will you?

[kshah]

Xlpe Pyrolysis

This is my first post. Have been reading this thread since 2 weeks and was doing research. I will be buillding one small prototype unit in next couple of months.

I found that XLPE can not be reprocessed and its widely used in cable industries. It is said that either XLPE is dumped or some times used as fuel powder.

Since it is cross linked polyethylene, with my limited knowledge of chemistry and chemicals, I could not judge what would be outcome of XLPE pyrolysis

I would request members who has working unit to get some XLPE and try pyrolisis and post results.

[johnf]

purging Hello just a word of caution

Hi I agree that a purging the system is a good idea but your choice of purging gases is not , as you purge the storage vessel of oxygen there will be a point when the gaseous mixture (purge gas / oxygen ) will be at its most volatile ,the slightest spark will definately empty the vessel and could well terminate your existance on this earth, May i suggest the use of nitrogen for your purge gas , it is totaly inert , it will have no adverse effects on the process or your life .

Using Jetis's reactor as a basis (Turned on its side to enable cleaning of char, with out moving it).
Feed stock is fed into a pre chamber, where oxygen is purged using propane or butane under pressure.

A opens to allow feedstock to enter
A close's, B and C open allowing gas to enter and force oxygen out of C and down to heater unit.
C close's gas pressurizes pre chamber.
B close's and D opens to allow feedstock under pressure, to fall into main reactor.
Wax's and heavy oils are pumped from under cyclonic filter, into hopper to lubricate valves and add weight to feedstock, before being re cracked.
Any gas used to purge feedstock travels through the system and is fed to the heater unit.

It should work

Thoughts please

[johnf]

XLPE Is a crossbonded material , it is a crossbond of polyethylene and a peroxide . Peroxide is a double oxygen bond . the problem could arise where the oxygen could be released as the material melts thus allowing combustion to occur john

This is my first post. Have been reading this thread since 2 weeks and was doing research. I will be buillding one small prototype unit in next couple of months.

I found that XLPE can not be reprocessed and its widely used in cable industries. It is said that either XLPE is dumped or some times used as fuel powder.

Since it is cross linked polyethylene, with my limited knowledge of chemistry and chemicals, I could not judge what would be outcome of XLPE pyrolysis

I would request members who has working unit to get some XLPE and try pyrolisis and post results.

[johnf]

tyre pyrolosys

i am not totally sure that tires melt the same way plastic does. my gut tells me that they go from solid to vapor in one step - i could be wrong - anyone else know ?

i think there are many academic papers/studies regarding tires to oil. you can use the google to find more info.

i have not done tires myself - if i try i will let you know what happens - and give suggestions.

you may want to experiment with that on a small scale -

be careful of harmful sulfur compounds created in the process ( H2S ) - your oil will have high sulfur as well - and maybe harmful to burn. there maybe ways of overcoming this ( see the google )



i have heard of people doing tires with used motor oil often as well.

Your right the tyre does not melt , an average tyre is 58% rubber 32% carbon black and about 3% oil the rest is various additives like zinc, sulphur etc. due to the amount of carbon the structure stays virtually in tact as the other components are evaporated away . you are then left with a very brittle carcase and any steel that was in the tyre . the sulphur that is present , when hot has a very corrosive affect on the chamber .. hope this helps John

[atedja]

oxygen in reactor

Some continuous pyrolysis systems (screw type reactors) allow small amount of oxygen entering their reactors.
The consequences are :
1. Loss of few percent of pyro gas due to burning with oxygen inside the reactor.
2. Auto regulation of reactor temperature is neccessary.
CMIIW

WARNING : BE VERY CAUTIOUS with this idea. Combustion inside the reactor is very much different from combustion outside the reactor because of leakage (plus unlimited supply of oxygen from the air). The latter one could result in an explosion.

[ndsunil]

Residance time

Indeed I have read all the postings on this very important thread .
I am wondering no one has talked about the residence time for the reaction.
I mean once you give the required energy to evaporate the plastic in to gasous stage and achieve the reasonable temperature ( may in between 300 degree to 400 degree ) will it do ? or one needs to maintain this temperature for some time which will be called as the residence time for the reaction .
Will any one reply on this ?