How to turn plastic waste into diesel fuel cheaply

[rozier56]

rozier56

I have access to large amounts of heavy duty rope. this rope appears to be plastic based. If it is nylon is this suitable for our process for diesel manufacturing?

[Babataku]

Acid and Clays

Hi

Has anyone tried using Kaolinite Clays to clean their WMO derived fuels? Or dark colored fuels? I read an article which discussed the use of Sulphuric acid and Kaolinite clays to treat WMO. The results were amazing as the WMO is cleaned and turned back to its original transparent yellow-gold color.

Would this work with WMO derived fuels?

[Excalibur]

Hi

Has anyone tried using Kaolinite Clays to clean their WMO derived fuels? Or dark colored fuels? I read an article which discussed the use of Sulphuric acid and Kaolinite clays to treat WMO. The results were amazing as the WMO is cleaned and turned back to its original transparent yellow-gold color.
Would this work with WMO derived fuels?

Not either of those but I have used zeolite to clear up homemade diesel. It worked OK on fuel which wasn't too ugly. Fuel went from opaque to translucent. Pics on DIYdiesel blog, test equipment page.
Sulphuric acid was also used to clean up gum in gasoline from the cracking process in the early days if I recall.

[Babataku]

Not either of those but I have used zeolite to clear up homemade diesel. It worked OK on fuel which wasn't too ugly. Fuel went from opaque to translucent. Pics on DIYdiesel blog, test equipment page.
Sulphuric acid was also used to clean up gum in gasoline from the cracking process in the early days if I recall.

Excallibur

How much Zeolite do you use per Litre of fuel to be cleaned?

Would like to try that.

[Excalibur]

Excallibur
How much Zeolite do you use per Litre of fuel to be cleaned?
Would like to try that.

Difficult to give a definitive answer as it's early days for trialing and testing. After getting a free trailer load of zeolite I made 3 adsorb stations in my fuel processing line. Part of using zeolite requires oven drying to get moisture out. More effective might be continuous trickle cycling of fuel across the zeolite.
My view is that heavily fouled/impregnated fuel will clog the zeolite immediately so the process is most suited as a "polisher". In this case I'm only talking of removing tiny micro particulate.

[wheels]

I have access to large amounts of heavy duty rope. this rope appears to be plastic based. If it is nylon is this suitable for our process for diesel manufacturing?

Can you post a picture of the rope, because I used to work in the Rope industry and I might be able to identify it for you.
Or at the least, a better description of it would help.
Color is important. White can be either Polyester or Nylon. Polypropylene is often colored and feels waxy and the strands are often quite coarse.
Is it three strand twisted/braided, or does it have an inner core and outer jacket? Braided rope with an inner and outer can often have the inner as a very different material, with a polyester jacket as the wear cover. The inner can be Polyester, Kevlar or dyneema.
First simple test to do is, Does it sink or float in water. Nylon sinks. Polyester usually floats.
You cannot process Polyester or Kevlar.

[wheels]

Hi

Has anyone tried using Kaolinite Clays to clean their WMO derived fuels? Or dark colored fuels? I read an article which discussed the use of Sulphuric acid and Kaolinite clays to treat WMO. The results were amazing as the WMO is cleaned and turned back to its original transparent yellow-gold color.

Would this work with WMO derived fuels?

Clay works only as a fine filter. You need to push the Fuel through at an ultra high pressure. You will waste a lot of fuel int he clay and the fuel laden old clay will need to be disposed of at some stage.
I suggest the easiest way to clean the fuel is to use a centrifuge, which will remove particles down to 0.1 of a micron. Anything under 5 microns will pass through injectors OK. But particles darken the fuel color. Remember that oxidation also darkens the Fuel and you will not filter that out.
Zeolite can work OK'ish, but it must be "activated" first. To do this, it needs to be acid washed, dried and then heated to about 600deg. Do NOT do this inside in the Wife's oven. It gives off a white fume that sticks to the inside of the Oven.
How much to use? hard to answer as it depends on who dirty the fuel. Feed ot through till the color starts getting too dark. It is possible to continue reusing the Zeolite by Burning off the old fuel, washing it and acid washing and heating again.

[rozier56]

rozier56

Thanks Wheels, will take pic!s and submit.

[rozier56]

rozier56

Pics of rope?

[rozier56]

rozier56

Excaliber, attached is a drawing of my retort,reflux and the condenser.
Note the condenser is the same size of reflux outlet.I believe this system allows to much gas outflow through the condenser and results in too much outflow not condensed through the exhaust. This will affect through put and quality.
Noticed on your system that you have a lead pipe of 40mm, leading to the condenser.Surely this will slow down the gas outflow from reflux,allowing better condenser conditions.This will also create a little back pressure on the system enhancing the reflux performance.
What is the length of that pipe connecting the reflux to the condenser.
Note my reflux outlet is 80mm diam and so is the condenser inlet. I have 8 smaller pipes in the condenser for gas cooling.

[rozier56]

rozier56

Diesel report on some truck engine oil that we converted.
WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS!
NO CATALYST USED.

[wheels]

Pics of rope?

The orange rope is PP. It is a little harder to see the white rope on my screen, but I think they are both PP. Do they both feel the same?

[wheels]

Excaliber, attached is a drawing of my retort,reflux and the condenser.
Note the condenser is the same size of reflux outlet.I believe this system allows to much gas outflow through the condenser and results in too much outflow not condensed through the exhaust. This will affect through put and quality.
Noticed on your system that you have a lead pipe of 40mm, leading to the condenser.Surely this will slow down the gas outflow from reflux,allowing better condenser conditions.This will also create a little back pressure on the system enhancing the reflux performance.
What is the length of that pipe connecting the reflux to the condenser.
Note my reflux outlet is 80mm diam and so is the condenser inlet. I have 8 smaller pipes in the condenser for gas cooling.

You do NOT want back pressure of any amount. In fact if we could easily create a vacuum, while the process is working, that would be even better.
Condensing the Vapor is about cooling it as fast and efficiently as possible. The speed of the vapor traveling through needs to be slow. So a large condenser diameter is better than a small one. If you have uncondensed vapor making its way through to the bubbler, then you need more cooling.
Everything works on temperature, not speed of vapor. The reflux MUST be held at the right temperature to condense the heavy vapor and have it return to the Retort. I dont think you need the inner jacket or whatever it is. 'That will stop the vapors from having free access to the reflux vessel wall, where the gas is condensed.

[wheels]

Diesel report on some truck engine oil that we converted.
WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS!
NO CATALYST USED.

Several things. Firstly, the fuel has a lot of contamination. You need much better filtration. You can also leave the Fuel to settle for a week or so in a large tank, then either pump off the top of the tankful or pour off the bottom. Fine particles will tend to go right through Fuel filters. The best form of filtration is Centrifuge and keep cycling the Fuel over and over.
Sulphur content is very high and needs removing from the fuel. But It is very hard to remove Sulphur. It requires a complex Hydrogenation/Catalytic process.

[Excalibur]

Excaliber, attached is a drawing of my retort,reflux and the condenser.
Note the condenser is the same size of reflux outlet.I believe this system allows to much gas outflow through the condenser and results in too much outflow not condensed through the exhaust. This will affect through put and quality.
Noticed on your system that you have a lead pipe of 40mm, leading to the condenser.Surely this will slow down the gas outflow from reflux,allowing better condenser conditions.This will also create a little back pressure on the system enhancing the reflux performance.
What is the length of that pipe connecting the reflux to the condenser.
Note my reflux outlet is 80mm diam and so is the condenser inlet. I have 8 smaller pipes in the condenser for gas cooling.

Nice drawing! The length of pipe is nearly 3m. I don't consider the pipe diameter to give any significant or undue back pressure.
The condenser needs to be able to condense all condensable vapors passing through under all conditions. If condensable vapors are escaping out the end, it is either not efficient enough or simply not big enough.

It's great to get a lab test on your diesel.
Low flashpoint is too much volatile content. Hold the diesel at a temperature that allows those volatiles to evap off. I suggest do this on the fly while/as the product is made.
Contaminants could benefit from filtering or possibly are the result of a system that is being driven too hard. Where retort boiling is too vigorous, the reflux becomes overwhelmed and contaminants are allowed to flow downstream. Then it is not proper distilling. Distilling/cracking requires careful adherence to temperature control. The retort contents will behave nicely if it is run at a pace it is happy with. Forcibly hurrying it will result in undistilled product with contamination. It would be better to use good distilling practices than it would be to have to clean up poorly distilled product afterwards.
I think we are stuck with sulphur content (but at least we are recycling!).