Pyrolysis of Municipal Plastic Waste to Produce Alternate Fuel

Abstract

This research concentrates on the pyrolysis of municipal plastic waste (MPW) to produce an alternate fuel and its thermal comparison with petrol and diesel. It is a viable response to the growing problem of plastic waste disposal. Fuels made from petroleum and plastics contain carbon and hydrogen and are classified as hydrocarbons. Plastics are made up of fossil fuel-based chemicals such as natural gas or crude oil. It is non-biodegradable waste, mainly consisting of approx 15% of total Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). Plastics are pivotal in today's world and are excessively used in households, industry and other fields due to their lightweight, durability, flexibility and inexpensive ability to produce. The need for plastics is expanding every day, posing a significant danger to the climate. The pyrolysis process is a waste-to-energy technological option for producing alternative fuels to replace fossil fuels. It is a thermochemical decomposition of organic material at high temperatures without oxygen or an inert gas atmosphere. Municipal Plastic Waste is depolymerized, pyrolyzed, catalytically cracked, and fractionally distilled to produce various value-added petroleum-derived fuels via pyrolysis which can be used to replace low diesel oils. The pyrolysis method has the benefit of being able to handle unsorted polymers. The material's pretreatment is simple. Plastics must be sorted, dried, and shredded. Pyrolysis, instead of incineration, doesn't emit harmful or hazardous gases. Transforming municipal plastic waste into energy has significant environmental, climatic, and economic implications.