EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS AND PERFORMANCE OF A WASTE PLASTICS PYROLYSIS SYSTEM FOR BIOFUEL PRODUCTION

Abstract

The conversion of waste plastics to biofuel using thermal pyrolysis was investigated in this study. In order to thermally degrade waste plastics in the absence of oxygen, a fixed-bed pyrolysis apparatus was designed and constructed. The experimental investigation of the liquid fuel generated was carried out by examining various fuel characteristics such as flash point, calorific value, pour point, and the kinematic viscosity. The properties were compared with the conventional Petrol and Diesel, and correlations in the properties evaluated were discovered. The impact of temperature and heating rate on the pyrolysis system was investigated, and it was observed that increasing the heating rate reduces the time required for pyrolyzed product degradation while increasing the amount of thermal energy delivered during the period. Nevertheless, as the quantity of deteriorated plastics grows per unit of time, so does the rate of deterioration, which increases the temperature. The high-temperature rise accelerates the evaporation process, which averted side cracking in the gaseous form. Furthermore, the effect of particle size on the pyrolysis system was investigated and it was observed that smaller size plastic particles produced more oil faster.