A REPORT

ON

EXTRACTION OF OIL FROM DIFEERENT

TYPE OF PLASTIC WASTE
By

SUSHANT GIRI
B.Tech Student MNIT, Jaipur
Under the guidance of

Dr. P. Mondal
Associate Professor

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
ROORKEE-247667(INDIA)
JULY, 2019
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I express my deep sense of gratitude and indebtedness to my

revered guide Dr. P. Mondal, Associate professor, Department of
chemical engineering, Indian institute of technology Roorkee, India,
who provided whole hearted co-operation, never ending inspiration and
guidance, all blended with personal care and support throughout the
duration of my work. His invaluable suggestions and through
discussions have immensely contributed towards the completion of my
work.
I take this opportunity to put on record my respects to Dr. Shishir
Sinha, Head of Department of chemical engineering, Indian institute of
technology Roorkee, for providing various facilities during the course of
my work.
I am greatly indebted to my seniors Mr. Pushpraj Patel, Mr.
Amit Chourasia, Mr. Mumtaj shah, Mr. Rahul Lanjewar and all
others for their enthusiastic and friendly support, encouragement and
help, made me come up with this report.

SUSHANT GIRI

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 CONTENTS
Topic Page No.

i. Aim 4
1. Introduction 4-5
2. Plastic Waste’s market analysis 5-6

3. Plastic as an alternative energy source 6-8

4. Types of plastics 8-10
5. Expanded polystyrene (EPS) 10
6. Polyurethane (PUR and PU) 11
7. High density polyethylene (HDPE) 12
8. Materials and methods 12-13
9. Operating cost 13-14
10. Effect of operating parameters and optimization 14-15
11. Results and discussions 15-18
12. Conclusions 18
13. References 19

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i. AIM

Extraction of oil from different type of plastic waste by the process of

pyrolysis and characterization of the extracted Oil.

1. INTRODUCTION
Only 14 of India’s 35 regional pollution boards filed information on
plastic waste generation in 2017-18, according to the latest report of the
Central Pollution Control Board. Thus, the CPCB estimate of plastic
waste generated in India in 2017-18--660,787.85 tones, enough to fill
66,079 trucks at 10 tones a truck--does not reflect the situation in more
than 60 percent of India’s states and union territories. In 2016-17 too,
CPCB received these figures from only 25 regional pollution boards.
The total plastic waste generation figure for that year was estimated at
1.6 million tons, or 160,000 truckfulls. The CPCB has approached the
National Green Tribunal to enforce the implementation of plastic waste
management rules by non-compliant states. On March 12, 2019, the
NGT ordered all of them to ensure that reports are furnished to the
CPCB by April 30, 2019. Failure is to be punished with a penalty of Rs
1 crore per month, to be paid to the CPCB, the NGT said.
In the pyrolysis process (heating in an oxygen free atmosphere), the
organic components of the material are decomposed generating liquid
and gaseous products, which can be useful as fuels and/or sources of
chemicals. The inorganic materials (fillers, metals) remain practically
unaltered and free of the binding organic matter; therefore, metals could
be separated and the remaining solid may be reused (additive, filler,
pigment) or as a last resort, it would be a minimum waste to be land
filled. Pyrolysis is an especially appropriate recycling technique for
waste streams containing different plastics and other materials, for
which mechanical recycling is not feasible.
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The pyrolysis of virgin and waste plastics has been intensively studied in
the last years. Several reactor geometries and experimental
configurations have been proved, from micro-pyrolysers and thermo
gravimetric analyses (TGA) used for analytical pyrolysis studies to
medium and large scale plants, mainly fluidized bed units, focused on
industrial implementation. Despite the fact that batch and semi-batch
reactors can suffer from temperature gradients due to the low thermal
conductivity and high viscosity of plastic wastes, they have also been
used to a great extent in lab-scale applications, since they are usually
easier to design and operate. Besides, they enable to work with large
samples and with great particle sizes, which are closer conditions to
those of potential industrial applications.
On the other hand, most of the above mentioned studies have been
carried out with individual plastics or with simple mixtures of very few
plastics, which do not resemble complex real plastic wastes. . There are
almost no pyrolysis studies, which include EPS, PUR/PU and HDPE in
the plastic samples, since these three plastics may cause several
operating problems such as corrosion or pipeline obstructions. In this
study, the results obtained by pyrolysis of plastics, which includes EPS,
PUR/PU and HDPE is presented. A more thorough characterization of
pyrolysis products than that usually found in the literature is included,
which is essential information to establish the potential applications of
pyrolysis products.

2. Plastic Waste’s market analysis

Over the last several years we have seen a steady increase in the
production of plastics in the world, while in Europe, their
production is stable and has remained at about 58 million Mg. The
largest producers of plastics are China, the US and Europe, and their
share in world production was respectively 26%, 19% and 20% in 2014.

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The data indicate that the demand for plastics is increasing all the time.
In Europe alone, in 2014 this value amounted to 47.8 million tones.
Five European countries accounts for 2/3 of the consumption of plastic,
which are: Germany, Italy, France, the United Kingdom and Spain.
These numbers are reflected in the extensive use of plastics in
many areas: as packaging, construction, agriculture, automotive and
electronics industry, and many products like furniture, etc.

Figure 2.1. Plastic waste production in Europe and in the world for years
2004–2014[2]

3. Plastic as an alternative energy source

Alternative fuels can be both solid and liquid waste, municipal and
industrial used as a replacement for conventional fuels. According to
the definition, alternative fuel is such fuel which is obtained in the
process of recovery of waste with a calorific value. Comparing of the
mean values of the individual types of alternative fuel, it can be

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seen that lower calorific values are obtained for both the particulate
solid fuels (18-23 MJ / kg), and the impregnated (8-11 MJ
/ Kg). In contrast, a much higher calorific value is characterized by
alternative liquid fuels (30-36 MJ / kg). Post-consumer plastics are
among the waste with a high calorific value. Particularly interesting
polymers in terms of calorific value are polyolefin’s, which can have
up to 47 MJ / kg, so that they can successfully compete with coal, coke
or pulverized coal.

Figure 3.1- Steps for generating money from plastic waste [2]
Two trends dominate regarding to the disposal of plastic waste. The first
is the landfill, and the second combustion. None of these typical
solutions allows for complete utilization of the energy contained in this
material. The production of solid alternative fuels from mixed waste is
energy intensive process which makes it very expensive. In turn,
the processing of waste in cement kilns does not allow full and
swift recovery of their energy, and what is more, causing huge
emissions dioxin, furans, nitrogen oxides and other
substances. Harmful emissions into the atmosphere from the
combustion of municipal waste causes huge degradation of the
environment and constitutes a threat to the flora and fauna. In this
situation, the best solution may be installations for depolymerization

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of plastic waste, enabling purification of the natural environment,
maximum recovery and utilization of the energy contained in plastics.

4. Types of plastics
4.1 Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE or PET) Introduced by J. Rex
Whinfield and James T. Dickson in 1940, this plastic is one of the most
commonly used on the planet. Interestingly enough, it took another 30
years before it was used for crystal-clear beverage bottles, such as the
ones produced by Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
PETE plastics make up 96% of all plastic bottles and containers in the
United States, yet only 25% of these products are recycled. By being
mindful and making sure to recycle code 1 plastics, you’re helping to
ensure a cleaner environment and less landfill pollution.
4.2 High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) In 1953, Karl Ziegler and
Erhard Holzkamp used catalysts and low pressure to create high-density
polyethylene. It was first used for pipes in storm sewers, drains, and
culverts. Today, this plastic is used for a wide variety of products.
HDPE is the most commonly recycled plastic because it will not break
under exposure to extreme heat or cold. According to the EPA, 12% of
all HDPE products created are recycled in a year. This is a very small
dent in the planet’s carbon footprint.
4.3 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) PVC is one of the oldest synthetic
materials in industrial production. It was actually discovered on accident
twice; once in 1838 by French physicist Henri Victor Regnault and again
in 1872 by German chemist Eugen Baumann. On both occasions, these
men found it inside vinyl chloride flasks left exposed to sunlight.
PVC is one of the least recycled materials; generally less than 1% of
PVC plastic is recycled each year. It has been called the “poison plastic”

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because it contains numerous toxins and is harmful to our health and the
environment.
4.4 Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) LDPE was the first
polyethylene to be produced, making it the grandfather of the material. It
has less mass than HDPE, which is why it’s considered a separate
material for recycling.
Packaging and containers made from LDPE make up about 56% of all
plastic waste, 75% of which comes from residential households.
Fortunately, many recycling programs are evolving to handle these
products. This means less LDPE will end up in landfills and negatively
affect the environment.
4.5 Polypropylene (PP) J. Paul Hogan and Robert L. Banks of Phillips
Petroleum Company discovered polypropylene in 1951. At the time,
they were simply trying to convert propylene into gasoline, but instead
discovered a new catalytic process for making plastic.
Only about 3% of polypropylene products are recycled in the US, but
interestingly enough, 325 million pounds of non-bottle plastics were
collected for recycling over a year. In other words, a lot of this plastic is
created, but only a small fraction is actually recycled.
4.6 Polystyrene or Styrofoam (PS) In 1839, German apothecary
Eduard Simon accidentally came across polystyrene while preparing
medication. He isolated a substance from natural resin and didn’t realize
what he had discovered. It took German chemist Hermann Staudinger to
research this polymer and expand on its uses. Since polystyrene is
lightweight and easy to form into plastic materials, it also breaks
effortlessly, making it more harmful to the environment. Beaches all
over the world are littered with pieces of polystyrene, endangering the
health of marine animals. Polystyrene accounts for about 35% of US
landfill materials.
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4.7 Miscellaneous Plastics The remaining plastics include:
polycarbonate, polylactide, acrylic, acrylonitrile butadiene, styrene,
fiberglass, and nylon. Of course, there are many differences in the
plastics classified as miscellaneous by recycling programs.

5. Expanded polystyrene (EPS)

Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) is a rigid cellular plastic, which is found in
a multitude of shapes and applications. It is used for fish boxes,
packaging for electrical consumer goods and for insulation panels for
building. These are the most commonly known uses. XPS (extruded
polystyrene) is also plastic foam based on polystyrene that is formed by
adding gas during extrusion not by expanding beads containing gas;
which is how EPS is formed. A well-known use of XPS is the vac-
formed polystyrene trays used for small portions of food that we see in
the supermarket. The extruded polystyrene foam is a fine laminate that is
only 2-3 mm thick.

Figure 5.1- Sample image of EPS

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6. Polyurethane (PUR and PU)
Polyurethane is a polymer composed of organic units joined
by carbamate (urethane) links. While most polyurethanes
are thermosetting polymers that do not melt when heated, thermoplastic
polyurethanes are also available.
Polyurethane polymers are traditionally and most commonly formed by
reacting a di- or tri poly-isocyanate with a polyol. Since polyurethanes
contain two types of monomers, which polymerize one after the other,
they are classed as alternating copolymers. Both the isocyanates and
polyols used to make polyurethanes contain, on average, two or
more functional groups per molecule.
Polyurethanes are used in the manufacture of high-resilience foam
seating, rigid foam insulation panels, microcellular
foam seals and gaskets, durable elastomeric wheels and tires (such
as roller coaster, escalator, shopping cart, elevator,
and skateboard wheels), automotive suspension bushings, electrical
potting compounds, high performance adhesives, surface coatings and
surface sealants, synthetic fibers (e.g., Spandex), carpet underlay, hard-
plastic parts (e.g., for electronic instruments).

Figure 6.1- Sample image of PUR/PU

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7. High density polyethylene (HDPE)
High density polyethylene plastic is most commonly known and referred
to as HDPE sheet plastic. This thermoplastic is made from a string of
ethylene molecules (hence, the poly part of polyethylene), and is known
for being both lightweight and strong. With more and more companies
embracing sustainability initiatives, HDPE sheet popularity has
skyrocketed as it can cut down on the material used to produce and
package products due to its weight and strength.

Figure 6.1- Sample image of HDPE

8. Materials and methods
The plastic which was used for the experiments were as follows:
1. Expanded polystyrene (EPS)
2. Polyurethane Foam (PUR and PU)
3. High density polyethylene (HDPE)

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All the plastic materials were used in pellet size (≈3 mm) for the
pyrolysis experiments, and were weighted precisely. The pyrolysis
experiments were carried out using an unstirred stainless steel
1.436 dm3 reactor in batch operation at atmospheric pressure. In a
typical run, 25-35g of the samples were placed into the reactor and
nitrogen was passed through at a constant rate of 200ml/min to maintain
the inert atmosphere inside the reactor; the system was heated to a
temperature of 500°C for about 1.5 hour.
During each run the vapours leaving the reactor flowed to a series of
running water cooled gas–liquid separators where the condensed liquids
were collected. The uncondensed products were passed through an pipe
which were transported outside the laboratory which if we want can be
afterwards tested by gas chromatography. The amount of solids
(products in the reactor after pyrolysis) and liquids obtained were
weighed, and the pyrolysis yields were calculated as weight percentage
with respect to the amount of raw material pyrolysed. Gas yields were as
a general rule calculated by difference of the sum of the oil and solid
from that of the raw material used in the reactor.
Extraction efficiency of reactor was computed using following equation:
%E = C Oil x 100
C Raw material
Where C Oil and C Raw material denote the masses of Oil extracted and the
raw material pyrolysed initially.

9. Operating cost
Operating cost is also one of the most important parameters in the
Pyrolysis process because it effects the application of any type of energy
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source material . The operating cost includes material (mainly raw
material) cost, electrical energy cost, labor, maintenance, and other
costs. Thus, in this study the operating cost was calculated with raw
material plastic and electrical energy costs. So both energy and raw
material plastic consumption costs are taken into account as major cost
items. Calculation of operating cost is expressed as:
Operating cost = X× Energyconsumption + Y× Raw materialconsumption
Where Energyconsumption is consumption quantiy per ‘T’ hour for a single
batch and and Raw materialconsumption is the quantity of raw material
plastic consumed in one single batch. Unit prices, X given for the Indian
Market, 2019, are: electrical energy price Rs. 3.5/kWh, and for Y the
prices are as follows as of 2019; for Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is Rs.
0.2/g, for Polyurethane Foam (PUR and PU) is Rs. 0.34/g and for High
density polyethylene (HDPE) is Rs. 0.95/g material.

10. Effect of operating parameters and optimization

10.1 Temperature It has been found in studies that temperature has a
strong effect in the characteristics of pyrolysis liquids. At the lower
temperatures a great proportion of extremely viscous liquids with high
content of long hydrocarbon chains are obtained, while at the highest
temperatures low proportion of liquids with a high content of aromatics
are produced.
10.2 Time The effect of time is not as strong as that of temperature
except for short reaction times (0-1 hours) we encounter that the time
increases the percentage yield of the oil extraction as we this trend is
seen in Expanded polystyrene (EPS) that percentage of extraction of oil
increases from 47.50% to 78.49% as we increase the time from 1 hour to
1.7 hour. But the yield becomes constant after an optimum time has been
achieved because of the complete pyrolysis of the raw plastic inside the
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 reactor takes place, 1.5-1.7 hour is found out to be the optimum time for
the process.

11. Results and discussions

11.1 Data collected during the process of pyrolysis

Substance Temperature Duration Feed Flow rate Oil Yield Resid Yield Gases Yield
(°C) (hr) (g) of of oil -ue of of
nitrogen Resid gases
(ml/min) -ue

Expanded 500 1 33 150 15.677 47% 0.297 1% 17.02 51.5%

polystyrene
500 1.5 12 150 8.349 69% 0.241 2% 3.411 28.4%
(EPS)
500 1.5 16 150 11.198 70% 0.462 2.80% 4.355 27.2%
500 1.7 22 200 17.269 78% 0.617 2.81% 4.411 18.7%
500 1.7 13 200 10.235 79% 0.339 2.63% 2.432 18.6%
Polyurethane 500 1.3 37 150 12.552 34% 14.43 40% 10.01 27.0%
Foam (PUR
500 1.2 37 150 10.745 29% 14.82 41% 11.43 30.1%
and PU)
500 1.2 37 150 10.072 27% 17.33 47% 9.587 25.9%
500 1.2 37 150 9.912 27% 18.51 50% 8.568 23.1%
500 1.5 37 150 13.752 37% 13.37 36% 9.874 26.7%
High density 500 1.5 30 150 13.459 45% 6.681 22.2% 9.859 32.8%
polyethylene
500 1.5 30 150 12.156 40% 7.963 26.5% 9.880 32.9%
(HDPE)
500 1.5 30 150 13.014 43% 7.453 24.8% 9.532 31.8%
500 1.5 30 150 10.335 35% 4.137 13.8% 15.52 51.7%
500 1.5 30 150 10.853 46% 7.800 26.0% 11.34 37.8%

11.2 Liquid analysis

The oils were sent for further characterization for the development of
various factors such as densities, kinematic viscosities, cloud point and
pour point and etc.
Densities of Expanded polystyrene (EPS), Polyurethane Foam (PUR and
PU) and High density polyethylene (HDPE) were measured inside the
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labrotaory, a borosil measuring cylinder of 10mL was taken for the
measurement, all the oils were poured in the pre-weighted 10 ml borosil
measuring cylinder up to the mark of 10ml and were weighted after
wards, by subtracting the weight of the borosil measuring cylinder from
the combine weight of measuring cylinder and oil, the mass of the oil
was calculated and then further divided by the volume of the measuring
cylinder ie. 10mL. Formula used for this purpose is as follows:
D = Mfinal-Minital
V(mL)l
Where Mfinal is the weight of measuring cylinder and oil in grams, Minital
is the the weight of measuring cylinder in grams and V is the volume of
the measuring cylinder in mL.
Densities of Expanded polystyrene (EPS), Polyurethane Foam (PUR and
PU) and High density polyethylene (HDPE) were found to be 0.601
g/cc, 0.796 g/cc and 0.698 g/cc Respectively.
The kinematic Viscosities of Polyurethane Foam (PUR and PU) and
High density polyethylene (HDPE) were calculated by rewood
viscometer figure 11.2.1 shows the schematic diagram of the instrument.

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 Figure 11.2.1 Schematic diagram of redwood viscometer
In case of Redwood Viscometer, the kinematic viscosity (n) of liquid
and time t required to pass 50 cc are correlated by the equation by
V=At- B/t
Where,
v= kinematic viscosity in strokes
T= time in seconds to collect 50 cc of oil

For
T=40s to 85s A=0.264 and B=190
T=85s to 2000s A=0.247 and B=65
The kinematic Viscosities of Polyurethane Foam (PUR and PU) at 36°C
and High density polyethylene (HDPE) at 60°C were found to be 15.157
strokes and 27.839 strokes respectively.
Cloud point and pour point were calculated with the help of cloud point
and pour point apparatus, for Expanded polystyrene (EPS) which came

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out to be 2°C and -19°C respectively, and for Polyurethane Foam (PUR
and PU) cloud point and pour point values comes out to be 3°C and -
17°C respectively.

12. Conclusions
Earth is a living organism and an ever expanding tapestry, People need
energy for their survivable varying from food energy to nuclear energies,
we have already polluted almost every resource of energy with plastic
and other hazardous material. In these times plastic as a source of energy
can be a tremendous break through, it will not only solve our problem of
deposing the plastic in open grounds, save the planet from further global
warming but will also provide a source of energy for future generations
and people can shift from fossil fuels to these plastic generated fuels
thus skipping the further manipulation of environment by emission of
hazardous gases. The pyrolysis process for plastic has been found to be
mainly temperature and time dependent. At the optimum conditions , the
maximum yields for Oils for a raw material feed for one batch
comprising of 13g of Expanded polystyrene (EPS), 37g of Polyurethane
Foam (PUR and PU) and 30 g of High density polyethylene (HDPE)
were found to be 79%, 37 % and 46% respectively .In these times plastic
as a source of energy can be a tremendous break through, it will not only
solve our problem of deposing the plastic in open grounds, save the
planet from further global warming but will also provide a source of
energy for future generations and people can shift from fossil fuels to
these plastic generated fuels thus skipping the further manipulation of
environment by emission of hazardous gases.

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13. References
1 .A. López,I. de Marco,B.M. Caballero,M.F. Laresgoiti,A. Adrados.
Influence of time and temperature on pyrolysis of plastic wastes in a
semi-batch reactor Chemical Engineering Journal, Elsevier, 1
September 2011

2. Marta Wołosiewicz-Głąb1,*, Paulina Pięta1 , Sebastian Sas2 , Łukasz

Grabowski1 AGH - University of Science and Technology, Faculty of
Mining and Geoengineering, Department of Environmental Engineering
and Mineral Processing, 30 A. Mickiewicz Ave., 30-059 Cracow,
Poland E3S Web of Conferences 14,02044 (2017) Energy and Fuels
2016

3. Alyssa mertes promo Expert February 8th, 2017, Updates 14th 2019
Complete Recycling LLC, “Plastic Recycling and Resin Identification
Codes”
4. Scranton Products, “Different Types of Plastic and SPI Codes Used to
Classify Them” Miller, Clay, Ways 2 Go Green, “Plastic Recycling &
Plastic Identification Codes” march 2016 .

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