Continuous system for converting waste plastics into Crude Oil. - TopicsExpress



          

Continuous system for converting waste plastics into Crude Oil. https://youtube/watch?v=c7--p1ZAiEo&list=PLK2ccNIJVPpB_XqWWq_oaZGIDzmKiSkYc Plastic is becoming a major problem worldwide. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, in 2012, the United States alone produced roughly 32 million tons of plastic waste, while only recycling about 9 percent of its plastic, This is because of the growing use of nonrecycled plastics, primarily made of polystyrene and polypropylene. Seeing little return value, recyclers just throw these plastics into landfills, where they pile up and never decompose. As a result, landfill space is becoming a concern. But now MIT spinout PK Clean, founded by Priyanka Bakaya, aims to end the landfilling of plastic with a cost-effective system that breaks down nonrecycled plastics into oil, while reusing some of the gas it produces to operate. PK Cleans so-called continuous system — the first of its kind in the United States, runs on a process called catalytic depolymerization, where heat and a catalyst break down plastics into crude oil to sell to refineries. About 70 to 80 percent of the product comes out as oil. Roughly 10 to 20 percent becomes hydrocarbon gas that heats the system, while the remainder is char residue. Following a trial in Pune, India, PK Clean last year built and installed its first full-scale commercial plant in Salt Lake City, partnering with Rocky Mountain Recycling. Operating continuously, the plant can convert up to 10 tons of plastic per day into 60 barrels of oil, with zero toxic emissions. Produced at around $35 per barrel, the oil is sold to a nearby refinery for around $100 per barrel. After nearly a year of operations in Salt Lake City, PK Clean plans to partner with other recyclers globally. To convert the plastics into oil, PK Clean first shreds them. The shreds are then entered into a reactor — which runs at about 400 degrees Celsius — where a catalyst helps degrade the plastics long carbon chains. This produces a vapor that runs through a condenser, where its made into oil. Systems using similar processes have been around for years. But these have been too energy-inefficient and costly for recyclers to adopt. On the other hand, PK Cleans system costs a quarter the price of other systems to run, while producing greater yields. Much of the systems innovation is in its continuous operation. Other systems operate through batch processing, where reactors heat up and then cool down again before the next batch is ready — wasting significant energy and money. But the hydrocarbon gas produced by PK Cleans system maintains the reactors heat, avoiding constant rebooting and energy loss. Additionally, PK Clean adds a catalyst that helps produce greater yields in the conversion process. Automated controls also make the system much easier to use. Within two years PK Clean aims to produce more refined fuel that recyclers can immediately pump back into their recycling trucks, without the need for oil refineries. Throughout 2011, PK Clean won awards and funding from from various sources, including the MIT Clean Energy Prize. Since then, Fortune, Forbes, Inc., and other publications have praised the company for its innovation, and mentioned Bakaya as a top entrepreneur in clean energy. Currently 2 Trillion Tons of Plastic waste is sitting in US landfills. So, there is a huge demand for this technology. #technlogy #innovation #energy #environment
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 08:54:42 +0000

Trending Topics



Recently Viewed Topics




© 2015