Pyrolysis Oil from Waste Plastic Bottles as Fuel for a Two-Stroke Engine

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Plastic waste is a major problem in Region IV-A (CALABARZON). Despite efforts of local government units to recover plastic wastes, the average volume of recycled plastics is far less than 4,440.15 tons of waste generated every day in the region. in this study, waste plastics made from Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), mostly used for soft drink bottles, were converted to fuel to run a two-stroke engine that can operate a small power generator.

METHODS

Waste plastic bottles went through pyrolysis to be converted to fuel. Ten (10) Kg of soft drink bottles collected from the surrounding communities were shredded and fed (5 Kg per batch) to an improvised heating chamber made of metal that was heated less than 600 °C.Pyrolysis oil was collected from the container connected to the heating chamber via a metal pipe. Finally, it was transferred to a two-stroke engine the same device found in chainsaws and weed trimmers -to be tested.

RESULTS

The operation of the two-stroke engine fueled with pyrolysis oil lasted approximately two (2) hours shorter compared to standard grade diesel. Its operating duration is dictated by the amount of pyrolysis oil transferred to the device. The experimental setup yielded approximately 1.8 L of pyrolysis oil which is equivalent to 23% weight of waste plastic bottles. Also, it produced a yellowish solid residue by-product which is equivalent to 8% of the feedstock's weight. The remaining 69% were the gaseous yield of the experiment. The pyrolysis oil produced has a lighter color compared to a standard grade diesel. Meanwhile, the two-stroke engine functioned closely similar to a standard grade diesel but with a considerable amount of emission mainly because of impurities.

DISCUSSIONS

The results show that pyrolysis oil from waste plastic bottles can be used as fuel and/or fuel additive for a two-stroke engine that can drive a small power generator. However, waste plastic bottles yield more gas by-products than pyrolysis oil, therefore, creating a need to conduct experiments on other waste plastic materials.