Production of Fuels from Nigeria’s Untapped ‘Waste Wealth Using Pyrolysis

Abstract

The extent of pollution that plastic waste poses to our environment is phenomenal. In Nigeria, millions of metric ton of plastics are manufactured continuously due to industrialization and urbanization, a measurable rise in the generation of waste plastics is inevitable, so also is the need to seek alternate energy sources in the place of conventional fuels. Oral disposal of plastics has led to blockage of drainages, flooding and several mess yet unemployment is very high. It is important to venture into how this solid waste can create job opportunities along recycling value chain. Plastics are made by polymerization of hydrocarbons. These hydrocarbon are of typically high molecular mass which are fuel based material. The catalytic and thermal pyrolysis of waste polyethylene terephthalate was carried out using a fixed bed reactor operating at a maximum temperature of 6000C and 3500C respectively. The product obtained are liquid fuel, char and gaseous fuels. For the latter, the catalyst to plastic ratio was effective for ratio 1:6 thus increasing the yield of gas from 50.7% to 55%. The liquid oil obtained in thermal pyrolysis has low quality compare to catalysis pyrolysis with high yield of 39%, but 30.5% for catalysis pyrolysis. The effect of catalyst on temperature, the retention time and product yield enhance the identification of the hydrocarbon compounds present in the liquid oil, ZSM 5 catalyst ratio was raised to ratio 1:10. About sixtyone compounds were identified and the quality of fuel oil was described in terms of aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbon content. The direct implication is that the fuels can serve as alternatives to kerosene petroleum fuel fractions