ANALYSIS OF THE POTENTIAL FOR PRODUCTION OF COMPOSITE MOTOR FUEL FROM WASTE PLASTICS AND POLYETHYLENE AND WASTE TIRES IN UKRAINE

This study analyses the volumes of plastic, polyethylene, and waste tires generated in Ukraine and assesses the potential for obtaining alternative fuels from these wastes. This waste is accumulating rapidly around the world, and Ukraine is no exception. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the potential for obtaining domestic alternative fuels from waste plastic, polyethylene, and waste tires. The subject of study is the encompasses waste plastic, polyethylene, and waste tires. The subject of the study is waste plastic, polyethylene, and worn-out tires, and their energy potential for alternative fuel production. The working hypothesis of the study is that the establishment of an environmentally friendly collection and processing of these wastes can partially resolve the energy situation in the country. A systematic review of existing studies was chosen as the research method, as official data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine does not fully reflect the current state of waste generation. The study revealed the following. The volume of plastic waste generated in Ukraine annually ranges from 990 thousand tonnes/year to 1820 thousand tonnes/year, with an average of 1405 thousand tonnes/year. Accordingly, the amount of fuel that can be obtained from plastic waste ranges from 297 thousand tonnes/year to 1729 thousand tonnes/year. Every year, 3–4.1 million tonnes of polyethylene waste remains unrecycled. The potential for producing fuel from polyethylene waste ranges from 1500 thousand tonnes per year to 3700 thousand tonnes per year. Ukraine generates 225–360 thousand tonnes of unused worn-out tires annually. The potential for obtaining fuel from waste tires ranges from 67.5 thousand tonnes per year to 180 thousand tonnes per year. Thus, the total potential for obtaining motor fuel from waste plastic, polyethylene, and waste tires ranges from 1864.5 thousand tonnes/year to 5609 thousand tonnes/year and indicates the need to establish environmental management of these wastes in Ukraine. The proposed hypothesis has been substantiated by the results of these studies. Keywords: composite motor fuels, plastic recycling, polyethylene recycling, waste tire recycling, environmental protection, energy efficiency, decarbonization.