Developing a Simple Catalytic Pyrolysis Unit for Domestic Use

The objective of this research is to develop a household catalytic pyrolysis unit for the thermal cracking of plastic wastes in Egypt, of a capacity of 5 kg. This unit is utilized to convert waste plastic into valuable oil through catalytic pyrolysis, using a low-cost Egyptian natural catalyst. The initial cost of the unit is 100$. The Waste Polypropylene (WPP) was thermally and catalytically degraded at a temperature of 500°C using natural kaolin as a catalyst in various ratios of catalyst to plastic, i.e. 1:1, 1:2, 1:4, 1:6, and 1:8. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG) was utilized to examine the thermal degradation behavior of WPP, while XRF analysis was employed to investigate the catalyst. The produced oil was analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The thermal cracking without a catalyst produced 70% liquid oil by weight. However, using a 1:2 ratio of kaolin to plastic produced the highest oil, 80.75% by weight. In addition, increased the proportion of gasoline and kerosene in the produced oil, with the highest proportion of essential oil, i.e. 45%. The profit of the produced oil per year is 201$ resulting in a revenue time of 0.5 years. It can be concluded that the developed unit for the Egyptian community is a promising technique since it saves the environment, increases the income per family and can be treated as a sustainable source of energy.