Waste Plastic Recycling and Utilization Processes
In today’s society, with the accelerated pace of industrialization and urbanization, plastic products have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. However, the widespread use of plastic products has also brought about a severe environmental problem—the disposal of waste plastics. How to effectively realize the resource utilization of waste plastics and turn waste into treasure has become a hot issue of concern in the current environmental protection field.
The basic schemes for the resource utilization of waste plastics mainly include three methods: physical recycling, chemical recycling, and energy recovery. Each method has its own processing characteristics and can effectively utilize waste plastics of different types and states.
Physical recycling is one of the relatively direct and economical methods for the resource utilization of waste plastics. The core of this method is to convert waste plastics into recycled plastics through a series of physical processes such as classification, cleaning, crushing, and reshaping, which can then be used to produce new plastic products. A notable feature of physical recycling is its simple process; it can greatly reduce environmental pollution caused by waste plastics and cut down on the consumption of resources such as crude oil.
Chemical recycling decomposes waste plastics into small-molecule substances such as petroleum and chemical raw materials through chemical reactions. This method can handle some plastics that are difficult to recycle physically, such as cross-linked polymers and mixed materials. Chemical recycling is characterized by providing a way to convert waste plastics into high-value chemical products, which greatly expands the application scope of waste plastics. Waste plastics processed by waste plastic pyrolysis equipment can produce fuel oil, carbon black, pyrolysis gas, etc., with the oil yield of different plastics ranging from approximately 10% to 90%.
Waste Plastic Pyrolysis for Oil Production
Energy recovery refers to incinerating waste plastics for power generation or converting them into fuel. This method is particularly suitable for plastic wastes that are difficult to recycle. Through energy recovery, it is possible not only to reduce the volume of waste but also to recover the energy contained in it, providing new energy supplies for society. The characteristic of energy recovery is that it not only disposes of waste but also creates economic value.
The specific technology adopted for waste plastic disposal and recycling needs to be determined based on specific requirements such as the type of plastic, so as to select the appropriate scheme for the recycling and treatment of waste plastics.
