WASTE TO ENERGY - Das letzte Lied des Wals · video cassettes, clamshell containers, and packaging peanuts. Another popular usage is to foam the plastic and turn it into styrofoam

WASTE TO ENERGY Transforming Plastics

into Fuel through Pyrolysis

Kai Vidali

Freies Gymnasium Bern - (Prima 3)

Supervisor: Dr. Anselm Oberholzer

Term Paper – 2018

Waste to Energy – Kai Vidali 2

Table of Contents

1. Introduction ......................................................................................... 3

1.1 Inspiration .................................................................................................................. 3

1.2 Plastic – A modern Material ....................................................................................... 4

1.2.1 Problems Related to the Introduction of new Materials into the Environment .. 7

2. Hypothesis ........................................................................................... 9

2.1 Plastic as a Resource ................................................................................................... 9

2.2 Waste to Energy through Pyrolysis ............................................................................. 9

2.2.1 Possible Problems Related to the use of Pyrolyzed Plastic as Fuel .................... 10

3. Procedure ........................................................................................... 11

3.1 Determination of the Composition of Plastic Waste in our Oceans and on Land ..... 11

3.2 Preliminary Tests ...................................................................................................... 12

3.3 Research on possible lab-scale setups ...................................................................... 14

3.4 Experimentation at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry ...................... 15

3.4.1 Building my apparatus ....................................................................................... 16

3.4.2 Experimenting with plastics ............................................................................... 17

3.4.3 Analyzing the results.......................................................................................... 18

4. Interview with the founders of a Plastics to Fuel Plant, ......................... 21

4.1 Energy efficiency....................................................................................................... 22

4.2 Toxicity ..................................................................................................................... 22

4.3 Profitability ............................................................................................................... 23

5. Conclusion .......................................................................................... 24

5.1 Changing global awareness: Waste to Value ........................................................ 24

Acknowledgments .................................................................................... 26

Bibliography ............................................................................................. 27

Image Index .............................................................................................. 30

Appendix I - Interview with Mr. Laurent Helfrich ........................................ 32

Appendix II - Interview with Mr. Martin Müller .......................................... 36


1. Introduction 1.1 Inspiration

Even as a very young child, I was always interested in our environment and the adverse effects

that humans often have on it. My interest in plastics was sparked when I was 11 years old and

wrote an elementary school paper on its origins and the effects it has had on our planet in

the mere hundred years of its existence. Organic chemistry has always interested me and

polymers, in particular, intrigue me because of their incredible characteristics and their

versatility. I think of plastics as a wonderful new resource and am saddened that people and

the industry use them wastefully instead of realizing their potentially great value as raw

materials.

I recently had a fascinating discussion with an aunt of mine who told me about pyrolysis of

plastic waste as a method to obtain fuel. This conversation made me wonder whether this

process would be efficient and environmentally friendly enough to make it a financially viable

solution to the problems we face today. Could pyrolysis of mixed plastic waste from our

environment to transform it into energy be a profitable and clean endeavor? The purpose of

my research is to break down polymers into their respective components and to attempt to

answer this question.


1.2 Plastic – A modern Material

Synthetic plastics are a relatively recent invention that has revolutionized our way of life and

which have had a significant impact in many fields of human activity. Plastics were invented

in 19071 and made out of petroleum which is a substance produced by the decay of plankton

and other organisms over millions of years. Most of them are composed of small

hydrocarbons, such as propylene, which are found in petroleum. During manufacture, a

process called polymerization generates long chains of these molecules, also known as

polymers, creating strong carbon-carbon bonds which are usually not found in nature.2

In just over a hundred years these incredibly versatile polymers have been implemented in

every conceivable industry, from architecture to medicine, from clothing to electronics: you

name it. In the last fifty years, the production and consumption of plastics have steadily

increased, and they can now be found all over our planet. According to a CNBC article

published in 20173 more than nine billion tons of plastic have been made since the 1950s and

almost 300 million tons of plastics are produced by the industry each year.

Before the invention of plastics, the only materials that could be easily molded into different

shapes were clay, metal or glass. These substances, however, do not possess many of the

characteristics that have made plastic so popular, such as low production costs, elasticity,

high strength to weight ratio, durability, and shock resistance.

Plastics can be divided into many different categories the most common of which are: PET,

HDPE; PVC, LDPE, PP, and PS4. There is a standard marking code used for plastics called the

Resin Identification Code5. Plastics such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP),

polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polystyrene (PS) are the most

common and have the highest rates of production.

1 See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic (19.04.2018) 2 See https://www.livescience.com/33085-petroleum-derived-plastic-non-biodegradable.html (19.04.2018) 3 See https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/19/the-world-has-made-more-than-9-billion-tons-of-plastic-says-new-study.html (19.04.2018) 4 See https://preciousplastic.com/en/videos/plastics.html (19.04.2018) 5 See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resin_identification_code (19.04.2018)


• Polyethylene (PE) is made from its monomer ethene which is in turn fractionally

distilled from crude oil. Polyethylene is split into two groups: low-density polyethylene

(LDPE) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE). LDPE is used mostly for plastic bags,

toys, containers, bottles, flexible tubing, and electrical insulation. HDPE is used for

bottles, grocery bags, milk jugs, agricultural pipe, playground equipment, and plastic

lumber. PE can be molded into many different shapes, and it is cheap to produce. It is

the most produced polymer today.

Figure 1 The molecular structure of ethene is shown on the left while its polymer polyethylene is shown to the right.

• Polypropylene (PP) is the second most produced plastic and is made out of the

monomer propene which is also a product of oil refining. PP is mostly used for items

such as auto parts, industrial fibers, food containers, and dishware. PP is exceptionally

resistant to fatigue and is thus used in many items which contain moving parts such

as living hinges.

Figure 2 The molecular structure of propene is shown on the left while its polymer polypropylene is shown to the right.


• Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) is produced by polymerizing the monomer bis(2-

hydroxyethyl) terephthalate. The monomer, in turn, is synthesized by an esterification

reaction between terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol. PET belongs to the family of

the Polyesters which is well known for its use in the textile industry. PET is very popular

because it can be easily recycled. It is used most commonly in the manufacture of

Polyester fibers, soft drink bottles, carpets, and paneling.

Figure 3 The molecular structure of bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate is shown on the left while its polymer Polyethylene Terephthalate is shown to the right.

• Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) is the third most produced plastic worldwide. It is

polymerized using the monomer vinyl chloride which is produced by reacting ethyne,

a product found in crude oil, with hydrochloric acid. PVC is very popular because the

rigidity of its structure can be easily modified by adding substances like phthalates to

the plastic. This form of plastic is commonly used for piping, window profiles, siding,

flooring, shower curtains, lawn chairs, and non-food bottles.

Figure 4 The molecular structure of vinyl chloride is shown on the left while its polymer Polyvinyl Chloride is shown to the right.

• Polystyrene (PS) is made by polymerizing its monomer styrene6 it naturally occurs in

the resin of the American sweetgum tree (Liquidambar styraciflua)7 but is now

synthesized using other methods. PS is a brittle but cheap to produce plastic. It is

6 Ethenylbenzene 7 See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styrene (27.09.2018)


mostly used for packaging and one-time usage items, such as plastic utensils, toys,

video cassettes, clamshell containers, and packaging peanuts. Another popular usage

is to foam the plastic and turn it into styrofoam this mostly used for packaging or

insulation.

Figure 5 The molecular structure of styrene is shown on the left while its polymer Polystyrene is shown to the right.

1.2.1 Problems Related to the Introduction of new Materials into the Environment

Because plastics are quite a recent invention, scientists are just beginning to discover their

effects on the environment. Alongside the significant advantages they have, there are also

many problems, for instance, the environmental impact of a substance that does not readily

biodegrade. The reason for this is that bacteria and fungi are not specialized in breaking

carbon-carbon bonds and are better suited for splitting peptide bonds (nitrogen-carbon).

Plastics can undergo a process called photo-degradation in which UV and infrared sunlight

oxidize them. This process is slow and inefficient, and the substances can remain in the

environment for hundreds of years8.

Since roughly 33% of plastic products are conceived for one-time use and over 85% of total

plastic used is not recycled9, a considerable amount of waste is accumulated which can now

be found in our environment all over the globe. In 2015 a team of researchers from the

University of California, Santa Barbara estimated that between 4.8 million and 12.7 million

metric tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year.10 Many of these materials are dumped

8 See https://www.pollutionsolutions-online.com/news/waste-management/21/breaking-news/what-is-plastic-photodegradation/35801 (19.04.2018) 9 See https://plasticdisclosure.org/about/why-pdp.html (28.09.2018) 10 See http://www.news.ucsb.edu/2015/014985/ocean-plastic (28.09.2018)


into our oceans and currents amass them in different areas. The concentration of plastic

nanoparticles is elevated in these so-called garbage patches. This high presence of a foreign

substance affects marine wildlife by introducing plastics into the food chain. Plastic particles

are often ingested by aquatic creatures which confuse them with their food source, plankton.

Issues such as the toxicity of the chemicals used in the production of plastic and their effects

on human health are relatively unexplored. Chemical substances used in making plastic such

as Phthalates and Bisphenol A (BPA) can now be found in human blood and in amniotic fluid

which has an influence on fertility and our endocrine system.11 Researchers have found plastic

micro-particles12 in our drinking water,13 and plastic nano-particles even pollute the air we

breathe causing other harmful effects to our health.

Alongside environmental and health issues, there are also global economic and political

consequences to the vast amount of plastics we consume on a daily basis. Since plastics are

a petroleum-based product and petroleum is a dwindling resource, our enormous demand

for plastics might represent a contribution to tension and struggle between nations over this

valuable raw material. Plastic pollution in our environment has slowly but surely become a

global issue that needs to be addressed on many different levels.

11 See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4586663/ (19.04.2018) 12 See http://www.3sat.de/mediathek/?mode=play&obj=49073 (19.04.2018) 13 See https://orbmedia.org/stories/Invisibles_plastics/multimedia (19.04.2018)


2. Hypothesis

2.1 Plastic as a Resource

As mentioned earlier, a mere century after its invention, plastic has become ubiquitous. It can

be found all over the planet, on land, in our oceans and in the air which we breathe. Tiny

amounts have even been found in human blood samples. Living organisms have not had the

time to adapt to this new substance which now contaminates the environment on an

unprecedented scale. At the same time, the world's petroleum reserves are slowly dwindling,

and the demand for this raw material is often a trigger for gruesome wars.

I believe it would be possible and economically viable to encourage the extraction of

environmentally damaging plastics from our oceans and landfills by developing an efficient

method to transform them back again into raw materials, such as fuel. This procedure could

contribute to a circular economy where waste is reintroduced into the chain of production

rather than into our environment14. Such a process would have an essential and positive

economic, political and environmental impact on our planet.

2.2 Waste to Energy through Pyrolysis Pyrolysis could represent a way to achieve at least a partial solution to the problems

mentioned above. Pyrolysis is the process of decomposition of a substance through the

addition of heat. It works by breaking down long hydrocarbon chains into smaller components

and, in the case of plastic, it can be used to create liquid fuel and synthetic natural gas15, 16.

This fact could represent an incentive to remove plastic waste from our environment and

transform it back into liquid organic compounds that could be used as fuel or to produce

recycled plastics.

14 See https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/our-work/activities/new-plastics-economy (28.09.2018) 15 See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrolysis (20.04.2018) 16 See https://insteading.com/blog/plastic-to-fuel/ (20.04.2018)


2.2.1 Possible Problems Related to the use of Pyrolyzed Plastic as Fuel

As I started thinking about pyrolysis and polymers and studying their molecular structure, I

soon realized that some polymers, for example, PTFE17 and PVC18 contain elements such as

fluoride and chlorine. These elements can combine with the components of our fuel and

create dangerous chemical compounds. How could the hazardous substances be identified,

separated and contained? Already there have been protests in specific areas against plastics-

to-fuel plants because the public is wary of these new experimental technologies.19 Another

question is, whether the pyrolysis of mixed plastic waste, such as that dredged from the

ocean20, is energy efficient. Does it take more energy for the process than is actually

produced?

17 Poly (tetrafluoroethylene) 18 Poly (vinyl chloride) 19 See https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/feb/20/campaigners-reject-plastics-to-fuel-projects-but-are-they-right (21.04.18) 20 See https://www.theoceancleanup.com (21.04.18)


3. Procedure When I started my project, my intent was to pyrolyze different kinds of plastic on a lab scale

to discover what kind of products are produced and which of them have the highest energy

performance. After collecting the data, my idea was to determine the approximate

composition of our mixed plastic waste and compare it with the performance of the pure

plastic sources. During the process, I wanted to check how toxic the gases produced during

pyrolysis are and do research to find out whether there are filters that could eliminate any

harmful substances that might be released into our environment. I hope that pyrolysis will

prove to be an environmentally clean, economically viable and even lucrative solution to the

many problems which face future generations today.

3.1 Determination of the Composition of Plastic Waste in our Oceans and on Land I went up on the internet and discovered that the percentages of individual plastic types

vary depending on whether they are harvested from land or the ocean. The plastics that are

removed from the ocean are usually found in the top five meters of water and are buoyant.

Plastics that float are generally polyolefins such as high-density polyethylene, low-density

polyethylene, and polypropylene21. Plastics from landfills vary in composition according to

how much plastic recycling a country does.

Figure 6 Recycling and energy recovery in 2007 according to country. Switzerland has the highest combined recycling and energy recovery of municipal waste in Europe.

21 See https://owlcation.com/stem/How-plastic-is-really-recycled (27.06.2018)


In Europe, Germany is the leader in the recycling of municipal waste, and Switzerland is at

the top when considering both recycling and energy management22. For this reason, in

many first-world countries smaller amounts of plastic end up in municipal landfills. For this

study, therefore, I thought I would use data from a 2016 municipal plastic waste

composition study done at a transfer station in Bangkok, Thailand where the problem of

solid waste management is more pronounced. In this study, the main plastic elements

found in the samples taken were HDPE, LDPE, PP, PET, OTHER, and PS whereas PVC had the

lowest contribution23.

Figure 7 Municipal plastic waste composition at the Nongkhaem transfer station in Bangkok, Thailand in 2016.

3.2 Preliminary Tests After an initial meeting with my supervisor, Dr. Anselm Oberholzer, and his laboratory

assistant, Ms. Wyss, I realized that the facilities in my school did not have all the specialized

equipment needed to be able to perform such experiments. Our laboratory is equipped with

the materials necessary to build a distillation apparatus and with nitrogen to flush the oxygen

out of the system, but the difficulty lies in finding a heating source that is strong enough to

pyrolyze the plastic samples. Temperatures of up to 600° C are necessary to pyrolyze plastics

completely, and the hot plates in our laboratory can only reach a temperature of maximum

250° C. Another problem is that the sample has to be in a container with no oxygen with an

outlet where fumes can be captured and then further distilled. The substances which remain

22 See: http://www.plastic-zero.com/media/62450/annex_d20c_-_action_1.3_-_review_of_plastic_waste_in_municipal_waste_stream_-_germany_final.pdf (28.06.2018) 23 See: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876610216317210 (28.06.2018)


gaseous at room temperature must also be contained to determine their toxicity. I also

needed to understand how long it would take to perform the experiments so that I could plan

my research. To do this, I set up several initial tests in the school laboratory using one gram

of shredded PVC, PET, HDPE, PP, PS, PC, and PMMA. I shredded each material until the

particles were approximately 5 mm in diameter and added 1g to a test tube. I affixed the test

tube to a stand inside of a fume hood and using a Bunsen burner, heated the substances until

they ceased to emit fumes. Each experiment was timed to determine a rough estimate of the

time needed to pyrolyze a more significant quantity in my final experiments. What I learned

from these preliminary experiments was that some plastics burned very cleanly and left

almost no residue behind in the test tube (e.g., PP and PC) whereas others (e.g., PVC and PET)

left behind a lot of charred and brownish-yellow material. Even the fumes coming off of the

PVC were brownish in contrast to the others which were white. I also realized that it takes a

significantly longer amount of time to pyrolyze HDPE as compared to the other plastics. In

this case, a high amount of re-condensation was observed which might have affected the

duration of the process. At this point, I determined it would take me approximately five days

to complete my experiments.

Figure 8 A: PVC residue B: PET residue C: PP residue D: From left to right PVC, PVC, PET, PS and PP residue.


PVC PET PS PP PMMA PC HDPE

Fume 0:30 0:30 0:20 0:30 0:30 0:26 0:40

Fume/Boil - 0:35 0:30 0:35 - 0:35 0:55

End of

Pyrolysis

3:50 1:30 2:00 2:40 2:00 1:30 12:00

Figure 9 Table illustrating the time elapsed before fuming, fuming and boiling and the end of the pyrolysis of the preliminary experiments in minutes and seconds

Figure 10 Chart illustrating heating, fuming, fuming and boiling times of the preliminary experiments in seconds

3.3 Research on possible lab-scale setups I needed to discover the best way to pyrolyze slightly larger quantities of plastic, so I went

online and found a basic diagram for a laboratory-scale pyrolysis apparatus called “The Wee

Beastie” 24 In this diagram below, the layout of a sample tube with a sintered base inserted in

a split-tube furnace is shown. Nitrogen is inserted from below and through the sintered base.

Figure 11“The Wee Beastie” UK Biochar Research Centre Laboratory Scale Pyrolisis Apparatus

24 See https://www.biochar.ac.uk/download.php?id=65 (20.08.2018)

0

200

400

600

800

PVC PET PS PP PMMA PC HDPE

Heating Fume Fume/Boil End of pyrolysis


At the same time, I contacted Mr. Tomas Kropacek, the founder of a start-up project called

Mobirec25. Mobirec intends to produce mobile pyrolysis devices in which plastic and rubber,

even when contaminated with other elements, could be reprocessed into oil and coal at low

cost. The idea is to offer a cheap, mobile and straightforward solution for the transformation

of plastic waste to fuel with little or no hazardous waste created during the process.

Mr. Kropacec confirmed that most plastics need temperatures of between 180° C to 400° C

to pyrolyze properly. As an inexpensive solution, he suggested I use a pressure cooker and

attach copper tubing to the lid to create an outlet for the fumes. A pt-1000 sensor could be

used to monitor the temperature, and the pot should be insulated with fiberglass attached

to the outer surface with aluminum tape.

3.4 Experimentation at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry I visited the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the University of Bern to ask

whether they had any equipment that could be suited to my purpose and whether they

would allow me to do some of my experiments there. I contacted Prof. Dr. Matthias Arenz

and was permitted to use the lab under his supervision. The lab in the chemistry

department had the following equipment that was available for my project:

• Split tube furnace

A high-temperature, tube-shaped furnace which can be opened sideways allowing

easy access to the test sample being heated. The high temperatures produced are

necessary for efficient pyrolysis of the plastic samples.

• Gas chromatograph mass spectrometer

A device for separating and analyzing materials that are found in a test sample. It

could be used to analyze the composition of the fuel samples produced by pyrolysis.

• Calorimeter

An object used to measure the heat of a chemical reaction as well as heat capacity

which is necessary to determine the amount of energy present in the fuel.

25 See http://www.mobirec.net (20.08.2018)


• Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectrometer

A device used to obtain the infrared spectrum of a substance. It represents another

potential method to discover the composition of the fuel produced by pyrolysis.

3.4.1 Building my apparatus

To create my initial apparatus, I used two short boro-silicate glass tubes which were fitted

together to form a larger tube. This larger tube became the pyrolysis chamber which would

be heated to approximately 500° C. An adapter was connected to a large hose which in turn

was attached directly to a hot trap. The hot trap was connected via a small bubbler (the only

adapter found) and a hose, to a condenser. This condenser was attached to an Erlenmeyer

receiver (our makeshift hot trap) which in turn was connected in series with two cold traps,

one in a beaker containing ice and the other in a Dewar flask containing liquid nitrogen.

This setup changed over time until I had a final arrangement consisting of three cold traps

connected directly to the oven. I removed both the condenser and the hot trap from the first

setup because liquids condensed earlier than I had anticipated. I also modified the reactor

chamber by adding a bubble tube between the two long tubes so that the liquefied plastic

would not flow out of the oven.

Figure 12 The pyrolysis chamber: split tube furnace containing the bubble tube attached in between two glass tubes in my finalized apparatus.


Figure 13 The final setup of my pyrolysis apparatus. Liquid nitrogen flows from the tank on the far right. The electric split tube furnace is contained in the blue case with temperature controls to its right. To the left of the furnace, the three cold traps are connected in series ending in the exhaust line.

3.4.2 Experimenting with plastics

In the space of six days, I was able to perform seven experiments using different plastics. After

three test runs to make sure that my equipment was properly set up, I started with a small

quantity of HDPE. I terminated the experiment because there was no liquid product, though

a substance having the consistency of Vaseline was found in the tubes exiting the reactor.

This showed me that the HDPE had not been pyrolyzed enough to create a liquid product.

A second experiment using PET resulted in disaster as the system became clogged by a solid

end-product causing a pressure buildup which broke a seal in the oven and released fumes

into the lab. It was clear that PET could no longer be used with this set-up.


Figure 14 Soot (black) and re-sublimated oligomer of pyrolyzed PET (pale yellow) in the glassware of the reactor chamber.

Time was running out and cleaning dirty glassware took up a lot of it. For these reasons, it

was decided to continue using only plastics that burned cleaner such as PP, PE, and PS. In the

final experiments, I used these aforementioned plastics and was able to obtain some product

from PP and PS. PE, although it burned cleanly, left no product behind.

3.4.3 Analyzing the results I decided to attempt to use calorimetry to identify the heating value of my samples. In my

case, the calorimetry results did not correspond with the literature. In my opinion, this may

have been due to the lack of oxygen in the calorimetric setup.

To analyze the gaseous products of my experiments I used a gas chromatograph. This

apparatus separates the compounds of a sample corresponding to their different physical and

chemical properties26 using a carrier gas contained in a long column. The GC must first be

calibrated to detect different hydrocarbons.

26 See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_chromatography (30.08.2018)


The GC results of my PP experiments showed large amounts of methane, ethane, propane,

ethene, propene and hydrogen in the polypropylene gas. There were more unsaturated

hydrocarbons than saturated hydrocarbons and an almost non-existent amount of CO2.

Figure 15 Polypropylene GC results showing large amounts of methane, ethane, propane, ethene, propene, and hydrogen.

The polystyrene gas showed almost no methane, some ethane, ethene and propane and a

large quantity of propene and hydrogen.

Figure 16 Polystyrene GC results showing large amounts of propene and hydrogen, some ethane, ethene, and propane but nearly no methane.


I had had the intention of analyzing my products using a gas chromatograph mass

spectrometer and comparing them to commercial diesel and gasoline which I purchased at a

gas station. I expected to find C4-C15 paraffins, olefins and perhaps acetylenes in the PP

sample due to my observations of the gases analyzed with the gas spectrometer. I expected

the same in the PS samples, with the possible addition of various aromatic compounds due

to the strong structural integrity of the benzene ring in polystyrene. The samples were

untouched, i.e., the oil was directly transferred into sample vials with no solvent. A solvent

would have been added before analysis.

Unfortunately, the necessary equipment at the University was unavailable and the time I had

left was short. I tried to contact La Roche Ltd. where I had taken part in the “Science on the

Move”27 project a year before to ask whether they had a GC-MS but they replied that they

did not have one for students to use. I realized that the data I had gathered was insufficient

to answer the key questions I had posed at the beginning of my research project and that its

scope was far too vast. At this point, I would be unable to perform the experiments that I had

intended to do with mixed plastic waste from land and sea. The delicate, small-scale

laboratory equipment was unsuited to the task I had set myself and the time I had at my

disposal would not be sufficient to gather conclusive data.

Concerning the experiments I did manage to perform; if I had the chance to repeat them, I

would use a low flow rate and a higher oven temperature. Also, with a larger pyrolysis

chamber, it would be possible to pyrolyze more substantial amounts which would yield more,

or at least some, product.

Through my experience in the lab, I learned that pyrolysis of PP yields the best results. PET

does not produce any liquid product and clogs and dirties small-scale lab equipment. The

gases PET emits during pyrolysis re-sublimate into a yellow solid. These experiences, however,

did not answer the question of whether pyrolysis of mixed plastics could be an energy

efficient way to recycle plastic waste.

27 See: https://www.simplyscience.ch/teens-machmit-wettbewerbe/articles/science-on-the-move.html 07.10 2018


4. Interview with the founders of a Plastics to Fuel Plant28,29

Figure 17 Diesoil developed a technology (Syntrol) for the environmentally friendly and profitable recycling of plastic waste. On the left is a representation of the pyrolysis furnace. The heat is maintained using the gases produced during the process. On the right is the distillation tower showing the products produced and their uses.

At this point, I went on the internet to see if there were any plastics to fuel plants in Europe

that I could contact and was surprised to find that Switzerland is the first country in the world

to have a fully functional pilot plant for the pyrolysis of plastic waste30. In the Swiss canton of

Zug, oil has been made from plastic waste using a patented process called Syntrol for several

years. Since I was unable to answer my initial questions through my experiments, I decided

to contact the founders of this pilot project and interview them about their experience. On

October 3rd 2018, I met with Mr. Laurent Helfrich, the driving force behind Diesoil who was

so kind as to take time from his busy schedule to answer my questions. The co-inventor of

the Syntrol process, Mr. Martin Müller, also provided me with many technical details that

helped clarify the issues that concerned me.

28 See: Appendix I - Interview with Mr. Laurent Helfrich 29 See: Appendix II, Interview with Mr. Martin Müller 30 See: https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/wirtschaft/unternehmen-und-konjunktur/Schweizer-Firma-verwandelt-Plastikmuell-in-Heizoel/story/22278964 (30.08.2018)


When I started my project, the questions I asked myself concerned energy efficiency, toxicity,

and profitability. My experiments did not yield enough data to answer them, but the hands-

on industrial experience of Mr. Helfrich and Mr. Müller gave me the answers I was looking

for.

4.1 Energy efficiency

According to Mr. Helfrich and Mr. Müller, during the Syntrol process, almost 90% of the

chemical energy in plastic is transformed into fuel. Most of the energy required is obtained

from the pyrolysis process itself. What most influences the efficiency of the process is the

optimization of the insulation. My own experiments confirmed this, as much of the energy

was lost due to insufficient insulation and suboptimal control of the process.

4.2 Toxicity

Mr. Helfrich and Mr. Müller confirmed that no toxic products are released into the

atmosphere or the environment during the Syntrol process because it is a closed circuit. There

is no outlet for fumes or leakage, and everything is circulated in a sealed environment. The

only by-product is ca. 2% of soot or coal depending on the quality of the raw materials used.

This by-product can be used to fuel cement or power plants. The plastic used for the process

is sorted to prevent halogenated polymers such as PVC from contaminating the final product

with chlorine. Mr. Helfrich confirmed that chlorine damages motors and that therefore the

threshold for such compounds is quite low at 0.5%. The fuel produced using this method is

pure enough to use directly in a vehicle and can be compared with a refined product and not

with crude oil.


4.3 Profitability

As Mr. Helfrich and Mr. Müller explained in their interviews, taking plastic and distilling it back

into mineral oils is far cheaper than extracting raw petroleum from the ground. Turning one

kilogram of plastic into nearly a liter of fuel currently costs 27 cents which is cheaper than

drilling for and refining crude oil. Some oil is used in the beginning to heat the reactors. After

that 15% of the product, gases which are not condensed, is used to maintain the temperature.

One ton of plastic waste produces 850 liters of fuel, which means that 150 liters of fuel are

needed to keep the reactors hot. According to both Mr. Helfrich and Mr. Müller, this process

makes absolute sense both ecologically and economically. In Switzerland and other first-

world countries, waste management is quite advanced, and most municipal waste is burned

in incinerators to produce heat and energy. Mr. Helfrich explained that there is even a waste

shortage in Switzerland because vast amounts of mixed waste are necessary to fuel the

incinerators. The Diesoil process makes more sense in third-world or developing countries

where it is still cheaper to abandon waste in the environment rather than to recycle it.

Landfills in these countries could be viewed as valuable resources to funnel into a circular

economy.


5. Conclusion

Through my immersion into the waste management issues of our modern society, I learned

that nearly 7 to 8 percent of the world’s fossil fuel, a non-renewable resource, is used to

manufacture plastic products. A large part of the plastic produced is used to make

disposable items that become waste within a year. These facts indicate that our current use

of plastics is not sustainable. Reducing the use of plastic, reusing and recycling it as well as

recovering the energy it contains represent the best ways to reduce its impact on our

environment31 Though there are technical problems such as how to extract, sort and

separate materials found in the environment, most of these issues have already been

addressed.

The business world is already conscious of the fact that municipal waste is a resource. One

of Diesoil’s taglines is “Plastic is liquid Gold.”32 In fact, in 2015 the value of sorted waste

plastics ranged between 50 – 450 Euros per ton, the highest value being PE-HD.33

Figure 18 Table showing Price of Plastics in EUR/t by Plastic Type

5.1 Changing global awareness: Waste to Value

The only way to keep more plastic from being discarded into our environment is to change

global awareness around this issue. We need to start thinking globally in terms of a circular-

economy where used plastic is no longer merely waste to be disposed of but rather a valuable

31 See: http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/364/1526/2115#ref-37 (08.10.2018) 32 Tagline used on Diesoil promotional flyer 33 See https://www.quora.com/How-much-does-a-ton-of-plastic-cost (5.10.2018)


resource that can be harvested and reintroduced into the chain of production. When people

begin to see plastic waste as a valuable raw material, there will be a real incentive to “mine”

it from the environment and to transform it into energy. This concept is referred to as a

“Waste to Energy” process.34

What is important is that this consciousness become more and more widespread so that

people in countries all over the world are motivated to recycle and transform waste into

energy. Laurent Helfrich’s idealistic concept is that of zero waste,35 a philosophy that

encourages the reuse of all products so that no trash is sent to landfills, incinerators or the

oceans. In his interview, he told me, “The problem is not about how much plastic we

produce but about changing people’s mindset so that they realize that plastic can be used to

make fuel. It is a circular economy, a cycle where oil is turned into plastic and back.

Prohibiting the use of plastic does not help. People need to be made aware that there are

technical solutions to these problems.”36

The recovery of the energy contained in plastic represents a fundamental part of waste

management. My studies have shown me that it is possible to do this in both an

environmentally friendly and profitable manner. In fact, the global waste-to-energy market

is forecasted to grow into a 33 billion US dollar industry by the year 2023. These figures

could represent a significant incentive for companies to help solve the global plastic-

pollution problem.37 So, does it make sense to use pyrolysis to turn plastic back into fuel?

Done correctly, it is a non-toxic, energy efficient and profitable process so in my opinion:

absolutely!

34 See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waste-to-energy (19.04.2018) 35 See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_waste (5.10.2018)

36 Appendix I - Interview with Mr. Laurent Helfrich 37 See https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2016/05/25/843095/0/en/WTE-Waste-to-Energy-Market-size-over-33-Billion-by-2023-Global-Market-Insights-Inc.html (19.04.2018)


Acknowledgments

Special thanks go to Dr. Anselm Oberholzer for his kind guidance and advice as well as to his

lab assistant Ms. Wyss for her time. I am incredibly grateful to the Department of Chemistry

and Biochemistry of the University in Bern for their generosity and availability. I am deeply

indebted to Prof. Dr. Matthias Arenz who, in spite of his busy schedule, found the time to

coordinate this project with me, as well as to the enthusiastic and good-humored research

group members Mr. Jan Bucher, Mr. Francesco Bizzotto, Dr. Alessandro Zana and Dr. Abhijit

Dutta whose invaluable help made this project possible. I am also profoundly grateful to Mr.

Laurent Helfrich, the founder of Diesoil and Mr. Martin Müller, the inventor of the Syntrol

technology that is behind it. Without the time and effort, they put into answering all my

questions I would not have been able to proceed with my work. Thanks also go to Ms. Irin

Zschokke and Mr. Tomas Kropacek for inspiring me to discover more about the waste to

energy process and to my mother for her extraordinary and loving support.


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Image Index

• Title Fig. (https://i0.wp.com/www.creedla.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/wte-

power-generation.png)

• Fig 1. The molecular structure of ethene is shown on the left while its polymer

polyethylene is shown to the right. (https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-

double-bond-605044 , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyethylene)

• Fig 2. The molecular structure of propene is shown on the left while its polymer

polypropylene is shown to the right. (http://pediaa.com/difference-between-

propane-and-propene/, http://www.chemicalforums.com/index.php?topic=84366.0)

• Fig 3. The molecular structure of bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate is shown on the

left while its polymer Polyethylene Terephthalate is shown to the right.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bis(2-Hydroxyethyl)_terephthalate,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyethylene_terephthalate)

• Fig 4. The molecular structure of vinyl chloride is shown on the left while its polymer

Polyvinyl Chloride is shown to the right. (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Vinyl-

chloride-2D.svg, http://pspatialaudio.com/pvc.htm)

• Fig 5. The molecular structure of styrene is shown on the left while its polymer

Polystyrene is shown to the right. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styrene,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polystyrene)

• Fig 6. Recycling and energy recovery in 2007 according to country. Switzerland has

the highest combined recycling and energy recovery of municipal waste in Europe.

(http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/364/1526/2115#ref-37)

• Fig 7. Municipal plastic waste composition at the Nongkhaem transfer station in

Bangkok, Thailand in 2016 (https://ac.els-cdn.com/S1876610216317210/1-s2.0-

S1876610216317210-main.pdf?_tid=49319919-9650-4e34-8b66-

ac9ef2a8457b&acdnat=1538834203_ffefadc05e8e07c1f77ff508ff59234c).

• Fig 8. A: PVC residue B: PET residue C: PP residue D: From left to right PVC, PVC, PET,

PS and PP residue.

• Fig 9. Table illustrating the time elapsed before Fuming, Fuming and Boiling and the

End of the pyrolysis of the preliminary experiments in minutes and seconds


• Fig 10. Chart illustrating heating, Fuming, Fuming and Boiling times of the Preliminary

experiments in Seconds

• Fig. 11 “The Wee Beastie” UK Biochar Research Centre Laboratory Scale Pyrolisis

Apparatus https://www.biochar.ac.uk/download.php?id=65

• Fig. 12 The pyrolysis chamber: Split tube furnace containing the bubble tube

attached in between two glass tubes in my finalized apparatus.

• Fig. 13 The final setup of my pyrolysis apparatus. Liquid nitrogen flows from the tank

on the far right. The electric split tube furnace is contained in the blue case with

temperature controls to its right. To the left of the furnace, the three cold traps are

connected in series ending in the exhaust line.

• Fig. 14 Soot (black) and re-sublimated oligomer of pyrolyzed PET (pale yellow) in the

glassware of the reactor chamber.

• Fig. 15 Polypropylene GC results showing large amounts of methane, ethane,

propane, ethene, propene, and hydrogen.

• Fig. 16 Polystyrene GC results showing large amounts of propene and hydrogen,

some ethane, ethene, and propane but nearly no methane.

• Fig. 17 Diesoil developed a technology for the environmentally friendly and

profitable recycling of plastic waste. On the left is a representation of the pyrolysis

furnace. The heat is maintained using the gases produced during the process. On the

right is the distillation tower showing the products produced and their uses. See:

https://diesoil.eu/logoil-2/

• Fig. 18 Table showing Price of Plastics in EUR/t by Plastic Type

(https://www.quora.com/How-much-does-a-ton-of-plastic-cost)

• Fig. 19 Laurent Helfrich (https://www.thunertagblatt.ch/region/thun-und-berner-

oberland/Baut-die-Dinett-Holding-AG-nur-ein-grosses-Luftschloss/story/15557013)

• Fig.20 Martin Müller (http://new-plastic-cycle.com/de/team/martin-mueller/)


Appendix I - Interview with Mr. Laurent Helfrich

Figure 19 Mr. Laurent Helfrich

Mr. Laurent Helfrich is the founder of Diesoil concept. We met in Thun on Oct 3, 2018, for an interview about his fuel to energy concept. (translated from German) Q: Mr. Helfrich, from what I have read, you were the driving force behind Diesoil. What

prompted you to start Diesoil?

A: Plastic waste is being produced all over the planet. Up to now, China processed much of

Europe’s plastic waste, but now they are producing so much plastic themselves that they

have closed their doors to Europe’s waste. It takes one second to produce a plastic bag; it is

used for twenty minutes and then ends up polluting our environment for hundreds of years.

Ten years ago, I decided to address this problem and find solutions. Together with Mr. Nill,

the inventor, we bought Plastoil in Zug, Switzerland and created the first, industrial pilot

project of this kind worldwide. Our intention was to open similar facilities all over the world.

Questions on Energy Efficiency

Q: My matura term paper deals with the pyrolysis of plastic waste as a method of

transforming waste into energy and whether this process makes sense from an economic

and ecological perspective: In your experience, how energy efficient is the process?

A: Of course, plastic was once oil. It was taken from the ground and refined and

polymerized. We start from the end product and go back to its origins, taking a kg of plastic

and turning it into 1 lt. of mineral oils. It takes 27 cents to do this. This is far cheaper than

extracting raw petroleum from the ground. There is plastic everywhere. It isn’t necessary to

make war for the raw materials. There is enough trash.


Q: I experimented with a lab-scale pyrolysis apparatus, and it was pretty clear that it would

not be energy efficient. How does that change when using industrial equipment?

A: We need some oil, in the beginning, to heat our reactors. After that, we use 15% of the

gases which aren’t condensed to warm them. As you see, one ton gives us 850 liters, which

means that we need 150 liters to warm the reactors.

Questions on Toxicity

Q: Are the by-products produced during the process toxic? How do you deal with them? Do

you contain or re-use them? Do you have filters?

A: This is like a pot, a closed circuit. We have no chimney; we have no loss of products.

Everything is 100% circulated. The only byproduct we have is soot or coal which can be used

as fuel for a power plant. This is about 2% of the product and depends on how clean the raw

materials used are. The plastic is sorted and separated before being used.

Q: How do you separate halogenated polymers such as PVC from the rest of the plastic?

A: There is chlorine in PVC and when you use products which contain chlorine you end up

with chlorine in your motor. PVC is always separated from the plastic we use. This is done by

measuring density. PVC is much heavier and falls to the bottom. Only 0.5% can remain;

otherwise, low-quality, contaminated products would end up in your motor. It is necessary

to sort the plastic before it is transformed into oil. When the process is done, there is no

PVC in it any longer. We don’t use the PET bottles, but we do use the bottle caps which no

one wants to recycle.

Q: Does the composition of the pyrolysis fuel vary from the fuel derived from raw oil? Is it

worse to burn this fuel rather than gasoline? Can you put it directly into a car?

A: Most who have tried to use pyrolysis to process waste have produced heavy oil because

they do not sort their plastics adequately. We are the only company which produces a

substance that is pure enough to put directly into your vehicle. No one has been able to do

this before because the quality of the materials used determines the quality of the materials

produced. Many others have worked in labs and produced a heavy black oil that needed to


be refined. We have managed to distill a pure fuel that can be used immediately direct from

the factory.

Profitability

Q: Does the necessity of separating the plastics make it less cost effective?

A: It is imperative to sort and separate the plastics because otherwise, the product is

contaminated and of low quality. The proper preparation and sorting of the plastics are

much more important than the actual pyrolysis. We only use those plastics that we know

can be transformed into fuel.

Q: Would it make economic sense for third-world countries to recycle their plastic into fuel?

A: In many countries there are landfills. Approximately 60% of the waste that ends up in a

landfill is organic. It is necessary to understand the composition of municipal waste. First

one needs to sort it and separate it. From the biomass, it is possible to make biogas and

energy. In poorer countries, this could create jobs. We can buy the entire landfill and sort it

into organic waste on the one hand and polymers on the other. It is very profitable to

organize this in different countries. One can use all kinds of trash. There are those who pull

plastic out from the sea. It makes no sense to pull plastic out of the sea when tons are being

thrown back in each day. In the case of medical waste, our company, Logmed, wants to

decontaminate it. Ideally, one would go to the source of certain waste products and try to

collect it there instead of from the landfill. Supermarkets throw away 40% of their food, and

medical waste, instead of being thrown into a landfill should be collected and

decontaminated directly from hospitals. There are many companies that are specialized in

the sorting of waste, and we just use the polymers.

Q: I heard the fuel produced cannot be sold in Switzerland is that true? If yes, why?

A: It doesn’t make sense to do this in Switzerland because there is too little waste and there

are too many incinerators, and they all need plastic and paper to burn. They need fuel to

produce energy, and heat and in Switzerland, 90% of waste is burned in incinerators. Our

goal is not to work in Switzerland but to use Swiss technology to solve problems in the rest

of the world. Developing countries cannot invest 500 million in an incinerator and therefore

throw their trash directly into the sea since that costs nothing. However, transforming


waste into energy would be profitable for them. The question is, is there enough plastic to

transform into oil in Switzerland? The answer is no. We simply do not have enough waste.

Q: What were the difficulties facing your company when you started your business venture?

A: The problems which our company faced were mostly based on human nature – on envy

and jealousy. There are always internal problems when people understand how much

money can be earned through such a plant and take advantage of their position to take over

the company. A situation like this set us back several years. This has nothing to do with the

technology itself. People realize how profitable this process can be and sometimes take

advantage. I tend to be open and to show everyone everything because what is important

to me is to work together to make our world a cleaner place.

Q: Do you think that economic viability will change with time?

A: If you go to a supermarket today and buy a salad it will come packed with a plastic fork

and knife. The world is producing more and more packaging. One tells people that they

should not use plastic, but this doesn’t help. What helps is finding solutions for the recycling

of plastics. The problem is not about how much plastic we produce, but about changing

people’s mindset so that they realize that plastic can be used to make fuel. It is a circular

economy a circle where you take the oil and turn it into plastic and back. Prohibiting the use

of plastic doesn’t help. People need to be made aware that there are technical solutions to

these problems.


Appendix II - Interview with Mr. Martin Müller

Figure 20 Mr. Martin Müller

Mr: Martin Müller, the co-inventor and developer of the Syntrol process, added valuable technical information in his answers to my interview questions. The answers are in relation to the Nill/Syntrol process for transforming plastic to fuel (translated from German) Q: How was Diesoil started? A: The beginnings of Diesoil were Plastoil AG, a joint venture of RISI AG and Nill-Tech GmbH from Germany. Nill Tech invented the Syntrol process, a multi-stage process for the transformation of plastic into oil and the first plant in Switzerland (in Sihlbrugg) was a Syntrol plant. This plant received the Innovation Award from the Canton of Zug. The Syntrol process is patent protected. Mr. Laurent Helfrich founded Diesoil and took over Plastoil to promote and introduce the topic of pyrolysis of plastics worldwide and has thus opened up a vast market to eliminate the immense problem of plastic waste. Q: How energy efficient is the Syntrol process? A: The Syntrol process makes ecological and economic sense; it is the synthesis of ecology and economy. Using only 1.5 % of external energy, approx. 88- 90 % of the chemical energy in plastic is transformed into a liquid energy carrier (gas oil). The most significant part of the energy required is obtained from the pyrolysis process itself. The mass efficiency is 80%. Q: I experimented with a lab-scale pyrolysis apparatus, and it was pretty clear that it would not be energy efficient. How does that change when using industrial equipment? A: We have also reproduced the Syntrol process as thermolysis in the laboratory of the University of Tübingen and achieved outstanding results in terms of efficiency. The greatest effect in the production process lies in the optimized isolation and control of the process. Q: Are the by-products produced during the process toxic? A: No, only a residual material is produced which contains carbon and the non-convertible components of the plastic used. Syntrol works at a maximum temperature of approx. 430° C Q: How do you deal with the by-products? Do you re-use them? Do you have filters? A: The residual material is used as a high-calorific energy carrier for cement works, which generally have very complex exhaust air purification systems when necessary.


Q: How do you separate halogenated polymers such as PVC from the rest of the plastic? A: The patented synthetic process has an additionally patented cleaning stage to separate the chlorine produced by PVC and to remove it harmlessly from the process. Q: Does the composition of the pyrolysis fuel vary from the fuel derived from raw oil? Is it better to burn this fuel rather than gasoline? A: The liquid energy carrier which is produced during the Syntrol thermolysis process corresponds mainly to gas oil and in a smaller quantity to a mixture of gasoline and kerosene. It can, therefore, be compared with a refined product and not with crude oil. Q: How economically viable is the process? A: The process is without any doubt economically profitable. Q: Does the necessity of separating the plastics make it less cost effective? A: There is a simple equation: Shit in = Shit out. In chemistry, it is always cheaper and simpler to separate substances before a process rather than after. The standard sorting systems available on the market today are so well developed and economical. Incidentally, sorting processes are also required for the incineration of plastic waste. Pyrolysis does not require any special treatment. Q. Would it make economic sense for third-world countries to recycle their plastic into fuel? A: Of course, yes, pyrolysis can take place anywhere in the world. Q: I heard the fuel produced cannot be sold in Switzerland is that true? If yes, why? A: Unfortunately, I cannot say anything about this, I think it is a rumor or an unchecked statement. RISI once delivered gas oil from the Sihlbrugg plant for the buses of the local transport in CH-Zug. Q: Do you think this process could change people’s perspective on plastic and create an incentive to harvest plastics from the environment? A: Of course such a process is helpful in managing to collect plastic and not to dispose of it in the environment including the sea. Q: What were the difficulties facing your company when you started your business venture? A: There are many black sheep in this area of plastic pyrolysis and maintaining a stable process is not as easy, as some think. That's why there are several abandoned facilities that don't run anymore. For this reason, banks are very reluctant to give loans towards such investments. Q: Do you think that economic viability will change with time? A: Economic profitability is already undoubtedly there today and does not need to be improved. Moreover, investment in such brilliant technology should urgently be considered by politicians as an important idea that supports environmental protection. That alone would justify such an investment to the highest degree. It is a scandal that today money is still flowing into far less efficient technologies, and people are watching as our earth, and its oceans become more and more polluted!

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