A process for the
sustainable production of pyrolytic oils comprising
liquid hydrocarbons from
plastic materials, preferably waste materials. The method is characterized by the use of solar
radiation for heating a
heat transfer fluid, such as a
molten salt, at a plurality of temperature levels in order to use a hotter
heat transfer fluid for a
pyrolysis device that requires a higher temperature. The
heat transfer fluid returned from the device is sent back to the respective solar
radiation heater, thereby closing the loop. Thus, the method is characterized by at least two circuits having a
heat transfer fluid. The plastic material enters a first
pyrolysis reactor and is heated with a first hot fluid having a
molten salt at a
moderate temperature, and the resulting gas reaches a second
pyrolysis reactor, which is also heated with a second hot fluid having a
molten salt, thereby achieving a higher temperature. Particular settings of related equipment and methods that cooperatively utilize some specific characteristics of the pyrolysis process and the solar collector allow for higher available energy efficiencies to be obtained. In particular, the fact that pyrolysis according to the invention is performed in two stages:
high energy, but
moderate temperature, is required in the first stage. A high-temperature
energy source is only required in the second stage, and the
energy source needs a higher condensation coefficient; however, due to the manner in which the pyrolysis process is designed, a small amount of energy is required in this stage. This allows the yield of the process to be maximized in terms of the product obtained (the amount of
pyrolysis oil per solar
radiation power).