Waste Plastic-Oil Blend Filtration for Cleaner Refinery Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current chemical recycling processes for waste plastics produce poor-quality fuel components and are limited in volume, failing to establish a substantial market for recycled plastics, with contaminants posing issues in refinery operations.
Innovation Solution
A process involving the preparation of a hot blend of waste plastic and petroleum oil, followed by filtration to remove contaminants, which is then fed to refinery conversion units, ensuring a lower contamination level and effective operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If waste plastics are processed through conventional pyrolysis to produce fuel components, then some fuel production is achieved, but the fuel quality is poor and the process volume is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a blend preparation unit as an intermediary step between waste plastic input and refinery conversion units. This unit creates a homogeneous blend of waste plastic and refinery feedstock before the mixture enters the conversion process, enabling better control over feedstock quality and composition in the subsequent reaction stages
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary blending and filtration of waste plastic with refinery feedstock before the actual conversion process. This preliminary preparation ensures that contaminants are removed and the feedstock is optimized for the conversion units, improving both the quality and volume of final products
2Productivity
If waste plastics with high contamination are directly fed to refinery conversion units, then processing volume can be maintained, but contaminants cause operational issues and reduce product quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes contaminants from the waste plastic stream through a filtration unit positioned between the blend preparation unit and the refinery conversion units. This extraction of harmful contaminants allows the main processing volume to be maintained while improving feedstock quality
Solution Approach 2:
The blend preparation unit acts as an intermediary that mixes waste plastic with refinery feedstock before filtration and conversion. This intermediate blending stage allows contaminants to be separated more effectively while maintaining the overall processing volume through continuous operation
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This process enables the production of high-quality petroleum products and sustainable feedstocks, supporting a circular economy by enhancing the quality and volume of recycled plastic conversion, offering economic and environmental benefits.
Implementation Method 1
The desirable waste plastic can then be added to the blend preparation unit where the plastic and feedstock are heated and mixed to prepare a homogenous blend
Implementation Method 2
The residence time for the desirable plastic and refinery feedstock in the blend preparation unit is sufficiently long to melt the plastic
Implementation Method 3
The hot blend is filtered while still hot. The mixed product can be collected from the blend preparation unit and supplied to a refinery conversion unit
Data Source
AI summary
A novel process for the conversion of waste plastics via cofeeding waste plastic melt with a refinery feedstock is provided. The process can generate a mixed product which can be further treated or purified to produce value-added products or chemical precursors.