Solvolysis Glycol Bottoms Recycling Through Integrated Plastic Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional recycling technologies struggle with economically recycling low-value waste streams and produce additional waste streams that are not feasible to recover or recycle, leading to environmental impact and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A chemical recycling method involving solvolysis facilities to separate polyolefin and polyethylene terephthalate streams, followed by processing through partial oxidation gasification, pyrolysis, solidification, cracker, or energy generation facilities to convert waste plastics into valuable products.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional recycling technologies are used to process waste plastic, then the recycling process is simple and economically feasible for high-value materials, but low-value waste streams cannot be recycled and additional waste streams are produced that are not economically feasible to recover
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the waste plastic feedstock into different polyolefin streams (light, medium, heavy) through fractionation, allowing each segment to be processed by the most appropriate conversion technology. This segmentation enables efficient handling of low-value waste streams that would otherwise be uneconomical to recycle, while minimizing the generation of non-recyclable waste streams.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated facility combines multiple conversion technologies (gasification, pyrolysis, cracking, solidification) into a single system that can process various types of waste plastic streams. This multi-functional approach allows the facility to handle diverse low-value waste materials that conventional single-purpose recycling technologies cannot process, thereby reducing overall waste generation.
2Productivity
If conventional recycling technologies are used, then the process is economically feasible for certain materials, but additional waste streams are produced that require disposal and increase environmental impact
Solution Approach 1:
The invention converts harmful waste streams into valuable products by applying appropriate conversion technologies. Low-value polyolefin waste streams that would otherwise be disposed of are transformed into fuels, chemicals, or solidified materials. This approach eliminates the environmental harm of waste disposal while maintaining economic feasibility through product valorization.
Solution Approach 2:
The facility changes the chemical and physical parameters of waste plastic streams through various conversion processes. Gasification converts plastics to syngas, pyrolysis transforms them into oil and gas, cracking produces chemicals, and solidification creates stable building materials. These parameter changes enable the conversion of environmentally harmful waste into beneficial products, reducing environmental impact while maintaining productivity.
3Ease of manufacture
If low-value waste streams are processed through conventional recycling, then the process becomes economically unviable, but leaving them unprocessed results in waste accumulation and environmental degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces intermediary processing steps (fractionation, selective conversion) between waste collection and final disposal. These intermediaries separate low-value polyolefin streams from other waste materials and apply specialized conversion technologies. This intermediary approach makes the recycling of low-value waste economically viable by targeting specific material streams with appropriate technologies, thereby reducing overall waste material volume.
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
Minimizes the production of further waste streams while producing commercially valuable end products, enhancing efficiency and reducing environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
subjecting at least a portion of the PET-enriched stream to solvolysis in a solvolysis facility to form a principal glycol product, a principal terephthalyl product, and at least one coproduct stream
Implementation Method 2
introducing a polyolefin-containing coproduct stream from a solvolysis facility into at least one of the following: (i) a partial oxidation (POX) gasification facility
Implementation Method 3
introducing a polyolefin-containing coproduct stream from a solvolysis facility into at least one of the following: (ii) a pyrolysis facility
Implementation Method 4
introducing a polyolefin-containing coproduct stream from a solvolysis facility into at least one of the following: (iv) a cracker facility
Data Source
AI summary
Chemical recycling facilities for processing mixed plastic waste are provided herein. Such facilities have the capability of processing mixed plastic waste streams and utilize a variety of recycling facilities, such as, for example, solvolysis facility, a pyrolysis facility, a cracker facility, a partial oxidation gasification facility, an energy generation/energy production facility, and a solidification facility. Streams from one or more of these individual facilities may be used as feed to one or more of the other facilities, thereby maximizing recovery of valuable chemical components and minimizing unusable waste streams.