(664e) Utilization of Waste Plastics As Feedstock for the Production of Useful Chemicals Using an Integrated Approach

Plastic is a non-biodegradable substance because its chemical configuration is resistant to environmental degradation thus resulting in environmental pollution. Plastic is essentially an indispensable commodity, relatively cheap and its production continues to rise because of its numerous industrial and domestic applications. The accumulation of waste plastics continues to grow as its usage increases around the globe. Over 350 million tons plastics are produced annually and over 8 million tons of waste and discarded plastics end up in the ocean. It has been projected that if the growing rate continues in this trend, the number of micro-plastics in the ocean would outnumber the current number of fishes in the marine ocean by 2050. This paper focuses on an integrated approach to utilization of waste plastics as feedstock for the production of useful chemicals. Though pyrolysis is gaining attention in the conversion of waste plastics into fuel, yet most studies in this area are still in the laboratory scale and with limitations. In this study, different categories of waste plastics are subjected to thermochemical treatments integrated with catalytic pyrolysis. Technologies used for the thermochemical treatment are discussed and the thermochemical products are made to undergo distillation and separation processes to analyse, characterize and evaluate the properties. Conversion of waste plastics into valuable chemical products will significantly help to solve global environmental issues associated with plastic wastes.