(154u) Sovothermal Upcycling of E-Waste Plastics into Blendstock Fuels and Chemicals

Electrical waste plastic (e-waste plastic) refers to the plastic components and housings that are discarded from electronic equipment such as computers, TVs, and mobile phones. Because of the hazardous compounds and heavy metals in electronic components that may leach into the environment and affect human and animal life, e-waste plastic presents a serious threat to the environment and human health. The rising demand for electronic devices and the quick rate of technological progress have made e-waste plastic a significant problem, underlining the necessity of efficient waste management and sustainable upcycling waste process. Solvothermal liquefaction (STL) is a thermochemical conversion process that utilizes polar and nonpolar solvents to turn waste polymers, such as e-waste plastics, into valuable compounds. This work focused to investigate the possibility of utilizing toluene as a nonpolar solvent for the depolymerization of four types of e-waste plastic including polyamide (PA), polycarbonate (PC), polyoxymethylene (POM), and polyether ether ketone (PEEK) into crude oils during STL. Depolymerization experiments were performed using a 7 ml batch reactor at 325-375 °C, and 1-6 h of reaction times. The results indicated that the high temperature and long residence time can enhance the depolymerization of the e-waste plastics. The highest STL conversation was observed for POM at 375 ℃ and 6 h. Furthermore, the ultimate analysis showed that the crude oil produced from STL of e-waste plastics has an appropriate higher heat value (HHV). Finally, the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicated that most portion of the crude oils is in the range of lighter hydrocarbons. Finally, gas chromatography mass spectroscopy reveals that valuable fuels and chemicals can be formed from e-wastes by STL.