Conversion of Waste Plastic Bags into Fuel
Annual global plastic production has increased from 1.9 million tons in 1950 to 380 million tons in 2019. Plastic production around the world has grown by an average of 9 percent per year from 1950 to 2019. Several types of plastics are used in the world and they are petroleum-derived polymer and Po
2025-06-28 16:30:57 - Adil Khan
Conversion of Waste Plastic Bags into Fuel
Project Area of Specialization Electrical/Electronic EngineeringProject SummaryAnnual global plastic production has increased from 1.9 million tons in 1950 to 380 million tons in 2019. Plastic production around the world has grown by an average of 9 percent per year from 1950 to 2019. Several types of plastics are used in the world and they are petroleum-derived polymer and Polyethylene (PE) is one of them. PE amounts to one third of different types of plastics currently being used in the world. Almost all one time use plastic shopping bags and wrappers are made out of PE. It is estimated that around 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide per year. That comes out to around two million bags per minute. On average, a person carrier a plastic bag for only 12 minutes and only one plastic bag in recycled every 200 bag used. Billions end up as litter each year. Left over plastic bags do not decompose easily and create serious problems to our environment, marine life and wild life. In developing countries these shopping bag can be seen everywhere on streets and roads due to poor management. The purpose of this project proposal is to design and develop a regenerative type pyrolysis setup to convert stray shopping bags into synthesized petroleum based fuel.
Project ObjectivesUsman Institute of Technology (UIT), Karachi, Pakistan was established in 1995 by Usman Memorial Foundation. UIT is a not-for profit institute. UIT offers undergraduate degree programs in the fields of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. All degree programs of Usman Institute of Technology are affiliated with NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan. More than 3000 students have been graduated from UIT. Some of these UIT alumnus are working at key positions nationally and globally.
UIT has established UIT Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technologies (UCREST) in 2018. UCREST is working on result oriented R & D based projects with socio-economic impact on domestic, commercial and industrial applications in the field of Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technologies. One of the areas of interest of UCREST is the use of municipal solid waste for useful purposes. This project will help us in achieving our goals. Once this project is successfully implemented, it would open a new window of business opertunities and will lead to a more socially responsible society.
The project will be implanted using established technology. In order to make system more efficient,. A complete system to convert waste plastic ags into light deisel oil will be deigned, developed and impleneted. Catalyst(s) will be added as and when required..It is expeceted that the yield of this syetm may be as high as 90% for PE type plastics.
Benefits of the Project
It is estimated there are 5.252 trillion pieces of plastic on ocean surface. If current pattern continue, then this means there could be more plastic in oceans (by weight) than fish by the year 2050. There are evidences of the toxicity of these plastic particles on environment, marine species and wild life. One of the top five items for this mess is the single use plastic shopping bags. Hence plastic bags are a large part of the problem. Pakistan uses more than 55 billion of them each year. About 80 percent of total litter and more than 80 per cent of drain blockages in metro areas of Pakistan are caused by these plastic bags. Burning of these bags (which is a common practic in developing coubtries as shown in attached photo) further adds to pollution in the air. Plastic bags are also a breeding home for mosquitoes which cause malaria and dengue. Several attempts have been by the Government to ban these plastic bag in Pakistan, however, plastic bags manufacturing industry not only continue to operate illegally but florishing due to higher demand. If our project is successfully implented, then 80% of solid waste can be reduced and dependancy on land filling can be reduce signific
Almost 10% of total pollution of Pakistan live in Karachi. Amongst other problems, cleanness and waste management are the biggest problems of Karachi. Karachi generates 1000 – 1200 tons of solid waste daily. Due to resource constrain, an enormous amount of this waste is left uncollected. According to media reports, streets in Karachi are filled with garbage. The main challenge is not only to collect the garbage but disposed-off it properly. Government has to pay to garbage collecting contractors. Government can save money by using the potential of plastic bag waste. Also, this project proposal would help to reduce the cost of collection and damping of plastic waste to landfills if people are aware of benefits of this freely available source of renewable energy.
Pakistan imports most of the oil used for the electricity generation and this results in enormous cost of electricity. It is estimated that solid waste generated only in Karachi has the potential to replace more than 400000 tons (around 3 million barrels) of imported oil per year. This can reduce import bill by $ 120 million per year. On top of this, money paid for the garbage collection can be saved (total savings could be more than $ 200 million per year). Once we demonstrate the feasibility of this technique, an eco-system will take place itself.
Final Deliverable of the Project HW/SW integrated systemCore Industry PetroleumOther Industries Energy Core Technology Clean TechOther Technologies Shared Economy, OthersSustainable Development Goals No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Gender Equality, Affordable and Clean Energy, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Reduced Inequality, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action, Life on Land, Partnerships to achieve the GoalRequired Resources| Item Name | Type | No. of Units | Per Unit Cost (in Rs) | Total (in Rs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total in (Rs) | 70000 | |||
| Pyrolysis chamber and Instrumentation | Equipment | 1 | 70000 | 70000 |