Plasma Pyrolysis Of Plastics Waste

Abstract

Plasma Pyrolysis is a state-of-the-art technology which integrates the thermo-chemical properties of plasma with the pyrolysis process for safe disposal of solid wastes. It is an environment friendly technology and has over the past decade become more prominent technology because of realization of opportunities to generate valuable by-products by converting solid wastes. Intense heat of plasma (700 to 800 0C) enables it to dispose all types of wastes including municipal solid waste, biomedical waste and hazardous wastes. Plasma Pyrolysis of plastics wastes usually gives two product streams: a combustible gas having a calorific value in the range of 4-9 MJ/Nm3 and a carbonaceous residue. Plastics waste is pyrolyzed at high temperature (800 to 1000 0C) into CO, H2 and light hydrocarbon gases. This gaseous mixture called pyrolysis gas can be utilized for energy recovery via different applications. One such Plasma Pyrolysis technology has been developed at Facilitation Centre for Industrial Plasma Technologies, Institute for Plasma Research, Gndhinagar.