For nearly half a century plastics have been clogging up landfills worldwide. In fact, so much plastic has been thrown into streams and rivers that there is now a patch of floating plastic in the middle of the pacific ocean as large as a continent. Suffice to say, plastic waste is a huge problem that’s getting worse every single year. Luckily, there seems to be a great solution now available called pyrolysis, that can turn the waste plastics into usable products. Here are the specifics of the machine and a plastic to oil machine price range as well.
Pyrolysis Has Been Around For Centuries
It’s just now being applied to many waste products that have been serious problems around the world. The basic chemical reaction of pyrolysis is that the waste, what ever it may be, is heated to a very high temperature, about 425 C in most cases. While that is sufficiently high enough to make almost anything burn, it can in the absence of oxygen. Some plants merely limit the air supply, and thus the oxygen, while other infuse the gas nitrogen which is non-combustible. Either way, once the waste materials reach a high enough temperature, they decompose into basic ingredients. In the case of plastics, which have strong molecular bonds between atoms, the bonds break down and the result is combustible gases, light oils, heavier oils, and carbon black. All of these byproducts are easily sellable on the open commodities market, locally and internationally.
Most of the combustible gases are reused right in the plastic waste pyrolysis machine itself. It uses the gases to heat the incoming plastics to the high temperature. By using it’s own byproducts, the machine can be self perpetuating, meaning that, after it’s been started, it no longer needs an outside heating source to keep working. There is also some nominal electricity use for conveyor belts and automation electronics, but it’s minimal.
The Best Thing Is Most Plastics Can All Be Sorted Together
One of the worst things about plastics waste to energy is that there are seven basic types that each have to be separated from the others. In fact, most plastics can’t be melted down into new products and have to be thrown into the landfills instead. However, with plastic to oil machine prices dropping and more manufacturers coming online all of the time, it appears as though soon all plastics will be converted to useful byproducts like oils and gases. Even the carbon black that is left over is resold to the rubber industry to make tires and other products. These machines can now be found online with prices ranging from $28,000 for a small plant, up to $200,000 or more, for larger plants able to run 24/7 and handle many tons of waste per day.