Catalytic production of diesel-like oils from plastic wastes

Abstract

A dewaxing catalyst was prepared through the dissolution of nickel oxide and tungsten powders in an aqueous medium, followed by impregnation of a Zeolite Socony Mobil-5 substrate and calcination at 500 °C. The synthesized catalyst was used in conjunction with a lab-designed, single-stage pyrolytic reactor running at a set point of 360 °C to break down a mixture of plastic grocery bags. The catalyst was found to be selective to the C9–C22 isomers typical of diesel No. 2. Gas chromatographic analysis indicated that the fraction of C24 and heavier components in the pyrolysis product was only 1.0%. Implications for process scale-up and economics are discussed.