Distillation of Pyrolytic Oil Obtained from Fast Pyrolysis of Plastic Wastes

Abstract

Fast pyrolysis of plastic wastes, at temperatures from 500-800°C, gives as a main product, a dark brown liquid (a mixture of gasoline, diesel and heavy oils). Fractional distillation is commonly used to separate petroleum oils. However, information on the distillation of the pyrolytic oil obtained from fast pyrolysis of plastic wastes is scarce. We studied the distillation of two pyrolytic oil samples derived from fast pyrolysis of polyethylene and mixed plastic wastes. The former was distilled at the temperature of 180°C for 60 minutes and the latter was distilled at the temperature of 150°C and 180°C for 90 minutes. We observed that the distillates had a lighter color than the pyrolytic oil samples. The distillates were light yellowish at 180°C and colorless at 150°C. In the early stage of distillation, distillation rates increased with elapsed time and reached a maximum at approximately 25-35 mL/min and then gradually dropped. The distillates had lower densities and viscosities than the pyrolytic oils and both distillate properties were similar to those of gasoline, i.e. densities of 706-728 kg/m3 and viscosities of 0.39-0.43 ×10-6m2s-1.