Biography
Biography: Gary Leeke
Abstract
Plastic is notoriously difficult to recycle – if plastic packaging is considered only 14% is collected for recycling, and only 5% of material value is retained for subsequent use. Plastics that are recycled tend to be down-cycled and are not recyclable after use. Other routes include incineration or landfilling. Situations are made worse by the high cost of collection and the lack of recycling plants that deal with them. Globally, it is estimated that 32% of plastics are not collected and escape into natural systems. If a position of resource efficiency is adopted, solutions are needed to process waste plastic so that value added products can be obtained. These would ease the strain on landfill sites, and produce an output that could be sold at profit.
A solution proposed by Recycling Technologies Ltd (RT) is to convert end-of-life mixed plastic into a substitute crude oil that can be used as a source of valuable hydrocarbons. Challenges arise from the heterogeneity of feedstock that has variable composition and impurities such as water and biomass. A number of products can potentially result, in particular naphtha which can be used as a polymer feedstock to produce new materials, and therefore helping to address the circular economy issue around plastic waste. Other products include heavy fuel oil which has the advantage of being Ultra Low Sulphur [S<0.02%]), gas-oil and other tailored products. The presentation highlights the pyrolysis technology developed by RT and some of the challenges to convert end-of-life mixed plastic into value-added hydrocarbon products.