I.

Overview

Product Summary

In this new era, Philippines produces bulk of plastic wastes, you can see it on Manilas landfill. Most

of this is used in factories while others are on groceries and wet markets. Bottled waters are also widely
used. Some cities here in Philippines have banned the using of plastics to help our environment against
global warming and other pollutions. But are these really enough? Because we can still see rivers that are
filled with plastic wastes and we still suffer floods in our country because some pipes are clogged with
plastic wastes.
An inventor named Jayme Navarro, founder of Poly-Green Technology and Resources find a way to
convert plastic waste into fuel through the process known as pyrolysis. It comes from the Greek derived
elements pyro which means fire and lysis which means decomposition.
According to ReutersElly Park, Ecotech explain that pyrolysis is a fairly simple process. It starts by
drying plastics to be processed then shredding it into smaller pieces and heated in a thermal chamber.
The melted plastic is continually heated until it boils. Then takeout polymers to mix with a catalyst and it
will produce hydro carbon gases. The vapor is passed into cooling pipes and distilled into liquid. After
several processes of purification, the final output will then be compressed and stored. Output is
chemically identical to regular fuel.

II.

Detailed Design

Function:
1.
2.

Environmental problem will be reduced.

Fuels that are created from plastic wastes are more affordable than the fuels produced by big

3.
4.

companies.
Volume of waste will be significantly reduced.
Fuel from plastic wastes burns cleaner since fuel from plastic has low sulfur content.

Diagram:

Technical:
Any kind of plastic waste can be used for this process. Plastics will be dried in hot temperature not
higher than 50 C temperature. The plastics will then be put inside the plastic shredder machine which
has the size of 40 by 30 inches and has a capacity of 3,000 kg per hour. The size of the shredded plastic
is 1/8 of an inch or if possible pulverized. It would then be put inside the agglomeration chamber which
has a size of 49 inches in length, 25 inches in diameter and 26 inches in height. Then, the plastics will be
put in the feeding screw. The size of the feeding screw is 23 inches in length, 23 inches in diameter and
21 inches in height and the screw has a size of 1 inch and has density of 100 cubic feet to dissolve the
plastic with a temperature of 190 to 200 C. Plastics that will not be dissolved will then be separated and
those that were dissolved will be put inside the pyrolysis chamber. The size of the chamber is 49 inches in
length, 25 inches in diameter and 26 inches in height. This is where the catalyst will be mixed for it to
become fuel. The process will be depolimerization. After that, it will be distilled in the distillation machine
with the size of 23 inches in width, 18 inches depth, 17 in height which is powered by 208 to 240 volts AC
at 50-60 Hertz at 5000 watts. It will then be filtered by the filtration machine with 35 inches in height and
20 inches in width with 1 micron absolute filter. It will go inside the centrifuge, the size of the centrifuge
is 20 by 20 inches and it spins at 2,000 revolution per minute. The material will then be purified, stored
and compressed inside a vacuum that has a size of 49 inches in length, 25 inches in diameter and 26
inches in height. After all this process, the plastic is now fuel.

According to The Filipino Achievers, on average, 5,000 kilos of plastic waste can produce 400 liters of
diesel and gasoline fuel oil.

Components:
The machines used are plastic shredding machine, agglomeration chamber, feeding screw,
pyrolysis chamber, distiller, filter, centrifuge at vacuum.
The machines are built in Bacolod but a bigger plant is in the process of finalization in Montalban
where it can produce around 5,000 kilos of fuel per day. It is automated so it would only need 3 person to
operate it.

III.

Effectivity

How does the technology or process exist?

According to the Filipino Achievers, Jayme Navarro, commerce undergraduate, who have been
passionately fascinated by the versatility of plastics, have continuously evolved his products over time.
He started off around 1970 when he started to recycle plastic scraps to make plastic twine, straws
and sticks in Bacolod. Around 1983 when the plastic resin was at an all time high, he experimented again
and was able to produce liquid hydrocarbons, but the project was not yet feasible that time so he just
recycled banker oil to get clean motor oil for two stroke motor engines. After 10 years, he then invented
and recycled discarded batteries as the materials for plastic pipes for drainage.
But not until 2005 when his sister encouraged him to try to find ways to recycle plastic bags and the
likes to something useful, and he did.
After intense developing, refining and improving, last December 2007 during the trial run in Bacolod,
Mr. Navarro finally found a great way to recycle plastic bags. He found the best process of converting
reject plastics scattered on the streets like sando bag, garbage bags and styropors into fuel.

How effective is the technology/process?

The process was a success that they brought it to DOE and DOST for analysis. It was tested and it
was said to contain all the basic properties of fuel, and even has lower sulfur content. It is clean and
environmental friendly. The invention was patented with intellectual property last November 2008 .

In Niagara Falls, NY, John Bordynuik's 'Plastic Eating Monster' can even vaporize thick HDPE plastic
into a cleaner burning number 2 fuel. Put plastic in one end of the machine and out the other end comes
diesel, petroleum distillate, light naphtha and gases such as methane, ethane, butane and propane. The
machine accepts unwashed, unsorted waste plastics, composites and commingled materials and returns
about 1 gallon of fuel from 8.3 pounds of plastic. And the processor uses its own off-gases as fuel,
therefore using minimal energy to run the machine. John currently has two massive steel processors up
and running, with financing secured for three more to be built in the very near future.

Cynar in the UK likes to call their product 'End of Life Plastic to Diesel' or ELPD. Their technology
converts mixed Waste Plastics into synthetic fuels that are cleaner, low in sulfur and in the case of the
diesel, a higher cetane than generic diesel fuel. They have a plant running in Ireland, with another to
open in Bristol, UK in January and many more in the planning stage. Each Cynar plant can process up to
20 tons of End of Life Plastic per day, producing 5,000 gallons (19,000 litres) of high quality liquid fuels at
a conversion rate of 95%.

In Washington, a company named Envion has a machine that can convert 6,000 tons of plastic into
nearly a million barrels yearly. And in New York/Canada, JBI, Inc. has a 20-ton processor that can
convert 4,000 lbs. of plastic feedstock per machine per hour. In Hong Kong, Ecotech Recycling Social
Enterprise has a prototype machine that can process three tons of plastic waste into 1,000 liters of fuel oil
per day.

IV.

Enhancement/Process Improvement

Our group planned to use the spare polymers that do not melt, to be created as a cement for building
houses or establishments. By grinding up excess polymers and mixing it with portland cement, it can
create a material just as strong as traditional concrete made with mined aggregate.

Functional
1.
2.

It can create cheaper buildings and houses.

Produces stronger structures.

Technical
The material for this enhanced process is the spare polymers grinded through the plastic
shredder machine which has the size of 40 by 30 and has a capacity of 3000kg per hour. The spare

polymers should be 1/8 of size and it will be mix with the Portland cement. 2 metric ton of grinded
polymers can be mixed with 1 metric ton of cement.

What are the factors coming up with such enhancement?

Plastic is the most prevalent cause of pollution and waste today. As much as possible, we would
like to recycle as much waste as we could. Excess plastic during the previous process will be used in this
enhancement so that they will still be utilized.

What is the significance of the enhancement?

It can make the building structurally sound enough to withstand earthquakes and typhoons,
and at the same time, it can be considered as environment-friendly and relatively cheap to build. It can
also help to reduce environmental problems.

Scientific approach

Plastics can be universally mixed with cement with no adverse effects and heat driven reamalgamation is not required, so it will not cause severe pollution in our earth hence it will help the earth
to reduce garbage that causing the damage to our ecosystem. Families that are financially incapable can
also avail this kind of cement because it is cheaper and affordable. This process is possible because it
already exists on other countries and many researchers have experimented and proved that cements
created from plastic waste produce stronger structure.

V.

Cost of Development
Estimate/Approximation of Development
Plastic Shredder

Cement

Total cost of development is US $6, 058 or Php 275, 366.39.

De La Salle Araneta University

Victoneta Avenue, Malabon City
Department of Technology
FINAL PRODUCT
Introduction to Environmental Engineering (COEN129A)

PYROLYSIS: Turning Plastic Wastes Into Fuel

Boguen, Rey-An
Dytioco, Veena
Juan, Bernard
Miraveles, Olsen

Engr. Aleksandre Pates