Production of liquid hydrocarbons by thermo-acidic method from waste high-density polyethylene

Aims: The study explains the production of useful liquid hydrocarbons by thermo-acidic catalytic thermal degradation of waste high-density polyethylene. A comparative study of the liquid samples with or without catalysts. Background: Energy demand is high in the world. Waste plastic conversion is nowadays a concern of interest research for scientists. HDPE (High-density polyethylene) is the most common plastic used in households. Different types of catalysts and techniques have been used in the alteration process of waste HDPE. This paper deals with the kandite group of catalyst kaolin and the montmorillonite group of catalyst sodium bentonite in acid-activated mutated form. Objective: This paper aims to explore the prominent utilization of kaolin clay and sodium bentonite clay minerals as a catalyst for the alteration of waste HDPE into fuel resources and to develop a cost-effective recycling experimental set-up for plastic waste conversion. Method: Thermo-catalytic acid activation has been done for clay mutation. Hydrochloric acid-activated catalysts have been used in this study. FT-IR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) and GC-MS (Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometer) techniques have been used to explore the prominent compounds in the product samples. Result: Maximum energy per photon for RO (Parent Oil/Raw Oil) and AO(Acid treated thermo-catalytic oil) samples are respectively 58034.01×1024 Joules and 59271.40×1024 Joules concerning wave numbers 2921.42 and 2983.71 cm-1. Compounds of functional groups C-CH3, CH2, alkenes, and CH3 have been identified for RO and AO samples. Less gaseous hydrocarbons 31.79% (outcomes) or 29.66 % (production yield) and 150.06 % of increment in wax have been calculated after using acid-treated catalysts. Aliphatic compounds like alkanes and alkenes are present in the samples. Conclusion: A mixture of acid-treated kaolin and acid-treated sodium bentonite as the catalysts for degrading waste HDPE into liquid oil greatly reduces wax formation. Average outcomes and production of liquid hydrocarbons are good results with the acid-treated catalytic degradation of HDPE waste. One remarkable fact is that the yield percentage of liquid products is higher in acid-activated catalytic thermal degradation.