Conversion of Waste Plastic to Lubricating Base Oil

Most of the work on feedstock recycling of plastic has focused on conversion of plastic to transportation fuels. Little has been reported on conversion of waste plastic to highervalued products. In this section, research on the conversion of waste polymers such as polyethylene to high-quality lubricant oils is summarized. A more detailed account of this research is available elsewhere [24]. 

There is currently a shift to oils of lower viscosity that reduce engine friction and thereby improve fuel economy. These oils will be in increasing demand by automakers to meet government-mandated minimum miles-per-gallon requirements. A second change is a reduction in oil volatility, which reduces oil consumption and evaporative emissions into the environment. A strong dependence of diesel particulate emissions on engine oil volatility has been shown [25]. 

Since paraffins have low volatility for their viscosity, high thermal and oxidative stability, and high VI, these new requirements could be met by using oils that are highly paraffinic. To meet mandated fuel economy and emissions standards plus customer demands will require large quantities of these advanced oils within the next few years. 

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S. J. Miller, N. Shah and G. P. Huffman, Conversion of waste plastic to lubricating base oil, Energy and Fuels, 19, 1580-1586 (2005). 

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