Hamburg University Process

Hamburg University [6] developed a fluid-bed reactor cracking process. In the process, plastics are fed into the reactor by a screw and cracked. The cracked gases are preheated 

Waste Plastics Reforming reactor Gas-liquid separator  

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High temperature pyrolysis or back to monomers processes produce a mixture of monomers such as ethene and propene but can also be used to produce aromatic compounds like benzene and toluene. The products can be used after separation and purification to produce new polymers. Developed since the 1970 s three different processes have been established the Kaminsky or Hamburg University process, the Batelle process and the Union Carbide process [5,8]. 

The Hamburg University process is a low temperature fluidized bed pyrolysis system meant for pyrolysis of plastics waste. The original objective of the process was the production from plastics waste of a gas with high heating value and liquid hydrocarbons containing mainly benzene, toluene and xylene. Production of olefins from plastics waste with high content of polyolefins and use of these olefins as feedstock in the refinery processes was also considered. The schematic of the process is shown in... 

Hamburg University Pyrolysis Process, high-temperature pyrolysis of mixed plastics, using a fluid bed reactor. Demonstration plant at Ebenhausen has not survived shake-down, due to various operating problems. 

A plant operating according to the Hamburg University pyrolysis process was built at Ebenhausen, with a capacity of 5000 tonnes per year. The feasibility of converting poly-oleflns by pyrolysis was successfully demonstrated, with yields from PE/PP mixtures of typically 51% (m/m) gas, 42% (m/m) liquids and the balance unaccounted for. However, the gas to liquids ratio is very sensitive to pyrolysis temperature. Since gas and oil are the major pyrolysis products, economic viability crucially depends on the price of crude oil. Under present conditions, profitability and economic viability are unsatisfactory at this small scale of operation. 

Increase in thermal process temperature up to 685-715°C in a fluidized-bed system (Hamburg University Pyrolysis Process-HUPP) and application of a mixture of municipal plastic wastes resulted mainly in gaseous products, over 41 wt%, of which olefins constituted 15%, and aromatic (BTX)-containing liquid products [14], Considerably better results from the point of view of C2 and C3 olefins yield were obtained in other experiments. The application of steam as fluidization agent instead of circulation pyrolysis gas enabled an increase of C2-C3 olefins yield from 48 to 60%, accompanied by decrease in BTX yield from 24 to 11 wt% [15],... 

The fluidized bed pyrolysis process developed at the Hamburg University aims at the recovery of products from plastics and tires. A pyrolysis unit for unshredded tires has been constructed. It produces gas, a carbon black, steel cord and an oil that has a... 

Hamburg University of Technology Institute of Solids Process Engineering and Particle Technology Denickestrasse 15 21073 Hamburg Germany... 

In 1987 he received, together with Hansjorg Sinn, the European Research Prize for the development of the Hamburg process for pyrolysis of polymers. In 1997 he received the Carothers Award of the American Chemical Society (Delaware Section), and in the same year the Walter Ahlstrom Prize in Helsinki, Finland. Since 1998 he has been an Honorary Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry in London, and Honorary Professor of the Zhejiang University in China. In 1999 he received the Benjamin Franklin Medal for Chemistry, Philadelphia and in 2003 the Hermann Staudinger Prize of the German Chemical Society (GDCh). 

At present several pyrolysis plants have been built based on different processes such as the BASF pyrolysis process, the BP University of Hamburg fluidized-bed pyrolysis process, the VEBA hydrogenation process, and several more are under way [4, 5]. 

The most popular type of gasification furnace in Europe is the vertical shaft gasifier, used in the Andco-Torrax, Saarberg Fernvarme and Pyrogas process. Pyrolysis processes are often conducted in an indirectly heated rotary kiln reactor, e.g. in the Kiener, GMU or Krauss-Maffei process. Fluidized bed reactors are used at the universities of Hamburg, Eindhoven and Brussels and thus seem more popular in academic than in industrial spheres. 

At the University of Hamburg we have been developing a fluidized bed process for the pyrolysis of plastic waste and scrap tyres since 1970. We used three stages of up-scaling - 0.1 kg/h ... 

Fluidized beds are one of the preferred reactor types used in recent years for the thermal conversion of plastic wastes, due to the enhancement of heat and mass transfer processes typically associated with these systems. Many studies in this area have been performed by Kaminsky et a/ 24-33 90 92<99>100 since the 1970s at the University of Hamburg involving the construction and testing of several plants at different scales (laboratory, pilot plant and semi-industrial plant). Figure 4.25 shows a schematic diagram of the pilot plant divided into four... 

Figure 4.26 Fluidized sand bed reactor of the process developed at the University of Hamburg 2 steel wall with fireproof bricks (1), fluidized bed (2), til table grate (3), radiation fire tubes (4), nozzles to remove sand (5), flanges for observation (6,8), gas-tight lock (7), flange for repairs (9), shaft for steel cord (10).

During the same period Paul Harteck in Hamburg was building a Clusius separation tube in December he tested it by successfully separating isotopes of the heavy gas xenon. He traveled to Munich at Christmastime to discuss design improvements with Clusius, who was professor of physical chemistry at the university there. Auer, the thorium specialists, purveyors of gas mantles and radioactive toothpaste, delivered the first ton of pure uranium oxide processed from Joachimsthal ores to the War Office in January 1940. German uranium research was thriving. 

Gnadig, S. (2002). Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) Effect of processing on CLA in cheese and the impact of CLA on the arachidonic acid metabolism (thesis). University of Hamburg, 170pp. 

Forstner U (1988) Geochemical processes in landfills,. In Sounder Bhaltacharj S, Friedman GM, Horst J, Neugebauer and Sieldman A, Earth Sciences. Technical University, Hamburg... 

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