Hydrocracking of mixed plastics

This is very similar to pyrolysis, but in this process the mixed plastic waste (MPW) is heated with hydrogen. As the molecules are cracked (the process is often termed hydrocracking), they are saturated with the hydrogen molecules to produce a saturated liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons. The synthetic crude oil produced is of a very high quality. It is necessary to keep the pressure of the hydrogen sufficient to suppress repolymerisation or the generation of undesirable by-products. 

Feedstock recycling processes of plastics waste have similar requirements to those imposed on processes for upgrading cool and heavy crude-oil residues. Hydrocracking permits the recycling of mixed and/or contaminated plastics. In hydrocracking the heat breaks macromolecules into highly reactive free radicals and... 

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