Characterization of liquid products obtained from catalytic binary co-cracking of residual fuel oil with various waste plastics

Recycling polymeric waste and heavy oil residues are important for energy recovery and raw material processing. Catalytic pyrolysis is a unique technology used to generate alternative energy, and it can stands out to be one of the environmentally friendly and alternative routes for the generation of renewable energy. Limited study has been reported in the literature on the co-cracking of residual fuels with waste plastics to establish its properties and potential. In this study, we have characterized the products in liquid form resulting from the co-cracking of residual fuel oil (RFO) with plastic waste in an isothermal condition. The characterization was carried out using nuclear magnetic resonance (H-1 NMR & C-13 NMR), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), bomb calorimetry, and ultimate analyzer, in addition to the characterization of the flashpoint, pour point, and density. As a result of co-cracking, the liquid exhibits a significant decline in the overall molecular weight and an increase in the content of saturated aliphatic carbon and a decrease in the protonated aromatic carbons with aliphatic compounds as the primary constituent were observed from the spectra, having a pour point of 291.15-192.15 K and high calorific values between 42-45 MJ/kg. The characteristics of the liquid reveal a synergistic effect of co-cracking and demonstrate the potential of the co-cracking process of waste plastics with residual fuel to be an alternate source of energy and added-value chemical product recovery routes.

Automated summary

This study characterized the liquid products resulting from the co-cracking of residual fuel oil (RFO) with plastic waste. The co-cracking process showed a significant reduction in overall molecular weight and an increase in saturated aliphatic carbon content, as well as a decrease in protonated aromatic carbons. The liquid demonstrated potential as an alternate source of energy and added-value chemical product recovery routes.