Design of Novel Fluidized Bed Processes for Plastics Recycling

Pyrolysis has is a most promising pathway for chemical (tertiary) recycling of end-of-life plastics, especially when separation of the different fractions is challenging and costly or when the plastics are contaminated with, e.g., biowaste. However, the process poses significant challenges, such as: (i) the melting of plastics before conversion and coking leading to upstream and downstream clogging problems, (ii) the emission of dioxins and other chlorinated organic compounds, or (iii) the high oxygen content of bio-oils, requiring important upgrading in the case of biomass pyrolysis.

This project is part of the research initiative SmartProSys -Smart Process Systems for Sustainable Chemical Production at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg. The aim is to develop a novel and flexible method, based on fluidized bed technology, for the co-pyrolysis of biomass and plastic waste to produce useful raw products. The development of this new process needs to be based on the detailed modeling of the chemical and physical phenomena involved in the conversion process in conjunction with the complex behavior inside a fluidized bed. Special attention needs to be put on the physico-chemical properties and morphology of the used feedstock, as well as their evolution during the conversion process.