Plastics are organic materials based on high molecular weight compounds (polymers) of synthetic or natural origin.

The use of plastics based on synthetic polymers is widespread today, due to the low cost of such technologies.

   Every day a person uses a lot of helpful things and devices, the existence of which would be unthinkable without various plastics. Plastic has long penetrated into all spheres of human activity, and the development of technological progress without it would be simply impossible. Any new product, no matter whether it is a medical device, electronics, car parts, children's toys, containers or packaging is simply beyond reach without parts consisting of plastics.

   Plastic containers and bags made from plastic are used everywhere today - from household chemicals and cosmetics to the food industry. Plastics is particularly widely used in the production of polyethylene bottles. It is precisely this kind of container that is used to package mineral water, drinks and juices. And it is only natural that the amount of plastic produced by mankind increases every year.

    However, more and more often, humanity faces the problem of the need to utilize plastic waste. Plastic should never be burnt, as it causes a lot of harmful substances releasing into the atmosphere. Plastic is often mixed with various materials, such as glass, metals, paper, and food waste. A typical example is a juice carton with a laminated layer of aluminium/plastic. In addition, it is almost impossible to dispose of plastic by natural decomposition since plastic takes over 200 years to decompose.

   Pyrolysis of plastic is the thermal decomposition of polymer waste containing hydrocarbons in an oxygen-free environment at the temperature of about 600°C. During this process, the solid substances are converted into a hot gas that can be used for generating heat energy and into a liquid - fuel oil.

   From the liquid resulting from the pyrolysis of the plastic, synthetic fuel is obtained, which after further processing and purification can be used in internal combustion engines.

   In fact, there is nothing new in this idea. In Germany, the pyrolysis method was widely used to produce fuel before the WWII: Nazi tanks entered the USSR on liquid fuel, which was obtained from coal using Fischer-Tropsch technology. Of course, the requirements for fuel quality have undergone major changes since then.

   Pyrolysis of plastic destroys approximately 99.9 per cent of the harmful substances that have been added to polymers during production. The ash that remains after pyrolysis can be briquetted and used as furnace fuel. Pyrolysis of plastic waste is therefore completely safe.

   As in the case of car tyres, the pyrolysis of plastics can be used to generate electricity as well as oil condensation.

The yield of pyrolysis oil from a mixture of plastics depends on the composition of the mixture: for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene: 70 % (wt.); polyurethane: ~ 50-52 %.

Pyrolysis oil is used as boiler or furnace fuel, fuel for diesel generators..

	- no catalyst
	- easy operation and maintenance
	- use of the obtained materials to generate electricity
	- fully automatic operation, computer control system
	- low air emissions

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