woodworm
Member
- Location
- Thetford Norfolk
I would imagine you are at least 2 years away from selling these yet, but it sounds very interesting
@Green Prometheus, if this 'magic' process can turn used balewrap into fuel you will have people on here queuing round the block for one of your devices. So in true Dragons Den fashion I'd like to declare "I'm in!"
Do you need some used balewrap to try it
I would imagine you are at least 2 years away from selling these yet, but it sounds very interesting
This process/technology is well established. Unfortunately it won't be economic even with oil at $100 a barrel.
If you want a way of doing something environmentally friendly, don't do it using plastics, do it using tyres and then act as a disposal service for what is otherwise a serious PITA waste.
Also there is a lot more to taking polythene bale wrap and turning it into cherry. Ever seen how big an oil refinery is? Yep. It's complex.
If you ask me I would go on dragons den asking for funding to start up a plasma incinerator which will create energy from nearly any feed stock. Council provides feed stock for me to sell energy to the grid? Right on.
I disagree. I think it will be economic. More so than the current plastic to new plastic recycling which is bankrupting companies due to low oil prices and reduced exports to China and other countries. It requires approximately 1 unit of energy to get 40 out (theoretical limit), so this technology could power itself if done right.
Tyres have their own issues and benefits. It will not be the focus of this company.
Plastic to oil refineries vary in range. The bigger it is, the more benefit you get from the increased tonnage of recycled plastic. A lot of that space is due to processes required for a continuous system. We will be producing a semi-batch system.
Incinerator based recycling companies have been known to be shut down due to environmental issues involved in high emissions of toxins.
If you believe you can produce oil for $50 a barrel then I can only wish you good luck with it.
Plasma based incinerators do not produce any toxins. They burn waste at up to 25,000 degrees Fahrenheit, at which point all molecular bonds are instantly destroyed.
Interesting. I guess plasma incineration is much better than standard then!
Cheap fuel is not the main goal here. Removal of plastic is. Which on it's own costs money and time etc. Fuel byproduct is the cherry on the top
Who exactly is going to pay you to remove and dispose of plastic? The way I see it, you are entering a crowded marketplace, which is already catered for by:
Conventional plastic recyclers
Waste Incinerators
Landfill operators
Farmers already use mostly conventional recyclers who collect the waste and recycle it into other plastic products (unfortunately low grade ones). The effort required on the part of the farmer is minimal.
For anyone who is interested there is a comparable technology that can produce a hydrocarbon substance which is basically oil, the process is called thermal depolymerisation and can create oil from nearly any organic matter, even sewage sludge I believe.
Is there any ash type waste/residue? And will this be classed as toxic and require some form of expensive disposal?
What's your definition of mixed plastic? HDPE PVC PETE? All in the same pot?
Tyre recycling - we're on it. Bio-oil, carbon black, CHP.
http://www.biomassthermaltechnologies.com/about
If it stacks up financially, why is the market for recycled plastic on the floor and yards full of bales of plastic mysteriously going up in smoke every few months?
The 2500l production/use exemption is for biofuels only, not fuels produced from fossil fuel derived products. Hence all fuel produced would have to pay 58p/l fuel tax, plus VAT, just like the stuff you buy at the pumps. You would also have to register as a producer of fuel with HMRC.
http://www.reuk.co.uk/wordpress/biomass/tax-on-biofuels/
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/fuel-duty
Then there's the environmental legislation to consider (the waste products would undoubtedly be considered toxic waste), which is a whole new can of worms, plus Health and safety requirements for a high temperature process.
The likelihood that small scale producers are going to be able to jump through the regulatory hoops and it still be viable financially are vanishingly small.
If you are seriously considering attempting to market this process, the first thing you need to understand from top to bottom is the relevant regulatory framework in the EU/UK, and whether your process can fit into that. Whether it works in practical terms is irrelevant if no-one is allowed to use it, or its prohibitively expensive to get the right permits.