Comparison of the Catalytic Activity of the Commercially Available Clays for the Conversion of Waste Polyethylene into Fuel Products

Abstract

The use of clays as catalyst for the cracking of polyethylene was investigated and commercially available clays like China clay, Fuller’s earth and French chalk were used to convert polyethylene into fuel oil and fuel gas in addition to the wax. The conditions for the process were optimized for the china clay and the activities of other clays were investigated under same conditions. The activity of the clays was compared in terms of the amount of the products of the pyrolysis which include oil, wax and gas. The wax and oil were separated into its components using gas chromatograph equipped with FID. In the liquid sample the major components had the boiling points in the range of 125-180 °C. In case of the wax the same range of the compounds were observed with greater concentration of the high boiling point compounds. This wax can be used as feedstock for the oil industry. The cracking products were also characterized by various spectral and chemical tests. According to these investigations the products were identified as alkanes, alkenes and aromatics.