%0 Journal Article
%T Alternate Strategies for Conversion of Waste Plastic to Fuels
%A Neha Patni
%A Pallav Shah
%A Shruti Agarwal
%A Piyush Singhal
%J ISRN Renewable Energy
%D 2013
%R 10.1155/2013/902053
%X The present rate of economic growth is unsustainable without saving of fossil energy like crude oil, natural gas, or coal. There are many alternatives to fossil energy such as biomass, hydropower, and wind energy. Also, suitable waste management strategy is another important aspect. Development and modernization have brought about a huge increase in the production of all kinds of commodities, which indirectly generate waste. Plastics have been one of the materials because of their wide range of applications due to versatility and relatively low cost. The paper presents the current scenario of the plastic consumption. The aim is to provide the reader with an in depth analysis regarding the recycling techniques of plastic solid waste (PSW). Recycling can be divided into four categories: primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary. As calorific value of the plastics is comparable to that of fuel, so production of fuel would be a better alternative. So the methods of converting plastic into fuel, specially pyrolysis and catalytic degradation, are discussed in detail and a brief idea about the gasification is also included. Thus, we attempt to address the problem of plastic waste disposal and shortage of conventional fuel and thereby help in promotion of sustainable environment. 1. Introduction The increase in use of plastic products caused by sudden growth in living standards had a remarkable impact on the environment. Plastics have now become indispensable materials, and the demand is continually increasing due to their diverse and attractive applications in household and industries. Mostly, thermoplastics polymers make up a high proportion of waste, and this amount is continuously increasing around the globe. Hence, waste plastics pose a very serious environmental challenge because of their huge quantity and disposal problem as thermoplastics do not biodegrade for a very long time. The consumption of plastic materials is vast and has been growing steadily in view of the advantages derived from their versatility, relatively low cost, and durability (due to their high chemical stability and low degradability). Some of the most used plastics are polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, which have a massive production and consumption in many applications such as packaging, building, electricity and electronics, agriculture, and health care [1]. In turn, the property of high durability makes the disposal of waste plastics a very serious environmental problem, land filling being the most used disposal route. Plastic wastes can be classified as
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn.renewable.energy/2013/902053/