Sustainable Development Goals
Current Project Status:
Development Started 2006 - 2019 | Feasibility Study
Organizations Involved:
Greenfuels AG, ReOil Holding AG, First Engineering, IBM, Several Chemical Companies, and Oil Refineries
Services:
Design & Engineering, Due Diligence, Supply Chain Management, Component Supply
The Challenge:
Germany is second only to Japan in recycling more waste than any other country. Seeing five different-colored bins for waste disposal is commonplace, and the industry has set its recycling targets, which are among the highest in Europe. Germany currently recycles an impressive 1.7 million tons of plastics per year (TPA) out of a total of 2.8 million tons per year. Despite the highly efficient processing and recycling technologies currently in place, 1.1 million tons of plastic remain unrecycled by traditional methods, and residual waste from previous recycling operations persists. This non-recyclable fraction is destined for mass-burn incineration or the increasingly restricted option of landfills. A significant opportunity, therefore, exists for a resource recovery operation that can unlock the potential one billion liters of oil in this waste stream.
The Solution:
Greenfuels AG, a developer of Cleantech projects, has approached Klean Industries Inc. to propose a thermal processing solution for mixed waste plastics that are not presently recycled. Greenfuels has already secured a suitable eight-acre site in the industrial area of former East Germany, and they require a high-spec fuel oil that is low in sulfur and can be used as a generic fuel for the local heavy industry.
The first step was to analyze and test a sample of the waste plastics that Greenfuels had secured, which Klean Industries sent to Japan for liquefaction at one of its test facilities. A series of tests was conducted to determine the maximum yield of oil achievable from the client's specific waste stream, and the optimal processing temperatures and residence times were established. Within one month of receiving the sample waste, Klean Industries proposed a solution that would produce the high-spec fuel demanded by the client. The proposed technology, already commercialized and proven in Japan, incorporates a 100-ton-a-day continuous liquefaction process that heats the plastic waste in the presence of a catalyst to produce a naphtha-rich hydrocarbon gas. This gas is then cooled and condensed to make a fuel oil comparable to virgin fuel but with cleaner-burning properties. The non-condensable gases are returned to the reactor for use as process heat.
Greenfuels has since requested that Klean Industries undertake a joint venture on this project, whereby Klean Industries would be responsible for the design, construction, and operation of the plant. Greenfuels would manage all feedstock contracts with their suppliers and secure local off-take partners. This opportunity, along with a pipeline of similar projects, is under consideration by Klean Industries, which already has plans for its first plastic-to-oil facility to be located in Vancouver, Canada, subject to feedstock availability.
The Outcome:
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