CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES – RECYCLING AND RECOVERY

Introduction
Clean technology refers to any process, product, or
service that reduces negative environmental impacts
through significant energy efficiency improvements,
the sustainable use of resources, or environmental
protection activities. Clean technology includes a
broad range of technology related to recycling,
renewable energy such as wind power, solar power,
biomass, hydropower, and biofuels, information
technology, green transportation, and green
chemistry.

According to Clean Edge, a US based clean

technology research firm, “Clean technology is a diverse range of products, services, and processes
that harness renewable materials and energy sources, dramatically reduce the use of natural
resources, and cut or eliminate emissions and wastes."

Plastics are mainly highly polymerized compounds consisting of carbon and hydrogen, made from
substances such as petroleum and natural gas. One of the versatile raw material for plastics product
is naphtha (crude gasoline) which is produced by refining crude oil is used as the raw material for
making plastics.

Process Overview

Naphtha produced by distilling crude oil is first heated and cracked to extract substances with a
simpler structure (i.e. compounds with a low molecular weight) such as ethylene and propylene. The
molecules obtained are then chemically coupled (polymerized) to form substances with new
properties, such as polyethylene and polypropylene, which are called synthetic resins and polymers.
As the newly formed polyethylene and other such substances are difficult to handle in powder or lump
form, they are first melted, an additive is added to make them easier to process, and they are formed
into pellets. They are then shipped to the molding plant to be manufactured into plastic products.
Plastics Recycling
Plastic recycling is the process of recovering scrap or waste plastic and reprocessing the material into
useful products. Since plastic is non-biodegradable, recycling it is a part of global efforts to reduce
plastic in the waste stream, especially the approximately eight million metric tons of waste plastic that
enter the Earth's ocean every year. This helps to reduce the high rates of plastic pollution.

Plastic recycling includes taking any type of plastic sorting it into different polymers and then chipping
it and then melting it down into pellets after this stage it can then be used to make items of any kind
such as plastic chairs and tables. Soft Plastics are also recycled such as polyethylene film and bags.

Breakdown of Plastic Waste

Shape Use and Contents Type of Resin

Bottles and Beverage Soft Juice, cola, drinking PET

Tubes Bottles Drinks water, tea, alcoholic
beverages
Lactic Acid Yogurt Polystyrene
Beverages
Food and condiment Soy sauce, vinegar, PET, polyethylene,
bottles containers polypropylene

Condiment tubes Mayonnaise, ketchup, polyethylene, polypropylene

dressings, mustard
paste

Bottles and tubes for Toiletries, gardening PET, composite materials,

daily necessities supplies, car supplies, polyethylene, polypropylene
liquid detergent, fabric
softener, toothpaste,
cosmetics, shampoo,
body wash,

Packs and Food Packs (EPS and Margarine, fruits, EPS Polystyrene
Cups non-EPS) vegetables, processed
foods, packed lunch Non-EPS PET, polystyrene
polypropylene
Food Cups (EPS and Egg Custard, yogurt, EPS Polystyrene
non-EPS) noodles, jelly, desserts Non-EPS PET, polystyrene
polypropylene,
polyethylene
Cup and Pack Lids PET,polystyrene polypropylene,
polyethylene
Trays and EPS and non-EPS trays Meat, Fish, EPS Polystyrene
Blister Packs Vegetables, processed
Non-EPS PET, polystyrene
foods
polypropylene,
Blister packs Drugs and PET, polystyrene
pharmaceuticals, polypropylene, polyethylene,
PVC resin
 household tools,
cosmetics
Egg Boxes PET, polystyrene
Bags Large, Medium, and Rice, gardening bags, polypropylene, polyethylene
plain bags fish, fruit,
confectionery, frozen
foods, vacuum packed
foods
Carrier bags polyethylene
Rubbish bags polyethylene
Small bags Condiments, candy, composite materials,
soup stocks polyethylene, polypropylene

Caps and Beverage, foods, polyethylene, polypropylene

Stoppers bottles
Cellophane Cellophane PVC resin, polyethylene
and Film Film composite materials,
polyethylene, polypropylene
Labels PET, polyethylene,
polypropylene, polystyrene
Boxes and Detergents, food, polyethylene, polypropylene,
Cases powdered goods, polystyrene, PVC resin
deodorizers,
dehumidifiers
Protection and Foam Products, nets, polyethylene, polystyrene
fixing air caps
Others Baskets, handles, PET, polyethylene,
multi-packs, sieves polypropylene, polystyrene,
PVC resin

Methods of Plastic Recycling

Category Method of Recycling
Material Recycling
Chemical Recycling Monomerization
Blast Furnace Feedstock
Recycling
Coke oven chemical feedstock
recycling
Thermal Recycling Gasification/Liquefaction
Cement Kilns
Waste Power Generation

Mechanical Recycling

PET bottles from sorted household waste are collected, compressed and packed by municipalities for
transportation to plants operated by recycling businesses. At the recycling plant, the waste is sorted
to remove impurities, and the remaining PET bottles then shredded and cleaned, foreign bodies are
non-resins are removed and the remainder turned into flakes and pellets (granules made from flakes,
thermally processed by a granulator) for recycling. The recycled materials are then sent to textile and
sheet-making plants, where they are again melted down to make into textile and sheet products.
Mechanical recycling of other plastic waste follows the same basic processes such as extrusion,
injection, blow and vacuum molding techniques.

Chemical Recycling
 Blast Furnace Feedstock recycling

At steel mills, iron ore, coke and auxiliary raw materials are fed into a blast furnace and the
iron ore melted to produce pig iron. Coke is used as fuel to elevate the temperature in the furnace,
and also acts as a reducing agent by removing the oxygen from iron oxide, one of the main constituents
of iron ore. As plastics are made from petroleum and natural gas, their main constituents are carbon
and hydrogen.
This means that it should be possible to devise a means of using them instead of coke as a
reducing agent in the blast furnace process. The process by which plastics are used as a reducing
agent is as follows. Plastic waste collected from factories and homes is cleansed of non-combustible
matter and other impurities such as metals, then finely pulverized and packed to reduce its volume.
Plastics that do not contain PVC are granulated, then fed into the blast furnace with coke.
Plastics that do contain PVC are fed into the blast furnace after first separating the hydrogen chloride
at a high temperature of around 350℃ in the absence of oxygen, as the emission of hydrogen chloride
can damage a furnace. The hydrogen chloride thus extracted is recovered as hydrochloric acid and put
to other uses, such as acid scrubbing lines for hot rolling at steel mills.
 Coke Oven Chemical Feedstock recycling

Coke is made by baking coal, and the process also generates volatile compounds which
produce hydrocarbon oil and coke oven gas. However, coke, hydrocarbon oil and coke oven gas can
also be produced from plastic waste.
Plastic waste collected from households is first shredded and impurities such as iron are
removed. PVC is removed before the plastics are heated to 100℃ and granulated, then mixed with
coal and fed into the carbonization chamber of a coke oven.
The carbonization chamber has combustion chambers on both sides which heat the content
indirectly. The waste plastic does not combust inside the chamber due to lack of oxygen, but it is
instead cracked thermally at a high temperature to produce coke for use as the reducing agent in coke
ovens, hydrocarbon oil which is used as chemical feedstock, and coke oven gas which is used to
generate electricity.
Thermal Recycling
Gasification

Plastics are composed mainly of carbon and hydrogen and therefore normally produce carbon
dioxide and water when combusted. The gasification process involves heating plastics and adding a
supply of oxygen and steam. The supply of oxygen is limited, which means that much of the plastics
turn into hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide and water.
Sand heated to 600-800℃ is circulated inside a first-stage low-temperature gasification
furnace. Plastics introduced into the furnace breakdown on contact with the sand to form hydrocarbon,
carbon monoxide, hydrogen and char. If the plastics contain chlorine, they produce hydrogen chloride.
If plastic products contain metal or glass, these are recovered as non-combustible matter.
The gas from the low-temperature gasification furnace is reacted with steam at a temperature
of 1,300-1,500℃ in a second-stage high-temperature gasification furnace to produce a gas composed
mainly of carbon monoxide and oxygen. At the furnace outlet, the gas is rapidly cooled to 200℃ or
below to prevent the formation of dioxins. The granulated blast furnace slag also produced is used in
civil engineering and construction materials.
The gas then passes through a gas scrubber and any remaining hydrogen chloride is
neutralized by alkalis and removed from the synthetic gas. This synthetic gas is used as a raw material
in the chemical industry to produce chemicals such as hydrogen, methanol, ammonia and acetic acid.
Liquefaction
Benefits of Plastic Recycling
1. Provision of a Sustainable Source of Raw Materials

Recycling plastics provides a sustainable source of raw materials to the manufacturing

industry. Once the plastics are recycled, they are sent to manufacturing industries to be
redesigned and converted into new shapes and used in different applications.

2. Reduces Environmental Problems

Since plastics are non-biodegradable, they pose a high risk to the people and the
environment as a whole. They can block sewer lines, drainages and other waterways leading
to blockages and unwanted pileups. When plastics are eliminated through recycling, the
environment looks clean and inhabitable.

3. Reduces Landfill Problems

Recycling plastics minimizes the amount of plastic being taken to the ever diminishing
landfill sites. Most countries have designated areas specifically meant for burying plastics.
When they are recycled, these sites will receive little plastic garbage. The remaining areas can
be used for other purposes instead of dumping plastics that do not rot. These areas can be
used for agriculture or for human settlement. It should be understood that human population
is growing each day and land is becoming a problem. Instead of misusing the land for garbage
disposal it can be used for settlement and other important economic activities.
4. Consumes Less Energy

Recycling of materials including plastics requires less energy as compared to making

the plastic from scratch. This saves energy and that energy can be diverted to other important
things in the economy. It is therefore important to encourage plastic recycling in the
manufacturing industry as it will save the economy billions of money. The process of
manufacturing plastic using natural raw materials is expensive and time consuming compared
to the recycling process.