Waste plastic as a source of biofuel for stationary diesel engine: a critical review
K. Sunil Kumar, J. M. Babu, Harish Venu, Anbu Muthuraja
Abstract
Waste plastic generation is increasing globally with approximately 3.5 MMT annually. This includes LDPE, HDPE, PET, PS and PET, if the same trend continues, this will lead to 25,000 MMT waste plastics generated by 2040. Hence, all the researchers should focus on various methods of discarding the waste plastics and converting this into a useful form. The biofuel from the waste plastic will be cheaper than fuel. This fuel will meet all the global standards and can be used in the engines without modification. This review paper mainly focuses on various methods to converting waste plastics into fuel. It also gives an overview of PWG, PWD, PWI and PWR. Based on the literature review it is clear that the pyrolysis process is one of the most prominent methods of converting waste plastics into fuel. The experimental work done on the engines has proved that BTE is improved by 2–5% and emissions were reduced by 1–3.5% compared to other conventional fuels. These results motivate the researchers to convert the waste plastics into fuel, which leads to a cleaner environment and an improved economy for the country.