Tomsk Polytechnic University Develops Process for Producing Gasoline Components from Plastic Waste

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Scientists at Tomsk Polytechnic University (Томский политехнический университет) have developed a two-step process that converts plastic waste into fuel components for producing AI-80 to AI-98 grade gasoline. According to the university's press service, the resulting product fully complies with national standards and can be used for commercial purposes.

The first step of the process involves heating plastic to 450°C to decompose it and separate the desired fraction from the resulting liquid mixture. The second step passes these fractions through a specialized catalyst, converting them into hydrocarbons identical to those found in standard automotive fuels. During experiments, researchers examined the impact of different temperature conditions on the composition and properties of the final product.

The scientists determined the optimal proportion of recycled plastic for each gasoline grade: no more than 35% for AI-80, no more than 25% for AI-92, no more than 15% for AI-95, and no more than 5% for AI-98. The final product is not inferior to conventional fuels in all specified parameters.

Currently, scientists are refining the process to improve the quality of the fuel fractions and are preparing to scale it up for industrial application.