Collaboration with Industry

The American Plastics Council (APC) working with Conrad Industries demonstrated that pyrolysis is a viable method for recycling post-use plastics into liquid petrochemical feedstocks. The project was conducted at Conrad Industries' Chehalis, WA facility. Multiple runs were conducted using many different combinations of resin types. During the runs operating reliability was verified, system behavior was characterized, hazard evaluations were conducted on the equipment and process and general operating conditions were optimized. There were no environmental problems associated with the process. Stack emissions were well within air quality limits. Fugitive emissions were monitored without any detection of leaks. The liquid product from the parametric study was thoroughly analyzed and was found to be acceptable as a refinery feedstock and indistinguishable from many other petroleum feedstocks.

The oil produced under the study created a new chemical substance pursuant to section 5 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). As a result of the premanufacturing notice (PMN) submitted for the new chemical substance, EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (0PPT) recognized Conrad Industries for an important achievement in pollution prevention. The recognition of achievement commended the ART process for manufacturing a new chemical representing a significant innovation in the chemistry for advanced plastics recycling, chemically converting post-consumer plastics into fuel-grade petroleum feedstocks. "Conrad Industries' new technology has the potential to advance plastics recycling to include many plastics not currently recycled. Your process provides advantages over conventional plastics recycling in that the sorting of different plastics in the waste stream is not necessary and the process yields a consistent quality petroleum end product."

Study Results (6.54MB)