Solving Plastic Waste CRC PhD Scholarship (External)

This PhD project aims to recover contaminant free fuel-grade oil from waste soft plastics (such as low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP)) through pyrolysis process. 

The research will begin with detailed characterization of the feedstock (material) to understand its thermal behaviour, composition and structures. Key methods that will be used include microscopy (optical, scanning electron, transmission electron, etc) and spectroscopy (X-ray diffraction (XRD), gas-chromatography and mass-spectrometry (GC-MS), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)) among others. Then, a pilot-scale 20L batch pyrolysis reactor will be used to optimize pyrolysis process conditions to maximise oil yield with no wax formation. The project will develop a process model using ASPEN PLUS software to understand and optimise product yields and reaction kinetics which is crucial to determine product quality. Proper control of reaction rates/mechanisms and identifying factors that influence the reaction can help minimise undesirable byproducts, leading to higher quality products. The project will develop reaction kinetic model using CHEMKIN II software. The produced oil will then be analysed using GC-MS, TGA, FTIR, etc to evaluate their fuel quality and chemical structure. Produced oil quality and material behaviour will be mapped and a correlation between them will be developed to understand oil quality and its pertinent contaminants. In addition, a techno-economic analysis will be conducted to evaluate its large-scale application.