Project number
25051
Organization
PeakView Environmental Solutions
Offering
ENGR498-F2024-S2025
Fuel scarcity and plastic waste pose major challenges to the environment and human health. This is especially true in disaster areas. One solution is pyrolysis oil, which converts plastic waste into fuel but requires further processing. In this project, the team developed an oil separation module to refine pyrolysis oil into five fractions to improve output oil usability.
The team’s solution uses a heating mantle to heat crude pyrolysis oil in a flask. The system first purges the flask with nitrogen to remove oxygen. It then applies a vacuum to regulate pressure. As the oil heats, it vaporizes and enters a Vigreux column where separation occurs. Lighter fractions rise, condense and collect in a receiver, while heavier fractions remain for further processing. The flask rotates for batch processing, and the cycle repeats at different temperatures to extract all fractions.
To ensure control, the system uses two thermocouples to monitor temperature and a vacuum pressure gauge to verify precise conditions. The team confirmed safety and fuel viability using gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis to determine the chemical composition of each fraction. This portable and scalable system is an effective waste-to-energy solution that can be used in off-grid and disaster recovery applications.
The team’s solution uses a heating mantle to heat crude pyrolysis oil in a flask. The system first purges the flask with nitrogen to remove oxygen. It then applies a vacuum to regulate pressure. As the oil heats, it vaporizes and enters a Vigreux column where separation occurs. Lighter fractions rise, condense and collect in a receiver, while heavier fractions remain for further processing. The flask rotates for batch processing, and the cycle repeats at different temperatures to extract all fractions.
To ensure control, the system uses two thermocouples to monitor temperature and a vacuum pressure gauge to verify precise conditions. The team confirmed safety and fuel viability using gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis to determine the chemical composition of each fraction. This portable and scalable system is an effective waste-to-energy solution that can be used in off-grid and disaster recovery applications.