Report on Feasibility Analysis of Continuous Device Extracting Bitumen and Fuel Oil from Waste Plastic
      I. Background and significance of project development
      With the rapid development of plastic industry, plastic products have gained an increasingly wide application in China, spreading to all realms of national economy and immerging into people’s daily life. In a word, nothing can compare with plastic which strikes such a wide application. Plastic has become one of the supporting materials in modern industry with its unique characteristics like light quality, high ratio of intensity and density, easy processing and molding, excellent insulation, good adiabatic and caustic resistant performance, etc. It plays an increasingly important role in national economy. However, some good performances of plastic produced wastes that are not easy to rot and are accumulated everyday after the use (or may called consumption), therefore posing a big threat to ecological environment on earth and calling for a great concern from human. The plastic products, today, has exceeded a total quantity of billion-ton in the world, while, roughly 10,000,000 tons in China. Besides, the number continues to rise by 13% annually and at the same time, the total quantity of waste plastics is rising sharply. The conflict between environment and development is getting more obvious, thus demanding an immediate action to manage the waste plastics.
      The simplest solutions to deal with waste plastics are burying and simple incineration. Burying uses more precious lands and pollutes surrounding environment and groundwater system. The simple incineration will discharge harmful gas and produce residues; meanwhile, because the plastic wastes cannot be reclaimed, much heat from burning plastic will cause a great energy waste. Thus, neither solution is ideal. Again, how to dispose wastes has become a subject attracting all countries and governments with all levels in the world to research and concern. Since 1990s, the research on transforming plastic wastes to fuel oil has attracted a wide attention in China.
      The process of producing fuel oil with decomposing trough developed by Japanese Mitsubishi Heavy Industry First, crash the plastic wastes into some certain sizes, then send them to melting trough (300-350 ℃) by the chute after the wastes are dried. Second, send wastes to the decomposing trough (400-500℃) for a slow decomposition; each trough is heated by the hot wind. Tar or wax-shaped substance with high ignition point will need to be heated and decomposed to be the low molecular substance in the decomposing trough after being separated in the condenser. Steam with low components is separated as condensate liquid and non-condensable gas in the condenser. The condensate liquid may reclaim the oil after being separated in the oil-gas separator. The oil is characterized by low viscidity, high heat value and below-zero freezing points, yet wide ignition point and very low kindling point, thus it is an excellent fuel oil, of which the components of low burning points shall be eliminated while using. The non-condensable gas compound can be used as fuels after its hydrogen chloride is absorbed by the absorption tower. The reclaimed part of oil and gas can be used as the energy source to heat the hot wind of each trough.
      The hot decomposition of fluidized bed with plastic wastes invented by German Hamburg University is fuel-oil reactor
      The plastic wastes will flow from the flute and be sent to electrothermal reactor by helical feeder. The depth of fluidized layer is about 20m. Heating needs 50L liquid hourly; the dust of thermal decomposition gas is removed in electric duster and liquefied partly in deep condenser. Uncondensed gas can be reused as liquefied medium after being returned to the reactor.
      The fuel chemists in American University of Kentucky, invented the method of putting various plastics into sand container for mixing using zeolite molecular sieve as the agent, and then putting the serum into the reactor pressurized with hydrogenation and finally heating it to decompose the macro-molecule plastic as the high-quality fuel oil.
      The above three representative oil chemistry equipment using plastic wastes made in overseas have the three-waste disposal that meet the requirements on environmental protection of their manufacturing countries. But the investment in the three individual oilization devices respectively is above 20,000,000 RMB with a daily output of fuel oil of about 5 tons. Thus, the three devices are not worthy of promoting, as they don’t produce commercial value.
      The main engine of oil chemistry equipment with plastic wastes deployed in Chinese mainland, mainly uses vertical fixed processor with processes below: first, the plastic wastes are put via the cracking processor top by the operator; second, seal the feed inlet and the processor bottom will slowly heat the wastes with coal or firewood left as the fuel. Generally, the cracking processor has a volume with 5 stere and one-ton feed. Thus, it usually takes 12 hours to refine once. After the process is completed, it is required to cease for another 12 hours. Then the taphole at the bottom of the processor will be opened for dumping the dreg after the processor cools down; the material will be fed from the processor inlet and then enters to next circulation.
      The vertical oil-refining processor in China cannot meet environmental protection requirements on its disposal of three wastes during manufacturing; besides, it doesn’t have capability to produce continuously. Thus, to fulfill the economic benefits will require more oil-refining processors to work together.
      We have designed and released a series of oil-refining devices with unique features of Shangqiu Donghe Corporation, after the research of all experts and years of tackling key technological matters, based on the actual situation and national status.
      II. Main features of latest series of devices (take WJ-5 type for example)
      1. Dispose the plastic tyre wastes comprehensively to produce two products---bitumen and fuel oil at the same time.
      2. Each set of device is comprised of ten parts.
            2.1. Pre-treatment device for raw materials
            2.2. Rapid and continuous feeder
            2.3. Integrated rotary cracking device
            2.4. Automatic slaging system with characteristics of safety and environmental protection
            2.5. Whirlwind dedusting device with oil steam
            2.6. Rapid condensation system
            2.7. Exhaust purification, recycle and combustion system
            2.8. Heat source supply system
            2.9. Environmental protection and exhaust system for heat source
            2.10. Central electric control system
      3. Domestic Initiation:
            3.1 This device has continuous and canned feeding and tapping system, and the maximum feeding capacity reaches to 20 tons per 24 hours. The production efficiency is three times to the traditional rotary Intermittent Operation Equipment.
            3.2 The matching pressure release device is capable of increasing the value added of oil product to a large degree through deeply processing the oil product.
            3.3 Manufacturing the whole set of device should be carried out in an environment of no smoking and no smell, thus the device having excellent safety and environmental protection property.
            3.4 The split treater of the key equipment for this achievement has a horizontal integrating revolving structure, and comparing this structure with the bygone old equipment, it is found the fuel for the new equipment is fuel oil, and the residue generated in the burning course of fuel oil can fully reach to the exhaust discharge standards of all countries in the world, thus it being able to be used in any countries.
            3.5 High effective fuel gas heating system: when the temperature of the heated gas reaches to 150℃, a large amount of gases----methane to butane---that cannot be fluidified in common temperature and pressure will be generated. And these gases can generate a large amount of heating energy after being burned fully in our specially designed gas burner, thus saving energy to a large degree.
            3.6 The latest technology and the whole split and oil product collecting system developed by the company can be used for this device, and the produced fuel oil has some advantages such as high quality and high oil output rate.
      4. The company’s promise: All series of equipments sold by our company can be enjoyed the perfect after-selling service and the free repair service for one year as well as the maintenance service for the whole service life, thus completely resolving the customers’ troubles after buying.
      III. Product and Raw Material Market
      With the rapid advance of the global economy, Energy source has been the main factor limiting the economic development of each country since the 1990s with the daily increasing trend of petroleum in short supply, the petroleum explored in the whole land of the globe will be exploited out in 15 years! Seeking new energy sources has become the question all countries in the world focus on. China has a broad tract and a large population, and with the rapid development of the market economy and the popularization of vehicles and machinery, the demands to petroleum is increasing continuously and China has changed from a petroleum exporting country to an importing country. In the first half year of 2005, we still need to import 80 million buckets of crude oil from foreign countries to be able to meet the demands of domestic market except the domestically produced crude oil in accordance with the news publicized by China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation. Since 2005, the international price of crude oil increases time and again, and the price of each bucket of crude oil has exceeded 70 dollars (quotation from OPEC in August 2005).
      Then whether the sources of the raw materials for refining oil can be guaranteed?
      Henan Province, for example, recycles plastic wastes of 4,000,000 tons from the garbage and recovery company. With the development of industry and transportation industry, lots of waste oil is to be disposed urgently.
      Take one of medium-level counties in Chinese mainland for example, the woven bags including fertilizer, phosphate fertilizer and cement, plastic films, snack box and foam-casing board of all colors, various packaging films, bottles and boxes of food, different waste rubber, plastic products and waste oil consumed in the county total 12000 tons or above annually, hence, a county will not need to worry about the supply of its raw materials, if it establishes four oil-refining plants, with an annual ability to dispose 1500 tons of plastic wastes.
      IV. Main Technological Characteristics.
      1. This device has continuous and canned feeding and tapping system, and the maximum feeding capacity reaches to 20 tons per 24 hours. The production efficiency is three times to the traditional rotary Intermittent Operation Equipment.
      2. The heating method of the new equipment is indirect heating method, and the advantages of this method are as follows:
            ① When some problems occur in the system, closing the induced draught fan can cut the heating source in sudden to ensure the system’s safety.
            ② The heat exchange distance is more than that of the old equipment by 5-7 times, thus having a higher thermal efficiency.
            ③ Extend greatly the service life of main equipment, and the service life of the new equipment is longer than that of the old one by 2-3 times.
      3. Equipment’s Shape: beautiful and decent, and economic and practical;
      4. Catalyzing heat split technology and chemical extracting technology for product;
      5. The equipped environmental protection fittings are more perfect, such as waste gas burner, and flue dust chamber;
      6. The equipment has reasonable design and advanced manufacturing technologies and a high automation degree and complete safety facilities.
      V. Products and industrials applicable for oil-refining processors
      1. Waste industrial mixed plastics, and allow multi-kind flotsams exist at the same time, but PET is an exception.
      2. Waste engine oil.
      3. Waste rubber tyre
      4. Waste cable skin (suggests dechlorination treatment first and then oil refining)
      5. Waste crude oil
      6. Regeneration of waste PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate)
      XI. Technological Process
      Pretreat and crush waste tyres and plastics and send them to split processor with no break negative pressure order to catalyze and heat in order to filter out oil steam; oil steam shall pass light and heavy components separation device; light component shall enter the condenser and meanwhile residues shall be discharged automatically in succession. But the liquefied part shall be condensed to rubber oil; and the part that cannot be liquefied shall be input into heating supply system for burning by way of combustion gas purification system.

      VII. Security
      The security of main device, the main components of the exhaust gas that cannot be liquefied are alkanes class from C1to C4, whose direct burning is dangerous. Therefore, we shall first make them pass water seal of the first safety device before burning up them as fuels, and further make them pass the gas burner of the second safety device; then the complete safe production shall be realized.
      VIII. Environmental Protection(Treatment of the three wastes in the course of production)
      1. Exhaust gas
      By means of full combustion in water seal and gas burner of safety devices, the pollution of exhaust gas shall be eliminated and a large amount of fuel shall be saved. Zaoqiang ZTC series desulfurization dust collector shall be used to discharge smoke and dust; the discharge of smoke and dust shall meet related standards of —2001
      2. Waste liquid
      Faintly acid waste water shall produce in the course of treatment of oil products (about 50 kg waste water each ton oil, small volume and tracable); after neutralization by adding faintly alkaline liquor, the neutral waste water shall be harmless with three-grade filtration and be discharged into special evaporation processor to vapor (heat source is the flue residual heat of main processor).
      3. Waste solid
      The waste plastic will have some solid residues, which probably accounts for 5% to 10% of the weight of waste plastic, after being catalyzed and thermally cracked. And its main component is crude carbon black and can be the raw material to produce industrial carbon black, and also can mix with the fly ash generated in heat power plant that takes coal as its raw material to be the material for producing fly ash brick (a kind of environmental protection type building material). 
      IX. Analysis of Economic Benefit
      1. Technical parameter of equipment

      2. Production site covers an area of 600m2, including a factory area with 300 m2, materials and auxiliary area with 300 m2.
      3. Production cost
      (Take Waste Plastic in solid waste as raw material, and WJ-T-5 Type as equipment)
      Economic benefit analysis of WJ-T-5 type equipment
            a. Material cost: 10800 RMB = 12 tons*900RMB/ton
            b. Fuel cost: 1152RMB=1.2ton. *800RMB/ton
            c. Cost for water and electricity: 264RMB=12kw. * 22h*1RMB/kw.
            d. Salary for workers: 240RMB=four people*60RMB/person
            e. Depreciation cost of equipments: 500RMB/day
            f. Tax (remark): free from tax for environmental protection project
            g. Other expenses: 100RMB/day
      Total: 13056.00 RMB
      The fuel oil produced can be calculated on 4000RMB/ton
      W-T-5 Model, Daily turnover: 4000*4.8 tons=19200.00 RMB
      Daily profit:
      19200.00RMB/day-13056.00RMB/day=6144.00RMB/day
      Monthly profit: 6144.00RMB/day*25 days=153600.00RMB
      Yearly profit (ten months):1536000 RMB
      Calculation of investment recovery
      Monthly profit: 153600.00 RMB, put into operation within 30 days after device enters factory; capital can be totally recovered shortly in normal production condition.
      X. Conclusion
      The above analysis and calculation show that it shall be beneficial both to the country and civilians to refine oil using plastic wastes. It is feasible in terms of technique, with advantages of small investment, much raw material, rapid recovery and favorable prospect; therefore, it is an optimal choice to invest.
Shangqiu Donghe Special Equipments Co., Ltd
February 2008