Experimental Investigation of Dissolution of Plastic Polymers into Biodiesel

This study analysed the dissolution phenomena of plastic polymers into biodiesel through experimental measurement. The effects of experimental parameters, such as temperature, concentration, agitation, time and feed rate, etc, when mixing two different polymers with biodiesel wereobserved to deduce trends that can be adapted into further exploration. Suchinvestigation is reasonably new in Australia and very few are found around the world.So, any results from this study can be effectively useful in advancement of future projects. The stages taken to complete this study involved researching the most influential polymers and biodiesels used in Australia in regards to waste to be used in the testing. The possible test conditions were then investigated to produce an outline for testing. Once the methodology was completed the samples were made and tested to determine how the changes affected the reaction process. Through the research phase of the project, it was found that polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) were two of the widest used polymers and thus contributed to the largest amount of waste by weight. Thus, these polymers were investigated to determine a way of recovering the hydrocarbons and the energy still locked in the plastics that would otherwise be wasted. Similarly peanut oil biodiesel was selected to mix with these two polymers as it was made on site and was available for use for the project. The methodology employed to test these blends included measuring 60mL of the biodiesel into a chemical reactor and setting it on the heating plate to raise the temperature to various temperatures between 80 and 100°C for PE and 135-140°C for PP. A small amount of polymer, between 0.5 and 2% (m/m) was measured out and added to the biodiesel at the set temperature. The time taken for the polymer to fully dissolve was recorded along with any other observations made, before labelling and filtering the blends. The general trends that were found during the testing was, while increasing the temperature can lead to quicker, and even instantaneous reaction times, when conducted over several minutes, the reaction produces a higher yield in the final blend and thus is more desirable to maximise polymer retention in the blend. Key-Words: Waste plastics, additives, experimental investigation, plastic dissolution in biodiesel