Introduction
In a society increasingly focused on sustainability, circularity and resource efficiency, the challenge of managing plastic waste has become more and more a global concern. Conventional recycling methods, aimed to manage the complexity and volume of plastic materials, can be integrated by high-temperature processes for energy recovery, which offer an alternative for converting plastic waste into valuable by-products (energy and materials).
In this lesson learners will discover different ways of sustainable conversion of plastic waste into energy considering different types and composition of plastic waste. The thermal degradation of plastic will be explored through pyrolysis, gasification, and combustion processes. During the lesson the final products obtained from each waste plastic thermal process (syngas, oils, char, thar, ashes) and their use and management will be explored.
The challenges, advantages and disadvantages of those different solutions will be discussed looking at the potentialities of Life Cycle Analysis and environmental impact studies. Both of them allow to set strategies for the reduction of emitted pollutants and the achievement of the circular economy goals. The need of an up-to-date regulatory framework will be discussed too.
Lesson Learning Outcomes
After completion of this lesson, learners will be able to:
Understand differences between solutions for plastic thermal degradation
- Distinguish between the major thermal degradation processes used for plastic waste treatment, including pyrolysis, gasification, and combustion with energy recovery.
- Evaluate the suitability of each process for different types of plastic waste based on composition, contamination level, and desired energy output considering also the process complexity.
Understand the SRF and its energy potential
- Explain the role of Plastic Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) as an alternative energy source and its relevance in waste-to-energy strategies.
- Understand the composition and properties of plastic-based SRF and how these affect thermal processing performance.
Know the technologies used for plastic energy recovery
- Understand the differences between the technologies adopted for exploiting the processes of thermal degradation
- Evaluate practical experiences of energy recovery plants for plastic valorization
Analyze plastic thermal degradation from environmental sustainability and impact
- Understand the role of waste plastic energy recovery in integrated waste management and circular economy considering their environmental impact
- Identify key environmental concerns related to energy recovery from plastic waste, including air emissions, solid residues, and potential pollutants.
- Assess the effectiveness of pollution control systems and environmental regulations related to plastic waste-to-energy conversion.
Know to evaluate basic life cycle assessments (LCA) to determine the overall sustainability of energy recovery from plastic.
