Waste Tyre Pyrolysis Plant

• Pyrolysis is the chemical decomposition of organic materials by heating in the absence of oxygen or any other reagents, except possibly steam.
• Pyrolysis can be used to reprocess the tyres into fuel oil, fuel gas, solid residue (steel wire) and carbon black.
• The waste tyres are mainly composed of long chain of C-H molecules.
• Under normal process conditions the heat transfer will be done by radiation. 
• The technology of pyrolysis, cracking, and monomerization of used tyres is always a hot topic.

Tyre pyrolysis:

End-of-life tyres contain a lot of chemical bound energy. As a result of pyrolysis of waste tyres one obtains: high-energy gas, Pyrolysis oils, carbon black and steel wire. The ratios of the first three products depend on process conditions, mainly on temperature.

• The pyrolysis method for recycling used tyres is a technique, which heats whole or shredded tyres in a reactor vessel containing an oxygen free atmosphere and a heat source.
• In the reactor the rubber is softened after which the rubber polymers continuously breakdown into smaller molecules.
• These smaller molecules eventually vaporize and exit from the reactor. 
• These vapors can be burned directly to produce power or condensed into an oily type liquid, generally used as a fuel.
• Some molecules are too small to condense. They remain as a gas, which can be burned as fuel which can be reused in the same plant.
• The minerals that were part of the tyre, about 40 to 45 % by weight, are  removed as a solid.
• When performed well a tyre pyrolysis process is a very clean operation and has nearly no emissions or waste.
• The properties  of the gas, liquid and solid output are determined by the type of feedstock used and the process conditions.
• For instance, whole tyres contain fibers and steel. Shredded tyres have most of the steel and sometimes most of the fiber removed.
• Batch wise Process is done by tyre pyrolysis.
• The steel can be removed with crane. The remaining solid material often referred to as “charcoal”.

Variety of polymer waste material is suitable as a raw material. Given below is the list of suitable raw materials for pyrolysis:

• Waste tyres
• Rubber or rubber parts from vehicles
• Electronic scrap
• Mixed (HDPE, LDPE, PE, PP, Nylon, Teflon, PS, ABS, FRP etc)
• Plastic disposable bottle
• The choice of feedstock and process (mainly operating temperature) can affect the value of the finished products.

Flowchart for pyrolysis process

Pyrolysis plant is renewable energy generation system. Pyrolysis plants are designed to generate quality fuel from polymer waste. Pyrolysis system or pyrolysis plant is an industry for conversion of waste and tyre into usable products like:

• Pyrolysis oil (Fuel oil)
• Steel wire
• Carbon black
• Hydrocarbon gas

Benefits of pyrolysis plant

• Recover energy and value from waste in form of fuel, steel wire and charcoal.
• Reduce tyre land pollution.
• Eco-friendly recycling of tyre.
• Commercially viable process.
• Product is used as substitute to LDO/furnace oil.
• Perfect solution for polymer waste management.
• Raw material available.

Basic function of pyrolysis plant is to achieve following process conditions:

• Operating temperature of Reactor is between 300 to 350 degree c.
• Duration period of pyrolysis batch is between 10 to 12 hours.
• Pyrolysis of tyre is done in the absence of oxygen.
• Scrubbing of pyrolysis oil, hydrocarbon gases and fuel gases to prevent pollution.

Pyrolysis plant needs following machinery & equipment:

• Raw material handing section.
• Pyrolysis reactor
• Hydraulic cutter.
• Hydraulic auto feeder.
• Condensation system.
• Scrubbing system.
• Hydrocarbon gas cleaning & storage system.
• Pyrolysis oil storage system.
• Cooling tower.
• Control panel and alarm systems.
• Equipment line in commercial pyrolysis plants is further modified to suite customer’s requirements.