Recent Advances in Solar Pyrolysis for Fuel Production from Waste Plastics

The aim of this study is to present the state-of-the-art data on solar pyrolysis of waste plastics. Solar pyrolysis is a promising technology for converting waste plastics into various energy products such as liquid fuel, char, and synthetic gas (syngas). A 20L batch pyrolysis reactor was used in this study to pyrolyze waste plastics. It was found that the pyrolysis could produce about 80 – 85% oil, 10–15% char and 5–10% syngas per unit of mixed waste plastics feedstock. The potential of using waste plastics as a feedstock for pyrolysis process is evaluated through an energy analysis of pyrolysis process. The reactor efficiency was found to be 72.64%. The environmental benefits of using solar pyrolysis as a method of plastic waste management, the challenges facing for the widespread implementation of solar pyrolysis and the potential for future research in this field are also discussed. It has been found that among various solar-assisted pyrolysis reactors, solar photovoltaic (PV) cell is suitable for our existing system. Overall, solar pyrolysis has shown significant energy savings and great potential for producing fuels from waste plastics. With introducing 15 m2 PV cell, the reactor performance increases to 76.1% i.e., 3.46% energy savings. In conclusion, continued research and development in this technology could play a key role in addressing global plastic waste management problems and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.