Gasoline and diesel-like fuel production by continuous catalytic pyrolysis of waste polyethylene and polypropylene mixtures over USY zeolite

The separation temperatures were optimized and it was found that 160 °C is the temperature at which the boiling point distribution and physical properties of light fraction of both PP and PE products can be compatible with gasoline fuel norms, and 220 °C is the temperature at which heavy fractions are compatible with diesel fuel norms. Since there is no interaction between plastics during reaction, the oil derivate from a 50%-50% mixture of PP-PE has been separated at the same temperatures and its characteristics lie between that of PP and PE. Despite that the obtained gasoline-like fraction, which represents 49% of the total oil of the 50%-50% mixture of PP-PE has a very low content in aromatics, it presents a relatively high octane number (RON = 89.8). While the diesel-like fraction which represents 20% of the total oil has a cetane number of 45.1. Finally, from 1 kg of PP for example, having an energy content of 46.4 MJ, 34.3 MJ of liquid and 8.8 MJ of gas were produced. The gasoline-like phase has an energy content of 18 MJ, the intermediate phase possesses an energetic content of 10.7 MJ while the diesel-like phase having an energy content of 6.7 MJ, could generate an electrical energy of 0.53 kWh.