Plastic Recycling: A European Success Story

A leading European plastics recycling plant approached Pall to help them improve the quality of their pyrolysis oil by removing both residual solid and liquid contamination. The variable quality and type of waste plastic fed into the process results in the pyrolysis oil containing high levels of contaminants, such as particles, semi-solids, and water. All of these contaminants must be removed for the oil to meet the specifications set by the end user.

Pall and its customer process technology department defined and deployed a very pragmatic action plan: First, take representative samples of pyrolysis oil to define its contamination (nature, concentration, size distribution, etc.). Pilot tests were conducted to identify and validate suitable technologies and dimensions for the full-scale solution. The results concluded that the best solution was a combination of different graded Pall depth filter modules to remove high volumes of solids and semi-solids, followed by a high-efficiency liquid/ liquid coalescer to separate the liquid (free water) contaminants. To further improve the visual appearance of the oil, adsorptive filter technology was offered to remove targeted chemical contaminants that darken the final product.

Pall's multi-stage solution enabled the customer to enhance the quality of the final pyrolysis oil, ensuring it met market demands for cleanliness and protecting critical assets within the process from fouling. The pyrolysis oil, initially a hazy and dark fluid resulting from pyrolysis, was transformed into a bright and clear product. The optimal filtration media can be selected by testing pyrolysis oil samples in our laboratories, with scalability to ensure consistent results at production levels. Pall also offers services, rental housing, customized filter housing, and modular designs to meet specific requirements.