Project Materials

Recycling of Polyethylene Waste Materials to Useful Products via Pyrolysis

Table of Contents

ABSTRACT           1

CHAPTER ONE   3

INTRODUCTION 3

1.1          BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY     3

1.2          STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM   6

1.3          OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY           7

1.4          RESEARCH QUESTIONS  7

1.5          RESEARCH HYPOTHESES 8

1.6          SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY      8

1.7          SCOPE/LIMITATION OF THE STUDY           9

1.8          PLAN OF THE STUDY       9

CHAPTER TWO  11

LITERATURE REVIEW       11

2.1          INTRODUCTION 11

2.2 CONCEPTUAL REVIEW            11

2.3          THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK        18

2.4 EMPIRICAL REVIEW  21

CHAPTER THREE                24

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY         24

RESEARCH DESIGN          24

POPULATION OF THE STUDY        24

SAMPLE AND SAMPLING TECHNIQUE      24

DATA COLLECTION           25

RESEARCH INSTRUMENT (QUESTIONNAIRE)         25

VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF RESEARCH INSTRUMENT   25

ADMINISTRATION OF QUESTIONNAIRE  26

STATISTICAL TOOLS OF DATA ANALYSIS  26

CHAPTER FOUR:               28

4.0 DATA PRESENTATION, DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION              28

4.1 INTRODUCTION        28

4.2 DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS               28

TABLE BASED ON RESEARCH QUESTION 32

4.3 TEST OF HYPOTHESIS               40

CHAPTER FIVE   43

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS      43

5.1          INTRODUCTION 43

5.2          SUMMARY          43

5.3          CONCLUSION    44

5.4          RECOMMENDATIONS    46

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Recycling is a dynamic process that restores the life cycle of a material. Also recycling refers to as a process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning them into a new product. Recycling as well reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, energy usage, water and air pollution and lower green house gas emission as compared to a plastic production. (Roach John 2003).

Polyethylene plastic bags are petroleum-based so the manufacturing process releases harmful pollutants into the atmosphere. Some speculate that these emissions and other smog-related types of pollution accumulate over time in the atmosphere. Uioolk1

Countries and large corporations are beginning to realize the threat that these plastic bags pose to our planet. Many are proposing or have already enacted laws and taxes to decrease the use of polyethylene plastic bags. Many grocery stores are even rewarding customers for bringing reusable grocery bags as an alternative to these polyethylene plastic bags. Customers choosing not to use alternatives to plastic bags either find the alternatives are inconvenient or are simply unaware of the problem at hand.

Polyethylene recycling bags are currently being used all over the world but there is currently no environmentally friendly way to dispose of them.

The rate of consumption of plastic materials in the world is highly expanding, more waste plastics are generated. In past years, their generation amount in China becomes about six million per year, according to data from the National Institute of Environmental Research (Roach John 2005).

Typically, raw materials are manufactured into products for consumption. Leftovers are then thrown away. This linear process, from the extraction of raw materials, to production, then consumption and disposal, has created a waste crisis.

To reduce this one-way flow of re-sources to overburdened waste disposal facilities, materials no longer needed or wanted can be remanufactured. (Roach John 2003).

1.2 AIM

The aim is to recycle polyethylene waste materials to useful products via pyrolysis.

1.3 OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this work are includes:-

(a). To collect the polyethylene waste materials (discarded water sachets plastic bottle )

(b). To carry out thermal pyrolysis of the materials at temperature of 300oC – 350^oC

(c). To monitor the quantity of fuel gas and hydrocarbon liquids evolved

1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The significance studies of recycling polyethylene waste materials via pyrolysis are:

It serve as an economics important to the society or nations

The recycling of polyethylene waste materials to useful appear intervene with our consuming society where it will be hard to imaging in modern society today without plastic which have found amyriad of used in fields as diverse as household appliance, packaging, construction, medicine and electronic.

The recycling of polyethylene waste help in an industrial production of plastic and polymer products such as sachet water, plastic bottle, rubber paint, e.t.c. As sources of raw materials to produces other useful product from those polyethylene waste materials.

It helps in prevent waste pollutant from an environment.

1.5 SCOPES OF THE STUDY

The research is restricted to the recycling of polyethylene products, arising specifically from Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE). No attempt is made to suggest new production process. the study does not include of alternative materials.