Plastic to fuel reactor final design: stainless steel reactor sits in custom kiln with connected control box
College of Engineering Unit: 
Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering
Project Team Member(s): 
Andrew Eyre, Kiernan Kilkenny, Emma Lingle, Adam Osovsky and Avrie Van Tilburg
Physical Location at Expo: 
Community Plaza
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Project ID: 
MIME.123
Project Description: 

In 2018, the United States Environmental Protection Agency reported that while 26.87 million tons of plastic waste was landfilled in the U.S., only 3.09 million tons of plastic waste was recycled. The goal of the Plastic to Fuel capstone project was to redesign a pyrolysis reactor for Dr. Skip Rochefort. Waste plastics (HDPE, LDPE, PP, PS) will be converted in the redesigned reactor by breaking down their carbon chains at temperatures up to 600°C before condensing them into a liquid diesel product. Major changes to the design of the original reactor include using 304 stainless steel instead of low carbon steel for the body of the reactor, combining the packed bed and main reactor chamber into one shared chamber, and building a custom kiln to provide both heat and insulation for the reaction. The new design is intended to be used in underserved remote communities as a tool to manage their plastic waste on a local scale.

Plastic to Fuel Capstone Introduction
Plastic to Fuel Capstone Reactor Showcase
Plastic to Fuel Capstone Kiln Showcase

Project Communication Piece(s): 
AttachmentSize
PDF icon Plastic to Fuel Poster Presentation4.35 MB
Opportunities: 
This team is open to networking
This team is open to collaboration opportunities
This team is open to employment offers