Assessment of the Effectiveness of a Miniature Pyrolysis Pilot Plant Developed to Manage Plastic Waste Generated in Ovia North-East LGA, Nigeria

An effective and ecologically plastic waste (PW) management system that is either directly or indirectly related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and waste to clean energy initiatives like SDGs 7, 11, 12, 13, and 14 can be achieved through the innovative and sustainable process of pyrolysis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a miniature pyrolysis pilot plant developed to manage plastic waste generated in Ovia North-East, Nigeria. The PW utilized in this study was collected daily from residences, businesses, marketplaces, and hospitals. At the collecting location, it was categorized using plastic identification code into PET, HDPE, PVC, LDPE, PP, and PS. A bomb calorimeter (ASTM D 5865-85) was used to experimentally establish the sorted PW's heating value (HV). A thermogravimetric analyzer (SII 6300 EXSTAR, Seiko Instruments) was used to evaluate the mass loss of PW in order to ascertain how its composition varied with temperature and time. After being shredded to smaller pieces, the PW was put into the reactor both independently and in combination. To ascertain the pyrolysis oil yield (POY) from known masses of distinct PWs (0.5 kg, 1.5 kg----5 kg), a performance test was conducted. According to the results obtained, PET PW had the lowest hydrogen carbon (H/C) ratio when compared to other PW samples. The performance of the H/C ratio is arranged as follows: HDPE (0.2034) > LDPE (0.1971) > PP (0.1737) > PS (0.1290) > PVC (0.1278) >PET (0.1188). Additionally, the PWs with the highest heating values used in this study were HDPE (44.57 MJ/kg), LDPE (44.44 MJ/kg), PS (41.22 MJ/kg), PVC (41.01 MJ/kg), PP (44.53 MJ/kg), and PET (22.87 MJ/kg). Besides, the mixed plastic waste stream (MPWs) produces the most pyrolysis oil, although the POY yield potential varies according to the PWs' composition. Furthermore, the least amount of POY was recorded by PVC. The following is the order of the PW POY: MPWs > PS > HDPE > LDPE > PP > PET > PVC. This study has demonstrated that generated plastic waste in Ovia North-East LGA, Nigeria, can be processed into solid char and pyrolysis oil using the developed Miniature Pyrolysis Pilot Plant, thereby protecting the ecosystems, human health, resources, and the climate, which are in line with SDGs 3, 6, 14, and 15.