The Rise of U.S Plastic-to-Fuel in the United States

Plastic waste has become a pressing issue in the United States and around the world. Each year, millions of tons of plastic end up in landfills and oceans, where it takes hundreds of years to decompose. However, a growing number of companies are now working on solutions to convert plastic waste into a valuable resource—fuel.

Recycling Plastic Through Pyrolysis

One promising plastic-to-fuel technology is pyrolysis. Through pyrolysis, plastic waste is heated in the absence of oxygen to break the long hydrocarbon polymer chains into shorter molecular chains of hydrocarbon liquids, waxes and gases. These products can then be further refined into fuels like oil or upgrading into chemicals.

Several companies in the U.S Plastic-to-Fuel are employing pyrolysis to convert plastic waste into fuel. Klean Industries, based in British Columbia, has developed the KleanMachineTM system which uses pyrolysis to convert unsorted municipal plastics into synthetic oil. The synthetic oil is further refined to produce honey-oils, marine diesel and naphtha for further upgrading. Klean is currently building its first U.S. plant in Coffeyville, Kansas with plans for additional facilities nationwide.

RES Polyflow in Woodbridge, New Jersey operates a pyrolysis plant that processes mixed plastic waste into fuel oil, naphtha and wax. The plant can process up to 55 tons of plastics per day. The outputs have similar properties to crude oil and can replace petroleum-derived products. RES Polyflow sells its products to refineries who further process them into fuels and chemicals.

Another pyrolysis technology is the Plastic2Oil (P2O) system developed by Agilyx Corporation. The modular P2O system uses catalysts and heat to break down plastics into synthetic crude oil. Agilyx’s first commercial-scale P2O plant operating in Tigard, Oregon has the capacity to process 10 tons of plastic waste per day. They plan to license additional P2O systems across North America and Europe to process millions of tons of plastic annually.

Gasification and Synthetic Gas Production

In addition to pyrolysis, plastic waste can also be converted into fuel through gasification. Gasification involves heating plastic in a restricted oxygen or oxygen-free environment to produce syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The syngag can then be further processed into synthetic natural gas or transportation fuels like diesel.

Vadxx Energy based in Austin, Texas has developed the Vadxx Plasma Gasification process which can convert mixed plastics, as well as medical and municipal waste, into syngas. The syngas flows into an integrated Fischer-Tropsch process to produce renewable diesel, jet and naptha fuels. Their first commercial plant in Eugene, Oregon is planned to process 125,000 tons of waste annually once operational in 2022.

Another gasification technology comes from Plastic Energy based in Spain. Their patented TACoil technology converts mixed plastic waste into synthetic crude oil through thermal and catalytic depolymerization. So far they have licensed commercial scale TACoil facilities in Geleen, Netherlands and Seville, Spain with a third plant planned for the United Kingdom. Plastic Energy is now looking to license their technology across the U.S. and other regions to process millions of tons of plastic domestically.

With the United States producing over 39 million tons of plastic waste each year, plastic-to-fuel provides a huge market opportunity both to tackle waste and tap new fuel resources. As pyrolysis, gasification and catalytic depolymerization technologies advance, capital costs decrease and plants scale up, plastic-to-fuel stands to play a valuable role in the waste and energy landscapes in America and globally. Major companies are actively engaging with state and local governments to develop plastic-to-fuel facilities nationwide, with the aim of processing millions of tons of plastic waste annually into valuable fuels and chemicals. As concerns over plastic pollution mount and fossil fuel use declines, plastic-to-fuel looks poised for continued growth to provide sustainable fuel solutions from problematic plastic waste.