MUMBAI, India, July 24 -- Intellectual Property India has published a patent application (202641085343 A) filed by Sri Eshwar College Of Engineering on July 11, 2026, for Conversion Of Multi-Layer Plastic Waste (mlp) Into Fuel Oil.
Inventors include Dr. N. K. Millerjothi; S. Kavin Adhithan; P. Ravishankar; and Z. Fathima Shahiba.
The application for the patent was published on July 17, 2026, under issue no. 29/2026.
Abstract: The rapid growth in plastic consumption has led to a significant increase in plastic waste, with multi-layer plastics (MLPs) posing a major recycling challenge due to their complex composition of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH), adhesives, and metallic layers. Its heterogeneous thermal and chemical properties make conventional mechanical recycling inefficient and economically unviable, resulting in large-scale disposal through landfilling or incineration and causing environmental pollution. Existing recycling technologies for MLPare further hindered by high energy consumption, contamination issues, expensive processing equipment, and poor-quality recycled products. The present invention develops a batch-type pyrolysis reactor that converts multi-layer plastic waste into liquid fuel oil under oxygen-free conditions. Constructed from SS-304 stainless steel and heated by a 1.5 kW electric coil, the reactor operates up to 500°C, providing a cost- effective, environmentally friendly, and safe alternative to conventional recycling methods. The reactor operates by loading approximately 5 kg of shredded MLP waste while maintaining 30–50% free headspace for vapor expansion. The sealed chamber creates an oxygen-free environment that promotes pyrolysis instead of combustion. As the temperature increases from 150–200°C, the plastic softens and melts, while thermal cracking occurs between 350°C and 500°C, producing hydrocarbon vapours. These vapours pass through a water-cooled condenser, where efficient heat exchange converts them into liquid fuel oil, while non-condensable gases are safely collected or vented and solid char remains inside the reactor. Experimental validation confirmed the reactor’s effectiveness using LDPE, HDPE, and MLP feedstocks. LDPE produced 1200 ml of fuel oil with the highest conversion efficiency (86.6% oil), followed by HDPE with 600 ml (43.0% oil), while MLP yielded 250 ml (19.3% oil) due to its complex multilayer composition. LDPE reached peak oil production in 107 minutes, compared with 306 minutes for HDPE and 630 minutes for MLP, demonstrating the reactor’s capability to convert n-roecn yclable plastic waste into valuable energy products. and open burning. Overall, the invention offers a technically robust, environmentally sustainable, and economically feasible waste-to-energy solution suitable for laboratory studies, pilot-scale operations, and decentralized plastic waste management applications
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