Waste Polymers to Fuels, Energy, and High Value Chemicals = $$$

Three US companies which are devising profitable ways to process waste polymers into fuels, energy, and chemicals are Cleveland's Vadxx, Oregon's Agilyx, and Akron's Polyflow.

Vadxx Energy, a Cleveland-based company, says it uses a continuous depolymerization process that takes long chains of polymers and breaks them down into shorter chains of hydrocarbons in the form of light, sweet synthetic crude and hydrocarbon gas.

Sean Arnold, Vadxx Energy chief operating officer, says he has found the continuous depolymerization process to be energy efficient. It also allows his company to use different sources of feedstock while achieving a consistent process "that meets the specifications of the refining marketplace," he says.

Jamil Karim, communications specialist for Agilyx, Tigard, Ore., says, "The Agilyx base system consists of four primary vessels and is capable of converting approximately 10 tons of plastic into approximately 60 barrels, or 2,400 gallons, of oil per day."

Polyflow LLC, Akron, Ohio, says it uses a patented thermal pyrolysis process that breaks apart the polymers into a set of reactive species and then allows them to reform into aromatic chemicals, which are the lightest and most valuable chemical compounds produced from crude oil.

Jay Schabel, Polyflow CEO, says, "The benefit of our process is that it can take all forms of polymer waste without sorting and cleaning, so the raw material and processing cost is very low. Just as important is the fact that it produces a light, clean and valuable end product that was previously made from crude oil. The net result is a business model that works without government subsidies or requiring special contracts to make it financially viable. It is both financially and environmentally sustainable." _RecyclingToday
Pyrolysis and continuous thermal depolymerisation are effective ways of converting most forms of waste plastics to useful products and energy. Another approach to depolymerisation of waste polymers is via ionic liquids. Ionic liquids approaches can allow less expensive low-pressure processing, when compared to pyrolysis, gasification, and thermal depolymerisation.

Waste to energy and waste to high value materials are quickly growing parts of the economy. Rather than to push waste into massive landfills, clever entrepreneurs and engineers are devising multiple ways of converting wastes into valuable products and energy. These people are devoting their time and energy to these projects in order to capitalise upon an opportunity.

It is a shame that leftist greens do not also devote their considerable time and energy to productive and profitable methods to eliminate wastes. Instead, by acting as energy obstructionists and starvationists, lefty-Luddite greens act as enemies of humanity.