Greece and Canada Liquefy Coal & Plastics

 
Enclosed are two links, and two excerpts, from sequential reports made by collaborating researchers on two continents, which confirm the synergies which can be realized through converting blends of waste plastic and, in this case, low-rank coal into liquid fuels.
 
We find this collaboration between Greece and Canada to be of some special interest. Canada does have  significant lignite deposits in her prairie provinces. Greece, though, isn't blessed with appreciable coal reserves; but, with a modern European population of some significant size, likely does generate a notable volume of plastic waste.
 
The point of that deliberation is, there must be a good reason the two nations' universities have joined research forces on this topic.
 
As other research we've cited has shown, combining waste plastic, as a hydrogen donor, with coal improves the process of converting both into liquid hydrocarbons. That's true even, as in this case, when the coal is lower-rank, with lower overall carbon content and higher ash.
 
Comment follows the two excerpts and additional link, following:
 
"Organic solvent effects on waste plastics–lignite coliquefaction 

K Gimouhopoulos, D Doulia, A Vlyssides and D Georgiou

Department of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, Athens 157 80, Greece

Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College Str., Toronto, Ont. M5S 3E5, Canada

July 1998

Abstract

The disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) is currently one of the main environmental concerns especially in the industrialized regions. Converting the organic fraction of MSW into useful products, e.g. gas and liquid fuels, seems to be an option of a great interest both environmentally and economically. This paper examines the results of coliquefaction of low-grade coal, e.g. lignite, with post-consumer plastics. Special catalysts were prepared for this purpose and tested along with different types of organic solvents. The presence of these solvents during the coliquefaction process almost doubled total solids conversion into gas and liquid products. Decane and toluene were found to be the best organic solvents for coliquefaction of lignite with high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polystyrene, respectively. Total solids conversion reached almost 90% when a two-stage process was employed.


 
Waste plastics–lignite coliquefaction innovations  

K. Gimouhopoulos, D. Doulia, A. Vlyssides and D. Georgiou

Department of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, Athens 157 80, Greece

Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College Str., Toronto, ON MSS 3E5, Canada

March 1999
 

Abstract

This paper presents a detailed study of post-consumer polymers coliquefaction with lignite assessing the feasibility of the new processes. The results of four series coprocessing experiments undertaken with and without catalysts on a suite of four heavy organic solvents are summarized initially. Taking into consideration the prescribed findings two newer series of experiments were also designed and carried out aiming at the optimization of this complex transformation using this time lignite oxidatively pretreated. The conversion of reacting solids into gaseous and liquid products and in particular into hexane and tetrahydrofuran (THF) soluble material was determined. It was found that the mentioned hydroliquefaction is a promising way of hydrocarbon synthesis and that oxidatively pretreated lignite proved more effective than the raw material since it promoted coliquefaction product yields sufficiently. It was also found that interactions and synergy of the catalysts employed was changing as a function of the solvents nature, influencing thus the efficacy of the conversions achieved."

As in other reputable research we've cited, the conversion of solids into liquid hydrocarbons was in the range of 90% when some specific waste plastics were combined with coal in a liquefaction process, even in the case of lower-rank, higher ash, lower-Btu coal such as Canadian lignite.

And, yet again, the word "synergy" is applied to describe the effect of adding what otherwise might become an environmental contaminant, or landfill occupant, to coal to enhance the productivity of coal-to-liquid conversion.