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Environmental Impact of Waste Plastics and the Use of Waste Plastic-Derived Oil in Diesel Engines: A Literature Review
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This literature review examined how waste plastics enter environments, degrade into microplastics, and accumulate in soils, freshwater, and oceans, and also reviewed conversion technologies including pyrolysis, catalytic cracking, and hydrothermal liquefaction for producing usable fuel oil from waste plastic. The review found that waste plastic oil blended with diesel at low ratios offers acceptable engine performance but may increase nitrogen and sulfur oxide emissions, requiring further technology optimization.
Plastic pollution has become a major global environmental issue, affecting land, water, and living organisms.This review summarizes current research on how waste plastics enter the environment, how they move and break down, and the effects they create in ecosystems and on human health.Special attention is given to the growing problem of microplastics, which continue to accumulate in soil, freshwater bodies, and oceans.The review also discusses recent progress in converting waste plastics into usable oil through processes such as pyrolysis, catalytic cracking, and hydrothermal liquefaction.These methods show strong potential for recovering energy from plastic waste, producing oils that can be refined into fuel.However, challenges remain, including inconsistent oil quality, high energy demand, and the need for improved process control.Each conversion method has specific advantages and limitations, and further research is needed to make them more efficient and environmentally friendly.Another key focus of this review is the use of waste plastic oil (WPO) as an alternative fuel for diesel engines.Studies show that blending WPO with diesel can provide acceptable engine performance, especially at low blend ratios.Combustion characteristics such as ignition delay and fuel atomization influence how these blends behave inside the engine.While WPO blends can reduce certain emissions like particulate matter and carbon monoxide, they may increase nitrogen and sulfur oxides due to fuel composition.Engine modifications and emission-control technologies are therefore important to ensure cleaner operation.Overall, this review highlights both the opportunities and the challenges associated with converting plastic waste into fuel.Continued research is essential to improve conversion technologies, enhance fuel stability, reduce emissions, and support the development of waste plastic oil as a reliable and sustainable alternative energy source.
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Hydrocarbon Fractions from Thermolysis of Waste Plastics as Components of Engine Fuels
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Researchers developed a thermolysis process to convert mixed plastic waste into liquid hydrocarbon fractions suitable for use as fuel additives. The process produced fuels with properties comparable to diesel components. Converting plastic waste into fuel is one approach to reducing the volume of plastic that ends up in the environment as microplastic pollution.
Optimising Injection Strategies and EGR in Modified Piston Diesel Engines Fuelled with Waste Plastic Oil
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Researchers optimized injection pressure, ignition timing, and exhaust gas recirculation on a diesel engine running waste-plastic-derived oil blended with diesel, finding that a 75% plastic oil blend at 500 bar injection pressure reduced CO by 44% and smoke by 35% while improving thermal efficiency by 10.8% over pure diesel.
Pyrolysis as a value added method for plastic waste management: A review on converting LDPE and HDPE waste into fuel
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This review examined pyrolysis as a method to convert low-density and high-density polyethylene plastic waste into fuel, summarizing process parameters, product yields, and fuel quality. Pyrolysis can transform otherwise unrecyclable plastic into diesel-like hydrocarbon fuels. The technology offers a potential solution for managing polyethylene waste while generating energy from materials that would otherwise persist in the environment.
Assessment of Co-Pyrolysis of Polypropylene with Triacylglycerol-Based Waste Biomass to Obtain Sustainable Hydrocarbons
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Despite its title referencing polypropylene co-pyrolysis, this paper studies the thermal breakdown of polypropylene plastic waste combined with biodiesel industry byproducts to produce renewable hydrocarbon fuels — not microplastic pollution. It examines chemical product yields from waste-to-fuel conversion, and is not relevant to microplastics or human health.
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