A company established by a Ukrainian engineer claims to have created a method for converting discarded mixed plastics into synthetic gas, diesel fuel additives, gasoline, a “spreading grease,” a paraffin-like substance, and carbon pigment.

Source: WasteTodayMagazine

Serhii Zarovskyi, the founder and production engineer of Ikhlyas Waste to Energy LLC (Ikhlyas WTE), which operates in New York, Florida, and Turkey, explains that the company’s approach involves recycling mixed, non-liquid polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) scrap through “innovative technology.” This technology utilizes thermal vacuum loading of low-bulk density scrap into a heated process that incorporates “the lipid mass of algae.”

Zarovskyi states that the company has secured a U.S. patent for this process, and Ikhlyas WTE is prepared to provide systems for the North American market capable of converting up to 5, 10, or 30 metric tons of plastic scrap daily.

The company and its founder emphasize that the system is designed to process a diverse range of materials, describing potential feedstock as “mixed plastic waste from various household and industrial products, including single-use, labeled PE, PP, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and low-density polyethylene (LDPE),” which encompasses “all types of bags and films, tubes from toothpaste, creams, ointments, and more.”

In addition to packaging, Ikhlyas WTE asserts that its technology can manage mixed materials that have historically posed challenges for both mechanical and chemical recyclers. This includes pouches for mayonnaise and sauces, candy wrappers, snack packages, vacuum packaging, shrink film, labels from PET bottles, aseptic packaging, and plastic medical waste.

Financing the construction of our project will be the first step in completing the circular economy, achieving sustainable development goals, and strengthening the energy strength and environmental security of the United States.

The use of algae lipids instead of chemical solutions means the final products “are free from sulfur, heavy metals, and other harmful substances,” according to the company. It notes that most end products require minimal further processing, although if mixed-material pouch packaging is processed, “grinding and sieving to extract the aluminum foil” may be necessary.

On its website, Ikhlyas WTE indicates that mechanical recycling is ideally suited for materials that can be effectively and economically cleaned and sorted. The company categorizes about 73 percent of plastic discards as “difficult to recycle polymers,” stating that its process is specifically designed to tackle this type of material.