Flash Joule Heating (FJH)-Driven Pyrolysis of Polyolefin Plastics to Produce Hydrogen and Turbostratic Graphene
Sean Colina, Julissa Orantes, Phan Vong, Victor Spiessens, and Melinda Joy Ramos
Advisors: Devon Rodriguez (Poly Renewable) and Rishi Birudaraj (Poly Renewable)
Plastic has been a cheap and versatile material used across many industries. Nearly 400 million metric tons of plastic waste are produced annually, and 80% of the 6.3 billion metric tons ever produced ends up in the environment, creating a catastrophic environmental crisis. Other plastic degradation methods, like pyrolysis, gasification, photocatalytic, and bioreactors, each have limitations. Poly Renewable aims to address plastic pollution by converting plastic waste into graphene and hydrogen using FJH, short for Flash Joule Heating. FJH is a rapid, high-temperature process that applies a short electrical pulse directly to resistive materials, followed by fast cooling. It operates in an oxygen-free environment to minimize harmful GHG emissions. The resulting products, graphene and hydrogen, are highly valuable. Graphene is used in electronics, aerospace, and thermal systems, while hydrogen is essential in fuel cells and oil refining. This sustainable process offers a cleaner path for plastic recycling. Aspen was used to simulate the process design. Microsoft Excel was used to perform a cost analysis, material and energy balances of the total process. Results show that Poly Renewable can degrade about 124 kg of plastic waste per day, totaling 25 tons of plastics degraded yearly, with an estimated capital cost of $3,462,002. Thus, FJH is a sustainable method of degrading and recycling plastic. It takes away the dangers that plastic pollution causes to humanity and the environment while producing valuable products that advance technology.
PolyRenewable Poster.pdf