Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science and Technology (JMEST)
Abstract
The problem of plastic waste, particularly from low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic bags, poses a significant challenge in environmental management due to its non-biodegradable nature and widespread use in daily life. This study evaluates the influence of catalyst types on the characteristics and energy efficiency of liquid fuel products produced from LDPE waste pyrolysis. The three treatments compared were no catalysts, natural zeolite catalyst, and synthetic zeolite catalysts, each subjected to three different temperature variations: 250°C, 300°C, and 350°C. The observed parameters in this study were volume, product mass, cetane index, density, sulfur content, viscosity, flash point, calorific value, and energy efficiency related to the energy consumed during the pyrolysis process. The experimental results showed that synthetic zeolite had a significant effect on increasing the yield and pyrolysis oil. In addition, the use of synthetic zeolite was also able to produce a higher volume of pyrolysis oil than natural zeolite, and without zeolite, with a value of 410 mL per 500 grams of LDPE, with the highest efficiency value of 89.97%. The use of synthetic zeolite also showed better physical characteristics with cetane index and flash point values approaching the national fuel standard (SNI). However, the calorific value and viscosity of all pyrolysis oil products still did not meet the standards and were still below the minimum value for diesel fuel.
Recommended Citation
Porawati, Hilda; Mazwan, Mazwan; and Sukadi, Sukadi
(2025)
"Optimizing Zeolite Catalysts for Efficient LDPE Plastic Waste Pyrolysis,"
Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science and Technology (JMEST): Vol. 9:
No.
2, Article 4.
Available at:
https://citeus.um.ac.id/jmest/vol9/iss2/4