In this world there are many interesting things that we pass by without even noticing. Familiar objects can sparkle with other colors if you look at them from a different angle. Take gasoline for example. According to most, it can only be made from oil. People who know can add coal, synthesis gas, and it is even possible to get gasoline from the garbage. Each of these options is attractive in its own way and deserves consideration. But attention will be paid only to the last of them.
Introductory information
First of all, the question arises about the source materials. The most suitable for this business are plastic bottles and plastic. Although almost everything that is oxidized can be used as garbage. Cigarette butts, paper, household waste - all carbon-containing raw materials can be used to produce fuel. Since we are interested in how to create gasoline from garbage at home, we will not go into too much into the subject and consider the simplest option.
How is this possible?
In general, not only gasoline can be created from carbon-containing raw materials. Heat, gas, synthetic fuel - there are many options. But to master the topic, it is better to concentrate on a bunch of "plastic-gasoline." Why is this possible? As all educated people know, plastic is made from refined oil. In other words, if you have a plastic bottle in your hands, then this is just the solid raw material you need. But few people think about it. How are they treated after use? Usually the bottles are just thrown anywhere. And by the way, they are made of high quality plastic (after all, they are intended for use in the food industry), which, as already mentioned, is made of oil. That is, the material necessary to obtain a decent result changes its shape. But if you look at the chemical indicators, then it still remains suitable for the manufacture of fuel.
Basic chemical processes
What is the above information? How to get gas out of rubbish? So, we already know that plastic is solid oil. Gasoline from it can be obtained by distillation. In scientific terms, it is necessary to conduct a chemical pyrolysis reaction. Drawing parallels, this is the case with the distillation of mash into moonshine. It will be difficult to get high-quality gasoline from garbage at home with a large octane rating. But the fuel can be used for burning, refueling chainsaws, motor-scythes, a motorcycle, a car.
How does pyrolysis proceed?
First of all, it is always necessary to take care of safety measures. Remember - its rules are written in the blood of those who ignored them. It is also necessary to worry about the environment. Pyrolysis is a distillation process that goes with plastic without oxygen and under the influence of temperature. What needs to be done for this? Plastic is placed in a container, which is then heated. During this process, gas is released. Further along the tube he rises to the refrigerator. Condensation occurs. Gas turns into liquid, namely, fuel. This is how the garbage gasoline production plant works. As in industrial plants, in this way several fractions can be obtained. This is gasoline, diesel, sorbent and something similar to fuel oil.
Fuel application
So we considered the simplest option on how to make gasoline from garbage. But in order to avoid negative consequences in the future, a number of features should be mentioned. So, you need to make sure that you get a pure substance. It is very good if there is a certain knowledge in chemistry. This applies to the flow of the process itself, preparation of equipment and many other points. After all, it may happen that the final product negatively affects the performance of the engine and makes it more likely to turn to the services of repair masters. It’s good to get A-92 in such a way. Although, it should be noted, such a limitation is not always there. So, if there is a desire to refuel a new motorcycle, then fuel quality must be monitored. For a mower, you can lower the requirements. And if it comes to obtaining thermal or electric energy, then the main thing is that the resulting substance burns - everything else is secondary.
Industrial machinery
It was mainly considered how to do everything yourself. Garbage gasoline is of interest not only to individual enthusiasts and scientists, but also to industrialists. And although now this direction is not big, it is gradually developing. A feature of industrial plants is the large amount of processing, as well as the fact that they are aimed at environmentally friendly activities. That is, carbon-containing waste is not emitted into the environment, but is used to obtain material assets. In addition, industrial plants can be used for cleaning water bodies, wastewater, and land reclamation. The output is synthetic motor fuel, heat, electricity, industrial and distilled water.
Other approaches to achieve the goal
Finding enough plastic, not to mention plastic bottles alone, can be problematic. Therefore, it is relevant to use other available options with source material. But no matter what you choose, you will always have to work with synthesis gas. What else can be used as starting material for obtaining fuel? These include: garbage, firewood, leaves, pallets, peat, nutshells, chaff, straw, corn kernels, sunflower stems, weed, reeds, reeds, coal (brown / stone / wood), old tires, medical waste, dry manure of birds and animals and much more. True, if there is a desire to make a universal installation, then it needs to be finalized.
Advanced unit
Processing garbage into gasoline from almost any raw material requires the creation of two separate processing reactors, and this is not counting the place where the synthesis gas will be released. As a rule, it is referred to as a gas generator. Then, the resulting product is transferred to the first reactor. It should have a copper-zinc-aluminum catalyst. Thanks to him, the gas turns into dimethyl ether. Then the liquid is transferred to a second reactor. Its feature is the presence of a zeolite catalyst. And the output is A-92. If you comply with all the technical requirements, it will be even cleaner than at a gas station. From ten kilograms of garbage you can get a liter of 92nd gasoline.
Environmental aspect
If there is a violation of technology (for example, there is no tightness), then the production of gasoline from garbage will not go according to plan. So, at the very first stage it will be difficult to isolate gas. In subsequent stages, there is a risk of vapor poisoning. If the technology and safety precautions are followed, then the installation as waste will generate only neutral ash, in which there will be no poisons. However, it does not generate smoke. It all turns into synthesis gas. After passing the catalysts, it turns into dimethyl ether and gasoline. Separately, it is worth mentioning about the high-temperature decomposition of garbage, which found expression in the so-called two-second rule. What is it about? The most dangerous poisons (furans and dioxins) will not be destroyed if they are not heated to 1250 degrees Celsius and do not hold this position for a period of two seconds. By the way, incinerators and utilizers can not always overcome the barrier even at 900 degrees. While the use of a gas generator allows you to reach the mark of 1600. Thanks to this, the smoke turns into combustible gas. And increases the environmental friendliness of the installation compared to conventional methods.
Launching the mining process
If you want to try to create gasoline on the stream, then you can wish good luck. It should be noted that this is not such an unsuccessful matter as it might seem at first glance. But let's talk about everything in order. Initially, it is necessary to select the source material and work out the technology for it. What to choose? Can plastic bottles. But with careful analysis, it becomes clear that it is problematic to collect them. In addition, you will have to pay for raw materials.
What can be a worthy alternative? For example, car tires. They are much easier to find. In addition, they have a negative value. In other words, owners pay extra so that used tires are recycled. And what do we have as a result? It’s easier to collect a ton of tires than as many plastic bottles. In addition, they pay extra for them. But the benefits do not end there. Thus, tire pyrolysis can be carried out without a catalyst. Whereas with plastic this will not work. In this case, the presence of a catalyst is mandatory. True, in the case of tires, pyrolysis oil is obtained, which must be brought to high-quality fuel.
Reception from industrial waste
The production of gasoline from garbage does not need to be considered solely in a domestic manner. For example, on an industrial scale, this can be done from coal, as well as dumps, which are obtained in mines from their extraction. The first option provides for gasification and has been known for a long time. The most mentioned use case is the behavior of Nazi Germany during World War II. Then there was a significant need for fuel with a modest amount of oil. To satisfy such requests, a decision was made to actively use coal gasification technology. After the war ended, the emphasis shifted to oil as an easier solution in processing and application. But as the price of black gold rose, research in this area also intensified. Moreover, the calculation is not always based on the use of exclusively basic raw materials.
Second life of industrial waste
What is it for? When the same coal mines are mined, there is always a certain proportion of unused raw materials that are dumped. And this situation has been observed for decades. Very often, locals use it, additionally sorting out dumps. For example, in the Donbass, a situation is widespread when coal mines waste is transported for heating the premises for valuable raw materials. But this can be done not only by individuals in terms of meeting their own needs. Quite popular is the industrial enumeration of dumps with the allocation of the raw materials contained in it. It should be noted that this is not such an unattractive thing, as it might seem at first glance. So, when the conversation comes to correctly set the search for dumps, then usually we are talking about getting millions of profits. From this point of view, places near coal mines are a real storehouse. Raw materials from dumps can be used both as fuel and as material for further conversion.
Conclusion
That's all the general information that you need to know about how the production of gasoline from garbage is carried out. If there is a desire to independently try your hand in this field, then the data provided should be enough to decide in which direction to move and what to work with. Of course, the most desirable is a raw material containing a significant part of the carbon component. Although there may be some problems at the implementation stage. For example, the purchase of tires for their subsequent distillation into gasoline is limited by the amount of material used, which is in the hands of the population. If you expand the scope, it will require more significant knowledge and skills. And do not forget about safety. It is one thing to get a liter-second of fuel, and quite another to act on an industrial scale, measuring the final product in tons.