South Korean manufacturer utilizes plastic waste to make diesel fuel

Bremen, Germany— Recent price increases for power and fuel has made companies with high energy supply demand and large fleets think twice. Waste as a raw material can provide a solution for the cost-effective and sustainable fueling of power plants and vehicles. At the second “waste to energy” international exhibition and conference for energy from waste and biomass on December 7 and 8, 2005 in the Bremen Fair Center exhibitors showcase technologies to recycle residential, commercial and industrial residues.

“Generating fuels from waste means energy recovery and the creation of a new product at the same time”, explains Professor Gottfried Paffrath of the University for Applied Sciences Darmstadt, waste-to-energy expert and scientific chairman of the conference in Bremen.

South-Korean manufacturer EOS System, who is in the process of opening an office in Germany, focuses on the production of diesel fuel from plastic waste. The patented technology relies on the so-called pyrolysis, a process also know as degasification. Waste containing carbon is degraded by exclusion of oxygen, using high temperatures between 500 and 900 Centigrade. The method developed by EOS System transforms plastic waste by pyrolysis into gaseous fuel, which is then cooled and refined. Ten percent of this fuel, which according to the company can be used in vehicles, is enough to power the degradation process. The unique feature of this method is a screw, which controls the flow of the waste and is said to provide increased safety and higher recycling capacity. This enables the system to run 24 hours without interruption. “There are no fuel costs to run this plant”, explains You-goon Shin, director overseas sales. “The new patented technology makes it possible to treat 20 tons of plastic or vinyl waste per day. There is no need for pre-treatment such as cleaning, drying and selecting of the residues.” In 2004 two plants were put into operation in Korea. At “waste to energy” EOS System will introduce the patent for the first time in Europe.