Catalytic thermal cracking of plastics waste

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Plastics are synthetic long chain hydrocarbons obtained from the polymerization of precursor products from oil and gas industry. Due to their versatility, plastics enter in the manufacturing of most consumer products. The global plastic production grew from 1.3 million tonnes to 245 million tonnes between 1950 and 2006 (Panda et al., 2010). Human consumption, on the other hand, led to the disposal of millions of tonnes of waste plastics in landfills and in litter often growing out of control. Plastics are persistent chemicals and linger in the environment by virtue of their very low biodegradability (Panda et al., 2010). Plastic waste is not suited for landfill disposal, since in addition to its very slow biodegradability, it has low density. Recycling of plastics to produce new similar products or different fuel fractions is a more suitable option.