Engineering and environmental consultancy firm Ricardo is working alongside Recycling Technologies to develop recycled low-sulphur fuel for marine propulsion use from residual mixed plastic waste.
Recycling Technologies has developed a machine, the RT7000 that can help convert plastic waste into a low-sulphur hydrocarbon compound, known as Plaxx. This material can then be used as a sustainable fuel substitute for traditional heavy fuel oil (HFO).
The companies will work together to assess the performance of Plaxx compared with HFO and diesel in a typical marine engine or propulsion application. Ricardo’s research and test engine, the Atlas II will evaluate the performance of the fuels in large multi-cylinder engine designs from 150-200mm bore and will represent engines between 0.5-5MW in a single power cylinder. Using this test engine will also result in a 90% decrease of test fuel consumed in a typical research project.
The Atlas II will undergo back-to-back testing with various loads using Plaxx, diesel and HFO for comparison. Combustion characterisation will be trialled based on the measured in-cylinder pressure, power, specific fuel oil consumption and exhaust emissions. This will help to fully understand the behaviour of Plaxx in this type of engine and enable the further refinement of engine and fuel settings for maximum efficiency and low emissions.
Adrian Griffiths, CEO Recycling Technologies commented: “The marine industry is a key market as the use of high sulphur oil is increasingly being restricted. Working together with Ricardo on this project, we are now taking steps to get Plaxx qualified so that it is fit for use in medium and large marine engines. Plaxx is an ultra-low sulphur feedstock and can be adapted for use in any markets where crude oil derivatives are used. Through this pilot project, we hope to qualify Plaxx as meeting the new global MARPOL requirements.”
The generation of this fuel from plastic will help to reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill. The plastic waste used for Plaxx is the un-recyclable plastics that would end up in the ground.
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