Indoor air quality assessment at a plastic-to-diesel conversion plant

The catalytic fractional depolymerization process converts plastic waste into fuel is gaining popularity since it uses non-biodegradable materials and practises proper waste management disposal methods. The purpose of this study is to investigate the trend and correlation of emissions from the plastic-to-fuel (PTF) reactor at baseline and testing mode. The plant converts Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) plastic wastes using PTF reactor into plastic-derived diesel fuel. The emissions of particulate matter with diameter aerodynamic less than 10 mu m (PM10), particle matter with diameter aerodynamic less than 2.5 mu m (PM2.5), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and volatile organic compounds (VOC) while physical factors were also investigated including air movement (AM), relative humidity (RH), and temperature (T). Eight sampling points were identified to quantify the emissions according to the standard around the PTF reactor for 3 hours for each baseline and testing mode. The findings show the emissions are higher at several points specifically near the chimney from the PTF reactor. The majority of the gases emitted did not exceed the limits according to the Industry Code of Practice on Indoor Air Quality 2010 (ICOP IAQ 2010). PM10 and PM2.5 have a strong correlation (r = 0.921) during baseline mode, followed by CO and CO2 (r = 0.908). Only PM10 and PM2.5 recorded the highest correlation during testing mode (r = 0.987). The rest show a moderate and weak correlation in both reactor conditions. There was less contamination arising during the LDPE pyrolysis process thus proving the workplace is in a safe working environment.