Patent ID: 8420875

Claim:
A process for converting waste plastics material to hydrocarbon products, which process is comprised of: a) receiving a feedstream comprised of from about 10 to about 50 wt. % dirt and at least one type of plastic having a bulk density less than about 10 lb/ft 3 , wherein if only one type of plastic is received it will be of a type other than a polyethylene terephthalate or a polyvinyl chloride; b) comminuting the plastics of said feedstream to an effective size; c) drying said comminuted waste plastics material to less than 2 wt. % water content in the event that the waste plastics material has in excess of 2 wt. % water content; d) removing substantially all dirt from said plastics material; e) densifying said comminuted plastics in an agglomeration zone wherein its' bulk density in increased to a value of at least about 10 lb/ft 3 ; f) conducting said densified plastics material of step e) above to a pyrolysis zone where it is heated, in the substantial absence of oxygen, to a temperature from about 150° C. to 600° C. thereby converting a least a fraction of said densified plastics material to a gaseous hydrocarbon phase; g) conducting said gaseous hydrocarbon phase to a condensing zone wherein at least one liquid hydrocarbon product is condensed from said gaseous hydrocarbon phase; and h) recovering the at least one condensed liquid hydrocarbon product.