(Dow) -- The Dow Chemical Company has successfully demonstrated the use of recycled plastic to generate energy. The successful pilot test measured how plastic that has been reused and recycled to the full extent possible can be used as fuel for an ultimate end-of-life option instead of going to a landfill for disposal.
The pilot test found that 96 percent of available energy was recovered after incinerating 578 pounds of used plastic in a kiln at one of Dow's waste treatment facilities. The energy recovered was equivalent to 11.1 million Btu's of natural gas and was used as fuel for Dow's incinerator during the test. The trial was completed in compliance with regulatory permits.
Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) scrap film generated in one of Dow's extrusion laboratories was used in the test. The film was the same type commonly used for packaging food and consumer products. The test took place at Dow's second-largest U.S. manufacturing location in Midland, Mich.