Thermal depolymerization (TDP) will convert low-value or negative-value plastic wastes to upgradable and refinable crude oil plus separable gas. One process being commercialized by Vadose Research & Development LLC in Akron Ohio consumes a variety of organic wastes including a number of off-spec and contaminated resins recovered from industrial and municipal solid waste streams. These waste streams include plastics that have no other market today other than landfill.

Crude oil produced by the Vadose process is olefinic, containing valuable petrochemical fractions. The remaining fraction (balance) of this oil is upgradable and refinable using traditional processes used to upgrade and refine crude oil produced from existing oil wells.

Gas produced by this process is separable into pipeline-quality natural gas and larger molecules. Separation is accomplished using standard technology employed in traditional natural gas fields. The fraction of gas not sold into the pipeline network contains additional recoverable petrochemicals and high-BTU gas with process value.

Major concerns about TDP include the unintended creation of air pollutants ranging from carbon dioxide to dioxins. Any successful commercial TDP process must incorporate the solution to this potential problem into its core business model. Vadose has learned how to avoid this undesireable and unintended result via process and raw material controls.