Development of Plastic Melter with Automated Conveying System and Temperature Control

In the Philippines, many industries produce single-use plastic, like plastic bottles for drinking, sachets, etc. They use single-use plastic because they can mass produce their products and they can make their own products into sachets, which can be cheaper than buying them in a big bottle. According to an article on the World Bank Website, the Philippines produces an estimated 2.7 million tons of plastic waste each year. Thus, the development a plastic melter that used rice husk as a fuel with an automated conveying system and temperature control is essential. The melter will utilize the rice husk as its fuel to melt the plastic and will control the temperature to avoid reaching the flash point of the plastic. The major parts of the Plastic Melter are as follows: furnace assembly, conveyor assembly, and automation system. Test results showed that the initial temperature inside the ladle was 31.5 °C. The starting temperature at the second test is 190.1 DC. The melting temperature ranges from 306°C to 340 °C. The average melting temperature is 316.8 °C. The melting time of shredded PET, LDPE, and HDPE ranges from 6.03 to 8.47 minutes, and the average melting time is 6.53 minutes. Thus, the rice husk combustion efficiency of the prototype is 20.68%, which melts 500 grams of shredded PET, HDPE, and LDPE.