KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE

AND TECHNOLOGY

GROUP ASSIGNMENT
PROPOSAL FOR THE RECYCLING OF PLASTIC
WASTE INTO POWER ENERGY

BY

DANIEL ANSONG SIAW 6693911

EMMANUEL JACKSON
KISI ASARE
REUBIN DANIEL BAIDOO
BENONY ABORHOR

OCTOBER, 2012
 PROPOSAL PREPARED

BY

ESARB COMPANY LIMITED

FOR

GHANA MARKETING PLATFORM

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM DESCRIPTION PAGE

Cover letter 1

Executive Summary 2

1.0 Introduction 3

2.0 Problem Statement 3

2.1.0 The Situation of plastic waste in Ghana 3,4

2.2.0 Why Recycling 4,5

3.0 Target population 6

4.0 Our goal 6

5.0 Objectives 6,7

6.0 Methods 8

6.1.0 Methods Considered for the Recycling 9

6.1.1 Mechanical Recycling 9,10,11

6.1.2 Gasification 11,12

6.1.3 Thermal Recycling 13,14

6.2.0 Equipment and facilities 14

6.3.0 Stakeholders to be involved in the project 15

7.0 Evaluation 15

8.0 Budget 15

Appendix 16,17

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Ghana Marketing Platform
Box 578
Accra –Ghana
15th October, 2012

ESARB COMPANY LIMITED

Box 594
Takoradi

Dear Sir / Madam,

PROPOSAL FOR THE RECYCLING OF PLASTIC WASTE IN GHANA

Thank you for giving us this opportunity to partake in this noble competition of
entrepreneurs. ESARB Company Limited is locally registered by young professionals
who are experts in various engineering disciplines.

ESARB, specialize in civil engineering and building works but over the years the
company saw the sanitation problems in the country and undertook a research in the
area of recycling plastic waste the major material that has cause a menace in the major
cities of Ghana.

However, the lack of funds made it difficult to implement our findings but this
competition gives us the chance to push forward this dream. It is for this reason that this
company humbly submits this proposal on the Recycling of Plastic Waste.

We hope this proposal will be favourably considered.

Thank you.

Yours faithfully

……………………………….
Daniel Ansong Siaw
(Quantity Surveyor).

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Region Population Density
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The need for a clean and serene environment in our communities and cities cannot be
overemphasized; the current state of sanitation in Ghana coupled with the plastic waste
menace makes it so evident the poor sanitation record of this country.

ESARB is a renowned civil engineering and building Construction Company locally

registered and has interest in starting a sanitation project. The Company takes great
pleasure in presenting this proposal for the recycling of plastic waste to produce power
for supply to industries and for domestic consumption in Ghana.

The project as a matter of urgency will start from the southern sector of the country
where the menace is very critical before subsequently rolling out to the northern sector.
The project will see the construction of four (4) recycling plants in four regional capitals
namely Accra, Kumasi, Sunyani and Wa.

The recycling success would depend on a good collaboration between ESARB and the
various Metropolitan Assemblies, Ministry of Environment and National Resources and
other stakeholders in the sanitation sector. Funding is anticipated from the Ghana
Marketing Platform.
The recycling project will create employment for the unemployed youth; make our
environment clean, serene and healthy to boost tourism in Ghana. It will also generate
enough power to supplement the power energy deficit in the country thereby making
load shedding a thing of the past.

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

Over the last few decades there has been a steady increase in the use of plastic products
resulting in a substantial rise in plastic waste in the municipal solid waste streams in large cities
in Ghana especially Accra and Kumasi. The adoption of a more hygienic mode of packaging
food, beverages, sachet water and other products brought plastic packaging to replace the
existing cultural packaging methods (leaf wrappers, brown paper and metal cup uses) in cities
and towns (Adarkwa and Edmundsen, 1993; KMA, 1995; World Bank, 1995; Schweizer &
Annoh, 1996). This widespread replacement of the modes of packaging with plastics is an
indication of the uniqueness of plastic properties such as versatility, inertness and flexibility,
especially in the application areas of packaging. As a result of their unique properties, plastics
have become the most favoured packaging materials in commerce with firms making windfall
profits and transferring the environmental cost associated with cleaning plastic waste on the
general public.

2.0 PROBLEM STATEMENT

2.1.0 THE SITUATION OF PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT IN GHANA

 The Organic component of Solid Waste may not be too much of a problem since that is
biodegradable. However, the Plastic Waste component of Solid Waste poses a lot of problem
in the Ghanaian environment because it is non-biodegradable and therefore can stay in the
environment for a considerable length of time causing all sorts of problems.
 Currently, the disposal of plastic waste is by incineration and landfill in Ghana, which is a
treat to the environment. The former is not environmentally friendly and sustainable since this
may release carbon dioxide, a major contributor to global warming (greenhouse effect). And
the latter is not also desirable since plastic is non-degradable.
 According to a study conducted in Accra, Ghana by GOPA Consultants in 1983, Plastic
Waste accounts for 1-5% (of net weight) of the total amount of waste generated (Lardinois
and Van de Klundert, 1995).
 The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) comprises of five administrated districts. The
various modes of solid waste disposal by these districts are shown in Table 1(see appendix).
 Statistics released by the AMA Waste Management Department and other waste
management bodies indicate that about 9000 tonnes of waste is generated daily, out of which
315 tonnes are plastic related (Amankwah, 2005).
 In Ghana, drinking water comes in plastic bags and not bottles. These bags now constitute a
major proportion of the plastic waste generated throughout the country.

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  Plastics have replaced leaves, glass and metals as a cheaper and more efficient means of
packaging (IRIN, 2006).
 Almost all the major gutters in Accra are currently choked with plastic waste and this has
resulted in floods, loss of property and in Ghana recording high rate of malaria and cholera
even in the 21st century.
 The whole country is gradually being swallowed up by the plastic waste menace that the
Ghana government had to declare a recycling war on plastic waste in 2004. This is what was
said by the then minister for Local government, ‘we expect recycling to create a healthy
environment for tourists, create jobs and save foreign exchange in imports of drugs to fight
cholera and malaria that may result from the rubbish heaps’ (IRIN, 2006).

However, very little has been yet done in this area. Hence the earlier the plastic waste menace
problem is tackled the better it would be for the environment and sustainable livelihood.

2.1.1 WHY RECYCLING

Recycling of plastic waste seems to be the best solution to Ghana’s plastic waste menace, since it
has the following benefits:
 Recycling Plastics Conserves Energy and Natural Resources
recycling plastics reduces the amount of energy and natural resources (such as water and
petroleum) needed to create virgin plastic.
 Recycling Plastics Saves Landfill Space
Recycling plastic products also keeps them out of landfills and allows the plastics to be
reused in manufacturing new products. Recycling one ton of plastic saves 7.4 cubic yards of
landfill space.

 Recycling Plastics is relatively easy

Recycling plastics has never been easier. Today, 80 percent of Americans have easy
access to a plastics recycling program, whether they participate in a municipal curbside
program or live near a drop-off site.

 Reduced Oil Consumption

Manufacturers make plastics from crude oil derivatives or natural gas, so making more
plastic consumes an increasing amount of nonrenewable fossil fuel. The amount of oil

7
 needed to produce a plastic bottle is enough to fill a quarter of the bottle. On average,
according to the Stanford University recycling center, 1 ton of recycled plastic saves 16.3
barrels of oil. Recycling plastic cuts back on oil consumption, thereby helping to extend
the lifespan of our remaining fossil fuel reserves.

 Saving Energy

To produce plastic, manufacturers must chemically alter crude oil derivatives. One
common technique is radical polymerization, which typically involves compressing the
reactants to about a thousand times atmospheric pressure and heating them to 100
degrees Celsius or above. This kind of technique consumes a considerable amount of
energy. Recycling plastic still uses energy, because the plastic must be shredded,
cleaned, melted and remolded, but it usually requires less energy than making fresh
plastic. According to the Stanford University Recycling Center, recycling 1 ton of plastic
saves the equivalent of 5,774 kilowatt-hours of electric energy.

 Reducing Waste

Plastics are durable; their toughness and inertness are what make them so useful.
Unfortunately, they're so durable that they break down very slowly in a landfill When
plastics find their way into the environment -- into the ocean, for example -- they can
break down more quickly, but they still take a long time to biodegrade; a plastic bottle
may take a century to break down, for example, while a plastic beverage holder could
take four centuries.

3.0 TARGET POPULATION

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This Recycling Project is targeted at all metropolitan assemblies in Ghana, especially the Accra
and Kumasi metropolis where this problem is a serious menace.

The plastic wastes have virtually choked the drainage system in the urban centers of the
country to such an extent that it takes only the slightest of rainfall to precipitate floods in major
cities like Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi. Indeed, as captured in the Daily Graphic of March 16,
2005, “the recent rains in Accra exposed the havoc being caused by plastic waste. Just an
average of one or two hours of rain in Accra on March 15, 2005 led to flooding in certain parts of
the city. The same intensity and duration of rain, a decade ago, would not have resulted in
flooding”.
The statistics of the 2010 census clearly shows that Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions have
the highest population density (see table 2 in appendix). This coupled with the increasing
migration of people into this regions make them more vulnerable as far as plastic waste
management is concerned. This is the more reason why this project will be first aimed at these
two metropolises before rolling out to the other regions.

4.0 OUR GOAL

The major goal of this Recycling Project is to:
 Reduce the plastic waste menace in our environment
 Create employment for the unemployed youth
 Make our cities clean and serene to prevent any epidemic
 Reduce the importation of plastic products as well as the cost of manufacturing virgin
plastic products

5.0 OBJECTIVES
This project is scheduled to be operational within six calendar months through:
 Establishing four ultramodern recycling plants, in the major cities of the country; in Accra,
Kumasi, Wa and Sunyani to serve the Southern and Northern sectors of the country
respectively within four months.
 Training a total of 100 personnel to work and maintain the various machinery of the
factory in two months.
 Education of the populace about the consequences of indiscriminate littering will be a
going concern of this project.
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  Creating a direct value in plastic waste so as to attract scavengers to collect these
plastic wastes from the ground for recycling. This will also attract itinerant waste buyers
to start moving from house to house to buy plastic waste.

6.0 METHODS
Below are the details of how the above objectives will be accomplished.
1. Construction of the four recycling plants
 Conduct a feasibility study on the various equipments and the location of the
plants
 Design the working drawings and prepare a tender document for an International
Competitive Tendering to allow contractors to bid for the project.
 Open, evaluate and select the lowest evaluated tender.
 Award contract and start the construction of the facilities
 Monitor the construction to ensure that, the work is completed on time within
budget and the required quality.
 Take over the facility and start operations.
2. Training hundred (100) personnel
 Receive applications from graduates of various tertiary institutions
 Make a short list of 200 application and interview the respective applicants
 Select hundred (100) people for the training program after which they begin work
at the factory.
3. Educating the populace on the effects of indiscriminate littering
 Involve both the print and electronic media in sensitizing the public on the plastic
waste menace
4. Creating direct value for plastic waste collection
 Giving a price tag of GH¢ 1.00 per each kilogram of plastic waste collected.
A research conducted by the University of Cambridge in their project: “Improving
Engineering Education” in the year, 2005 shows that 200,000 plastic bottles
equals 1 ton. By this finding it means that scavengers will have to collect only 20
plastic bottles to earn GH¢ 1.00.

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This project will be achieved by the teamwork of following able and competent personnel.
NAME QUALIFICATION
 Msc. Project
Management Bsc.
 Quantity Surveying and
Construction Economics
Daniel Ansong Siaw
 HND. Building
Technology
 Member Ghana
Institution of Surveyors
 Msc Structural
Engineering
 Bsc. Chemical
Emmanuel Jackson Engineering
 HND. Civil Engineering
 Member Ghana
Institution of Engineers
 Msc. Built Environment
 Bsc. Architecture
 HND Building Technology
Benony Aborhor  Member Ghana institution
of Architects
 Msc. Construction Law
 Bsc. Mechanical
Engineering
Kissi Asare  HND. Building
Technology
 Member Ghana Bar
Association
Reubin Daniel Baidoo  Msc. Accounting
 Bsc. Civil Engineering
ROLE
 Prepare BOQ for the
tender document
 Valuing the work done and
due for payment
 Advising on the general
cost of the Project
especially valuing
variations
 Undertaking the Structural
design of the factory
 Advising in the type of
machines and equipment
to used for the recycling
 Preparing all the working
drawings including
elevations and sections for
the project
 Coordinating activities to
ensure that the factory is
built according to plan
 Advising on all legal
issues of the project
 Controlling funds for the
project
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  HND. Building  Issuing payments
Technology  Advising on the best way
to finance the Project
 Auditing the accounts for
this project

6.1.0 METHODS CONSIDERED FOR THE RECYCLING ROJECT

Below are three methods that have been considered by the Project team

6.1.1 Mechanical Recycling

This is the way of making new products out of unmodified plastic waste. The major raw material
is industrial plastic waste. This means that industrial plastic waste will now be recycled into the
following products:

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① Washbowl ② road bollard ③ imitation woodpost ④ pallet ⑤ anti-weed sheeting ⑥
heat/sound insulating sheeting ⑦ PVC pipe ⑧ water butt lid ⑨colored box⑩ central
reservation block ⑪ parking block ⑫ duckboard ⑬ survey and boundary markers ⑭ bricks
⑮ cross-ties for steel products ⑯video cassettes ⑰weight for colored cone ⑱ plant
pots

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The Mechanical Recycling Process

6.1.2 Gasification

Plastics are composed mainly of carbon and hydrogen and therefore normally produce carbon
dioxide and water when combusted. The gasification process involves heating plastics and
adding a supply of oxygen and steam. The supply of oxygen is limited, which means that much
of the plastics turn into hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide and water.

Sand heated to 600-800℃ is circulated inside a first-stage low-temperature gasification furnace.

Plastics introduced into the furnace break down on contact with the sand to form hydrocarbon,
carbon monoxide, hydrogen and char. If the plastics contain chlorine, they produce hydrogen
chloride. If plastic products contain metal or glass, these are recovered as non-combustible
matter.

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The gas from the low-temperature gasification furnace is reacted with steam at a temperature of
1,300-1,500℃ in a second-stage high-temperature gasification furnace to produce a gas
composed mainly of carbon monoxide and oxygen. At the furnace outlet, the gas is rapidly
cooled to 200℃ or below to prevent the formation of dioxins. The granulated blast furnace slag
also produced is used in civil engineering and construction materials.

The gas then passes through a gas scrubber and any remaining hydrogen chloride is
neutralized by alkalis and removed from the synthetic gas. This synthetic gas can be used as a
raw material in the chemical industry to produce chemicals such as hydrogen, methanol,
ammonia and acetic acid.

6.1.3 Thermal recycling

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In this recycling process plastic waste is recycled into power energy for industrial use. Thermal
recycling encompasses liquefaction, gasification and solid fuel.
Current widely used methods of power generation from waste incineration are gasification with
melting furnace, and gasification with reformer furnace.

Gasification with melting furnace waste power generation first converts waste to gas at a high
temperature then uses the emitted pyrolysis gas and char as fuel to turn a steam turbine and
generate power. This method turns the burned ash into a solid. Gasification with reformer furnace
power generation subjects the waste to pyrolysis, and then adds oxygen to the resulting gas,
carbonized solids, tar and other substances. Gas rich in carbon monoxide and steam is recovered
and used as fuel for power generation.

The table below shows some countries that generate power from plastic waste and the capacity that
each country generates.

Country Power generation No. of facilities

capacity
Japan 10,580,000kw 210
Holland 1,800,000kw 5
Switzerland 1,000,000kw 30
Sweden 1,000,000kw 3
France 1,600,000kw 90
Germany 10,000,000kw 50
UK 2,300,000kw 11
USA 28,200,000kw 102
Source: New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO

After a critical assessment of these three methods of recycling and deficit of power energy in the
Ghanaian economy, the project team has decided to use thermal recycling process in order to
augment the national power energy.

The Thermal Recycling process

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6.2.0 Equipment and facilities for the project

The following equipment and facilities will be used in this project

6.2.1. The rotary kiln plus combustion – melting furnace

6.2.2. Thermal conversion pyrolysis equipment

6.3.0 Stake holders to be involved in this project

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The various metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies including the Ministry of Environment and
Natural Resources will be contacted in taking a collective decision for the implementation of this
project.

7.0 EVALUATION

In order to have a smooth running of the project after its implementation routine maintenance
will be used as a tool to ensure that all facilities are in good condition to ensure they function as
expected.

Monitoring of the processes from the collection of plastic waste to the recycling in new product
will be carried out to ensure that there is a smooth process.

8.0 BUDGET

The table below shows the budgeted cost for the Recycling Project.

ITEM BUDGETED COST (USD$)

Land and Development 10,000.00

Building Utilities 7,000.00

Plant and Machinery 20,000.00

Essential Services 1,500.00

Furniture and Fittings 3,000.00

Preliminaries and Pre-operational expenses 2,500.00

Working Capital 4,000.00

Administrative / Management cost 2,000.00

TOTAL COST 50,000.00

APPENDIX

Table 1 Households by mode of solid waste disposal and district

Solid waste
AMA Ga Tema Dangme West Dabgme East All Districts
disposal

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Collected 20.9 12.0 29.5 2.1 0.4 19.5
Burned by
6.9 24.5 11.6 21.0 33.7 12.2
household
Public dump 62.7 33.9 37.9 37.8 32.0 51.4
Dumped
5.8 21.6 13.7 32.8 26.2 11.5
elsewhere
Buried by
3.1 7.7 5.9 5.3 7.4 4.6
household
Others 0.7 0.3 1.4 0.9 0.3 0.7
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Population 364,841 119,316 105,520 18,641 17,426 625,744

Table 2. Population Density by Region, 1984 – 2010

Region Area 2010 2000 1984

sq km
Population Density Population Density Population Density

Western 23,921 2,328,597 97 1,924,577 80 1,157,807 48

Central 9,826 2,107,209 214 1,593,823 162 1,142,335 116

G. Accra 3,245 3,909,764 1,205 2,905,726 895 1,431,099 441

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Volta 20,570 2,099,876 102 1,635,421 80 1,211,907 59

Eastern 19,323 2,596,013 134 2,106,696 109 1,680,890 87

Ashanti 24,389 4,725,046 194 3,612,950 148 2,090,100 86

B. Ahafo 39,557 2,282,128 58 1,815,408 46 1,206,608 31

Northern 70,384 2,468,557 35 1,820,806 26 1,164,583 17

U. East 8,842 1,031,478 117 920,089 104 772,744 87

U. West 18,476 677,763 37 576,583 31 438,008 24

Source: Ghana Statistical Service

Table 3.How plastics are sorted

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