CARBOFLUID (Polymer Waste-to-Carbon-Black Conversion)

Overview

CARBOFLUID converts plastic waste, end-of-life tires and composite materials into high-purity carbon black and synthetic gas. The decisive figure is yield: 30–35 % carbon black recovery against the industry-standard 8–9 %, three to four times better. Part of the synthetic gas fuels the process itself; the remainder is captured for electricity, heat or CO₂ credits. The system is modular, scaling from compact units serving a hospital, school or condominium up to large industrial installations. Every output — carbon black, synthetic fuel, thermal and electrical energy — is marketable, which is what makes the process economically viable where conventional waste-to-carbon is not.

Applications

Industrial waste processing: post-consumer packaging and industrial plastic scrap; end-of-life vehicle and agricultural tires; mixed polymer composites including wind turbine blades, insulation and automotive parts; medical waste polymer components.

Decentralized deployment: hospitals and nursing homes processing waste on site while generating energy; universities and schools; multi-storey residential buildings and condominiums; municipal waste management with distributed processing and reduced transport footprint.

Output markets: carbon black for tyre manufacturing, inks, pigments and conductive coatings; high-purity graphite for batteries, aerospace, electronics and lubricants; synthetic fuel for heating, industrial processes or power generation; electricity and thermal energy for facility use or grid export; CO₂ emission credits where carbon pricing applies.

Operating Principle

Six-stage continuous process:

1. Feedstock preparation — shredders reduce plastic, rubber and composite waste to uniform size, 0.5–5 cm depending on equipment.
2. Thermal decomposition — in a controlled oxygen-limited or oxygen-free environment, polymers break down into volatile compounds and solid carbon residue. Temperature and residence time are tuned to the target product composition.
3. Gas treatment — synthetic gas, principally hydrocarbons, H₂ and CO, is cleaned of particulates and either recycled into the process to sustain temperature or captured for external use.
4. Carbon black refinement — solid residue is ground, oxidation-controlled and quality-classified to graphite-grade carbon black. Purity and particle size are set by proprietary chemical processing.
5. Energy recovery — heat from decomposition and residual combustion is captured for steam, electricity via turbine, or direct heating.

A single line handles plastics, rubber, composites and mixed waste without segregation into separate streams.

Limitations: feedstock heterogeneity requires adaptive preprocessing; graphite-grade purity demands precise thermal control and post-processing; VOC and odour emissions must meet local standards.

Key Parameters

| Parameter | Value |

|---|---|

| Carbon black yield | 30–35 % (industry standard 8–9 %) |

| Yield advantage | 3–4× conventional methods |

| Laboratory throughput | 10 kg/h |

| Compact commercial unit | 400 kg/day |

| Feedstock size after shredding | 0.5–5 cm |

| Energy | partially self-sustaining; excess gas available for sale |

| Form factor | containerized 10–20 ft, or integrated into existing facilities |

| Feedstock flexibility | plastics, rubber, composites, mixed waste — one line |

| Carbon black price achieved | $2,000–5,000/tonne (premium graphite grade) |

Architecture and Components

Shredder and feedstock preparation section; controlled-atmosphere thermal decomposition reactor; gas cleaning train with particulate removal and air purification; gas recycle loop to the reactor plus offtake line for external use; carbon black refinement stage with grinding, oxidation control and quality classification; heat recovery with steam generation and optional turbine. Containerized in 10–20 ft units or integrated into an existing plant.

Advantages

Technical: 30–35 % carbon black yield against 8–9 % for conventional pyrolysis; one line handles plastics, rubber and composites without pre-separation into pure streams; product purity and particle size adjustable via process parameters; partial energy self-sufficiency from the process's own synthetic gas.

Economic: feedstock cost is zero or negative — waste generators currently pay €50–200/tonne for disposal; every output stream is saleable; payback 2–6 years.

Strategic: decentralized units eliminate collection, transport and sorting infrastructure and their associated carbon penalty; graphite-grade output feeds battery and electronics supply chains, not just low-value applications.

Environmental: diverts polymer waste from landfill and incineration; recovers carbon rather than releasing it; generates CO₂ credits in carbon-priced jurisdictions.

Integrations

ARBOK TEXTILE-WASTE · Arbok-ZWD Gasification · AEROGRAPH (Graphene AeroGel) · ARBOK-NaTEG

Carbon black and graphite output connects to ARBOK's graphene and battery-materials line. Deployable alongside existing municipal or hospital waste handling without a separate collection system.

Deployment & Operation

Current status (2024–2025): laboratory proof of concept operational at 10 kg/h with 30–35 % yield; carbon black samples available for third-party testing; team based in Ukraine and relocatable to the USA or other markets.

Near-term (2025–2026): field trials with hospitals, nursing homes or municipal waste facilities; pilot deployment of 400 kg/day containerized units; carbon black quality certification by international lab; regulatory emissions approval in target regions.

Medium-term (2027–2029): commercial production facility in the USA or EU; 5–10 units deployed globally; supply partnerships with waste generators; revenue model validated and scale-up financing secured.

Long-term (2030+): 100+ units in operation; variants optimized for specific waste types; licensing or technology transfer to large waste-management or chemical companies; penetration into 50+ cities.

TRL

TRL 5–6 (pilot / demo). Concept demonstrated at 10 kg/h with reproducible results; six-stage process documented with established control parameters; carbon black purity, synthetic gas composition and energy recovery measured; feedstock composition validated across hospital, tire and plastic waste.

Advancement to TRL 7–8 requires: a 400 kg/day containerized unit built and deployed in a real environment; regulatory emission limits met in the target region; carbon black certified to ASTM or ISO standards by a recognized lab; economic model validated against 6–12 months of operational data; supply chain secured for feedstock, consumables and distribution.

Market Potential

Global polymer waste exceeds 350 million tonnes per year and grows 3–5 % annually, while the recycling rate stands at only 5–9 %. Roughly one billion tyres are discarded annually, most ending in landfill or informal dumps. The global carbon black market exceeds $12 billion per year, with premium graphite-grade product commanding $2,000–5,000/tonne.

Potential CARBOFLUID market: 10–50 million tonnes per year if deployed globally, representing $20–250 billion annually depending on carbon, energy and waste-disposal price assumptions.

Competing approaches: conventional pyrolysis yields 8–12 % with high energy input and limited byproduct value; tire-to-oil conversion yields 40–50 % fuel oil but lower carbon black quality; gasification favours energy over carbon recovery; depolymerization requires pure feedstock and is expensive; enzymatic degradation is slow and polymer-specific; mechanical recycling downcycles; landfill and incineration recover no value.

Typical Project Economics

Cost structure: capital $500k–2M per containerized unit depending on capacity and energy recovery; operating cost is mainly labour, consumables (filters, catalysts) and maintenance; feedstock is free or negative-cost, since waste generators currently pay for disposal; energy is partially self-sustaining.

Revenue streams: carbon black $2,000–5,000/tonne; synthetic fuel $500–1,000/tonne; electricity $0.05–0.15/kWh wholesale; thermal energy $10–30/MWh industrial steam or $0.03–0.08/kWh heat; waste disposal fees of €50–200/tonne paid by clients; emission credits $10–50/tonne CO₂ where carbon pricing applies.

Reference case — compact 400 kg/day unit:

| Item | Value |

|---|---|

| Annual polymer waste input | ~140 tonnes |

| Carbon black output (30–35 % yield) | 42–49 tonnes/year |

| Carbon black revenue | $84k–245k/year |

| Waste disposal fees eliminated | €7–28k/year |

| Energy revenue (excess gas, electricity) | $20–50k/year |

| Gross revenue | $111k–323k/year |

| Operating cost | $40–80k/year |

| Net margin | $31k–243k/year |

| Payback | 2–6 years |

Risk Factors

Technical: mixed waste containing plastics, rubber, metals and fibres requires adaptive preprocessing; graphite-grade purity demands precise thermal control; VOC and odour emissions must meet local environmental standards; scale-up from 10 kg/h laboratory to 1–10 tonnes/day commercial requires industrial equipment development.

Market: decentralized waste processing is a novel concept in many regions and requires customer education; securing consistent, clean feedstock streams may prove harder than expected; waste classification, emission limits and product certification vary by region; traditional recycling and landfill are artificially cheap in some subsidized markets.

Economic: capital intensity requires patient capital or strong revenue certainty; carbon credit prices fluctuate; selling excess electricity and heat requires grid interconnection with its regulatory, technical and legal hurdles; waste transport remains a cost even with decentralized units.

Related Technologies

ARBOK TEXTILE-WASTE · Arbok-ZWD Gasification · AEROGRAPH (Graphene AeroGel) · ARBOK-NaTEG · ARBOK-GUDRON