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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">

<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Plastic to Power: Microwave Energy for Plastic Decomposition</title>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="assets/css/projects.css">
</head>

<body>
<div class="container">
    <header>
        <h1>Plastic to Power: Microwave Energy for Plastic Decomposition</h1>
    </header>
    <main>
        <section id="project-overview">
            <h2>Project Overview</h2>
            <div style="text-align: center; max-width: 90%; margin: 0rem auto;">
                <p>As the world seeks sustainable energy sources, this project explores an innovative and accessible
                    method for producing clean hydrogen fuel: breaking down plastic waste using microwave energy. This
                    process, known as Microwave-Assisted Pyrolysis (MAP), has the potential to upcycle common plastics
                    like HDPE into valuable hydrogen gas and carbon nanotubes.</p>

                <p>However, the process is not straightforward. The core of this research was to investigate the
                    fundamental mechanisms at play:</p>
                <ul style="text-align: left; display: inline-block;">
                    <li>What is the role of the catalyst in heating the material?</li>
                    <li>How does the uneven energy distribution—the 'hotspots'—inside a microwave cavity affect the
                        reaction?
                    </li>
                    <li>Do different types of microwaves (modern inverter vs. traditional transformer) change the
                        outcome?
                    </li>
                </ul>

                <p>To answer these questions, we designed a series of experiments to map microwave hotspots, test
                    catalysts, and ultimately, produce and measure hydrogen gas.</p>
            </div>
        </section>
        <section id="hotspot-mapping">
            <h2>The First Challenge: Finding the Hotspots</h2>
            <div style="text-align: center; max-width: 90%; margin: 2rem auto;">
                <p>A common microwave oven does not heat evenly. It is filled with standing electromagnetic waves that
                    create areas of intense energy (hotspots) and areas with almost none (cold spots). To control our
                    experiment, we first had to map these fields. Using heat-sensitive thermal paper, we visualised the
                    energy distribution inside both an inverter and a transformer microwave.</p>

                <figure style="margin: 2rem auto;">
                    <img src="assets/img/Projects Docs/project6/1200W-Thermal Mapping-Test.webp"
                         alt="Thermal mapping results at 1200W power level"
                         style="width: 100%; max-width: 800px; height: auto;">
                    <figcaption>Thermal mapping results at 1200W power level. Top row: concentrated hotspots in standard
                        operation. Bottom row: more uniform heating achieved with our custom-built mode stirrer.
                    </figcaption>
                </figure>
            </div>
        </section>
        <section id="custom-sensing-module">
            <h2>Engineering the Solution: A Custom Sensing Module</h2>
            <div style="text-align: center; max-width: 90%; margin: 2rem auto;">
                <p>To monitor the reaction in real-time inside a sealed, high-EMI environment, we designed and built a
                    custom temperature sensing module. Controlled by a Raspberry Pi, the system uses a shielded K-Type
                    thermocouple and multiple thermistors to gather data. A shielded USB camera, mounted to the side of
                    the microwave, provides a live video feed, allowing us to observe the reaction for phenomena like
                    microplasma arcing and bubble formation without opening the door.</p>

                <div style="display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; justify-content: center; gap: 20px; margin-top: 2rem;">
                    <figure style="max-width: 45%; min-width: 300px;">
                        <img src="assets/img/Projects Docs/project6/web-server-camera-working.webp"
                             alt="Web server interface showing live data feed" style="width: 100%; height: auto;">
                        <figcaption>Custom web dashboard displaying real-time temperature data and video feed
                        </figcaption>
                    </figure>
                    <figure style="max-width: 45%; min-width: 300px;">
                        <img src="assets/img/Projects Docs/project6/camera-attached-microwave.webp"
                             alt="Camera attached to the side of the microwave" style="width: 100%; height: auto;">
                        <figcaption>Shielded USB camera mounted to the microwave for real-time reaction monitoring
                        </figcaption>
                    </figure>
                </div>
            </div>
        </section>
        <section id="experiment-process">
            <h2>The Experiment: From Plastic to Hydrogen</h2>
            <div style="text-align: center; max-width: 90%; margin: 1rem auto;">
                <p>With the hotspots identified and our sensing module in place, we began the hydrogen production tests.
                    A mixture of HDPE plastic and a FeAl₂O₃ catalyst was placed in a borosilicate flask and subjected to
                    microwave radiation at various power levels.</p>

                <h3>The Reaction Sequence</h3>
                <figure style="margin: 2rem auto;">
                    <img src="assets/img/Projects Docs/project6/catalyst-plastic-process.webp"
                         alt="Catalyst and plastic mixture before, during, and after the reaction"
                         style="width: 100%; max-width: 800px; height: auto;">
                    <figcaption>Progression of the catalytic pyrolysis process, showing the physical transformation of
                        the plastic and catalyst mixture
                    </figcaption>
                </figure>

                <h3>The Proof of Success</h3>
                <figure style="margin: 2rem auto;">
                    <img src="assets/img/Projects Docs/project6/hydrogren-production.webp"
                         alt="Hydrogen gas bubbles collected in graduated cylinders"
                         style="width: 100%; max-width: 800px; height: auto;">
                    <figcaption>Successful hydrogen gas production: bubbles being collected and measured in graduated
                        cylinders
                    </figcaption>
                </figure>

                <h3>The Reality of Extreme Heat</h3>
                <figure style="margin: 1rem auto;">
                    <img src="assets/img/Projects Docs/project6/flask-during-heating-process-overheated.webp"
                         alt="Borosilicate flask deforming under intense heat"
                         style="width: 100%; max-width: 800px; height: auto;">
                    <figcaption>Equipment limitations: borosilicate flask deforming and melting under the intense,
                        localised heat
                    </figcaption>
                </figure>
            </div>
        </section>
        <section id="key-findings">
            <h2>Key Findings and Conclusion</h2>
            <div style="text-align: center; max-width: 90%; margin: 0rem auto;">
                <p>This investigation successfully demonstrated that microwave-assisted pyrolysis can produce hydrogen
                    from plastic waste, but revealed that the process is highly sensitive to specific conditions. Our
                    key findings are:</p>

                <ul style="text-align: left; display: inline-block; margin-top: 0rem;">
                    <li><strong>Hotspot Placement is Non-Negotiable:</strong> Hydrogen was only produced when the
                        catalyst was placed in a pre-identified microwave hotspot. No reaction occurred in 'cold spots,'
                        proving that controlling energy concentration is paramount.
                    </li>

                    <li><strong>Inverter Technology Shows More Promise:</strong> The continuous power delivery of the
                        inverter microwave successfully produced hydrogen, while the cycled power of the transformer
                        microwave did not, even at a similar energy density.
                    </li>

                    <li><strong>Catalyst Exhaustion is a Major Bottleneck:</strong> We observed a significant drop in
                        hydrogen production over successive tests, indicating that the catalyst quickly degrades. This
                        is a critical hurdle for developing a continuous, large-scale process.
                    </li>

                    <li><strong>Extreme Temperatures Pose Material Challenges:</strong> The process generates intense
                        localised heat, capable of melting even scientific-grade borosilicate glass, highlighting the
                        need for more robust reactor materials like quartz.
                    </li>
                </ul>

                <p>Ultimately, this research provides a foundational understanding of the factors governing
                    plastic-to-hydrogen conversion, laying the groundwork for future work in catalyst regeneration and
                    optimised reactor design.</p>
            </div>
        </section>
        <section id="project-document">
            <h2>Project Document & Source Code</h2>
            <div style="text-align: center; max-width: 90%; margin: 1rem auto;">
                <p>For more detailed information and access to the source code, you can use the following resources:</p>
                <div style="display: flex; justify-content: center; gap: 20px; flex-wrap: wrap; margin-top: 1rem;">
                    <a href="assets/docs/Projects Docs/project6/EEE4022S_2024_FINAL_REPORT_SPRCAI002_SPRIESTERSBACH_CM___PAINE.pdf"
                       target="_blank"
                       class="button-link"
                       style="display: inline-block; padding: 10px 15px; background-color: #3498db; color: white; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 4px;">
                        View Project Document (PDF)
                    </a>
                    <a href="https://github.com/CaideSpries/mw_project_docs"
                       target="_blank"
                       class="button-link"
                       style="display: inline-block; padding: 10px 15px; background-color: #333; color: white; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 4px;">
                        Project Documentation Repository
                    </a>
                    <a href="https://github.com/CaideSpries/mw_service"
                       target="_blank"
                       class="button-link"
                       style="display: inline-block; padding: 10px 15px; background-color: #333; color: white; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 4px;">
                        Sensing Module Code Repository
                    </a>
                </div>
            </div>
        </section>
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