The increasing amount of LDPE plastic waste and used oil that is not properly
managed can cause environmental pollution. One alternative solution is to
process these wastes into value-added products, such as floating breakwaters.
This study aims to design and develop a machine for processing LDPE plastic
waste and used oil into floating breakwaters using a heating system consisting of
a nozzle heater and a tubular heater. The research method includes literature
review, computer-aided design, engineering calculations, heat transfer
simulation, fabrication, and performance testing of the machine. The designed
machine consists of a melting chamber with a diameter of 300 mm and a height of
500 mm, capable of processing up to 2 kg of raw materials. Heat transfer
simulations were conducted at heating temperatures of 150°C, 200°C, and 270°C
with heater placement variations on the sidewall and bottom of the chamber. The
results showed that the nozzle heater alone was unable to provide uniform melting
of the material. Therefore, a tubular heater was added at the bottom of the
chamber to improve heat distribution. The combination of both heaters produced
a more uniform temperature distribution, accelerated the melting process, and
improved the quality of the molten LDPE plastic and used oil mixture, enabling
the machine to operate according to the design objectives.
Keywords : floating breakwater, LDPE plastic waste, nozzle heater, tubular heater,
used oil.