Conversion of Polypropylene Waste into Value-Added Products: A Greener Approach

Plastic has made our lives comfortable as a result of its widespread use in today’s world due to its low cost, longevity, adaptability, light weight and hardness; however, at the same time, it has made our lives miserable due to its non-biodegradable nature, which has resulted in environmental pollution. Therefore, the focus of this research work was on an environmentally friendly process. This research work investigated the decomposition of polypropylene waste using florisil as the catalyst in a salt bath over a temperature range of 350–430 °C. A maximum oil yield of 57.41% was recovered at 410 °C and a 40 min reaction time. The oil collected from the decomposition of polypropylene waste was examined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The kinetic parameters of the reaction process were calculated from thermogravimetric data at temperature program rates of 3, 12, 20 and 30 °C·min⁻¹ using the Ozawa–Flynn–Wall (OFW) and Kissinger–Akahira–Sunnose (KAS) equations. The activation energy (Ea) and pre-exponential factor (A) for the thermo-catalytic degradation of polypropylene waste were observed in the range of 102.74–173.08 kJ·mol⁻¹ and 7.1 × 10⁸–9.3 × 10¹¹ min⁻¹ for the OFW method and 99.77–166.28 kJ·mol⁻¹ and 1.1 × 10⁸–5.3 × 10¹¹ min⁻¹ for the KAS method at a percent conversion (α) of 0.1 to 0.9, respectively. Moreover, the fuel properties of the oil were assessed and matched with the ASTM values of diesel, gasoline and kerosene oil. The oil was found to have a close resemblance to the commercial fuel. Therefore, it was concluded that utilizing florisil as the catalyst for the decomposition of waste polypropylene not only lowered the activation energy of the pyrolysis reaction but also upgraded the quantity and quality of the oil.     

Production and Analysis of the Physicochemical Properties of the Pyrolytic Oil Obtained from Pyrolysis of Different Thermoplastics and Plastic Mixtures

The constant search for the proper management of non-degradable waste in conjunction with the circular economy makes the thermal pyrolysis of plastics an important technique for obtaining products with industrial interest. The present study aims to produce pyrolytic oil from thermoplastics and their different mixtures in order to determine the best performance between these and different mixtures, as well as to characterize the liquid fraction obtained to analyze its use based on said properties. This was carried out in a batch type reactor at a temperature of 400 °C for both individual plastics and their mixtures, from which the yields of the different fractions are obtained. The liquid fraction of interest is characterized by gas chromatography and its properties are characterized by ASTM standards. The product of the pyrolysis of mixtures of 75% polystyrene and 25% polypropylene presents a yield of 82%, being the highest, with a viscosity of 1.12 cSt and a calorific power of 42.5 MJ/kg, which has a composition of compounds of carbon chains ranging between C6 and C20, for which it is proposed as a good additive agent to conventional fuels for industrial use.     

石油烃管式炉裂解技术的核心设计及发展

以“化学工艺学”——烃类热裂解中管式裂解炉和裂解工艺过程的教学内容为素材,通过对比分析美国Lummus公司、KBR公司和德国Linde-Selas公司管式裂解炉的炉管结构设计,使学生认识到管式裂解炉炉管结构设计不但与烃类热裂解高温、短停留时间和低烃分压的裂解工艺存在着密切的关系,而且是提高管式炉裂解选择性、烯烃收率和裂解原料适应性的关键。另外,结合乙烯装置在控制系统、急冷技术、结焦抑制和节能降耗等技术方面的发展,向学生阐明了未来裂解炉设计的发展方向。     

低品质生物质的热解及低温催化气化研究

利用TG及小型固定床反应器对不同来源的三种低品质生物质--禽畜粪便样品的热解特性及其低温催化气化过程进行了研究。结果表明,各种粪便的主要热解温度为473K~823K。猪粪与禽粪中的有机组分及矿物质组分性质的不同,导致了它们的热解行为存在着较大的差异。在其主要热解区间内,猪粪的热解经历两个明显的失重过程,表明猪粪中的有机成分包括半纤维素、纤维素和木质素。鸡粪中的主要有机组分为纤维素,导致其有一个明显的热解失重过程。鸡粪中含有大量的CaCO₃,在热解过程中受热分解以CaO的形式存在于鸡粪半焦中。禽畜粪便的低温催化气化过程可以将热解焦油全部转化为小分子气相产物和碳,气相产物中有效组分(H₂和CO)产率明显增加。每克猪粪(daf.)低温催化气化过程氢的产量为960mL,鸡粪的氢气产率为680mL/(g鸡粪(daf.))。     

Beyond Mechanical Recycling: Giving New Life to Plastic Waste

Increasing the stream of recycled plastic necessitates an approach beyond the traditional recycling via melting and re‐extrusion. Various chemical recycling processes have great potential to enhance recycling rates. In this Review, a summary of the various chemical recycling routes and assessment via life‐cycle analysis is complemented by an extensive list of processes developed by companies active in chemical recycling. We show that each of the currently available processes is applicable for specific plastic waste streams. Thus, only a combination of different technologies can address the plastic waste problem. Research should focus on more realistic, more contaminated and mixed waste streams, while collection and sorting infrastructure will need to be improved, that is, by stricter regulation. This Review aims to inspire both science and innovation for the production of higher value and quality products from plastic recycling suitable for reuse or valorization to create the necessary economic and environmental push for a circular economy.     

Recent Trends in the Pyrolysis of Non-Degradable Waste Plastics

Waste plastics are non-degradable constituents that can stay in the environment for centuries. Their large land space consumption is unsafe to humans and animals. Concomitantly, the continuous engineering of plastics, which causes depletion of petroleum, poses another problem since they are petroleum-based materials. Therefore, energy recovering trough pyrolysis is an innovative and sustainable solution since it can be practiced without liberating toxic gases into the atmosphere. The most commonly used plastics, such as HDPE, LDPE (high- and low-density polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), PS (polystyrene), and, to some extent, PC (polycarbonate), PVC (polyvinyl chloride), and PET (polyethylene terephthalate), are used for fuel oil recovery through this process. The oils which are generated from the wastes showed caloric values almost comparable with conventional fuels. The main aim of the present review is to highlight and summarize the trends of thermal and catalytic pyrolysis of waste plastic into valuable fuel products through manipulating the operational parameters that influence the quality or quantity of the recovered results. The properties and product distribution of the pyrolytic fuels and the depolymerization reaction mechanisms of each plastic and their byproduct composition are also discussed.     

Non-Isothermal Pyrolysis and Kinetics of Oil Shales

In this research, non-isothermal pyrolysis behavior and kinetics of three oil shales were studied by thermal analysis methods. All the thermal effects were endothermic and no exothermic region was observed in DSC curves. When oil shales are heated in nitrogen atmosphere in TG/DTG, two different mechanisms causing loss of mass were observed. The region between ambient temperature and 500 K was distillation. The second mechanism was visbreaking and cracking and it was observed between the region 500 and 800 K. Kinetic parameters of all the samples are determined by Coats and Redfern method and the results are discussed with regard to their accuracy and the ease of interpretation. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Pyrolysis of textile wastes: I. Kinetics and yields

Thermal behavior of textile waste was studied by thermogravimetry at different heating rates and also by semi-batch pyrolysis. It was shown that the onset temperature of mass loss is within 104–156 °C and the final reaction temperature is within 423–500 °C. The average mass loss is 89.5%. There are three DTG peaks located at the temperature ranges of 135–309, 276–394 and 374–500 °C, respectively. The first two might be associated with either with decomposition of the hemicellulose and cellulose or with different processes of cellulose decomposition. The third peak is possibly associated to a synthetic polymer. At a temperature of 460 °C, the expected amount of volatiles of this waste is within 85–89%. The kinetic parameters of the individual degradation processes were determined by using a parallel model. Their dependence on the heating rate was also established. The pyrolysis rate is considered as the sum of the three reaction rates. The pyrolysis in a batch reactor at 700 °C and nitrogen flow of 60 ml/min produces 72 wt.% of oil, 13.5 wt.% of gas and 12.5 wt.% of char. The kinetic parameters of the first peak do not vary with heating rate, while those of the second and the third peak increase and decrease, respectively, with an increasing heating rate, proving the existence of complex reaction mechanisms for both cases.     

Upcycling waste PMMA to durable composites via a transesterification-inverse vulcanization process

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is an important commodity polymer having a wide range of applications. Currently, only about 10% of PMMA is recycled. Herein, a simple two-stage process for the chemical upcycling of PMMA is discussed. In this method PMMA is modified by transesterification with a bio-derived, olefin-bearing terpenoid, geraniol. In the second stage, olefin-derivatized PMMA is reacted with sulfur to form a network composite by an inverse vulcanization mechanism. Inverse vulcanization of PGMA with elemental sulfur (90 wt.%) yielded the durable composite PGMA-S . This composite was characterized by NMR spectrometry, IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry. Composite water uptake, compressional strength analysis, flexural strength analysis, tensile strength analysis, and thermal recyclability are presented with comparison to current commercial structural materials. PGMA-S exhibits a similar compressive strength (17.5 MPa) to that of Portland cement. PGMA-S demonstrates an impressive flexural strength of 4.76 MPa which exceeds the flexural strength (>3 MPa) of many commercial ordinary Portland cements. This study provides a way to upcycle waste PMMA through combination with a naturally-occurring olefin and industrial waste sulfur to yield composites having mechanical properties competitive with ecologically detrimental legacy building materials.     

Pyrolysis chemical ionization mass spectrometry of cellulose ethers

Pyrolysis ammonia chemical ionization (PyCI) mass spectrometry was performed on hy-droxyethyl-, hydroxypropyl-,methyl-, hydroxypropylmethyl-, and ethylhydroxyethyl cel-luloses. The mass peaks in the PyCI mass spectra of these cellulose ethers could be assigned to the ions of pyrolytic dissociation products which form via the [2 + 2 + 2] cycloreversion and the E_i elimination pyrolysis pathway. Structural information about the residual amount of nonderivatized cellulose, the relative chain length distributions of the substituents in hydroxyalkyl celluloses, and the end-capping of hydroxyalkyl substituents by alkyl groups in the mixed cellulose ethers is obtained. Interference of secondary pyrolysis products in the PyCI mass spectra is found to be of minor importance, especially in the lower mass regions. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

煤化工工艺技术评述与展望 Ⅰ.煤气化技术

全文评述了煤化工的三个工业化层次 ,分四个部分分别讨论煤气化技术、合成气制乙烯与二甲醚的研究方向、甲醇的大型化和国产化、合成油的工业化途径等问题 ,从工业化的角度来探讨煤化工工艺技术的发展、特别是新技术的产业化问题。本文作为第一部分重点评述煤气化技术发展状态及在我国应用与开发的工程化问题。     

Gas Evolution from the Pyrolysis of Jordan Oil Shale in A Fixed-bed Reactor

Jordan oil shale from El-Lajjun deposit was pyrolysed in a fixed-bed pyrolysis reactor and the influence of the pyrolysis temperature between 400 to 620°C and the influence of the pyrolysis atmosphere using nitrogen and nitrogen/steam on the product yield and gas composition were investigated. The gases analysed were H₂, CO, CO₂ and hydrocarbons from C₁ to C₄. The results showed for both nitrogen and nitrogen/steam that increase the pyrolysis bed temperature from 400 to 520°C resulted in a significant increase in the oil yield, after which temperature the oil yield decreased. The alkene/alkane ratio including ethene/ethane, propene/propane, and butene/butane ratios, can be used as an indication of pyrolysis temperature and the magnitude of cracking reactions. Increasing alkene/alkane ratio occurring with increasing pyrolysis temperature. The alkene/alkane ratio for nitrogen/steam pyrolysis atmosphere was lower than the one found under nitrogen atmosphere. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

废聚丙烯塑料等离子体热解研究——水蒸气的加入对改善气体品质的影响

以聚丙烯为试验物料，利用N2热等离子体在等离子体反应器内进行了一系列热解试验，重点考察了气体产物成分及含量。在反应过程中加入过热水蒸气以改善气体品质，在本实验条件下，气体产物中CO与H2之和可以达到40%，C2H2可达到5%。     

Recovery of Terephthalic Acid from Densified Post-consumer Plastic Mix by HTL Process

In this study, we investigate the hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of PET separated from a densified postconsumer plastic mix, with the aim of recovering its monomer. This second raw material is made up of 90% polyolefin, while the remaining 10% is made up of PET, traces of metals, paper, and glass. After preliminary separation by density in water, two batch experiments were performed on the sunken fraction (composed mainly of PET) in a stainless steel autoclave at 345 °C for 30 and 20 min. Both trials resulted in similar yields of the three phases. In particular, the solid yield is around 76% by weight. After a purification step, this phase was analyzed by UV–Vis, ¹H-NMR, and FTIR spectroscopy and resulted to be constituted by terephthalic acid (TPA), a product of considerable industrial interest. The study proved that the hydrothermal liquefaction process coupled with density separation in water is effective for obtaining TPA from a densified postconsumer plastic mix, which can be used for new PET synthesis.     

Syngas Production from Lignite Coal Using K2CO3 Catalytic Steam Gasification with Controlled Heating Rate in Pyrolysis Step

Gasification uses steam increases H2 content in the syngas. Kinetics of gasification process can be improved by using K₂CO₃ catalyst. Controlled heating rate in pyrolysis step determines the pore size of charcoal that affects yield gas and H₂ and CO content in the syngas. In previous research, pyrolisis step was performed without considering heating rate in pyrolysis step. This experiment was performed by catalytic steam gasification using lignite char from pyrolysis with controlled heating rate intended to produce maximum yield of syngas with mole ratio of H₂/CO ≈ 2. Slow heating rate (3 °C/min) until 850 °C in the pyrolysis step has resulted in largest surface area of char. This study was performed by feeding Indonesian lignite char particles and K₂CO₃ catalyst into a fixed bed reactor with variation of steam/char mole ratio (2.2; 2.9; 4.0) and gasification temperature (750 °C, 825 °C, and 900 °C). Highest ratio of H₂/CO (1.682) was obtained at 750 °C and steam/char ratio 2.2. Largest gas yield obtained from this study was 0.504 mol/g of char at 900 °C and steam/char ratio 2.9. Optimum condition for syngas production was at 750 °C and steam/char mole ratio 2.2 with gas yield 0.353 mol/g of char and H₂/CO ratio 1.682.     

压力对塔里木原油四组分热解性能的影响

压力对深层油藏原油热化学过程的影响尚存在较大争议,为研究其在油藏原油热解成气过程中的作用机理,我们在450℃、5~40 MPa压力下对塔里木原油四组分(饱和分、芳香分、胶质和沥青质)进行了封闭体系的热解实验,通过气相色谱(GC)和气相色谱/质谱(GC/MS)分别对原油四组分热解反应的气体产物及饱和分热解过程的液态产物进行了分析。结果表明,在450℃、24 h及不同压力下,沥青质热解产气率高于胶质、芳香分和饱和分;四组分的气相热解产物中,C1的产率明显高于C2~C5组分。增大压力抑制沥青质、胶质及芳香分的热解产气过程而促进饱和分的热解产气过程。随压力的增大,饱和分热解的液态产物的主峰组分碳数先减小,再增大。压力低于20 MPa时,饱和分热解过程中以裂解反应为主;高于30 MPa时,增大压力有利于缩合反应。研究结果可为认识深层油藏原油的稳定程度及天然气的成因提供一定的理论参考。     

A Comparative Study of Pyrolysis Liquids by Slow Pyrolysis of Industrial Hemp Leaves,Hurds and Roots

This study assessed the pyrolysis liquids obtained by slow pyrolysis of industrial hemp leaves, hurds, and roots. The liquids recovered between a pyrolysis temperature of 275–350 °C, at two condensation temperatures 130 °C and 70 °C, were analyzed. Aqueous and bio-oil pyrolysis liquids were produced and analyzed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and atmospheric pressure photoionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (APPI FT-ICR MS). NMR revealed quantitative concentrations of the most abundant compounds in the aqueous fractions and compound groups in the oily fractions. In the aqueous fractions, the concentration range of acetic acid was 50–241 gL⁻¹, methanol 2–30 gL⁻¹, propanoic acid 5–20 gL⁻¹, and 1-hydroxybutan-2-one 2 gL⁻¹. GC-MS was used to compare the compositions of the volatile compounds and APPI FT-ICR MS was utilized to determine the most abundant higher molecular weight compounds. The different obtained pyrolysis liquids (aqueous and oily) had various volatile and nonvolatile compounds such as acetic acid, 2,6-dimethoxyphenol, 2-methoxyphenol, and cannabidiol. This study provides a detailed understanding of the chemical composition of pyrolysis liquids from different parts of the industrial hemp plant and assesses their possible economic potential.     

工业气化装置原料煤及残余物气化反应特性研究

考察了某工业气化装置中的原煤、滤饼及除沫器灰渣在不同温度下与水蒸气和CO₂的气化反应特性,采用扫描电子显微镜和吸附仪测试了样品的初始结构及表面特性。研究表明,采用相同气化剂进行气化反应时,原煤的气化活性要高于除沫器灰渣,而除沫器灰渣的气化活性则与滤饼相近,但略好于滤饼。这主要是由于三种样品的表面和内部结构存在很大的差异。由于水蒸气和CO₂与样品的反应机理存在差异,使得样品的水蒸气气化活性比CO₂气化活性高三倍左右。     

Kinetic Study on Pyrolysis of Extracted Oil Palm Fiber. Isothermal and non-isothermal conditions

Pyrolysis of extracted oil palm fibers under isothermal and non-isothermal conditions was carried out in a thermogravimetric analyzer. Isothermal curves showed that increasing pyrolysis temperature resulted in a faster pyrolysis and a higher conversion of oil palm fibers into gaseous products. Raw material sizes (below 1.0 mm) had insignificant effects on the isothermal pyrolysis, but the fibers with a size fraction of 1.0 to 2.0 mm resulted in a lesser conversion. Two-step reactions were found in the non-isothermal pyrolysis as evidenced by the presence of two peaks in the derivative thermogravimetry curves. Raw material sizes had no obvious effects on the temperature at which the maximum rate of pyrolysis occurred, but affected the rate of sample mass loss. For the low and high temperature regimes, a three-dimensional diffusion mechanism and a first-order of reaction mechanism respectively were used to describe the non-isothermal pyrolysis kinetics of extracted oil palm fibers. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.