Catalytic co-pyrolysis of cabbage waste and plastics with Ni/ZSM-5 catalysis to produce aromatic-rich oil

Abstract

This study investigates the selective production of aromatics through the co-pyrolysis of cabbage waste and plastics followed by catalytic reforming with Ni-modified ZSM-5. Co-pyrolysis significantly improves the inflection point (a parameter for determining thermal stability) to 251.3 °C from 232.7 °C. This process also enhances the relative yield of olefins and phenols, which are precursors for aromatic production to 25.46 and 17.23 respectively, up from 13.87 to 12.05. Furthermore, catalytic pyrolysis elevates the relative yield of aromatics to 53.4, as confirmed by Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Thermogravimetric-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (TG-FTIR) analyses. GC-MS confirms the enhanced formation of valuable chemical precursors via co-pyrolysis such as phenols and olefines to 18.67 % and 22.13 % leading to a 63.81 % selective yield of aromatics in the final oil with 10Ni/ZSM-5. Ni modification of ZSM-5 is influential in decreasing PAH formation (7.26 % from 20.37 %), indicating that this two-step process is an effective method for transforming waste into high-quality bio-oil with enriched aromatic content.