Comparative Study on Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Light Hydrocarbons, Carbon Monoxide, and Particulate Emissions from the Combustion of Polyethylene, Polystyrene, and Poly(vinyl chloride)

Abstract

A laboratory-scale study was performed to compare the emissions of pollutants from the batch combustion of polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE), and poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and to examine the conditions that minimize them. Fixed beds of polymer particles were burned in a two-stage, preheated muffle furnace, using air at atmospheric pressure. The temperature of the primary furnace was varied over a range of 500−1000 °C, to identify its influence on the emission of pollutants. The combustion effluent was mixed with additional preheated air, channeled to a secondary muffle furnace (afterburner), which was operated at 1000 °C. Emissions of CO, CO2, light hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and particulates were monitored either on-line or by sample collection, followed by gas chromatographic analysis. Emission magnitudes and trends were found to be dependent on the type of the polymer burned. The combustion of PS produced the largest yields of PAHs and, especially, soot; PE produced the n...