Co-pyrolysis behaviors and kinetics of plastics–biomass blends through thermogravimetric analysis

Abstract

Co-pyrolysis behaviors of plastics–biomass blends were investigated using a thermogravimetric (TG) analysis from room temperature to 873 K with a heating rate of 5–40 K min−1 in an inert atmosphere. The selected biomass sample was sawdust of pine wood (WS). Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and polypropylene (PP) were selected as plastic samples. The difference of mass loss between experimental and theoretical ones (calculated as arithmetic sums of those from each separated component) was used as a criterion of synergetic effect. The experimental results indicated that a significant synergetic effect existed during the high-temperature region of plastics and WS co-pyrolysis process, specially, the dehydrochlorination reaction of PVC and the degradation of hemicellulose and cellulose in the WS during the co-pyrolysis process showed synergetic effect, as well as the reaction of plastics (LDPE, HDPE, and PP) and WS. Based on the TG data with different heating rates, the kinetics parameters, especially activation energy, were calculated using the Friedman method. The activation energy of plastics, WS, and their blends were from 92.8 to 359.5 kJ mol−1. The activation energy of the PVC–WS blends was at a range of 180.2–254.5 kJ mol−1 in the second stages. The activation energies range of LDPE–WS, HDPE–WS, and PP–WS blends were 164.5–229.6, 213.2–234.3, and 198.4–263.6 kJ mol−1, respectively.