Potential Valorization of Waste Tires as Activated Carbon-Based Adsorbent for Organic Contaminants Removal.

Kawthar Frikha,Simona Bennici,Beatriz Corzo Garcia,Lionel Limousy,Karin Florencio Pérez,Cyril Vaulot,Joan Pons Claret

doi:10.3390/ma15031099

Abstract

The present study investigates the potential of waste tires to produce a valuable adsorbent material for application in wastewater treatment. In the first stage, the pyrolysis of ground rubber tire was explored using non-isothermal and isothermal thermogravimetric analysis experiments. The effect of operating parameters, such as heating rate and pyrolysis temperature, on the pyrolysis product yields was considered. The slow pyrolysis of ground rubber tire was taken up in a large-scale fixed-bed reactor for enhanced char recovery. Four pyrolysis temperatures were selected by thermogravimetric data. The product yields were strongly influenced by the pyrolysis temperature; at higher temperatures, the formation of more gases and liquid was favored, while at lower pyrolysis temperatures, more char (solid fraction) was formed. The produced chars were characterized in terms of mineral composition, textural properties, proximate analysis, and structural properties to identify the relationships between the pyrolysis temperature and the char properties. In a second step, a series of activated chars were prepared, starting from the pyrolytic chars via chemical and/or physical activation methods. Then, the activated chars were characterized and tested as adsorbents for atrazine and ibuprofen. Adsorption experiments in aqueous media were carried out in a small-scale batch reactor system. Chemical activation seems appropriate to significantly reduce the inorganic compounds initially present in ground rubber tire and contribute to an important increase in the surface area and porosity of the chars. Adsorption experiments indicated that chemically activated chars exhibit high aqueous adsorption capacity for atrazine.

Highlights

The effect of operating parameters, such as heating rate and pyrolysis temperature, on the pyrolysis product yields was considered
In this work, activated carbons were successfully prepared from waste tires via pyrolysis and activation processes and employed as adsorbents of atrazine and ibuprofen as organic micro-pollutant adsorbates
Thermogravimetric analysis of ground rubber tire showed that the heating rate and pyrolysis temperature in the explored range do not seem to affect the thermal degradation of the ground rubber sample, at least from a qualitative point of view, while they sensibly influence the char yields

Summary

Introduction

The effect of operating parameters, such as heating rate and pyrolysis temperature, on the pyrolysis product yields was considered. The diverse composition of tires makes published maps and institutional affiliations Their energy and/or material recovery a profitable business. To minimize the negative impacts of waste management on the environment, such as those caused by the energy recovery routes, thermal recycling of waste tire materials through pyrolysis can be considered the most convenient practice [8]. Waste tires pyrolysis is an innovative alternative for waste tires management, producing fuel and other solid products in a more environmentally friendly manner. The organic volatile matter of tires, mainly the rubber polymers, are decomposed to lower molecular weight products, oils, and gases, while the inorganic compounds and the nonvolatile carbon black, contained in the waste tire, remain as solid char residue [10]

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