Pyrolysis properties and kinetics of photocured waste from photopolymerization-based 3D printing: A TG-FTIR/GC–MS study

Abstract

The emerging photopolymerization-based 3D printing industry has led to a growing concern for the disposal of photocured waste (PCW), which is inevitably generated during the life cycle of photopolymerization-based 3D printing. In order to shed light on suitable thermochemical treatment and utilization approaches of PCW, this work comprehensively investigated the properties and kinetics during PCW pyrolysis via TG-FTIR/GC–MS analysis. The results demonstrated that the main decomposition of PCW sample happened in the range 320–550 °C with a total weight loss of 93.34 wt%. According to the result of four kinetic models, the activation energy of PCW sample was approximately 228.58–245.05 kJ/mol. Finally, the FTIR and GC–MS results manifested that the main components of volatiles released at different heating rates were the same. The volatiles mainly include (S)-(+)-2-hydroxy-2-phenylprop, benzaldehyde, benzophenone (photo-initiator), benzoic acid, benzoylformic acid etc., which have a multitude of potential applications. However, these volatiles produced by PCW pyrolysis have a certain toxicity and potential hazard. This study demonstrates insightful fundamentals for thermochemical disposal of PCW, which appears to be potentially valuable with the rapid development of the photopolymerization-based 3D printing industry.