Sustainable utilization of value-added products from the catalytic and non-catalytic pyrolysis of motor car scrap tire: Suitability of produced char for energy generation and sugar mill wastewater treatment

Abstract

Clean fuel and sustainable energy utilization are essential requirements to address the impacts of global warming and climate change. In this study, the pyrolysis of motor car scrap tire was investigated in a fabricated cylindrical stainless steel reactor, operated at 450, 500, and 550 °C for 50 min with or without the addition of a catalyst. The catalytic condition yielded maximum char of 59% w/w obtained at 450 °C. The addition of the catalyst also enhanced oil yield up to 33% w/w at 500 °C while the maximum gas fraction of 44% w/w was obtained under the non-catalytic condition, at 550 °C. The TGA/DSC analysis showed that the pyrolysis char had a specific heat capacity (Cp) of 35 J/g.K, relating to its high thermal stability for applications in furnaces, reactors, and heat construction materials. The char, after chemical activation, with the XRD analysis, showed that the produced activated carbon (AC) has a good crystalline structure (with high interplanar distances). The BET analysis revealed that the AC has a high surface area of 1065 m2/g (average pore diameter of 3.36 nm) which enhanced the adsorption capacity of the AC to about 90 % efficiency for the removal of the heavy metal, cadmium, from sugar mill wastewater.