Synergistic production of fuels from co-pyrolysis of lignite coal and waste plastic

Abstract

In this study, the co-pyrolysis of Thar lignite coal and waste plastic was investigated, exploring the effects of different parameters such as the coal to waste plastic blending ratio and temperature. The oil obtained from pyrolysis was analyzed for GCV, viscosity, flash point and for chemical composition through GC-MS and FTIR techniques. The results revealed that a blend of 20 % coal and 80 % waste plastic yielded 67 % pyrolysis oil with a GCV of 42 MJ/kg. It was found that adding waste plastics to coal enhanced both the yield and quality of pyrolysis oil. Physical parameters including viscosity and GCV were found to be highly promising and comparable to regular Petro diesel. According to FTIR, presence of significant quantities of aliphatic and aromatic linkages along with carbonyl and hydroxyl functional groups were observed. Similarly, GCMS analysis showed the presence of C7 to C20 carbon fractions in pyro-oil of optimum sample. Char residue 21 % was also obtained from the results with carbon contents up to 68 % and less than 1 % sulfur at 80:20 blending ratio of WP and coal. This char residue could be especially useful for use in steam generation or cement industries as clean fuel.