Unlocking energy potential: Investigating thermal degradation and kinetic modeling of health‐care waste polymers for enhanced pyrolysis conversion

Abstract

AbstractRecently, the main polymers present in the health‐care waste (HCW) of a Brazilian university hospital were identified, revealing a composition of polypropylene (85%), high‐density polyethylene (6%), polystyrene (5%), and cellulose (4%). Recognizing the potential for these materials to generate energy through pyrolysis, this study aimed to assess the thermal degradation of the HCW polymers and their respective polymer mixture using thermogravimetric analysis. Thermalgravimetric analysis encompassed three heating rates (5, 10, and 20°C min−1). The kinetic parameters of thermal degradation were estimated using the first‐order reaction model. Friedman differential isoconversional method, as well as Ozawa, Flynn–Wall–Ozawa, and Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose integral isoconversional methods, were applied to obtain the kinetic parameters, which can predict the thermal degradation kinetics of the polymers in thermal conversion process. Through statistical evaluation of the parameter estimation, it was demonstrated that the proposed methodology yielded fitted models for the experimental data on HCW. These models may be implemented in designing pyrolysis reactors that convert these polymers into energy, thereby mitigating environmental pollution.