Thermal and thermo-catalytic degradation of polyolefins as a simple and efficient method of landfill clearing

• Authors: Karina Tomaszewska , Joanna Kałużna-Czaplińska , Wojciech Jóźwiak
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Thermal degradation of the low density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP) and the municipal waste plastics was investigated. The thermo-catalytic degradation of LDPE and PP was studied in the presence of the following catalysts: four different types of montmorillonite: K5, K10, K20, K30 and - for comparison - zeolites (natural - clinoptilolite, YNa+ and YH+). Thermal analyses TG-DTA-MS of polymers and polymer-catalyst mixtures were carried out in an argon flow atmosphere in isothermal and dynamic conditions. The following order was found: in lowering the reaction temperature for LDPE degradation YH+ > mK5 > mK20 = mK30 >mK10 > NZ > YNa+; for PP degradation: mK20 > mK5 = mK30 >mK10 > YH+ > NZ > YNa+. The activity tests were carried out in a stainless steel batch reactor under atmospheric pressure in a wide temperature range of up to 410°C, and using the atmosphere of argon flow. The liquid products were analysed by the GC-MS method. The hydrocarbons in the liquid products from thermal degradation of polymers were broadly distributed in the carbon fractions of C8 to C26 - for LDPE and C6 to C31 for PP.

Keywords

EN

Polyethylene; polypropylene; polyolefins; municipal waste plastics; thermal degradation; thermocatalytic degradation; liquid fuels component; kinetics

• Journal: Polish Journal of Chemical Technology
• Year: 2010
• Volume: 12
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 50-57

Dates

published

1 - 1 - 2010

online

27 - 9 - 2010

Contributors

author

Karina Tomaszewska

• Institute of General and Ecological Chemistry, Technical University of Lodz, ul. Żeromskiego 116, 90-924 Łódź, Poland

author

Joanna Kałużna-Czaplińska

• Institute of General and Ecological Chemistry, Technical University of Lodz, ul. Żeromskiego 116, 90-924 Łódź, Poland

author

Wojciech Jóźwiak

• Institute of General and Ecological Chemistry, Technical University of Lodz, ul. Żeromskiego 116, 90-924 Łódź, Poland

References

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Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/v10026-010-0034-x