Pyrolysis of polyolefin mixture: effect of the presence of oxygenated materials

Pyrolysis of polyolefin mixture: effect of the presence of oxygenated materials The effect of the presence of low quantities of cellulose (10%wt) and/or PET on the pyrolysis of a polyolefin mix (PE and PP) was studied. The average mass balances obtained are reported in Figure 1. The introduction of cellulose caused a moderate increase in both gas and solid residue, at the expense of the condensable fraction, which nevertheless remained the dominant product. This trend may be linked to the catalytic role of cellulose-derived intermediates in promoting secondary cracking reactions of polyolefins. It is worth to note that direct consequence of cellulose addition was the appearance of an aqueous phase in the condensate, generating two immiscible liquid phases and thus complicating downstream separation. Figure 1. Mass balance of the pyrolysis products of polyolefin mix with 10%wt of cellulose (MIX/CELL), 10% of cellulose and PET (MIX/CELL/PET) also in presence of calcium hydroxide