Co-pyrolysis of different plastic and biomass waste mixtures by thermogravimetric analysis and the characterization of products

In this study cotton stalk, hazelnut shells, sunflower residues besides Euphorbia rigida which is an important energy plant blended in definite ratio (1:1, weight) and pyrolyzed with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). First, pyrolysis process was conducted with a heating rate of 10°C/min from room temperature to 800 °C in nitrogen atmosphere with 100cm3/min flow rate by thermogravimetric analyzer. After pyrolysis experiments, with the obtained TG data kinetic equations among pyrolysis process were derived, decomposition temperatures and thermal behaviors of mixtures were determined.After co-pyrolysis experiments in TGA, raw materials were also pyrolzed in fixed bed reactor in order to obtain solid, liquid and gas products in nitrogen atmosphere with 100 cm3/min flow rate from room temperature to 500 ºC. Pyrolysis products were characterized by using FT-IR, BET, SEM and GC-MS characterization techniques.In this study, biomass and plastic materials were converted into valuable chemicals by using pyroysis which is one of the most important thermochemical conversion techniques. Also, the content of obtained pyrolysis products were determined.Keywords: Biomass, Plastics, TGA, Pyrolysis kinetics, Characterization