(2017) Energy Conversion and Management_Enhanced energy recovery from polyethylene terephthalate via pyrolysis in CO₂ atmosphere while suppressing acidic chemical species

Lee J., Lee T., Tsang Y.F., Oh J.-I., Kwon E.E.

(Elsevier Ltd) Energy Conversion and Management ISSN: 1968904 Vol.148 Issue. Article No. DOI: 10.1016/j.enconman.2017.06.026

Herein, CO₂ is employed as a pyrolysis medium for thermal treatment (i.e., pyrolysis) of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste in an environmentally benign way. The CO₂-assited pyrolysis provides a novel way to not only enhance energy recovery from the PET waste but also reduce acidic byproducts such as benzoic acid. The generation of carbon monoxide (CO) for pyrolysis of the PET waste in CO₂ is ∼5 times more than that in N2. In addition to the enhancement of CO generation, the compositions of benzene derivatives, PAHs, and acidic compounds are lower in pyrolytic products in CO₂ than that in N₂. This study suggests that the employment of CO₂ in pyrolysis of PET waste would be a more environmentally friendly waste treatment process with enhancing energy recovery. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd

This work was supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) Grant funded by the Korean Government (Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST)) (No. NRF-2016R1D1A1B03933027).