Application of acid treated kaolin clay for conversion of polymeric waste material into pyrolysis diesel fuel

Abstract

Polymer waste material was subjected to catalytic pyrolysis using acid treated kaolin clay. Waste material was cracked thermally and catalytically in a batch reactor in the temperature range 400-500°C for synthesis of liquid fuel. For this purpose, kaolin clay was first treated with different prepared molar solutions of HCl (1M, 3M and 5 M) under reflux condensation at 100°C and atmospheric pressure in a round bottom flask for 4 hours. The acid treated clay samples were subsequently washed with distilled water and then calcined at 500°C for 4 hours. Cracking activity of untreated kaolin clay was compared with acid treated kaolin clay. It was observed that acid treated kaolin clay performed better than untreated kaolin clay due to high surface area and greater number of acidic sites.