Enhancing mass transfer efficiency via “Burger” co-pyrolysis of plastics and three biomass components

Abstract

Enhancing the target product yields from co-pyrolysis of plastic and biomass relies on the synergetic interaction of their intermediate products. Therefore, a key factor in strengthening this synergy is increasing the yield of both feedstocks’ intermediate products. The study innovatively utilizes the “Burger” layered filling strategy to alter the mass transfer process and affect the yield of key intermediate products. In the traditional homogenous blending mode, the plastic will first melt and encapsulate biomass during the heating process to block the mass transfer process, thus limiting their interaction. However, the “Burger” layered method mitigates mass transfer constraints and has a positive impact on increasing the relative content of key intermediates and aromatic hydrocarbons. For instance, compared to the homogeneous blending pyrolysis of low-density polyethylene and lignin, the layered pyrolysis increased the relative content of phenolic compounds, which are key intermediates during lignin pyrolysis, from 9.02 % to 13.49 %. In the co-pyrolysis of polypropylene and hemicellulose, the layered pyrolysis increased the relative content of aromatic hydrocarbons from 8.59 % to 11.03 %. This investigation offers valuable insights into optimizing mass transfer in the co-pyrolysis process, aiming to advancing the overall efficiency of co-pyrolysis.