Energy out of waste: kinetics and thermolysis of co-pyrolysis of biomass and municipal plastic waste

Abstract

To build effective co-pyrolysis processes and reactor systems, it is vital to understand the kinetics, synergistic effects, reaction mechanisms, and thermodynamic analysis of co-pyrolyzing biomass with different types of plastics. The present study deals with non-isothermal thermogravimetric analysis carried out at heating rates of 20, 25, 30, 35 °C/min to assess the kinetic and thermodynamic attributes of Areca catechu husk fiber and municipal plastic waste co-pyrolysis process. The co-pyrolysis process was carried out at 350 °C. Three iso-conversational methods, including Flynn–Wall–Ozawa, Starink, and Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose, were employed to find the activation energy \(\left({E}_{a}\right)\) and thermodynamic triplets of entropy (ΔS), enthalpy (ΔH), and Gibbs free energy (ΔG) of the dual feedstock blend. The average \({E}_{a}\), when estimated by using Starink, Flynn–Wall–Ozawa, and Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose methods, was identified to be 212.95 kJ/mol, 223.64 kJ/mol, and 214.06 kJ/mol with an average linear co-efficient of regression (R²) value of more than 0.9. The output responses of this present research expose that co-pyrolysis blend can be utilized as an effective feedstock for a waste reduction and sustainable environment.