The pre-reduction of higher manganese oxides with post-consumer plastics as reductants has been investigated through experiments conducted in a laboratory scale horizontal tube furnace coupled with an off gas analysis through an online infrared (IR) gas analyser. Composite pellets of calcined manganese oxide (Mn 3 O 4 ) with high density polyethylene (HDPE) (at C/O molar ratios of 1?5, 2?0 and 3?0) were heated rapidly to 1150uC under pure argon and the off gas was measured continuously by an IR analyser for CO, CO 2 and CH 4 . The extent of reduction of Mn 3 O 4 to MnO was calculated from a mass balance for removable oxygen. Solid reaction products were characterised by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis was used to confirm the presence of MnO. The results indicate that Mn 3 O 4 can be successfully pre-reduced to MnO using HDPE as a reductant. Gas analysis studies indicated that the polymer is first converted to CH 4 which cracked partially or reformed to H 2 , C and/or CO. Reduction of Mn 3 O 4 to MnO was subsequently effected by C, CO, H 2 and the residual CH 4 .
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