Catalytic Pyrolysis of Tetra Pak over Acidic Catalysts

Abstract

The thermal and catalytic pyrolysis of two kinds of Tetra Pak waste (TP-1 and TP-2) over three different acidic catalysts—HZSM-5(SiO2/Al2O3, 30), HBeta (38), and Al-MCM-41(20)—were investigated in this study. Tetra Pak (TP) wastes consist of composite material comprising kraft paper, polyethylene (PE) film, and aluminum foil. Thermal decomposition behaviors during the pyrolysis of TPs were monitored using a thermogravimetric (TG) analyzer and tandem micro reactor-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TMR-GC/MS). Neither the interaction between the non-catalytic pyrolysis intermediates of kraft paper and PE, nor the effect of aluminum foil have been monitored during the non-catalytic TG analysis of TPs. The maximum decomposition temperatures of PE in TP-1 shifted from 465 °C to 432 °C by HBeta(38), 439 °C by HZSM-5(30), and 449 °C by Al-MCM-41(20), respectively. The results of the TMR-GC/MS analysis indicate that the non-catalytic pyrolysis of TPs results in the formation of large amounts of furans and heavy hydrocarbons and they are converted efficiently to aromatic hydrocarbons over the acidic catalysts. Among the three catalysts, HZSM-5(30) produced the largest amount of aromatic hydrocarbons, followed by HBeta(38) and Al-MCM-41(20) owing to their different acidity and pore size. Compared to TP-1, TP-2 produced a larger amount of aromatic hydrocarbons via catalytic pyrolysis because of its relatively larger PE content. The synergistic formation of aromatic hydrocarbons was also enhanced during the catalytic pyrolysis of TPs due to the effective role of PE as hydrogen donor to kraft paper. In terms of their catalytic effectiveness, HZSM-5(30) had a longer lifetime than HBeta(38).

Tetrapak waste treatment using microwave pyrolysis to produce alternative gas fuels

“…For example, at 800 W there was a wax yield production of about 1 wt.% in the absence of catalyst, but no wax was generated when catalyst was added. This is similar to Siddiqui's suggestion that catalyst was added to decrease wax formation (Siddiqui et al, 2020). Furthermore, the gas yield increased from 73 wt.% in the absence of catalyst to 78 wt.% at 500°C catalyst temperature.…”

“…After that, the cellulose inside the paper layer decomposed at a temperature of 200°C to 400°C (Korkmaz et al, 2009). Meanwhile, the LDPE content of TW began to decompose at 400°C (Siddiqui et al, 2020). Furthermore, the temperature decreased because the capacity of the material used to increase the temperature had decreased (Motasemi and Afzal, 2013).…”

Interactions of the Main Components in Paper‐Plastic‐Aluminum Complex Packaging Wastes during the Hydrothermal Liquefaction Process

“…Pyrolysis and gasification can produce bio-oil by breaking the chains of large organic molecules at high temperature without oxygen [8]. However, the operating temperature is very high, usually in the range of 400-900°C, which would consume a lot of energy [9,10]. In addition, as the waste Tetra Pak is usually mixed with food scraps, such as milk, noodles, and other food debris with high moisture content, it would need more energy during the drying process of feed.…”

Recovery of Aluminum and Preparation of Porous Carbon from Tetra Pak Waste

“…Siddiqui et al. found that the presence of catalyst HZSM‐5 promoted the generation of aromatic hydrocarbons via thermal cracking of TPW [16] . Co‐pyrolysis of TPW and waste motor oil was carried out by Tekin et al.…”