Production of Liquid Oil from Thermolysis of Electrical and Electronic Wastes (E-waste) under Microwave Irradiation

Abstract

A preliminary study of thermolysis for producing liquid oil from electrical and electronic wastes (e-waste) has been carried out. Various efforts have been made to improve thermolysis process in order to obtain higher yield of liquid oil. The research aims to investigate the effect of temperature and types of e-waste on the yield of liquid oil. A domestic microwave oven was modified and used to produce liquid oil. It was connected with standard condensation unit with water circulating system. Three types of e-waste samples (computer or laptop case, hand phone case and electrical cables/wires) were employed. About 150 g of each samples was thermolysed at 350°C, 400°C and 450°C under nitrogen flow of 0.3 LPM using activated carbon as an absorber and a microwave power of 900 W. The samples were characterised using TGA and ultimate analyser whereas heating value of the optimum liquid product was analysed using bomb calorimeter. This study showed that thermolysis temperature and type of e-waste affect yield of liquid oil. Maximum yields of liquid oil were obtained at 450°C for hand phone case, 400°C for computer case and at 350°C for electrical cables. Among the e-waste studied, hand phone case provided the highest liquid oil yield of 56.2 wt%.

Thermochemical Recycling of Waste Plastics by Pyrolysis: A Review

“…Interestingly, the selectivity toward ethylbenzene was high using a HUSY catalyst, whereas introduction of HZSM-5 caused high styrene recovery. The effect of e-waste type on liquid oil yields was studied in a modified domestic microwave oven (900 W) using activated carbon as an absorber at variable temperature . Optimized pyrolysis temperatures for electrical cables, a computer case, and a hand phone case were 350, 400, and 450 °C, respectively.…”