The in-situ effect of H2S on the decomposition of natural rubber and catalyst activity

A comparative study of the pyrolysis and hydrolysis conversion of tire

In the present study, we pyrolyzed a waste tire at various temperatures under an N2 atmosphere and a water environment in an autoclave reactor to investigate the effect of water on tire degradation. The analysis involved a comparison of product distribution, char properties, oil composition, and the behavior of heteroatom elements (especially oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur) under different atmospheres. Elemental analysis, functional-group identification, and chemical state analysis of sulfur were performed for chars. In addition, the chemical composition, elemental composition, and molecular weight of the produced oils were evaluated. The heavy fraction of oils, not detectable by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), was analyzed through Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). The findings revealed that high temperatures promoted oil cracking, resulting in the formation of light oils in both pyrolysis and hydrolysis processes. Compared to pyrolysis, hydrolysis generated a higher yield of low molecular-weight oil. Elevated hydrolysis temperatures promoted aromatization, yielding an oil with a low H/C ratio and a high double bond equivalent number. Consequently, the concentration of aromatics in the light fraction of oils generated from the hydrolysis process exceeded that in oils from the pyrolysis process. Temperature exhibited a limited impact on oil composition during the pyrolysis process. Hydrolysis promoted the release of heteroatom-containing compounds at low temperatures. During pyrolysis, nitrogen was gradually released from the solid phase, whereas nitrogen-containing compounds were released early during hydrolysis, with gas-phase nitrogen accounting for more than 50 wt% at 320 °C. A maximum D-limonene yield of 45.58% was obtained at 360 °C within 0 min of hydrolysis, with the potential conversion of D-limonene into aromatics at higher hydrolysis temperatures. These results contribute to the understanding of tire valorization via hydrolysis.

Formation Mechanism of Monocyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons during Pyrolysis of Styrene Butadiene Rubber in Waste Passenger Car Tires

The production of aromatic hydrocarbons from the waste tire pyrolysis attracts more and more attention because of its tremendous potential. Based on styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), which is the main rubber in the waste passenger car tires, this work studies the temperature influence on primary pyrolysis product distribution by experimental techniques (Py-GC/MS, TG-MS), and then, the formation mechanism of monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (MAHs) observed in the experiment was analyzed by first-principles calculations. The experimental results show that the MAHs during the pyrolysis mainly include styrene, toluene, and xylene, and subsequent calculations showed that these compounds were formed through a series of primary and secondary reactions. The formation pathways of these typical MAHs were studied via the reaction energy barrier analysis, respectively. It shows that the MAHs were not only derived from the benzene ring in the SBR chain but also generated from short-chain alkenes through the Diels-Alder reaction. The obtained pyrolysis reaction mechanism provides theoretical guidance for the regulation of the pyrolysis product distribution of MAHs.

Products distribution and sulfur fixation during the pyrolysis of CaO conditioned textile dyeing sludge: Effects of pyrolysis temperature and heating rate

Textile dyeing sludge (TDS) is a typical industrial solid waste whose amount surged with the textile industry's development. Pyrolysis treatment is a promising technique for TDS to realize harmless disposal and resource reuse. However, the high content of organic compounds would cause sulfurous pollutants emission, reducing the economic feasibility during pyrolysis. This study aimed to fill the knowledge gaps about the thermal behavior, products distribution, kinetics, and sulfur transformation during TDS pyrolysis in 350-575 ℃ with the heating rate of 60, 600, and 6000 ℃/min, then investigate the sulfur fixation effect of CaO under representative conditions (350 ℃, 650 ℃ with 60 ℃/min, 6000 ℃/min). The primary decomposition stage of TDS is observed in 127-557 ℃, following the Avrami-Erofeev (n = 3) model, while the activation energy presents a convergent tendency with the increased heating rate. The pyrolysis temperature and heating rates impact the cracking of organic compounds, while a weakening effect is found for the sulfur distribution. CaO addition could efficiently realize sulfur fixation in char by absorbing sulfurous gas products, but SO₂ escape appeared with the increased CaO fraction. Pyrolysis condition at 650 ℃-60 ℃/min with 10 wt% CaO addition is recommended to achieve high sulfur retention, and the sulfur transformation mechanism in char during the TDS pyrolysis with and without CaO is proposed. Our findings provide novel and fundamental insights into the efficient disposal and pollution control during TDS pyrolysis.