EFFECTS OF HYDROGEN-CHLORIDE ON THE PYROLYSIS OF POLYETHYLENE - PYROLYSIS KINETICS

The pyrolytic reaction of chlorinated plastics such as poly(vinyl chlo ride) (PVC) releases hydrogen chloride (HCl). The HCl released from th e pyrolysis, in turn, may affect the mechanisms of the pyrolytic react ions. In this study, the pyrolysis of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) , being the principal component of plastics in the municipal solid was te (MSW), was carried out in the thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) re action system containing HCl gas. The results indicated that HCl inhib ited the pyrolytic reaction of HDPE. The activation energies, pre-expo nential factors, and reaction orders of the reactions corresponding to the various concentrations of HCl (C-HCl) were obtained in the range of the experimental conditions. The results of this study are useful f or the utilization of HDPE as an energy resource and for determining t he thermal degradation rate of HDPE in an incinerator. (C) 1998 Elsevi er Science B.V.