Effects of alkali and alkaline earth metals on the co-pyrolysis of cellulose and high density polyethylene using TGA and Py-GC/MS

The effects of the type and content of alkali/alkaline earth metals (AAEMs) on the co-pyrolysis of cellulose/high density polyethylene (HDPE) were studied using TGA and Py-GC/MS. AAEMs showed different effects on the decomposition characteristics of cellulose/HDPE mixtures. During cellulose/HDPE co-pyrolysis, AAEMs present in char could act as a base catalyst, with different catalytic effect on products distribution depending on the types of AAEMs. Na showed stronger catalytic cracking effect to promote alkenes formation compared to the use of K, Ca, and Mg. The comparison of experimental and calculated products distributions of raw cellulose/HDPE confirmed the existence of synergistic effect, which facilitated the cleavage of glycosidic linkages to form an-hydrosugars and promoted the scission of HDPE chains to produce hydrocarbons. The effect of potassium on this synergy was also investigated. With increased potassium content, the yields of anhydrosugars and hydrocarbons decreased while the yields of furans and ketones increased, suggesting that potassium inhibited the cleavage of glycosidic bonds and promoted ring-opening reactions. This indicated that addition of potassium inhibited the synergy between cellulose and HDPE.