Co-circularity of spent coffee grounds and polyethylene via co-pyrolysis: Characteristics, kinetics, and products

Spent coffee grounds (CG) and polyethylene (PE) are the two typical types of major solid wastes. Their co-pyrolysis may be leveraged to reduce their waste streams and pollution and valorize energy and by-products. In this study, their co-pyrolysis performances, interaction effects, kinetics, and products were characterized in response to the varying temperature and blend ratio. The co-pyrolysis exhibited the two main stages of (1) the degradation of CG (180-380 degrees C) and (2) the depolymerization of PE and the decomposition of lignin (380-550 degrees C). The pyrolysis performance rose from 1.34x10(-4)%(3)center dot min(-2)center dot degrees C-3 with the mono-pyrolysis of CG to 26.32x10(-4)%(3)center dot min(-2)center dot degrees C-3 with the co-pyrolysis of 10 % CG and 90 % PE. The co-pyrolysis of 70 % CG and 30 % PE (CP73) achieved a lower activation energy than did the mono-pyrolysis of the two fuels. The products of the CG pyrolysis included a large number of alcohols, ethers, ketones, esters, and other oxygen-containing compounds, with a proportion as high as 65.01 %. The products of CP73 at 550 degrees C resulted in the yields of hydrocarbons and alcohols up to 93.61 %, beneficial to the further utilization of the co-pyrolytic products. Not only did the co-pyrolysis valorize its products, but also it enhanced their co-circularity. Artificial neural network-based joint optimization showed CP73 in the range of 517-1000 degrees C as the best combination of the conditions. The study provides new insights into the co-pyrolytic disposal of spent coffee grounds and polyethylene so as to improve the waste stream reduction and the valorization of energy and products.

Automated summary

Co-pyrolysis of spent coffee grounds and polyethylene can reduce waste streams and pollution, while valorizing energy and by-products. The co-pyrolysis performance is influenced by temperature and blend ratio. The study revealed that co-pyrolysis consists of two stages, the degradation of spent coffee grounds followed by the depolymerization of polyethylene and lignin. The products of co-pyrolysis include a variety of oxygen-containing compounds, and CP73 showed the highest yields of hydrocarbons and alcohols, beneficial for further utilization.