Co-pyrolysis of palm shell and polystyrene waste mixtures to synthesis liquid fuel

The mixtures of palm shell and polystyrene waste were pyrolyzed to obtain a high-grade of pyrolytic liquid that potentially could be used as a fuel. Three effective parameters were chosen: temperature, feed ratio, and reaction time. The first phase of the study was a screening test to select the range point of each parameter that resulted in high production of liquid. The selected points were then used as reference data for an optimization study using response surface methodology. The maximum liquid yield of approximately 68.3% was obtained under optimum conditions, which were shown to be a temperature of 600 degrees C, a palm shell/polystyrene ratio of 40:60, and a reaction time of 45 min. The characterization results showed that the high heating value of the liquid obtained was 40.34 MJ/kg with a water content of 1.9 wt% and an oxygen content 4.24 wt%. The liquid mainly consisted of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.