Use of plastic waste as a fuel in the co-pyrolysis of biomass. Part I: The effect of the addition of plastic waste on the process and products

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of using polypropylene, a common polymer used in the polymer industry, in the co-pyrolysis of two types of biomass. This study is crucial because different types of biomass exhibit different behaviours, which are mainly influenced by the chemical composition of the material (amount of cellulose, lignocellulose and hemicellulose). In our previous study, polymer addition to biomass led to synergistic effects, as determined by variations in the amounts of products obtained from the co-pyrolysis of biomass and polypropene relative to those obtained from the pyrolysis of pure biomass or polypropylene. In this work, the effects of using polymer material as an additional eco-fuel on the thermal conversion process are discussed. The addition of polypropylene reduces the amount of heat energy needed in the thermal conversion of biomass. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.