Co-pyrolytic performances, mechanisms, gases, oils, and chars of textile dyeing sludge and waste shared bike tires under varying conditions

The massive industrial wastes of textile dyeing sludge (TDS) and waste shared bike tires are becoming increasingly problematic environmentally and economically. Their co-pyrolysis maybe an affordable and ecofriendlier alternative so as to reduce their waste volumes and emissions, as well as recover value-added oils and chars. This study was the first to characterize the TDS co-pyrolysis with rubber (RT) versus polyurethane (PUT) tires and their performances, mechanisms, emissions, oils, and chars as a function of temperature and blend type and ratio. The co-pyrolysis increased the total weight loss from 51.76% with TDS to 55.30% with 50% TDS and 50% RT (TR55) and to 68.92% with TP55. TR55 and TP55 yielded the best performances, with the stronger synergistic effect with the TP than TR co-pyrolysis. The optimal reaction models were second-order (F2) and five-dimension diffusion (D5) for the two devolatilization sub-stages for TDS, two thirds-order (F1.5) for the TR55 and the second and fourth sub-stages of the TP55, and F2 for the first and third sub-stages of the TP55. The co-pyrolysis reduced emissions of CO, SO2, and nitrous compounds, did not change their temperature dependency, and produced more hydrocarbon products. The TR co-pyrolysis produced more D-limonene and isoprene and inhibited the isomerization of D-limonene. The TP co-pyrolysis further decomposed diaminodiphenylmethane into low-molecular weight benzene series such as toluene and styrene. The co-pyrolytic chars had higher branching degree of aliphatic side chain and bridge bond, with the TP ones having the enhanced char aromaticity.

Automated summary

The study compared the co-pyrolysis of textile dyeing sludge and waste shared bike tires, finding that co-pyrolysis can reduce waste emissions and recover valuable oils and chars, with TP55 showing the best performance.