Kinetics of polystyrene pyrolysis in a conical spouted bed reactor

A conical spouted bed reactor (CSBR) has been used for the kinetic study of polystyrene pyrolysis in the 723-823 K range and the results have been compared with those obtained by thermogravimetry (TGA) and in a microreactor (MR) of very high sample heating rate. The comparison proves the advantages of the gas-solid contact of this new reactor for the kinetic study of pyrolysis of plastics at high temperature, which stem from the high heat transfer rate between gas and solid and from the fact that particle agglomeration is avoided. It has been proven that, in the temperature range required for maximizing the yield of styrene, heat and mass transfer limitations within the particle are important when polystyrene particles of 1 mm, are fed into the reactor. A high yield of styrene is obtained (64.5 wt.%) in the 723-773 K range. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.