ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Waste poly (vinyl chloride) pyrolysis with hydrogen chloride abatement by steelmaking dust

Jakub Korpas, Václav Slovák, and Kamil Wichterle

VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, Department of Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Technology, 70833 Ostrava – Poruba, Czech Republic

E-mail: kamil.wichterle@vsb.cz

Abstract: Experimental study on PVC-based materials (PVC = poly (vinyl chloride)) pyrolysis; in the presence of various amounts of steelmaking dust was performed. Dust from steel manufacture employing zinc plated scrap contains a considerable amount of zinc oxide (ZnO) and its utilization in metallurgy is quite complicated. However, the dust can react with hydrogen chloride (HCl) released from heated PVC in the temperature range of 200–400°C. Material balance of the pyrolysis process was studied by thermogravimetry, and the data obtained were compared with the results of larger laboratory oven experiments. In excess of PVC, the amount of captured HCl stoichiometrically corresponds to the content of ZnO; additional HCl is probably captured by FeCl₂, while FeCl₃ is not formed at elevated temperatures. In excess of the dust, the captured amount of HCl is approximately 100 %. The suggested co-pyrolysis seems to be a promising method to prevent the formation of dangerous chlorinated organic compounds during the thermal treatment of waste PVC. Furthermore, the obtained ZnCl₂ is a valuable material and the zinc depleted dust can be reused in metallurgy instead of its disposal.

Keywords: waste PVC – steelwork dust – thermogravimetry – pyrolysis – zinc chloride

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1515/chempap-2016-0025

Chemical Papers 70 (7) 926–932 (2016)