Research on the possible application of polyolefin waste-derived pyrolysis oils for ANFO manufacturing

Abstract

This work aims to evaluate the possible application of pyrolysis fuel oils obtained through the pyrolysis of waste plastics. by comparing both the blasting properties and morphology results of Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil (ANFO), which is applied in the mining industry, and ANFO based on pyrolysis fuel oils (FOs), as well as low-temperature properties of all tested FO samples. The low-temperature research includes the measurements of density, kinematic viscosity, flash point, pour point, and cloud point. Moreover, a stability analysis was carried out based on the Turbiscan Stability Index (TSI) coefficient. Based on the obtained results it was concluded that despite pyrolysis FOs showing some differences in comparison with index FO, none of their properties indicated that pyrolysis FOs should be excluded from possible application in ANFO. Additionally, IR, XRD, and SEM analyses were conducted for all ANFO samples. The instrumental analysis did not show any dribbling effect. The blasting tests such as velocity of detonation (VOD), the heat of explosion, and post-blast fumes revealed that VOD values were lower in comparison to the reference ANFO sample. However, the observed differences were either negligible (heat of explosion) or small enough (VOD) to conclude that polyolefin waste-derived pyrolysis fuel oils can be applied as ANFO’s fuel component.