Effect of Active Zeolite in the Pyrolysis of Polypropylene and Low Density Polyethylene Types of Plastic Waste

Abstract

Plastic is a basic need for humans, but it has also caused big problems for the environment. Then, the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the type of plastic and the addition of a zeolite catalyst on the oil yield from the pyrolysis of plastic waste. The research stages were natural zeolite activation, pyrolysis reactor settings, pyrolysis of plastic waste (PP and LDPE types), and characterization. The results showed that the used natural zeolite had a mordenite phase and activated natural zeolite had a higher Si/Al ratio than the inactivated one. The addition of a zeolite catalyst had an effect on the produced yield. The yields of oil from plastic waste pyrolysis with zeolite catalyst for PP and LDPE plastics were about 75.9 and 76.9 w/w, respectively. The results of the GC-MS analysis showed that the compounds of the pyrolysis oil were thought to be from the alkanes, cycloalkanes, alkenes, carboxylic acids with aromatic rings, and ketones. The results of the GC-MS test showed that the unca-talyzed pyrolysis product consists of compounds with a range of C5-C11 carbon chains. Meanwhile, the ranges of pyrolysis products with active zeolite catalyst were C6-C24 carbon chains.