Thermolysis parameters measurements of tetra pak waste packages in high temperatures

Abstract

This article presents investigation of thermolysis called commonly as pyrolysis, of Tetra Pak waste packages containing paperboard, LDPE and aluminium. Thermolysis of Tetra Pak waste allows recovery of energy and range of resources including: aluminium, coke, and other chemical substances in form of liquids, waxes, and flammable gases. The work is focused on measurement and calculations of: effect of heating rate on the process, effect of target temperature on process duration, yields of products at each target temperature, and energy demand. Experiments were carried out on real used printed Tetra Pak waste packages. Thermolysis was applied without carrier gas in airtight sealed crucible, with absence of oxygen, in high temperatures: 600 °C, 700 °C, 800 °C. Collected data indicates that heating rate and target temperature does not affect yields of products. The process consumes small amount of heat, less than 600 MJ/Mg of waste, and does not require waste preparation.