Investigation of the features of polyolefins and wood biomass thermochemical conversion for their energy utilization

Abstract

Combustion of solid combustible wastes is the most common way of their disposal. In developed European countries, up to 50% of all municipal waste is burned; in Russia, it is estimated to be less than 2.5%. The efficiency of modern thermal plants operating on MSW and biomass, as well as the capacity of individual combustion units are continuously increasing, approaching the average values that are close to fossil fuels plants. Replacing coal with combustible waste will make it possible to reduce the cost of energy production and reduce the load on waste landfills. However, to this end, it is necessary to solve the problems of organizing efficient combustion as well as cleaning of combustion products. Of particular interest is the co-processing of municipal waste along with lignocellulosic waste from agriculture and the forest industry. In the present work, the thermal behavior of woody biomass and polyethylene mixtures (in different mass ratios) when heated in an oxidizing environment is investigated using methods of thermal analysis. The distribution of the products of pyrolysis and oxidation is investigated by means of mass spectrometry.