The effect of pyrolysis temperature and time of polypropylene on quality of carbon nanotube with flame synthesis method

Abstract

Variations of the pyrolysis temperature and time are carried out to obtain the correlation between those variables and the number of pyrolysis gases, as well as the yield and quality of produced CNT. PP is pyrolyzed at a temperature range of 525-600°C to produce pyrolizate gases. The flame synthesis method is used to convert PP plastic waste into CNT alongside with the use of wired mesh stainless steel type SS 316 as the substrate. The substrate is pre-treated by oxidative heat treatment at 800°C for 10 minutes before the synthesis to breach the outer chromium layer and make grains on the catalytic surface to enable CNT to grow. Pyrolizate gases are mixed with oxygen flowed from a venturi, so combustion reaction occurs. The combustion gas is flowed to the synthesis reactor to produce CNT at 800°C. Characterization of produced CNT is carried out using XRD, GC-FID, and TEM. The highest yield is obtained at the pyrolysis temperature of 525°C for 45 minutes. While the optimal quality based on the structure, crystalline and particle size is achieved at the pyrolysis temperature of 525°C for 30 minutes which results in CNT with 23.81 nm of average crystallite size and 104.8 nm of particle size.