Thermal Decomposition Studies of Cotton Polythene Mixture

Abstract

Purpose – Energy crisis and greenhouse emission are two major issues at the minute. Plastic waste dumped in landfills is also a big problem because the decomposition rate is almost 500 years or more. Pyrolysis, incineration and gasification are examples of thermal oxidation processes that can be used to optimize waste upgrade. Conversely, thermal degradation of polymer mixtures at varying temperatures enables polymer to degrade at a quicker rate.

Design/methodology/approach – The appropriate design of reactor for decomposition of waste plastic and other municipal solid (MSW) constituents and extraction of fuel either in solid, liquid of gaseous play an important role.

Findings – Any pyrolysis reactor’s efficient design is based on kinetic knowledge. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is widely acceptable technique for estimation of kinetics parameters.

Practical implications – The present work consists of TG/DTG results for cotton (Textile waste), polythene and mixture of polythene textile material with heating rates (b) 5, 10, 20 ⁰C/min using TG differential system balance mechanism in nitrogen atmosphere for estimation of kinetics parameters; also, from ash analysis of samples at mention heating rates using scanning electron microscope for investigation of various elements in the ash.

Originality/value – Kinetic parameters and SEM results are not available in open literature which is the core area of research.