PYROLYSIS OF CAR WASTE TYRES

Abstract

Pyrolysis of used summer and winter tyre rubber was investigated in a semi-countinuous reactor. It was determined that the higher degree of crushing tyres yields more liquid products (main product) and less gaseous products regardless of the type of the tyres (summer or winter). Comparing winter and summer tyres shredded into 5 × 5 cm pieces, the pyrolysis process showed that in winter tyres 40.5% (summer tyres 39.3%) of tyre load mass turned into liquid products, 14.6% (summer tyres 12.3%) into gaseous products, and 45% (summer tyres 48.5%) formed inorganic compounds - coal and coke. Examination of the main pyrolysis product produced from winter and summer tyres showed that the density of the winter tyre product at 20 °C was 905.7 kg/m³ (summer 910.3 kg/m³) and viscosity at 40 °C 2.370 mm²/s (summer 2.603 mm²/s). Based on the measured density of liquids, molecular mass and refractive index, the structural-group composition of these products was calculated. The liquid product of winter tyres was found to contain 52.6% of total carbon in aliphatic chains, 27.8% in aromatic and 19.6% in naphthenic rings. The liquid product obtained from summer tyres contained 46.8% of carbon in aliphatic, 30.2% in aromatic and 22.9% in naphthenic structures.

http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ct.57.1-2.550