pyrolysis of polyethylene terephthalate via infrared heating: comparing the effect of the heating rate factor on the quality and quantity of the final char product

The pyrolysis of polyethylene terephthalate (pet) was investigated across a broad range of final temperatures, from 478°c to 640°c, yielding various products. infrared radiation was employed as the heat source in this study. to minimize experimental deviations, each test under fixed conditions was repeated twice, and the results were compared for consistency. the primary objective was to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative differences in the products generated through this novel heating method, aiming to enhance the understanding of the pyrolysis process and the influence of the heating rate on the final outputs. pyrolysis was conducted in a vertical tubular reactor housed within an infrared furnace. the average heating rates varied significantly, ranging from approximately 20.61°c/min in the slowest test to 161.12°c/min in the fastest one. the solid residue (char) resulted from pet pyrolysis was analyzed. the yields of 87.5% and 91% were recorded for the slowest and fastest heating rates respectively. these char samples were assessed using differential thermal analysis (dta) and thermogravimetric analysis (tga) to compare their quantity and quality. the findings revealed that the heating rate during the infrared pyrolysis of pet has a direct correlation with the quantity of valuable products, but an inverse relationship with their quality.