Co-Pyrolysis of Waste Wind Turbine Blades in a Molten Polyolefin Medium

Abstract

This study investigates the pyrolysis and co-pyrolysis processes of waste wind turbine blades (WWTB) and polyolefins (POs) at 450 degrees C in a round bottom tank reactor. The study contains three experimental sets: 1) batch pyrolysis of POs; 2) continuous pyrolysis of WWTB; 3) continuous feeding of WWTB into a molten PO medium, which was previously fed to the round bottom tank reactor batch-wise. Individual WWTB pyrolysis yields a modest 18.7 wt% of liquid, predominantly influenced by elevated ash and fixed carbon content. Conversely, copyrolysis demonstrates positive synergies, with escalating polyolefin content boosting liquid yields, reaching a peak at 61.5 wt% with a WWTB:POs mixture (25:75, wt%), while concurrently suppressing gas production to 21.6 wt%. The primary chemical groups found in the liquid obtained from WWTB are phenol and phenolic compounds, with their abundance diminishing as the POs ratio in feedstocks increases. Analysis of noncondensable gases from WWTB reveals that approximately 57.7 wt% are oxygen-containing, predominantly CO and CO2. Co-pyrolysis with POs at a 25:75 (wt%) ratio yields 47.1 wt% C3H6, resembling POs pyrolysis. The resulting solid products are rich in carbon and contains high ash. This research not only offers a detailed product analysis of WWTB but also sheds light on the dynamics of its co-pyrolysis with POs. Doing so contributes crucial insights into the transformative potential of pyrolysis and co-pyrolysis processes, covering the way for sustainable waste-to-resource solutions.