Pyrolysis Characteristics and Kinetics of Typical Municipal Solid Waste Components and Their Mixture: Analytical TG-FTIR Study

Recently, the renewed interest in the pyrolysis of municipal solid waste has been aroused. In this investigation, the pyrolysis behaviors and kinetics of typical municipal solid waste components and their mixture at high heating rates are studied by using thermogravimetry-Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (TG-FTIR). The TG/DTG results presented the different pyrolysis behaviors of each components and their mixture. The main volatiles were generated from 250 °C to 500 °C obtained by FTIR results. Moreover, the consistency between volatiles release and pyrolysis behavior was found through FTIR and TG. By comparing the experimental and calculated TG/DTG curves and volatiles released curves of mixed MSW, the interactions between individual components have been found, which performed as the interactions could accelerate the first pyrolysis reaction stage and postpone the second and third pyrolysis reaction stage. On the basis of the distributed activation energy model, the values of activation energy of individual components and their mixture were distributed between 123.73 kJ mol –1 and 312.56 kJ mol –1 . Meanwhile, the frequency factor of them increased along with the activation energy. Overall, those findings can enrich a better comprehension of the MSW pyrolysis process.