A Study on the Treatment of Combustible Wastes and the Resource Recovery by Pyrolysis

熱分解에 의한 可燃性 廢棄物의 처리 및 資源回收에 관한 연구

As a result of technical advances and industrialization, the characteristics of domestic and industrial wastes are becoming more complex. Accordingly, improved treatment and disposal systems are being continuously sought to take account of complex characteristics and to comply with economic restrictions. In this study, an application of pyrolysis to the treatment of industrial wastes, including waste scrap rubber, waste raw material used in making the slipper bottom and waste PVC pipe, and the effectiveness of pyrolysis in resource recovery from these wastes were investigated. Batches of wastes were pyrolysed by external heating to a temperature of 400-800$\circ$C in a 32 mm diameter x 0.9 m long silica tube to produce combustible gases, oils and chars. Before the start of pyrolysis runs, the entire system was purged with nitrogen gas to exclude the air. The temperature inside the retort was controlled by the thermocouple in the gas stream, and referred to as the pyrolysis temperature. Under these conditions three products were separately collected and further analyzed. The results were summarized as follows. 1. More gases and less chars were produced with higher pyrolyzing temperature and with higher rates of heating, but the yields of oils tended downwards at temperatures above 700$\circ$C. Accordingly, operating conditions of pyrolysis should be varied with desired material. 2. Calorific values and sulfur contents of produced oils were sufficient and suitable for fuel use. Chars from waste rubber had high heating values with low sulfur contents, but calorific values of chars from waste PVC and waste slipper were as low as 3, 065-4, 273 kcal/kg and 942-2, 545 kcal/kg, respectively. Therefore, char from these wastes are inappropriate for fuel. 3. Soluble contents of Pb, Cd, Cu and Zn in chars from waste rubber and waste slipper were below the Specific Hazardous Waste Treatment Standards. However soluble contents of Pb and Cd in chars from waste PVC were one or two times and five or seven times exceedingly the Specific Hazardous Waste Treatment Standards, respectively. 4. Post high heating is desirable for treatment method of waste PVC which generates toxic hydrogen chloride. 5. The proportions of hydrogen, methane and ethane in produced gases were in the range of 3.99-35.61% V/V, 18.22-32.50% V/V and 5.17-5.87% V/V, respectively. 6. Pyrolysis is a useful disposal method in case of waste slipper, which was hardly combustible, and thus investigations of this kind of materials are required for effective management of industrial waste. 7. Based upon the possible market development for products, overall pyroly economics to take account of treatment values of noncombustible or hazardous materials should be evaluated.