Response surface methodology optimization applied to rubber tyre and plastic wastes thermal conversion

Thermal degradation was studied as a method to decompose mixtures of rubber tyre (RT) and different plastic wastes (PE, PP and PS) with the aim of producing a liquid fuel [1], as well as valuable chemical raw materials. An experimental set of runs was performed to establish the operational conditions that maximize liquid fraction production in a 1 litre batch reactor. Waste blends used were composed of 30% w/w RT and 70% w/w plastics (20% PE, 30% PP and 20% w/w PS). The complex hydrocarbon liquid mixture obtained during pyrolysis of these residues was highly dependent on experimental parameters, namely temperature, initial pressure and reaction time, which are the three most important factors affecting liquid yields. Regression analyses of experimental data were performed according to response surface methodology (RSM). As a result, experimental conditions optimized based on Factorial Design Methodology were 370 °C, 0.48 MPa for initial pressure and 15 min for reaction time. In order to validate the results obtained by the RSM model, three extra runs were conducted sequentially and average values were calculated and found to be: gas yield of 4.9% w/w, liquid yield of 81.3% w/w and solid yield of 12.7% w/w with an experimental deviation of 0.95%.