Investigation on thermal decomposition and kinetics study of recovered oil from electronic waste by thermogravimetric analysis

This paper investigated thermal decomposition during pyrolysis of a recovered oil from electronic waste (e-waste). The sample used in this study was High-Impact Polystyrene (HIPS). The pyrolysis target temperature was 400-550 degrees C. It was found that the maximum oil yield (32.5 wt.%) was obtained at the pyrolysis temperature of 450 degrees C. After the pyrolysis test, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was performed on the HIPS-derived oil to study on decomposition and kinetics. The produced pyrolysis oil that contained highest Styrene component (19.52%) was processed at 450 degrees C. From GC-MS and TGA, the first range (40-120 degrees C) could be devoted to moisture and other low volatility compounds such as Stylene, Benzene and 2-Hydroxymethyl. Then, the 1,2-Diphenylcyclopropane and u-Methylstyrene might be extensively decomposed at the second range (120-340 degrees C). The final peak (450-560 degrees C) could be the decomposition of Tetraphenylhexane. Activation energy of the pyrolysis oil was around 40-43 kJ/mol and 10-18 kJ/mol for the first and the second decomposition range, respectively, and the pyrolysis temperature did not significantly affect the activation energy of the produced oil. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.