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Degradation of Polypropylene and Polyethylene Wastes Over HZSM-5 and USY Zeolites

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Abstract

This work provides evidence that ultra-stable Y zeolite (USY) and HZSM-5 zeolites were active as catalysts for the pyrolysis of urban plastic wastes, decreasing its degradation temperature. When HZSM-5 was used as the catalyst, at 450 °C and 30 min, an increase in the solid fraction and a reduction in the liquid fraction were observed. On the other hand, the best catalytic cracking performance was observed for the reaction catalyzed by USY zeolite, and a higher amount of liquid fraction was obtained. Moreover, the increase of reaction time and temperature was favorable to obtain better results in thermal pyrolysis. As to the liquid fraction composition, its components were alkylbenzenes, olefins, and naphthalenes in the thermal pyrolysis whereas alkylbenzenes were the main component in the HZSM-5-catalysed pyrolysis and that catalyzed by USY provides higher amounts of olefins.

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Acknowledgements

This study was financed by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil (CAPES) and by the Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Macromoléculas Eloisa Mano, IMA–UFRJ, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Cidade Universitária. Av. Horácio Macedo, 2.030. Centro de Tecnologia. Bloco J, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Bianca P. S. Santos, Débora D. Almeida & Maria de Fátima V. Marques

  2. Instituto de Química, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Cristiane A. Henriques

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  1. Bianca P. S. Santos
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  2. Débora D. Almeida
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  3. Maria de Fátima V. Marques
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  4. Cristiane A. Henriques
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Correspondence to Maria de Fátima V. Marques.

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Santos, B.P.S., Almeida, D.D., Marques, M.F.V. et al. Degradation of Polypropylene and Polyethylene Wastes Over HZSM-5 and USY Zeolites. Catal Lett 149, 798–812 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10562-019-02677-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10562-019-02677-y

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