Kinetic study of scrap tyre pyrolysis and combustion

This paper investigates the kinetic of pyrolysis and combustion of scrap tyre using thermogravimetric and derivative thermogravimetric analysis method. Three materials, namely tyre rubber powder, tyre fiber and wood powder were studied and compared with each other. The process parameters show that these three materials exhibit different thermal degradation patterns during pyrolysis and combustion process. Thermal degradation models were proposed to derive the kinetic parameters. It was found that the process and kinetic parameters vary with heating rates but are less dependent on the powder sizes. The simulations by the proposed models agreed well with experimental data. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.