Studies on the pyrolysis behavior of gasification and melting systems for municipal solid waste

 It is important to investigate the pyrolysis processes of municipal solid waste (MSW) in the same way as for any mixture comprised of multiple substances. In this article, a two-reaction model for a variety of MSW mixtures is proposed to predict mass changes due to pyrolysis. In order to formulate the model based on pyrolysis kinetics, we conducted experiments to determine the kinetic model parameters. By thermal analysis of the typical components of MSW, mass changes attributable to the pyrolysis reaction were found at about 350°C for paper, 400°–500°C for plastics, and 200°–400°C for garbage (dry condition). Activation energies were obtained by the Ozawa method based on the mass changes in pyrolysis. Thus, the pyrolysis behavior is formulated as a function of temperature. Then the pyrolysis mass change of the mixture can be predicted by using a weighted sum of the individual components. The model proved useful in experiments with real waste (refuse-derived fuels). Furthermore, the weight yields (pyrolysis gas, tars, solid residues) of the mixture can be calculated by their additive property after measuring the mass balance of each component. Received: May 11, 2001 / Accepted: November 16, 2001