Use of External Radical Sources in Flash Vacuum Pyrolysis to Facilitate Cyclodehydrogenation Reactions in Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Abstract

A new process to facilitate the cyclodehydrogenation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in flash vacuum pyrolysis (FVP) using an external radical source is described. Using hexanes as an external radical source the conversion of various PAHs to their cyclodehydrogenated products is vastly increased. Various other volatile organic compounds were also examined to determine their ability to act as external radical sources in FVP.