Synergetic Effects during Co-Pyrolysis of Sheep Manure and Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate

Abstract

Continuous growth in energy demand and plastic waste production are two global emerging issues that require development of clean technologies for energy recovery and solid waste disposal. Co-pyrolysis is an effective thermochemical route for upgrading waste materials to produce energy and value added products. In this study, co-pyrolysis of sheep manure (SM) and recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was studied for the first time in a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) in the temperature range of 25–1000 °C with heating rates of 10–30–50 °C min−1 under a nitrogen atmosphere. The synergetic effects of co-pyrolysis of two different waste feedstock were investigated. The kinetic parameters are determined using the Flynn–Wall–Ozawa (FWO) model. The results revealed that the mean values of apparent activation energy for the decomposition of sheep manure into a recycled polyethylene terephthalate blend are determined to be 86.27, 241.53, and 234.51 kJ/mol, respectively. The results of the kinetic study on co-pyrolysis of sheep manure with plastics suggested that co-pyrolysis is a viable technique to produce green energy.