Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
Pyrolysis; Tires--Recycling;
Abstract
Recycling of scrap tires has become an increasingly important environmental issue. In the United States alone, scrap tires generated has reached an amount of 2 million tons per year. Although these tires contain many useful and valuable products, approximately 70 % are disposed of in landfill sites, open dumps, or are stockpiled. Pyrolysis permits a method of separating the hydrocarbon oils, activated carbon, and high grade steel. Although current methods of pyrolysis permit the production of hydrocarbons such as limonene, the low yield of valuable compounds limits the economics of the process. Modeling the chemistry of pyrolysis using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR) indicates that two energy dependent reaction mechanisms exist. One being a radical cation mechanism and the other a low energy diamerization mechanism. Based on proposed mechanisms, a pyrolysis method that increases the amount of condensable limonene produced compared to conventional techniques has been demonstrated. It has been determined that the amount of limonene produced during pyrolysis can be increased by decreasing the reactor residence time of isoprene gas, which is produced during the thermal degradation of polyisoprene rubber. This reaction can be achieved by using a perforated vessel which permits rapid condensation to occur and therefore decreases the amount of soot and environmentally hazardous products produced. Using this approach the amount of Limonene produced has been increased from an average of 51 % of the recovered liquid product to above 90 % recovery.
Year of Submission
1996
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Department of Chemistry
First Advisor
Curtiss Hanson
Second Advisor
Erwin Richter
Third Advisor
Ed Brown
Date Original
1996
Object Description
1 PDF file (110 leaves)
Copyright
©1996 James Edward Haworth
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Haworth, James Edward, "Selective Production of Limonene During Pyrolytic Decomposition of Polyisoprene" (1996). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 2914.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/2914
Comments
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