![Author ORCID: We display the ORCID iD icon alongside authors names on our website to acknowledge that the ORCiD has been authenticated when entered by the user. To view the users ORCiD record click the icon. [opens in a new tab]](https://chemrxiv.org/engage/assets/public/chemrxiv/images/logos/orcid.png)
Abstract
The production and demand of plastics has drastically increased, with severe environmental impact. Waste incineration is not favored, and efficient recycling strategies are needed. Pyrolysis is a promising approaches but the nature of the residual char is not fully understood. To explore the value of this feedstock, thermal analysis with mass spectrometric detection is deployed. With soft photoionization, we were able to identify alkenes, dienes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which were emitted at four distinct mass loss events. Resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization allows selectively addressing the aromatic constituents. Interestingly, we found an enrichment of UV-stabilizers, such as benzophenone, within the macromolecular nature. High-resolution mass spectrometry addressing the isobaric complexity and pyrolysis gas chromatography was used for structural elucidation. We hypothesize island- and archipelago-type structural motives comparable to asphaltenes but with almost no heteroatoms. The in-depth chemical description of plastic pyrolysis coke will be valuable knowledge in reactor design and material science.
Supplementary materials
Title
Supplemental Material
Description
Tabular information about the applied process parameters (Table S1), tabular information about the pyrolysis gas chromatographic results (Table S2), Total ion count versus temperature for the empty crucible and pure carbon rods (Figure S1), results of the thermal analysis of pure polyethylene sample with REMPI (Figure S2), Small molecule analysis results of the hyphenation of TG-QMS (Figure S3), compound class distribution of the high-resolution mass spectrometric analysis (Figure S4), Kendrick mass defect plot of the thermal analysis FT-ICR MS (Figure S5), and visualization of the isobaric complexity by enlargement of a nominal mass (Figure S6).
Actions
