title: Preliminary investigation on the thermal conversion of automotive shredder residue into value-added products: Graphitic carbon and nano-ceramics.
abstract: Large increasing production volumes of automotive shredder residue (ASR) and its hazardous content have raised concerns worldwide. ASR has a desirable calorific value, making its pyrolysis a possible, environmentally friendly and economically viable solution. The present work focuses on the pyrolysis of ASR at temperatures between 950 and 1550°C. Despite the high temperatures, the energy consumption can be minimized as the decomposition of ASR can be completed within a short time. In this study, the composition of ASR was investigated. ASR was found to contain about 3% Ti and plastics of high calorific value such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polycarbonate and polyurethane. Based on thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of ASR, the non-isothermal degradation kinetic parameters were determined using Coats-Redfern's and Freeman and Carroll methods. The evolved gas analysis indicated that the CH4 was consumed by the reduction of some oxides in ASR. The reduction reactions and the presence of Ti, silicates, C and N in ASR at 1550°C favor the formation of specific ceramics such as TiN and SiC. The presence of nano-ceramics along with a highly-crystalline graphitic carbon in the pyrolysis residues obtained at 1550°C was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and Raman imaging microscope (RIM) analyses.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT), School of Materials Science and Engineering, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Mohannad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mayyas
authors.affiliation: Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT), School of Materials Science and Engineering, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. Electronic address: f.pahlevani@unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Farshid
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pahlevani
authors.affiliation: Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT), School of Materials Science and Engineering, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Wilson
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Handoko
authors.affiliation: Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT), School of Materials Science and Engineering, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Veena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sahajwalla
mesh_terms: D001336:Automobiles; D002516:Ceramics / Q000032:analysis* / Q000191:economics; D006108:Graphite / Q000032:analysis* / Q000191:economics; D017745:Incineration / Q000379:methods*; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000032:analysis*; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000032:analysis* / Q000191:economics
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste; D006108:Graphite
keywords: Automotive shredder residue; High temperature transformation; Nano-ceramics; Titanium nitride; Waste as resources; Waste pyrolysis