The copyrolysis of poly(vinylchloride) with cellulose derived materials as a model for municipal waste derived chars

The pyrolysis and gasification of poly(vinylchloride) (PVC) with wood and straw is considered as a simple model for municipal wastes of different composition. It is shown that during pyrolysis of mixtures of PVC with straw that char yields are greater than produced by pyrolysis of the individual components. This was believed to be caused by some interaction of HCl with the cellulose below 600 K. The reactivities of chars produced from mixtures of straw with PVC are significantly lower than the reactivities expected if the individual components were pyrolysed separately. It is argued that the presence of chrlorinated polymers in municipal waste may tend to increase char yields during pyrolysis and reduce the reactivity of the resulting chars.