Influence of mesoporous structure ZSM-5 zeolite on the degradation of Urban plastics waste

Abstract

In the present work, mesoporous ZSM-5 zeolite structures were developed by means of post-synthesis modification and direct synthesis and the materials were applied as pyrolysis catalysts of different sources of plastic waste. The plastic wastes were purchased from a cooperative of selective collection, classified as polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene, which were used in plastic mixtures with quantities consistent with the Brazilian Association of the Plastic Industry (ABIPLAST) in order to simulate urban plastic waste in Brazil. Previously, these plastic waste mixtures were extruded with 10% m/m of catalyst and thermogravimetric analysis was performed. It was possible to observe the decrease in degradation temperatures, as well as additional degradation steps in catalytic pyrolysis compared to thermal pyrolysis. The synthesized mesoporous ZSM-5 zeolite was the catalyst with higher performance in the pyrolysis of plastic waste mixtures due to the higher proportion of strong to weak acid sites.