Kuo-Hsiung Lin

Liquid oil and residual characteristics of printed circuit board recycle by pyrolysis

Non-metal fractions of waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) were thermally treated (200-500°C) under nitrogen atmosphere. Carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen were determined by elemental analyzer, bromine by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), phosphorus by energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX), and 29 trace elements by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES) and mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for raw material and pyrolysis residues. Organic compositions of liquid oil were identified by GC (gas chromatography)-MS, trace element composition by ICP system, and 12 water-soluble ions by IC (ionic chromatography). Elemental content of carbon was >450 mg/g, oxygen 300 mg/g, bromine and hydrogen 60 mg/g, nitrogen 30 mg/g, and phosphorus 28 mg/g. Sulfur was trace in PCBs. Copper content was 25-28 mg/g, iron 1.3-1.7 mg/g, tin 0.8-1.0mg/g and magnesium 0.4-1.0mg/g; those were the main metals in the raw materials and pyrolytic residues. In the liquid products, carbon content was 68-73%, hydrogen was 10-14%, nitrogen was 4-5%, and sulfur was less than 0.05% at pyrolysis temperatures from 300 to 500°C. Phenol, 3-bromophenol, 2-methylphenol and 4-propan-2-ylphenol were major species in liquid products, accounting for >50% of analyzed organic species. Bromides, ammonium and phosphate were the main species in water sorption samples for PCB pyrolysis exhaust.

Pyrolytic product characteristics of biosludge from the wastewater treatment plant of a petrochemical industry

Biosludge was produced from the wastewater treatment plant of a petrochemical industry. The element compositions of pyrolytic residues, CO, CO(2), NOx, SOx, total hydrocarbons and detailed volatile organic compounds of pyrolytic gas, and C, H, N, S content and compositions in biofuel were determined in this study. Generally, 75-80% water content in sludge cakes and about 65-70% weight of water vapor and volatile compounds were volatilized during the drying process. Propene, propane, 1-butene, n-butane, isobutene, toluene and benzene were the major volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of the pyrolytic gas, and the concentrations for most of the top 20 VOC species were greater than 5 ppm. C(5)-C(9) compounds contributed 60% by weight of biofuel; 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-pentanone was the highest species, accounting for 28-53% of biofuel at various pyrolytic temperatures. Based on the dried residues, there was 8.5-13% weight in pyrolytic residues, 62-82% weight in liquid products (water and crude oil) and 5.8-30% weight in the gas phase after pyrolytic processing at 500-800 degrees C. Finally, 1.5-2.5 wt% liquid fuel was produced after the distillation process. The pyrolytic residues could be reused, the pyrolytic liquid product could be used as a fuel after distillation, and the pyrolytic gas could be recycled in the pyrolytic process to achieve non-toxic discharge and reduce the cost of sludge disposal.

Exhaust constituent emission factors of printed circuit board pyrolysis processes and its exhaust control

The printed circuit board (PCB) is an important part of electrical and electronic equipment, and its disposal and the recovery of useful materials from waste PCBs (WPCBs) are key issues for waste electrical and electronic equipment. Waste PCB compositions and their pyrolysis characteristics were analyzed in this study. In addition, the volatile organic compound (VOC) exhaust was controlled by an iron-impregnated alumina oxide catalyst. Results indicated that carbon and oxygen were the dominant components (hundreds mg/g) of the raw materials, and other elements such as nitrogen, bromine, and copper were several decades mg/g. Exhaust constituents of CO, H2, CH4, CO2, and NOx, were 60-115, 0.4-4.0, 1.1-10, 30-95, and 0-0.7mg/g, corresponding to temperatures ranging from 200 to 500°C. When the pyrolysis temperature was lower than 300°C, aromatics and paraffins were the major species, contributing 90% of ozone precursor VOCs, and an increase in the pyrolysis temperature corresponded to a decrease in the fraction of aromatic emission factors. Methanol, ethylacetate, acetone, dichloromethane, tetrachloromethane and acrylonitrile were the main species of oxygenated and chlorinated VOCs. The emission factors of some brominated compounds, i.e., bromoform, bromophenol, and dibromophenol, were higher at temperatures over 400°C. When VOC exhaust was flowed through the bed of Fe-impregnated Al2O3, the emission of ozone precursor VOCs could be reduced by 70-80%.

Element and PAH constituents in the residues and liquid oil from biosludge pyrolysis in an electrical thermal furnace

Biosludge can be pyrolyzed to produce liquid oil as an alternative fuel. The content of five major elements, 22 trace elements and 16 PAHs was investigated in oven-dried raw material, pyrolysis residues and pyrolysis liquid products. Results indicated 39% carbon, 4.5% hydrogen, 4.2% nitrogen and 1.8% sulfur were in oven dried biosludge. Biosludge pyrolysis, carried out at temperatures from 400 to 800°C, corresponded to 34-14% weight in pyrolytic residues, 32-50% weight in liquid products and 31-40% weight in the gas phase. The carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen decreased and the sulfur content increased with an increase in the pyrolysis temperature at 400-800°C. NaP (2 rings) and AcPy (3 rings) were the major PAHs, contributing 86% of PAHs in oven-dried biosludge. After pyrolysis, the PAH content increased with the increase of pyrolysis temperature, which also results in a change in the PAH species profile. In pyrolysis liquid oil, NaP, AcPy, Flu and PA were the major species, and the content of the 16 PAHs ranged from 1.6 to 19 μg/ml at pyrolysis temperatures ranging from 400 to 800°C. Ca, Mg, Al, Fe and Zn were the dominant trace elements in the raw material and the pyrolysis residues. In addition, low toxic metal (Cd, V, Co, and Pb) content was found in the liquid oil, and its heat value was 7,800-9,500 kcal/kg, which means it can be considered as an alternative fuel.

Exhaust characteristics during the pyrolysis of ZnCl2 immersed biosludge.

Biosludge can be reused as an adsorbent after ZnCl(2) activation, pyrolysis, washing with HCl and distilled water, and drying. But the pyrolysis exhaust of ZnCl(2) immersed sludge can be hazardous to human health and the environment. The chemical composition, including carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, sulfur and 21 trace elements, as well as the physical characteristics, including specific surface area, pore volume, pore size distribution and pore diameter of pyrolytic residue, were investigated in this work. In addition, the components of pyrolytic exhaust including 30 VOC species and 5 odorous sulfur gases were determined to evaluate the exhaust characteristics. The results indicated that the pyrolytic temperature was higher than 500°C, the specific surface area could be over 900 m(2)/g, and the total pore volume could be up to 0.8 cm(3)/g at 600°C. Exhaust concentration fractions of VOC groups were about 65-71% oxygenated VOCs, 18-21% chlorinated VOCs, 4-6% aromatic VOCs, and 6-10% acrylonitrile and cyclohexane under the specific conditions in this study.

Adsorption characteristics of benzene on biosolid adsorbent and commercial activated carbons

Abstract This study selected biosolids from a petrochemical waste-water treatment plant as the raw material. The sludge was immersed in 0.5-5 M of zinc chloride (ZnCl2) solutions and pyrolyzed at different temperatures and times. Results indicated that the 1-M ZnCl2-immersed biosolids pyrolyzed at 500 °C for 30 min could be reused and were optimal biosolid adsorbents for benzene adsorption. Pore volume distribution analysis indicated that the mesopore contributed more than the macropore and micropore in the biosolid adsorbent. The benzene adsorption capacity of the biosolid adsorbent was 65 and 55% of the G206 (granular-activated carbon) and BPL (coal-based activated carbon; Calgon, Carbon Corp.) activated carbons, respectively. Data from the adsorption and desorption cycles indicated that the benzene adsorption capacity of the biosolid adsorbent was insignificantly reduced compared with the first-run capacity of the adsorbent; therefore, the biosolid adsorbent could be reused as a commercial adsorbent, although its production cost is high.

Temperature influence on product distribution and characteristics of derived residue and oil in wet sludge pyrolysis using microwave heating

Sludge taken from a wastewater treatment plant of the petrochemical industry was dewatered and pyrolyzed to produce liquid oil as an alternative fuel via microwave heating. Element contents of dried sludge were 45.9±3.85wt.% carbon, 7.70±1.43wt.% hydrogen, 4.30±0.77wt.% nitrogen and 3.89±0.52wt.% sulfur. Two major thermal degradation peaks of sludge were determined during the microwave pyrolysis process, one at 325-498K (most of the water was vaporized, and the weight loss was over 85wt.%) and the other at 548-898K for sludge constituent decomposition. Zn content was high in the dried raw material and residues. Other toxic elements such as Ni, Cr, Pb, As and Cd contents were 0.61-0.99, 0.18-0.46, 0.15-0.25, 0.018-0.034, and 0.006-0.017mg/g, respectively. About 14-20wt.% of oil was produced based on the dried sludge cake, and the oil major elements were C (69-72wt.%), H (5.7-6.7wt.%), N (1.9-2.2wt.%), and S (0.58-0.82wt.%). The heat values of liquid oils were 8700-9200kcal/kg at 400-800°C.

Emission factor of exhaust gas constituents during the pyrolysis of zinc chloride immersed biosolid

Pyrolysis enables ZnCl2 immersed biosolid to be reused, but some hazardous air pollutants are emitted during this process. Physical characteristics of biosolid adsorbents were investigated in this work. In addition, the constituents of pyrolytic exhaust were determined to evaluate the exhaust characteristics. Results indicated that the pyrolytic temperature was higher than 500xa0°C, the specific surface area was >900xa0m2/g, and the total pore volume was as much as 0.8xa0cm3/g at 600xa0°C. For non-ZnCl2 immersed biosolid pyrolytic exhaust, VOC emission factors increased from 0.677 to 3.170xa0mg-VOCs/g-biosolid with the pyrolytic temperature increase from 400 to 700xa0°C, and chlorinated VOCs and oxygenated VOCs were the dominant fraction of VOC groups. VOC emission factors increased about three to seven times, ranging from 1.813 to 21.448xa0mg/g for pyrolytic temperatures at 400–700xa0°C, corresponding to the mass ratio of ZnCl2 and biosolid ranging from 0.25–2.5.

Residue characteristics of sludge from a chemical industrial plant by microwave heating pyrolysis

Sludge from biological wastewater treatment procedures was treated using microwave heating pyrolysis to reduce the environmental impact of a chemical plant. In this study, major elements, trace elements, PAHs and nitro-PAHs in raw sludge, and pyrolysis residues were investigated. The contents of major element from raw sludge were carbon 46.7xa0±xa05.9%, hydrogen 5.80xa0±xa00.58%, nitrogen 6.81xa0±xa00.59%, and sulfur 1.34xa0±xa00.27%. Trace elemental concentrations including Zn, Mn, Cr, Cd, As, and Sn were 0.410xa0±xa00.050, 0.338xa0±xa00.008, 0.063xa0±xa00.006, 0.019xa0±xa00.001, 0.004xa0±xa00.001, and 0.003xa0±xa00.002xa0mg/g, respectively. For various pyrolysis temperatures, Ca, Fe, Sr, Cr, and Sn contents remained at almost the same level as those in raw sludge. Results indicated that these elements did not easily volatilize. The content of 16 PAH species was about 4.78xa0μg/g in the raw sludge and 23–65xa0μg/g for pyrolysis residues associated with various temperatures. The content of ten nitro-PAHs was about 58xa0ng/g for the raw sludge and 141–744xa0ng/g for pyrolysis residues. The total nitro-PAH content was highest at 600xa0°C and then decreased when the temperature was over 600xa0°C. Total nitro-PAH content was about 247xa0ng/g at 800xa0°C.