Cycleplast project

A systematic study of both physical and chemical aspects in plastics pyrolysis was launched in the Cycleplast project [6]. Thermal degradation of commodity polymers, including kinetic factors and mechanism, were systematically investigated by Professor Bockhom and collaborators, using thermogravimetry, linked with mass spectrometry, as well as closed loop laboratory-scale pyrolysis reactors. The resulting kinetic parameters are discussed further. 

In actual industrial practice, these figures are relatively meaningless, since actual pyrolysis kinetics are normally determined by the rate of heat transfer [10], A number of interesting simulations of the effect of heat transfer upon apparent rates were performed by both Homung et al. and by Vergneaud in the framework of the E.U. Cycleplast project [6]. 

Some important results from the team of Professor Bockhom (Cycleplast project) [6] are shown in Table 1.8. 

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