Why is PET and PVC not suitable for pyrolysis?
FAQ / Chat on line / Give me a price / Date:2025-04-08
Plastic pyrolysis technology is becoming a key path to solving the problem of waste plastics. As a manufacturer of solid waste treatment equipment, the pyrolysis plant developed by DOING can convert mixed waste plastics into resources: fuel oil, carbon black and syngas. This technology breaks the limitations of traditional mechanical recycling through oxygen-free high-temperature pyrolysis, efficiently converts plastics into energy products, and achieves a resource conversion rate of more than 95%.
Final products of plastic pyrolysis
However, it should be noted that PET pyrolysis is economically inefficient due to the complexity of the products and halogen-containing PVC will produce highly toxic dioxins. These two types of plastics are not suitable for pyrolysis.Let's delve deeper into why PET and PVC are not suitable for pyrolysis.
PET is commonly used in food packaging and beverage bottles due to its clarity, lightweight, and recyclability. Despite these advantages, PET poses significant challenges when subjected to pyrolysis. During the pyrolysis process, PET tends to produce waxy byproducts and harmful gases such as benzene, which is a known carcinogen and extremely dangerous to human health. This is primarily due to the chemical structure of PET, which consists of ester groups that are highly reactive. When exposed to high temperatures, these ester groups undergo thermal degradation, leading to the formation of various harmful substances, including acetaldehyde.
In addition to the release of harmful substances, PET is also prone to hydrolysis at high temperatures. This hydrolysis reaction further breaks down the PET molecules, generating substances that are harmful to the human body. The combination of these factors makes PET not only ineffective in producing useful resources through pyrolysis but also potentially harmful to the environment and human health.
PVC is not suitable for pyrolysis, mainly because its molecular chain contains a large amount of chlorine. During the pyrolysis process, chlorine combines with hydrogen to generate highly corrosive hydrogen chloride (HCl) gas, which will cause serious corrosion to the equipment and increase maintenance costs. In addition, PVC pyrolysis may also generate highly toxic dioxins and other harmful substances, posing a threat to the environment and human health, making product processing complex and costly. At the same time, the oil products produced by pyrolysis of PVC cannot be used directly as fuel or chemical raw materials due to their high chlorine content and poor quality, and the gas and solid residues are difficult to effectively utilize, resulting in poor economic efficiency of the entire pyrolysis process.
If you want to start a plastic pyrolysis business, let me tell you which plastics are suitable for pyrolysis. These include PP (Polypropylene), PE (Polyethylene), PS (Polystyrene), and ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene). These plastics have stable chemical structures that allow them to be efficiently converted into high-quality fuel oil and carbon black during the pyrolysis process.
Different types of plastic pyrolysis oil yield
For instance, PP and PE are widely used in various plastic products such as plastic bags, containers, and packaging materials. When processed in a pyrolysis plant, these plastics yield an exceptionally high oil recovery rate. A case in point is our Indian customer who installed two 15-ton plastic pyrolysis plants. By using PP and PE plastics as raw materials, they achieved an oil yield of approximately 85% and only about 10% carbon black. This project has proven to be highly profitable for the customer, demonstrating the effectiveness and economic viability of pyrolysis for suitable plastic types.
Plastic pyrolysis plant profit analysis
DOING, with nearly 15 years of experience in the solid waste recycling industry, offers tailored recycling solutions for different raw materials. Our pyrolysis plants are designed to maximize resource recovery while minimizing environmental impact. For more detailed information on our pyrolysis technology and the types of plastics that can be processed, please feel free to contact DOING. Located in Zhengzhou, the capital city of Henan Province in central China, our company is easily accessible for customers interested in the solid waste recycling industry. We welcome visits and inquiries from those looking to explore sustainable waste management solutions.
