Catalytic pyrolysis of polypropylene to synthesize carbon nanotubes and hydrogen through a two-stage process

Abstract A two-stage reaction process was used to convert polypropylene (PP) into multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and hydrogen-rich gas. The proposed process consisted of two stages: catalytic pyrolysis of PP over HZSM-5 zeolite in a screw kiln reactor and the subsequent catalytic decomposition of pyrolysis gases over a nickel catalysts in a moving-bed reactor for producing MWCNTs and hydrogen. The resultant gas mainly consisted of hydrogen and methane. SEM and TEM images revealed that carbon products in the moving-bed reactor were in the form of MWCNTs. XRD and TGA characterization indicated that high decomposition temperature resulted in the formation of more highly crystalline nanotubes. The influence of pyrolysis temperature (550–750 °C) and decomposition temperature (500–800 °C) on the performances of the two-stage reaction system were investigated. The MWCNT yield and hydrogen concentration increased with an increase in the decomposition temperature and reached a maximum at 700 °C. With increasing pyrolysis temperature the yield of pyrolysis gas increased while the liquid yield decreased. The yield of MWCNTs in the moving-bed reactor was determined by both the quantity and quality of the pyrolysis gas.