Steam cracking of polypropylene for the production of light olefins in a fountain confined conical spouted bed reactor
Manomita Mollick, Laura Santamaria, Ziliang Wang, Pablo Comendador, Maite Artetxe, Enara Fernandez, Martı́n Olazar, Gartzen López
Abstract
This paper presents an alternative approach for plastic waste valorization in a fountain confined conical spouted bed reactor . The study evaluates the application of an upgraded spouted bed design for the steam cracking of polypropylene (PP) at 750 °C, focusing on high value added products. The highly efficient cracking process results in a high gas yield of 80.9 wt%. This stream is composed of H 2 , CO, CO 2 , C 1 -C 4 paraffins and C 2 -C 4 olefins , with the latter reaching a total yield of 49.2 wt%. Among the light olefins, propylene (21.8 wt%) and ethylene (16.5 wt%) are the most relevant. Interestingly, a remarkable yield of the valuable BTX fraction was obtained, 14.0 wt%, with benzene being the predominant compound. The reactor configuration and excellent control of process conditions enhanced light olefins yield by β-scission and radical mechanism, promoting the formation of light hydrocarbons, as well as minimizing secondary oligomerization and reforming reactions. This study is a proof of the viability of steam cracking in a fountain confined spouted bed reactor for converting PP into valuable chemical intermediates, as well as the viability of this technology for industrial application in waste plastic valorization.