Impact of different catalysis supported by oyster shells on the pyrolysis of tyre wastes in a single and a double fixed bed reactor

- An innovative way in the disposal of tyre wastes with energy recovery by pyrolysis is proposed.
- Performance of catalysts is improved by spreading them over layers of oyster shells.
- One or two levels of supported catalytic beds may favor the quantity and/or the calorific value of the pyrolysis by-products.

The treatment and disposal of tyres from vehicles has long been of considerable environmental importance. Studies have been undertaken to reduce their environmental impact.In this study, an alternative gas was produced from automobile tyre wastes by the means of a controlled pyrolysis. To do so, a novel catalytic system was designed with the aim of increasing the rate of conversion and improving the quality of the pyrolysis products. This work aimed also to reduce the severity of the overall reactions, by using powder catalysts (MgO, Al2O3, CaCO3, and zeolite ZSM-5) uniformly distributed on two layers of oyster shells (OS) particles. The catalyst/tyres mass ratio was kept for all the tests at 1/30. The pyrolysis reactor was maintained at 500 °C and the influence of each catalyst and of the number of shell beds (0, 1 or 2), on the yield and composition of the derived products, was examined.The gas yields could contribute by 1.2% of total consumption in Tunisia. Furthermore, some combinations could upgrade the derived gas and made it possible to use it as such or with the minimum of post-treatment.It was found that, with the use of supported catalyst, the gas produced is 45% greater compared to classical thermal pyrolysis. The Heating value of the produced gas was also improved by the use of supported catalysts; it was found 16% greater with the use of Al2O3/OS compared to non-catalytic pyrolysis.When compared to the gas obtained from only one catalytic supported bed, the sulfur content was reduced by 80% with the use of CaCO3/OS on two catalytic beds.