Effects of particle size on the pyrolysis of waste tires during molten salt thermal treatment

Recently, waste tires gain a growing recognition of the potential as value-added fuel via pyrolysis. In the present study, molten salt was proposed to be used for the waste tires pyrolysis, aims to enhance heat transfer efficiency, and then reduce energy input for the mechanical shredding of waste tires into small particles before pyrolysis. In detail, the conversion and products formation behavior of two waste tires (of different particle sizes) were compared by a constructed molten salt thermal treatment system. Results show that H₂ and CH₄ contents of the pyrolysis gas increased substantially, and smaller tire particles produced more H₂ and CH₄ (up to 500%), while CO₂ content dropped to zero. Also, the contents of benzene increased remarkably with molten salt added (growth rate is between 1100% and 1800%) for electro-mobile tires, while caprolactam was disappeared. Specifically, benzene yield increases and then decreases with increasing particle size. In addition, molten salts were also effective in removing sulfur and ash from pyrolytic char, with more than 60% of the sulfur fraction being removed. These findings could provide theoretical support for the development of low-cost thermal treatment technology for waste tires.