Pyrolysis of Waste Toner Cartridges and Liquid Product Characterization

Abstract

Rapid changes in technology have resulted in an increase in the amount of electrical and electronic wastes produced, and this increase has caused disposal problems. Pyrolysis is one method that can be applied to the evaluation of this kind of waste. In this sense, the aim of this study is to obtain useful products from the pyrolysis of waste toner cartridges which are a type of electronic waste. To meet this goal, cartridge composition was determined and homogeneous analytical samples were prepared by crushing to a size of 0.2 cm. The moisture, ash, volatile matter, fixed carbon and elemental composition (C, H, N, S) of the samples were determined. Waste toner cartridge samples were pyrolysed at temperatures of 400 - 700 degrees C and a heating rate of 35 degrees C/min. According to the pyrolysis experiments, the highest liquid product yield (78.9%) was obtained at 600 degrees C. It was observed that the liquid product contains aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbon and is 91.77% carbon and 8.17% hydrogen. The calorific value of the liquid product was found to be 42.5 MJ/kg. In summary, a product with high calorific value can be obtained by pyrolysis of waste toner cartridges. This product can be considered as an alternative fuel after its quality is upgraded.