Kinetic and thermodynamic analysis of the PET-date seed mixture co-pyrolysis using Coats-Redfern method

Abstract

This study focuses on improving the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) pyrolysis outcome by incorporating date pits in a balanced 50–50 mixture. The effect of date pit addition on the co-pyrolytic process is determined via thermal analysis using the Coats-Redfern method, which provides an estimation of the activation energy and the pre-exponential factor of the PET-Date mixture. The results demonstrate that the majority of the reaction mechanisms exhibit enhanced performance for the modified mixture, requiring 70 % less reaction energy on average. Hence, a positive effect is observed on the PET pyrolysis, thus highlighting its potential for biomass incorporation. This study provides valuable insights into optimising the co-pyrolytic processes for sustainable waste management and resource utilization practices.