FLAMMABILITY OF HYDROCARBON FRACTIONS OBTAINED BY DESTRUCTION OF POLYMER RAW MATERIALS

Abstract

The article discusses the possibility of using hydrocarbon fractions – products of thermal destruction of polymer raw materials (polyethylene and polypropylene) at atmospheric pressure as components of commercial diesel fuels. This approach allows, on the one hand, to improve the properties of commercial diesel fuel, on the other, to increase the competitiveness of domestically produced products. In addition, the problem associated with the accumulation of polymer waste and their negative impact on the environment is also partially solved. The nature of the dependences between such indicators of the quality of fractions 160–350 °C, 200–350 °C, 240–350 °C as the autoignition temperature, the initial boiling point of the fraction and the cetane number as an indicator characterizing the flammability, has been established. The dependence of the autoignition temperature on the boiling point of the fractions has a polynomial character and indicates a decrease in the autoignition temperature with an increase in the boiling point of the fractions. The dependence of the cetane number on the initial boiling point of the fractions is linear and indicates an increase in the cetane number with an increase in the initial boiling point of the fractions. The dependence of the cetane number on the autoignition temperature of the fractions has a polynomial character and indicates a decrease in the cetane number with an increase in the autoignition temperature of the fractions. It was found that the autoignition temperature of the investigated fractions, regardless of the type of polymer raw material, fluctuates in a rather narrow range, from 229 to 348 ° C, and the cetane number – from 41 to 55 units. Based on the literature data, we note that exactly this range is close to the range that commercial diesel fuels have, and the fractions studied by us can be used in the production of diesel fuel.