Utilizing carbon dioxide as a reaction medium to mitigate production of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from the thermal decomposition of styrene butadiene rubber.

The CO(2) cofeed impact on the pyrolysis of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) coupled to online gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). The direct comparison of the chemical species evolved from the thermal degradation of SBR in N(2) and CO(2) led to a preliminary mechanistic understanding of the formation and relationship of light hydrocarbons (C(1-4)), aromatic derivatives, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), clarifying the role of CO(2) in the thermal degradation of SBR. The identification and quantification of over 50 major and minor chemical species from hydrogen and benzo[ghi]perylene were carried out experimentally in the temperature regime between 300 and 500 °C in N(2) and CO(2). The significant amounts of benzene derivatives from the direct bond dissociation of the backbone of SBR, induced by thermal degradation, provided favorable conditions for PAHs by the gas-phase addition reaction at a relatively low temperature compared to that with conventional fuels such as coal and petroleum-derived fuels. However, the formation of PAHs in a CO(2) atmosphere was decreased considerably (i.e., ∼50%) by the enhanced thermal cracking behavior, and the ultimate fates of these species were determined by different pathways in CO(2) and N(2) atmospheres. Consequently, this work has provided a new approach to mitigate PAHs by utilizing CO(2) as a reaction medium in thermochemical processes.