Pyrolysis of Polypropylene and Nitrile PPE Waste: Insights into Oil Composition, Kinetics, and Steam Cracker Integration

In this study, non-isothermal pyrolysis of a mixture of disposable surgical face masks (FMs) and nitrile gloves (NGs) was conducted, using a heating rate of 100 °C/min, N2 flowrate of 100 mL/min, and temperatures between 500 and 800 °C. Condensable product yield peaked at 600 °C (76.9 wt.%), with gas yields rising to 31.0 wt.%, at 800 °C. GC-MS of the condensable product confirmed the presence of aliphatic compounds (>90%), while hydrogen, methane, and ethylene dominated the gas composition. At 600 °C, gasoline (C₄ to C₁₂)-, diesel (C₁₃ to C₂₀)-, motor oil (C₂₁ to C₃₅)-, and heavy hydrocarbon (C₃₅₊)-range compounds accounted for 23.7, 46.7, 12.5, and 17.1%, of the condensable product, respectively. Using model-free methods, the average activation energy and pre-exponential factor were found to be 309.7 ± 2.4 kJ/mol and 2.5 ± 3.4 × 1025 s⁻¹, respectively, while a 2-dimensional diffusion mechanism was determined. Scale-up runs confirmed high yields of condensable product (60–70%), with comparable composition to that obtained from lab-scale tests. The pyrolysis oil exceeds acceptable oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, and fluorine levels for industrial steam crackers—needing pre-treatment—while other contaminants like sulphur and metals could be managed through mild blending. In summary, this work offers a sustainable approach to address the environmental concerns surrounding disposable FMs and NGs.