Experimental Evaluation Using Plastic Waste, Paper Waste, and Coal as Fuel in a Chemical Looping Combustion Batch Reactor

A comparative study of chemical looping combustion (CLC) with paper, plastic, and coal as fuel was carried out. Experiments were performed in a laboratory fluidized-bed reactor by alternating between reduction and oxidation cycles. The results obtained indicated that a higher temperature leads to an increase in the CO₂ yield and carbon conversion for all fuels. Paper had the highest fractional conversion of CO to CO₂ followed by polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and coal. This was due to the higher fraction of volatiles in paper compared to PVC and coal. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of the oxygen carrier particle after each of the solid fuel experiment was carried out. For the used ilmenite, there was a slight difference in the morphology for the three different fuels.