Pyrolysis Behavior and Kinetics of Polyurethane Insulation Materials from Waste Refrigerators

Pyrolysis characteristics and kinetics of polyurethane insulation materials from waste refrigerators were investigated using TG-FTIR technique under N2 atmosphere. Results showed that the whole thermal process could be divided into three stages and the main pyrolysis occurred in 260-600°C. The distribution activation energy model (DAEM) was applied to analyze the pyrolysis kinetics. The estimated activation energies ranged from 122.8 to 188 kJ/mol and the pre-exponential factors k0 varied from 108 to 1013 s-1. The composition of evolved gas included CFC-11, CO2, CH4, CO, NH3, HCN and some organic compounds, the evolution characteristics of main gas products had also been discussed.