Co-pyrolysis of Polypropylene Plastic Waste and Bamboo Sawdust by Infrared Wave

Md. All Imran; M. M. K. Bhuiya; Iffat Azima Jiban; Itquan Hossen; Rupak Saha; Ankur Kumar Khan; Satu  Sarkar

doi:10.38032/scse.2026.4.314

Authors

Md. All Imran Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Chattogram-4349, Bangladesh
M. M. K. Bhuiya Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Chattogram-4349, Bangladesh
Iffat Azima Jiban Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Chattogram-4349, Bangladesh
Itquan Hossen Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Chattogram-4349, Bangladesh
Rupak Saha Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Chattogram-4349, Bangladesh
Ankur Kumar Khan Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Chattogram-4349, Bangladesh
Satu Sarkar Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Chattogram-4349, Bangladesh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.38032/scse.2026.4.314

Keywords:

Co-pyrolysis, Polypropylene, Bamboo sawdust, Infrared wave, Pyro-oil

Abstract

This study focuses on the co-pyrolysis of polypropylene (PP) plastic waste, and bamboo sawdust (BS) which has high potential as an energy source. The goal of this research is to produce pyro-oil and to characterize the properties of the pyro-oil. This study was carried out without a catalyst. Using a fixed-bed reactor, materials of different ratios and moisture content were heated by an infrared wave cooker between temperatures of 250℃ and 315℃, resulting in the production of liquid pyro-oil. The highest yield of pyro-oil was 48.56 wt.% consisting of 18.6% moisture content at the infrared power of 800W, and 70 minutes reaction time. The obtained pyro-oil was analyzed by using a bomb calorimeter and found a calorific value of 41 MJ/kg which is comparable with other fuels such as diesel, gasoline, and kerosene. The product produced by co-pyrolysis can be an alternative to fossil fuels.

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