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Abstract
By vacuum pyrolysis, the rubber portion of used tires is transformed into oil and gas and
the carbon black filler is recovered as pyrolytic carbon black (CBP). Several commercial
applications for the different products have been investigated and are reported in this article.
CBP surface chemistry and activity are similar to those of commercial carbon blacks.
Therefore, CBP has the potential to replace commercial carbon black grades in certain
rubber applications. CBP was successfully tested as a filler in road pavement. The total
pyrolytic oil can be used as a liquid fuel. The oil can also be distilled into different fractions:
a light, a middle distillate and a heavy fraction. The light fraction was positively tested as a
gasoline additive. Furthermore, this fraction contains valuable chemicals such as D,L-
limonene. The middle fraction was successfully tested as a plasticizer in rubbers. The heavy
fraction represents a good-quality feedstock for the production of coke and can also be used
in road pavements. The pyrolytic gas can be used as a make-up heat source for the pyrolysis
process. © 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
In the industrialized world approximately one used tire is produced per capita per
year [1]. Most of these tires are simply dumped in the open or in landfills. This is
environmentally not acceptable. Tire piles can be the source of very toxic emissions
0165-2370/99/$ - see front matter © 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 1 6 5 - 2 3 7 0 ( 9 9 ) 0 0 0 1 7 - 0
202 C. Roy et al. / J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis 51 (1999) 201–221
in the case of a fire [2] and may act as a breeding ground for mosquitoes [3]. Several
recycling methods exist. After retreading of the carcass, the tires may be reused [4].
Ground tires can be used in civil engineering applications, for example as an
additive in road pavement [5]. By pyrolysis the tire rubber is cracked into oils and
gas, and the carbon black filler is recovered [6–9].
Over the last few years most commercial tire recycling processes have focused on
the use of ground tire rubber in different applications including as an additive in
playground surfaces [10], in rubber roofs [11], in drainage systems [12] and in floor
mats [13] A major market for scrap tires is their utilization as solid fuels [14],
especially in cement kilns [15]. Such applications did not require extensive research
and development and were therefore relatively easy to implement.
All of the tire recycling or treatment processes cited above have some disadvan-
tages. Retreading can only be performed when the carcass is not damaged. When
tires are used as solid fuel, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and soot are produced
[16]. Therefore, expensive gas cleaning devices are necessary for the removal of
potentially hazardous compounds. Tire grinding is very expensive since it is
performed at cryogenic temperatures or requires energy-intensive mechanical equip-
ment. Pyrolysis of tires has been, up to now, uneconomical due to the absence of
an established market for the oil and in particular for the pyrolytic carbon black
product.
In this paper the focus has been put on the development of a market for the
pyrolytic oil and carbon black products obtained from a vacuum pyrolysis process.
In the authors’ laboratory the vacuum pyrolysis of tires [6] and other feedstocks
such as biomass [17] and automobile shredder residues [18], has been performed.
The process has been scaled up over the last 10 years from a batch to pilot plant
at 100 kg/h capacity. Presently, a demonstration unit at the industrial scale (3500
kg/h) is under construction in Jonquière (Québec, Canada) for bark residues
vacuum pyrolysis. The process is called Pyrocycling™ and is commercialized by
Pyrovac International Inc. (Sainte-Foy, Québec, Canada).
2. Experimental procedures
material. The hydrocarbon vapors are quickly removed from the reaction zone by
the vacuum pump. In two successive condensers the heavy and light portions of the
pyrolytic oil are recovered. The non-condensable gas is used as fuel for a burner
which heats the molten salt. The reaction solid residue consists of steel wires and of
CBP. After separation of the steel, the CBP may be further treated. The CBP
contains inorganic matter in addition to the recovered carbon black filler which is
covered to some extent with carbonaceous deposits. In an optional post-pyrolysis
treatment a large portion of the inorganic matter in the CBP can be removed.
In the case of runs H20 and H22, the tire shreds were too big (approximately 100
mm× 120 mm) for the pilot reactor inlet vacuum system. Consequently, the
experiments were performed in a batch mode. Run H21 was also performed batch
wise as whole tires were used. The amounts of tires fed into the reactor were 158 kg
for H20, 80 kg for H21 and 180 kg for H22. In the batch experiments the reactor
was filled at room temperature with the feedstock, and then heated at a rate of
10°C/min to the final pyrolysis temperature selected. This temperature was held
until no more gaseous pyrolysis products were formed. Experiment H18 cited in
this work has been performed in a continuous feed mode and has been described
elsewhere [20].
3. Results
The pyrolysis yields depend on the feedstock, e.g. passenger car versus truck tires
(Table 1). Typical yields of the vacuum pyrolysis process are 10 wt.% steel, 36–39
wt.% pyrolytic carbon black (CBP), 43–47 wt.% oil, 5–6 wt.% gas and 1–3 wt.%
water. The mass balances for the experiments reported in Table 1 closed at 95%+ .
The yields obtained were in agreement with earlier results [6]. The influence of the
pyrolysis temperature and pressure on the product distribution of the vacuum tire
pyrolysis is discussed elsewhere [25]. The oil yield with the vacuum process is higher
than the oil yield from an atmospheric pyrolysis process, whereas the yields of CBP
and gas, respectively, are lower [6,26].
These differences can be explained by the different residence time of the pyrolysis
products in the reactor in the atmospheric and vacuum pyrolysis reactors. In the
vacuum process the pyrolysis products are quickly removed from the reactor by the
vacuum pump. Thus, the residence time of the pyrolysis products inside the reactor
is relatively short and secondary reactions involving the primary fragments are
limited. One of the ‘early’ products is isoprene. Isoprene is formed during the
C. Roy et al. / J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis 51 (1999) 201–221 205
Table 1
Typical pyrolysis conditions and product yields
Kind of tire
Passenger car Passenger car Passenger car tires with Truck tires
tires (run H18)a tires (run H20) silica filler (run H21) (run H22)
Total pressure 10 7 7 6
(kPa)
Temperature 550 520 500 485
(°C)
Shred size (mm) 20×30 100×120 Whole tire 100×120
Yields (as-recei6ed feedstock basis, wt.%)
Pyrolytic car- 33 36 37 39
bon black
Oil 56 45 47 43
Gas 10 6 5 5
Steelb – 10 10 10
Water 1 3 1 3
a
Experiment H18 was performed in a continuous feed mode. Heat transfer to the rubber feedstock
was achieved with electrical elements instead of a molten salt heat carrier.
b
The average amount of steel was assumed to be 10% for all the steel-belt tires tested.
carbon black properties are their specific surface area and structure. These proper-
ties are listed for some commercial rubber grade carbon blacks used in tires and a
demineralized CBP obtained from truck tires (Table 2). The demineralization
method used is the one described by Chaala et al. [27]. Tires contain a variety of
different carbon blacks. CBP is constituted of a mixture of the commercial carbon
blacks initially present in the tire. If one assumes that the morphology of the carbon
black did not change or changed only slightly during the pyrolysis, the CBP surface
area and structure should be close to the average values of these properties of the
commercial blacks. This was the case for the demineralized CBP obtained by
vacuum pyrolysis from truck tires. The surface area and structure of commercial
grades used in tires range from 36 to 138 m2/g and from 90 to 113 cm3/100 g,
respectively. The surface area and structure of the demineralized CBP was 95 m2/g
and 102 cm3/100 g, respectively, suggesting that the carbon black structure changed
only slightly during the pyrolysis. The raw CBP particles can be easily crushed into
a fine powder. The resulting particle size distribution depends on the degree of
grinding.
3.2.1.2. Surface chemistry by ESCA. There are indications that the CBP surface
chemistry is modified upon pyrolysis. The largest application of carbon black
(approximately 90%) is rubber reinforcement [28]. For this application the surface
chemistry and activity is very important as both properties determine the strength
of the carbon black – rubber interaction. The surface chemistry of non demineral-
ized CBP samples was studied by ESCA [22]. The conclusions drawn from this work
are also valid for demineralized samples since the surface chemistry of the organic
CBP portion changes only slightly upon demineralization [27]. In addition to an
intense peak of carbon atoms in graphite-like structures (C0), the C1s ESCA spectra
of commercial carbon blacks showed small peaks of carbon atoms with bonds to
oxygen (C2, C3, and C4) for C – OH, CO and –COOH groups, respectively, and a
shake-up peak (C5) which is also due to carbon atoms in graphite-like structures
Table 2
Properties of demineralized pyrolytic carbon black in comparison with commercial carbon black
grades
Specific surface area Structure, DBP no. Ash (%) Sulfur (%)
(m2/g) (cm3/100 g)
a
Used in truck tire tread.
b
Used in truck tire carcass ply.
c
Used in truck tire innerliner.
C. Roy et al. / J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis 51 (1999) 201–221 207
(Fig. 2). The spectra of CBP showed a C1 peak in addition to these peaks (Table 3).
The C1 peak is assigned to carbon atoms in small aromatic compounds. These
compounds are part of the carbonaceous deposits formed by condensation and
dealkylation reactions of hydrocarbons formed during the pyrolysis and adsorbed
on the carbon black surface. It can be concluded that the surface chemistry of the
commercial carbon blacks is mainly graphite-like, whereas on the CBP surface
carbonaceous deposits are present.
The dependence of the amount of CBP surface carbonaceous deposits on the
pyrolysis conditions can be followed by the area of the C1 peak in the C1s ESCA
spectra of CBP obtained at different temperatures and pressures. This is shown in
Fig. 3 which contains data from the work of Darmstadt et al. [22]. The amount of
carbonaceous deposits decreases with increasing pyrolysis temperature (420–700°C)
and decreasing pyrolysis pressure (100–0.3 kPa). Higher temperatures and lower
pyrolysis pressures limit the adsorption of hydrocarbons on the carbon black
surface. Thus, less carbonaceous deposits are formed from these adsorbed hydro-
carbons. Consequently, in order to preserve as much as possible, the integral
properties of the virgin carbon black, the pyrolysis should be performed at low
pressure and at high temperature.
Table 3
Relative area of the ESCA C1s peaks of a commercial and a pyrolytic carbon black
C0 C1 C2 C3 C4 C5
Commercial carbon black N539 90.6 0.0 2.1 0.0 0.2 7.1
CBP (10 kPa, 500°C) 78.0 15.4 1.2 0.4 0.0 5.0
208 C. Roy et al. / J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis 51 (1999) 201–221
Fig. 3. Dependence of the amount of carbonaceous deposits measured by the area of the C1 peak of the
C1s ESCA spectra.
3.2.1.3. Carbon black surface acti6ity by IGC. The surface activity of non-deminer-
alized CBP samples was determined by inverse gas chromatography (IGC). In this
technique probe molecules are injected into a gas chromatograph equipped with a
carbon black filled column [23]. The probe molecules can be selected such that they
represent a small portion of a rubber. It is, therefore, possible to predict the carbon
black–rubber interaction from the IGC data. Some of the parameters which can be
obtained by IGC are: the non-specific portion of the carbon black surface energy
(g ds ), the specific interaction with molecules having a certain functional group (I sp)
and the adsorption enthalpy (DH). Of these parameters DH is a measure of the
strength of the active sites on the carbon black surface, whereas g ds and I sp are
related to the number and strength of active sites on the carbon black surface.
In order to compare the surface activity of a carbon black before and after
pyrolysis two samples were studied: an N330 commercial carbon black and a
sample obtained by vacuum pyrolysis at 500°C and 6 kPa (absolute) of a polyiso-
prene rubber containing N330 (CBP (Polyisoprene)). For these two carbon blacks
the adsorption enthalpies of hexane, hexene and benzene were comparable (Table
4), indicating that the strength of the active sites was preserved during the pyrolysis.
However, g ds and I sp of CBP (Polyisoprene) were approximately one third lower
than the corresponding values of the original commercial N330. This decrease can
be explained by a loss of one third of the active sites on the carbon black surface
during the pyrolysis. It was assumed that these ‘lost’ sites are covered by carbona-
ceous deposits on the carbon black surface. Since more carbonaceous deposits are
formed during atmospheric pyrolysis than during vacuum pyrolysis, one can expect
that the values of g ds and I sp for the CBP obtained under atmospheric pyrolysis will
be lower than the corresponding values for the CBP obtained after vacuum
pyrolysis. A comparison of the surface energy values of the CBP (passenger) and the
CBP (passenger, 1 atm) samples showed that this was indeed the case (Table 4). In
C. Roy et al. / J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis 51 (1999) 201–221 209
spite of the loss of some active sites, g ds and I sp for the CBP obtained by vacuum
pyrolysis of passenger and truck tires, respectively, the values were comparable to
the g ds and I sp values for the low-surface area commercial blacks.
3.2.2.1. Total oil. The pyrolysis oil has a higher calorific value (44 MJ/kg) [6] than
the used tire from which it is recovered (33 MJ/kg) [4]. This oil has a higher calorific
value than that of bituminous coal (28 MJ/kg) [31] and wood charcoal (30 MJ/kg)
[32]. Tire-derived pyrolytic oils can be used as liquid fuels for industrial furnaces,
power plants and boilers. Their relatively low ash content (B 0.05 wt.%), sulfur
(0.8–1.5 wt.%) and residual carbon (1 –2 wt.%) is noticeable (Table 5). The chlorine
content varies between 100 and 180 ppm. The Cl is mainly concentrated in the
Table 4
Surface energies (non-specific component, g ds ), specific interaction of benzene (I sp
benzene) and adsorption
enthalpies of carbon blacks determined by inverse gas chromatography
a
The feedstock contained N330 as filler. Experiment c G58.
b
Extrapolated from lower column temperatures.
c
Sample obtained from ECO2, Florida [29].
210 C. Roy et al. / J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis 51 (1999) 201–221
Table 5
Characteristics of oils obtained by vacuum pyrolysis of used tires
Characteristics Passenger car Passenger car tires filled with silica Truck tires
tires (H20) (H21) (H22)
heavy portion of the oil. Table 6 shows that these oils exhibit a high content of
carbon, leading to the production of high value carbon materials that are used in
various industries (i.e. production of calcium carbide, steelworks, etc.). There is
little contamination of these oils with metal and metalloid impurities (Table 7).
The chemical composition of the tire pyrolysis oil in terms of olefins is similar to
that of the condensates obtained by coking of different petroleum residues, by
thermal cracking of gasoil fractions and by steam cracking of gasoline [33].
Therefore, the pyrolytic oil may be blended with these condensates and subjected to
the same thermal treatments.
Important requirements for diesel fuel are its ignition quality, viscosity, water,
sediment and sulfur contents. The ignition quality of heavy fuels is indicated by the
diesel index which is related to the aniline point and the density of the fuel. The
viscosity required at the fuel pump to provide good fuel injection characteristics
Table 6
Elemental composition of oils obtained by vacuum pyrolysis of used tires (wt.%)
a
By difference.
C. Roy et al. / J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis 51 (1999) 201–221
Table 7
Impurities found in used tire-derived pyrolysis oils (H20) (ppb)
V Mn P Mg Na Ba As Ti Ni Fe Cu Al Zn Pb Ca Cr Cd Co
34a 6 142 134 1280 77 198a 198 73 5585 104 4030 2044 918 458 93 24 26a
a
Detection limit of the apparatus was reached.
211
212 C. Roy et al. / J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis 51 (1999) 201–221
Table 8
Characteristics of pyrolytic oil (H20) and commercial CIMAK-B10 diesel fuel
a
Minimum value allowed.
typically ranges between 10 and 15 cSt [34]. The fuel temperature is adjusted to
provide the correct viscosity at the fuel pump. The water and sediment content
must be reduced to the levels specified for distillate fuel before being supplied to the
engine fuel filters. During combustion, the sulfur in the fuel will form sulfur oxides.
Since SO2 is very corrosive, the sulfur content of the fuel is limited. The presence
of SO2 in the exhaust gas affects the lubricating oil.
Using pyrolytic oil as a fuel would require preliminary treatments such as
decanting, centrifugation and filtration. The treated pyrolytic oil could be used
alone or blended with other fuels such as CIMAK-B10 diesel fuel whose specifica-
tions are given in Table 8. The addition of pyrolytic oil to this kind of diesel fuel
will reduce the viscosity of the resulting blend. Consequently, the atomization will
be improved, ensuring a complete burnout of the fuel. Based on its fuel properties,
tire-derived pyrolytic oils can be considered a valuable component for use with
conventional fuels.
3.2.2.2. Oil fractionation. In addition to its use as a fuel, the pyrolytic oil can be
fractionated into different cuts which can be blended with the corresponding
petroleum fractions. Several schemes of oil fractionation may be performed. The
choice depends on the application selected. In the present work, the following,
sometimes overlapping, oil fractions were studied: initial boiling point (i.b.p.)
−204°C, \ 204°C, 240 – 450°C, \350°C and \ 400°C.
The pyrolytic light fraction (i.b.p. − 204 °C). The fraction (i.b.p. − 204°C) was
distilled up to 160°C in order to obtain a light naphtha fraction (i.b.p. − 160°C)
similar to that produced from petroleum.
The chromatographic analysis indicated that the fraction (i.b.p. − 160°C) is
composed of 45 wt.% aromatics, 22% olefins, 15% isoparaffins, 1% n-paraffins, 7%
naphthenes and 10% high molecular-weight hydrocarbons and heterocyclic com-
pounds [35]. Compared with a typical petroleum naphtha, the pyrolytic naphtha
fraction is rich in aromatics including BTX and alkyl benzene [35]. Due to their
C. Roy et al. / J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis 51 (1999) 201–221 213
commercial oil significantly increases the elongation at break, while the pyrolytic oil
does not bring about much change. Thus, the pyrolytic and commercial oils seem
to interfere with the vulcanization network in different ways, as could be expected
considering their origin and associated differences in chemical composition. The
compression set data are in line with the tensile properties, i.e. a marginally higher
loss with the pyrolytic oil. The above results indicate that the heavy pyrolytic oil
has good mechanical and lubricating properties, very similar to a commercial
processing oil [39].
The pyrolytic oil fraction ( \ 350 °C). The heavy oil fraction was subjected to a
laboratory scale delayed coking experiment under conditions similar to those used
in industrial coking plants. A low sulfur (0.7 wt.%) and low ash content (0.24 wt.%)
characterized the cokes obtained [40]. The major metals found in the cokes (zinc, 33
ppm and silicon, 15 ppm) are those originally present in the tire. The absence of
vanadium, an undesirable contaminant of commercial cokes, is noticeable. The
X-Ray diffractogram showed that the coke obtained is characterized by a lower
interlayer spacing (d002 =3.498 Å), indicating that this coke is graphitizable. The
heavy oil coking experiment also produced a highly aromatic naphtha fraction
(i.b.p. − 205°C), a light gasoil (205 – 350°C) rich in aromatic hydrocarbons, a heavy
gasoil (\ 350°C) which can be recycled in the coke manufacturing process and
finally, a combustible gas with a high heating value.
The residual fraction \ 400 °C ‘pyrolytic bitumen’. Distillation of a typical py-
rolytic oil sample (run H18) was carried out in a 26 plate pilot column operated
batchwise and yielded 26.8 wt.% naphtha (i.b.p. −204°C), 30.7% middle distillate
(204–350°C) and 42.5% bottom distillation residue (\ 350°C).
The residual fraction i.p.b. \ 400°C herein called pyrolytic bitumen (PB), was
obtained by vacuum distillation of the bottom residue (\ 350°C) at a yield of 29
wt.% of the total oil. It was characterized and tested as a binder or a modifier for
road bitumens. Compared with petroleum bitumens, which are largely used in road
pavements, PB has a high penetrability, a low softening point and a low dynamic
viscosity (Table 9). The PB content in toluene-insolubles, which consisted of
carbonaceous materials, is higher than that found with petroleum bitumens (2.8
wt.% versus an average of 0.4 wt.%). These particles were physically carried out of
the reactor by the gas and vapor streams and were recovered in the condensed oil
product.
The elemental composition of the pyrolytic bitumen presented in Table 9 showed
that it is rich in carbon and has a low hydrogen content. As well, the sulfur content
is rather low while the nitrogen content is similar to that of petroleum bitumens.
The atomic carbon/hydrogen ratio (C/H) suggested that PB contains more aromatic
hydrocarbons than petroleum bitumens. It is known that bitumens suitable for
styrene–butadiene – styrene (SBS) blends should have high aromatic and low as-
phaltene contents [41]. In certain cases, special petroleum aromatic fractions are
added to the bitumens in order to improve their compatibility. It has been found
that the addition of aromatic oils (e.g. furfural extracts) enhances the peptization
effect of the SBS-petroleum bitumen blends [42]. The addition of PB to a SBS blend
may have the same peptization effect on the blend components as the addition of
petroleum aromatic fractions [42].
C. Roy et al. / J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis 51 (1999) 201–221 215
Table 9
Physico-chemical properties of pyrolytic bitumen PB (H18) and petroleum bitumen
Classical tests
Penetrability @ 25°C, 1/10 mm n.d. 113
Softening point (°C) 29.0 48.5
Fraas point (°C) −15.0 −8.5
Dynamic viscosity @ 50°C (cP) 436 n.d.
Generic composition (wt.%)
NC5-asphaltenes 26.6 19.0
Maltenes 71.6 80.6
Toluene-insolubles 1.8 0.4
Elemental composition (wt.%)
Carbon 88.4 85.3
Hydrogen 10.2 10.4
Nitrogen 0.6 0.8
Sulfur 0.6 3.3
Oxygena 0.2 0.2
Atomic ratio C/H 0.72 0.68
a
Determined by difference.
216 C. Roy et al. / J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis 51 (1999) 201–221
Rheometers are not able to measure the dynamic functions at very low (10 − 3 Hz)
and very high (500 Hz) test frequencies. Therefore, a time–temperature superposi-
tion principle is required to extrapolate the results obtained in restricted intervals of
temperatures and frequencies to a wider range of conditions allowing the behavior
to be predicted. The curve obtained by superimposing curves plotted at various
temperatures into a single function is called a master curve. The construction of
master curves has been described elsewhere [43].
The variations of the storage modulus G%, loss modulus G¦ and h* for PB as
functions of reduced frequency are plotted at the reference temperature 30°C (Fig.
5). At low temperatures, or at high frequencies, PB approaches the elastic state in
which the bitumen can resist the deformation caused by loading. The stress
developed during deformation is lower and the bitumen is more capable of
recovering from its pre-loading condition. At high temperatures, or at low frequen-
cies, G% decreases continuously and approaches a complete viscous behavior or a
complete dissipation of energy in viscous flow. The ability of the bitumen to limit
the dissipation of energy is represented by G¦. The shape of the G¦(v) curve is
similar to that of G%(v).
Table 10
Weight loss for pyrolytic bitumen PB (H18) and petroleum bitumen PC on heating at 170°C for 120
min
The viscosity of PB is very low throughout the frequency range investigated. The
increase and the decrease of the viscosity may be directed by the equilibrium
existing between the components of the PB and the external stresses such as
temperature. It has been found earlier that the asphaltenes extracted by n-pentane
from pyrolytic residue have a higher concentration of carbonyl groups and oxy-
genated sulfur than the asphaltenes of the petroleum bitumens [44]. These func-
tional groups enable the products to form weak polar–polar interactions. At low
temperature the polar components contained in the PB matrix yield weak networks
of polar-polar associations providing an elasticity to the bitumen. At high temper-
ature, the networks become weaker, leading to the formation of a Newtonian fluid.
3.2.2.5. Cole – Cole plots. The effect of the addition of pyrolytic bitumen (PB) on the
viscoelastic properties of the petroleum bitumen (PC) is represented by the so-called
Cole–Cole plot. The complex viscosity, which represents the viscoelastic behavior
has been defined as follows: h* =h% + ih¦. The curves h%(v) versus h¦(v) can be
represented by master curves, using the same shift factor obtained for G%(v) and
G¦(v). These curves in the form of circular arcs called Cole–Cole plots are
presented in Fig. 6. The arcs intersect the h% axis at two points. One point is located
near the origin, indicating that the viscosity data show no high-frequency Newto-
nian plateau. The other intersection point is obtained by extrapolation [45]. The
intercept at this point gives the zero-shear rate viscosity of the materials. The values
of the zero-shear rate viscosity obtained confirm the softening effect of PB for the
218 C. Roy et al. / J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis 51 (1999) 201–221
4. Conclusions
Vacuum pyrolysis of used tires has several advantages over other alternative tire
recycling methods. No toxic substances are emitted and various commercial appli-
cations for all of the products obtained are possible. An important difference
between atmospheric and vacuum pyrolysis at relatively low temperatures (approx-
imately 500°C) is that the residence time of the hydrocarbons formed from the
cracked rubber is considerably shorter in the vacuum process so that undesirable
reactions such as the formation of carbonaceous deposits on the pyrolytic carbon
black and the secondary decomposition reactions of valuable compounds such as
D,L-limonene are limited. It should be mentioned, however, that the residence time
in the ultrafast pyrolysis process is also short.
C. Roy et al. / J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis 51 (1999) 201–221 219
The carbon black surface area and structure changes only slightly during the
vacuum pyrolysis. However, a small amount of carbonaceous deposits is formed on
CBP and deactivates approximately one third of the active sites on the CBP surface.
The strength of the remaining sites is the same as in the carbon black initially
present in the tire. Thus, the tire CBP has the same surface activity as that of a low
surface commercial carbon black such as grade N774. Another potentially impor-
tant end-use of the CBP investigated in this study is as an additive for road
bitumen. In those two end-use applications, the raw CBP must simply be crushed
and sieved. Upgraded forms of CBP and hence higher-value products are also
possible if the raw pyrolytic carbon black is demineralized which is technically
feasible [27].
The total pyrolytic oil may be directly used as fuel or subjected to distillation.
Various schemes of distillation have been performed for this oil and each fraction
was tested in an appropriate application. The lighter fractions can be used as a
source of high value chemicals such as BTX and limonene and as extender oil in
rubber formulation. The heavier fractions have been tested as additives in road
bitumen and as feedstock for the production of coke. The pyrolytic bitumen (PB)
obtained from vacuum pyrolysis of used tires can be profitably used as a compati-
bilizer agent for SBS-modified bitumen. PB enhances the aromaticity of petroleum
bitumen which enables the peptization of asphaltene and rubber.
Potential end-uses for the pyrolytic oil in the petroleum refining industry include:
Make-up oil feedstock for the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process in order to
produce light fuels.
Make-up oil feedstock for the thermal cracking process in order to produce light
products and olefin rich gases.
Make-up oil feedstock for the delayed coking process in order to produce light
products and coke.
Acknowledgements
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