Integrated Two Step Co-Pyrolysis Under Several Low-Cost Natural Catalyst to Produce of Aromatic-Rich Liquid Fuel from Mixed Municipal Solid Waste

The world's increasing human population and industrial activities have resulted in an enormous rise in energy consumption throughout the years. A severe attention has developed regarding an impending energy crisis caused by the depletion of fossil fuel supplies and their contribution to environmental degradation. As a result, it is necessary to investigate and make use of non-fossil energy sources for the purpose of maintaining demand stability as well as creating a sustainable green environment. Pyrolysis is a reliable method to convert materials from municipal solid waste to useful energy. Hence, the co-pyrolysis of unsegregated municipal solid waste was investigated in this study using an integrated two-step pyrolysis by double reactor that was supported by various natural catalysts such as zeolite, dolomite, and kaolin at 550 °C for 210 minutes as constant variables in which it has not been reported previously. To obtain the physical and chemical properties, liquid fuel was subjected to ASTM and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy analyses and examining the impact of each catalyst on its characteristics. The aromatic fraction was prominent in the liquid fuel yields produced by kaolin and zeolite catalysts (57.4 and 46.1% peak area, respectively). Meanwhile, the greatest liquid fuel was produced by using dolomite as catalyst. The viscosity and density of liquid fuel with dolomite, kaolin, and zeolite were 10.83, 4.25, and 4.04 mm2/s and 0.88, 0.89, and 1.01 g/cm3, respectively. Conversely, the corresponding calorific values for zeolite, kaolin, and dolomite are 41.37, 41.09, and 41.19 MJ/kg. Its physical characteristics are comparable to those of common fuels like petrol-88, which was utilized in Indonesia as a vehicle fuel.