Experimental research and prediction of heat generation during plastics, coal and biomass waste combustion using thermal analysis methods

The development of civilization is associated with generating an increasing amount of various types of waste. More and more restrictive legal regulations require limiting their storage, which thermal methods should replace. Thermal recycling of plastic waste also enables the use of their energy potential. In this article, the authors presented basic research results comparing the combustion process course of selected plastic waste with coal waste, agro and forest biomass. For this purpose, thermal analysis methods were used to determine temperatures at which the maximum heat generation and emission of selected gases occurs during waste combustion. The proximate and ultimate analysis, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis, and mercury content analysis made it possible to determine the composition of considered waste. The model using fuzzy logic methods was developed to predict the maximum values of generation heat from the tested materials at temperatures. The authors assumed the following research hypotheses: 1) the calorific value and composition of the materials are reflected in the maximum values of heat generated and pollutant emissions, and 2) the developed fuzzy logic-based model allows the prediction of maximum values generated heat from the tested waste, during the analyzed thermal processes. The results of thermal analysis for the considered waste with the given composition, as well as the results of predicting the behaviour of these materials in thermal conditions, constitute the innovation of this article.