Investigation of ethylene-propylene based aliphatic polyketone thermal pyrolysis

Abstract

Abstract

Aliphatic alternating ethylene–propylene–carbon monoxide ( E -P-CO) polyketone is a recently commercialized engineering thermoplastic with promising material properties; however, its thermochemical conversion behavior under inert conditions has not yet been investigated. In this study, the pyrolysis of E -P-CO polyketone was examined in a laboratory-scale batch reactor, and product yields and compositions were determined. The pyrolysis resulted in 44.3 wt% liquid, 34.4 wt% solid residue, and 21.3 wt% gaseous products. Gas analysis revealed high concentrations of CO in the early stage of the process, followed by increasing methane, hydrogen, and light hydrocarbons as the reaction progressed. The heating value of the gas fraction increased from 17.1 to 33.8 MJ/m 3 , indicating potential energetic utilization. Distillation and GC–MS analysis of the light oil fraction (20–210 °C) identified ketones, cyclopentenones, furans, and aromatic compounds as dominant products. These results were further supported by FTIR analysis. The formation of cyclopentenone derivatives confirms that intramolecular cyclization reactions represent a major degradation pathway, similarly to ethylene–carbon monoxide polyketones.