High-quality syngas production: The green and efficient utilization of waste tire and waste heat from the steelmaking converter process

This study proposes a new technology in which waste tire powders are injected into a converter vaporization cooling flue for gas recovery via pyrolysis using high-temperature waste heat. The higher temperature pyrolysis behavior of waste tire powder under different heating rates was investigated using a TG-MS technique. A drop tube furnace was used to simulate the converter vaporization cooling flue to investigate the effect of high temperatures on waste tire powder pyrolysis. The results indicated that secondary pyrolysis occurred above 900 °C with low weight and weight loss rates, which were considerably lower than those observed in the thermal degradation stage. The main gaseous products formed were CO, CO₂, H₂, CH₄, and H₂O. The drop tube furnace experimental results indicated that high temperatures can facilitate the degradation of waste tire powder to generate more H₂ and CO and improve the low heating values. At 1200 °C, the H₂ and CO contents were approximately 19.60% and 4.90%, respectively. The low heating value was 29.64 MJ/Nm³. The char yield was in the range of 32.67%-37.33%; the fixed carbon content increased from 79.63% to 84.75%. The results provide preliminary verification of the feasibility of injecting waste tire powders into a converter vaporization cooling flue for gas recovery.