Pyrolysis for Nylon 6 Monomer Recovery from Teabag Waste

In this work, we used pyrolysis to treat teabag waste (TBW). Changes in the pyrolysis temperature affected the composition and yield of the products. For example, more non-condensable gases and less char were produced with an increase in the pyrolysis temperature. Pyrolysis conducted under a nitrogen environment yielded caprolactam at temperatures between 400 and 700 °C. An increase in the pyrolysis temperature from 400 to 500 °C increased the caprolactam yield from 3.1 to 6.2 wt.%. At 700 °C, the yield decreased to 4.6 wt.%. The highest caprolactam yield (i.e., 6.2 wt.% at 500 °C) was equivalent to 59.2 wt.% on the basis of the weight of the non-biomass part of the TBW. The pyrolytic products other than caprolactam (e.g., combustible gases, pyrolytic liquid, and char) can function as fuels to supply energy during pyrolysis in order to increase and maintain the temperature. The higher heating values (HHVs) of the combustible gases and pyrolytic liquid produced at 500 °C were 7.7 and 8.3 MJ kg^-1, respectively. The HHV of the char produced at 500 °C was 23 MJ kg^-1, which is comparable to the HHV of coal. This work will help to develop effective pyrolysis processes to valorize everyday waste by recovering value-added chemicals such as polymer monomers and by producing alternative fuels.