Catalytic degradation of high density polyethylene over post grafted MCM-41 catalyst: Kinetic study

The catalytic activities of Al-MCM-41-P, synthesized through the post-synthetic grafting method, and Al-MCM-41-D, synthesized through the direct sol-gel method, in the pyrolysis of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) were compared in the present work. Thermogravimetric analyses under static conditions were also carried out to estimate the activation energies of the catalytic decomposition reactions of HDPE. Higher catalytic activities and lower activation energies of the catalytic decomposition reactions of HDPE were observed when Al-MCM-41-P was applied compared to when Al-MCM-41-D was applied, which may be due to the fact that Al-MCM-41-P has more acid sites compared to Al-MCM-41-D.