Textile Waste Pyrolysis: An Innovative Method for Petrochemicals generation for Sustainable Economic, Technological and Environmental Advancement

Abstract The disposal of wastes into landfills, which has worsened the ecosystem, has made textile waste in the third world a major environmental problem. Textile waste is an environmental hazard as it biodegrades quickly and is improperly disposed of. The goal of this research is to convert textile waste (TEXW) into petrochemicals using pyrolysis. The obtained petrochemicals were fractionated after purification and characterization using GC-MS while the physicochemical parameters of the fractionated liquid petrochemicals were analysed using standard methods. The results of the analysis showed that the liquid oil contains: carbamate (7.69%), silicic acid (4.73%), cyclotrisiloxane (4.09%), cyclohexane (7.47%), pro-2-ynyl-E-2-methylbut-2-enote (6.24%), cyclododecanol (3.95%), undec-10-ynoic acid (3.95%), 8,8-dimethylspirol-4,6-undecane-6,10-dione (3.47%), phenol (5.95%) and 1,2,5-oxadiazol-3-amine (3.85%). The results of the physico-chemical parameters of the liquid petrochemicals ranged: relative density (0.4250–0.8528 g/cm3), absolute viscosity (0.3436–0.8788 mPas), kinematic viscosity (0.4097–3.880 mm2/s), specific gravity at 15/15oC (0.8528–0.9556) and flash point (15–20oC). After blending, it was observed that 20% v/v blend of the petrochemicals enhance the physicochemical properties of major petroleum products (PMS, kerosene, diesel). It could be concluded that the use of liquid petrochemicals for the enhancement of petroleum parameters would go a long way in alleviating basic cost associated with petroleum products production (see figure. 1 for graphical abstract).