Dechlorination of Mixed-Plastics Feedstock with Low Temperature Pyrolysis for Downstream Gasification and Hydrogen Production

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is a huge untapped renewable feedstock resource to produce hydrogen through gasification. Currently, the utilization MSW for hydrogen production is not realized due to the presence of chlorine that causes degradation of gasifier components and formation of pollutants during gasification. This proposed technology has the potential to remove chlorine and produce a consistent renewable feedstock that allows for optimum gasifier performance. This SBIR project aims to develop a novel technology that will remove chlorine from mixed-plastics and MSW feedstock using low-temperature slow catalytic pyrolysis. The catalyst will be derived from low-cost clay minerals that can catalyze the release of Cl from the mixed plastics during pyrolysis. In Phase I, a laboratory-scale system will be used to determine the feasibility of the technology to dechlorinate mixed plastics and MSW to produce product streams that can be gasified to produce renewable hydrogen and electricity. In Phase II, the process will be scaled-up to produce products for gasification processes and the development of a conceptual design for a pilot system. The public benefit of this technology includes decreasing the quantity of landfill material and the production of renewable hydrogen. The removal of chlorine from MSW allows for efficient gasification to produce renewable hydrogen and reduces the amount