Pyrolitic methods of the thermal processing of solid municipal waste

The results of studies on the application of pyrolytic methods for the processing of solid municipal waste into liquid and gaseous fuels are presented. The features and types of pyrolytic processes are reviewed, and the key pyrolytic products are analyzed in detail with respect to the process pressure and heating rate of the initial mass of solid municipal waste. Since the liquid products produced with standard pyrolysis have a high content of oxygen-rich compounds and water, catalytic methods are employed to make high-quality boiler or transport fuels. The main types of catalysts, their properties, and their effects on the process are considered. The advantages of a two-stage process, in which the pyrolytic products at the second stage of the process undergo high-temperature catalytic cracking with the formation of synthesis gas (syngas), are analyzed.