The low pressure pyrolysis of newsprint

The isothermal pyrolysis of 100 mg samples of shredded newsprint, both untreated and 1% HCI washed, at pressures below 1 torr has been examined between 260°C and 340°C. Pyrolysis occurs via a rapid initial reaction followed by a slower degradation that can be modeled as first order in remaining newsprint. The effect of a 1% HCI wash pretreatment is to increase the fractional tar yield by 40%, to decrease the gas yield by an equivalent amount, and to increase the extent of initial reaction. Arrhenius parameters have been obtained for rate constants describing both the initial and the slower degradation reactions for both untreated and acid washed newsprint.