Influence of low-temperature pyrolysis pretreatment on the co-combustion performance of coal and waste polyvinyl chloride/tire

[Display omitted] •Pyrolysis pretreatment of PVC/tire was proposed before co-combustion with coal.•Pyrolysis pretreatment improved the fuel properties of PVC/tire.•Pyrolysis pretreatment enhanced the co-combustion performance of coal and PVC/tire.•Synergistic effects between coal and PVC/tire char occurred during co-combustion. Co-combustion of coal and municipal solid waste (MSW) is an effective method to utilize MSW and reduce CO2 emission from coal-fired power plant. However, several undesired properties of MSW (such as poor homogeneity, poor grindability, high moisture content, high chlorine content) limits the extensive application of co-combustion technology. In this study, the low-temperature pyrolysis pretreatment of typical MSW (PVC/tire) was innovatively proposed before co-combustion with coal. The H/C atomic ratio of PVC char and tire char was similar to common sub-bituminous coal and bituminous coal. After pyrolysis, large amounts of chlorine and sulfur were eliminated from PVC and tire. The graphitized structure of PVC was formed whereas the graphitized structure of tire was weakened. The ignitability, burnout characteristics and combustion reactivity of coal were improved after the addition of PVC, tire, PVC char and tire char. The comprehensive combustion characteristic index of various mixtures was also increased after pyrolysis. The highest comprehensive combustion characteristic indexes of PVC char and tire char were obtained at 325 °C and 350 °C, respectively. Obvious synergistic effects among the individual components were observed during co-combustion. The activation energy of coal was greatly decreased after the addition of PVC, tire, PVC char and tire char.