Experimental and numerical simulation of expanded polystyrene pyrolysis coupled with thermal shrinkage and melting processes

Juan Zhang, Fahang Liu, Changhai Li and Yanming Ding

Energy, 2025, vol. 314, issue C

Abstract: This work developed a pyrolysis model for expanded polystyrene (EPS), considering the effects of thermal shrinkage and melting stages. The model relied on dynamic measurements from Thermogravimetric (TG) and Flame Propagation Apparatus (FPA) experiments. The kinetic parameters optimized by the Shuffled Complex Evolution (SCE) algorithm based on TG data were coupled to pyrolysis model. Considering the potential release of volatile, the environmental impact of EPS pyrolysis was also explored by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. The pyrolysis model was successfully developed. The correlation coefficient (R2) of ML and MLR curves was greater than 0.9599 and root mean square error (RMSE) was greater than 1.77E-2, which verified the reliability of the pyrolysis model. The model could also predict complex thermal effects during pyrolysis, such as shrinkage, melting, conversion and temperature evolution. Furthermore, uncertainty analysis was performed to systematically investigate the influence of input parameters on output results, further validating the robustness of the model. The results showed that the changes in material properties due to shrinkage and melting, and kinetic parameters had the most significant impact on MLR. The established pyrolysis model provided new theoretical insights and practical guidance for optimizing fire safety protocols and waste management strategy of EPS.

Keywords: EPS; Pyrolysis; Thermal shrinkage; Melt; Computational modeling; Uncertainty quantification (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:314:y:2025:i:c:s0360544224040891

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2024.134311

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