Fast pyrolysis kinetics of expanded polystyrene foam

Fast pyrolysis of polymers, biomass and other substances is of great interest in various applications. For example, in the lost foam casting process, kinetic information about expandable polystyrene (EPS) decomposition under extremely high‐heating rate conditions is essential for further process development. A simple laboratory‐scale fast pyrolysis technique has been developed and demonstrated for elucidation of EPS decomposition kinetics. Pyrolysis experiments were performed at different reaction temperatures. The cumulative gaseous yields were determined using a flame ionization detector (FID) connected in series with the fast pyrolysis reactor. The governing equations for a semibatch reactor type were modified and applied to obtain kinetic parameters (activation energies and the pre‐exponential rate constants) for the EPS decomposition process. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010