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Volume 115
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Numerical simulation of plastic pyrolysis in fluidized bed reactors under continuous and batch-wise feeding (Open Access)
Muhao Li a, Feichi Zhang a *, Thorsten Zirwes b, Oliver T. Stein c, Salar Tavakkol a *, Dieter Stapf a
a Institute for Technical Chemistry (ITC), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Kaiserstr.12, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany
b Institute for Reactive Flows, University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 31, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
c Engler-Bunte-Institute (EBI), Division for Combustion Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Engler-Bunte-Ring 7, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany
10.1016/j.partic.2026.05.017
Volume 115, August 2026, Pages 214-227
Received 29 November 2025, Revised 7 May 2026, Accepted 25 May 2026, Available online 1 June 2026, Version of Record 6 June 2026.
E-mail: feichi.zhang@kit.edu; salar.tavakkol@kit.edu
Highlights

• Eulerian–Lagrangian CFD solver developed for plastic pyrolysis in fluidized bed reactors.

• Lumped kinetics and particle-scale heat transfer integrated for product yield prediction.

• Baseline modeling framework for plastic pyrolysis in fluidized bed reactors.

• Stronger thermal inhomogeneity during the first 10 s for batch-wise feeding.

• Similar final product selectivity for both batch-wise and continuous feeding.


Abstract

Numerical simulations were conducted to study the pyrolysis of polypropylene (PP) in a fluidized bed reactor (FBR). For that purpose, a Eulerian–Lagrangian solver was developed, incorporating the gas–solid hydrodynamics in FBR, particle-level heat transfer, and a five-lump pyrolysis reaction kinetic model. This framework captures the mutual interplay among these physicochemical processes and enables predicting the yields of permanent gas (G), light fraction (LF), and heavy fraction (HF). Analysis of the characteristic timescales confirms that the pyrolysis reaction is significantly slower than convective heat transfer. At 505 °C, LF was the dominant product (67.4 wt%), followed by G (29.6 wt%) and HF (3 wt%), and the product distribution significantly shifted toward G formation with increasing reactor temperature. In contrast, variations in particle size (1.5–2.5 mm) and operation mode (batch-wise vs. continuous) affected the transient thermal behavior but had minor effects on product yields, as heat transfer is not rate-determining under the investigated conditions.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Eulerian–Lagrangian; Plastic pyrolysis; Fluidized bed reactor; Chemical recycling
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