GC-MS analysis of the liquid products obtained in the pyrolysis of fibre-glass polyester sheet moulding compound

Abstract This paper is part of a project devoted to study the pyrolysis process as an alternative for recycling thermoset polymeric composites, such as sheet moulding compound (SMC). Standard SMC of polyester and fibre-glass was pyrolyzed under nitrogen, at 300, 400, 500, 600 and 700°C, in a 3.5 dm 3 autoclave. On the pyrolysis process the organic matter of the SMC is decomposed to gases and liquids which can be useful as fuels or chemicals sources, and the inorganic SMC matter (mainly CaCO 3 and fibre-glass), is left unaltered as solid residue, which can be recycled in other composites. This paper includes a detailed characterisation of the SMC pyrolysis liquids, and is specially devoted to the identification of their components by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS), and to the evaluation of the possible ways of reusing such liquids. SMC derived liquids are a complex mixture, composed mainly of C 5 –C 21 compounds, of 86–340 molecular weights, with a lot of aromatics (64–68 wt.%) and oxygen-containing (23–26 wt.%) compounds. About 40 wt.% of such liquids is a transparent easily distillable fraction which could be used mixed with commercial petrol, while the heavier 60% could be used as heating fuel mixed with other fuel oils.