Process Optimization of Recovery and Kinetic Analysis of the Thermal Degradation of Poly (methyl methacrylate) polymers from Artificial Marble

Artificial marble is being used in various fields and the demand is continually increasing. Along with the increasing use of artificial marble, waste scraps generated from it is also significantly snowballing. Aluminum Hydroxide and Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) are the main constituents of artificial marble which can be decomposed into aluminum oxide and its monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA) through pyrolysis reaction in an anaerobic atmosphere. Therefore, in this study, we tried to recover MMA as a liquid material and aluminum oxide as a solid material from crude marble by pyrolysis and calcination. TGA analysis was carried out to investigate the most effective pyrolysis temperature range. Furthermore, from the TGA results, a kinetic study was conducted to investigate the reaction characteristics. The pyrolysis experiment was carried out at a temperature range of 300 to 500 ℃ at a heating rate of 5, 7.5 and 10 ℃/min. The purity of the recovered MMA was further enhanced through refining experiments. GC-MS analysis of the purified MMA was conducted to estimate the MMA purity level and the impurities incorporated. Moreover, XRD analysis of the raw and calcined solid samples was obtained to study the characteristic analysis of the solid product.