Pyrolysis of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) coupled with CO₂ capture using CaO-based minerals

Growing concern over fossil-fuel-driven environmental problems and resource depletion has made the energy recovery of solid waste a priority. Refuse-derived fuel (RDF), produced from municipal solid waste by sorting, drying and densification, is a high-calorific, more uniform alternative fuel. In this work, three natural CaO-based minerals — dolomite, limestone and marble — were evaluated for in-situ CO₂ capture during RDF pyrolysis. TG analysis showed that the decomposition of RDF occurred between 225°C and 600°C. TG-FTIR results revealed that the main volatile gases released during RDF pyrolysis were CO₂, CH₄ and CO, together with gaseous water. Pyrolysis experiments were conducted in a fixed-bed reactor system with CO₂ capture at 600°C. The CO₂ produced was lower than that from RDF pyrolysis alone. When dolomite was used as the capture agent, the CO₂ produced decreased from 29.34% to 14.24%. These results indicate that coupling RDF pyrolysis with CaO-based in-situ CO₂ capture, particularly using dolomite, is an attractive route for cleaner waste-to-energy conversion.