Screw Reactor STYX

In the pyrolysis lab of the Institute for Technical Chemistry, the research screw reactor STYX is used to investigate the pyrolysis of a wide variety of organic materials. The focus is currently on the utilization of mixed waste plastics. They are previously conditioned in the Feed Preparation Laboratory of the working group. The patented reactor technology with its single screw design enables a constant pyrolysis temperature and a defined solid residence time. The pyrolysis gases and vapors are extracted particle-free from the reactor using an integrated hot gas filtration system. The downstream multi-stage condensation unit, consisting of double-tube heat exchangers and electrostatic precipitators, separates the condensable pyrolysis vapors from the permanent gas products. In this way, the generated product fractions are individually available for subsequent investigations.

Depending on the feedstock, quartz sand is added to moderate the mass and heat transfer in the reactor. Additives such as sorbents and catalysts can also be introduced with the feedstock. Furthermore, a downstream upgrading stage is available for the investigation of product manipulation e.g. by additive or catalyst use.

The reactor is electrically heated and extensively instrumented. This enables largely automatic operation and exact balancing of the mass and energy flows of the pyrolysis process. Thus, the research reactor STYX represents a valuable tool for the further development of the pyrolysis of mixed plastic wastes.