Research progress in the co-pyrolysis of renewable biomass with plastic wastes for the synergetic production of chemicals and biofuels: A review.

This article reviews the co-pyrolysis of biomass and plastic waste as a promising thermochemical process for effective waste management and renewable fuel production. It examines feedstock characteristics, synergistic effects between biomass and various plastics (e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene), and kinetic modeling approaches, highlighting the distributed activation energy model (DAEM) and Vyazovkin methods as more accurate for capturing complex reaction behaviors. The review also discusses catalytic co-pyrolysis, emphasizing catalysts like HZSM-5 and metal oxides that enhance bio-oil quality by promoting aromatization and reducing coke formation. Economic evaluations indicate that co-pyrolysis can be profitable with positive net present values, though further research is needed on catalyst development, multi-feedstock mixtures, large-scale process modeling, and lifecycle assessments to advance commercialization and environmental sustainability.