Liquefaction of cured EVA was carried out in 1-hexanol or 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, the solubilization rate increased in proportion to the concentration of potassium hydroxide, and the solubilization rate reached over 90 percent in 2-ethyl-1-hexanol at 184 °C. The solubilization rate (v) in the initial step could be expressed as v = k [EVA] [KOH] (solubilization rate constant (k), cured EVA concentration [EVA], potassium hydroxide concentration [KOH]). Observed the activation energy of the solubilization reaction imply that the solubilization of the cured EVA proceeds by transesterification and subsequent saponification in 1-hexanol or by saponification mainly in 2-ethyl-1-hexanol.

Steam gasification of phenol board was carried out and weight decrease was observed at 900℃. In the presence of nickel particles, the steam gasification was accelerated remarkably and occurred at 650℃. Similar catalytic effect of nickel particles was observed in the presence of ternary eutectic carbonates at 550 - 675℃. The catalytic effect of the carbonate mixture was dominant at 675℃. However, catalytic effect of nickel particles was almost equal to that of molten carbonate at 550℃. These experimental results imply that unsupported nickel metal powder or small nickel pieces in molten carbonate could be used as catalyst to produce hydrogen on steam gasification of e-waste at low temperature.
Electrolysis of steam using solid electrolyte was carried out at 650 - 800℃. When 0-3 volt was applied on the surface of the solid electrolyte film, slight amount of hydrogen was observed as products. However, electrolysis of steam could not be operated in the presence of carbonate mixture.

Steam gasification of dehydrochlorinated poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) or activated carbon was carried out in the presence of various alkali compounds at 3.0∈MPa and 560°C-660°C in a batch reactor or in a semi-batch reactor with a flow of nitrogen and steam. Hydrogen and sodium carbonate were the main products and methane and carbon dioxide were the minor products. Yields of hydrogen were high in the presence of sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide. The acceleration effect of the alkali compounds on the gasification reaction was as follows: KOH &gt
NaOH &gt
Ca(OH)2 &gt
Na 2CO3. The rate of gasification increased with increasing partial steam pressure and NaOH/C molar ratio. However the rate became saturated at a molar ratio of NaOH/C greater than 2.0. © Springer-Verlag Tokyo 2006.

Dehydrochlorinated poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and activated carbon were pyrolyzed with sodium hydroxide in a flow of steam and nitrogen at 3.0 MPa and 560-660 degrees C. In both cases, hydrogen and sodium carbonate were the main products, and methane, ethane, and carbon dioxide were minor products. The gasification rate increased with partial steam pressure, and the reaction order with respect to steam partial pressure was 0.69. For both dehydrochlorinated PVC and activated carbon, the gasification rate increased with the NaOH/C molar ratio. However, the rate became saturated at NaOH/C ratios higher than 2.0. The activation energy of gasification of dehydrochlorinated PVC or activated carbon was 178 kJ/mol, assuming first-order reaction rate. These experimental results indicate that hydrogen was produced from the reaction: C+2NaOH+H2O -> Na2CO3+2H(2). (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) dehydrochlorinated at 300degreesC was decomposed in tetralin at 440degreesC or 470degreesC for 60min under 7.1 MPa initial pressure of nitrogen or hydrogen or of hydrogen in the presence of a nickel-molybdenum catalyst. A tetrahydrofuran-insoluble fraction, a hexane-insoluble undistilled fraction, a hexane-soluble undistilled fraction, and a liquid product were the main products at both temperatures. At 440 C under nitrogen. the yield of liquid product was 7.1%. but the yield increased to 43.2% under hydrogen in the presence of the catalyst at 470degreesC. Linear relationships were observed between the yieids of the products derived from the dehydrochlorinated PVC and the total amounts of hydrogen transferred from tetralin and gaseous hydrogen. Hydrogen transferred from the solvent and from gaseous hydrogen promoted the degradation of dehydrochlorinated PVC and reduced the amount of residual chlorine in the degradation products. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Poly(vinyl chloride) was decomposed for 0-90 min at 300-440 degreesC under 0-6.0 MPa of nitrogen pressure. Hydrogen chloride, liquid products, and residue were the main decomposition products. The yield or liquid products decreased with increasing reaction pressure. whereas the yield of residue increased, reaching maxima at 9.8 MPa (400 degreesC) and 22.4 MPa (440 degreesC). The pressure dependences of the product distribution and atomic ratio of hydrogen to carbon (H/C) imply that some of the liquid products were polycondensed with the dehydrochlorinated PVC and were retained in the residue under high-pressure. At atmospheric pressure, benzene was the predominant product. The yield of benzene decreased sharply with pressure, whereas the yield of linear paraffins increased significantly. The liquid product distribution suggests that polyene chains in the dehydrochlorinated PVC were converted to benzene and alkylbenzene under atmospheric pressure. However, some of the polyene chains underwent hydrogenation to form linear paraffins under high pressure. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) was decomposed in t-decalin and tetralin at 300-460 degreesC under an initial nitrogen pressure of 4.0 MPa. To aid mechanistic discussions, some reactions were also performed in the absence of solvent. In the beginning of the reaction at 300 degreesC, PVC was converted to THF-insoluble dehydrochlorinated PVC (idcPVC) irrespective of the presence of solvent, by liberation of hydrogen chloride. In the reactions without solvent, oil and solid carbon were produced from idcPVC predominantly by degradation and condensation reactions respectively. In the presence of solvent, idcPVC was converted into oil directly or via THF-soluble dehydrochlorinated PVC (sdcPVC). Particularly in tetralin, the decomposition of idcPVC into oil was accelerated significantly over 440 degreesC. A reaction mechanism was discussed using two parameters, atomic ratio of hydrogen and carbon (H/C) and carbon content (C-i). (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.