Municipal solid waste (MSW) offers significant potential as a feedstock to produce fuels, chemicals, and energy. Thermochemical conversion processes provide a promising pathway for transforming heterogeneous municipal solid waste (MSW) into valuable products. This study investigates the thermal degradation kinetics of plastic-rich MSW and the impact of reaction temperature (500-900 °C) on carbon conversion and product distribution. Plastic-rich MSW is composed mainly of consumer packaging, durable plastic items, and unknown mixed waste. Experiments were performed using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and a drop tube reactor equipped with an online mass spectrometer (MS). The decomposition of the plastic-rich MSW to volatiles occurred between 364 °C and 499 °C. The thermal degradation kinetics followed a three-dimensional diffusion (D3) model. The average activation energy (257 kJ/mol) and pre-exponential factor (9.3 × 10¹⁶ min⁻¹) were determined using the isoconversional Flynn–Wall–Ozawa (FWO) method and Criado’s master plots. The non-condensable gas products detected by MS included H2, CO, CO2 and C1-C3 hydrocarbons. Higher temperatures enhanced gas yields, with secondary cracking occurring more readily. This resulted in increased COx production, while C2-C3 paraffin yields decreased. Furthermore, tar yield decreased with increasing temperature accompanied by a shift in composition from aliphatic to heavier aromatic hydrocarbons. These findings support kinetic model development for MSW degradation while enhancing energy security from waste feedstocks.
