Malusi Mkhize is currently in the third year of doctoral studies in the Department of Process Engineering at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. His thesis is entitled "Pyrolysis process optimization for limonene production from waste tyres."
His research project approach entails converting waste tyres to liquids employing various means to maximize (in the pyrolysis reactor) and manipulate (during condensation of volatiles) to produce pyrolysis liquid fraction(s) that contains the majority of valuable chemical s (i.e., limonene).
Waste tyre valorisation project in Stellenbosch University is financed by the Department of Environmental Affairs through Recycling and Economical Development Initiative of South Africa (REDISA) and was started in 2014. The existing facilities at Stellenbosch University consist of the fixed bed pyrolysis reactor and fluidized bed reactor (FBR) (yet to be fully commissioned). The group is in the process of acquiring more and modifying existing equipment and is seeking collaborations with experts in the field (waste tyre valorisation).
At the Department of Chemical Engineering (UPV/EHU), Malusi will work under Prof. Olazar supervision, and he will be running two or three experiments on CSBR (conical spouted bed reactor) using South African tyre crumb and employing pyrolysis conditions from fixed bed reactor. CSBR produces pyrolysis liquid consisting mainly limonene.
