9.2.1 Test setup
Three companies, either users or suppliers of pyrolysis
equipment, were requested to test our plastic samples
from marine debris and report on the quality of the obtained
pyrolysis oil. In order to have a basis of reference,
we sent samples from the very same batches for these
tests as used for the degradation analyses (see section
9.1.4 above). Due to the relatively small amount of available
samples (approx. 5-10 kg per test), all tests were carried
out on a laboratory scale.
9.2.2 Sample preparat ion
For the pyrolysis tests, we selected polyolefin objects >2
mm from the Hawai’i sample, from which ropes and fishery
objects were excluded. The samples were prepared by
mixing polyolefins from all size fractions from Table 9.3
(section 9.1.3) according to their mass ratio in the original
raw sample. The samples were then ground in a cutting
mill to