Continuous pyrolysis of polystyrene has been studied in a conical spouted bed reactor with the main aim
of enhancing styrene monomer recovery. Thermal degradation in a thermogravimetric analyser was conducted
as a preliminary study in order to apply this information in the pyrolysis in the conical spouted
bed reactor. The effects of temperature and gas flow rate in the conical spouted bed reactor on product
yield and composition have been determined in the 450–600 C range by using a spouting velocity from
1.25 to 3.5 times the minimum one. Styrene yield is strongly influenced by both temperature and gas flow
rate, with the maximum yield being 70.6 wt% at 500 C and a gas velocity twice the minimum one.