We focused on co-pyrolysis of wood and plastic mixture, which is a way to convert them into smaller hydrocarbon molecules. This process requires only heat, while the reaction is complex and the mechanism is not completely understood. In order to maximize effective recovery of desired products, understanding of pyrolytic reaction mechanism of these mixtures is important. Therefore, we investigated pyrolytic interactions between beech wood (BW) and polyethylene (PE) during co-pyrolysis as representative wood and plastic, respectively. We revealed an interaction mechanism, stabilization of radical species by H-exchange between BW and PE pyrolystes in gas phase. It resulted in enhanced production of levoglucosan and methoxyphenols with unsaturated alkyl side chains, while formation of methoxyphenols with saturated alkyl side chains, phenols, and catechols were decelerated.
