Chiang Mai Journal of Science

 The aim of this study was to analyze optical fiber cable (OFC) waste as an alternative fuel by using pyrolysis. The optimized conditions were used to assess the feasibility and environmental impact of the pyrolysis of non-used OFCs. In the pyrolysis trial, unused OFC of a single-mode ADSS 24 core (length of 15 cm and weight 5 kg) was subjected to pyrolysis at the temperature range of 300–500 °C for 4 h using a batch reactor. In the pyrolysis trial, maximum amount of oil was obtained during the cyclonic separation step at a pyrolysis temperature of 350 °C, maximum amount of oil was collected during the water-cooling step at 400 °C, and the least amount of char remained at 500 °C. The high heating value of the pyrolysis oil obtained from pyrolyzed OFC was 40–45 MJ/kg. The results revealed that the optimum temperature required for producing maximum amount of pyrolysis oil and minimum char was 350 °C. Moreover, the GC–MS results revealed that the produced pyrolysis oil contained hydrocarbons, carboxylic acid, carbonyl, and aromatic compounds. The pyrolysis products generated from the OFC mainly contained heavy hydrocarbons (C₁₂–C₂₈), which were compatible with diesel-range hydrocarbons. This result demonstrates the presence of highly aliphatic compounds in the pyrolysis oil products and is consistent with the GC-MS results. The results suggest that the liquid product under optimized conditions can potentially be applied as renewable energy, which is an approach to reduce OFC removal by landfilling or incineration.