Department of Earth Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea.
Department of Earth Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea; Department of Animal Environment, National Institute of Animal Science (NIAS), Wanju, 55365, Republic of Korea.
Chemosphere. 2024 Sep;364:143266. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.143266. Epub 2024 Sep 4.
To address the challenges associated with medical plastic waste and to characterize its heterogeneity, non-recyclability, and potential biohazard risks, this study explored a carbon dioxide (CO)-assisted pyrolysis process as a sustainable disposal method. Medical plastic waste typically includes polypropylene, polystyrene, and polyvinyl chloride. To experimentally evaluate the functional reactivity of CO, we employed three pyrolysis setups (one-stage, two-stage, and catalytic processes). The technical advantages of using CO over inert gases such as nitrogen (N) were demonstrated through pyrolysis tests. The results showed that energy production was enhanced under CO conditions, with catalytic pyrolysis generating 146% more flammable gases compared to pyrolysis in an N environment. The use of CO also led to a reduction in the formation of toxic chemicals due to improved thermal cracking. The CO-assisted pyrolysis process exhibited net negative CO emissions when a catalyst was present, as a substantial amount of CO was consumed during the process. In conclusion, CO-assisted pyrolysis of medical plastic waste offers a sustainable management solution that maximizes the utilization of carbon resources.
为了解决医疗塑料废物带来的挑战，同时对其异质性、不可回收性以及潜在的生物危害风险进行分析，本研究探索了二氧化碳（CO）辅助热解工艺作为一种可持续的处理方法。医疗塑料废物通常包括聚丙烯、聚苯乙烯和聚氯乙烯。为了实验评估 CO 的功能反应性，我们采用了三种热解装置（单阶段、双阶段和催化过程）。通过热解试验，证明了 CO 相对于氮气（N）等惰性气体的技术优势。结果表明，在 CO 条件下，能量产生得到了增强，与在 N 环境中的热解相比，催化热解产生了 146%更多的易燃气体。由于热裂解得到了改善，CO 的使用还减少了有毒化学品的形成。当存在催化剂时，CO 辅助热解过程表现出净负 CO 排放，因为在该过程中大量的 CO 被消耗。总之，CO 辅助医疗塑料废物热解为最大限度地利用碳资源提供了一种可持续的管理解决方案。
