Syngas Production from Protective Face Masks through Pyrolysis/Steam Gasification

Ieva Kiminaitė, Judith González-Arias, Nerijus Striūgas, Justas Eimontas () and Martin Seemann
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Ieva Kiminaitė: Laboratory of Combustion Processes, Lithuanian Energy Institute, Breslaujos str. 3, LT-44403 Kaunas, Lithuania
Judith González-Arias: Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology, 412 96 Göteborg, Sweden
Nerijus Striūgas: Laboratory of Combustion Processes, Lithuanian Energy Institute, Breslaujos str. 3, LT-44403 Kaunas, Lithuania
Justas Eimontas: Laboratory of Combustion Processes, Lithuanian Energy Institute, Breslaujos str. 3, LT-44403 Kaunas, Lithuania
Martin Seemann: Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology, 412 96 Göteborg, Sweden

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 14, 1-14

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a heavy expansion of plastic pollution due to the extensive use of personal protective equipment (PPE) worldwide. To avoid problems related to the entrance of these wastes into the environment, proper management of the disposal is required. Here, the steam gasification/pyrolysis technique offers a reliable solution for the utilization of such wastes via chemical recycling into value-added products. The aim was to estimate the effect of thermo-chemical conversion temperature and steam-to-carbon ratio on the distribution of gaseous products obtained during non-catalytic steam gasification of 3-ply face masks and KN95 respirators in a fluidized bed reactor. Experimental results have revealed that the process temperature has a major influence on the composition of gases evolved. The production of syngas was significantly induced by temperature elevation from 700 °C to 800 °C. The highest molar concentration of H 2 gases synthesized from both types of face masks was estimated at 800 °C with the steam-to-carbon ratio varying from 0 to 2. A similar trend of production was also determined for CO gases. Therefore, investigated thermochemical conversion process is a feasible route for the conversion of used face masks to valuable a product such as syngas.

Keywords: personal protective equipment; steam gasification; pyrolysis; syngas production; fluidized bed reactor (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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