Single-Use Disposable Waste Upcycling via Thermochemical Conversion Pathway

Area of Science:

• Chemical Engineering
• Environmental Science
• Materials Science

Background:

• Municipal solid waste, particularly single-use plastics and fiberboard, presents significant disposal challenges.
• Pyrolysis offers a potential thermochemical method for waste conversion and resource recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the pyrolysis of single-use food containers and corrugated fiberboard for clean municipal solid waste disposal.
• To evaluate the impact of pyrolysis temperature and co-pyrolysis on product yield and composition.
• To assess the environmental friendliness of co-pyrolysis for hazardous pollutant reduction.

Main Methods:

• Thermochemical analysis using pyrolysis of single-use food containers and corrugated fiberboard at varying temperatures (500-900 °C).
• Investigation of co-pyrolysis of both waste streams to assess synergistic effects.
• Characterization of pyrolytic products, including gas, liquid, and solid residues, focusing on chemical composition and selectivity.

Main Results:

• Increasing pyrolysis temperature generally increased pyrolytic gas yield while decreasing liquid and solid residue yields.
• Pyrolytic products from food containers were mainly hydrocarbons (C1-C32); fiberboard yielded phenolic compounds, polycyclic aromatic compounds, and oxygenates.
• Co-pyrolysis significantly enhanced hydrogen (H2) selectivity by 6 times compared to single-stream pyrolysis and eliminated hazardous phenolic and polycyclic aromatic compounds.

Conclusions:

• Pyrolysis is a viable method for the clean disposal and potential valorization of single-use disposable waste.
• Co-pyrolysis of food containers and fiberboard is an effective and eco-friendly strategy, minimizing hazardous byproducts and maximizing hydrogen production.
• This approach demonstrates a promising pathway for sustainable municipal solid waste management and resource recovery.