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Conversion of Waste Personal Protective Equipment Against Corona Into Valuable Fuel Products by Thermal Decomposition Method

Asghary, Mir Milad | 2023

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  1. Type of Document: M.Sc. Thesis
  2. Language: Farsi
  3. Document No: 56748 (06)
  4. University: Sharif University of Technology
  5. Department: Environment
  6. Advisor(s): Fotovat, Farzam
  7. Abstract:
  8. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased environmental risks due to widespread face mask use in production, consumption, and disposal. This study uses surgical single-use as a pyrolysis feedstock due to increased demand. This study investigates the conversion of valuable materials from waste through the recycling of surgical single-use masks in a fluidized bed. The first stage of this study focused on identifying and specifying the main components in the filter layers of disposable surgical masks, which were the compounds in the filter layers made of polypropylene. TGA curves investigated thermal behavior of disposable surgical mask layers, revealing pyrolysis feedstock can produce volatile compounds at temperatures above 450°C, enabling the production of desired compounds. The minimum fluidization velocity for pyrolysis experiments in a fluidized bed reactor was determined by mixing 40 gr quartz sand and 2 gr disposable face mask filter layers. The minimum velocity was found to be 2.5 cm/s for this mixture. The RSM approach was used in the second phase of the study to determine optimal conditions for thermal pyrolysis in fluidized beds, resulting in valuable products like liquid oil and hydrocarbons in the fuel range. The liquid products and fuel cuts were 79.8%wt and 53.3%wt, respectively, under optimum test conditions from the RSM model at 540°C with 18.2℃/min heating rate and 21.6 minutes residence time. The fluidized bed reactor for pyrolysis of disposable surgical masks can produce fuel cuts due to proper heat transfer and mixing of raw materials with quartz sands in experimental conditions. In the third stage of this study, the results for liquid compounds, fuel cuts, and aromatic compounds (BTEX) (as high value added compounds ) were done using the parameters of the final temperature and the amount of catalyst to the polymer. Their effects on the products of mask pyrolysis in the fluidized bed reactor were subsequently investigated. Due to the ideal formation of liquid products during thermal pyrolysis, the time and heating rate in this stage were set to 18.2 ℃/min and 21 minutes, respectively. The results demonstrated that using a catalyst with a ratio of 14% by weight at a temperature of 465 degrees led to the formation of liquid products, fuel cuts, and BTEX compounds in 57.65%wt, 25.58%wt, and 12.95%wt , respectively, in the optimal conditions obtained from the RSM model. These findings demonstrate that the formation of high value-added products like BTEX can result from the use of used-FCC catalyst in catalytic pyrolysis
  9. Keywords:
  10. COVID-19 ; Pandemic ; Pyrolysis ; Aromatic Compounds ; Liquid Fuels ; Fuel Cut Compounds ; Disposable Surgical Mask ; Thermal Decomposition

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