Plastic Waste Management towards Energy Recovery during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Example of Protective Face Mask Pyrolysis
Magdalena Skrzyniarz,
Marcin Sajdak,
Monika Zajemska,
Józef Iwaszko,
Anna Biniek-Poskart,
Andrzej Skibiński,
Sławomir Morel,
Paweł Niegodajew
Affiliations
Magdalena Skrzyniarz
Faculty of Production Engineering and Materials Technology, Czestochowa University of Technology, 19 Armii Krajowej Avenue, 42-200 Czestochowa, Poland
Marcin Sajdak
Department of Air Protection, Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, 22 B Konarskiego Avenue, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
Monika Zajemska
Faculty of Production Engineering and Materials Technology, Czestochowa University of Technology, 19 Armii Krajowej Avenue, 42-200 Czestochowa, Poland
Józef Iwaszko
Faculty of Production Engineering and Materials Technology, Czestochowa University of Technology, 19 Armii Krajowej Avenue, 42-200 Czestochowa, Poland
Anna Biniek-Poskart
Faculty of Management, Czestochowa University of Technology, 19 B Armii Krajowej Avenue, 42-200 Czestochowa, Poland
Andrzej Skibiński
Faculty of Management, Czestochowa University of Technology, 19 B Armii Krajowej Avenue, 42-200 Czestochowa, Poland
Sławomir Morel
Faculty of Production Engineering and Materials Technology, Czestochowa University of Technology, 19 Armii Krajowej Avenue, 42-200 Czestochowa, Poland
Paweł Niegodajew
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science, Czestochowa University of Technology, 21 Armii Krajowej Avenue, 42-200 Czestochowa, Poland
This paper presents an assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the waste management sector, and then, based on laboratory tests and computer calculations, indicates how to effectively manage selected waste generated during the pandemic. Elemental compositions—namely, C, H, N, S, Cl, and O—were determined as part of the laboratory tests, and the pyrolysis processes of the above wastes were analysed using the TGA technique. The calculations were performed for a pilot pyrolysis reactor with a continuous flow of 240 kg/h in the temperature range of 400–900 °C. The implemented calculation model was experimentally verified for the conditions of the refuse-derived fuel (RDF) pyrolysis process. As a result of the laboratory tests and computer simulations, comprehensive knowledge was obtained about the pyrolysis of protective masks, with particular emphasis on the gaseous products of this process. The high calorific value of the pyrolysis gas, amounting to approx. 47.7 MJ/m3, encourages the management of plastic waste towards energy recovery. The proposed approach may be helpful in the initial assessment of the possibility of using energy from waste, depending on its elemental composition, as well as in the assessment of the environmental effects.
