The COVID-19 pandemic encouraged the use of plastic-based personal protective equipment (PPE), which aidedgreatly in its management. However, the increased production and usage of these PPEs put a strain on the enviro...The COVID-19 pandemic encouraged the use of plastic-based personal protective equipment (PPE), which aidedgreatly in its management. However, the increased production and usage of these PPEs put a strain on the environment,especially in developing and underdeveloped countries. This has led various researchers to study low-costand effective technologies for the recycling of these materials. One such material is disposable facemasks. However,previous studies have only been able to engage electrically powered reactors for their thermochemical conversion,which is a challenge as these reactors cannot be used in regions with an insufficient supply of electricity. In thisstudy, the authors utilized a biomass-powered reactor for the conversion of waste disposable facemasks and almondleaves into hybrid biochar. The reactor, which is relatively cheap, simple to use, environmentally friendly, and modifiedfor biochar production, is biomass-powered. The co-carbonization process, which lasted 100 min, produced a 46%biochar yield, which is higher than previously obtained biochar yields by other researchers. The biochar thus obtainedwas characterized to determine its properties. FTIR analysis showed that the biochar contained functional groupssuch as alkenes, alkynes, hydroxyls, amines, and carbonyls. The EDX analysis revealed that the biochar was primarilymade of carbon, tellurium, oxygen, and calcium in the ratios of 57%, 19%, 9%, and 7%, respectively. The inclusion ofthe facemask decreased the surface area and porosity of the biochar material, as evidenced by its surface area andpore characteristics.展开更多
文摘The COVID-19 pandemic encouraged the use of plastic-based personal protective equipment (PPE), which aidedgreatly in its management. However, the increased production and usage of these PPEs put a strain on the environment,especially in developing and underdeveloped countries. This has led various researchers to study low-costand effective technologies for the recycling of these materials. One such material is disposable facemasks. However,previous studies have only been able to engage electrically powered reactors for their thermochemical conversion,which is a challenge as these reactors cannot be used in regions with an insufficient supply of electricity. In thisstudy, the authors utilized a biomass-powered reactor for the conversion of waste disposable facemasks and almondleaves into hybrid biochar. The reactor, which is relatively cheap, simple to use, environmentally friendly, and modifiedfor biochar production, is biomass-powered. The co-carbonization process, which lasted 100 min, produced a 46%biochar yield, which is higher than previously obtained biochar yields by other researchers. The biochar thus obtainedwas characterized to determine its properties. FTIR analysis showed that the biochar contained functional groupssuch as alkenes, alkynes, hydroxyls, amines, and carbonyls. The EDX analysis revealed that the biochar was primarilymade of carbon, tellurium, oxygen, and calcium in the ratios of 57%, 19%, 9%, and 7%, respectively. The inclusion ofthe facemask decreased the surface area and porosity of the biochar material, as evidenced by its surface area andpore characteristics.
