A novel ‘sea-thermal’, synergistic co-valorisation approach for biofuels production from unavoidable food waste (almond hulls) and plastic residues (disposable face masks)

Remón, Javier; Zapata, Gonzalo; Oriol, Luis; Pinilla, J.L.; Suelves, I.

doi:10.1016/j.cej.2022.137810

Cited by 14 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…The percentage of volatiles is very high (>90% in both masks), and the percentage of fixed carbon is low (<4%). These results are like those found by other authors [40,41]. The FTIR spectra of the different layers for the surgical and FFP2 mask are shown in Figures 3 and 4, respectively.…”

Section: Characterization Of the Face Maskssupporting

confidence: 89%

Characterization of the Products of the Catalytic Pyrolysis of Discarded COVID-19 Masks over Sepiolite

Ortega

Martín-Lara

Pula³

et al. 2023

Applied Sciences

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This research aims to develop a new strategy to valorize wasted COVID-19 masks based on chemical recycling by pyrolysis to convert them into useful products. First, surgical and filtering face piece masks, as defined in Europe by the EN 149 standard (FFP2), were thermally pyrolyzed at temperatures of 450, 500, and 550 °C, and the yields of valuable solid (biochar), liquid (biooil), and syngas products and their characteristics were determined. At low temperatures, biochar formation was favored over biooil and syngas production, while at high temperatures the syngas product yield was enhanced. The highest yield of biooil was found at a pyrolysis temperature of 500 °C, with both surgical and FFP2 masks achieving biooil yields of 59.08% and 58.86%, respectively. Then, the pyrolysis experiments were performed at 500 °C in a two-stage pyrolysis catalytic reactor using sepiolite as a catalyst. Sepiolite was characterized using nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Results showed that the two-stage process increased the final yield of syngas product (43.89% against 39.52% for surgical masks and 50.53% against 39.41% for FFP2 masks). Furthermore, the composition of the biooils significantly changed, increasing the amount of 2,4-Dimethyl-1-heptene and other olefins, such as 3-Eicosene, (E)-, and 5-Eicosene, (E)-. Additionally, the methane and carbon dioxide content of the syngas product also increased in the two-stage experiments. Ultimately, the effect of sepiolite regeneration for its use in consecutive pyrolysis tests was examined. Characterization data showed that, the higher the use-regeneration of sepiolite, the higher the modification of textural properties, with mainly higher changes in its pore volume. The results indicated that the pyrolysis of face masks can be a good source of valuable products (especially from biooil and syngas products).

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Section: Characterization Of the Face Maskssupporting

confidence: 89%

Characterization of the Products of the Catalytic Pyrolysis of Discarded COVID-19 Masks over Sepiolite

Ortega

Martín-Lara

Pula³

et al. 2023

Applied Sciences

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“…Beyond its use in animal husbandry, the use of almond hull for bioenergy and biofuels purposes has been also proposed with encouraging results [ 9 , 10 ]. Furthermore, very recently, an innovative synergistic hydrothermal co-valorization approach for biofuels production through coprocessing of almond hulls and FFP2 (Filtering Face Piece 2) disposable face masks in seawater has been proposed [ 11 ]. All these applications, even if very promising, might represent only a partial solution to the huge environmental impact of the residues of the almond dehulling process, by the way generating only low value further incomes for growers and producers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Almond [Prunus dulcis (Mill.) DA Webb] Processing Residual Hull as a New Source of Bioactive Compounds: Phytochemical Composition, Radical Scavenging and Antimicrobial Activities of Extracts from Italian Cultivars (‘Tuono’, ‘Pizzuta’, ‘Romana’)

et al. 2023

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In this study we developed a new extract, by the use of conventional solid-solvent extraction and a food-grade hydroalcoholic solvent, rich in phenolic and triterpenoid components from almon hull to be employed as functional ingredient in food, pharma and cosmetic sectors. Two autochthonous Sicilian cultivars (‘Pizzuta’ and ‘Romana’) and an Apulian modern cultivar (‘Tuono’) have been tested for the production of the extract. Results showed that the two Sicilian varieties, and in particular the ‘Romana’ one, present the best characteristics to obtain extracts rich in triterpenoids and hydroxycinnamic acids, useful for the production of nutraceutical supplements. About triterpenoids, the performance of the hydroalcoholic extraction process allowed to never go below 46% of recovery for ‘Pizzuta’ samples, with significantly higher percentages of recovery for ‘Tuono’ and ‘Romana’ extracts (62.61% and 73.13%, respectively) while hydroxycinnamic acids were recovered at higher recovery rate (84%, 89% and 88% for ‘Pizzuta’, ‘Romana’ and ‘Tuono’ extracts, respectively). Invitro antioxidant and antimicrobial activities exerted by the extracts showed promising results with P. aeruginosa being the most affected strain, inhibited up to the 1/8 dilution with ‘Romana’ extract. All the three tested extracts exerted an antimicrobial action up to 1/4 dilutions but ‘Romana’ and ‘Pizzuta’ extracts always showed the greatest efficacy.

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A review of the co‐liquefaction of biomass feedstocks and plastic wastes for biofuel production

Baloyi,

Patel

2024

Biofuels Bioprod Bioref

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Interest has emerged recently in addressing the long‐standing issue of waste plastic disposal and environmental challenges through the co‐liquefaction of waste plastics with eco‐friendly renewable biomass resources, including microalgae biomass and lignocellulosic biomass, to produce biofuels. Co‐liquefaction provides a viable alternative for managing plastic waste while contributing to biofuel production. The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive review of the advances in the co‐liquefaction of various mixtures of plastic waste and different types of biomass feedstocks (lignocellulosic and algal) for the production of biofuels.The influence of various reaction parameters, such as feedstock composition (blending ratio), temperature, catalyst type and loading, solvents, and reaction time on the product yield are explored. The synergistic interaction during the co‐liquefaction of biomass and plastic and the distribution and properties of biofuel products are also discussed.The findings demonstrate that maximum product yields vary depending on the final temperature, and the blending ratio plays a crucial role in determining the distribution of liquefaction products. Of particular interest is biocrude oil, the components of which are influenced by the composition of the feedstock material. The distribution of organic elements in the biochar is contingent upon the type of plastic used. Although the analysis of gas‐phase components is often overlooked, the reaction medium's composition is shown to impact the resulting gas composition.Finally, based on the insights gleaned from the literature, this review presents future perspectives on the subject matter. In general, the co‐liquefaction process offers a viable option for sustainable biofuel production and is a promising approach to address the waste plastics disposal challenges effectively, contributing to the valorization of plastic waste to achieve a circular bioeconomy in the future.

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A novel ‘sea-thermal’, synergistic co-valorisation approach for biofuels production from unavoidable food waste (almond hulls) and plastic residues (disposable face masks)

Cited by 14 publications

References 60 publications

Characterization of the Products of the Catalytic Pyrolysis of Discarded COVID-19 Masks over Sepiolite

Characterization of the Products of the Catalytic Pyrolysis of Discarded COVID-19 Masks over Sepiolite

Almond [Prunus dulcis (Mill.) DA Webb] Processing Residual Hull as a New Source of Bioactive Compounds: Phytochemical Composition, Radical Scavenging and Antimicrobial Activities of Extracts from Italian Cultivars (‘Tuono’, ‘Pizzuta’, ‘Romana’)

A review of the co‐liquefaction of biomass feedstocks and plastic wastes for biofuel production

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