Plastic Waste Management towards Energy Recovery during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Example of Protective Face Mask Pyrolysis

Towards environmentally sustainable management: A review on the generation, degradation, and recycling of polypropylene face mask waste

There has been a considerable increase in the use of face masks in the past years. Managing face mask waste has become a global concern, as the current waste management system is insufficient to deal with such a large quantity of solid waste. The drastic increase in quantity, along with the material's inability to degrade plastic components such as polypropylene, has led to a large accumulation of plastic waste, causing a series of environmental and ecological challenges. In addition, the growing use also imposes pressure on waste management methods such as landfill and incineration, raising concerns about high energy consumption, low value-added utilization, and the release of additional pollutants during the process. This article initially reviews the impact of mask-related plastic waste generation and degradation behavior in the natural environment. It then provides an overview of various recently developed methods for recycling face mask plastic waste. The article also offers forward-looking strategies and recommendations on face mask plastic waste management. The review aims to provide guidance on harnessing the complexities of mask waste and other medical plastic pollution issues, as well as improving the current waste management system's deficiencies and inefficiencies in tackling the growing plastic waste problem.

A hybrid machine learning-mathematical programming optimization approach for municipal solid waste management during the pandemic

This paper provides a mathematical optimization strategy for optimal municipal solid waste management in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic. This strategy integrates two approaches: optimization and machine learning models. First, the optimization model determines the optimal supply chain for the municipal waste management system. Then, machine learning prediction models estimate the required parameters over time, which helps generate future projections for the proposed strategy. The optimization model was coded in the General Algebraic Modeling System, while the prediction model was coded in the Python programming environment. A case study of New York City was addressed to evaluate the proposed strategy, which includes extensive socioeconomic data sets to train the machine learning model. We found the predicted waste collection over time based on the socioeconomic data. The results show trade-offs between the economic (profit) and environmental (waste sent to landfill) objectives for future scenarios, which can be helpful for possible pandemic scenarios in the following years.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10668-023-03354-2.

Face mask and medical waste generation in the City of Baguio, Philippines: its current management and GHG footprint

The daily use of facemask to prevent virus transmission increases the negative effect on the environment because of improper waste disposal. Due to the absence of baseline data, the impact of facemask and medical waste generation, as well as the community's management practice, should be studied to avoid further environmental degradation. In this study, we surveyed 384 respondents and conducted computational analysis to provide an overview of the household's facemask usage and ecological footprint in combating Covid-19. Results showed that most respondents (48.7%) use two facemasks per day. Thus, an estimated 417,834 facemasks are disposed daily, generating 3,585 kg/day of additional waste. The average medical waste of Covid-infected individuals is 3.29 kg per day per capita. This yields 22,438 kg. of CO₂ eq., which could contribute to the global warming potential; however, there is also a potential recovery of 61.572 gigajoules of energy for power generation. Most respondents are aware of proper facemask waste management practices, but some lacks application regarding responsible waste disposal. Despite the contribution of facemask to the overall solid waste generation, the city's current management remains a challenge since disposable facemasks are potentially mixed with other types of waste from its storage, collection, and disposal.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10163-023-01601-2.

Analysis of Fuel Alternative Products Obtained by the Pyrolysis of Diverse Types of Plastic Materials Isolated from a Dumpsite Origin in Pakistan

The current energy crisis and waste management problems have compelled people to find alternatives to conventional non-renewable fuels and utilize waste to recover energy. Pyrolysis of plastics, which make up a considerable portion of municipal and industrial waste, has emerged as a feasible resolution to both satisfy our energy needs and mitigate the issue of plastic waste. This study was therefore conducted to find a solution for plastic waste management problems, as well as to find an alternative to mitigate the current energy crisis. Pyrolysis of five of the most commonly used plastics, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high- and low-density polyethylene (HDPE, LDPE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS), was executed in a pyrolytic reactor designed utilizing a cylindrical shaped stainless steel container with pressure and temperature gauges and a condenser to cool down the hydrocarbons produced. The liquid products collected were highly flammable and their chemical properties revealed them as fuel alternatives. Among them, the highest yield of fuel conversion (82%) was observed for HDPE followed by PP, PS, LDPE, PS, and PET (61.8%, 58.0%, 50.0%, and 11.0%, respectively). The calorific values of the products, 46.2, 46.2, 45.9, 42.8 and 42.4 MJ/kg for LPDE, PP, HPDE, PS, and PET, respectively, were comparable to those of diesel and gasoline. Spectroscopic and chromatographic analysis proved the presence of alkanes and alkenes with carbon number ranges of C₉-C₁₅, C₉-C₂₄, C₁₀-C₂₁, C₁₀-C₂₈, and C₉-C₁₇ for PP, PET, HDPE, LDPE, and PS, respectively. If implemented, the study will prove to be beneficial and contribute to mitigating the major energy and environmental issues of developing countries, as well as enhance entrepreneurship opportunities by replicating the process at small-scale and industrial levels.