Production of a bio-magnetic adsorbent via co-pyrolysis of pine wood waste and red mud.

The efficient reduction of accumulated waste biomass and red mud by converting them into a value-added magnetic adsorbent is both difficult and tempting in terms of sustainability. This study focused on investigating the reaction mechanism of co-pyrolysis of different biomasses, including pine wood, cellulose, and lignin, with red mud at 500, 650, and 800 °C, and the comprehensive characterizations of the produced bio-magnetic particles. The performance of biomass and red mud based magnetic adsorbents is also evaluated, and their primary adsorption mechanisms for organic pollutants are revealed by using different organic model compounds. The samples produced at 800 °C showed the best performance. For example, the sample prepared using red mud and pine wood at 800 °C showed the highest adsorption capacity of ibuprofen, which was 21.01 mg/g at ∼pH 4.5, indicating strong π stacking interactions as the dominant adsorption mechanism. When compared to lignin-rich biomass, adsorbents composed of cellulose-rich biomass showed greater adsorption efficacy. The findings show that co-pyrolysis of biomass with red mud can reduce waste while also producing a flexible adsorbent that is magnetically separable and effective at absorbing different organic contaminants from water.

Pyrolytic Conversion of Plastic Waste to Value-Added Products and Fuels: A Review.

Plastic production has been rapidly growing across the world and, at the end of their use, many of the plastic products become waste disposed of in landfills or dispersed, causing serious environmental and health issues. From a sustainability point of view, the conversion of plastic waste to fuels or, better yet, to individual monomers, leads to a much greener waste management compared to landfill disposal. In this paper, we systematically review the potential of pyrolysis as an effective thermochemical conversion method for the valorization of plastic waste. Different pyrolysis types, along with the influence of operating conditions, e.g., catalyst types, temperature, vapor residence time, and plastic waste types, on yields, quality, and applications of the cracking plastic products are discussed. The quality of pyrolysis plastic oil, before and after upgrading, is compared to conventional diesel fuel. Plastic oil yields as high as 95 wt.% can be achieved through slow pyrolysis. Plastic oil has a heating value approximately equivalent to that of diesel fuel, i.e., 45 MJ/kg, no sulfur, a very low water and ash content, and an almost neutral pH, making it a promising alternative to conventional petroleum-based fuels. This oil, as-is or after minor modifications, can be readily used in conventional diesel engines. Fast pyrolysis mainly produces wax rather than oil. However, in the presence of a suitable catalyst, waxy products further crack into oil. Wax is an intermediate feedstock and can be used in fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) units to produce fuel or other valuable petrochemical products. Flash pyrolysis of plastic waste, performed at high temperatures, i.e., near 1000 °C, and with very short vapor residence times, i.e., less than 250 ms, can recover up to 50 wt.% ethylene monomers from polyethylene waste. Alternatively, pyrolytic conversion of plastic waste to olefins can be performed in two stages, with the conversion of plastic waste to plastic oil, followed by thermal cracking of oil to monomers in a second stage. The conversion of plastic waste to carbon nanotubes, representing a higher-value product than fuel, is also discussed in detail. The results indicate that up to 25 wt.% of waste plastic can be converted into carbon nanotubes.

Application of biochar for acid gas removal: experimental and statistical analysis using CO2.

Acid gases such as carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide are common contaminants in oil and gas operations, landfill gases, and exhaust stacks from power plants. While there are processes currently used to treat these effluents (e.g., amine absorption and adsorption using zeolite), many of these processes require high energy, space, and hazardous chemicals. Removal using biochar derived from the fast pyrolysis of forestry residues represents a more sustainable option. In this study, adsorption using CO2 as a surrogate for acid gases was investigated using various biochars produced from fast pyrolysis of sawmill residues. Response surface methodology was used to determine operating conditions for maximum adsorption and assess interaction of the adsorption parameters, i.e., temperature, inlet feed flow rate, and CO2 concentration, on biochar adsorption capacity. The Freundlich isotherm best represented the equilibrium adsorption, and the kinetic model was pseudo first-order. Thermodynamic analysis indicated the adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic. The biochar had better adsorption capacity relative to commercial zeolite. Our results suggested that biochar could be used as a sustainable and cost-effective option for contaminant removal from acid gases produced in landfill gas treatment, fossil fuel extraction, and/or combustion.