Controlled Combustion and Pyrolysis of Waste Plastics: A Comparison Based on Human Health Risk Assessment
Increasing conditions of economic and social well-being have led to an increase in waste production. Among the waste products, a significant portion consists of plastic materials that are popular in the components of consumer goods. For this reason, the conversion of plastic to energy via controlled...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-04-01
|
| Series: | Recycling |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-4321/8/2/38 |
| _version_ | 1797603712925958144 |
|---|---|
| author | Arianna Moranda Ombretta Paladino |
| author_facet | Arianna Moranda Ombretta Paladino |
| author_sort | Arianna Moranda |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Increasing conditions of economic and social well-being have led to an increase in waste production. Among the waste products, a significant portion consists of plastic materials that are popular in the components of consumer goods. For this reason, the conversion of plastic to energy via controlled combustion and plastic to fuel via thermal/catalytic pyrolysis or gasification can be proposed to treat the residual heterogeneous mixed plastics that cannot be recovered as individual polymers. The quality and type of fuels that are possible to obtain from these processes are different, as is the quality of their emissions, which generally contain VOCs, PCBs, dioxins, PAHs, and heavy metals. In this work, we propose a methodology based on human health risk assessment to compare controlled combustion and catalytic pyrolysis. Many pathways are analyzed, and pollutant concentrations are computed in the atmosphere, water, vegetables, fish, and food. Exposure is evaluated for inhalation and ingestion routes by taking into account uncertainties. Our results show that the risk profile of catalytic pyrolysis is low. Controlled combustion remains an interesting process, but even if Best Available Technologies (BAT) are adopted, the cancer risk due to PAHs contained in particulate is around the threshold for people living near the plant if a long period of operation is considered. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:35:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-16bfd4d6be9745328c54ba8e6f628d0a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2313-4321 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:35:39Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Recycling |
| spelling | doaj.art-16bfd4d6be9745328c54ba8e6f628d0a2023-11-17T21:08:02ZengMDPI AGRecycling2313-43212023-04-01823810.3390/recycling8020038Controlled Combustion and Pyrolysis of Waste Plastics: A Comparison Based on Human Health Risk AssessmentArianna Moranda0Ombretta Paladino1DICCA—Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Chimica ed Ambientale, Università di Genova, Via Opera Pia 15, 16145 Genova, ItalyDICCA—Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Chimica ed Ambientale, Università di Genova, Via Opera Pia 15, 16145 Genova, ItalyIncreasing conditions of economic and social well-being have led to an increase in waste production. Among the waste products, a significant portion consists of plastic materials that are popular in the components of consumer goods. For this reason, the conversion of plastic to energy via controlled combustion and plastic to fuel via thermal/catalytic pyrolysis or gasification can be proposed to treat the residual heterogeneous mixed plastics that cannot be recovered as individual polymers. The quality and type of fuels that are possible to obtain from these processes are different, as is the quality of their emissions, which generally contain VOCs, PCBs, dioxins, PAHs, and heavy metals. In this work, we propose a methodology based on human health risk assessment to compare controlled combustion and catalytic pyrolysis. Many pathways are analyzed, and pollutant concentrations are computed in the atmosphere, water, vegetables, fish, and food. Exposure is evaluated for inhalation and ingestion routes by taking into account uncertainties. Our results show that the risk profile of catalytic pyrolysis is low. Controlled combustion remains an interesting process, but even if Best Available Technologies (BAT) are adopted, the cancer risk due to PAHs contained in particulate is around the threshold for people living near the plant if a long period of operation is considered.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-4321/8/2/38catalytic pyrolysiscontrolled combustionplastic wastetoxic riskcancer riskdioxins |
| spellingShingle | Arianna Moranda Ombretta Paladino Controlled Combustion and Pyrolysis of Waste Plastics: A Comparison Based on Human Health Risk Assessment Recycling catalytic pyrolysis controlled combustion plastic waste toxic risk cancer risk dioxins |
| title | Controlled Combustion and Pyrolysis of Waste Plastics: A Comparison Based on Human Health Risk Assessment |
| title_full | Controlled Combustion and Pyrolysis of Waste Plastics: A Comparison Based on Human Health Risk Assessment |
| title_fullStr | Controlled Combustion and Pyrolysis of Waste Plastics: A Comparison Based on Human Health Risk Assessment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Controlled Combustion and Pyrolysis of Waste Plastics: A Comparison Based on Human Health Risk Assessment |
| title_short | Controlled Combustion and Pyrolysis of Waste Plastics: A Comparison Based on Human Health Risk Assessment |
| title_sort | controlled combustion and pyrolysis of waste plastics a comparison based on human health risk assessment |
| topic | catalytic pyrolysis controlled combustion plastic waste toxic risk cancer risk dioxins |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-4321/8/2/38 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ariannamoranda controlledcombustionandpyrolysisofwasteplasticsacomparisonbasedonhumanhealthriskassessment AT ombrettapaladino controlledcombustionandpyrolysisofwasteplasticsacomparisonbasedonhumanhealthriskassessment |