Sustainable management of medical plastic waste through carbon dioxide-assisted pyrolysis.

To address the challenges associated with medical plastic waste and to characterize its heterogeneity, non-recyclability, and potential biohazard risks, this study explored a carbon dioxide (CO ₂ )-assisted pyrolysis process as a sustainable disposal method. Medical plastic waste typically includes polypropylene, polystyrene, and polyvinyl chloride. To experimentally evaluate the functional reactivity of CO ₂ , we employed three pyrolysis setups (one-stage, two-stage, and catalytic processes). The technical advantages of using CO ₂ over inert gases such as nitrogen (N ₂ ) were demonstrated through pyrolysis tests. The results showed that energy production was enhanced under CO ₂ conditions, with catalytic pyrolysis generating 146% more flammable gases compared to pyrolysis in an N ₂ environment. The use of CO ₂ also led to a reduction in the formation of toxic chemicals due to improved thermal cracking. The CO ₂ -assisted pyrolysis process exhibited net negative CO ₂ emissions when a catalyst was present, as a substantial amount of CO ₂ was consumed during the process. In conclusion, CO ₂ -assisted pyrolysis of medical plastic waste offers a sustainable management solution that maximizes the utilization of carbon resources.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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