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Lima FDA, Chagas PAM, Honorato ACS, da Silva EN, Aguiar ML, Guerra VG. Multifactorial evaluation of an ultra-fast process for electrospinning of recycled expanded polystyrene to manufacture high-efficiency membranes for nanoparticle air filtration. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 362:121352. [PMID: 38833930 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
The increased production of polystyrene waste has led to the need to find efficient ways to dispose of it. One possibility is the use of solid waste to produce filter media by the electrospinning technique. The aim of this work was to develop an ultra-fast electrospinning process applied to recycled polystyrene, with statistical evaluation of the influence of polymeric solution parameters (polymer concentration and percentage of DL-limonene) and process variables (flow rate, voltage, and type of support) on nanoparticle collection efficiency, air permeability, and fiber diameter. An extensive characterization of the materials and evaluation of the morphology of the fibers was also carried out. It was found that recycled expanded polystyrene could be used in electrospinning to produce polymeric membranes. The optimized condition that resulted in the highest nanoparticle collection efficiency was a polymer concentration of 13.5%, percentage of DL-limonene of 50%, voltage of 25 kV, and flow rate of 1.2 mL/h, resulting in values of 99.97 ± 0.01%, 2.6 ± 0.5 × 10-13 m2, 0.19 Pa-1, and 708 ± 176 nm for the collection efficiency of nanoparticles in the range from 6.38 to 232.9 nm, permeability, quality factor, and mean fiber diameter, respectively. All the parameters were found to influence collection efficiency and fiber diameter. The use of DL-limonene, a natural solvent, provided benefits including increased collection efficiency and decreased fiber size. In addition, the electrostatic filtration mechanism was evaluated using the presence of a copper grid as a support for the nanofibers. The findings demonstrated that an electrospinning time of only 5 min was sufficient to obtain filters with high collection efficiencies and low pressure drops, opening perspectives for the application of polystyrene waste in the development of materials with excellent characteristics for application in the area of atmospheric pollution mitigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe de Aquino Lima
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of São Carlos, Rodovia Washington Luís, Km 235, C.P. 676, CEP, 13560-970, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Paulo Augusto Marques Chagas
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of São Carlos, Rodovia Washington Luís, Km 235, C.P. 676, CEP, 13560-970, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Ana Carolina Sguizzato Honorato
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of São Carlos, Rodovia Washington Luís, Km 235, C.P. 676, CEP, 13560-970, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Edilton Nunes da Silva
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of São Carlos, Rodovia Washington Luís, Km 235, C.P. 676, CEP, 13560-970, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Mônica Lopes Aguiar
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of São Carlos, Rodovia Washington Luís, Km 235, C.P. 676, CEP, 13560-970, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Vádila Giovana Guerra
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of São Carlos, Rodovia Washington Luís, Km 235, C.P. 676, CEP, 13560-970, São Carlos, SP, Brazil.
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Zhao J, Wang X, Li S, Zhai C. Multisource solid waste development of low-carbon ultra-light foamed insulation materials: A feasibility study. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 351:119684. [PMID: 38056324 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
The continuous increase in building energy consumption, and the increasing types and quantities of solid waste have seriously hindered the rapid development of social economy. Therefore, reducing building energy consumption while realizing the recycling of waste has become the mainstream topic of environmental protection construction in the new era. An alkali-activated ultra-light foamed insulation material (AFIM) for building walls was prepared using EPS particles as lightweight aggregates. The effects of EPS dosage, particle size, and gradation on the compressive strength, dry density, thermal conductivity, and volumetric water absorption of AFIM were studied. The results showed that while ensuring good mechanical properties of AFIM, EPS particles can significantly reduce the dry density, thermal conductivity, and volumetric water absorption of AFIM. Excitingly, the optimal thermal conductivity and dry density of AFIM were 0.0408 W/(m·K) and 127.03 kg/m3, respectively. The microscopic morphology results showed that there was good compatibility between EPS particles and AFIM slurry, and the interface transition zone (ITZ) between them was dense and without obvious cracks. In addition, the feasibility of AFIM was evaluated from four aspects: performance, energy consumption, carbon emissions, and life cycle cost (LCC). It was encouraged that the performance of AFIM was comparable to that of traditional insulation materials, and showed significant advantages in energy conservation, emission reduction and economic benefits compared to traditional insulatin materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianjun Zhao
- Key Lab of Structures Dynamic Behavior and Control of the Ministry of Education, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China; Key Lab of Smart Prevention and Mitigation of Civil Engineering Disasters of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China
| | - Xue Wang
- Key Lab of Structures Dynamic Behavior and Control of the Ministry of Education, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China; Key Lab of Smart Prevention and Mitigation of Civil Engineering Disasters of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China
| | - Shuang Li
- Key Lab of Structures Dynamic Behavior and Control of the Ministry of Education, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China; Key Lab of Smart Prevention and Mitigation of Civil Engineering Disasters of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China.
| | - Changhai Zhai
- Key Lab of Structures Dynamic Behavior and Control of the Ministry of Education, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China; Key Lab of Smart Prevention and Mitigation of Civil Engineering Disasters of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China
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Cimini A, Imperi E, Picano A, Rossi M. Electrospun nanofibers for medical face mask with protection capabilities against viruses: State of the art and perspective for industrial scale-up. APPLIED MATERIALS TODAY 2023; 32:101833. [PMID: 37152683 PMCID: PMC10151159 DOI: 10.1016/j.apmt.2023.101833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Face masks have proven to be a useful protection from airborne viruses and bacteria, especially in the recent years pandemic outbreak when they effectively lowered the risk of infection from Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) or Omicron variants, being recognized as one of the main protective measures adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO). The need for improving the filtering efficiency performance to prevent penetration of fine particulate matter (PM), which can be potential bacteria or virus carriers, has led the research into developing new methods and techniques for face mask fabrication. In this perspective, Electrospinning has shown to be the most efficient technique to get either synthetic or natural polymers-based fibers with size down to the nanoscale providing remarkable performance in terms of both particle filtration and breathability. The aim of this Review is to give further insight into the implementation of electrospun nanofibers for the realization of the next generation of face masks, with functionalized membranes via addiction of active material to the polymer solutions that can give optimal features about antibacterial, antiviral, self-sterilization, and electrical energy storage capabilities. Furthermore, the recent advances regarding the use of renewable materials and green solvent strategies to improve the sustainability of electrospun membranes and to fabricate eco-friendly filters are here discussed, especially in view of the large-scale nanofiber production where traditional membrane manufacturing may result in a high environmental and health risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Cimini
- Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, University of Rome Sapienza, Rome 00161, Italy
- LABOR s.r.l., Industrial Research Laboratory, Via Giacomo Peroni, 386, Rome, Italy
| | - E Imperi
- LABOR s.r.l., Industrial Research Laboratory, Via Giacomo Peroni, 386, Rome, Italy
| | - A Picano
- LABOR s.r.l., Industrial Research Laboratory, Via Giacomo Peroni, 386, Rome, Italy
| | - M Rossi
- Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, University of Rome Sapienza, Rome 00161, Italy
- Research Center for Nanotechnology for Engineering of Sapienza (CNIS), University of Rome Sapienza, Rome 00185, Italy
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Liu X, Jiang D, Qin Y, Zhang Z, Yuan M. ZnO-PLLA/PLLA Preparation and Application in Air Filtration by Electrospinning Technology. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15081906. [PMID: 37112053 PMCID: PMC10146834 DOI: 10.3390/polym15081906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
With the increasing environmental pollution caused by disposable masks, it is crucial to develop new degradable filtration materials for medical masks. ZnO-PLLA/PLLA (L-lactide) copolymers prepared from nano ZnO and L-lactide were used to prepare fiber films for air filtration by electrospinning technology. Structural characterization of ZnO-PLLA by H-NMR, XPS, and XRD demonstrated that ZnO was successfully grafted onto PLLA. An L9(43) standard orthogonal array was employed to evaluate the effects of the ZnO-PLLA concentration, ZnO-PLLA/PLLA content, DCM(dichloromethane) to DMF(N,N-dimethylformamide) ratio, and spinning time on the air filtration capacity of ZnO-PLLA/PLLA nanofiber films. It is noteworthy that the introduction of ZnO is important for the enhancement of the quality factor (QF). The optimal group obtained was sample No. 7, where the QF was 0.1403 Pa-1, the particle filtration efficiency (PFE) was 98.3%, the bacteria filtration efficiency (BFE) was 98.42%, and the airflow resistance (Δp) was 29.2 Pa. Therefore, the as-prepared ZnO-PLLA/PLLA film has potential for the development of degradable masks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinxin Liu
- Green Preparation Technology of Biobased Materials National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center, Yunnan Minzu University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Dengbang Jiang
- Green Preparation Technology of Biobased Materials National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center, Yunnan Minzu University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Yuyue Qin
- Institute of Agriculture and Food Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650550, China
| | - Zhihong Zhang
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Mingwei Yuan
- Green Preparation Technology of Biobased Materials National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center, Yunnan Minzu University, Kunming 650500, China
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