Pyrolysis and dehalogenation of plastics from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE): a review

Effects of polymer matrix and temperature on pyrolysis of tetrabromobisphenol A: Product profiles and transformation pathways

Plastics are crucial constituents in electronic waste (e-waste) and part of the issue in e-waste recycling and environmental protection. However, previous studies have mostly focused on plastic recovery or thermal behavior of flame retardants, but not both simultaneously. The present study simulated the process of e-waste thermal treatment to explore tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) pyrolysis at various temperatures using polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and e-waste plastics as polymer matrices. Pyrolysis of TBBPA produced bromophenol, bromoacetophenone, bromobenzaldehyde, and bromobisphenol A. Co-pyrolysis with the polymer matrices increased emission factors by 1 - 2 orders of magnitude. The pyrolytic products of TBBPA, TBBPA+PS, and TBBPA+PVC were mainly low-brominated bisphenol A, while that of TBBPA in e-waste plastics was consistently bromophenol. Increasing temperature drove up the proportions of gaseous and particulate products, but lowered the relative abundances of inner wall adsorbed and residual products in pyrolysis of pure TBBPA. In co-pyrolysis of TBBPA with polymer matrix, the proportions of products in different phases were no longer governed solely by temperature, but also by polymer matrix. Co-pyrolysis of TBBPA with PS generated various bromophenols, while that with PVC produced chlorophenols and chlorobrominated bisphenol A. Transformation pathways, deduced by ab initio calculations, include hydrogenation-debromination, isopropylphenyl bond cleavage, oxidation, and chlorination.

Bromine contamination and risk management in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems

Bromine (Br) is widely distributed through the lithosphere and hydrosphere, and its chemistry in the environment is affected by natural processes and anthropogenic activities. While the chemistry of Br in the atmosphere has been comprehensively explored, there has never been an overview of the chemistry of Br in soil and aquatic systems. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the sources, geochemistry, health and environmental threats, remediation approaches, and regulatory guidelines pertaining to Br pollution in terrestrial and aquatic environments. Volcanic eruptions, geothermal streams, and seawater are the major natural sources of Br. In soils and sediments, Br undergoes natural cycling between organic and inorganic forms, with bromination reactions occurring both abiotically and through microbial activity. For organisms, Br is a non-essential element; it is passively taken up by plant roots in the form of the Br- anion. Elevated Br- levels can limit plant growth on coastal soils of arid and semi-arid environments. Br is used in the chemical industry to manufacture pesticides, flame retardants, pharmaceuticals, and other products. Anthropogenic sources of organobromine contaminants in the environment are primarily wastewater treatment, fumigants, and flame retardants. When aqueous Br- reacts with oxidants in water treatment plants, it can generate brominated disinfection by-products (DBPs), and exposure to DBPs is linked to adverse human health effects including increased cancer risk. Br- can be removed from aquatic systems using adsorbents, and amelioration of soils containing excess Br- can be achieved by leaching, adding various amendments, or phytoremediation. Developing cost-effective methods for Br- removal from wastewater would help address the problem of toxic brominated DBPs. Other anthropogenic organobromines, such as polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants, are persistent, toxic, and bioaccumulative, posing a challenge in environmental remediation. Future research directives for managing Br pollution sustainably in various environmental settings are suggested here.

Simultaneous removal of brominated and chlorinated species during the production of oils by e-waste plastics catalytic hydropyrolysis

The production of added-value chemicals via pyrolysis of plastic wastes, such as those from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), needs addressing their usual contamination with halogens (mainly Br and Cl). This work compares the conversion via pyrolysis and hydropyrolysis of a real WEEE plastic, having a complex composition, in two different reactor configurations: down-flow (DF) and up-flow (UF). Likewise, the effects of incorporating a Pd/Al2O3 catalyst and using two different pressures (1 and 6 bar) have been assessed. With the DF mode, pyrolysis at 1 bar leads to an oil yield above 80 wt% and a total halogen content of about 600 ppm (vs 1600 ppm in the water-washed WEEE plastic). Under DF catalytic hydropyrolysis at 6 bar, this high oil yield is maintained while its dehalogenation degree is improved (142 ppm). Operating with the up-flow configuration, under 6 bar and H2 presence, leads to some reduction in the oil yield (about 70 wt%) but significantly decreases the oil halogen content (55 ppm Cl and total elimination of Br). These results have been related to the slower pyrolysis and longer residence time in the thermal zone of the UF configuration, which favours the halogen-trapping effect of the char fraction, and the pressure-enhanced hydrodehalogenation activity of the catalyst. This study highlights the environmental benefits of the proposed process, emphasizing the lower halogen content in the resulting oils and promoting a more sustainable approach to plastic waste valorisation.

Recent Advancements in Pyrolysis of Halogen-Containing Plastics for Resource Recovery and Halogen Upcycling: A State-of-the-Art Review

Plastic waste has emerged as a serious issue due to its impact on environmental degradation and resource scarcity. Plastic recycling, especially of halogen-containing plastics, presents challenges due to potential secondary pollution and lower-value implementations. Chemical recycling via pyrolysis is the most versatile and robust approach for combating plastic waste. In this Review, we present recent advancements in halogen-plastic pyrolysis for resource utilization and the potential pathways from "reducing to recycling to upcycling" halogens. We emphasize the advanced management of halogen-plastics through copyrolysis with solid wastes (waste polymers, biomass, coal, etc.), which is an efficient method for dealing with mixed wastes to obtain high-value products while reducing undesirable substances. Innovations in catalyst design and reaction configurations for catalytic pyrolysis are comprehensively evaluated. In particular, a tandem catalysis system is a promising route for halogen removal and selective conversion of targeted products. Furthermore, we propose novel insights regarding the utilization and upcycling of halogens from halogen-plastics. This includes the preparation of halogen-based sorbents for elemental mercury removal, the halogenation-vaporization process for metal recovery, and the development of halogen-doped functional materials for new materials and energy applications. The reutilization of halogens facilitates the upcycling of halogen-plastics, but many efforts are needed for mutually beneficial outcomes. Overall, future investigations in the development of copyrolysis and catalyst-driven technologies for upcycling halogen-plastics are highlighted.

In situ high-valued transformation of nonmetals in waste printed circuit boards into supercapacitor electrodes with excellent performance

Nonmetals in waste printed circuit boards after metal separation containing brominated resin and fiberglass are considered hazardous and low-recoveryvalue e-waste. However, if these nonmetals are not treated or are improperly treated, they can cause serious environmental pollution. Therefore, there is an urgent and significant need to develop an efficient recycling process for these nonmetals. Based on the concept of high-valued recycling of waste, this study in situ utilized such nonmetals to prepare a porous supercapacitor electrode through a facile carbonization, activation, and carbon thermal reduction process. The results indicated that the activation was a key role in constructing a porous structure. The optimal parameters for activation were a temperature of 800 °C, mass ratio of KOH to pyrolytic residues of 2, and an activation time of 1 h. The electrode materials exhibited a surface area of 589 m2 g-1 and hierarchical porous structures. In addition, the supercapacitors exhibited a capacitance of 77.14 mF cm-2 (62.5 mF cm-2) at 0.5 mA cm-2 (100 mV s-1). Moreover, the supercapacitors had excellent temperature resistance and adaptability. The capacitance retention was 89.36% and 90% at -50 °C and 100 °C after 10 000 cycles, respectively. This study provides a high-valued recycling strategy to utilize the nonmetals in e-waste as energy materials.

Non-isothermal thermal decomposition behavior and reaction kinetics of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)

Environmental concerns associated with the rapid rising plastic consumption have led to the search for better waste utilization and management. Pyrolysis has emerged as an ideal and promising technique for energy extraction from plastic waste. The aim of this work is to explore the waste plastic pyrolysis behavior under non-isothermal heating conditions. The decomposition characteristics, reaction mechanism, kinetics and thermodynamics of a typical widely used thermosetting plastic, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), were studied via coupled thermogravimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis (TG-FTIR-GC/MS). Kinetic analysis showed the average Eα values are estimated to be 187.02, 188.55, 187.04 and 185.67 kJ/mol via advanced Vyazovkin, Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO), Tang and Starink model-free method, respectively. Model-fitting CR and master-plots method indicated that f(α)=(1-α)n is the most probable reaction mechanism. The equation of kinetic compensation effect was further developed as lnA = -3.1955 + 0.1736 Eα. Based on these initial inferences, a new reaction scheme coupled with Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) was put forward for modeling ABS pyrolysis. The optimized values of E, A and n are 198.07 kJ/mol, 7.61 × 1012 s-1 and 1.56, respectively. The predicted results showed that the experimental data can be well characterized by the optimized parameters from PSO, validating the effectiveness and accuracy of the inverse modeling procedure. Moreover, it is found that the volatile products are mainly composed of aromatic compounds, ketones, amines, esters, nitrile compounds, alkenes and amines. Based on the FT-IR and GC-MS results, the possible chemical reactions for ABS pyrolysis from molecular structure were proposed. Finally, thermodynamic analysis was carried out, the calculated values of enthalpy ΔH, Gibb's free energy ΔG and entropy ΔS indicated that non-spontaneous reactions with low favorability exists during ABS decomposition, the process is complex therefore extra energy is needed to promote the reaction. The obtained results should offer as an important reference for future disposal and thermochemical management of such polymer waste.

A feasible approach for the treatment of waste computer casing plastic using subcritical to supercritical acetone: Statistical modelling and optimization

Electronic waste (e-waste) usage has increased tremendously with the rapid evolution of technologies. The accumulated e-waste has now emerged as one of the crucial concerns regarding environmental pollution and human health. Recycling e-waste is commonly focused on metal recovery; nevertheless, a significant fraction of plastics (20-30%) are in e-waste. There is an indispensable need to focus on e-waste plastic recycling in an effective way, which has been mostly overlooked to date. An environmentally safe and efficient study is conducted using subcritical to supercritical acetone (SCA) to degrade the real waste computer casing plastics (WCCP) in the central composite design (CCD) of response surface methodology (RSM) to achieve the maximum oil yield of the product. The experiment parameters were varied in the temperature span of 150-300 °C, residence time between 30 and 120 min, solid/liquid ratio between 0.02 and 0.05 (g/ml), and NaOH amount from 0 to 0.5 g. Adding NaOH into the acetone helps to achieve efficient degradation and debromination efficiency. The study emphasized the attributes of oils and solid products recovered from the SCA-treated WCCP. The characterization of feed and formed products is performed with different characterization techniques such as TGA, CHNS, ICP-MS, FTIR, GC-MS, Bomb calorimeter, XRF, and FESEM. The highest oil yield achieved is 87.89% from the SCA process at 300 °C, in 120min, 0.05 S/L ratio, and 0.5 g of NaOH. GC-MS results disclose that the liquid product (oil) comprises single- and duplicate-ringed aromatic and oxygen-containing compounds. Isophorone is the significant component of the liquid product obtained. Furthermore, SCA's possible polymer degradation mechanistic route, bromine distribution, economic feasibility, and environmental aspect were also explored. This present work represents an environmentally friendly and promising approach for recycling the plastic fraction of e-waste and recovering valuable chemicals from WCCP.

The Effects of Bromine Additives on the Recyclability of Injection Molded Electronic Waste Polymers

Excessive waste amounts, such as waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and plastic waste, have increased simultaneously with the development of society. Despite the increased material amounts, the recycling rates are too low and those have a great potential to contribute actions toward a circular economy. A certain restricted factor for recycling is the heterogenous nature of materials, such as WEEE-included additives. This study investigates the effects of a WEEE polymer including bromine on recycling ability, analyzing its physical and mechanical features. The study demonstrates that polymer sorting is profitable for WEEE polymers from the material qualitative perspective, because various processability and material features are achieved in the study between material categories, and especially unidentified polymers have the weakest features in the studied tests. The separation of bromine concentration is also recommended because bromine-free materials have more advanced features that can be confirmed by statistical analyses. The achieved results support the idea that novel circular economy actions have the potential for effective, efficient WEEE polymer recycling processes with technological innovations, especially when all variables (e.g., recycling cycles and process parameters) are observed and it enables an option to reduce the need for virgin plastic.

Co-pyrolysis of paper-laminated phenolic printed circuit boards and calcium-based additives in fixed and fluidized bed reactors

This study compares the impact of the calcium-based additives and the pyrolyzer on the recovery and the halide content of the oil produced from the pyrolysis of paper-laminated phenolic resin printed circuit boards (FR2-PCB). The preliminary experiments showed that the maximum liquid recovery (40.6%) was achieved in a fluidized bed pyrolyzer containing a 50:50 mixture of CaO and Ca(OH)2 operating at T = 620 °C and PCB-to-additive ratio (FR2/A) = 5.4 g/g for 22 min. Extra tests were then carried out under these conditions in fixed and fluidized bed pyrolyzers to separately explore the impact of CaO, Ca(OH)2, and CaO + Ca(OH)2 on the liquid recovery (LR) and the halogen content of the non-solid products. In the fluidized bed, LR in the presence of CaO, Ca(OH)2, and CaO + Ca(OH)2 was 34.5%, 41.2%, and 38.9 wt%, respectively. The fraction of phenolic compounds in the pyrolysis oil ranged from 86% to 93%, about 1-3% higher than the corresponding values in the fixed bed. Using additives led to lower halide content in the pyrolysis oil of the fluidized bed than that of the fixed bed. However, the opposite trend was observed in the absence of additives. Regardless of the type of pyrolyzer, Ca(OH)2 was more successful than CaO in increasing LR, whereas CaO was more effective than Ca(OH)2 in pyrolysis oil dechlorination. Co-pyrolysis of FR2-PCB and CaO + Ca(OH)2 in a fluidized bed reactor was identified as a practical approach to enhance the recovery of pyrolysis oil comprising only 5% of the original halogen content of the feedstock.

Upgrading of solid recovered fuel (SRF) by dechlorination and catalytic pyrolysis over nanocrystalline ZSM-5 zeolite

Globally increasing concern related to municipal solid waste generation is encouraging research efforts on developing alternative routes to valorize mixed refused wastes. In this way, catalytic pyrolysis is emerging as an interesting and efficient technology due to its great flexibility in terms of feedstock. In the current work, upgrading of a Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) has been investigated by catalytic pyrolysis over nanocrystalline ZSM-5 zeolite (n-ZSM-5), paying special attention to dechlorination effects due to the high Cl content of the raw waste. Thus, pretreatment of the SRF by water washing and mild thermal processing allows for a significant reduction of the Cl concentration. Regarding the catalytic pyrolysis step, the best conditions correspond with a temperature of 400 °C in the catalyst bed and 0.50 catalyst/SRF mass ratio, which lead to ca. 30 wt% oil yield (rich in aromatic hydrocarbons) together with about 40 wt% gas yield (rich in C3-C4 olefins). Accordingly, these products could find use as raw chemicals or for the production of advanced fuels. In addition, zeolite reutilization has been tested for several cycles, denoting a progressive modification of the products distribution because of coke deposition. However, an almost total recovery of the n-ZSM-5 zeolite catalytic performance is achieved after regeneration by air calcination, affording the production of an oil fraction with a Cl content as low as 40 ppm.

A Preliminary Study on the Use of Highly Aromatic Pyrolysis Oils Coming from Plastic Waste as Alternative Liquid Fuels

In this work, the low-temperature pyrolysis of a real plastic mixture sample collected at a WEEE-authorised recycling facility has been investigated. The sample was pyrolysed in a batch reactor in different temperature and residence time conditions and auto-generated pressure by following a factorial design, with the objective of maximising the liquid (oil) fraction. Furthermore, the main polymers constituting the real sample were also pyrolysed in order to understand their role in the generation of oil. The pyrolysis oils were characterised and compared with commercial fuel oil number 6. The results showed that in comparison to commercial fuel oil, pyrolysis oils coming from WEEE plastic waste had similar heating values, were lighter and less viscous and presented similar toxicity profiles in fumes of combustion.

Combating toxic emissions from thermal recycling of polymeric fractions laden with novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) in e-waste: an in-situ approach using Ca(OH)2

Legacy brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in printed circuit boards are gradually being replaced by novel BFRs (NBFRs). Safe disposal and recycling of polymeric constituents in the polymeric fractions of e-waste necessitate the removal of their toxic and corrosive bromine content. This is currently acquired through thermal recycling operations involving the pyrolysis of BFRs-containing materials with metal oxides. Nonetheless, the debromination capacity toward NBFRs is yet to be established. Thus, this study aims to address these two crucial gaps in the current knowledge pertaining to the plausible formation of brominated toxicants from the thermal decomposition of NBFRs and their thermal recycling potential. Herein, we investigate the pyrolysis of a mixture of 2,4,6-tribromophenol (TBP), allyl 2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether (ATE) and Tetrabromobisphenol A-bis (2,3-dibromo propyl ether) (TBBPA-DBPE) in the presence of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) polymers at various loads. To demonstrate a viable debromination route, pyrolysis of NBFRs-ABS mixture with Ca(OH)2 was also investigated. The latter is a potent debromination agent for legacy BFRs. Upon pyrolysis with Ca(OH)2, the bromine content in the collected oil was reduced up to 80.49% between 25-500 °C. Products of the co-pyrolysis process generally feature non-brominated aromatic and aliphatic compounds; a finding that indicates an effective thermal recycling approach. As evident by IC measurements, no HBr emission could be detected when Ca(OH)2 is added to the mixture. As XRD patterns show, Ca(OH)2 is partially converted into CaBr2. DFT calculations provide pathways for the observed surface debromination characterized by surface-assisted fission of aromatic C-Br bonds and the formation of CaBr sites. Outcomes reported herein are instrumental to designing and operating a thermal recycling facility of polymeric materials contaminated with high loads of bromine, i.e., most notably during scenarios encountered in the thermal recycling of e-waste.

Debromination of Waste Circuit Boards by Reaction in Solid and Liquid Phases: Phenomenological Behavior and Kinetics

The debromination of waste circuit boards (WCBs) used in computer motherboards and components has been studied with two different pieces of equipment. Firstly, the reaction of small particles (around one millimeter in diameter) and larger pieces obtained from WCBs was carried out with several solutions of K2CO3 in small non-stirred batch reactors at 200–225 °C. The kinetics of this heterogeneous reaction has been studied considering both the mass transfer and chemical reaction steps, concluding that the chemical step is much slower than diffusion. Additionally, similar WCBs were debrominated using a planetary ball mill and solid reactants, namely calcined CaO, marble sludge, and calcined marble sludge. A kinetic model has been applied to this reaction, finding that an exponential model is able to explain the results quite satisfactorily. The activity of the marble sludge is about 13% of that of pure CaO and is increased to 29% when slightly calcinating its calcite at only 800 °C for 2 h.

Analysis of the effect of heating rate on pyrolysis kinetics and product composition of copper-containing waste circuit boards

Pyrolysis is a cost-effective and environmentally benign method for recycling organic waste, which can be converted into high-energy gases and oils. Pyrolysis technology was employed in this study to recycle copper-containing discarded circuit board material and recover copper, glass fibers, and gases and oils with high calorific values. Thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to evaluate pyrolyses of copper-containing waste circuit board materials conducted at different heating rates (5, 10, 20, and 40 °C/min), and the resulting volatiles were studied in detail. The effects of heating rate on the kinetics and activation energies for pyrolyses of copper-containing waste circuit boards were also investigated by using the Coats-Redfern (C-R) method. The TGA curves and FTIR spectra did not differ significantly for different heating rates, and the main functional groups identified with the FTIR results were O-H, C = C, aromatic benzene, substituted benzene, and C-Br. Additionally, GC-MS analyses showed that the heating rate had a great influence on the pyrolysis products formed; the phenol content decreased with increasing heating rate, and the highest content was realized at 5 ℃/min. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analyses showed that bromine was removed from the solid phase products during pyrolysis, while copper was effectively enriched in the feedstock. This indicated that pyrolysis can be used to recover copper-containing waste circuit boards.

A review of waste-to-hydrogen conversion technologies for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) applications: Aspect of gasification process and catalyst development

In the twenty-first century, there has been an increase in energy demand and waste production, due to the rising population of the world. One good approach for satisfying the energy demand and overcoming the waste management issues is to convert waste to energy. Additionally, using waste biomass as the feedstock of waste-to-energy (WtE) conversion methods makes them renewable and green and also helps the environmental challenges and reduces the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Gasification is a thermochemical WtE route, which can produce hydrogen-rich gaseous biofuel called synthetic gas (syngas), from wastes. In this paper, different aspects of gasification process are reviewed with greater focus on catalyst usage. Syngas processing steps, which increase the quality and H₂ content of the syngas to form bio-hydrogen, are discussed. Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology is one of the most promising techniques of renewable energy production due to their environmental cleanness characteristics and high efficiencies. Thus, one of the best ways to exploit the energy content of the bio-hydrogen product of gasification is to employ it in a SOFC. Therefore, waste biomass gasification process can be integrated with SOFCs to build high efficiency systems for production of clean and renewable energy from waste, which are called integrated gasification fuel cell (IGFC) systems. These systems provide the opportunity of further upgrading of syngas inside the SOFC. In this paper, we are going to briefly discuss fuel cell technology (especially SOFCs) and review SOFC applications from the aspect of integration with gasification process (IGFC system). Finally, the impacts and issues of gasification process and SOFC technology are considered.

Removal of Bromine from Polymer Blends with a Composition Simulating That Found in Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment through a Facile and Environmentally Friendly Method

The increasing volume of plastics from waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) nowadays is of major concern since the various toxic compounds that are formed during their handling enhance the difficulties in recycling them. To overcome these problems, this work examines solvent extraction as a pretreatment method, prior to thermochemical recycling by pyrolysis. The aim is to remove bromine from some polymeric blends, with a composition that simulates WEEE, in the presence of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA). Various solvents-isopropanol, ethanol and butanol-as well as several extraction times, were investigated in order to find the optimal choice. Before and after the pretreatment, blends were analysed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to estimate the total bromine content. Blends were pyrolyzed before and after the soxhlet extraction in order to evaluate the derived products. FTIR measurements of the polymeric blends before and after the soxhlet extraction showed that their structure was maintained. From the results obtained, it was indicated that the reduction of bromine was achieved in all cases tested and it was ~34% for blend I and ~46% and 42% for blend II when applying a 6 h soxhlet with isopropanol and ethanol, respectively. When using butanol bromine was completely eliminated, since the reduction reached almost 100%. The latter finding is of great importance, since the complete removal of bromine enables the recycling of pure plastics. Therefore, the main contribution of this work to the advancement of knowledge lies in the use of a solvent (i.e., butanol) which is environmentally friendly and with a high dissolving capacity in brominated compounds, which can be used in a pretreatment stage of plastic wastes before it is recycled by pyrolysis.

Theoretical study on pyrolysis mechanism of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) using DFT method

Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209), as a brominated flame retardant (BFR), is widely applied to various consumer products due to its superior performance and affordable pricing to improve the flame resistance of materials. To better comprehend the pyrolysis behavior of BDE-209 and the evolution process of main pyrolysis products, the thermal degradation mechanism of BDE-209 was studied using density functional theory (DFT) method at the theoretical level of M06/cc-pVDZ, and thermodynamic parameters were calculated in this paper. Unimolecular degradation was dominated by cleavage of the ether linkage, which results in a high yield of hexabromobenzene, and fission of the ortho-position C-Br bond is the main competitive reaction channel. In the system of BDE-209 + H, the pyrolysis reaction is majorly characterized by debromination, leading to the formation of considerable HBr and low-brominated diphenyl ethers. Additionally, the hydrogen-derived splitting of the ether bond acts as a mainly competitive channel, which is the source of polybromophenols and polybromobenzenes. The formation of polybrominated dibenzofuran (PBDF) derives from the cyclization reaction of ortho-phenyl-type radicals, which are readily generated through the ortho-position Br atom abstraction by H radical. The formation of polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PBDD) involves the ortho-C-O coupling reaction of polybromophenoxy radicals, debromination reaction, and cyclization reaction. And the total yield of PBDD/Fs was significantly increased when H was involved. Results presented in this work will provide the helpful information for the treatment and reuse of BDE-209-containing waste plastics through using pyrolysis technology.

Integrating a Chemicals Perspective into the Global Plastic Treaty

Driven by the growing concern about plastic pollution, countries have agreed to establish a global plastic treaty addressing the full life cycle of plastics. However, while plastics are complex materials consisting of mixtures of chemicals such as additives, processing aids, and nonintentionally added substances, it is at risk that the chemical aspects of plastics may be overlooked in the forthcoming treaty. This is highly concerning because a large variety of over 10,000 chemical substances may have been used in plastic production, and many of them are known to be hazardous to human health and the environment. In this Global Perspective, we further highlight an additional, generally overlooked, but critical aspect that many chemicals in plastics hamper the technological solutions envisioned to solve some of the major plastic issues: mechanical recycling, waste-to-energy, chemical recycling, biobased plastics, biodegradable plastics, and durable plastics. Building on existing success stories, we outline three concrete recommendations on how the chemical aspects can be integrated into the global plastic treaty to ensure its effectiveness: (1) reducing the complexity of chemicals in plastics, (2) ensuring the transparency of chemicals in plastics, and (3) aligning the right incentives for a systematic transition.

Chemical and Microbial Leaching of Valuable Metals from PCBs and Tantalum Capacitors of Spent Mobile Phones

We compared chemical and microbial leaching for multi-metal extraction from printed circuit boards (PCBs) and tantalum capacitor scrap. A mixed consortium of acidophiles and heterotrophic fungal strains were used in the experiments and compared to chemical leaching using specific acids (sulfuric, citric and oxalic acids). Under optimum conditions, 100% extraction efficiency of Cu, and nearly 85% of Zn, Fe, Al and Ni were achieved from PCB and tantalum capacitor scrap samples using sulfuric acid. The mixed consortium of acidophiles successfully mobilized, Ni and Cu (99% and 96%, respectively) while Fe, Zn, Al and Mn reached an extraction yield of 89, 77, 70 and 43%, respectively, from the PCB samples. For the tantalum capacitor samples, acidophiles mobilized 92% Cu, 88% Ni, 78% Fe, 77% Al, 70% Zn and 57% Mn. Metal mobilization from PCBs and tantalum capacitor scrap by A. niger filtrate showed efficient solubilization of Cu, Fe, Al, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn at an efficiency of 52, 29, 75, 5, 61, 21 and 35% from PCB samples and 61, 25, 69, 23, 68, 15 and 45% from tantalum capacitor samples, respectively. Microbial leaching proved viable as a method to extract base metals but was less specific for tantalum and precious metals in electronic waste. The implications of these results for further processing of waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) are considered in potential hybrid treatment strategies.

Removal of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in high impact polystyrene (HIPS) from waste TV sets

Most studies have shown that improper disposal of e-waste can accelerate the release of high concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and this situation causes environmental pollution and human health risks. The recycling technology of waste electronic plastics based on solvent processes can reduce environmental pollution and health risks from PBDEs. In this study, high impact polystyrene (HIPS) from waste TV sets was taken as the research object, and d-limonene and n-propanol were used as solvent and precipitant, respectively. We studied the relationship between the precipitation conditions and the size of precipitate particles, and the effect laws of precipitation conditions on the removal percentage of PBDEs were discussed. Transferring behavior of PBDEs during precipitation was investigated, and the parameters suitable for removing PBDEs from HIPS solution were confirmed. Results showed that lower HIPS concentration in d-limonene, lower precipitation temperature, higher mass ratio of n-propanol to HIPS solution, and greater stirring speed were conducive to form smaller and more uniform precipitate particles. All conditions (concentration, temperature, mass ratio, and stirring rate) that could increase the solubility of PBDEs in the mixed solvent of limonene and n-propanol or decrease the swelling degree of HIPS precipitate particles, or reduce the size of particles could improve the removal percentage of PBDEs. The investigated results indicated that insoluble PBDEs (e.g., decabromodiphenyl ether) transferred into the HIPS precipitate mainly through the generated crystals and then precipitated together with the HIPS particles, and soluble PBDEs (e.g., octabromodiphenyl ether) migrated into the precipitate by the solution entrained. The precipitate particles, which measured approximately 1.0 mm (on average), were obtained when the solution containing 10% of HIPS from waste TV shell was precipitated by adding n-propanol equivalent to twice the mass of the solution at 40 °C and 3000 r/min stirring speed. The total concentration of PBDEs in the precipitate particles (dried) was reduced to 2369 mg/kg, and 88.06% of the PBDEs in the original plastic solution was successfully removed by this process.

Closing the Carbon Loop in the Circular Plastics Economy

Today, plastics are ubiquitous in everyday life, problem solvers of modern technologies, and crucial for sustainable development. Yet the surge in global demand for plastics of the growing world population has triggered a tidal wave of plastic debris in the environment. Moving from a linear to a zero-waste and carbon-neutral circular plastic economy is vital for the future of the planet. Taming the plastic waste flood requires closing the carbon loop through plastic reuse, mechanical and molecular recycling, carbon capture, and use of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. In the quest for eco-friendly products, plastics do not need to be reinvented but tuned for reuse and recycling. Their full potential must be exploited regarding energy, resource, and eco efficiency, waste prevention, circular economy, climate change mitigation, and lowering environmental pollution. Biodegradation holds promise for composting and bio-feedstock recovery, but it is neither the Holy Grail of circular plastics economy nor a panacea for plastic littering. As an alternative to mechanical downcycling, molecular recycling enables both closed-loop recovery of virgin plastics and open-loop valorization, producing hydrogen, fuels, refinery feeds, lubricants, chemicals, and carbonaceous materials. Closing the carbon loop does not create a Perpetuum Mobile and requires renewable energy to achieve sustainability. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Recent Advances in the Decontamination and Upgrading of Waste Plastic Pyrolysis Products: An Overview

Extensive research on the production of energy and valuable materials from plastic waste using pyrolysis has been widely conducted during recent years. Succeeding in demonstrating the sustainability of this technology economically and technologically at an industrial scale is a great challenge. In most cases, crude pyrolysis products cannot be used directly for several reasons, including the presence of contaminants. This is confirmed by recent studies, using advanced characterization techniques such as two-dimensional gas chromatography. Thus, to overcome these limitations, post-treatment methods, such as dechlorination, distillation, catalytic upgrading and hydroprocessing, are required. Moreover, the integration of pyrolysis units into conventional refineries is only possible if the waste plastic is pre-treated, which involves sorting, washing and dehalogenation. The different studies examined in this review showed that the distillation of plastic pyrolysis oil allows the control of the carbon distribution of different fractions. The hydroprocessing of pyrolytic oil gives promising results in terms of reducing contaminants, such as chlorine, by one order of magnitude. Recent developments in plastic waste and pyrolysis product characterization methods are also reported in this review. The application of pyrolysis for energy generation or added-value material production determines the economic sustainability of the process.

Effect of brominated flame retardant on the pyrolysis products of polymers originating in WEEE

Chemical recycling is an environmentally friendly method, which is often used for the recycling of plastics included in waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE), since fuels and secondary valuable materials can be produced. Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are usually added into these plastics to reduce their flammability; but they are toxic substances. The aim of this work is to examine the thermal behaviour and the products obtained after pyrolysis of polymer blends that consist of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), high-impact polystyrene (HIPS), polycarbonate (PC) and polypropylene (PP) with composition that simulates real WEEE, in the absence and presence of a common BFR, tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), in order to investigate its effect on pyrolysis products. Blends were prepared via the solvent casting method and the melt-mixing in an extruder; it was revealed that the latter method may be a better choice for blends preparation, since it did not affect the products obtained. The chemical structure of each polymeric blend was identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Thermal degradation of the blends was evaluated by thermogravimetric (TG) experiments performed using a thermal analyser (TGA) and a pyrolyser for evolved gas analysis (EGA). It was observed that blends had a similar behaviour during their thermal degradation; and in most cases, they followed a one-step mechanism. Pyrolysis products were identified by the pyrolyser combined with a gas chromatographer/mass spectrometer (GC/MS), and comprised various useful compounds, such as monomers, aromatic hydrocarbons and phenolic compounds that could be used as chemical feedstock. Furthermore, it was found that TBBPA affected products distribution by enhancing the formation of phenolic compounds and on the other hand by resulting in brominated compounds, such as dibromophenol.

Feeding preference of insect larvae to waste electrical and electronic equipment plastics

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) plastics not only pollute the environment, but are challenging to treat in an environmentally friendly manner. Biodegradation by insect larvae is potentially an eco-friendly method to treat WEEE plastics, but information about the feeding preference of insect larvae to WEEE plastics is lacking. In this study, a total of nine WEEE and pristine plastics were chosen to feed larvae of the following two insect species, i.e. Galleria mellonella and Tenebrio molitor. G. mellonella larvae significantly favor corresponding pristine plastics compared to two types of WEEE plastics, waste rigid polyurethane (RPU) and waste polystyrene (PS). One possible explanation is the increased chlorine or metals in the WEEE plastics measured using X-ray fluorescence spectrometer analysis. Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy show that the destruction of physical structures and changes in surface functional groups were found in the two types of WEEE plastics in the larval frass, implying that the larvae partly biodegraded the plastics. Meanwhile, the powdered waste high impact polystyrene plastics (WHIPS) were ingested, but not the lumpy ones, indicating that the consumption by G. mellonella larvae is improved by the WHIPS physical modification. In addition, G. mellonella larvae presented the following decreasing preference for pristine plastics under individual-plastic-fed mode: RPU > phenol-formaldehyde resin > polyethylene (PE) > polypropylene > PS ≈ polyvinyl chloride; this is possibly due to differences in physical properties and chemical structures of the plastics; feeding preference of the larvae under multiple-plastics-fed mode is relatively consistent to that under individual-plastic-fed mode. Interestingly, the consumption by G. mellonella larvae of PE is higher than that of PS, while T. molitor larvae showed the opposite trend, implying that insect larvae have different plastics preference. The findings provide insights into biodegradation of WEEE plastics by insect larvae.

Opportunities and challenges for the application of post-consumer plastic waste pyrolysis oils as steam cracker feedstocks: To decontaminate or not to decontaminate?

Thermochemical recycling of plastic waste to base chemicals via pyrolysis followed by a minimal amount of upgrading and steam cracking is expected to be the dominant chemical recycling technology in the coming decade. However, there are substantial safety and operational risks when using plastic waste pyrolysis oils instead of conventional fossil-based feedstocks. This is due to the fact that plastic waste pyrolysis oils contain a vast amount of contaminants which are the main drivers for corrosion, fouling and downstream catalyst poisoning in industrial steam cracking plants. Contaminants are therefore crucial to evaluate the steam cracking feasibility of these alternative feedstocks. Indeed, current plastic waste pyrolysis oils exceed typical feedstock specifications for numerous known contaminants, e.g. nitrogen (∼1650 vs. 100 ppm max.), oxygen (∼1250 vs. 100 ppm max.), chlorine (∼1460vs. 3 ppm max.), iron (∼33 vs. 0.001 ppm max.), sodium (∼0.8 vs. 0.125 ppm max.)and calcium (∼17vs. 0.5 ppm max.). Pyrolysis oils produced from post-consumer plastic waste can only meet the current specifications set for industrial steam cracker feedstocks if they are upgraded, with hydrogen based technologies being the most effective, in combination with an effective pre-treatment of the plastic waste such as dehalogenation. Moreover, steam crackers are reliant on a stable and predictable feedstock quality and quantity representing a challenge with plastic waste being largely influenced by consumer behavior, seasonal changes and local sorting efficiencies. Nevertheless, with standardization of sorting plants this is expected to become less problematic in the coming decade.

Transformation and kinetics of chlorine-containing products during pyrolysis of plastic wastes

Pyrolysis can not only effectively dispose of plastic wastes but also reclaim valuable chemicals and biochar. However, the production and release of second pollutants, particularly chlorine-containing products, have been neglected. The mechanism for the transformation of chlorine during the pyrolysis of plastic wastes remains unclear. Herein, a thermogravimetric Fourier transform infrared mass spectrometry technology was used to investigate the migration and transformation of substances during the pyrolysis of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic from 200 °C to 900 °C with heating rates of 5, 50, 100, 150, and 200 K min^-1. Results show the first stage of weight loss is at 200 °C-360 °C, where the dehydrochlorination of PVC mainly occurred, accompanied by the formation of conjugated double bonds and a small number of hydrocarbon compounds. The second stage of weight loss is at 360 °C-550 °C, where the breakage and rearrangement of the long polyethene chain may occur. Kinetics analysis shows the higher activation energy value is in the second stage, which indicates that the second stage reaction is less likely to occur and the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa method is more suitable for the study of plastic pyrolysis kinetics. This study suggests that second pollutants can be minimized during controllable pyrolysis.

DFT studies on pyrolysis mechanisms of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA)

Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) is the most widely used brominated flame retardant. In order to better understand the decomposition process of TBBPA and clarify the evolution process of the main pyrolysis products, the density functional theory (DFT) method PBE0/6-311G(d) has been used to investigate the pyrolysis mechanisms of TBBPA in this study. Seven possible pyrolysis reaction paths were proposed, and the kinetic parameters in all pyrolysis paths were calculated. The calculation results indicate that in initial degradation of TBBPA without the involvement of hydrogen radical, the demethylation reaction is the main pyrolysis reaction channel, and the keto-enol tautomerization reaction is the main competitive pyrolysis reaction channel. The brominated cyclohexadienone formed through the keto-enol tautomerization is prone to further debromination to generate Br radical. The involvement of hydrogen radical significantly lowers the energy barrier of TBBPA decomposition. When a hydrogen radical is involved in the pyrolysis process, the debromination reaction becomes the major pyrolysis reaction channel, and the homolytic cleavage of C_aromatic-C bond becomes the major competitive pyrolysis reaction channel.

Novel trends in the thermo-chemical recycling of plastics from WEEE containing brominated flame retardants

The amount of plastics from waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) has enormously increased nowadays, due to the rapid expansion and consumption of electronic devices and their short lifespan. This, in combination with their non-biodegradability, led to the need to explore environmentally friendly solutions for their safe disposal. One main obstacle when recycling plastics from WEEE is that they usually comprise harmful additives such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs) that need to be removed before or during their recycling. This paper reviews existing techniques for the recycling of plastics from WEEE and focuses specifically on the advantages, disadvantages, and challenges of pyrolysis as an environmentally friendly method for the production of value-added materials (monomers, hydrocarbons, phenols, etc.). Current technological trends available for the recycling of plastics containing brominated flame retardants are reviewed in an attempt to provide insights for future research on the sustainable management of plastics from WEEE. Emphasis is given on conventional pyrolysis, where a pretreatment step for the debromination of products is applied. This is required since brominated compounds treated at high temperatures may result in the production of harmful to health compounds such as dioxins. All current pretreatment methods (solvent extraction, supercritical fluid technology, etc.) are presented and compared in detail. Co-pyrolysis is also investigated, as it seems to be a very interesting approach, since no catalysts or solvents are used, and at the same time, more plastic wastes can be consumed as feedstock. Furthermore, catalytic pyrolysis along with key parameters, such as the type of the catalyst or pyrolysis temperature, are fully analyzed. Catalysts affect the products' distribution and enhance the removal of bromine from pyrolysis oils. Finally, an emerging technique, that of microwave-assisted pyrolysis, is also highlighted, as it offers many advantages over conventional pyrolysis. Of course, there are some impediments, such as the operational costs or other difficulties as regards the industrial implementation of the mentioned techniques that need to be overcome through future works.

A new mechanism and kinetic analysis for the efficient conversion of inorganic bromide in waste printed circuit board smelting ash via traditional sulfated roasting

The waste printed circuit board smelting ash (WPCB-SA) produced in the waste printed circuit board smelting process is a hazardous material that not only contains valuable metals, but also contains a large amount of toxic and harmful inorganic bromides. The utilization of metals has received considerable attention in previous studies, but the recovery of hazardous bromides requires further study. In this article, a new idea of converting inorganic bromine in WPCB-SA by traditional sulfated roasting is proposed. Debromination kinetics under simulated experimental conditions are discussed, and kinetic equations are established. The kinetic results show that during low-temperature sulfated roasting, the conversion of Br in CuBr and PbBr₂ conforms to the chemical reaction diffusion model and diffusion control the product layer model, respectively. A possible reaction mechanism is also proposed. Our research shows that the conversion of Br in CuBr is divided into three processes: covalent bond decomposition, hydrogen ion form acid, copper ion form salt, and HBr oxidation conversion, whereas the conversion of Br in PbBr₂ is divided into two processes: sulfuric acid ionization, lead ion form salt and HBr oxidation conversion. This work provides the theoretical basis for the improvement and application of inorganic bromide recovery technology in WPCB-SA.

Sono-oxidation treatment of hazardous ABS/PC surface for its selective separation from ESR styrene plastics

This study reports the selective hydrophilization of the ABS/PC blend surface using the peroxide-sonochemical system and then its selective separation by froth flotation technique from other ABS-based plastics (ABS, ABS/PMMA) and PS/HIPS in electronic shredder residue (ESR). FT-IR and XPS measurements confirm that the hydrophilic moiety development on the ABS/PC surface led to increasing the wettability of ABS/PC and then decreased its floatability. The confocal scanning results also support the enhancement of microscale roughness of the treated ABS/PC surface. The enhanced surface roughness is attributed to the oxidative process which degrades hydrophobic moieties and promotes hydrophilic functional groups on the ABS/PC surface using commercial oxidant peroxide and ultrasound. This study also investigated removal of Br-containing compounds on the ABS/PC surface. The optimum conditions for selectively ABS/PC separation are peroxide concentration 2%, power cycle 70%, treatment time 5 min, temperature 50 °C, floating agent concentration 0.4 mg/L, flotation time 2 min, and airflow rate 0.5 L/min. ABS/PC was selectively separated from ESR styrene plastics with high recovery and purity of 98.9% and 99.8%, respectively. Hence, the developed novel surface treatments having removal of hazardous Br chemicals and none-formation of secondary pollutants should be applied for upgrading plastic recycling quality.

Chemical Recycling of WEEE Plastics—Production of High Purity Monocyclic Aromatic Chemicals

More than 200 kg real waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) shredder residues from a German dismantling plant were treated at 650 °C in a demonstration scale thermochemical conversion plant. The focus within this work was the generation, purification, and analysis of pyrolysis oil. Subsequent filtration and fractional distillation were combined to yield basic chemicals in high purity. By means of fractional distillation, pure monocyclic aromatic fractions containing benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX aromatics) as well as styrene and α-methyl styrene were isolated for chemical recycling. Mass balances were determined, and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) as well as energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) measurements provided data on the purity and halogen content of each fraction. This work shows that thermochemical conversion and the subsequent refining by fractional distillation is capable of recycling WEEE shredder residues, producing pure BTEX and other monocyclic aromatic fractions. A significant decrease of halogen content (up to 99%) was achieved with the applied methods.

Plastic recycling in a circular economy; determining environmental performance through an LCA matrix model approach

To ensure a circular economy for plastics, insights in the environmental impacts of recycling and optimal recycling choices for specific plastic polymers are crucial. This was obtained by determining the environmental performance of 10 selected recycling technologies with varying TRL levels, using the chemical properties of the top 25 produced polymers in Europe. The results were collected in a life cycle assessment (LCA) 'matrix' model. To simulate realistic plastic recycling challenges, case studies of PE/PP foils from municipal waste and ABS plastic with brominated flame retardants were developed, to be used as an addition to the LCA matrix model results. Potential emission reduction was assessed by combining LCA matrix outcomes with European polymer demand data. The LCA matrix model illustrates that potential environmental performance of recycling technologies varied strongly per polymer type and did not always follow the state-of-the-art recycling hierarchy. Commodity plastics performed well with tertiary recycling technologies, such as gasification and pyrolysis to monomers; secondary mechanical recycling was outperformed. A focus on primary recycling is environmentally beneficial for most engineering and high performance plastics. To enhance the performance of primary recycling technologies, a higher purity and improved sorting is required. As demonstrated in the case studies, low sorting efficiencies due to impurities reduces positive environmental impacts. Hence, optimal environmental performance of recycling is obtained where pre-treatment (sorting, cleaning) is adapted to the recycling technology. According to the model, recycling the 15 most demanded polymers in Europe reduces CO₂ emissions from plastics by 73% or 200 Mtonne CO₂ eq.

Catalytic effect and mechanism of coexisting copper on conversion of organics during pyrolysis of waste printed circuit boards

Pyrolysis is a promising technology for recycling organic materials from waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs). Nevertheless, the generated organic bromides are toxic and urgently needed to be removed. The coexisting copper (Cu) of WPCBs has potential performance on debromination. However, the catalytic effect and mechanism of Cu on pyrolysis process and products were still unclear. To clarify the in-situ catalysis of Cu, the analysis on kinetics and pyrolysis products was performed. The results showed that Cu can change the mechanism function of pyrolysis, which reduced the apparent activation energy (Ea). The mechanism function of Cu-coated WPCBs was obtained by Šesták-Berggren model and expressed as: dαdt=1.65×10⁷×1-α^-1.30α^6.09-ln1-α^-6.03exp⁡-202.45KJ/molRT. Product analysis suggested that Cu promoted the conversion of organic bromides to Br₂ and HBr. During the process of pyrolysis, bromide atoms interacted with Cu to form coordination compound, which can weaken the strength of C-Br bond and generate bromide free radical (Br*). Besides, Cu can promote the conversion of aromatic-Br to Br₂ as the catalyst for Ullmann cross-coupling reaction. Therefore, the presence of Cu was beneficial to pyrolysis. This work provided the theoretical basis for the improvement and application of pyrolysis technology.

Microwave-assisted catalytic pyrolysis of waste printed circuit boards, and migration and distribution of bromine

Microwave-assisted pyrolysis (MAP) of waste printed circuit boards (WPCB) was performed to investigate the characteristics of pyrolysis product and Br fixation. Pyrolysis conversion increased with increasing temperature, reaching 93.3 % at 650 °C. However, increasing heating time did not exhibit remarkable influence on pyrolysis conversion. At 350 °C, phenols were main compounds in the oil accounting for 91.15 %. As the temperature increased to 650 °C, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (except phenols) increased to 20.55 % and 19.03 %, respectively. Meanwhile, the total content of CO₂, CO, CH₄ and H₂ in the non-condensable gases increased significantly. Addition of ZSM-5 and kaolin promoted the recombination reaction of pyrolysis products, increased the relative percentage of monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (except phenols) and C₁₁-C₂₀ compounds in the oil, and reduced non-condensable gases. The oxygen bomb-ion chromatography was used to evaluate the Br content of pyrolysis residues. Higher pyrolysis temperature enhanced transfer of Br to pyrolysis gas. K₂CO₃, Na₂CO₃ and NaOH reacted with hydrogen bromide to generate KBr and NaBr, which significantly improved the Br fixation efficiency of pyrolysis residues (i.e. from 29.11%-99.80%, 96.39 % and 86.69 %, respectively) and reduced Br content in pyrolysis gas.

Comparative study of pyrolytic carbons prepared from printed circuit boards by magnetic and electrostatic separation

To discover the influence of separation technologies for PCBs on the preparation, characterization and application of pyrolytic carbon, two kinds of nonmetal fraction from magnetic and electrostatic separation were chosen as the precursors.

The Use of Heterogeneous Catalysis in the Chemical Valorization of Plastic Waste

Plastic solid waste (PSW) is an ever-growing environmental challenge for our society, as it not only ends up in landfills but also in waterways and oceans and is consequently entering the food chain. A key strategy to overcome this problem while also preserving carbon resources is to use PSW as a feedstock, evolving towards a circular economy. To implement this, mechanical as well as chemical recycling technologies must be developed. Indeed, owing to the high volume of PSW generated each year, mechanical recycling alone is not adequate for addressing this global challenge. Because of this, chemical recycling via thermal and heterogeneous catalytic conversion has received growing attention. This process has the potential to take PSW and convert it into usable monomers, fuels, synthesis gas, and adsorbents under more sustainable conditions than thermal degradation. This Review highlights the recent research advances in catalytic technologies for PSW conversion and valorization.

Energy Recovery via Thermal Gasification from Waste Insulation Electrical Cables (WIEC)

The recovery of noble metals from electrical wires and cables results in waste materials such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene (PE), that is, waste insulation electrical cables (WIEC), which have been processed by gasification for energy recovery. This study focused on the effect of blending the ratio of WIEC on the gasification feedstock composition and the lower heating value (LHV) of produced syngas, through controlled tests and tests under different loads on the generator. The controlled gasification experiments were carried out at blending ratios between pine biomass and WIEC of 90:10, 80:20, and 70:30 and with pine biomass only (100%). For the loads gasification, the experiments were carried out at a blending ratio of 80:20. The controlled experimental results presented that the highest hydrogen content, approximated 17.7 vol.%, was observed at a blending ratio of 70:30 between pine biomass and WIEC and the highest LHV of syngas was observed at a blending ratio of 90:10, with 5.7 MJ/Nm3. For the load gasification experiments, the results showed that the highest hydrogen content was obtained with a load of 15 kW in the generator, approximately 18.48 vol.% of hydrogen content, and the highest LHV of synthesis gas was observed during the 5 kW test, with 5.22 MJ/Nm3. Overall, the new processing of waste insulation electrical cables using a downdraft gasification reactor demonstrates great promise for high quality syngas production.

Degradation of polyvinyl chloride microplastics via an electro-Fenton-like system with a TiO2/graphite cathode

Nowadays, microplastic pollution has been brought into focus for its hazards to aquatic life. However, researches on the electrocatalytic treatment for efficient degradation of microplastics are still insufficient. Herein, an electro-Fenton like (EF-like) technology based on TiO₂/graphite (TiO₂/C) cathode was put forward to degrade polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a typical microplastic in water. It exhibited a remarkable performance on PVC degradation via cathodic reduction dechlorination and hydroxyl radical (OH) oxidation simultaneously. Besides, the effects of reaction temperature and initial PVC concentration were investigated. Under optimal conditions, the dechlorination efficiency of PVC reached 75 % after potentiostatic electrolysis at -0.7 V vs. Ag/AgCl for 6 h. The intermediate products were explored during the degradation of PVC microplastics. The surface morphologies and molecular weight of PVC changed accordingly. Based on these results, a possible degradation process for PVC was proposed. This work demonstrated that such a heterogeneous EF-like technology using TiO₂/C cathode was hopefully to provide an eco-friendly method for microplastic wastewater treatment.

Exopolysaccharides directed embellishment of diatoms triggered on plastics and other marine litter

In the present study, embellishment or beautification of diatoms on substrates like plastics, polydimethylsiloxane, graphite, glass plate, and titanium dioxide, triggered by exopolysaccharides was examined under laboratory conditions. Exopolysaccharides are secreted mainly by primary colonisers, bacteria, which is succeeded by secondary colonisers i.e. diatoms. Both diatom (Nitzschia sp.4) and bacteria (Bacillus subtilis) were exposed with substrates separately for 30 days. Diatoms adhere on substrates strongly, not only because of surface roughness of different substrates but also the nanoporous architecture of diatoms which enhanced their embellishment. This study attempted to identify the substrates that adhere to diatoms strongly and was mainly analyzed by scanning electron microscope and further the observations are well supported by math work software (MATLAB). The variation of diatom's binding on different substrates is due to the influence of marine litters on diatom population in ocean beds where they undergo slow degradation releasing macro, micro and nanoparticles besides radicals and ions causing cell death. Therefore a proof-of-concept model is developed to successfully deliver a message concerning benefit of using different diatom species.

Catalytic performance and debromination of Fe-Ni bimetallic MCM-41 catalyst for the two-stage pyrolysis of waste computer casing plastic

A computer casing plastic waste containing brominated flame retardants (BFRs) was pyrolyzed in a two-stage vertical quartz tube reactor using iron and nickel metals modified MCM-41 catalysts. Various catalysts with different ratios of Fe and Ni were prepared and utilized to study their catalytic performance. At the presence of 20%Ni/MCM-41 catalyst, the pyrolytic yield of oil and gas reached maximum values of 49.9 wt% and 13.8 wt% respectively. The co-existence of Fe and Ni showed synergistic effect on oil composition by promoting the formation of valuable single ring hydrocarbons. With regard to the 15%Fe-5%Ni/MCM-41, 10%Fe-10%Ni/MCM-41 and 5%Fe-15%Ni/MCM-41 catalysts, the production of single ring hydrocarbons were 64.58%, 65.93% and 64.74% respectively. The bimetallic catalysts also exhibited remarkable effect on eliminating bromine from pyrolytic oil. At the presence of Fe-Ni/MCM-41, the bromine in pyrolytic oil was reduced to below 4 wt% compared with 10 wt% without catalyst. Higher amounts of Fe in the catalyst is beneficial for the debromination efficiency. The debromination process by the Fe-Ni/MCM-41 may be realized by these different mechanisms: catalytic cracking of organobromines, reaction of loaded metal oxides with HBr/SbBr₃, and deposition of organobromines on the surface of catalyst.

Investigation of the heterogeneity of bromine in plastic components as an indicator for brominated flame retardants in waste electrical and electronic equipment with regard to recyclability

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) can contain brominated flame retardants (BFRs) that pose a threat to human health and the environment. In addition, Br-containing plastics reduce the recycling potential of WEEE. In order to gain a better insight into the distribution of Br in plastics from WEEE, the total concentration of Br was measured on the level of device types and plastic components using handheld X-ray fluorescence (hXRF). In 35 % of the sample size (882 components from 369 different devices, which originate from 6 device types) Br was detected, 5 % exceeded the RoHS limit. Only few and older devices contained high Br concentrations, while the majority were below the RoHS limit and could be recycled. In addition, 18 different plastic types were identified by infrared spectroscopy, with acrylonitrile butadiene styrene being the most abundant (44 % of all samples). Manual dismantling of devices into individual plastic components enabled us to examine Br hotspots and the variety of plastic types in WEEE. Based on this analytical procedure, WEEE recyclers could exclude certain equipment or plastic components (e.g. power supplies or PC housings) directly on-site prior to WEEE recycling and shredding in order to produce high-quality recycled products and avoid cross-contamination.

Separating and recycling metal mixture of pyrolyzed waste printed circuit boards by a combined method

Waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) contain a variety of valuable and hazardous materials. Recycling WPCBs is an important subject not only for environmental protection but also for sustainable development of resources. In this work, a new method combined low-temperature alkaline smelting with liquid-liquid phase separation is proposed to separate and recycle metal mixture in pyrolysis residue of WPCBs of mobile phones. During the low-temperature alkaline smelting process, amphoteric metals Al, Pb, Si, Sn, and Zn are firstly separated and recycled from the metal mixture with the separation rates of 99.5%, 81.6%, 97.8%, 88.4% and 95.7%, respectively. To separate the remaining metal mixture mainly containing elements Cu, Fe, Cr, Ni, Au and Ag, a liquid-liquid phase separation system is designed. As a result, the noble metals Au and Ag are concentrated in the copper-rich substance to form a high-value group, while the elements Ni and Cr distribute in the iron-rich substance. The iron-rich substance can be reused in the liquid-liquid phase separation process. In the super-gravity field, the recycling rates of the metals Au, Ag, Cr and Ni reach 98.1%, 99.8%, 95.6% and 75.4%, respectively. Furthermore, the iron-rich substance can be reused back to the liquid-liquid separation system. The copper-rich substance enriched by the noble metals can be efficiently recovered with low energy consumption and less pollution. This work provides an environmentally friendly and efficient route for separating and recycling the metal mixture in WPCBs.

Leaching behavior of Sb and Br from E-waste flame retardant plastics

The improper disposal of E-waste flame retardant plastics laden with antimony (Sb) and bromine (Br) has brought enormous environmental hazards, however, rare information on the effective removal of Sb and Br is available. In this study, through building an alkaline sulfide system under hydrothermal conditions, Sb and Br were simultaneously extracted from flame retardant plastic with high efficiency of 85.60% and 90.13%, respectively. Sulfur ion through mass transfer reacted with encapsulated Sb₂O₃ to form safe and non-toxic SbS₃^3-. Alkaline solution trapped the Br through substitution or neutralization reaction to inhibit the formation of brominated organic compounds. The results showed that the optimum temperature, residence time, Na₂S and NaOH concentration for hydrothermal removal of Sb and Br were 220 °C, 2 h, 50 g/L and 20 g/L. The results also revealed that both Na₂S and NaOH played an interrelated role in the process of Sb removal. However, NaOH was the only factor controlling the process of debromination. Moreover, the FTIR structure of plastic after alkaline sulfide hydrothermal treatment remained unchanged, which implies that the treated plastic can be reused, and is an added advantage of this technology. The TG-DTG analysis proved the effectiveness of alkaline sulfide hydrothermal treatment in removing Sb and Br.

Research of the thermal decomposition mechanism and pyrolysis pathways from macromonomer to small molecule of waste printed circuit board

Pyrolysis is an important pre-treatment technology for pyrometallurgy, which could reduce pollution and recover materials from waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs). However, present studies on mechanism of pyrolysis were insufficient, which results in the unclear of controlling reaction rate and inhibiting side reaction. To further develop pyrolysis technology, the in-depth research on the pyrolysis mechanism is necessary. In this study, we investigated the thermal decomposition process and pyrolysis pathways from macromonomers to products of WPCBs. The results showed that HBr was produced at the initial stage of pyrolysis. Then, the resin body depolymerized into macromonomers, followed by random rupture and free radical reactions to form pyrolysis products. Besides, possible mechanism for bisphenol A thermal decomposing was analyzed by bond energy. The results suggested that methyl groups in bisphenol A would be preferentially removed because of low bond energy. The six possible pathways may occur simultaneously when energy sufficient. Moreover, the mechanism function was determined by Škvára-Šesták method as: G(α)=-ln 1-α², which indicated pyrolysis reaction agreed with the model of random nucleation followed by random growth. This study provided the theoretical basis for pollution control, process optimization and reactor design of WPCBs pyrolysis.

Removal of fine particles from IC chip carbonization process in a rotating packed bed: Modeling and assessment

A high-gravity rotating packed bed (HiGee RPB) is very efficient at removing pollution because it exerts a strong high centrifugal and allows tiny droplets to form, which allows the control of gaseous and particulate air pollution. In this study, fine particles that are removed from integrated circuit (IC) chip carbonization process using a RPB are evaluated under different high gravity factors and liquid-to-gas ratios. The greatest number of particles captured per energy consumption is 17.77 mg kWh^-1 in a RPB. This allow greater energy efficiency for the HiGee technology prevents an air-energy nexus. The maximum available particle removal efficiency for a RPB is determined using a response surface model (RSM). 99.5% of particles are removed at a high gravity factor of 262 and a liquid-to-gas ratio of 0.24. A semi-theoretical model is developed to determine the particle removal efficiency individually in packing and cavity zones of the RPB. More particles are removed in a cavity zone than in the packing zone as the high gravity factor increases. An empirical model shows that the particle removal efficiency depends on the operating factors. Finally, a comparison analysis of particulate matter treatment in various types of RPB is used to validate the performance in terms of particle removal using high-gravity technology for different industries.