EUBCE 2024 - Francesco BARRACCO - Valorization of Pyrolytic Plastic-Derived Char for Adsorption of Wastewater Contaminants: A Kinetic and Thermodynamic Investigation

Valorization of Pyrolytic Plastic-Derived Char for Adsorption of Wastewater Contaminants: A Kinetic and Thermodynamic Investigation

Short Introductive summary

In the last decade, the interest towards utilization of biochar in agriculture has spiked, thanks to its beneficial effects on soil properties. Still, part of recent research is focused on the utilization of biochar as a pollutants removal medium. To fully exploit the soil enhancing properties of globally produced biochars, plastic-derived chars could replace the former as a wastewater pollutants removal medium. The present work focused on a preliminary investigation on the sorbent properties of a char obtained from pyrolysis of industrial plastic wastes, to compare its sorbent properties with those of other chars and biochars, evaluating the possibility of biochars replacement by plastic chars as sorbent materials. The results showed that the investigated plastic char possessed sorbent properties similar to those of non-activated biochars. However, activated chars displayed much higher sorbent properties, suggesting that an activation process is strongly needed to expand the plastic char surface area and improve its sorbent properties. Future research should also focus on the plastic char regeneration, to estimate the economic feasibility of replacing biochars with plastic chars.

F. Barracco, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, ITALY
E. Parisi, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, ITALY
G. Pipitone, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, ITALY
E. Simone, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, ITALY
S. Bensaid, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, ITALY
D. Fino, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, ITALY