Influence of Temperature on the Composition and Calorific Value of Gases Produced during the Pyrolysis of Waste Pharmaceutical Blisters

Abstract

Waste pharmaceutical blisters (WPBs) are a type of multimaterial waste that contain layers of plastic and metal connected permanently. The separation of those materials with the application of mechanical methods is impossible. One of the methods that can be used to recover metal from WPBs is pyrolysis—a thermal decomposition process performed in the absence of oxygen. The products are a solid fraction that contain char and metal, liquid fraction, and gases. The gases produced during the process can be used as a fuel, either alone or mixed with another gaseous fuel such as natural gas. The presented research was focused on the determination of the influence of the process temperature on the composition of gases produced during the pyrolysis of two types of pharmaceutical blister waste: pre- and postconsumer. The postconsumer waste contains trace amounts of pharmaceutical products. One of the goals was to determine whether those compounds influence the gas properties. The method of neutralizing these materials can be part of the circular economy, the idea of which is to strive to maximize the use of natural resources and bring them back into circulation. The presented method allows not only to recover char, oil, and metal that can be easily separated from the solid fraction, but also to reuse the process gases as a fuel and, possibly, to form HCl during the decomposition of PVC. The paper includes the analysis of the input material, as well as a detailed chemical analysis of the produced gases.

Circular Economy in Conjunction with Treatment Methodologies in the Biomedical and Dental Waste Sectors

“…Moreover, it is projected that the pharmaceutical packaging market will reach 111.9 billion USD by 2026 following a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.75%. Waste pharmaceutical blisters (WPBs) are one of the major segments of pharmaceutical waste packaging [63,64] and consist of an average of 80-85 wt% of plastic films and 10-20 wt % of aluminum foils [65]. They are mainly disposed of by incineration and landfilling in municipal solid waste.…”

“…They are mainly disposed of by incineration and landfilling in municipal solid waste. Incineration of plastics may cause the release of hazardous gases such as dioxins, hydrogen chloride, and nitrous oxide, with consequent environmental impacts [65][66][67]. That is why the sustainability of WPB recycling along with sustainability in the whole pharmaceutical industry sector has become an environmental, social, and economic concern almost everywhere [68][69][70].…”

“…Separation of aluminum from plastic laminates through exfoliation has also been studied using different solvents such as organic solvents, acid solutions, basic solutions, and water. The hydrometallurgical separation of aluminum from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has been investigated by dissolving the aluminum from WPBs using hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide as lixiviants [65]. Zhang et al [71] investigated the separation of aluminum-plastic laminates in Tetra Pak® using a mixed organic solvent system of benzene-ethyl alcohol-water as separation chemicals.…”

Pyrolysis behavior, kinetics, and thermodynamics of waste pharmaceutical blisters under CO2 atmosphere

“…The polymer degradation to fuels can be achieved by optimizing parameters to improve the yields of target products. Klejnowska et al [9] investigated the effect of temperatures on gas composition during WPBs pyrolysis. Pikoń et al [10] examined the fuel properties of char from WPBs pyrolysis.…”

Electrohydraulic Fragmentation of Aluminum and Polymer Fractions from Waste Pharmaceutical Blisters

“…Moreover, it is projected that the pharmaceutical packaging market will reach USD 111.9 billion by 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.75% . Pharmaceutical blisters are one of the major segments of pharmaceutical waste packages , and consist of an average of 80–85 wt % of plastic films and 10–20 wt % of aluminum foils . Due to their structural complexity, waste pharmaceutical blisters (WPBs) are mainly disposed of by incineration and landfilling in municipal solid waste .…”