Plasma degradation of contaminated PPE: an energy-efficient method to treat contaminated plastic waste

Tobias, Mariano MarcoHeriot Watt Univ, Sch Engn & Phys Sci, Chem Engn, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, Scotland. (författare)

Plasma degradation of contaminated PPE : an energy-efficient method to treat contaminated plastic waste

The use of PPE has drastically increased because of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic as disposable surgical face masks made from non-biodegradable polypropylene (PP) polymers have generated a significant amount of waste. In this work, a low-power plasma method has been used to degrade surgical masks. Several analytical techniques (gravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), attenuated total reflection-infra-red spectroscopy (ATR-IR), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetric analysis/differential scanning calorimetry (TGA/DSC) and wide-angle x-ray scattering (WAXS)) were used to evaluate the effects of plasma irradiation on mask samples. After 4 h of irradiation, an overall mass loss of 63 +/- 8%, through oxidation followed by fragmentation, was observed on the non-woven 3-ply surgical mask, which is 20 times faster than degrading a bulk PP sample. Individual components of the mask also showed different degradation rates. Air plasma clearly represents an energy-efficient tool for treating contaminated PPE in an environmentally friendly approach.

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER Kemiteknik hsv//swe
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY Chemical Engineering hsv//eng
TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER Nanoteknik hsv//swe
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY Nano-technology hsv//eng
Teknisk fysik med inriktning mot nanoteknologi och funktionella material
Engineering Science with specialization in Nanotechnology and Functional Materials

Åhlén, MichelleUppsala universitet,Nanoteknologi och funktionella material(Swepub:uu)micah729 (författare)
Cheung, OceanUppsala universitet,Nanoteknologi och funktionella material(Swepub:uu)ocech274 (författare)
Bucknall, David G.Heriot Watt Univ, Sch Engn & Phys Sci, Inst Chem Sci, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, Scotland. (författare)
McCoustra, Martin R. S.Heriot Watt Univ, Sch Engn & Phys Sci, Inst Chem Sci, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, Scotland. (författare)
Yiu, Humphrey H. P.Heriot Watt Univ, Sch Engn & Phys Sci, Chem Engn, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, Scotland. (författare)
Heriot Watt Univ, Sch Engn & Phys Sci, Chem Engn, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, Scotland.Nanoteknologi och funktionella material (creator_code:org_t)

Av författaren/redakt...: Tobias, Mariano ...; Åhlén, Michelle; Cheung, Ocean; Bucknall, David ...; McCoustra, Marti ...; Yiu, Humphrey H. ...

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