Publication detail

Energy and environmental sustainability of waste personal protective equipment (PPE) treatment under COVID-19

Zhao, X., Klemeš, J.J., You, F.Q.

Original Title

Energy and environmental sustainability of waste personal protective equipment (PPE) treatment under COVID-19

Type

journal article in Web of Science

Language

English

Original Abstract

Combating the COVID-19 pandemic has raised the demand for and disposal of personal protective equipment in the United States. This work proposes a novel waste personal protective equipment processing system that enables energy recovery through producing renewable fuels and other basic chemicals. Exergy analysis and environmental assessment through a detailed life cycle assessment approach are performed to evaluate the energy and environmental sustainability of the processing system. Given the environmental advantages in reducing 35.42% of total greenhouse gas emissions from the conventional incineration and 43.50% of total fossil fuel use from landfilling processes, the optimal number, sizes, and locations of establishing facilities within the proposed personal protective equipment processing system in New York State are then determined by an optimization based site selection methodology, proposing to build two pre-processing facilities in New York County and Suffolk County and one integrated fast pyrolysis plant in Rockland County. Their optimal annual treatment capacities are 1,708 t/y, 8,000 t/y, and 9,028 t/y. The proposed optimal personal protective equipment processing system reduces 31.5% of total fossil fuel use and 35.04% of total greenhouse gas emissions compared to the personal protective equipment incineration process. It also avoids 41.52% and 47.64% of total natural land occupation from the personal protective equipment landfilling and incineration processes.

Keywords

Fossil fuel reduction; GHG emissions; Life cycle assessment; PPE processing system; Process design; Techno-economic analysis

Authors

Zhao, X., Klemeš, J.J., You, F.Q.

Released

1. 1. 2022

Publisher

Elsevier Ltd.

Location

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD, THE BOULEVARD, LANGFORD LANE, KIDLINGTON, OXFORD OX5 1GB, ENGLAND

ISBN

1364-0321

Periodical

RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS

Number

153

State

United States of America

Pages from

111786

Pages to

111786

Pages count

15

URL

https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.lib.vutbr.cz/science/article/pii/S1364032121010558

BibTex

@article{BUT174907,
  author="Jiří {Klemeš}",
  title="Energy and environmental sustainability of waste personal protective equipment (PPE) treatment under COVID-19",
  journal="RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS",
  year="2022",
  number="153",
  pages="111786--111786",
  doi="10.1016/j.rser.2021.111786",
  issn="1364-0321",
  url="https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.lib.vutbr.cz/science/article/pii/S1364032121010558"
}