https://sputnikglobe.com/20240722/russian-researchers-develop-innovative-method-to-safely-incinerate-plastic-medical-waste-1119428567.html
Russian Researchers Develop Innovative Method to Safely Incinerate Plastic Medical Waste
Russian Researchers Develop Innovative Method to Safely Incinerate Plastic Medical Waste
Sputnik International
Researchers from Vyatka State University proposed a method for disposing of plastic medical waste using an electric field without generating toxic substances.
2024-07-22T05:30+0000
2024-07-22T05:30+0000
2024-07-22T05:54+0000
medical care
waste
russia
scientific research
scientists
scientific study
scientists
beyond politics
science & tech
https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/06/04/1083072880_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_55ae0ce3e6592221581b9a429bbdf294.jpg
This proposed technology could form the basis for energy-efficient new waste incineration plants. The results were presented at the Ural Environmental Science Forum “Sustainable Development of Industrial Region" (UESF-2024).Choosing the correct waste disposal method is crucial for several reasons. Firstly, it ensures the most complete disposal of waste. Secondly, it guarantees the safety of the end products of recycling. Refusing to dispose of certain classes of waste can lead to serious environmental consequences, as toxic substances can leach from the materials during storage, contaminating soil, air, and living organisms.Plastic and its contents are among the most difficult types of waste to destroy. Depending on the type, different physical, chemical, and thermal methods are applied to break down the polymer chain into substances with a smaller mass, specialists from Vyatka State University (VyatSU) explained.They noted that medical polymer products, which may contain biomaterial, require special attention. The most effective and safe disposal method is burning, but it is often incomplete without additional actions. Conventional burning produces numerous incomplete oxidation products: carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, phenols, and carcinogenic dioxins. Therefore, specialists are developing methods to "afterburn" polymer products into carbon dioxide and water.VyatSU scientists proposed burning medical polymer products in an electrostatic field. According to experimental data, this approach can reduce carbon monoxide emissions by 20-30% and increase the burning speed of the waste.He added that when the field is directed against the flow of the burning mixture, the flame clings to the fuel, leading to more intensive formation of combustible gas from the polymer. The flame significantly increases, enveloping the sample. This intensifies the mixing of the fresh oxidizer with the decomposed products of the polymer material, resulting in increased combustion completeness.The team plans to identify general patterns of changes in combustion parameters of various substances under the influence of an electric field, and to develop methods to optimize the combustion process as a whole.The knowledge gained can then be applied to improve the operation of any energy installations implementing combustion, the scientists emphasized.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240425/us-continues-to-struggle-with-its-vast-plastic-waste-amid-export-cut-offs-1118099540.html
russia
Sputnik International
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“
2024
Sputnik International
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“
News
en_EN
Sputnik International
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“
Sputnik International
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“
vyatka state university, waste disposal, plastic waste disposal, plastic waste incinerating, ural environmental science forum sustainable development of industrial region, russian green technologies
vyatka state university, waste disposal, plastic waste disposal, plastic waste incinerating, ural environmental science forum sustainable development of industrial region, russian green technologies
Russian Researchers Develop Innovative Method to Safely Incinerate Plastic Medical Waste
05:30 GMT 22.07.2024 (Updated: 05:54 GMT 22.07.2024) Researchers from Vyatka State University have proposed a method for disposing of plastic medical waste without generating toxic substances. According to specialists, burning in an electric field can be an effective way to eliminate plastic, as the field ensures the complete oxidation of the material's hydrocarbon base with oxygen from the air.
This proposed technology could form the basis for energy-efficient new waste incineration plants. The results were presented at the Ural Environmental Science Forum “Sustainable Development of Industrial Region" (
UESF-2024).
Choosing the correct
waste disposal method is crucial for several reasons. Firstly, it ensures the most complete disposal of waste. Secondly, it guarantees the safety of the end products of recycling. Refusing to dispose of certain classes of waste can lead to serious environmental consequences, as toxic substances can leach from the materials during storage, contaminating soil, air, and living organisms.
Nowadays, waste classification is standardized worldwide. Disposal methods are calculated based on the waste's origin, state, and main material, experts explained.
Plastic and its contents are among the most difficult types of waste to destroy. Depending on the type, different physical, chemical, and thermal methods are applied to break down the polymer chain into substances with a smaller mass, specialists from Vyatka State University (VyatSU) explained.
They noted that medical polymer products, which may contain biomaterial, require special attention. The most effective and safe disposal method is burning, but it is often incomplete without additional actions. Conventional burning produces numerous incomplete oxidation products: carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, phenols, and carcinogenic dioxins. Therefore, specialists are developing methods to "afterburn" polymer products into carbon dioxide and water.
VyatSU scientists proposed burning medical polymer products in an electrostatic field. According to experimental data, this approach can reduce
carbon monoxide emissions by 20-30% and increase the burning speed of the waste.
"In the flame, there are charged particles that interact with the electric field. This interaction leads to various effects — changes in the geometry of the flame, combustion temperature, etc. In this situation, the field, directed along the flow of the combustible mixture, stretches the flame at low voltages, increasing the area of chemical interaction between the reactants (fuel and oxidizer), resulting in more efficient chemical reactions," said Ilya Zyryanov, an assistant professor at VyatSU's Department of Engineering Physics.
He added that when the field is directed against the flow of the burning mixture, the flame clings to the fuel, leading to more intensive formation of combustible gas from the polymer. The flame significantly increases, enveloping the sample. This intensifies the mixing of the fresh oxidizer with the decomposed products of the polymer material, resulting in increased combustion completeness.
"In our work, we use a developed and constructed model of a waste incinerator that allows modeling various combustion modes and incineration methods used in real industrial thermal installations. A distinctive feature of our furnace is the ability to create an electric field of various configurations in the combustion zone," explained the specialist.
The team plans to identify general patterns of changes in combustion parameters of various substances under the influence of an electric field, and to develop methods to optimize the combustion process as a whole.
The knowledge gained can then be applied to improve the operation of any energy installations implementing combustion, the scientists emphasized.
