Landfill leachate treatment by electrochemical oxidation

This study investigated the electrochemical oxidation of stabilized leachate from Pulau Burung semi-aerobic sanitary landfill by conducting laboratory experiments with sodium sulfate Na₂SO₄ (as electrolyte) and graphite carbon electrodes. The control parameters were influent COD, current density and reaction time, while the responses were BOD removal, COD removal, BOD:COD ratio, color and pH. Na₂SO₄ concentration was 1 g/L. Experiments were conducted based on a three-level factorial design and response surface methodology (RSM) was used to analyze the results. The optimum conditions were obtained as 1414 mg/L influent COD concentration, 79.9 mA/cm² current density and 4 h reaction time. This resulted in 70% BOD removal, 68% COD removal, 84% color removal, 0.04 BOD/COD ratio and 9.1 pH. Electrochemical treatment using graphite carbon electrode was found to be effective in BOD, COD and color removal but was not effective in increasing the BOD/COD ratio or enhancing biodegradability of the leachate. The color intensity of the treated samples increased at low influent COD and high current density due to corrosion of electrode material.     

Treatment of mature landfill leachate by biofilters and Fenton oxidation

A series of processes by biofilter and Fenton oxidation to treat mature landfill leachate has been devised. At a hydraulic loading rate of 20 l m^?3 d^?1, a biofilter packed with aged refuse is found to remove 80% of chemical oxygen demand (COD), 89% of ammonia nitrogen and 96% of total phosphorus (TP). Particularly, TP levels dropped below 1 mg l^?1. The optimal condition for Fenton oxidation was selected to be an initial pH of 5, a dosage of 0.01 and 0.02 mol l^?1 of FeSO₄ and H₂O₂, respectively, and a duration of 3 h, where COD removal efficiency reaches 58.6%, and BOD₅/COD ratio is raised from 0.05 to 0.20. Subsequent treatment by a biofilter packed with slag reduces COD, ammonia nitrogen levels to less than 100, 25 mg l^?1, respectively. A pilot scale experiment conducted in situ demonstrates that this series of processes exhibits a high efficiency in removing pollutants from mature landfill leachate and it is viable for application.     

Non-biodegradable landfill leachate treatment by combined process of agitation,coagulation, SBR and filtration

This study describes the complete treatment of non-biodegradable landfill leachate by combined treatment processes. The processes consist of agitation as a novel stripping method used to overcome the ammonia toxicity regarding aerobic microorganisms. The NH₃-N removal ratio was 93.9% obtained at pH 11.5 and a gradient velocity (G) 150 s^?1 within a five-hour agitation time. By poly ferric sulphate (PFS) coagulation followed the agitation process; chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biological oxygen demand (BOD₅) were removed at 70.6% and 49.4%, respectively at an optimum dose of 1200 mg L^?1 at pH 5.0. The biodegradable ratio BOD₅/COD was improved from 0.18 to 0.31 during pretreatment step by agitation and PFS coagulation. Thereafter, the effluent was diluted with sewage at a different ratio before it was subjected to sequencing batch reactor (SBR) treatment. Up to 93.3% BOD₅, 95.5% COD and 98.1% NH₃-N removal were achieved by SBR operated under anoxic–aerobic–anoxic conditions. The filtration process was carried out using sand and carbon as a dual filter media as polishing process. The final effluent concentration of COD, BOD₅, suspended solid (SS), NH₃-N and total organic carbon (TOC) were 72.4 mg L^?1, 22.8 mg L^?1, 24.2 mg L^?1, 18.4 mg L^?1 and 50.8 mg L^?1 respectively, which met the discharge standard. The results indicated that a combined process of agitation-coagulation-SBR and filtration effectively eliminated pollutant loading from landfill leachate.     

Pilot study on the advanced treatment of landfill leachate using a combined coagulation,fenton oxidation and biological aerated filter process

Mature landfill leachate is typically non-biodegradable. A combination process was developed that includes coagulation, Fenton oxidation, and biological aerated filtering to treat biologically-produced effluent. In this process, coagulation and Fenton oxidation were applied in order to reduce chemical oxygen demand (COD) organic load, and enhance biodegradability. Poly-ferric sulfate (PFS) at 600 mg l^?1 was found to be a suitable dosage for coagulation. For Fenton oxidation, an initial pH of 5, a total reaction time of 3 h, and an H₂O₂ dosage of 5.4 mmol l^?1, with a (H₂O₂)/n(Fe²⁺) ratio of 1.2 and two-step dosing were selected to achieve optimal oxidation. Under these optimal coagulation and Fenton oxidation conditions, the COD removal ratios were found to be 66.67% and 56%, respectively. Following pretreatment with coagulation and Fenton oxidation, the landfill leachate was further treated using a biological aerated filter (BAF). Our results show that COD was reduced to 75 mg l^?1, and the color was less than 10 degrees.     

Utilization of molasses spentwash for production of bioplastics by waste activated sludge

Present study describes the treatment of molasses spentwash and its use as a potential low cost substrate for production of biopolymer polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) by waste activated sludge. Fluorescence microscopy revealed the presence of PHB granules in sludge biomass which was further confirmed by fourier transform-infra-red spectroscopy (FT-IR) and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The processing of molasses spentwash was carried out for attaining different ratios of carbon and nitrogen (C:N). Highest chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and PHB accumulation of 60% and 31% respectively was achieved with raw molasses spentwash containing inorganic nitrogen (C:N ratio = 28) followed by COD removal of 52% and PHB accumulation of 28% for filtered molasses containing inorganic nitrogen (C:N ratio = 29). PHB production yield (Y_p/s) was highest (0.184 g g^?1 COD consumed) for deproteinized spentwash supplemented with nitrogen. In contrast, the substrate consumption and product formation were higher in case of raw spentwash. Though COD removal was lowest from deproteinized spentwash, evaluation of kinetic parameters suggested higher rates of conversion of available carbon to biomass and PHB. Thus the process provided dual benefit of conversion of two wastes viz. waste activated sludge and molasses spentwash into value-added product-PHB.     

Evaluation of the methanogenic step of a two-stage anaerobic digestion process of acidified olive mill solid residue from a previous hydrolytic–acidogenic step

A study of the second step or methanogenic stage of a two-stage anaerobic digestion process treating two-phase olive oil mill solid residue (OMSR) was conducted at mesophilic temperature (35 °C). The substrate fed to the methanogenic step was the effluent from a hydrolytic–acidogenic reactor operating at an organic loading rate (OLR) of 12.9 g chemical oxygen demand (COD) L^?1 d^?1 and at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 12.4 days; these OLR and HRT were found to be the best values to achieve the maximum total volatile fatty acid concentration (14.5 g L^?1 expressed as acetic acid) with a high concentration in acetic acid (57.5% of the total concentration) as the principal precursor of methane. The methanogenic stage was carried out in an anaerobic stirred tank reactor containing saponite as support media for the immobilization of microorganisms. OLRs of between 0.8 and 22.0 g COD L^?1 d^?1 were studied. These OLRs corresponded to HRTs of between 142.9 and 4.6 days. The methanogenic reactor operated with high stability for OLRs lower than 20.0 g COD L^?1 d^?1. This behaviour was shown by the total volatile fatty acids/total alkalinity ratio, whose values were always kept ?0.12 for HRTs > 4.6 days. The total COD (T-COD) removed was in the range of 94.3–61.3% and the volatile solids (VS) removed between 92.8% and 56.1% for OLRs between 0.8 and 20.0 g COD L^?1 d^?1. In the same way, a reduction of 43.8% was achieved for phenolic content. The low concentration of total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) observed (below 1 g L^?1 expressed as CH₃COOH) in the methanogenic reactor effluents showed the high percentage of consumption and conversion of these acids to methane. A methane yield of 0.268 ± 0.003 L CH₄ at standard temperature and pressure conditions (STP) g^?1 COD eliminated was achieved.     

Response surface analysis of effects of hydraulic retention time and influent feed concentration on performance of an UASFF bioreactor

The interactive effects of hydraulic retention time (HRT) and influent chemical oxygen demand (COD_in) on the performance of an up-flow anaerobic sludge fixed film (UASFF) bioreactor treating palm oil mill effluent (POME) was studied. Anaerobic digestion of POME was modeled and analyzed with two variables i.e. HRT and COD_in. Experiments were conducted based on a general factorial design and analyzed using response surface methodology (RSM). The region of exploration for digestion of POME was taken as the area enclosed by HRT (1–6 days) and COD_in (5260–34,725 mg/l) boundaries. Eight dependent parameters were either directly measured or calculated as response. Increase in the variables resulted in decrease in COD removal efficiency, solid retention time (SRT) and sludge retention factor (SRF) and increase of COD removal rate, volatile fatty acid to alkalinity ratio (VFA/Alk), CO₂ percentage in biogas and methane production rate. The value of the maximum specific microbial growth rate (μ_m) determined through the equation that correlated organic loading rate (OLR) and μ (calculated by quadratic model for SRF) was found to be 0.153 d^?1. This value was close to that obtained using Chen and Hashimoto kinetic equation (0.207 d^?1) in a previous study. The present study provides valuable information about interrelations of quality and process parameters in POME digestion using a UASFF bioreactor.     

High efficiency chlorine removal from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pyrolysis with a gas–liquid fluidized bed reactor

In this research a gas–liquid fluidized bed reactor was developed for removing chlorine (Cl) from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to favor its pyrolysis treatment. In order to efficiently remove Cl within a limited time before extensive generation of hydrocarbon products, the gas–liquid fluidized bed reactor was running at 280–320 °C, where hot N₂ was used as fluidizing gas to fluidize the molten polymer, letting the molten polymer contact well with N₂ to release Cl in form of HCl. Experimental results showed that dechlorination efficiency is mainly temperature dependent and 300 °C is a proper reaction temperature for efficient dechlorination within a limited time duration and for prevention of extensive pyrolysis; under this temperature 99.5% of Cl removal efficiency can be obtained within reaction time around 1 min after melting is completed as the flow rate of N₂ gas was set around 0.47–0.85 Nm³ kg^?1 for the molten PVC. Larger N₂ flow rate and additives in PVC would enhance HCl release but did not change the final dechlorination efficiency; and excessive N₂ flow rate should be avoided for prevention of polymer entrainment. HCl is emitted from PVC granules or scraps at the mean time they started to melt and the melting stage should be taken into consideration when design the gas–liquid fluidized bed reactor for dechlorination.     

A comparative study of two composts as filter media for the removal of gaseous reduced sulfur compounds (RSCs) by biofiltration: Application at industrial scale

This work presents the use of two composts as filter media for the treatment by biofiltration of odors emitted during the aerobic composting of a mixture containing sewage sludge and yard waste. The chemical analysis of the waste gas showed that the malodorous compounds at trace level were the reduced sulfur compounds (RSCs) which were dimethyl sulfide (Me₂S), methanethiol (MeSH) and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S). Laboratory tests for biofiltration treatment of RSCs were performed in order to compare the properties of two filter media, consisted of a mature compost with yard waste (YW) and a mixture of mature compost with sewage sludge and yard waste (SS/YW). The maximum elimination capacity (EC) values obtained with the YW mature compost as packing material were 12.5 mg m^?3 h^?1 for H₂S, 7.9 mg m^?3 h^?1 for MeSH and 34 mg m^?3 h^?1 for Me₂S, and the removal efficiency decreased in the order of: H₂S > MeSH > Me₂S. Moreover, the YW compost filter medium had a better behavior than the filter medium based on SS/YW in terms of acclimation of the microbial communities and moisture content. According to these results, a YW mature compost as packing material for an industrial biofilter were designed and this industrial biofilter was found effective under specified conditions (without inoculation and addition of water). The results showed that the maximum EC value of RSCs was 935 mg m^?3 h^?1 (100% removal efficiency, RE) for an inlet loads (IL) between 0 and 1000 mg m^?3 h^?1. Thus, YW compost medium was proven efficient for biofiltration of RSCs both at laboratory and industrial scale.     

Nitrogen removal from landfill leachate via ex situ nitrification and sequential in situ denitrification

Ex situ nitrification and sequential in situ denitrification represents a novel approach to nitrogen management at landfills. Simultaneous ammonia and organics removal was achieved in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). The results showed that the maximum nitrogen loading rate (NLR) and the maximum organic loading rate (OLR) was 0.65 g N l^?1 d^?1 and 3.84 g COD l^?1 d^?1, respectively. The ammonia and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal was over 99% and 57%, respectively. In the run of the CSTR, free ammonia (FA) inhibition and low dissolved oxygen (DO) were found to be key factors affecting nitrite accumulation. In situ denitrification was studied in a municipal solid waste (MSW) column by recalculating nitrified leachate from CSTR. The decomposition of MSW was accelerated by the recirculation of nitrified leachate. Complete reduction of total oxidized nitrogen (TON) was obtained with maximum TON loading of 28.6 g N t^?1 TS d^?1 and denitrification was the main reaction responsible. Additionally, methanogenesis inhibition was observed while TON loading was over 11.4 g N t^?1 TS d^?1 and the inhibition was enhanced with the increase of TON loading.     

Recovery of lithium and cobalt from waste lithium ion batteries of mobile phone

In view of the stringent environmental regulations, availability of limited natural resources and ever increasing need of alternative energy critical elements, an environmental eco-friendly leaching process is reported for the recovery of lithium and cobalt from the cathode active materials of spent lithium-ion batteries of mobile phones. The experiments were carried out to optimize the process parameters for the recovery of lithium and cobalt by varying the concentration of leachant, pulp density, reductant volume and temperature. Leaching with 2 M sulfuric acid with the addition of 5% H₂O₂ (v/v) at a pulp density of 100 g/L and 75 °C resulted in the recovery of 99.1% lithium and 70.0% cobalt in 60 min. H₂O₂ in sulfuric acid solution acts as an effective reducing agent, which enhance the percentage leaching of metals. Leaching kinetics of lithium in sulfuric acid fitted well to the chemical controlled reaction model i.e. 1 ? (1 ? X)^1/3 = k_ct. Leaching kinetics of cobalt fitted well to the model ‘ash diffusion control dense constant sizes spherical particles’ i.e. 1 ? 3(1 ? X)^2/3 + 2(1 ? X) = k_ct. Metals could subsequently be separated selectively from the leach liquor by solvent extraction process to produce their salts by crystallization process from the purified solution.     

Application of response surface methodology to the advanced treatment of biologically stabilized landfill leachate using Fenton’s reagent

A Fenton process that uses FeCl₂ as the alternative catalyst was employed to deal with the biologically treated landfill leachate. Data obtained revealed that this Fenton process can provide an equivalent pollutant removal as the Fenton process that uses FeSO₄ as catalyst. Central composite design (CCD) and response surface methodology (RSM) were applied to evaluate and optimize the four key factors, namely initial pH, Fe(II) dosage ([Fe²⁺]), H₂O₂/Fe(II) mole ratio ([H₂O₂]/[Fe²⁺] ratio) and reaction time, which affect the performance of the Fenton treatment. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and color were selected as response variables. This approach provided statistically significant quadratic models, which were adequate to predict responses and to carry out optimization under the conditions studied. It was demonstrated that the interaction between initial pH and [H₂O₂]/[Fe²⁺] ratio has a significant effect on the COD removal, while the interaction between [H₂O₂]/[Fe²⁺] ratio and reaction time shows a large impact on color removal. The optimal conditions were found to be initial pH 5.9, [Fe²⁺] = 9.60 mmol/L, [H₂O₂]/[Fe²⁺] ratio = 2.38, reaction time = 5.52 h. Under this optimal scheme, the COD and color in the effluent were reduced to 159 mg/L and 25°, respectively, with an increase of BOD₅/COD ratio from 0.05 to 0.21.     

Temperature and deactivation of microbial faecal indicators during small scale co-composting of faecal matter

Small scale co-composting of faecal matter from dry toilet systems with shredded plant material and food waste was investigated in respect to heat development and deactivation of faecal indicators under tropical semiarid conditions. Open (uncovered) co-composting of faecal matter with shredded plant material alone did not generate temperatures high enough (<55 °C) to reduce the indicators sufficiently. The addition of food waste and confinement in chambers, built of concrete bricks and wooden boards, improved the composting process significantly. Under these conditions peak temperatures of up to 70 °C were achieved and temperatures above 55 °C were maintained over 2 weeks. This temperature and time is sufficient to comply with international composting regulations. The reduction of Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis and Salmonella senftenberg in test containment systems placed in the core of the compost piles was very efficient, exceeding 5 log₁₀-units in all cases, but recolonisation from the cooler outer layers appeared to interfere with the sanitisation efficiency of the substrate itself. The addition of a stabilisation period by extending the composting process to over 4 months ensured that the load of E. coli was reduced to less than 10³ cfu^?g and salmonella were undetectable.     

A novel process for recycling and resynthesizing LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 from the cathode scraps intended for lithium-ion batteries

To solve the recycling challenge for aqueous binder based lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), a novel process for recycling and resynthesizing LiNi_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ from the cathode scraps generated during manufacturing process is proposed in this study. Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is employed to separate the cathode material from the aluminum foil. The effects of TFA concentration, liquid/solid (L/S) ratio, reaction temperature and time on the separation efficiencies of the cathode material and aluminum foil are investigated systematically. The cathode material can be separated completely under the optimal experimental condition of 15 vol.% TFA solution, L/S ratio of 8.0 mL g^?1, reacting at 40 °C for 180 min along with appropriate agitation. LiNi_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ is successfully resynthesized from the separated cathode material by solid state reaction method. Several kinds of characterizations are performed to verify the typical properties of the resynthesized LiNi_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ powder. Electrochemical tests show that the initial charge and discharge capacities of the resynthesized LiNi_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ are 201 mAh g^?1 and 155.4 mAh g^?1 (2.8–4.5 V, 0.1 C), respectively. The discharge capacity remains at 129 mAh g^?1 even after 30 cycles with a capacity retention ratio of 83.01%.     

Performance evaluation of a completely stirred anaerobic reactor treating pig manure at a low range of mesophilic conditions

Many Chinese biogas plants run in the lower range of mesophilic conditions. This study evaluated the performance of a completely stirred anaerobic reactor treating pig manure at different temperatures (20, 28 and 38 °C). The start-up phase of the reactor at 20 °C was very long and extremely poor performance was observed with increasing organic loading rate (OLR). At an OLR of 4.3 g ODM L^?1 d^?1, methane production at 28 °C was comparable (3% less) with that at 38 °C, but the risk of acidification was high at 28 °C. At low OLR (1.3 g ODM L^?1 d^?1), the biogas process appeared stable at 28 °C and gave same methane yields as compared to the reactor operating at 38 °C. The estimated sludge yield at 28 °C was 0.065 g VSS g^?1 COD_removed, which was higher than that at 38 °C (0.016 g VSS g^?1 COD_removed).     

Phytoremediation of landfill leachate and compost wastewater by irrigation of Populus and Salix: Biomass and growth response

A pot experiment is described with a fast-growing poplar clone and two native willows (Populus deltoides Bartr. cl. I-69/55 (Lux)), Salix viminalis L. and Salix purpurea L.), irrigated with landfill leachate and compost wastewater over a 1-year growing period. The use of leachate resulted in up to 155% increased aboveground biomass compared to control water treatments and in up to 28% reduced aboveground biomass compared to a complete nutrient solution. The use of compost wastewater resulted in up to 62% reduced aboveground biomass compared to the control treatments and in up to 86% reduced aboveground biomass compared to the complete nutrient solution. Populus was the most effective in biomass production due to the highest leaf production, whereas S. purpurea was the least effective in biomass accumulation, but less sensitive to high ionic strength of the irrigation water compared to S. viminalis. The results showed a high potential for landfill leachate application (with up to 2144 kg N ha^?1, 144 kg P ha^?1, 709 kg K ha^?1, 1010 kg Cl ha^?1, and 1678 kg Na ha^?1 average mass load in the experiment). High-strength compost wastewater demonstrated less potential for application as irrigation and fertilization source even in high water-diluted treatments (1:8 by volume).     

Fertilizer and sanitary quality of digestate biofertilizer from the co-digestion of food waste and human excreta

This research was aimed at assessing the fertilizer quality and public health implications of using digestate biofertilizer from the anaerobic digestion of food wastes and human excreta. Twelve (12) kg of food wastes and 3 kg of human excreta were mixed with water in a 1:1 w/v to make 30-l slurry that was fed into the anaerobic digester to ferment for 60 days at mesophilic temperature (22–31 °C). Though BOD, COD, organic carbon and ash content in the feedstock were reduced after anaerobic digestion by 50.0%, 10.6%, 74.3% and 1.5% respectively, nitrogen, pH and total solids however increased by 12.1%, 42.5% and 12.4% respectively. The C/N ratios of the feedstock and compost are 135:1 and 15.8:1. The residual total coliforms of 2.10 × 10⁸ CFU/100 ml in the digestate was above tolerable limits for direct application on farmlands. Microbial analysis of the digestate biofertilizer revealed the presence of Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, Clostridium, Bacillus, Bacteroides, Penicillum, Salmollena, and Aspergillus. Klebsiella, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Penicillum and Aspergillus can boost the efficiency of the biofertilizer through nitrogen fixation and nutrient solubility in soils but Klebsiella again and Salmollena are potential health risks to end users. Further treatment of the digestate for more efficient destruction of pathogens is advised.     

Greenhouse gas emissions from home composting of organic household waste

The emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) is a potential environmental disadvantage of home composting. Because of a lack of reliable GHG emission data, a comprehensive experimental home composting system was set up. The system consisted of six composting units, and a static flux chamber method was used to measure and quantify the GHG emissions for one year composting of organic household waste (OHW). The average OHW input in the six composting units was 2.6–3.5 kg week^?1 and the temperature inside the composting units was in all cases only a few degrees (2–10 °C) higher than the ambient temperature. The emissions of methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) were quantified as 0.4–4.2 kg CH₄ Mg^?1 input wet waste (ww) and 0.30–0.55 kg N₂O Mg^?1 ww, depending on the mixing frequency. This corresponds to emission factors (EFs) (including only CH₄ and N₂O emissions) of 100–239 kg CO₂-eq. Mg^?1 ww. Composting units exposed to weekly mixing had the highest EFs, whereas the units with no mixing during the entire year had the lowest emissions. In addition to the higher emission from the frequently mixed units, there was also an instant release of CH₄ during mixing which was estimated to 8–12% of the total CH₄ emissions. Experiments with higher loads of OHW (up to 20 kg every fortnight) entailed a higher emission and significantly increased overall EFs (in kg substance per Mg^?1 ww). However, the temperature development did not change significantly. The GHG emissions (in kg CO₂-eq. Mg^?1 ww) from home composting of OHW were found to be in the same order of magnitude as for centralised composting plants.     

Anaerobic treatment of effluents from an industrial polymers synthesis plant

The feasibility of the anaerobic treatment of an industrial polymer synthesis plant effluent was evaluated. The composition of the wastewater includes acrylates, styrene, detergents, a minor amount of silicates and a significant amount of ferric chloride. The average chemical oxygen demand (COD) corresponding is about 2000 mg/l. The anaerobic biodegradability of the effluent is shown and the toxicity effect on the populations of anaerobic bacteria is evaluated. The results of the anaerobic biodegradation assays show that 62% of the wastewater compounds, measured as COD, could be consumed. An upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor was used in the evaluation, it has a diameter–height ratio of 1:7, and 4-liter volume. The inoculum was obtained from a UASB pilot plant that treats brewery wastewaters. At the beginning of the operation, the biomass showed an anaerobic activity of 0.58 gCOD/(gVSS×d), it decreased only 2.5% in the subsequent 4 months. After 35 days of continuous operation, the reactor was operated at different steady states for 140 days. The COD was maintained at 2200 mg/l in the feed. The results were: organic loading rate (OLR): 4.3 kg COD/(m³×d), hydraulic retention time: 12 h, superficial velocity: 1 m/h, average biogas productivity: 290 L CH₄/kg COD fed, biogas composition: 70–75% methane and a COD removal percentage >75%. ©     

Thermogravimetric analysis and kinetic study on large particles of printed circuit board wastes

Pyrolysis of large printed circuit board (PCB) waste particle was conducted on a specially designed laboratory-scale thermobalance (Macro-TG) with sample loading of 30 g under dynamic nitrogen atmosphere. The effects of heating rate (10, 15, 20 and 25 °C min^?1) and particle size (1 mm × 1 mm, 5 mm × 5 mm, 10 mm × 10 mm and 10 mm × 20 mm) were examined. To compare the different decomposition behavior of fine and large one, the thermal decomposition of PCB waste powder (approximately 5 mg) was also performed on a thermogravimetric analyzer (common TG) under various heating rates (10, 15, 20 and 40 °C min^?1) and particle size ranges (0.198–0.165 mm, 0.165–0.074 mm, 0.074–0.055 mm and 0.055–0.047 mm). Experimental results show that large particle has a pyrolysis reaction retardancy compared to fine one. The distributed activation energy model was used to study the pyrolysis kinetics. It was found that during pyrolysis process, values of frequency factor (k₀) changed with different activation energy (E) values. On common TG, the E values range from 156.95 to 319.37 kJ mol^?1 and k₀ values range from 2.67 × 10¹³ to 2.24 × 10²⁷ s^?1. While, on Macro-TG, the range of E was 31.48–41.26 kJ mol^?1 and of the frequency factor was 19.80–202.67 s^?1.