Development of an Innovative and Green Method to Obtain Nanoparticles in Aqueous Solution from Carbon-Based Waste Ashes.

Eleonora Ferraris,Raffaella Striani,Antonella Giuri,Carola Esposito Corcione,Enrica Stasi,Miriam Seiti

doi:10.3390/nano11030577

Abstract

In this study, an original and green procedure to produce water-based solutions containing nanometric recycled carbon particles is proposed. The nanometric particles are obtained starting from carbon waste ashes, produced by the wooden biomass pyro-gasification plant CMD (Costruzioni motori diesel) ECO20. The latter is an integrated system combining a downdraft gasifier, a spark-ignition internal combustion engine, an electric generator and syngas cleaning devices, and it can produce electric and thermal power up to 20 kWe and 40 kWth. The carbon-based ashes (CA) produced by the CMD ECO20 plant were, first, characterized by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and microcomputed tomography (microCT). Afterward, they were reduced in powder by using a milling mortar and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrometry, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The optimization of an original procedure to reduce the dimensions of the ashes in an aqueous solution was then developed by using ball milling and sonication techniques, and the nanometric dimensions of the particles dispersed in water were estimated by dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements in the order of 300 nm. Finally, possible industrial applications for the nanomaterials obtained from the waste ashes are suggested, including, for example, inks for Aerosol Jet® Printing (AJ® P).

Highlights

During the last decade, the circular economy has become an important domain of academic research, with a sharp increase in the number of articles and journals covering this topic [1]
The neat carbon-based ashes (CA) collected by the Costruzioni Motori Diesel S.p.A. (CMD) plant are rough and porous
Carbon-based ashes (CA) obtained as a waste product from pyrogasification of woodchip were characterized by several techniques and treated to reduction to nanometer size for exploitation in industrial applications

Summary

Introduction

The circular economy has become an important domain of academic research, with a sharp increase in the number of articles and journals covering this topic [1]. Geissdoerfer et al [1], as well as Schut et al [2], claim that the most significant circular economy definition has been provided by Ellen MacArthur Foundation [3,4]. The use of wastes, including wastes from industrial processes, such as carbon-based ashes (CA), is, an important development objective of the circular economy [5]. The management of carbon waste ashes still represents an issue. It would become necessary to regard CA as raw material that can be converted into new products rather than waste

Methods

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Discussion

Conclusion