PPE kit to bio-oil: an experimental investigation

Abstract

Covid 19 is a highly infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 that can spread from an infected person’s nose, mouth during coughing & sneezing. One of the warriors against Covid-19 is personal protection equipment (PPE), which is indispensable for everyone working closely with Covid-19 patients. The kits are made of different types of plastics and their disposal is going to be a serious menace, if not taken care of properly. The sustainable alternative to handle cast-off PPE kit is to convert them into pyrolysis oil using a thermochemical process. In the present paper, pyrolysis of PPE kit is done in a lab scale reactor to get the pyrolysis oil that has the potential to be used as alternate fuel in the neat or in blended form with conventional fuels. GC-MS of the obtained oil shows the presence of (C-7 to C-32) hydrocarbon fraction. FTIR analysis of the oil is also done for functional group composition. The results obtained also support the application of pyrolyisis oil as an alternate fuel. Physico-chemical characteristics of the pyrolysis oil sample are also comparable to the commercially available fuel with exception of viscosity as the fuel obtained has not been fractionated and has both light and heavy naphtha.