Publications by authors named "Mohamed Shafi Kuttiyathil"

Article Synopsis
  • Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are used in products to prevent fires, but their use has been restricted due to environmental concerns, leading to the introduction of novel BFRs (NBFRs) which have been found in various ecosystems.
  • A new method called co-pyrolysis with metal oxides, specifically zinc oxide and franklinite, is being studied to effectively debrominate these NBFRs, potentially recycling materials into useful hydrocarbon streams without releasing harmful bromine compounds.
  • Results indicate that the process can minimize brominated compound output while producing useful materials like phenol and capturing over 92% of harmful bromine, suggesting further research into other compounds may enhance this waste management technique.
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The release of bromine-free hydrocarbons and gases is a major challenge faced in the thermal recycling of e-waste due to the corrosive effects of produced HBr. Metal oxides such as FeO (hematite) are excellent debrominating agents, and they are copyrolyzed along with tetrabromophenol (TBP), a lesser used brominated flame retardant that is a constituent of printed circuit boards in electronic equipment. The pyrolytic (N) and oxidative (O) decomposition of TBP with FeO has been previously investigated with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) at four different heating rates of 5, 10, 15, and 20 °C/min, and the mass loss data between room temperature and 800 °C were reported.

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Legacy brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in printed circuit boards are gradually being replaced by novel BFRs (NBFRs). Safe disposal and recycling of polymeric constituents in the polymeric fractions of e-waste necessitate the removal of their toxic and corrosive bromine content. This is currently acquired through thermal recycling operations involving the pyrolysis of BFRs-containing materials with metal oxides.

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The principal objective in the treatment of e-waste is to capture the bromine released from the brominated flame retardants (BFRs) added to the polymeric constituents of printed circuits boards (PCBs) and to produce pure bromine-free hydrocarbons. Metal oxides such as calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)) have been shown to exhibit high debromination capacity when added to BFRs in e-waste and capturing the released HBr. Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBA) is the most commonly utilized model compound as a representative for BFRs.

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Thermal treatment of bromine-contaminated polymers (, as in e-waste) with metal oxides is currently deployed as a mainstream strategy in recycling and resources recovery from these objects. The underlying aim is to capture the bromine content and to produce pure bromine-free hydrocarbons. Bromine originates from the added brominated flame retardants (BFRs) to the polymeric fractions in printed circuits boards, where tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBA) is the most utilized BFR.

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Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) constitute a major load in the polymeric fraction of e-waste. Degradation of BFRs-laden plastics over transition metal oxides is currently deployed as a mainstream strategy in the disposal and treatment of the non-metallic segment of e-waste. However, interaction of pyrolysis's products of BFRs with transition metal oxides is well-known to facilitate the formation of notorious pollutants.

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