Sustainable Valorization of Bioplastic Waste: A Review on Effective Recycling Routes for the Most Widely Used Biopolymers.

Plastics-based materials have a high carbon footprint, and their disposal is a considerable problem for the environment. Biodegradable bioplastics represent an alternative on which most countries have focused their attention to replace of conventional plastics in various sectors, among which food packaging is the most significant one. The evaluation of the optimal end-of-life process for bioplastic waste is of great importance for their sustainable use.

Spent coffee enhanced biomethane potential via an integrated hydrothermal carbonization-anaerobic digestion process.

This study reports the implications of using spent coffee hydrochar as substrate for anaerobic digestion (AD) processes. Three different spent coffee hydrochars produced at 180, 220 and 250 °C, 1 h residence time, were investigated for their biomethane potential in AD process inoculated with cow manure. Spent coffee hydrochars were characterized in terms of ultimate, proximate and higher heating value (HHV), and their theoretical bio-methane yield evaluated using Boyle-Buswell equation and compared to the experimental values.

Waste incineration in rotary kilns: a new simulation combustion tool to support design and technical change.

This article presents a tool based on a simplified model developed for the combustion processes in a rotary kiln incinerator (slightly inclined rotating primary combustion chamber). The model was developed with the aim of supporting the design phase of the incinerator combustion chamber and, at the same time, of investigating possible technical changes in existing plants in order to optimise the combustion process and the dimension of the rotary kiln (length, diameter) as a function of the characteristics of the fed waste. The tool has been applied and the obtained results compared with a real incineration plant operating on healthcare waste located in Rome (Italy).