Smart Waste-to-Energy and Emission Regulation for Sustainable Absorbent Hygiene Products
摘要
Absorbent hygiene products (AHPs), including infant care items, feminine hygiene products, and nursing materials, generate over 20 million tons of non-biodegradable waste annually. The widespread practice of open burning exacerbates environmental and public health risks due to complex material compositions and harmful emissions. This study presents an intelligent, scalable incineration system for sustainable AHP waste management, integrating Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled gas sensing, real-time emission monitoring, and machine learning (ML)-based pollutant classification. The system comprises a nichrome-wire-activated combustion chamber and a multi-stage gas purification unit incorporating limestone slurry, activated carbon, and baghouse filtration. Real-time concentrations of CO2, NH3, VOCs, SO2, and Nox were continuously tracked using embedded sensors. A Random Forest classifier achieved classification accuracies of 86–90% across different AHP waste types. Experimental evaluations demonstrated a 92% reduction in waste volume, an 88% average decrease in toxic gas emissions, and thermal energy recovery of approximately 2.5 kWh per cycle. The residual ash was assessed for potential reuse in construction and agriculture, contributing to circular economy goals. By enabling adaptive combustion control, intelligent emission profiling, and resource valorization, the proposed framework addresses key limitations in conventional AHP disposal methods. Aligned with sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3,12, and 13, this system provides a practical and scalable approach to cleaner production and environmentally responsible waste management, particularly in healthcare, municipal, and decentralized sanitation contexts.