Transforming coconut fibre and plastic wastes into high-surface-area biochars for potential environmental applications
摘要
The co-carbonization of biomass with plastic wastes offers a sustainable route to valorize mixed organic and synthetic waste streams into functional carbon materials. Polypropylene (PP) is difficult to manage because of its widespread use, high heat resistance, low density, and slow environmental degradation. Biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP), a modified form of PP, creates additional challenges due to its poor recyclability and possible effects on thermal behavior. In this study, coconut fibre was carbonized alone and co-carbonized with PP and metallic BOPP in a top-lit updraft (TLUD) fixed-bed reactor to produce coconut fibre biochar (CFB), coconut fibre-PP biochar (CF-PPB), and coconut fibre-PP-BOPP biochar (CF-PP-PB). This study specifically examined how a metallized polymer affects the carbonization process and the properties of the resulting biochar. Results showed that adding PP and metallic BOPP increased the peak carbonization temperature from 355.3 to 423.6 °C but reduced biochar yield from 44.7 to 32.6 wt%. Characterization results showed improved properties after co-carbonization, with BET surface area increasing from 155.3 to 294.7 m2/g, accompanied by higher pore volumes and greater aromatic condensation observed in XRD analysis. SEM images showed a shift from dense, compact structures in CFB to more fragmented and porous morphologies in CF-PPB and CF-PP-PB, while FTIR confirmed the enhancement of oxygen-rich functionalities in the plastic fractions. This approach offers a practical pathway for converting problematic mixed wastes into high-value biochars for environmental applications.
Graphical abstract