Estudo da viabilidade energética de lodo oriundo de reciclagem de plástico PET

Abstract

As in many industries, one of the main issues is the proper disposal of waste generated during the production process, and this is no different in the plastic recycling industry. Characterizing the sludge generated in the wastewater treatment plant from the PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) recycling process is of great importance and necessary to find ways to utilize it in compliance with environmental regulations, as well as to contribute to the formulation of safe and sustainable management practices. The objective of this work was to characterize the sludge compacted by a filter press in the wastewater treatment plant and to assess the potential for using the sludge from the PET plastic recycling industry as an energy source, collecting samples on three different operating days to ensure the viability of the waste. To achieve this, the behavior was studied through proximate analyses and advanced analyses such as thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and derivative thermogravimetric analysis (DTG), which are techniques that allow the study of how the material behaves when subjected to heating over a wide temperature range, providing insights into its thermal stability and indications of the chemical composition of the sludge. The samples showed an average ash content of 38.44% ± 2.76, an average volatile matter content of 39.50% ± 0.31, an average fixed carbon content of 22.10% ± 2.47, and a calorific value of 17.41% ± 0.84. In the TG and DTG analyses, an average moisture content of 5.3% and 50.3% organic matter was obtained. Based on the results, the study concluded that the sludge generated from PET recycling has the potential to be used as an alternative and renewable energy source.