Waste plastic char as adsorbent for removal of pollutants from landfill leachates–A critical review
L. Salami, Regina J. Patinvoh, Mohammad J. Taherzadeh
Abstract
Plastic pollution constitutes a nuisance to the environment. It negatively affects marine life and pollutes soil and groundwater which can lead to serious health impacts. The aim of this paper is to look at recent advances and prospect of utilizing waste plastic char derived by pyrolysis of waste plastic as adsorbent for removing pollutants from landfill leachates. The impacts of waste plastics on aquatic life, tourism, human health, climate, and soil were reviewed and various strategies for waste plastic management were considered. Different classifications of pyrolysis which include thermal, catalytic and microwave – assisted pyrolysis processes with various heating rates: slow/conventional, fast, and flash pyrolysis were reviewed. Previous works carried out by researchers on synthesis of waste plastic char as adsorbent were critically examined. Furthermore, the prospect of using adsorbent synthesized via pyrolysis of waste plastic for removal of pollutants in landfill leachates was investigated. Recommendations on how to derive optimum benefits from the prospect of utilizing adsorbent derived through pyrolysis of waste plastic for removal of pollutants from landfill leachates are presented.