Recent technologies for treatment and recycling of used disposable baby diapers

Abstract The disposal of used diapers is a critical eco-technological problem aggravated by the exponential increase of global consumption rate each year. The global production of disposable used diapers increases exponentially and is expected to exceed US$ 71 billion/year by 2022. It was revealed that about 20 billion pieces of the used diapers were dumped in landfills yearly, generating more than 3.5 million tonnes of diaper waste that require almost 500 years to be fully decomposed. The resource-consuming production and disposal of used diaper waste have led to many environmental issues and poses a threat to public health. This review provides an in-depth discussion of the challenges, strategies, and the recent breakthrough in rectifying problems arising from generation and disposal of used diapers. The use of various technologies for treatment and recycling of used diaper were highlighted, particularly on the use of potentially safer and cleaner technologies such as biodegradation and thermal pyrolysis in maximizing the recycling of used diapers with minimal cost. It was established that useful end products that have wide applications can be obtained through biodegradation and pyrolysis of used diapers, hence providing a future research direction to enhance the efficiency of these process in recycling of used diaper.

[1]  S. Lam,et al.  Catalytic microwave pyrolysis of waste engine oil using metallic pyrolysis char , 2015 .

[2]  Heather Reese,et al.  Disposing of children’s diapers with solid waste: a global concern? , 2015 .

[3]  S. Maruthamuthu,et al.  Investigation on biodegradability of polyethylene by Bacillus cereus strain Ma-Su isolated from compost soil. , 2011 .

[4]  A. Sivan,et al.  The role of the copper-binding enzyme – laccase – in the biodegradation of polyethylene by the actinomycete Rhodococcus ruber , 2013 .

[5]  A. A. Ibiene,et al.  Biodegradation of Polyethylene by Bacillus sp. Indigenous to the Niger Delta Mangrove Swamp , 2013 .

[6]  Farid Nasir Ani,et al.  Progress in waste oil to sustainable energy, with emphasis on pyrolysis techniques , 2016 .

[7]  Y. Shinogi,et al.  Characterization of the pyrolytic solid derived from used disposable diapers , 2013, Environmental technology.

[8]  B. Thippeswamy.  ISSN 2277 - 7164 Original Article Biodegradation of Polyethylene by Bacillus cereus , 2014 .

[9]  Sylvie Turpin-Marion,et al.  Disposable diapers biodegradation by the fungus Pleurotus ostreatus. , 2011, Waste management.

[10]  Tomohiro Tabata,et al.  Heat supply from municipal solid waste incineration plants in Japan: Current situation and future challenges , 2016, Waste management & research : the journal of the International Solid Wastes and Public Cleansing Association, ISWA.

[11]  Jinhui Li,et al.  A Review on the Management of Municipal Solid Waste Fly Ash in American , 2016 .

[12]  Mutowo Jesca,et al.  Practices Regarding Disposal of Soiled Diapers among Women of Child Bearing Age in Poor Resource Urban Setting , 2015 .

[13]  J. Gaunt,et al.  Biochar in growing media: A sustainability and feasibility assessment , 2013 .

[14]  A. Schecter,et al.  Exposure assessment to dioxins from the use of tampons and diapers. , 2001, Environmental health perspectives.

[15]  P Agamuthu,et al.  Trends in sustainable landfilling in Malaysia, a developing country , 2012, Waste Management Research.

[16]  Kamal Abdel Radi Ismail,et al.  Incineration and recycling for MSW treatment: Case study of Campinas, Brazil , 2017 .

[17]  Joan Colón,et al.  Possibilities of composting disposable diapers with municipal solid wastes , 2011, Waste management & research : the journal of the International Solid Wastes and Public Cleansing Association, ISWA.

[18]  B. Himani.  Microbial Population Associated With Plastic Degradation , 2012 .

[19]  N. Priyanka,et al.  Biodegradability of Polythene and Plastic By The Help of Microorganism: A Way for Brighter Future , 2011 .

[20]  Hefa Cheng,et al.  Municipal solid waste (MSW) as a renewable source of energy: current and future practices in China. , 2010, Bioresource technology.

[21]  S. Makindi,et al.  Soiled Diapers Disposal Practices among Caregivers in Poor and Middle Income Urban Settings , 2015 .

[22]  S. Lam,et al.  Fruit waste as feedstock for recovery by pyrolysis technique , 2016 .

[23]  Alka Grover,et al.  Polythene and environment , 2015 .

[24]  Shaohua Wu,et al.  Experimental study on effects of moisture content on combustion characteristics of simulated municipal solid wastes in a fixed bed. , 2008, Bioresource technology.

[25]  Daniel Hoornweg,et al.  What a waste? : a global review of solid waste management , 2012 .

[26]  J. Lemaire,et al.  Comparison of the biodegradability of various polyethylene films containing pro-oxidant additives , 2010 .

[27]  J. Abraham,et al.  Microbial degradation of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) by Aspergillus clavatus strain JASK1 isolated from landfill soil , 2016, 3 Biotech.

[28]  Y. Wu,et al.  Effects of super‐absorbent polymers on the physical and chemical properties of soil following different wetting and drying cycles , 2010 .

[29]  Oswer,et al.  Basic Information about Landfills , 2016 .

[30]  Clay Aldás,et al.  Municipal solid waste as a valuable renewable energy resource: a worldwide opportunity of energy recovery by using Waste-To-Energy Technologies , 2017 .

[31]  B. Nowak,et al.  Microorganisms participating in the biodegradation of modified polyethylene films in different soils under laboratory conditions , 2011 .

[32]  K. Ramesh,et al.  Biodegradation of low density polyethylene (LDPE) by fungi isolated from marine water a SEM analysis , 2011 .

[33]  G Umachitra,et al.  Disposable baby diaper--a threat to the health and environment. , 2012, Journal of environmental science & engineering.

[34]  C. Sumathi,et al.  High‐density polyethylene (HDPE)‐degrading potential bacteria from marine ecosystem of Gulf of Mannar, India , 2010, Letters in applied microbiology.

[35]  Matthias Schulz,et al.  Evolution of disposable baby diapers in Europe: life cycle assessment of environmental impacts and identification of key areas of improvement , 2015 .

[36]  Navneet,et al.  Review on the current status of polymer degradation: a microbial approach , 2017, Bioresources and Bioprocessing.

[37]  M. M. Hasan,et al.  EFFECT OF AMBIENT TEMPERATURE ON THE PERFORMANCE OF A COMBINED CYCLE POWER PLANT , 2013 .

[38]  S. Lam,et al.  Activated Carbon for Catalyst Support from Microwave Pyrolysis of Orange Peel , 2017 .

[39]  Sara Ojeda-Benitez,et al.  Biological recycling of used baby diapers in a small-scale composting system , 2014 .

[40]  P. Vimala,et al.  Biodegradation of Polyethylene Using Bacillus Subtilis , 2016 .

[41]  Umberto Arena,et al.  Technological, environmental and social aspects of a recycling process of post-consumer absorbent hygiene products ☆ , 2016 .

[42]  A. Sivan,et al.  New perspectives in plastic biodegradation. , 2011, Current opinion in biotechnology.

[43]  Atul Kumar,et al.  A review on technological options of waste to energy for effective management of municipal solid waste. , 2017, Waste management.

[44]  Kishore R. Sakharkar,et al.  Biodegradation of Low Density Polythene (LDPE) by Pseudomonas Species , 2012, Indian Journal of Microbiology.

[45]  Sara Ojeda-Benitez,et al.  Assessment of Gardening Wastes as a Co-Substrate for Diapers Degradation by the Fungus Pleurotus ostreatus , 2015 .