Electricity generation potential of synthetic human hair, water nylon sachet and plastic waste mixtures

In order to address two critical challenges, including ineffective waste management and unreliable power supply faced by many developing countries; this study explored the electricity generation potential of three polymeric wastes (synthetic human hair, water nylon sachets, and plastic waste mixtures), using pyrolysis process. The study employed a pilot-scale batch pyrolysis system, consisting of a charcoal-fired furnace, a cylindrical galvanized iron pyrolysis reactor, a condenser, a gas scrubber, and a gas storage bag; for the wastes conversion into gaseous fuels to power a generator for electricity generation. The objective was to measure the composition of the gas produced during pyrolysis and assess the generator runtime when powered by the gas to determine the feasibility and efficiency of the polymeric waste-derived gases as an alternative fuel source for electricity generation. The pyrolysis process, conducted at temperatures ranging from 236°C to 488°C, was carried out as a batch process over three cycles, with 5 kg of each waste material used in every cycle. The pyrolysis gas produced was stored for compositional analysis and the gas mixture used as generator fuel. The results showed that plastic waste mixture contained hydrogen (20.21%), methane (17.62%), and ethane (25.17%); artificial woman hair contained hydrogen (18.93%), methane (21.43%), and ethane (23.86%); and pure water nylon sachets contained hydrogen (22.89%), methane (16.31%), and ethane (23.78%). This indicated that all the three waste types had significant electricity generation potential due to the high calorific values of their pyrolysis gas compositions.