Mechanochemical recycling of cellulose multilayer carton packages to produce micro and nanocellulose from the perspective of techno-economic and environmental analysis

Despite being composed of recyclable materials, the main technological challenge of multilayer carton packs involves the efficient decompatibilization of the cellulosic, polymeric, and metallic phases. Here, a simple two-step mechanochemical process is described that uses only aqueous media and mech...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of environmental management 2024-07, Vol.363, p.121254, Article 121254
Main Authors: Borges, Roger, Brondi, Mariana, Elias, Andrew Milli, Farinas, Cristiane S., Ribeiro, Caue
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alumina
Mechanochemical recycling
Micro- and nanocellulose
Multilayer carton packages
Polyethylene
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Summary:Despite being composed of recyclable materials, the main technological challenge of multilayer carton packs involves the efficient decompatibilization of the cellulosic, polymeric, and metallic phases. Here, a simple two-step mechanochemical process is described that uses only aqueous media and mechanical force to promote phase separation in order to fully recycle multi-layer carton packaging. The first step produces value-added micro- and nanocellulose, while in the second step, aluminum is extracted, forming precipitated aluminum and aluminum oxyhydroxides. Solid polyethylene (PE) remains with a degree of purity defined by the process efficiency. The results show that cellulose is efficiently extracted and converted into micro- and nanocellulose after 15 min of milling. In the second stage, approximately 90% of the aluminum is extracted from the PE after 15 min of milling. Due to the separation and drying medium conditions, the finely divided particles of extracted aluminum also have oxyhydroxides in their composition. It is believed that a passivation layer forms on the metallic aluminum particle. The techno-economic analysis revealed a positive net present value (NPV) of $17.5 million, with a minimum selling price of 1.62 USD/kg of cellulose. The environmental analysis concluded that most of the environmental impact of the process is associated with the entry of carton packages into the system, incorporating a small environmental load related to the industrial process. The results indicate a promising option toward a circular economy and carbon neutrality. [Display omitted] •Mechanochemical route to the full recycling of multilayer carton packages.•Cellulose extraction and conversion into micro and nanocellulose.•Aluminum extracted from the polyethylene also present oxyhydroxide in the composition.•Polyethylene purity defined by the process efficiency.•Positive Net Present Value (NPV) of $17.5 million with minimal environmental impact.
ISSN:0301-4797
1095-8630
1095-8630
DOI:10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121254