Evaluation of environmental impacts of pulp reuse by recycling of used disposable diapers

Abstract

Domestic production volume of disposable diapers for adults has reached 4.9 billion sheets per year in 2013, and most of these diapers are incinerated after use. However, some recycling facilities are emerging which recover materials such as pulp from used diapers. In this study, a comparison on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) between incinerating and recycling of used diapers is conducted using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method. One recycle scenario where RPF is produced from recycled pulp and plastic, a GHG emission reduction of 6~12% is observed compared to the incineration scenario. Another recycle scenario, based on experimental data, where extracted pulp is further processed by ozone treatment and fine pulp is produced that can be used for manufacturing diapers, a GHG emission reduction of 16~21% is observed compared to the incineration scenario.