The paper investigates on a demonstrative scale the technical and environmental aspects of an innovative recycling process of wastes generated by the utilization of absorbent hygiene products (AHPs). The recycling process includes three main sections. An autoclave, coupled with a sorting machine, provides the sterilization of AHP waste and the separation of its cellulosic and plastic fractions. A bubbling fluidized bed gasifier, fed with the sterilized cellulosic fraction, produces a combustible syngas. A mild combustor, coupled with a boiler, produces the steam necessary to the autoclave. The experimental data allowed assessing the technological feasibility of the process and defining the operating conditions under which the system can work without external energy supports. The same data form a reliable inventory of environmental burdens and then allowed a life cycle assessment, which quantified the environmental performances of the recycling scheme and those of the conventional management option of incineration.
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