A Novel DIY Machine Design to Obtain Secondary Raw Materials from Absorbent Hygiene Waste

Abstract

Absorbent hygiene waste is unceasingly growing in India. The sanitary napkins and baby/adult diapers, drenched with bodily fluids, are disposed of with regular household wastes and often handled by rag-pickers and waste-collectors with bare hands. These non-compostable wastes are either thrown into sewerage systems, landfills, and water bodies or cremated, posing both serious environmental risks and health issues. This motivates us to design an innovative do-it-yourself (DIY) technological system to recycle used absorbent hygiene products and obtain valuable secondary raw materials in a completely eco-friendly manner. Turning garbage into fuel is potentially an answer to two pressing problems: diminishing the world’s dependence on fossil fuels and an alternative to burying trash in landfills. All the major secondary raw materials, ‘plastic,’ and ‘pulp’ obtained from the recycling of absorbent hygiene wastes are efficiently converted into useful products, which are demonstrated using an experimental case study.