Sustainable energy harvesting from medical waste: Utilizing discarded ointment tubes in triboelectric nanogenerators

Abstract

Medical waste management is a common global issue that causes environmental pollution and poses significant health risks. The present study introduces a sustainable approach to addressing this issue by utilizing discarded medical ointment tubes to fabricate Triboelectric Nanogenerators (TENGs) for energy harvesting applications. The discarded metallic ointment tubes with epoxy resin coating inside simplify the TENG fabrication. The fabricated metallic ointment tube-based TENG produces a maximum output voltage of ∼ 405 V and a current of ∼ 82 µA, with a power density of 658 mW/m2. Further, TENG was utilized to power 480 LEDs and portable electronic devices with the help of an energy management system. The present work highlights the potential of transforming medical waste into sustainable energy resources.