Marta Cabral

Packaging waste recycling in Europe: Is the industry paying for it?

This paper describes and examines the schemes established in five EU countries for the recycling of packaging waste. The changes in packaging waste management were mainly implemented since the Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste entered into force. The analysis of the five systems allowed the authors to identify very different approaches to cope with the same problem: meet the recovery and recycling targets imposed by EU law. Packaging waste is a responsibility of the industry. However, local governments are generally in charge of waste management, particularly in countries with Green Dot schemes or similar extended producer responsibility systems. This leads to the need of establishing a system of financial transfers between the industry and the local governments (particularly regarding the extra costs involved with selective collection and sorting). Using the same methodological approach, the authors also compare the costs and benefits of recycling from the perspective of local public authorities for France, Portugal and Romania. Since the purpose of the current paper is to take note of who is paying for the incremental costs of recycling and whether the industry (i.e. the consumer) is paying for the net financial costs of packaging waste management, environmental impacts are not included in the analysis. The work carried out in this paper highlights some aspects that are prone to be improved and raises several questions that will require further research. In the three countries analyzed more closely in this paper the industry is not paying the net financial cost of packaging waste management. In fact, if the savings attained by diverting packaging waste from other treatment (e.g. landfilling) and the public subsidies to the investment on the recycling system are not considered, it seems that the industry should increase the financial support to local authorities (by 125% in France, 50% in Portugal and 170% in Romania). However, in France and Portugal the industry is paying local authorities more than just the incremental costs of recycling (full costs of selective collection and sorting minus the avoided costs). To provide a more definitive judgment on the fairness of the systems it will be necessary to assess the cost efficiency of waste management operators (and judge whether operators are claiming costs or eliciting prices).

Life cycle assessment of a packaging waste recycling system in Portugal

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been used to assess the environmental impacts associated with an activity or product life cycle. It has also been applied to assess the environmental performance related to waste management activities. This study analyses the packaging waste management system of a local public authority in Portugal. The operations of selective and refuse collection, sorting, recycling, landfilling and incineration of packaging waste were considered. The packaging waste management system in operation in 2010, which we called Baseline scenario, was compared with two hypothetical scenarios where all the packaging waste that was selectively collected in 2010 would undergo the refuse collection system and would be sent directly to incineration (called Incineration scenario) or to landfill (Landfill scenario). Overall, the results show that the Baseline scenario is more environmentally sound than the hypothetical scenarios.

End-of-life Zn–MnO2 batteries: electrode materials characterization

Physical and chemical characterization of several sizes and shapes of alkaline and saline spent Zn–MnO2 batteries was carried out, aiming at contributing for a better definition of the applicable recycling processes. The characterization essays included the mass balance of the components, cathode and anode elemental analysis, the identification of zinc and manganese bearing phases and the morphology analysis of the electrode particles. The electrode materials correspond to 64–79% of the total weigh of the batteries, with the cathodes having clearly the highest contribution (usually more than 50%). The steel components, mainly from the cases, are also important (17–30%). Elemental analysis showed that the electrodes are highly concentrated in zinc (from 48–87% in anodes) and manganese (from 35–50% in cathodes). X-Ray powder diffraction allowed for identifying several phases in the electrodes, namely zinc oxide, in the anodes of all the types of saline and alkaline batteries tested, while zinc hydroxide chloride and ammine zinc chloride only appear in some types of saline batteries. The manganese found in the cathode materials is present as two main phases, MnO·Mn2O3 and ZnO·Mn2O3, the latter corroborating that zinc migration from anode to cathode occurs during the batteries lifespan. A unreacted MnO2 phase was also found presenting a low crystalline level. Leaching trials with diluted HCl solutions of alkaline and saline battery samples showed that all zinc species are reactive attaining easily over than 90% leaching yields, and about 30% of manganese, present as Mn(ii/iii) forms. The MnO2 phase is less reactive and requires higher temperatures to achieve a more efficient solubilization.

A Comprehensive Approach for Spatial and Temporal Water Demand Profiling to Improve Management in Network Areas

The aim of this paper is to present a comprehensive approach for spatial and temporal demand profiling in water distribution systems. Multiple linear regression models for estimating network design parameters and decision trees for predicting daily demand patterns are presented. Proposed approach is a four-step procedure: data collection, data processing, data characterization, and spatial and temporal demand profiling. Continuous flow measurements and infrastructure and billing data were collected from a large set of water network areas and combined with census data. Main results indicate that family structures (i.e., families with elderly or adolescents), individuals’ mobility (i.e., people employed in the tertiary sector and university graduates) and public consumption (i.e., public spaces’ irrigation) are key-variables to profile water demand. Profiling models are of the utmost importance to describe water demand in areas with no monitoring but with similar socio-demographic characteristics to the ones analyzed, to improve network operation and to support network planning and design in new areas. Obtained models have been tested for new areas, showing good prediction performances.

Printed Circuit Boards Recycling: Characterization of Granulometric Fractions from Shredding Process

In electronic appliances, printed circuit boards (PCB) represent an important component, containing high grade of valuable metals, besides organic resins and some ceramic materials. Copper is the major metal in PBC’s composition (normally higher than 20% w/w) but many other secondary and minor metal elements, including precious metals, are found in PCB’s. Recycling of PCB´s involves firstly the shredding operation, which is crucial in order to liberate particles from different materials, allowing its further processing by other mechanical, physical and chemical technologies. An efficient shredding operation is difficult to achieve due to the high heterogeneity of these wastes involving materials with different mechanical properties and complex assemblies. This paper presents results from laboratorial studies of shredding of PCB’s and the evaluation of size reduction efficiency as well as the chemical characterization of the obtained shredded fractions. Results showed that an efficient size reduction (characteristic average diameter d50=1.0mm) is obtained using two shredding stages of PCB’s, the first one with a grab shredder and the second one with a cutting mill. Chemical analysis of shredded PCB’s indicated that copper is the principal metal present (28%) followed by Sn, Zn, Pb and Al (3-5%) and many other minor elements. The fine fractions were rich in plastic materials while the metals were essentially present in the intermediate fractions (0.3-1.5 mm). These results can lead to guidelines regarding further design of the physical separation steps in the recycling processes.

Evaluation of Physical Processing in the Recycling of Spent Domestic Batteries

Domestic-type batteries sample was tested aiming at its characterization and the evaluation of the feasibility of physical separation of its main components. The sample was essentially constituted by saline and alkaline types (Zn-MnO2 based systems, >90% w/w) and cylindrical shape (> 90% w/w). The mass balance of alkaline battery samples indicated as main battery components the steel case materials (25 %), the electrodes (71%) and the connector and separator/insulating materials (4 %), while the corresponding values to the saline type are 16%, 72% and 12% respectively. Despite electrochemical principles are similar, internal constitution of saline and alkaline batteries is different. Differences in electrolytes are also relevant (KOH in alkaline type and chloride salts in saline type) affecting therefore the mass balances in the chemical treatment. Fragmentation of batteries was done aiming at to evaluate the efficiency of the liberation of different components, namely scrap and electrodes. Results obtained are very promising considering the good efficiency reached on the physical separation treatment and consequently the chemical step will be necessarily improved.

Estimating Water Supply Infrastructure Cost Using Regression Techniques

AbstractThe current paper aims at the establishment and validation of reference cost functions for different types of assets of water supply systems based on known hydraulic (e.g.,xa0flow, pump head, pump power) and physical (e.g.,xa0volume, material, nominal pressure, diameter) characteristics of the assets. A five-step methodology was followed: (1)xa0database construction and asset characterization; (2)xa0present cost value calculation; (3)xa0key parameters and cost function establishment; (4)xa0model specification; and (5)xa0model testing and validation. A sample of cost and infrastructure data from several Portuguese water utilities has been used. Multiple linear regression analysis has been carried out to obtain cost functions. Cost modeling also includes the estimation of prediction bands to describe cost uncertainty. Developed cost functions have been tested and validated using 10% of randomly selected data.

Characterisation of Cutting Systems on Physical Processing of Spent Batteries

Laboratorial studies were carried out to characterise the influence of different cutting systems (grab shredder and cutting mill) on the physical processing efficiency of spent Zn-MnO2 batteries. The grab shredder operate based on an indented cutting rotor which applies shear and abrasion stresses with a moderate rotation speed, while the cutting mill operation is based on shear and impact stresses at higher rotation speed. After shredding with the grab shredder, two fractions of material were obtained (above and below the 6 mm discharge grid), which allows a previous separation of the scrap. With the cutting mill, all the grinded material passed the bottom grid (with the same 6mm opening). Results obtained showed that alkaline batteries were more efficiently shredded than saline batteries, mainly with the grab shredder. Average diameters (d50) for saline and alkaline batteries fragmented with the grab shredder were 2.29 and 1.47 mm respectively, while with the cutting mill were 3.09 and 1.54 mm respectively. Chemical analyses were carried out for different size fractions allowing identifying metals distribution through size categories. In general chemical composition was not substantially different using both shredding systems. Zinc distribution was almost constant with the grain size while manganese distribution decreased with particle size. More than 94% of the iron scrap from the battery cases presents a particle size higher than 1.4 mm using both cutting systems. Due to this result, it is possible to separate the scrap retained in the coarse fraction by sieving with the identified mesh. Maximum selectivity points, corresponding to the maximum separation of zinc plus manganese from iron, were also determined. Higher zinc and manganese recoveries were obtained with the grab shredder, despite iron contamination (20-25%) can be considered significant.

Characterisation of the Filter Elements of End-of-Life Biological and Chemical Protection Masks Used by the Army

The main purpose of the present study is to assess the usefulness of filter cartridges from end-of-life biological and chemical protection masks, for other applications (with increased added value) instead of landfill deposition. Filters with different ages up to fifty years, were dismantled and divided in their components. Physico-chemical characterisation of each filter cartridge component was performed using different techniques such as: optical microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, pyrolysis, particle size distribution by laser diffraction, surface area determination from the nitrogen adsorption isotherms at 77K, determination of open porosity by helium pycnometry, and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis in the temperature range from -100°C to 200°C. It is shown that the loss of resilience of the rubber sealant is the main factor that controls the shelf life of filter cartridges. On the other hand, most of the charcoal in the activated carbon cloth remains active and can be useful for other less severe applications such as the removal of dissolved components from freshwater and/or marine systems.