Decontamination and recycling of agrochemical plastic packaging waste.

Agrochemical containers shall undergo decontamination before being considered for recycling. This study provides an assessment on the feasibility of the triple-rinsing decontamination procedure, while evaluating the appropriateness of the material’s quality for recycling. To achieve the objectives of the study, (1) the effectiveness of the decontamination procedure was investigated; (2) containers´ long storage times and changes on the polymer´s structure were assessed; and (3) the quality of the recycled material was tested. Results showed that the triple-rinsing procedure was ineffective for the container´s complete decontamination, yet a further washing step – performed during the simulation of the recycling process – allowed for an improved degree of decontamination for recycling. Photo-oxidation imposed significant changes on the chemical structure of the polymer, where the active ingredient could be detected by FTIR, even after the application of rinsing and extraction. The chemical structure of the bulk material has not changed, indicating that the pesticide mobilization was only confined to the surface. The mechanical tests showed material quality appropriateness, where tensile strength values were within the suggested ranges, providing a possibility for further utilization of this material when appropriate decontamination is applied

Development of a method to produce standardised and storable inocula for biomethane potential tests \u2013 Preliminary steps

In biomethane potential (BMP) tests, different sources and origins of inocula might cause significant variations in the tests\u2019 results, preventing from acquiring a harmonised and standardised evaluation of the different substrates. In this study, a method to produce standardised and storable inocula was elaborated. For the development of the different investigation steps a control sludge originated from a wastewater treatment plant was utilised. Freeze-drying was applied in the framework of this study as a long-term conservation method for the anaerobic inocula. In order to ensure a closed system with anaerobic conditions at all times, a test system was developed to allow accurate and representative mass-balance experiments. The test results demonstrated that inocula conservation and re-suspension in BMP tests is possible; the limit value of the expected methane yield of a positive and lyophilised reference-control, was reached. However, a lag phase of 7\u201310 days was obtained, possibly due to the damage of microorganisms as a consequence of the conservation process. Further investigations need to be carried out to optimise the conservation process of the produced inocula or an initial preparation phase should be considered to reduce the lag phase

Investigation of standardised and adapted inocula for biomethane potential tests

In biomethane potential (BMP) tests, different sources and origins of inocula might cause significant variations in the tests’ results, preventing from acquiring a harmonised and standardised evaluation of the different substrates. In this study, a method to produce standardised and storable inocula was elaborated. In anaerobic bioreactors, inoculum based on Dried Destined Grain Substrates (DDGS) pellets was initially produced as substrate under defined conditions. Freeze-drying was applied in the framework of this study as a long-term conservation method for the anaerobic inocula. In order to ensure a closed system with anaerobic conditions at all times, a test system was developed allowing accurate and representative mass-balance experiments. The test results demonstrated that inocula preservation and re-suspension in BMP tests is possible; the limit value of the expected methane yield of the positive and lyophilised DDGS-substrate- control, was reached. However, the lyophilized inoculum with DDGS as substrate showed a significant lower specific biogas production compared to the postive control. After the repeated addition of DDGS after 68 days of incubation, no lag phase was observed in biogas production in the lyophilized batch. In this case, a lower substrate degradation compared to the first step was observed. Therefore, further investigations are necessary to reduce the lag phase and to develop a two-stage BMP test in which the standardised and storable inoculum can be added at defined concentrations in capsule or tablet form