SUNSPACE, A Porous Material to Reduce Air Particulate Matter (PM)

The World Health Organization reports that every year several million people die prematurely due to air pollution. Poor air quality is a by-product of unsustainable policies in transportation, energy, industry, and waste management in the world's most crowded cities. Particulate matter (PM) is one of the major element of polluted air. PM can be composed by organic and inorganic species. In particular, heavy metals present in PM include, lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium, (Cd), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), arsenic (As), and molybdenum (Mo). Currently, vegetation is the only existing sustainable method to reduce anthropogenic PM concentrations in urban environments. In particular, the PM-retention ability of vegetation depends on the surface properties, related to the plant species, leaf and branch density, and leaf micromorphology. In this work, a new hybrid material called SUNSPACE (SUstaiNable materials Synthesized from by-Products and Alginates for Clean air and better Environment) is proposed for air PM entrapment. Candle burning tests are performed to compare SUNSPACE with Hedera Helix L. leafs with respect to their efficacy of reducing coarse and fine PM. The temporal variation of PM10 and PM2.5 in presence of the trapping materials, shows that Hedera Helix L. surface saturates more rapidly. In addition, the capability of SUNSPACE in ultrafine PM trapping is also demonstrated by using titanium dioxide nanoparticles with 25 nm diameter. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images of SUNSPACE after entrapment tests highlight the presence of collected nanoparticles until to about 0.04 mm in depth from the sample surface. N2 physisorption measurements allow to demonstrate the possibility to SUNSPACE regeneration by washing

Characterization and sustainability evaluation of phosphorus recovery from incinerated waste streams

Il fosforo (P) è un nutriente vitale e non sostituibile per tutti gli organismi viventi, ma è anche una risorsa non rinnovabile in diminuzione. Il fosforo viene anche estratto principalmente dalla roccia fosfatica per essere applicato come fertilizzante in una popolazione mondiale in continua crescita che richiede un'attività agricola intensiva. Circa i due terzi della fornitura mondiale di roccia fosfatica si trova in Marocco, Cina e Stati Uniti, portando così l'Europa ad avere dipendenza dalle importazioni. Ciò ha portato la Commissione europea a elencare la roccia fosfatica prima nel 2014 e poi il fosforo nel 2017 come materie prime critiche. Da aggiungere che meno del 20% della P utilizzata nei settori della produzione di alimenti e mangimi è consumato da attività antropiche. Concentrandosi sulle maggiori perdite (per lo più associate alla produzione di carne e alle coltivazioni), tra i principali flussi di rifiuti, letame di pollina e fanghi di depurazione rappresentano importanti fonti secondarie di P sotto la Commissione europea e possono aiutare ad alleviare la dipendenza dal fosfato importato. Un modo promettente per recuperare in modo efficiente il P consiste nell'indirizzare i flussi di rifiuti inceneriti (fonti arricchite di P) come potenziale sostituto delle rocce fosfatiche. Pertanto, dato che mancano dati di letteratura sulla caratterizzazione di questo materiale, questa tesi mira a determinare la caratterizzazione comparativa dei residui di ceneri ricchi di P campionati alla combustione a letto fluido di Güres Energy (Turchia) di letame di galline ovaiole e a Campoaves (Portogallo) combustione di griglie a catena di lettiera di pollame di lolla di riso. È stato studiato l'effetto di diversi combustibili e diversi sistemi di combustione sulla speciazione di P nelle ceneri: sono state eseguite la caratterizzazione dei campioni globali (ceneri pesanti (BA), ceneri volanti dell'economizzatore (FAECO), ceneri volanti dei cicloni (FACYC)) e le rispettive frazioni dimensionali chimicamente (analisi approssimata ed elementare mediante fluorescenza a raggi X - XRF - e spettroscopia di massa al plasma accoppiato induttivamente - ICP-MS), morfologicamente (imaging dettagliato e microanalisi a raggi X mediante microscopia elettronica a scansione - spettrometria a raggi X a dispersione di energia - SEM −EDS) e mineralogicamente (diffrazione di raggi X – XRD). Il fosforo è stato rilevato nelle ceneri di Güres principalmente come cristalli di idrossiapatite insieme a reliquie di CaCO3 e CaO, mentre le frazioni di cenere di Campoaves contenevano P anche come fosfato di Na-K-Mg e grandi quantità di reliquie di lolla di riso, tra cui salmerino incombusto e fasi di silice. Sia le ceneri di Güres che quelle di Campoaves sono complesse, ma la combustione del letame di pollina in queste condizioni di impostazione sembra essere promettente per il recupero di P a causa del loro alto contenuto di P e vengono proposte diverse tecniche. Un altro tema principale affrontato in questo lavoro riguarda gli indicatori per la valutazione dell'impatto ambientale. Di seguito viene riportato un approccio semplificato e innovativo, concettualizzato come studio preliminare allo studio del ciclo di vita, per la valutazione della sostenibilità delle nuove tecnologie, basato sull'uso di due parametri (es. energia incorporata e impronta di CO2) che tengono conto dell'energia e delle emissioni coinvolte nella formazione di un materiale. Un indice adimensionale, definito come indice SUB-RAW, confronta i risultati sull'impatto ambientale del materiale/processo sostitutivo selezionato, qua nel contesto delle tecnologie di recupero del P. Lo strumento di valutazione della sostenibilità vuole rappresentare una pietra miliare nella progettazione di strategie per far fronte all'esaurimento delle risorse e suggerire opportunità di evoluzione legislativa, a sostegno di alternative sostenibili alle materie prime.Phosphorus (P) is a vital and non-substitutable nutrient for all living organisms, but it is also a dwindling non-renewable resource. Phosphorus is also primarily extracted from phosphate rock for being applied as fertilizers in an ever increasing World population demanding intensive agricultural activity. About more than two-thirds of the world’s supply of phosphate rock is located in Morocco, China and the USA leading the European Commission to list phosphate rock first in 2014 and P secondly in 2017 as critical raw materials. To add that, less than 20% of the P used in the food and feed production sectors are anthropogenically consumed. By focusing on the major losses, among the principal waste streams, aviary manure and sewage sludge represent important secondary sources of P under the European Commission and can help alleviate reliance on imported phosphate. A promising way to efficiently recover P is to address incinerated waste streams (P enriched sources) as potential substitute of phosphate rocks. Therefore, since literature data are lacking about characterization and second applications of this material, this thesis aims to determine the comparative characterization of P-rich ash residues sampled at Güres Energy (Turkey) fluidized bed combustion of laying hens manure and at Campoaves (Portugal) chain grate stoker combustion of rice husk poultry litter. The effect of different fuels and different combustion systems on P speciation in ash was investigated: the characterization of global samples (bottom ash (BA), economizer fly ash (FAECO), cyclone fly ash (FACYC)) and respective size-fractions were done chemically (proximate and elemental analysis by X-ray fluorescence – XRF – and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy – ICP-MS), morphologically (detailed imaging and X-ray micro analysis by Scanning Electron Microscopy−Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectrometry – SEM−EDS) and mineralogically (X-ray diffraction – XRD). Phosphorus was detected in Güres ashes mainly as hydroxyapatite crystals alongside with CaCO3 relics and CaO, while Campoaves ash fractions contained P also as Na-K-Mg phosphate and major amounts of rice husk relics including unburnt char and silica phases. Both Güres and Campoaves ashes are complex but the combustion of aviary manure under these setting conditions appears to be promising for P recovery owing to their high P content and different techniques are proposed. Another main issue addressed in this work regards indicator for evaluating the environmental impact. Here is reported a simplified and novel approach, conceptualized as preliminary study to Life Cycle Assessment, for sustainability evaluation of new technologies, based on the use of two parameters (i.e. embodied energy and CO2 footprint) that account for the energy and emissions involved in the formation of a material. A dimensionless index, defined as SUB-RAW index, compares the results about the environmental impact of selected substituting material/process, here in the context of P recovery technologies. The sustainability evaluation tool aims to represent a milestone in the design of strategies to cope with resources depletion and to suggest opportunities for legislative evolution, in support of sustainable alternative to raw materials

Characterization and sustainability evaluation of phosphorus recovery from incinerated waste streams

nonePhosphorus (P) is a vital and non-substitutable nutrient for all living organisms, but it is also a dwindling non-renewable resource. Phosphorus is also primarily extracted from phosphate rock for being applied as fertilizers in an ever increasing World population demanding intensive agricultural activity. About more than two-thirds of the world’s supply of phosphate rock is located in Morocco, China and the USA leading the European Commission to list phosphate rock first in 2014 and P secondly in 2017 as critical raw materials. To add that, less than 20% of the P used in the food and feed production sectors are anthropogenically consumed. By focusing on the major losses, among the principal waste streams, aviary manure and sewage sludge represent important secondary sources of P under the European Commission and can help alleviate reliance on imported phosphate. A promising way to efficiently recover P is to address incinerated waste streams (P enriched sources) as potential substitute of phosphate rocks. Therefore, since literature data are lacking about characterization and second applications of this material, this thesis aims to determine the comparative characterization of P-rich ash residues sampled at Güres Energy (Turkey) fluidized bed combustion of laying hens manure and at Campoaves (Portugal) chain grate stoker combustion of rice husk poultry litter. The effect of different fuels and different combustion systems on P speciation in ash was investigated: the characterization of global samples (bottom ash (BA), economizer fly ash (FAECO), cyclone fly ash (FACYC)) and respective size-fractions were done chemically (proximate and elemental analysis by X-ray fluorescence – XRF – and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy – ICP-MS), morphologically (detailed imaging and X-ray micro analysis by Scanning Electron Microscopy−Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectrometry – SEM−EDS) and mineralogically (X-ray diffraction – XRD). Phosphorus was detected in Güres ashes mainly as hydroxyapatite crystals alongside with CaCO3 relics and CaO, while Campoaves ash fractions contained P also as Na-K-Mg phosphate and major amounts of rice husk relics including unburnt char and silica phases. Both Güres and Campoaves ashes are complex but the combustion of aviary manure under these setting conditions appears to be promising for P recovery owing to their high P content and different techniques are proposed. Another main issue addressed in this work regards indicator for evaluating the environmental impact. Here is reported a simplified and novel approach, conceptualized as preliminary study to Life Cycle Assessment, for sustainability evaluation of new technologies, based on the use of two parameters (i.e. embodied energy and CO2 footprint) that account for the energy and emissions involved in the formation of a material. A dimensionless index, defined as SUB-RAW index, compares the results about the environmental impact of selected substituting material/process, here in the context of P recovery technologies. The sustainability evaluation tool aims to represent a milestone in the design of strategies to cope with resources depletion and to suggest opportunities for legislative evolution, in support of sustainable alternative to raw materials.Il fosforo (P) è un nutriente vitale e non sostituibile per tutti gli organismi viventi, ma è anche una risorsa non rinnovabile in diminuzione. Il fosforo viene anche estratto principalmente dalla roccia fosfatica per essere applicato come fertilizzante in una popolazione mondiale in continua crescita che richiede un'attività agricola intensiva. Circa i due terzi della fornitura mondiale di roccia fosfatica si trova in Marocco, Cina e Stati Uniti, portando così l'Europa ad avere dipendenza dalle importazioni. Ciò ha portato la Commissione europea a elencare la roccia fosfatica prima nel 2014 e poi il fosforo nel 2017 come materie prime critiche. Da aggiungere che meno del 20% della P utilizzata nei settori della produzione di alimenti e mangimi è consumato da attività antropiche. Concentrandosi sulle maggiori perdite (per lo più associate alla produzione di carne e alle coltivazioni), tra i principali flussi di rifiuti, letame di pollina e fanghi di depurazione rappresentano importanti fonti secondarie di P sotto la Commissione europea e possono aiutare ad alleviare la dipendenza dal fosfato importato. Un modo promettente per recuperare in modo efficiente il P consiste nell'indirizzare i flussi di rifiuti inceneriti (fonti arricchite di P) come potenziale sostituto delle rocce fosfatiche. Pertanto, dato che mancano dati di letteratura sulla caratterizzazione di questo materiale, questa tesi mira a determinare la caratterizzazione comparativa dei residui di ceneri ricchi di P campionati alla combustione a letto fluido di Güres Energy (Turchia) di letame di galline ovaiole e a Campoaves (Portogallo) combustione di griglie a catena di lettiera di pollame di lolla di riso. È stato studiato l'effetto di diversi combustibili e diversi sistemi di combustione sulla speciazione di P nelle ceneri: sono state eseguite la caratterizzazione dei campioni globali (ceneri pesanti (BA), ceneri volanti dell'economizzatore (FAECO), ceneri volanti dei cicloni (FACYC)) e le rispettive frazioni dimensionali chimicamente (analisi approssimata ed elementare mediante fluorescenza a raggi X - XRF - e spettroscopia di massa al plasma accoppiato induttivamente - ICP-MS), morfologicamente (imaging dettagliato e microanalisi a raggi X mediante microscopia elettronica a scansione - spettrometria a raggi X a dispersione di energia - SEM −EDS) e mineralogicamente (diffrazione di raggi X – XRD). Il fosforo è stato rilevato nelle ceneri di Güres principalmente come cristalli di idrossiapatite insieme a reliquie di CaCO3 e CaO, mentre le frazioni di cenere di Campoaves contenevano P anche come fosfato di Na-K-Mg e grandi quantità di reliquie di lolla di riso, tra cui salmerino incombusto e fasi di silice. Sia le ceneri di Güres che quelle di Campoaves sono complesse, ma la combustione del letame di pollina in queste condizioni di impostazione sembra essere promettente per il recupero di P a causa del loro alto contenuto di P e vengono proposte diverse tecniche. Un altro tema principale affrontato in questo lavoro riguarda gli indicatori per la valutazione dell'impatto ambientale. Di seguito viene riportato un approccio semplificato e innovativo, concettualizzato come studio preliminare allo studio del ciclo di vita, per la valutazione della sostenibilità delle nuove tecnologie, basato sull'uso di due parametri (es. energia incorporata e impronta di CO2) che tengono conto dell'energia e delle emissioni coinvolte nella formazione di un materiale. Un indice adimensionale, definito come indice SUB-RAW, confronta i risultati sull'impatto ambientale del materiale/processo sostitutivo selezionato, qua nel contesto delle tecnologie di recupero del P. Lo strumento di valutazione della sostenibilità vuole rappresentare una pietra miliare nella progettazione di strategie per far fronte all'esaurimento delle risorse e suggerire opportunità di evoluzione legislativa, a sostegno di alternative sostenibili alle materie prime.Technology for HealthBONTEMPI, ELZAFahimi, Ari

Poultry litter ash characterisation and recovery

Guedes, Alexandra/0000-0001-6397-3713; Valentim, Bruno/0000-0002-1463-9126; Bilo, Fabjola/0000-0001-7362-3258; FAHIMI, Ario/0000-0002-0974-313XWOS: 000540072300002PubMed: 32464522[No abstract available]Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio e del Mare (Italian Ministry for Environment, Land and Sea Protection)This research was funded under the scope of the ERA-MIN2 Joint Call (2017) "Design of a product for substitution of phosphate rocks - DEASPHOR" and the project "Energy recovery of waste sludges and their re-use as an alternative to some natural resources, for the production of "Green" composites - RENDERING", financed by the Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio e del Mare (Italian Ministry for Environment, Land and Sea Protection)

New Eco-Materials Derived from Waste for Emerging Pollutants Adsorption: The Case of Diclofenac

This work proposes new eco-materials for the adsorption of diclofenac (DCF). The large consumption of this nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug combined with the inefficiency of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) leads to its presence in aquatic environments as an emerging pollutant. The adsorption technique is widely used for pharmaceutical removal. Moreover, due to the large effect of commercial adsorbents, in the frame of the Azure Chemistry approach, new sustainable materials are mandatory for removal as emerging pollutants. The work proposes three adsorbents that were obtained from different stabilization methods of fly ash derived from an incinerator plant; the stabilization techniques involved the use of various industrial by-products such as bottom ash, flue gas desulphurization residues, coal fly ash, and silica fume. The best performance, although less than activated carbon, was obtained by COSMOS (COlloidal Silica Medium to Obtain Safe inert: the case of incinerator fly ash), with a removal efficacy of approximately 76% with 15 g/L of material. Several advantages are expected not only from the DCF removal but also from an economic perspective (the newly obtained adsorbents are eco-materials, so they are cheaper in comparison to conventional adsorbents) and in terms of sustainability (no toxic reagents and no heating treatment are involved). This work highlights the adsorption performance of the new eco-materials and their potential use in WWTPs

Sustainability Analysis of Processes to Recycle Discharged Lithium-Ion Batteries, Based on the ESCAPE Approach

There are several recycling methods to treat discharged lithium-ion batteries, mostly based on pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical approaches. Some of them are promising, showing high recovery efficiency (over 90%) of strategic metals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel. However, technological efficiency must also consider the processes sustainability in terms of environmental impact. In this study, some recycling processes of spent lithium-ion batteries were considered, and their sustainability was evaluated based on the ESCAPE “Evaluation of Sustainability of material substitution using CArbon footPrint by a simplifiEd approach” approach, which is a screening tool preliminary to the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The work specifically focuses on cobalt recovery comparing the sustainability of using inorganic or organic acid for the leaching of waste derived from lithium-ion batteries. Based on the possibility to compare different processes, for the first time, some considerations about technologies optimization have been done, allowing proposing strategies able to save chemicals. In addition, the energy mix of each country, to generate electricity has been considered, showing its influence on the sustainability evaluation. This allows distinguishing the countries using more low-carbon sources (nuclear and renewables) for a share of the electricity mix, where the recycling processes result more sustainable. Finally, this outcome is reflected by another indicator, the eco-cost from the virtual pollution model 99′ proposed by Vogtländer, which integrates the monetary estimation of carbon footprint

SUNSPACE, a porous material to reduce air particulate matter (PM)

The World Health Organization reports that every year several million people die prematurely due to air pollution. Poor air quality is a by-product of unsustainable policies in transportation, energy, industry, and waste management in the world’s most crowded cities. Particulate matter (PM) is one of the major element of polluted air. PM can be composed by organic and inorganic species. In particular, heavy metals present in PM include, lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium, (Cd), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), arsenic (As) and molybdenum (Mo). Currently, vegetation is the only existing sustainable method to reduce anthropogenic PM concentrations in urban environments. In particular, the PM-retention ability of vegetation depends on the surface properties, related to the plant species, leaf and branch density, and leaf micromorphology. In this work a new hybrid material called SUNSPACE (SUstaiNable materials Synthesized from by-Products and Alginates for Clean air and better Environment) is proposed for air PM entrapment. Candle burning tests are performed to compare SUNSPACE with Hedera Helix L. leafs with respect to their efficacy of reducing coarse and fine PM. The temporal variation of PM10 and PM2.5 in presence of the trapping materials, shows that Hedera Helix L. surface saturates more rapidly. In addition, the capability of SUNSPACE in ultrafine PM trapping is also demonstrated by using titanium dioxide nanoparticles with 25 nm diameter. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images of SUNSPACE after entrapment tests highlight the presence of collected nanoparticles until to about 0.04 mm in depth from the sample surface. N2 physisorption measurements allow to demonstrate the possibility to SUNSPACE regeneration by washing.JRC.F.2-Consumer Products Safet

Characterization and Thermal Treatment of the Black Mass from Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries

Recycling lithium-ion batteries is crucial for the environment and the sustainability of primary resources. In this paper, we report on the characterization of two grades of black mass from spent lithium-ion batteries (with typical lithium–nickel–manganese–cobalt oxide cathode compositions) and their behavior during heating trials. This study paves the way for optimizing lithium-ion battery recycling processes by fully characterizing black mass samples before and after heating. A gas release under pyrolytic conditions was detected using a multicomponent mass spectrometer and included dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, oxygenated hydrocarbons, hydrocarbons, and other miscellaneous gases. This can be attributed to the evaporation of volatile organic compounds, conductive salt, organic polyvinylidene fluoride binder, and an organic separator such as polypropylene. Thermal treatment led to the partial decomposition of the binder into char and newly formed fluorine cuboids. The compaction of the cathode decreased, but the remaining binder limited recycling processes. By heating the black mass samples to 900 °C, the intensity of the X-ray diffraction graphitic carbon peak decreased, and the lithium metal oxides were reduced to their corresponding metals. The graphite in the black mass samples was structurally more disordered than natural graphite but became more ordered when heated

Incineration of Aviary Manure: the Case Studies of Poultry Litter and Laying Hens Manure

International audienceThe industrial incineration of aviary manure is still far from the concept of using its ash residuals for nutrient uptake by plants, and most of these materials are landfilled under futile fixed cost. Aviary manure includes poultry litter mixed with different aviary bedding materials or laying hens manure, which may be burned using other incineration technologies and conditions. This study aims to determine the comparative characterisation of P-rich ash residues sampled at Güres Energy (Turkey) fluidised bed combustion of laying hens manure and at Campoaves (Portugal)chain grate stoker combustion of rice husk poultry litter. The effect of different fuels and different combustion systems on P speciation in ash was investigated: the characterisation of global samples (bottom ash (BA), economiser fly ash (FAECO), cyclone fly ash (FACYC)) and respectivesize-fractions were done chemically (proximate and elemental analysis by X-ray fluorescence–XRF–and Inductively CoupledPlasma Mass Spectroscopy – ICP-MS), morphologically (detailed imaging and X-ray micro analysis by Scanning ElectronMicroscopy—Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectrometry–SEM−EDS) and mineralogically (X-ray diffraction–XRD). Phosphoruswas detected in Güres ashes mainly as hydroxyapatite crystals alongside with CaCO 3 relics and CaO, while Campoaves ashfractions contained P also as Na–K-Mg phosphate and major amounts of rice husk relics including unburnt char and silicaphases. Both Güres and Campoaves ashes are complex but the combustion of aviary manure under these setting conditionsappears to be promising for P recovery owing to their high P content and limited trace elements respecting the limitationsimposed by EU legislation for fertilisers applications