Presence of toxic and hazardous substances in recycled rubber surfaces; environmental distribution and toxicological implications

This thesis focuses on the study of recycled tire rubber employed as infill in artificial turf football pitches or as flooring in children's playgrounds, among other uses. Different families of chemical compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, plasticisers, antioxidants and vulcanisation additives were determined in different recycled tire rubber matrices. In addition, the diffusion of these substances into the environment (air and water) and the potential bioaccessibility via oral ingestion were studied. For this purpose, different analytical methodologies were developed and validated. Due to the wide variety of the studied samples, different simple and sustainable sample preparation techniques were employed prior to analysis by gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry

Sobre los estudios sociocríticos en China: una cuestión terminológica

La sociocrítica se ha convertido en los últimos años en un eje de análisis cultural en los estudios literarios. Sin embargo, en contraste con el crecimiento de esta perspectiva en otros contextos culturales, hay una notable ausencia de innovación en el entorno de los estudios literarios chinos. A pesar de la relevancia de las publicaciones de las décadas de 1980 y 1990, los estudios de la literatura china desde la perspectiva sociocrítica no han evolucionado. El presente artículo se centra en los principales problemas conceptuales y terminológicos que, al parecer, impiden que este enfoque sea utilizado y aceptado en China

Assessment of the bioaccessibility of PAHs and other hazardous compounds present in recycled tire rubber employed in synthetic football fields

Recycled tire crumb rubber (RTCR) surfaces contain harmful and carcinogenic substances, which can be ingested by the users of these facilities, mainly athletes and children. In this work, the potential in-vitro oral bioaccessibility of eighteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from RTCR employed as infill in synthetic football fields was studied in human synthetic body fluids (saliva, gastric, duodenal and bile), prepared according the Unified Bioaccessibility Method. Solid-phase extraction (SPE) using commercial sorbents and a new green material based on cork (cork industry by-product) were used to isolate the bioaccessible PAHs before gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis. The method was optimized and validated attending the analytical figures of merit. The feasibility of cork biosorbent for the extraction of the compounds was demonstrated, as well as the suitability of the UBM method to perform the digestion with good precision. The application to real samples collected from football fields demonstrated the presence of 17 of the 18 target PAHs in the biofluids. Most volatile PAHs such as NAP, ACY, ACE, FLU, PHN and ANC, achieved the highest bioaccessibility percentage levels. The carcinogenic B[a]P was detected in 75 % of the samples at concentrations up to 2.5 ng g−1 (bioaccessible fraction). Children exposure assessment was carried out to identify potential risk. Other hazardous and environmentally problematic compounds such as N-(1,3-Dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine-quinone (6PPD-quinone), recently related with the dead of coho salmon, and hexamethoxymethylmelamine (HMMM), among others, were also detected. This is the first study in which the bioaccesibility from real crumb rubber samples of 15 out of the 16 PAHs considered as priority pollutants by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the presence of 6PPD-quinone and HMMM in the bioaccessible fractions is reportedThis research was supported by projects RETOS PID2019-104336RB-I00, UNST10-1E-491 and RED2018-102522-T (Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain), and ED431 2020/06 and IN607B 2022/15 (Xunta de Galicia). This study is based upon work from the Sample Preparation Study Group and Network and upon work from the IUPAC project No. 2021-015-2-500. All these programs are co-funded by FEDER (EU)S

Evaluating the presence and contents of phytochemicals in honey samples: phenolic compounds as indicators to identify their botanical origin

Honey is a natural product well known for its beneficial properties. It contains phytochemicals, a wide class of nutraceuticals found in plants, including compounds with highly demonstrated antimicrobial and antioxidant capacities as phenolic compounds and flavonoids. The main goal of this work is the development of a miniaturized and environmentally friendly methodology to obtain the phenolic profile of Galician honeys (Northwest Spain) from different varieties such as honeydew, chestnut, eucalyptus, heather, blackberry and multi-floral. The total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (AA) were also evaluated. As regards sample preparation, miniaturized vortex (VE) and ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) employing aqueous-based solvents were performed. Individual quantification of 41 target phenolic compounds was carried out by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Results revealed the presence of 25 phenolic compounds in the 91 analyzed samples, reaching concentrations up to 252 µg g−1. Statistical tools such as analysis of variance (ANOVA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were employed to obtain models that allowed classifying the different honeys according to their botanical origin. Obtained results, based on TPC, AA and ∑phenolic compounds showed that significant differences appeared depending on the honey variety, being several of the identified phenol compounds being responsible of the main differentiationThis research was funded by project GO FEADER 2018/054B (Xunta de Galicia). The authors belong to the National Network for the Innovation in miniaturized sample preparation techniques, RED2018-102522-T (Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, Spain), and to the Galician Competitive Research Groups IN607B 2019/13 and ED431 2020/06 (Xunta de Galicia). This study is based upon work from the Sample Preparation Study Group and Network, supported by the Division of Analytical Chemistry of the European Chemical Society. All these programmes are co-funded by FEDER (EU)S

Global evaluation of the chemical hazard of recycled tire crumb rubber employed on worldwide synthetic turf football pitches

Social and environmental concern about the use of crumb rubber from end-of-life car tires in the construction of different sport and recreational facilities is increasing due to the presence of hazardous compounds. The aim of this research was the assessment of 42 organic chemicals, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phthalates, adipates, antioxidants and vulcanisation agents in a large number of infill samples (91) from synthetic turf football pitches of diverse characteristics and geographical origin. Samples were taken worldwide, in 17 countries on 4 continents, to show the global dimension of this problem. Ultrasound assisted extraction was employed to extract the target compounds, followed by gas chromatography coupled to tandem-mass spectrometry (UAE-GC–MS/MS). Seventy-eight crumb rubber samples as well as thirteen samples of alternatives materials, such as cork granulates, thermoplastic elastomers and coconut fibre, were analyzed. The results highlight the presence of all target PAH in most rubber samples at concentrations up to μg g−1, including the eight ECHA (European Chemicals Agency) PAHs considered as carcinogenic, and anthracene (ANC), pyrene (PYR) and benzo[ghi]perylene (B[ghi]P), catalogued as substances of very high concern (SVHC). Endocrine disruptors such as some plasticizers (mainly phthalates), and other compounds like benzothiazole (BTZ) and 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBTZ) were found reaching the mg g−1 level. This confirms the presence of the hazardous substances in the recycled crumb rubber samples collected all around the world. Three crumb rubber samples exceeded the limit of 20 μg g−1 for the sum of the eight ECHA PAHs. Regarding the chemical composition of other infill alternatives, cork appears to be adequate, while the thermoplastic elastomers contained high levels of some plasticizers. In addition, the plastic infill as well as the crumb rubber both are microplastics. Microplastics are considered contaminants of emerging concern since they do not biodegrade and remain in the environment for a long timeThis research was supported by projects RETOS PID2019-104336RB-I00 (Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain) and UNST10-1E-491 (Infrastructure Program, Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain). The authors belong to RED2018-102522-T (Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, Spain) and to the Galician Competitive Research Groups IN607B 2019/13 and ED431 2020/06 (Xunta de Galicia). This study is based upon work from COST Action CA16215 and from the Sample Preparation Study Group and Network, supported by the Division of Analytical Chemistry of the European Chemical Society. All these programs are co-funded by FEDER (EU). This work was also financially supported by: (i) Base Funding UIDB/00511 2020 of the Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy (LEPABE), by national funds through the FCT/ MCTES (PIDDAC); (ii) Project SAFEGOAL (Ref. PTDC/EQU-EQU/28101/2017; POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028101), funded by FEDER funds through COMPETE2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) and by national funds (PIDDAC) through FCT/ MCTES. N.R. thanks the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for the financial support of his work contract through the Scientific Employment Stimulus - Institutional Call - [CEECINST/00049/2018]S

Jornada de Grandes infraestructuras europeas de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades en el CSIC: DARIAH y CLARÍN en el horizonte (11 de mayo de 2023)

Peer reviewe

Erratum to: 36th International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13054-016-1208-6.]

Green methodology based on active air sampling followed by solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis to determine hazardous substances in different environments related to tire rubber

A fast, efficient, and simple air sampling methodology was developed to study a high number of volatile and semivolatile organic compounds in air above tire rubber materials and surfaces made of recycled tire rubber. The proposed method, based on active sampling (solid-phase extraction, SPE) using a small quantity of sorbent material (25 mg) followed by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis, was developed with the aim of determining 40 organics substances including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), plasticizers, antioxidants, and vulcanization agents. An experimental design was carried out to study the influence of main factors such as type of SPME fibre, solvent addition, headspace volume, stirring, as well as the factor interactions. Method performance showed good linearity in a broad concentration range (0.05 to 200 ng m−3, for most compounds), with coefficients of determination (R2) higher than 0.9900. Whole method precision (≤ 16 %) and accuracy were also satisfactory, obtaining quantitative recoveries (mean values between 80 and 110 % in most cases). Limits of detection and quantification have also been calculated, yielding values of sub ng m−3 for most compounds. The validated method was applied to outdoor and indoor air environments including playgrounds, football pitches and warehouses showing the presence of most target compounds in the samples achieving high levels for some PAHs (concentrations up to 51 ng m−3), benzothiazole (BTZ), diisobutyl- dibutyl- and di-(2-ethylhexyl)- phthalate, among others, reaching concentrations up to hundreds of ng m−3 (BTZ). This is the first time that the combination of techniques SPE and SPME is applied for these families of chemicals, and it is also the first time that this approach is proposed for the simultaneous multiclass compound extraction of substances of different chemical families. The whole sampling and extraction procedure is performed in a short period of time (61 min) allowing high throughput. The elimination of the use of organic solvents and waste generation by using only 25 mg of sorbent and a SPME fibre than are both reused makes the method sustainable and in consonance with the principles of the green chemistry. The method can be implemented in any routine lab and easily automated using a SPME autosamplerThis research was supported by projects RETOS PID2019-104336RB-I00 and UNST10-1E-491 (Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain) and ED431 2020/06 and IN607B 2019/13 (Xunta de Galicia). The authors belong to the National Network for the Innovation in miniaturized sample preparation techniques, RED2018-102522-T. This study is based upon work from the Sample Preparation Study Group and Network, supported by the Division of Analytical Chemistry of the European Chemical Society and upon work from the IUPAC project No. 2021-015-2-500 ‘Greenness of official standard sample preparation methods”. All these programs are co-funded by FEDER (EU)S

Jornadas Nacionales de Robótica y Bioingeniería 2023: Libro de actas

Las Jornadas de Robótica y Bioingeniería de 2023 tienen lugar en la Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Industrial de la Universidad Politécnica de IVIadrid, entre los días 14 y 16 de junio de 2023. En este evento propiciado por el Comité Español de Automática (CEA) tiene lugar la celebración conjunta de las XII Jornadas Nacionales de Robótica y el XIV Simposio CEA de Bioingeniería. Las Jornadas Nacionales de Robótica es un evento promovido por el Grupo Temático de Robótica (GTRob) de CEA para dar visibilidad y mostrar las actividades desarrolladas en el ámbito de la investigación y transferencia tecnológica en robótica. Asimismo, el propósito de Simposio de Bioingeniería, que cumple ahora su decimocuarta dicción, es el de proporcionar un espacio de encuentro entre investigadores, desabolladores, personal clínico, alumnos, industriales, profesionales en general e incluso usuarios que realicen su actividad en el ámbito de la bioingeniería. Estos eventos se han celebrado de forma conjunta en la anualidad 2023. Esto ha permitido aunar y congregar un elevado número de participantes tanto de la temática robótica como de bioingeniería (investigadores, profesores, desabolladores y profesionales en general), que ha posibilitado establecer puntos de encuentro, sinergias y colaboraciones entre ambos. El programa de las jornadas aúna comunicaciones científicas de los últimos resultados de investigación obtenidos, por los grupos a nivel español más representativos dentro de la temática de robótica y bioingeniería, así como mesas redondas y conferencias en las que se debatirán los temas de mayor interés en la actualidad. En relación con las comunicaciones científicas presentadas al evento, se ha recibido un total de 46 ponencias, lo que sin duda alguna refleja el alto interés de la comunidad científica en las Jornadas de Robótica y Bioingeniería. Estos trabajos serán expuestos y presentados a lo largo de un total de 10 sesiones, distribuidas durante los diferentes días de las Jornadas. Las temáticas de los trabajos cubren los principales retos científicos relacionados con la robótica y la bioingeniería: robótica aérea, submarina, terrestre, percepción del entorno, manipulación, robótica social, robótica médica, teleoperación, procesamiento de señales biológicos, neurorehabilitación etc. Confiamos, y estamos seguros de ello, que el desarrollo de las jornadas sea completamente productivo no solo para los participantes en las Jornadas que podrán establecer nuevos lazos y relaciones fructíferas entre los diferentes grupos, sino también aquellos investigadores que no hayan podido asistir. Este documento que integra y recoge todas las comunicaciones científicas permitirá un análisis más detallado de cada una de las mismas