Quality of Recycling - Towards an operational definition

As the quantity of recycling increases, a high quality of recycling is necessary to ensure that secondary raw materials produced are suitable for use in product applications with more demanding requirements, enabling a more circular economy. Defining the concept of “quality of recycling” is the starting point for any assessment of what is meant by ‘high quality’. This study develops an operational definition of “quality of recycling”, defined as the extent to which, through the recycling chain, the distinct characteristics of the material used within products are preserved or recovered to maximise their potential to be used as secondary raw materials in the circular economy. To enable assessments of quality, the study proposes a set of quality categories for common packaging materials (glass, papers, PET, and HDPE/PP), based on key characteristics of secondary raw materials and sorted packaging outputs that differentiate their suitability for use in manufacturing different types of products. The definition of quality of recycling and the accompanying framework for quality assessments can be used by a range of organisations to understand the current quality of recycling outputs and track progress towards improving the quality of recycling at the level of an individual plant or a whole recycling chain.JRC.B.5 - Circular Economy and Industrial Leadershi

Analysis of Drivers Impacting Recycling Quality

This study, based on a survey of twenty-five sorting plants for household packaging across Europe, examines the drivers and parameters that influence the quality, quantity and fate of household packaging recycling. The study examines the different drivers present for plant operators sorting and processing different material streams, the characteristics distinguishing higher quality recycling chains from lower quality recycling chains, and factors that tip the balance in favour of making quality improvements where there is only marginal financial benefit. It summarises findings in relation to the impact that policy and system design can have on the quality of recycling. The factors found to be key to determining current quality of recycling were producer demand for secondary raw materials, the extent to which materials degrade in collection and sorting, and the scale and presence of products sharing relevant characteristics within collected waste streams. Where making improvements on quality had only marginal financial benefit, it was found that producer responsibility organisations (PROs) or other relevant authorities are likely to be able to improve qualities through influencing the scale of sorting operations, specifying sorting output fractions, as well as influencing producer behaviour in incentivising recyclability of their products and uptake of post-consumer recycled content.JRC.B.5 - Circular Economy and Industrial Leadershi

Development of a cost efficient platform for the industrial manufacturing of pluripotent stem cell derived products for cell therapy: Cell expansion is the starting point

The development of stem cell-derived allogeneic therapeutics requires manufacturing processes able to generate high-density cultures of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) to be further differentiated to target somatic cells. The Cell Plasticity platform of The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGT) is a core program that focuses on the cost efficient development of bioprocesses for the industrial manufacture of PSC-derived products in 2D and 3D culture systems. We started this program by establishing banks of PSCs adapted to defined culture systems and used conventional analytical techniques to characterise the cells to industry standards. Defined media were evaluated for the expansion of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) in adherent culture. Scale-down high-throughput tools along with Design of Experiment methodology have been employed to establish a baseline process for the expansion of PSC as cellular aggregates in stirred-suspension culture and targeting cell yield \u3e 5x106 viable cells/mL. We are currently investigating bioengineering parameters for scale-up and evaluating cell retention devices for the dissociation of PSC aggregates in a closed and automated fashion. In parallel, a framework of analytical assays comprising imaging, flow-cytometry and gene expression is under development for process monitor and control using a proprietary multi-parametric analysis approach

Model Lessons to Use With The Student Atlas of Oregon

Model lessons for teachers to use with The Student Atlas of Oregon.https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/geographyed_instructional/1001/thumbnail.jp

Cytoplasmic Retinoid-Binding Proteins and Retinoid Effects on Insulin Release in RINm5F β-Cells

Vitamin A (retinol) is required for insulin secretion, and retinoic acid substitutes for retinol in this function. To determine if retinol acts at the β-cell level, we assayed β-cells of the rat insulinoma (RINm5F) line for cytosolic retinol- and retinoic acid-binding proteins (CRBP and CRABP) by radioimmunoassay (RIA) and [3H]retinol and [3H]retinoic acid binding to cytosol extracts. Furthermore, we tested whether insulin release from cells was affected by addition of retinol or retinoic acid to culture medium. RINm5F cells were grown to near confluence before assay of CRBP and CRABP. Scatchard analysis showed the Kd for retinol to be ∼6 nM at a level of 4.5 pmol/mg protein or 300,000 sites/cell. Sucrose density-gradient assay showed single discrete peaks migrating at 2S for both retinol and retinoic acid. RIA of whole-cell extracts showed CRBP and CRABP levels of 5.27 ± 0.41 and 2.95 ± 0.75 pmol/mg protein, respectively. Retinol (1.75 μM) and retinoic acid (0.175 and 1.75 μM) increased KCI-induced insulin release. Considered together, the presence of CRBP and CRABP in a β-cell line and the increase in KCI-induced insulin release by retinol and retinoic acid are consistent with the idea that retinol has a functional role in insulin secretion and suggest a potential mechanism of action at the β-cell level similar to that observed in other retinoid-responsive cells.</jats:p

Kinetic properties of mouse pancreatic lipase-related protein-2 suggest the mouse may not model human fat digestion

Genetically engineered mice have been employed to understand the role of lipases in dietary fat digestion with the expectation that the results can be extrapolated to humans. However, little is known about the properties of mouse pancreatic triglyceride lipase (mPTL) and pancreatic lipase-related protein-2 (mPLRP2). In this study, both lipases were expressed in Pichia Pastoris GS115, purified to near homogeneity, and their properties were characterized. Mouse PTL displayed the kinetics typical of PTL from other species. Like mPTL, mPLRP2 exhibited strong activity against various triglycerides. In contrast to mPTL, mPLRP2 was not inhibited by increasing bile salt concentration. Colipase stimulated mPLRP2 activity 2- to 4-fold. Additionally, mPTL absolutely required colipase for absorption to a lipid interface, whereas mPLRP2 absorbed fully without colipase. mPLRP2 had full activity in the presence of BSA, whereas BSA completely inhibited mPTL unless colipase was present. All of these properties of mPLRP2 differ from the properties of human PLRP2 (hPLRP2). Furthermore, mPLRP2 appears capable of compensating for mPTL deficiency. These findings suggest that the molecular mechanisms of dietary fat digestion may be different in humans and mice. Thus, extrapolation of dietary fat digestion in mice to humans should be done with care