Activated char from the co-pyrolysis of polystyrene and olive stone mixtures for the adsorption of CO2

Yogurt plastic containers made of polystyrene (PS), olive stone, and mixtures of both have been converted into activated carbon materials transforming them firstly into char via pyrolysis and secondly with activation using either KOH or H2SO4. The pyrolysis of the olive stone gave a higher yield of material than the plastic PS. However, the activation of the PS char with KOH was more effective, reaching surface areas of 508 vs 194 m2 g−1 of the corresponding prepared with olive stone. The prepared materials were tested as CO2 adsorbent in thermobalance and fixed-be column assays. The materials activated with H2SO4 slightly enhanced the adsorption ability of the original char but were far from the performance obtained with KOH activation. The CO2 isotherms showed high synergy of CO2 uptake and selectivity when using activated chars prepared with the char from the mixture of raw materials, specially at a 1:1 mass ratio. The isosteric heat of adsorption values were those expected for a physisorption process. Further experiments in a fixed-bed column were also studied at atmospheric pressure at different inlet CO2 concentrations (10–50%). The CO2 retention increased as the partial CO2 pressure rose. Besides, a very similar performance of the material prepared with plastic and olive stones was obtained at 50%, i.e. 220 and 197 mg g−1 respectively. At low CO2 concentrations, the materials enriched with plastic displayed better performance than those prepared with olive stone. Cycles of adsorption-desorption were carried out in the column to assess the stability of the materials. The curves obtained did not display any substantial change, demonstrating the lack of adsorption retention

Life-cycle assessment of the thermal and catalytic pyrolysis over sepiolite of face masks

Since the start of the global COVID-19 pandemic, extensive quantities of face masks have been used and discarded. Most of these masks end up in landfills, causing a high environmental impact and no benefits. However, there are alternative ways to deal with this waste in a more sustainable way. For example, valorisation of face masks through pyrolysis has received special attention because it offers efficient application to produce a liquid oil that can be used as a diesel substitute and a solid char that can be used as an activated carbon substitute after activation. In this context, this study applies the Life-Cycle Assessment methodology to quantify and analyse the environmental impacts of different treatment scenarios based on the pyrolysis of surgical masks and FFP2 masks. It also compares their environmental performance with the conventional practice of landfilling. The scenarios studied include both thermal and catalytic pyrolysis by using sepiolite, a low-cost material abundant in Spain. Data on the pyrolysis process were obtained from laboratory experiments. It was found that the use of the produced oil as a diesel substitute very significantly reduces the environmental impact in all pyrolysis scenarios. Consequently, the pyrolysis of face masks can reduce the environmental impact caused by the treatment of this waste material. Furthermore, the thermal pyrolysis performs environmentally better than the catalytic pyrolysis. In all scenarios, freshwater ecotoxicity and marine ecotoxicity are the environmental impact categories that cause the highest environmental impact overall

COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) contamination in coastal areas of Granada, Spain

This research was funded by project “RECOMAR” (PYC20 RE 041 UGR), co-financed 80 % by the ERDF, ERDF Operational Program 2014- 2020 and the Ministry of Economic Transformation, Industry, Knowl- edge and Universities, Junta de Andalucía. European Union – European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) - “Andalusia moves with Europe”. Authors thank “Commonwealth of Municipalities of the Tropical Coast of Granada” that greatly assisted the sampling campaigns. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada / CBUA.The use of disposable personal protective equipment (PPE) as a control measure to avoid transmission against COVID-19 has generated a challenge to the waste management and enhances plastic pollution in the environment. The research aims to monitor the presence of PPE waste and other plastic debris, in a time interval where the use of face mask at specific places was still mandatory, on the coastal areas of Granada (Spain) which belongs to the Mediterranean Sea. Four beaches called La Rijana, La Charca, La Rábita and Calahonda were examined during different periods. The total amount of sampled waste was 17,558 plastic units. The abundance, characteristics and distribution of PPE and other plastic debris were determined. Results showed that the observed amount of total plastic debris were between 2.531·10−2 and 24.487·10−2 units per square meter, and up to 0.136·10−2 for PPE debris, where face masks represented the 92.22 % of the total PPE debris, being these results comparable to previous studies in other coastal areas in the world. On the other hand, total plastic debris densities were in the range from 2.457·10−2 to 92.219·10−2 g/m2 and densities were up to 0.732·10−2 for PPE debris. PPE debris supposed 0.79 % of the weight of total waste and the 0.51 % of total items. Concerning non-PPE plastic waste: cigarettes filters, food containers and styrofoam were the most abundant items (42.95, 10.19 and 16.37 % of total items, respectively). During vacation periods, total plastic debris amount increased 92.19 % compared to non-vacation periods. Regarding type of beaches, the presence of plastic debris was significantly higher on touristic/recreational than in fishing beaches. Data showed no significant differences between accessible and no-accessible beaches, but between periods with restrictive policy about mask face use and periods with non-restrictive policy data suggest significant differences between densities (g/m2) for PPE litter. The amount of PPEs debris is also correlated with the number of cigarettes filters (Person's r = 0.650), food containers (r = 0.782) and other debris (r = 0.63). Finally, although interesting results were provided in this study, further research is required to better understand the consequences of this type of pollution and to provide viable solutions to this problem.Project “RECOMAR” (PYC20 RE 041 UGR), co-financed 80 % by the ERDF, ERDF Operational Program 2014- 2020 and the Ministry of Economic Transformation, Industry, Knowl- edge and Universities, Junta de Andalucía. European Union – European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) - “Andalusia moves with Europe”Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada / CBU

Testing of New Collectors for Concentration of Fluorite by Flotation in Pneumatic (Modified Hallimond Tube) and Mechanical Cells

Authors acknowledge to MINERA DE ÓRGIVA, S.L. company for their economic and technical support and collaboration in the experimental tests.In this study, two new collectors for fluorite flotation DP-OMC-1033 (DP-I) and DP-OMC-1234 (DP-II) were tested and compared with oleic acid (OA), sodium oleate (SO) and potassium oleate (PO). According to fluorite grade and fluorite metallurgical recovery, the effect of each collector was determined, both in mechanical and pneumatic cell flotation. The effect of temperature on the collectors from 25 to 55 ◦C was studied. Flotation tests showed that the best results in terms of fluorite metallurgical recovery were 82.8% and 87.9% for new collectors DP-I and DP-II respectively, for a dosage of 100 g/t and using pneumatic cell. Additionally, in terms of fluorite grade, DP-I showed the best results, achieving 79.7% of CaF2 in roughing step for a dosage of 100 g/t. Fluorite metallurgical recovery and grade in concentrate increased for OA, SO and PO with increasing temperature. However temperature did not have a significant effect on both metallurgy recovery and CaF2 grade using DP-I and DP-II, so the process can be effective at 25 ◦C reducing operating costs.Company MINERA DE ORGIVA, S.L., Spai

Life cycle assessment of mechanical recycling of post-consumer polyethylene flexible films based on a real case in Spain

Mechanical recycling of plastic waste is a common practice in industry and is an environmental solution to the problem of plastics disposal. In this article, a case study of mechanical recycling of post-consumer polyethylene flexible films in Granada (Spain) was analyzed from an environmental point of view by the Life-Cycle Assessment methodology. The industrial process is divided into four large areas of operation: sorting, washing, extrusion and wastewater treatment. The results show that the washing area has the largest environmental impacts, mostly due to the electricity consumption, followed by sorting. Also, the overall mechanical recycling process causes damage, mainly, on human health, which dominates over ecosystems and resources with 93.4% of the total impact of the process. Two different scenarios have also been considered for the generated waste, and they critically affect the overall environmental performance of the entire process. The first scenario considers the impacts of the landfill disposal of the humid organic matter generated and the losses of PE. In this scenario, all the CH4 resulting from the anaerobic degradation of organic matter was emitted into the atmosphere. In this case, human health impact was high. In the second end-of-life scenario, all the CH4 generated would be captured and burned in a gas turbine for energy generation. Lower impacts were found in human health and ecosystems categories, as well as the total value, in the second scenario.This work has received funds from the European Union– LIFE Programme, under Grant Agreement LIFE17ENV/ES/000229. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada / CBUA

Environmental status of marine plastic pollution in Spain

The excessive use of plastic in our society is causing a massive accumulation, since it is a non-biodegradable product and with still poor recycling rates. This effect can be observed in the seas, which more and more plastic waste are accumulating. The present work is a critical review, based on all currently available literature, that reports environmental status of marine plastic pollution, especially microplastic pollution, in Spain. The three Spanish water areas with the highest presence of plastics are the Alboran Sea, the Gulf of Alicante and the vicinity of Barcelona probably related to fishing and industrial activities and high population densities. With regard to microplastic contamination on beaches in Spain, annual monitoring by the Spanish government shows contamination along the entire coast of the country, with particularly high concentrations in the Canary Islands (between 800 and 8800 particles/m2 in spring). Between 40 and 50% of the particles analyzed were pellets and the main factors postulated for the distribution of these particles are marine currents and the geomorphological characteristics. With regards to biota, ingestion of microplastics by fish has been intensely confirmed and, important differences were observed between the locations of the sampling, being bogues (Boops boops) one of the fish species more studied in Spain. Finally, the work includes a revision of European and Spanish legislation about plastics and marine pollution and some strategies to reduce this kind of contamination in Spain

Characterization and Use of Char Produced from Pyrolysis of Post-Consumer Mixed Plastic Waste

In this work, the pyrolysis of post-consumer mixed plastic waste (polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene film (PE)) is carried out. The solid product of the pyrolysis is characterized and tested for its use as adsorbent of lead present in aqueous media. The pyrolysis temperature has a great influence on the solid product yield, decreasing when the temperature increases. The highest yield to solid product obtained is from the pyrolysis of film at lower temperature (450 ◦C), reaching almost 14%. The results of product solid characterization reveal that the carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen content decreases with increasing pyrolysis temperature. Furthermore, both the ash and the volatile content are related to the pyrolysis temperature. The ash content is higher when the pyrolysis temperature is higher, while when the temperature increases, a solid product with lower volatile content is obtained. In respect to specific surface area, a higher pyrolysis temperature improves the properties of the solid product as an adsorbent. The adsorption capacity increases as the pyrolysis temperature increases, with the highest value of 7.91 mg/g for the solid obtained in the pyrolysis at 550 ◦C. In addition, adsorption capacity increases as the initial concentration of lead rises, reaching a maximum value close to 26 mg/g for an initial concentration of 40 mg/L. The Sips model is the one that best reproduces the experimental results of the adsorption process equilibrium study.PID2019-108826RB-I00/SRA (State Research Agency)/10.13039/50110001103

Performance of Different Catalysts for the In Situ Cracking of the Oil-Waxes Obtained by the Pyrolysis of Polyethylene Film Waste

The author Lucía Quesada acknowledges the financial support provided by the Ministry of Education (Spain) through Research Grant FPU18/01293.Currently, society is facing a great environmental problem, due to the large amount of plastic waste generated, most of which is not subjected to any type of treatment. In this work, polyethylene film waste from the non-selectively collected fraction was catalytically pyrolyzed at 500 ◦C, 20 ◦C/min for 2 h, in a discontinuous reactor using nitrogen as an inert gas stream. The main objective of this paper is to find catalysts that decrease the viscosity of the liquid fraction, since this property is quite meaningful in thermal pyrolysis. For this purpose, the three products of catalytic pyrolysis, the gaseous fraction, the solid fraction and the liquid fraction, were separated, obtaining the yield values. After that, the aspect of the liquid fraction was studied, differentiating which catalysts produced a larger quantity of waxy fraction and which ones did not. The viscosity of these samples was measured in order to confirm the catalysts that helped to obtain a less waxy fraction. The results showed that the zeolites Y and the zeolites β used in this study favor the obtaining of a compound with a smaller amount of waxes than for example catalysts such as FCC, ZSM-5 or SnCl2.Ministry of Education (Spain) FPU18/01293Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Granad

Towards the photocatalytic production of cinnamaldehyde with phosphorous-tailored graphitic-like carbon nitride

Photocatalysis has emerged as an environmentally friendly technology to develop selective reactions such as the oxidation of alcohol to aldehydes. Graphitic carbon nitride (CN) is a metal-free polymeric structure easily photoactivated under radiation. This work focuses on the enhancement of the photocatalytic activity of bare CN by doping it with phosphorous (P-CN). Different doping levels of P (2–12 wt.) have been explored and the samples were fully characterized by XRD, FTIR, N2 physisorption, elemental analysis, XPS, DRS-UV–visible, and photoluminescence. A better activity and enhanced selectivity were observed in the P-CN samples if compared to the undoped CN in the oxidation of cinnamyl alcohol to cinnamaldehyde in aqueous solution. The presence of P was demonstrated to contribute to a better delocalization of photo-generated charges. Moreover, the reactivity and selectivity of the CN and P-CN samples were analyzed in water-acetonitrile mixtures, appreciating a better selectivity in the presence of acetonitrile to the detriment of the conversion of the cinnamyl alcohol. The photocatalytic oxidation mechanism over P-CN in aqueous media has been tentatively proposed based on the influence of the reactive oxidative species generated in the process by chemical scavenger tests. They suggested the contribution of superoxide radicals with more selectivity than the photo-generated holes, the second reactive species of importance in the overall oxidation scheme. The contribution of hydroxyl radicals was discharged since its presence was negligible in a probe test based on the formation of 2-hydroxy-terephthalic acid.University of Granada - “Precompetitive Research Projects” PPJIA2019-09 and PPJIA2021-34 grant

Good practices in perinatal bereavement care in public maternity hospitals in Southern Spain

Funding sources The Department of Nursing from University of Granada pro- vided infrastructure and funding for the realization of the study (documents, material, software, web platforms etc.). Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada/CBUA. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.Supplementary material associated with this article can be found, in the online version, at doi:10.1016/j.midw.2023.103749Objective To assess the attitudes and care practices of midwives and nurses in the province of Granada in relation to death care and perinatal bereavement, to determine their degree of adaptation to international standards and to identify possible differences in personal factors among those who best adapt to international recommendations. Design A local survey of 117 nurses and midwives from the five maternity hospitals in the province was conducted using the Lucina questionnaire developed to explore professionals' emotions, opinions, and knowledge during perinatal bereavement care. Adaptation of practices to international recommendations was assessed using the CiaoLapo Stillbirth Support (CLASS) checklist. Socio-demographic data were collected to establish their association with increased compliance with recommendations. Findings The response rate was 75.4%, the majority were women (88.9%), with a mean age of 40.9 (SD=1.4) and 17.4 (SD= 10.58) years of work experience. Midwives were the most represented (67.5%) and reported having attended more cases of perinatal death (p = 0.010) and having more specific training (p<0.001.) Of these, 57.3% would recommend immediate delivery, 26.5% would recommend the use of pharmacological sedation during delivery and 47% would take the baby immediately if the parents expressed their wish not to watch them. On the other hand, only 58% would be in favour of taking photos for the creation of memories, 47% would bathe and dress the baby in all cases, and 33.3% would allow the company of other family members. The percentage that matched each recommendation on memory-making was 58%, 41.9% matched the recommendations on respect for the baby and parents, and 23% and 10.3% matched the appropriate delivery and follow-up options, respectively. The factors associated with 100% of the recommendations, according to the care sector, were being a woman, a midwife, having specific training and having personally experienced the situation. Key conclusions Although the levels of adaptation observed are more favourable than in other nearby contexts, serious deficiencies are identified in the province of Granada with respect to internationally agreed recommendations on perinatal bereavement care. More training and awareness-raising of midwives and nurses is needed, which also considers factors related to better compliance. Implication for practice This is the first study to quantify the degree of adaptation to international recommendations in Spain reported by midwives and nurses, as well as the individual factors associated with a higher level of compliance. Areas for improvement and explanatory variables of adaptation are identified, which allow support for possible training and awareness-raising programmes aimed at improving the quality of care provided to bereaved families.Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada/CBU