The challenge of plastic management for waste electrical and electric equipment recycling in the Global South: a case comparison between Europe and Latin America

Countries with emerging legislation on the waste electrical and electric equipment (WEEE), but limited infrastructure, may find in other, more robust, systems the tools to develop adaptable and socioeconomically viable management schemes. Additives found in the plastics in electronic goods, such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs), are components of a safety system, but introduce characteristics that result in their waste being hazardous. Established and emerging regulatory systems need to implement legislation that impacts the management of WEEE, to reduce risks to human health and the environment, while maximising opportunities for resource recovery from widely varying materials. To assess the context of developed and emerging regulatory systems, a baseline study was undertaken of WEEE plastics in Scotland and Uruguay. For the identification of BFRs in plastics, an internationally validated screening methodology using X-ray fluorescence was adopted at different processing operations. It was observed that, using a threshold of 830 mg/kg for Br as a BFR tracer, in Scotland, more than 70% of the plastics would be recyclable, while, in Uruguay, that fraction dropped to 50%. These results, and the wider literature discussion, highlight the impact that regulatory frameworks have on the quality and recyclability of recovered material. We identify future actions to be considered by policy-makers for a more sustainable regulatory approach

Recycling plastics from WEEE:a review of the environmental and human health challenges associated with brominated flame retardants

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) presents the dual characteristic of containing both hazardous substances and valuable recoverable materials. Mainly found in WEEE plastics, brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are a component of particular interest. Several actions have been taken worldwide to regulate their use and disposal, however, in countries where no regulation is in place, the recovery of highly valuable materials has promoted the development of informal treatment facilities, with serious consequences for the environment and the health of the workers and communities involved. Hence, in this review we examine a wide spectrum of aspects related to WEEE plastic management. A search of legislation and the literature was made to determine the current legal framework by region/country. Additionally, we focused on identifying the most relevant methods of existing industrial processes for determining BFRs and their challenges. BFR occurrence and substitution by novel BFRs (NBFRs) was reviewed. An emphasis was given to review the health and environmental impacts associated with BFR/NBFR presence in waste, consumer products, and WEEE recycling facilities. Knowledge and research gaps of this topic were highlighted. Finally, the discussion on current trends and proposals to attend to this relevant issue were outlined

Carbon management in UK higher education institutions:an overview

The paper presents a review of carbon management in relation to UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), forms part of a wider study on the ongoing reliance on fossil fuels in Scotland’s public sector with a focus on Universities and Local Government Authorities. It compares the CF (carbon footprint), emission sources, and the fossil fuel contribution to the CFs reported in 3 identified articles relating specifically to the estimation of CF for HEIs. The consumption of fossil fuels results in human induced climate change however, fossil fuels boosted the industrialization process and remains the dominant source of global energy consumption. Action in tackling climate change has led to organizations coming under increasing pressures to monitor and report their CFs. HEIs have a key role to play in reducing its reliance on fossil fuels and reducing GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions through delivery of scientific research and innovative carbon management solutions, increase in its uptake of renewable energy technologies, educating and training future leaders, and raising public awareness, in contribution to a sustainable society. This paper highlights the need for a shift of focus to reducing fossil fuel reliance in response to climate change and demonstrates how HEIs can impact GHG reductions

Optimized industrial sorting of WEEE plastics: Development of fast and robust h-XRF technique for hazardous components

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) are a source of both hazardous and valuable materials that must be segregated for treatment. Previous studies addressing the use of handheld X-Ray fluorescence (h-XRF) as a sorting tool for WEEE plastics through the identification of hazardous components include plastics from mixed WEEE streams, processed material (shredded or treated plastics) and low number of samples not allowing to consider their findings for application on an industrial scale. Thus, further research is needed to establish scalable robust methods for sorting this material. We describe a study carried out on whole flat panel display equipment (FPD) plastic casings using h-XRF for the detection of total bromine (Br) and antimony (Sb) as tracers for Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs) and Sb2O3 additives. The aim being to characterize the targeted material and to define the optimal analysis conditions to meet large scale throughputs. A ring trial exercise comprising 100 samples was conducted to evaluate the validity of the measurements. Results indicate that: 1) the use of h-XRF under the conditions determined in this study offers a valid technique to screen total Br and Sb in whole FPD casings at industrial scale with low uncertainty, 2) Br and Sb are found to be homogeneously distributed within the casing, 3) an optimal h-XRF analysis time of 10 seconds is suitable from both accuracy and practical implementation for LOD<[Br]≤ 830 mg kg−1 and LOD<[Sb]≤8400 mg kg−1, and 4) the presence of dust deposited on the casings was excluded as a factor affecting h-XRF results. To our knowledge this is the first evaluation of optimal sorting conditions for whole display casings using h-XRF, within a manual dismantling process

The construction of stereotypes within social psychology : From social cognition to ideology

This paper reviews the varying and contrasting ways in which stereotypes, as representations of groups, and stereotyping as an activity, have been constructed and understood within contemporary social psychology. These distinct theoretical approaches include the dominant social cognitive tradition, which views stereotypes as cognitive schemas that simplify reality, and self-categorization theory, which views stereotypes as psychologically valid representations which reflect the actualities of intergroup relations. We articulate how more social and collective accounts based on social representations theory, ideology and discursive psychology can enrich our understanding of stereotypes and stereotyping. Stereotypes are not the product of individual cognitive activity alone, but are also social and collective products which function ideologically by justifying and legitimizing existing social and power relations within a society. We also discuss recent contributions to the enduring enigma within social psychology regarding the relationship between stereotypes and social reality, and identify the inherent ideological problems which plague positivist attempts to explicate this relationship. Finally, we discuss the need for an integrative social psychological theory of stereotyping which links the cognitive and psychological analyses of stereotyping to more social, structural and discursive analyses.</jats:p

Development of a robust chromatographic method for the detection of chlorophenols in cork oak forest soils

A major concern for the cork and wine industry is ‘cork taint’ which is associated with chloroanisoles, the microbial degradation metabolites of chlorophenols. The use of chlorophenolic compounds as pesticides within cork forests was prohibited in 1993 in the European Union (EU) following the introduction of industry guidance. However, cork produced outside the EU is still thought to be affected and simple, robust methods for chlorophenol analysis are required for wider environmental assessment by industry and local environmental regulators. Soil samples were collected from three common-use forests in Tunisia and from one privately owned forest in Sardinia, providing examples of varied management practice and degree of human intervention. These provided challenge samples for the optimisation of a HPLC-UV detection method. It produced recoveries consistently &gt;75 % against a soil CRM (ERM-CC008) for pentachlorophenol. The optimised method, with ultraviolet (diode array) detection is able to separate and quantify 16 different chlorophenols at field concentrations greater than the limits of detection ranging from 6.5 to 191.3 μg/kg (dry weight). Application to a range of field samples demonstrated the absence of widespread contamination in forest soils at sites sampled in Sardinia and Tunisia

What do infectious diseases physicians do? A 2-week snapshot of inpatient consultative activities across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore

The practice of an infectious diseases (ID) physician is evolving. A contemporary understanding of the frequency and variety of patients and syndromes seen by ID services has implications for training, service development and setting research priorities. We performed a 2-week prospective survey of formal ID physician activities related to direct inpatient care, encompassing 53 hospitals throughout Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, and documented 1722 inpatient interactions. Infections involving the skin and soft tissue, respiratory tract and bone/joints together accounted for 49% of all consultations. Suspected/confirmed pathogens were primarily bacterial (60%), rather than viral (6%), fungal (4%), mycobacterial (2%) or parasitic (1%). Staphylococcus aureus was implicated in 409 (24%) episodes, approximately four times more frequently than the next most common pathogen. The frequency of healthcare-related infections (35%), immunosuppression (21%), diabetes mellitus (19%), prosthesis-related infections (13%), multiresistant pathogens (13%) and non-infectious diagnoses (9%) was high, although consultation characteristics varied between geographical settings and hospital types. Our study highlights the diversity of inpatient-related ID activities and should direct future teaching and research. ID physicians' ability to offer beneficial consultative advice requires broad understanding of, and ability to interact with, a wide range of referring specialities