Aanvullende rapportage pilot drankenkartons. Terugslageffecten bij gecombineerde inzameling van kunststof en drankenkartons

In de door Wageningen UR Food & Biobased Research in opdracht van het Kennisinstituut Duurzaam Verpakken (KIDV) uitgevoerde Pilot Drankenkartons 2013 zijn verschillende mogelijke inzamelsystemen voor drankenkartons onderzocht, waaronder gecombineerd gescheiden inzameling van kunststofverpakkingen en drankenkartons1. Een potentieel negatief terugslageffect van de gecombineerde inzamelmethode zou een lagere sorteeropbrengst van de kunststoffen kunnen zijn. In dit aanvullend onderzoek worden de potentiële terugslageffecten van gecombineerd gescheiden inzameling van kunststof en drankenkartons verduidelijkt in termen van de hoeveelheid hergebruikt kunststof en de totale geschatte kosten. Deze aanvullende studie laat zien dat de uitvoeringswijze van de sortering bepaalt of wel of geen terugslageffect zal optreden

Efficiency of recycling post-consumer plastic packages

The recycling of packaging waste is an important part of the EU circular economy package, with a political focus on raising the recycling targets for post-consumer plastic packaging waste (PPW). The recycling of PPW involves at least three steps; collection, sorting and mechanical recycling. In contrast to the first two steps, mechanical recycling is poorly documented, as it is considered a free market activity. In order to provide a complete chain description the mechanical recycling yields were determined. The recovery of mass was determined for the main plastic sorting products from both major collection systems: separate collection (SC) and mechanical recovery (MR) from municipal solid waste. This technical assessment was conducted with a laboratory set-up for a standard mechanical recycling process. This analysis showed that there is a substantial sample-to-sample variation in polymeric composition between similar feedstocks and this variation is also observed in recovered masses. Next, the mechanical recycling of polyethylene feedstocks was studied more in depth. Six PE feedstocks with a gradual increasing level of complexity (from only transparent PE bottle bodies to the complete PE sorting product according to DKR 329), were prepared and mechanical recycled with the laboratory set-up. Since the polymeric composition of both the six feedstocks and the six floating milled goods were known, the net PE recycling yield could be calculated. The net PE yields are close to 100% for such a standard recycling process. Additionally, the compositional analysis revealed that contaminants are only partially removed by the standard mechanical recycling process

Pilot beverage carton collection and recycling 2013: Concise technical report

This report gives a technological description of the four common collection and recycling schemes that have been tested in the Netherlands as part of the pilot beverage cartons in 2013. During this pilot the collection and recycling of beverage cartons was tested in 37 different municipalities, with various separate collection systems and 2 recovery facilities. The pilot demonstrated that it is technically possible to collect and recycle Dutch beverage cartons. The recycled pulp from all tested collection methods is relatively similar in properties. Also, the fibres are relatively strong and the microbiological load is relative high, this limits the applicability. Hence, corrugated boxes are a well-suited application for these pulps. Four different collection and recycling schemes were tested; separate collection, co-collection with plastics, co-collection with paper & board and recovery. The efficiency of most schemes is limited by the net collection yields and for some schemes also the sorting yield. The net collection yields are determined by different factors, such as the percentage of high rise buildings, the execution of the collection system (service level, communication, etc.) and the space inside the houses to store and keep beverage cartons separate until collection. The recovery recycling chains were most efficient, although one of the two chains suffered from a relative low sorting yield. Nevertheless, this sorting step can be improved. Two different co-collection chains with plastic packages were studied; the Milieuzakken and the Kunststof Hergebruik chains. The Milieuzakken-chain is already established for several years and the collection retrieves almost all the beverage cartons that are expected to be present in its collection area. However, the collected material contains also relative large amounts of residual waste, which hampers the sorting and recycling and reduces the overall efficiency. The Kunststof Hergebruik co-collection chain was set-up specially for this pilot and suffered from low collection yields and low sorting yields. Although the rural area around Deventer already reached a near complete collection of all beverage cartons, for most other collection areas more time is necessary to mature the collection system and obtain higher collection yields. For improved sorting ideally an investment is required which would make the sorting process much more efficient, since the current facility was not designed and equipped for the efficient sorting of beverage cartons. The separate collection scheme suffered from relative low net collection yields, varying from 3% to 57% with a weight-averaged mean of 20%. This collection system needs time to mature and obtain higher net collection yields. For a few municipalities (with relatively low collection yields) some adjustments to the system are necessary. Also, the co-collection scheme with paper & board in general suffered from low net collection yields. Although in the high-rise area of Etten-Leur the largest net collection yield for a high-rise area was recorded of 50%. The subsequent sorting was inefficient, due to the similarity of the materials. In the future, an ideal co-collection chain would be constructed without a sorting facility. The mixture would be integrally pulped and recycled as is now the current operation in a new facility in Nortrup (Germany)

Pilot beverage cartons : extended technical report

This report gives a technological description of the four common collection and recycling schemes that have been tested in the Netherlands as part of the pilot beverage cartons in 2013. During this pilot the collection and recycling of beverage cartons was tested in 37 different municipalities, with various separate collection systems and 2 recovery facilities

Multi-messenger observations of a binary neutron star merger

On 2017 August 17 a binary neutron star coalescence candidate (later designated GW170817) with merger time 12:41:04 UTC was observed through gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor independently detected a gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) with a time delay of ~1.7 s with respect to the merger time. From the gravitational-wave signal, the source was initially localized to a sky region of 31 deg2 at a luminosity distance of 40+8-8 Mpc and with component masses consistent with neutron stars. The component masses were later measured to be in the range 0.86 to 2.26 Mo. An extensive observing campaign was launched across the electromagnetic spectrum leading to the discovery of a bright optical transient (SSS17a, now with the IAU identification of AT 2017gfo) in NGC 4993 (at ~40 Mpc) less than 11 hours after the merger by the One- Meter, Two Hemisphere (1M2H) team using the 1 m Swope Telescope. The optical transient was independently detected by multiple teams within an hour. Subsequent observations targeted the object and its environment. Early ultraviolet observations revealed a blue transient that faded within 48 hours. Optical and infrared observations showed a redward evolution over ~10 days. Following early non-detections, X-ray and radio emission were discovered at the transient’s position ~9 and ~16 days, respectively, after the merger. Both the X-ray and radio emission likely arise from a physical process that is distinct from the one that generates the UV/optical/near-infrared emission. No ultra-high-energy gamma-rays and no neutrino candidates consistent with the source were found in follow-up searches. These observations support the hypothesis that GW170817 was produced by the merger of two neutron stars in NGC4993 followed by a short gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) and a kilonova/macronova powered by the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei synthesized in the ejecta

Handbook for sorting of plastic packaging waste concentrates : separation efficiencies of common plastic packaging objects in widely used separaion machines at existing sorting facilities with mixed postconsumer plastic packaging waste as input

Hergebruik van huishoudelijk kunststofverpakkingsafval is een ingewikkelde keten die in het algemeen uit drie stappen bestaat; gescheiden inzameling bij de burgers of nascheiding uit het huisvuil, sorteren en opwerken tot gewassen maalgoed. Dit onderzoek analyseert de tweede stap, waarin of gescheiden ingezameld kunststofverpakkingsafval of nagescheiden kunststofconcentraat wordt gesorteerd in materiaalfracties die verhandeld kunnen worden met recyclingbedrijven

Efficiency of recycling post-consumer plastic packages

The recycling of packaging waste is an important part of the EU circular economy package, with a political focus on raising the recycling targets for post-consumer plastic packaging waste (PPW). The recycling of PPW involves at least three steps; collection, sorting and mechanical recycling. In contrast to the first two steps, mechanical recycling is poorly documented, as it is considered a free market activity. In order to provide a complete chain description the mechanical recycling yields were determined. The recovery of mass was determined for the main plastic sorting products from both major collection systems: separate collection (SC) and mechanical recovery (MR) from municipal solid waste. This technical assessment was conducted with a laboratory set-up for a standard mechanical recycling process. This analysis showed that there is a substantial sample-to-sample variation in polymeric composition between similar feedstocks and this variation is also observed in recovered masses. Next, the mechanical recycling of polyethylene feedstocks was studied more in depth. Six PE feedstocks with a gradual increasing level of complexity (from only transparent PE bottle bodies to the complete PE sorting product according to DKR 329), were prepared and mechanical recycled with the laboratory set-up. Since the polymeric composition of both the six feedstocks and the six floating milled goods were known, the net PE recycling yield could be calculated. The net PE yields are close to 100% for such a standard recycling process. Additionally, the compositional analysis revealed that contaminants are only partially removed by the standard mechanical recycling process

Pilot beverage cartons : extended technical report

This report gives a technological description of the four common collection and recycling schemes that have been tested in the Netherlands as part of the pilot beverage cartons in 2013. During this pilot the collection and recycling of beverage cartons was tested in 37 different municipalities, with various separate collection systems and 2 recovery facilities

Entrepreneurs: intuitive or contemplative decision-makers?

In a large survey (n = 1928), we examine whether entrepreneurs differ in their decision-making style from managers and employees. Besides two self-reported measures taken from psychology, we build on Rubinstein (Quarterly Journal of Economics 131: 859–890, 2016) by including two behavioral measures derived from response times and the nature of the strategic choices made. Supporting conventional wisdom, entrepreneurs report a stronger Faith in Intuition than others. Their actual choices are partly in line with this: entrepreneurs make indeed more intuitive choices than managers, but are equally intuitive as employees. At the same time, entrepreneurs have response times and a self-reported Need for Cognition that exceeds those of employees. Together, these findings tentatively suggest that entrepreneurs start from a stronger predisposition to choose the intuitive action, but share with managers that they take more time to think things over and thereby are more inclined to move away from their instant intuitive choice