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Una de las principales dificultades de usar plástico reciclado para fabricar envases de alimentos es garantizar que no llegan contaminantes al producto final y que éste sea seguro. En el caso de los plásticos reciclados post-consumo únicamente el tereftalato polietileno (PET) tiene procesos de reciclaje para poder ser empleado nuevamente en envases alimentarios. Para ello, el PET reciclado debe cumplir una serie de condiciones (BOE-A-2011-11827 Real Decreto 846/2011, de 17 de junio, 2011). Sin embargo, para el LDPE no existe ninguna legislación que trate sobre la regulación del uso de LDPE post-consumo reciclado para fabricar envases en contacto con alimentos, cosa que hoy en día sería muy beneficiosa, puesto que ayudaría a satisfacer los objetivos de la UE. La complejidad de reciclar el plástico reside en el uso de plásticos de diversas procedencias, es decir, si se recicla un envase que originalmente contenía detergentes o productos de higiene. El principal inconveniente de seguridad con el uso de plásticos reciclados post- consumo en la fabricación de envases alimentarios son el riesgo de que los contaminantes del material original lleguen al plástico reciclado. En este TFG se trabajará en procesos de limpieza de plásticos para su reutilización.

Walnut shells can be used as fuels in power plants directly or as biochars obtained by pyrolysis or torrefaction. They are an example of clean waste biomass which shows a low ash content and a high Net Calorific Value, making them excellent for energy recovery in industrial and non-industrial applications, such as in bakeries, restaurants, and homes. Their main inconvenience is their low bulk density. Densification is a possible solution that reduces the costs of transportation, handling, and storage. In this work, after the characterization of the walnut shells, briquettes were obtained using a hydraulic piston press briquette machine under different conditions to find the best quality without the need for previous grinding for pelletizing. This method features easy operation and maintenance, and the briquette shape could be adapted as desired. The quality of the briquettes was measured through their density and durability. After fixing a compaction pressure to obtain acceptable briquettes, the factors affecting their quality were studied: operating temperature, moisture content, and the presence of small amounts of walnuts. Good quality briquettes were obtained with a compaction pressure of 66 MPa, with densities around 1040 kg/m3, and durabilities higher than 94% when the process was carried at 140 °C. The greatest increase in durability was observed between briquettes obtained at room temperature and those obtained at 80 °C. The presence of small amounts of walnuts, common after the shelling process, improved the durability. Although water is necessary, briquettes obtained from biomass with only 1% of moisture showed better durabilities. Therefore, walnut shells are suitable for obtaining good quality briquettes according to the specifications of solid biofuels established in the standards, without the need for any pretreatment.

With the rapid development of the global electronics industry, waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) has become one of the world's fastest growing waste streams. Exploring an environmentally sound treatment for this abundant and multi-component waste is critical to its sustainable development. This study has been aimed to cover thermochemical conversion of WPCBs (combustion, pyrolysis, gasification and hydrothermal process), focusing on thermal behavior, reaction kinetics, pollutant evolution and corresponding controlling strategies, with the aim of promoting circular economic development and building a sustainable future for the electronics industry.

Residual biomass gasification is a promising route for the production of H2-rich syngas. However, the simultaneous formation of pollutants such as light hydrocarbons (HCs), benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTEX), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) during gasification must be controlled. As a result, this study evaluated the effect of temperature and catalytic reforming over a Rh-Pt/CeO2-SiO2 catalyst during steam gasification of sugarcane residual biomass on syngas composition and pollutant removal. The above was carried out in a horizontal moving reactor, an Amberlite XAD-2 polyaromatic resin was used to collect the contaminants and characterization of the catalyst was performed. In this study, a concentration of up to 37 mol% of H2, a yield of 23.1 g H2 kg−1biomass, and a H2/CO ratio ≥2 were achieved when gasification and reforming were integrated. In addition, the catalyst characterization showed that Rh-Pt/CeO2-SiO2 was not susceptible to sintering and favored the formation of hydroxyl groups that promoted CO oxidation, thereby increasing the H2/CO ratio, as confirmed by in-situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS). At 800 °C, where a high H2 yield was obtained, 209 g Nm−3 of light HCs and BTEX, 10.9 g Nm−3 of PAHs, and 32.5 ng WHO-TEQ Nm−3 of PCDD/Fs were formed after gasification. Interestingly, after catalytic reforming, 62% of light HCs and BTEX, 60% of PAHs, and 94% of PCDD/Fs were removed, leading to cleaner syngas with properties that allow it to be used in a wide range of energy applications.

Water treatment generally does not specifically address the removal of microplastics (MPs). Nevertheless, treatment plants process water effectively, and the number of synthetic microparticles in effluents is usually very low. Still, discharge volumes from water-treatment plants are often elevated (reaching around 108 L/day), leading to the daily discharge of a substantial number of MPs and microfibers. Furthermore, MPs accumulate in the primary and secondary sludge, which in the end results in another environmental problem as they are currently used to amend soils, both for cultivation and forestry, leading to their dispersion. Something similar occurs with the treatment of water intended for human consumption, which has a much lower but still significant number of MPs. The amount of these pollutants being released into the environment depends on the processes that the water undergoes. One of the most-used treatment processes is rapid sand filtration, which is reviewed in this article. During the filtration process, MPs can break into smaller pieces, resulting in a greater number of plastic particles which mainly accumulate in sewage sludge. Thermal processes, such as incineration, carried out in facilities with the best available techniques in practice, could guarantee the safe disposal of highly MP-contaminated sewage sludges.

Dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) are environmental pollutants that have been associated with impaired semen quality. However, research on the potential impact of paternal exposure to DL-PCBs and the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes are limited. We examine the relationship between serum DL-PCB concentrations and IVF outcomes among 42 males seeking fertility treatment. Concentrations of 12 serum DL-PCBs were analyzed by high-resolution gas chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry. Modified Poisson regressions, adjusted for confounders, were used to assess bivariate associations and to estimate risk ratios (RRs) between DL-PCBs and binary IVF outcomes. The median concentration (25th-75th percentiles) of the sum of the 12 DL-PCBs (∑DL-PCBs) obtained for the patients was 5.42 (3.78–7.78) ng/g lipid. No statistically significant association between DL-PCB levels and embryo quality was found. However, men with high serum PCB-77 concentrations present more probability of high-quality embryos (RR: 0.292; 95% CI: 0.090–0.942), whereas the opposite trend is observed for men with lower serum levels of PCB-156 (RR: 7.960; 95% CI: 1.020–62.100), who present increased odds of high-quality embryos. Serum concentrations of PCB-126 and PCB-114 were associated with decreased implantation rates (p < 0.05). Moreover, PCB-77 and ∑non-ortho PCBs were significantly associated with a lower likelihood of clinical pregnancy (p < 0.05). A lower likelihood of live birth was associated with higher levels of PCB-77, PCB-105, PCB-118, and recording significant differences for ∑non-ortho PCBs, ∑mono-ortho PCBs, and ∑DL-PCBs (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that paternal DL-PCB exposure before conception may be related to pregnancy endpoints. However, DL-PCB measurement were limited to male partners. Therefore, we propose that future studies with larger population sizes should include both maternal and paternal factors.

The presence of different pollutants in recycled plastics is reviewed in this article. The desirable circular economy of plastics should be linked to the availability of clean recycled plastics with a non-significant and small to nil amount of substances of concern. Different researchers found polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs), pesticides, dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs and PBDD/Fs) in plastic recyclates. This represents an added difficulty to the effective recycling process of plastics that reduces the demand for energy and materials, in addition to posing a great environmental danger since they represent a vector of accumulation of the contaminants that will finally appear in the most unexpected products. Life Cycle Analysis of the plastic wastes recycling process indicates a great saving of energy, water and CO2 emissions.

A kinetic model has been developed for the formation of selected congeners of PCDD/Fs during the thermal decomposition of different wastes in a horizontal reactor. Previously published data on the decomposition of wastes have been correlated using a kinetic model that only considers process parameters, such as the presence of different amounts of oxygen in the atmosphere of reaction, chlorine and metals in the waste. The effect of both chlorine and metals is modelled through an equation assuming a “saturation effect”, i.e., that a certain amount of each substance produces the maximum rate, and that higher amounts do not increase the rate. The presence of oxygen is modelled by a destruction reaction over part of the PCDD/Fs produced. The model, which uses data from more than 64 experiments, correlated the emissions of three selected congeners: 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD, OCDF and 2,3,7,8-TCDF, which are enough to estimate the total amount and toxicity of an emission.

El policloruro de vinilo (PVC) es un tipo de plástico muy utilizado para la fabricación de una gran variedad de productos, entre ellos, revestimientos de alambres y cables eléctricos, debido a sus buenas propiedades mecánicas, térmicas y eléctricas. Sin embargo, como la mayoría de los productos que se fabrican a partir de plásticos y de cualquier otro material, estos tienen una vida útil determinada, y una vez finalizada su función estos se convierten en residuos. Existen varias vías para gestionar estos residuos, estos pueden ser reciclados, incinerados o llevados a vertederos. La peligrosidad de estos residuos, debido a su composición química, generó la necesidad de crear unas normas para asegurar una gestión adecuada de los mismos y garantizar la protección del medioambiente y la salud humana. Es por esto que se crea la normativa RAEE II, que trata la gestión de los residuos de los aparatos eléctricos y electrónicos, sus materiales, consumibles y subconjuntos. Lo que se pretende con dicha normativa es promover la reutilización y la recuperación de los residuos para de esta forma no generar contaminación. Pese a esta normativa solo el 20% de los residuos de aparatos eléctricos y electrónicos son reciclados. El resto, por tanto, son llevados a vertederos y a plantas de valorización energética, siendo esto último lo más habitual en Europa para el tratamiento de residuos (41.6%). La incineración de residuos que contiene compuestos clorados, como es el caso del PVC, es considerada una fuente de emisión de contaminantes muy tóxicos como policlorodibenzo-p-dioxinas y policlorodibenzofuranos (PCDD/Fs). Por todo lo anteriormente mencionado se necesita desarrollar tecnologías para que la recuperación de residuos que sea eficiente, económica y que, además, sea respetuosas con el medioambiente, y potencie el aprovechamiento de energía. Puesto que existen evidencias de que al incinerar compuestos clorados en presencia de nitrógeno y azufre se pueda inhibir la formación de PCD

In our lab, we have been studying the emissions of different pollutants during pyrolysis and combustion of wastes under different conditions for the last three decades. These studies have focused on the effect of temperature and presence of oxygen on the production of different pollutants. Waste decomposition has been studied in a horizontal laboratory scale reactor, but no estimate has been made of the actual emissions in a conventional thermal decomposition system. In the present study, emissions during these wastes’ thermal decomposition were estimated using Aspen HYSYS. In the simulation software, the waste composition (elemental analysis) was given as an input parameter, as well as the gas flow rate used as atmosphere during the decomposition. The emitted hydrocarbons measured in the laboratory were equated to the emission of a single compound (propylene). The simulation permitted calculating the percentage of oxygen in the emitted gas, and the pollutant emissions were then recalculated under standard conditions. The emission of dioxins and furans were estimated under different conditions of decomposition, and an adequate approximation of the waste decomposition in actual incineration systems could be obtained.

The inhibitory effect of thiourea (TUA), ammonium thiosulfate (TSA) and amidosulfonic acid (ASA) on the reactivity of fly ash air was investigated using a thermobalance at different heating rates (5, 10 and 20 K min-1). A model fly ash (activated carbon + 50 wt.% CuCl2·2H2O, pyrolyzed at 700 ºC and washed) was used as carbonaceous material. Adding CuCl2·2H2O to the activated carbon led to an increased rate of decomposition with the air’s oxygen. TUA and TSA behaved in a similar way, accelerating the decomposition of the model fly ash. ASA also accelerated the decomposition but to a lower extent. We proof that the increase in decomposition rate is caused by a reaction between carbonaceous material and N- and S-containing compounds. The formation of nitrogenated and sulphured compounds was confirmed by TG-MS. A kinetic model based on a single reaction of order 0.6 showed very good correlations with all the heating rates tested in oxidant atmosphere.

In order to reduce the calculation effort during the simulation of the emission of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/F) during municipal solid waste incineration, minimizing the number of simulated components is mandatory. For this purpose, two new multilinear regression models capable of determining the dioxins total amount and toxicity of an atmospheric emission have been adjusted based on previously published ones. The new source of data used (almost 200 PCDD/F analyses) provides a wider range of application to the models, increasing also the diversity of the emission sources, from industrial and laboratory scale thermal processes. Only three of the 17 toxic congeners (1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD, 2,3,7,8-TCDF and OCDF), whose formation was found to be linearly independent, were necessary as inputs for the models. All model parameters have been statistically validated and their confidence intervals have been calculated using the Bootstrap method. The resulting coefficients of determination (R2) for the models are 0.9711 ± 0.0056 and 0.9583 ± 0.0085; its root mean square errors (RMSE) are 0.2115 and 0.2424, and its mean absolute errors (MAE) are 0.1541 and 0.1733 respectively.

Marine debris (MDs) produces a wide variety of negative environmental, economic, safety, health and cultural impacts, thus further research should focus on these kinds of waste. The present work has three main purposes: First, characterization of the MDs has been carried out in terms of their plastic composition, and their pollutant content (PAHs, ClBzs, ClPhs, BrPhs, PCDD/Fs and PCBs). Thermogravimetry has been used to identify the main constituents of the debris, using kinetic modelling to fit the proportion of each plastic. The decomposition of MDs is compared with that of their neat constituents, i.e. polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), nylon and polyethylen-tereftalate (PET). Furthermore, the analysis of pollutants in the samples reveal that MDs is not a highly contaminated waste. In addition, thermal decomposition of MD materials has been studied in a thermobalance at different atmospheres and heating rates. Second, a method for reusing the MDs is presented, consisting on the hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of the wastes and the seawater where they are found. The plastics, once removed from the sea, cannot usually be recycled or reused. This debris has high net calorific value (NCV) what makes them suitable as a fuel. For this reason, a mixture of plastic materials was treated by HTC using seawater as a solvent, to examine the characteristics of the final products obtained and to test the feasibility of converting marine plastic debris to fuel. Results showed that an increase in the temperature of the process reduces the content of the inorganic anions and increases the NCV of the hydrochar (HTC char). The content of inorganic compounds in the HTC-liquor was measured, which increases as the process temperature rises. Organic compounds were also analyzed, being amides, alcohols and alkanes the major compounds in all cases. Finally, worried about the way in which these plastics reach the human being, microplastics where measured in sea prod

Esta Tesis Doctoral realizada en el Grupo de Investigación “Residuos, Energía, Medio Ambiente y Nanotecnología (REMAN)” del Departamento de Ingeniería Química de la Universidad de Alicante presenta, por un lado, el estudio relacionado con la descomposición térmica de materiales que combinan biomasa y residuos de aparatos eléctricos y electrónicos (RAEE), centrándose en la cinética de descomposición y la formación de contaminantes derivados de este proceso y, por otro lado, diversos estudios de alternativas viables para reducir la formación de contaminantes en los tratamientos térmicos de residuos.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) electric wires were subjected to dechlorination in subcritical water at three different temperatures in a high-pressure reactor. About 2.09, 73.08, and 95.96 wt % of chlorine in PVC wires was removed during dechlorination at 200 °C, 250 °C, and 300 °C, respectively. The solid residues were analyzed and characterized by thermogravimetry, at three different heating rates (5 °C, 10 °C, and 20 °C/min) in inert and oxidizing atmosphere. With the purpose of studying the emission of chlorinated pollutants, pyrolysis experiments at 850 °C were also performed in a laboratory-scale reactor with the dechlorinated materials, as well as with the original PVC electric wire. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) formation increased, but chlorobenzenes (ClBz) and chlorophenols (ClPh) formation decreased as the temperature of dechlorination increased; naphthalene was the most abundant PAH and monochlorobenzene and monochlorinated phenols (3-+4-) were the most abundant chlorinated compounds.

The inhibitory effect of thiourea (TUA), ammonium thiosulfate (TSA) and amidosulfonic acid (ASA) on the reactivity of fly ash air was investigated using a thermobalance at different heating rates (5, 10 and 20 K min−1). A model fly ash (activated carbon + 50 wt% CuCl2·2H2O, pyrolyzed at 700 °C and washed) was used as carbonaceous material. Adding CuCl2·2H2O to the activated carbon led to an increased rate of decomposition with the air's oxygen. TUA and TSA behaved in a similar way, accelerating the decomposition of the model fly ash. ASA also accelerated the decomposition but to a lower extent. We postulate that the increase in decomposition rate is caused by a reaction between carbonaceous material and N and S-containing compounds. The formation of nitrogenated and sulphured compounds was confirmed by TG-MS. A kinetic model based on a single reaction of order 0.6 showed very good correlations with all the heating rates tested in oxidant atmosphere.

Combustion and pyrolysis runs at 850 °C were carried out in a laboratory scale horizontal reactor with different materials combining biomass and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). Analyses are presented of the carbon oxides, light hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated benzenes (ClBzs), polychlorinated phenols (ClPhs), polybrominated phenols (BrPhs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). Results showed that gas emissions were mainly composed of CO and CO2; the high level of CO found in the pyrolytic runs was easily transformed into CO2 by reaction with oxygen. The total amount of light hydrocarbons emitted was higher in the samples containing WEEE, methane being the most abundant light hydrocarbon in all the runs. However, the presence of WEEE reduced the emission of PAHs which decreased with the increase of the oxygen. The total amount of BrPhs increased in the decomposition of the samples containing WEEE, reaching its maximum in pyrolysis runs. Emission of PCDD/Fs was enhanced in pyrolytic conditions and easily decreased in the presence of oxygen.

Los estudiantes habitualmente destacan la necesidad de mejorar la coordinación entre asignaturas de una titulación, especialmente en lo que se refiere a distribución de controles y otro tipo de pruebas objetivas de evaluación continua a lo largo del cuatrimestre. Para tener un mayor control de este aspecto y poder detectar y corregir conflictos que pudieran surgir relacionados con sobrecargas de trabajo no presencial o desequilibrios entre semanas, en este estudio se ha elaborado un calendario de pruebas de evaluación para todos los cursos y cuatrimestres del Grado en Ingeniería Química. La experiencia se ha llevado a cabo durante 3 años, en los cuales se han ido realizando cambios en la herramienta empleada para su elaboración (Google Calendar y documento Excel compartido en Google Drive) y en los participantes (estudiantes delegados de curso y profesores coordinadores de asignaturas) para facilitar su manejo y mejorar su utilidad. Finalmente, en el último año se ha realizado la prueba de hacer público el calendario para todos los estudiantes. En este estudio se compara la experiencia con las distintas opciones.

La coordinación entre asignaturas es un aspecto importante en las nuevas titulaciones que siempre puede mejorarse. En el presente trabajo se proponen algunas mejoras sobre las medidas que comenzaron a implementarse en el Grado en Ingeniería Química en los dos cursos anteriores en relación a la coordinación. En primer lugar, se propone la elaboración de un calendario de actividades de evaluación por el profesorado mediante una hoja de cálculo compartida en Google Drive, con el objetivo de tener un mayor control de la carga de trabajo no presencial del alumnado. Antes de comenzar el curso se hace público para todo este alumnado. Por otra parte, se intensifica la realización de reuniones de coordinación con los profesores de la titulación para tratar todos los aspectos que pudieran surgir además de la carga de trabajo, para poder detectar posibles problemas o dificultades e intentar resolverlos. Por último, se propone una mejora para las encuestas propias de la titulación que comenzaron a utilizarse en los dos cursos anteriores, y que permiten conocer la opinión del alumnado sobre las asignaturas de forma detallada para así llevar a cabo un mejor seguimiento de la titulación. Se han realizado de forma digital, a través de formularios de Google.

El carácter voluntario de la inscripción al Plan de Acción Tutorial (PAT) de la Escuela Politécnica Superior (EPS) un año más continúa siendo nuestro sello de identidad. Este carácter, permite una mayor eficacia en el desarrollo de tutorización ya que los agentes implicados en el mismo lo realizan de manera voluntaria. Con esta memoria nos proponemos presentar nuestras experiencias en el desarrollo del PAT en la EPS. La toma de decisiones, proceso mediante el cual se realiza una elección entre las opciones o formas para resolver diferentes situaciones de la vida en diferentes contextos, es un elemento de vital importancia en el desarrollo de la vida académica y futura profesional de nuestros estudiantes. En el marco del PAT de la EPS y en colaboración del Instituto de Ciencias de la Educación (ICE) hemos desarrollado diversos talleres, entre los que destaca un taller vivencial para analizar la importancia en la toma correcta de decisiones.

Degradation of brominated flame retardants present in printed circuit boards (PCBs) was tested using subcritical water in a high pressure reactor. Debromination experiments were carried out in a batch stirred reactor at three different temperatures (225 °C, 250 °C and 275 °C) keeping a solid to liquid (S/L) ratio of PCB:water = 1:5 during 180 min. Results indicated that debromination efficiency was increased with temperature (18.5–63.6% of bromine present in the original PCB was removed). Thermal decomposition of the debrominated materials was studied and compared with that of the original PCB. Thermogravimetric analyses were performed at three different heating rates (5, 10 and 20 K min−1), studying both the pyrolysis (inert atmosphere) and combustion (in air). Pyrolysis runs of the debrominated materials were also performed in a quartz horizontal laboratory furnace at 850 °C, in order to study the emission of pollutants. More than 99% of the bromine was emitted in the form of HBr and Br2. Emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and bromophenols (BrPhs) decreased with the increase in the treatment temperature; naphthalene (10,800–18,300 mg kg−1 original sample) and monobrominated phenols (12.8–16.9 mg kg−1 original sample) were the most abundant compounds.

The relationship between dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyl (DL˗PCB) levels in serum and semen parameters were investigated. Our case-control included two groups of patients. Total concentrations of PCBs were significantly higher in the low semen quality (n = 24) than in the normal semen quality (n = 26) group. A significant negative correlation was found between PCB 126 and viability in men with low semen quality, while PCBs 77 and 81 were positively correlated with morphology, and PCB 118, mono-ortho and total DL-PCBs were positively correlated with volume. In the normal semen quality group, PCB 189 and 118 were negatively correlated with sperm motility and volume, respectively. In addition, positive significant correlations were found between PCB 77, 23 and total non-ortho PCBs with regard to morphology. Our findings suggest that sperm motility, viability, volume and morphology are parameters sensitive to alteration by exposure to DL-PCBs, although PCB effects on spermatogenesis were not of clinical significance.

Metal recovering through decomposition in the presence of steam of different wastes has been demonstrated to be an effective method. In the present work, three different types of copper clad laminates (FR4, CEM3 and ROGERS) were subjected to high temperature decomposition, analyzing their performance. Firstly, the samples were analyzed by thermogravimetry, both in the absence and in the presence of oxygen in the atmosphere; FR4 and CEM3 showed a very strong interaction with oxygen, in contrast to ROGERS. Secondly, the laminates underwent oxidative pyrolysis in the presence of steam at 900 °C in a horizontal laboratory furnace; the experiments °were carried out in the presence and in the absence of an iron-clay catalyst, in order to evaluate its effect on the production of pollutants. Analyses of the produced gas and semivolatile species are shown, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), bromophenols (BrPhs) and brominated dioxins and furans (PBDD/Fs). The gaseous emissions are almost limited to methane, hexane, toluene and xylene, and the production of PAHs and other semivolatile compounds is considerably reduced with the use of the iron-clay catalyst. The emissions of BrPhs and PBDD/Fs are also very limited. Comparing among the behavior of the three types of laminates, the emission of brominated compounds is much lower in the gasification of ROGERS, compared to FR4 and CEM3.

The present work has been carried out to verify the feasibility of thermal valorization of an automobile shredder residue (ASR). With this aim, the thermal decomposition of this waste has been studied in a laboratory scale reactor in order to analyze the pollutants emitted under different operating conditions. The emission factors of carbon oxides, light hydrocarbons, PAHs, PCPhs, PCBzs, PBPhs, PCDD/Fs, dioxin-like PCBs and PBDD/Fs were determined at two temperatures, 600 and 850ºC, and under varying oxygen ratios ranging from 0 (pure pyrolysis) to 1.5 (over-stoichiometric oxidation). After analyzing all these compounds we conclude that thermal valorization of ASR may be an efficient way to achieve the targets established in the Directive 2000/53/EC.

The 14th International Congress on Combustion By-Products and Their Health Effects was held in Umeå, Sweden from June 14th to 17th, 2015. The Congress, mainly sponsored by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Superfund Research Program and the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning, focused on the “Origin, fate and health effects of combustion-related air pollutants in the coming era of bio-based energy sources”. The international delegates included academic and government researchers, engineers, scientists, policymakers and representatives of industrial partners. The Congress provided a unique forum for the discussion of scientific advances in this research area since it addressed in combination the health-related issues and the environmental implications of combustion by-products. The scientific outcomes of the Congress included the consensus opinions that: (a) there is a correlation between human exposure to particulate matter and increased cardiac and respiratory morbidity and mortality; (b) because currently available data does not support the assessment of differences in health outcomes between biomass smoke and other particulates in outdoor air, the potential human health and environmental impacts of emerging air-pollution sources must be addressed. Assessment will require the development of new approaches to characterize combustion emissions through advanced sampling and analytical methods. The Congress also concluded the need for better and more sustainable e-waste management and improved policies, usage and disposal methods for materials containing flame retardants.

The aim of the present work was to assess the emission of different persistent organic pollutants from a cement plant over a period of one year, under normal operational conditions. Thus, a long-term sampling device was installed in the clinker kiln stack of the cement plant. The factory uses petroleum coke as primary fuel, but also alternative fuels such as solid recovered fuel (SRF), automotive shredder residue (ASR), sewage sludge, waste tires, and meat and bone meal (MBM) wastes, with an energy substitution level of about 40%. Both PCDD/Fs (together with dl-PCBs) and PBDD/Fs were continuously sampled, with a total of ten samples collected in 2–4 week periods. Also, PAHs were sampled during one-week periods, in order to evaluate their emissions in three different samples. The emission levels throughout the year were much lower than the set legal limits in all substances, being < 10 pg I-TEQ/Nm3 in the case of PCDD/Fs. The data obtained allowed calculation of updated emission factors for the cement sector, which were 8.5 ng I-TEQ/ton clinker for PCDD/Fs and 3.2 ng WHO-TEQ/ton clinker for PCBs. With respect to the congener distribution, 2,3,7,8-TCDF accounts for 60 to 68% of the total toxicity for PCDD/Fs, and in PBDD/F emissions, a clear predominance of octa-substituted species (both dioxin and furan) was found.

Una vez renovada la acreditación nacional de la ANECA y obtenido el sello internacional EUR-ACE® para ingenierías, en el Grado en Ingeniería Química de la Universidad de Alicante existen algunos aspectos que se pueden mejorar, siendo el principal la coordinación entre asignaturas. Para lograr la calidad en cualquier ámbito siempre es fundamental la mejora continua. En relación con la coordinación, en este trabajo se propone la elaboración de un calendario de actividades de evaluación mediante una herramienta sencilla con el objetivo de tener un mayor control de la carga de trabajo no presencial del alumnado, puesto que este aspecto es uno de los valorados con puntuación más baja en las encuestas realizadas por la Unidad Técnica de Calidad. Por otra parte, se propone también la realización de reuniones de coordinación con los profesores de la titulación para tratar otros aspectos además de la carga de trabajo, poder detectar posibles problemas o dificultades e intentar resolverlos. Por último, se propone la realización de encuestas propias de la titulación para conocer la opinión del alumnado sobre las asignaturas de forma detallada.

Uno de los aspectos peor valorados por los estudiantes en las nuevas titulaciones con evaluación continua suele ser la distribución de controles y otro tipo de pruebas objetivas a lo largo del cuatrimestre. En la guía docente de cada asignatura aparece la información sobre las pruebas a realizar dentro de un cronograma aproximado, y está disponible antes del comienzo del curso. Sin embargo, esa distribución puede variar ligeramente una vez empezado el curso debido a diversos motivos, y no se dispone de la información para todas las asignaturas del cuatrimestre en un mismo documento, lo que facilitaría su visualización. Para el Grado en Ingeniería Química se comenzó a utilizar la herramienta Google Calendar con el objetivo de tener un mayor control de este aspecto y poder detectar y corregir conflictos que pudieran surgir. Sin embargo, se encontraron ciertas limitaciones y por ello se decidió probar otra opción distinta, un documento Excel compartido en Google Drive. En este trabajo se compara la experiencia con ambas herramientas.

The present work has been carried out to verify the feasibility of thermal valorization of an automobile shredder residue (ASR). With this aim, the thermal decomposition of this waste has been studied in a laboratory scale reactor, analyzing the pollutants emitted under different operating conditions. The emission factors of carbon oxides, light hydrocarbons, PAHs, PCPhs, PCBzs, PBPhs, PCDD/Fs, dioxin-like PCBs and PBDD/Fs were determined at two temperatures, 600 and 850 °C, and under different oxygen ratios ranging from 0 (pure pyrolysis) to 1.5 (over-stoichiometric oxidation). After analyzing all these compounds, we conclude that thermal valorization of ASR is a clean way to treat this waste.

El Grado en Ingeniería Química de la Universidad de Alicante, como muchas otras titulaciones, se encuentra en proceso de renovación de la acreditación nacional. La preparación para ello ha requerido un gran esfuerzo y coordinación de los profesores de la titulación, y el presente trabajo se ha desarrollado especialmente para afrontar el último tramo previo a la presentación de la documentación. Para ello, se han identificado los puntos fuertes de la titulación y los puntos con posibilidad de mejora en base a los criterios de ANECA, y se han realizado propuestas de mejora de los últimos mediante la coordinación de profesores y alumnos. Entre estas propuestas, se encuentra el uso de la herramienta Google Calendar con el objetivo de tener un mayor control de la carga de trabajo no presencial del alumnado, puesto que este aspecto es uno de los valorados con puntuación más baja en las encuestas realizadas por la Unidad Técnica de Calidad.

An accurate and easy method for the extraction, cleanup, and HRGC-HRMS analysis of dioxin-like PCBs (DL-PCBs) in low-volume serum samples (1 mL) was developed. Serum samples were extracted several times using n-hexane and purified by acid washing. Recovery rates of labeled congeners ranged from 70 to 110 % and the limits of detection were below 1 pg/g on lipid basis. Although human studies are limited and contradictory, several studies have shown that DL-PCBs can have adverse effects on the male reproductive system. In this way, the present method was applied to 21 serum samples of male patients attending fertility clinics. The total levels obtained for the patients ranged from 6.90 to 84.1 pg WHO-TEQ/g lipid, with a mean value of 20.3 pg WHO-TEQ/g lipid. The predominant PCBs (the sum of PCB 118, 156, and 105) contributed 67 % to the mean concentration of total DL-PCBs in the samples analyzed.