Publications by authors named "Acha E"

Article Synopsis
  • * The research analyzed four samples: the original waste plastics, two milled versions (2 mm and 1 mm), and a control sample of virgin polymers, all subjected to similar pyrolysis conditions.
  • * Results indicated significant variability in chlorine concentration among the oils, with the 2 mm milled sample yielding much more consistent results (8% RSD) compared to the as-received sample (42% RSD), while other useful characterizations showed mixed results.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Waste valorisation through pyrolysis generates solid, liquid and gaseous fractions that need to be deeply characterised in order to try to recover secondary raw materials or chemicals. Depending on the waste and the process conditions, the liquid fraction obtained (so-called pyrolysis oil) can be very complex. This work proposes a method to quantitatively measure the composition of pyrolysis oils coming from three types of polymeric waste: (1) plastic packaging from sorting plants of municipal solid waste, (2) plastic rich fractions rejected from sorting plants of waste of electrical and electronic equipment and (3) end-of-life carbon/glass fibre reinforced thermoset polymers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Waste carbon fibre-reinforced plastics were recycled by pyrolysis followed by a thermo-catalytic treatment in order to achieve both fibre and resin recovery. The conventional pyrolysis of this waste produced unusable gas and hazardous liquid streams, which made necessary the treatment of the pyrolysis vapours. In this work, the vapours generated from pyrolysis were valorised thermochemically.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Methanation is gaining attention as it produces green methane from CO and H, through Power-to-Gas technology. This process could be improved by in situ water sorption. The main difficulty for this process intensification is to find effective water sorbents at useful reaction temperatures (275-400 °C).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Waste generation is one of the greatest problems of present times, and the recycling of carbon fibre reinforced composites one big challenge to face. Currently, no resin valorisation is done in thermal fibre recycling methods. However, when pyrolysis is used, additional valuable compounds (syngas or H-rich gas) could be obtained by upgrading the generated vapours and gases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The use of alternative fuels derived from residues in energy-intensive industries that rely on fossil fuels can cause considerable energy cost savings, but also significant environmental benefits by conserving non-renewable resources and reducing waste disposal. However, the switching from conventional to alternative fuels is challenging for industries, which require a sound understanding of the properties and combustion characteristics of the alternative fuel, in order to adequately adapt their industrial processes and equipment for its utilization. In this work, a solid recovered fuel (SRF) obtained from the polymeric fraction of an automotive shredder residue is tested for use as an alternative fuel for scrap preheating in an aluminium refinery.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This paper presents a process where carbon fibers and hydrogen can be recovered simultaneously through a two-stage thermal treatment of an epoxy-carbon fiber composite. For this purpose, some pieces of epoxy resin reinforced with carbon fiber fabrics have been fabricated and, after curing, have been pyrolyzed in an installation consisting of two reactors. In the first one, the thermal decomposition of the resin takes place, and in the second one, the gases and vapors coming from the first reactor are thermally treated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In this work, a novel method to valorize the polymeric matrix of residual carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) in the recycling process of carbon fibers by pyrolysis is presented. The experiments have been carried out with an expired epoxy-based pre-preg and in a lab-scale installation composed of two reactors. In the first one, pyrolysis and oxidation have been carried out, while in the second one, the gases and vapors resulting from the thermal decomposition of the polymeric resin have been thermally treated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Otolaryngology services worldwide faced an unprecedented demand for case triage during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We propose and apply a novel case-leveling schema in a resource-limited setting. Describing the surgical burden of otolaryngologic disease in this setting may critically inform resource planning to address global surgical disparities.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Primary production hotspots in the marine environment occur where the combination of light, turbulence, temperature and nutrients makes the proliferation of phytoplankton possible. Satellite-derived surface chlorophyll-a distributions indicate that these conditions are frequently associated with sharp water mass transitions named "marine fronts". Given the link between primary production, consumers and ecosystem functions, marine fronts could play a key role in the production of ecosystem services (ES).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the precursor for a growing subset of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCCs) in the developed world. This study was designed to characterize oral HPV infection and OPSCC in a region with high rates of HPV-driven cervical cancer.

Study Design: Cross-sectional cohort study, retrospective case series.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: E. coccinae (SIMS) G. (Asteraceae) is an annual plant commonly found throughout the plain of the Central Africa and widely used in Cameroonian folk medicine for the treatment of fever and convulsions in children.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ingestion of anthropogenic debris represents an important threat to marine turtle populations. Information has been limited to inventories of debris ingested and its consequences, but why ingestion occurs and the conditions that enable it are less understood. Here we report on the occurrence of plastic ingestion in young green turtles (Chelonia mydas) inhabiting the Río de la Plata (SW Atlantic).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Río de la Plata, one of the most important South American estuarine environments, is characterized by a bottom salinity front that generates an ecotone between the river and the estuary. Based on bottom trawls and costal sampling we describe the distribution, types, and amount of debris found in the bottom and shoreline across this front. Plastics and plastic bags were the main debris types in both areas.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF