Mechanical methods for materials concentration of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells and product potential evaluation for recycling.

The production and sales of lithium-ion batteries (LIB) are rapidly expanding nowadays, causing a significant impact on the consumption of critical raw materials, such as lithium. Thus, developing and improving methods for the separation and recovery of materials from LIBs is necessary to ensure the supply of critical raw materials, as well as to meet the recycling targets set by some countries. This study evaluated and compared two mechanical routes to concentrate materials of LiFePO (LPF) cells.

c-Si PV module recycling: Analysis of the use of a mechanical pre-treatment to reduce the environmental impact of thermal treatment and enhance materials recovery.

The current increase in the use of photovoltaic (PV) energy demands the search for solutions to recycle end-of-life modules. This study evaluated the use of a mechanical pre-treatment in the thermal recycling of c-Si crystalline PV modules, which were submitted to recycling routes to separate and concentrate the materials of interest. The first route was constituted by only thermal treatment, and the second route was constituted by a mechanical pre-treatment to remove the polymers from the backsheet, and subsequent thermal treatment.

Composition and recycling of smartphones: A mini-review on gaps and opportunities.

After more than a decade since smartphones became consolidated in the market, many recycling solutions have been proposed to deal with them. To continue developing useful solutions and enable adjustment of routes, this mini-review aims to analyse the current research scenario, presenting relevant gaps, trends and opportunities. From a structured searching and screening procedure, a vast source of data was arranged and is available to extract useful information (43 studies on composition and 93 studies on recycling).

Nonuniform Late Pleistocene glacier fluctuations in tropical Eastern Africa.

Today's ice caps and glaciers in Africa are restricted to the highest peaks, but during the Pleistocene, several mountains on the continent were extensively glaciated. However, little is known about regional differences in the timing and extent of past glaciations and the impact of paleoclimatic changes on the afro-alpine environment and settlement history. Here, we present a glacial chronology for the Ethiopian Highlands in comparison with other East African Mountains.

Separation and concentration of valuable and critical materials from wasted LEDs by physical processes.

The generation of wasted LEDs is expected to grow in the coming years, raising the challenge of recycling and recovering their valuable and critical materials. Due to the low concentration of these materials, the current recycling processes available for LEDs have a significant recovery limitation. This study proposes an innovative, clean and effective physical method to segregate the valuable and critical materials into different fractions while enhancing their concentration: particle size separation followed by electrostatic separation.

Precious and critical metals from wasted LED lamps: characterization and evaluation.

LED lamps already conquered the market of general lighting and are expected to generate a substantial stream of e-waste in the coming years. The challenge of recycling LED lamps have emerged, and it is essential to address both environmental and economic aspects to achieve a circular economy. LED lamps contain precious and critical metals, which can be found in electrical components and in the LED itself, making them a prospective waste for recycling initiatives.

Early Holocene crop cultivation and landscape modification in Amazonia.

The onset of plant cultivation is one of the most important cultural transitions in human history. Southwestern Amazonia has previously been proposed as an early centre of plant domestication, on the basis of molecular markers that show genetic similarities between domesticated plants and wild relatives. However, the nature of the early human occupation of southwestern Amazonia, and the history of plant cultivation in this region, are poorly understood.

Assessment of LED lamps components and materials for a recycling perspective.

LED lamps have already conquered the market of general lighting. This new product will generate a substantial flow of e-waste requiring studies for the correct management, especially concerning recycling alternatives. This study proposes a material characterization of all the tubular and bulb LED lamp components (carcass, LEDs, printed circuit board and LED module).

Middle Stone Age foragers resided in high elevations of the glaciated Bale Mountains, Ethiopia.

Studies of early human settlement in alpine environments provide insights into human physiological, genetic, and cultural adaptation potentials. Although Late and even Middle Pleistocene human presence has been recently documented on the Tibetan Plateau, little is known regarding the nature and context of early persistent human settlement in high elevations. Here, we report the earliest evidence of a prehistoric high-altitude residential site.

Persistent Early to Middle Holocene tropical foraging in southwestern Amazonia.

The Amazon witnessed the emergence of complex societies after 2500 years ago that altered tropical landscapes through intensive agriculture and managed aquatic systems. However, very little is known about the context and conditions that preceded these social and environmental transformations. Here, we demonstrate that forest islands in the Llanos de Moxos of southwestern Amazonia contain human burials and represent the earliest settlements in the region between 10,600 and 4000 years ago.

Neodymium as the main feature of permanent magnets from hard disk drives (HDDs).

As a way to manage neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets wasted in end-of-life hard disk drives (HDDs), a waste characterization is needed prior to a recycling process. Due to their magnetic properties, NdFeB magnets are essential in technological applications nowadays, thus causing an increase in the industrial demand for rare earth metals. However, these metals have a short supply, since they are difficult to obtain from ores, creating a critical market.

Recycling WEEE: Extraction and concentration of silver from waste crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules.

Photovoltaic modules (or panels) are important power generators with limited lifespans. The modules contain known pollutants and valuable materials such as silicon, silver, copper, aluminum and glass. Thus, recycling such waste is of great importance.

Recycling WEEE: Polymer characterization and pyrolysis study for waste of crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules.

Photovoltaic (PV) modules contain both valuable and hazardous materials, which makes its recycling meaningful economically and environmentally. In general, the recycling of PV modules starts with the removal of the polymeric ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) resin using pyrolysis, which assists in the recovery of materials such as silicon, copper and silver. The pyrolysis implementation, however, needs improvement given its importance.

Photovoltaic solar panels of crystalline silicon: Characterization and separation.

Photovoltaic panels have a limited lifespan and estimates show large amounts of solar modules will be discarded as electronic waste in a near future. In order to retrieve important raw materials, reduce production costs and environmental impacts, recycling such devices is important. Initially, this article investigates which silicon photovoltaic module's components are recyclable through their characterization using X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, energy dispersion spectroscopy and atomic absorption spectroscopy.

Determination of the potential gold electrowinning from an ammoniacal thiosulphate solution applied to recycling of printed circuit board scraps.

The use of electrochemical techniques in the selective recovery of gold from a solution containing thiosulphate, ammonia, and copper, obtained from the leaching of printed circuit boards from mobile phones using ammoniacal thiosulphate, are shown in this work. First, cyclic voltammetry tests were performed to determine the potential of electrodeposition of gold and copper, and then, electrowinning tests at different potentials for checking the rates of recovery of these metals were performed. The results of the cyclic voltammetry show that copper deposition occurs at potentials more negative than -600 mV (Ag/AgCl), whereas the gold deposition can be performed at potentials more positives than -600 mV (Ag/AgCl).

Evaluation of gold and silver leaching from printed circuit board of cellphones.

Electronic waste has been increasing proportionally with the technology. So, nowadays, it is necessary to consider the useful life, recycling, and final disposal of these equipment. Metals, such as Au, Ag, Cu, Sn and Ni can be found in the printed circuit boards (PCB).

Early and middle holocene hunter-gatherer occupations in western Amazonia: the hidden shell middens.

We report on previously unknown early archaeological sites in the Bolivian lowlands, demonstrating for the first time early and middle Holocene human presence in western Amazonia. Multidisciplinary research in forest islands situated in seasonally-inundated savannahs has revealed stratified shell middens produced by human foragers as early as 10,000 years ago, making them the oldest archaeological sites in the region. The absence of stone resources and partial burial by recent alluvial sediments has meant that these kinds of deposits have, until now, remained unidentified.

Disassembly and characterization of liquid crystal screens.

The technology used in the manufacturing of televisions and monitors has been changing in recent years. Monitors with liquid crystal displays (LCD) emerged in the market with the aim of replacing cathode ray tube monitors. As a result, the disposal of this type of product, which is already very high, will increase.

'So few fat ones grow old': diet, health, and virtue in the golden age of rising life expectancy.

Life expectancy and chronic disease rates both rose dramatically in the United States during the first third of the twentieth century. As a result of this concurrence, Americans in this era increasingly thought about things they could do to extend their own lives, especially eating less, exercising more, and limiting stress, all factors thought to reduce chronic disease. New recognition of the correlation between daily physical habits and long lives made longevity look like a sign of virtue.

Printed wiring boards for mobile phones: characterization and recycling of copper.

The popularization of mobile phones, combined with a technological evolution, means a large number of scrap and obsolete equipment are discarded every year, thereby causing economic losses and environmental pollution. In the present study, the printed wiring boards scrap of mobile phones were characterized in order to recycle some of the device components, using techniques of mechanical processing, hydrometallurgy and electrometallurgy. The use of the techniques of mechanical processing (milling, particle size classification, magnetic and electrostatic separation) was an efficient alternative to obtain a concentrated fraction (mainly iron in the magnetic fraction and copper in the conductive fraction) and another fraction containing polymers and ceramics.

Characterization and recovery of polymers from mobile phone scrap.

Electronic scrap is part of a universally wide range of obsolete, defective, or used materials that need to be disposed of or recycled in an ecologically friendly manner. The present study focused on the polymers present in mobile phone scrap. In mobile phones, polymers are found in frames and in printed circuit boards (PCBs).

Recovery of copper from printed circuit boards scraps by mechanical processing and electrometallurgy.

The constant growth in generation of solid wastes stimulates studies of recycling processes. The electronic scrap is part of this universe of obsolete and/or defective materials that need to be disposed of more appropriately, or then recycled. In this work, printed circuit boards, that are part of electronic scrap and are found in almost all electro-electronic equipments, were studied.

Utilization of magnetic and electrostatic separation in the recycling of printed circuit boards scrap.

The progress of the technology is directly related to the growth of production and consumption of electrical/electronics equipment, especially of personal computers. This type of equipment has a relatively short average lifetime, 2-3 years. The amount of defective or obsolete equipment has been increasing substantially; consequently its disposition and/or recycling should be studied.

Effects of long-term dietary lipids on mature bone mineral content, collagen, crosslinks, and prostaglandin E2 production in Japanese quail.

This study investigated the effects of long-term dietary lipids on mature bone mineral content, collagen concentration, crosslink levels, bone marrow and ex vivo prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) biosynthesis, as well as the relationship of PGE2 production to these bone formation parameters. One-month-old male Japanese quail were given a basal diet containing 1 of 4 lipid sources: soybean oil (SBO), hydrogenated soybean oil (HSBO), chicken fat (CF), or menhaden fish oil (FO) at 50 g/kg of the diet. At 8 mo of age, lipid treatments did not affect bone length, diameter, or weight in quail.

Brown seaweed- (Tasco) treated conserved forage enhances antioxidant status and immune function in heat-stressed wether lambs.

Twenty-seven wether lambs were utilized to evaluate select innate immunity and oxidative stress in response to diet and heat stress. Dietary treatments were: (i) control (tall fescue) hay = no Tasco (tradename for the extract of the brown seaweed, Ascophyllum nodosum, Acadian Sealants Ltd, Nova Scotia, Canada); (ii) pre-harvest Tasco-Forage-treated hay and (iii) control hay + post-harvest Tasco-EX. Tasco-Forage and Tasco-EX are two forms of the Tasco extract that are either applied to foliage or used for direct feeding, respectively.