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Morales M, Arp HPH, Castro G, Asimakopoulos AG, Sørmo E, Peters G, Cherubini F. Eco-toxicological and climate change effects of sludge thermal treatments: Pathways towards zero pollution and negative emissions. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 470:134242. [PMID: 38626686 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/18/2024]
Abstract
The high moisture content and the potential presence of hazardous organic compounds (HOCs) and metals (HMs) in sewage sludge (SS) pose technical and regulatory challenges for its circular economy valorisation. Thermal treatments are expected to reduce the volume of SS while producing energy and eliminating HOCs. In this study, we integrate quantitative analysis of SS concentration of 12 HMs and 61 HOCs, including organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) and per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), with life-cycle assessment to estimate removal efficiency of pollutants, climate change mitigation benefits and toxicological effects of existing and alternative SS treatments (involving pyrolysis, incineration, and/or anaerobic digestion). Conventional SS treatment leaves between 24 % and 40 % of OPFRs unabated, while almost no degradation occurs for PFAS. Thermal treatments can degrade more than 93% of target OPFRs and 95 % of target PFAS (with the rest released to effluents). The different treatments affect how HMs are emitted across environmental compartments. Conventional treatments also show higher climate change impacts than thermal treatments. Overall, thermal treatments can effectively reduce the HOCs emitted to the environment while delivering negative emissions (from about -56 to -111 kg CO2-eq per tonne of sludge, when pyrolysis is involved) and producing renewable energy from heat integration and valorization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjorie Morales
- Industrial Ecology Programme (IndEcol), Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7034 Trondheim, Norway.
| | - Hans Peter H Arp
- Department of Chemistry, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7491 Trondheim, Norway; Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), 0886 Oslo, Norway
| | - Gabriela Castro
- Department of Chemistry, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7491 Trondheim, Norway; Department of Analytical Chemistry, Nutrition and Food Sciences, Institute for Research in Chemical and Biological Analysis (IAQBUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | | | - Erlend Sørmo
- Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), 0886 Oslo, Norway; Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), 1430 Ås, Norway
| | - Gregory Peters
- Division of Environmental Systems Analysis, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, SE 412 96, Sweden
| | - Francesco Cherubini
- Industrial Ecology Programme (IndEcol), Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7034 Trondheim, Norway
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Castro G, Cobo M, Rodríguez I. Identification of hazardous organic compounds in e-waste plastic using non-target and suspect screening approaches. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 356:141946. [PMID: 38604518 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.141946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
End-of-life electric and electronic devices stand as one of the fastest growing wastes in the world and, therefore, a rapidly escalating global concern. A relevant fraction of these wastes corresponds to polymeric materials containing a plethora of chemical additives. Some of those additives fall within the category of hazardous organic compounds (HOCs). Despite the significant advances in the capabilities of analytical methods, the comprehensive characterization of WEEE plastic remains as a challenge. This research strives to identify the primary additives within WEEE polymers by implementing a non-target and suspect screening approach. Gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-QTOF-MS), using electron ionization (EI), was applied for the detection and identification of more than 300 substances in this matrix. A preliminary comparison was carried out with nominal resolution EI-MS spectra contained in the NIST17 library. BPA, flame retardants, UV-filters, PAHs, and preservatives were among the compounds detected. Fifty-one out of 300 compounds were confirmed by comparison with authentic standards. The study establishes a comprehensive database containing m/z ratios and accurate mass spectra of characteristic compounds, encompassing HOCs. Semi-quantification of the predominant additives was conducted across 48 WEEE samples collected from handling and dismantling facilities in Galicia. ABS plastic demonstrated the highest median concentrations, ranging from 0.154 to 4456 μg g-1, being brominated flame retardants and UV filters, the families presenting the highest concentrations. Internet router devices revealed the highest concentrations, containing a myriad of HOCs, such as tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), tribromophenol (TBrP), triphenylphosphate (TPhP), tinuvin P and bisphenol A (BPA), most of which are restricted in Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Castro
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Nutrition and Food Sciences, Institute for Research in Chemical and Biological Analysis (IAQBUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
| | - M Cobo
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Nutrition and Food Sciences, Institute for Research in Chemical and Biological Analysis (IAQBUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - I Rodríguez
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Nutrition and Food Sciences, Institute for Research in Chemical and Biological Analysis (IAQBUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
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Sørmo E, Krahn KM, Flatabø GØ, Hartnik T, Arp HPH, Cornelissen G. Distribution of PAHs, PCBs, and PCDD/Fs in products from full-scale relevant pyrolysis of diverse contaminated organic waste. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 461:132546. [PMID: 37769451 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
Biomass pyrolysis is the anoxic thermal conversion of biomass into a carbon rich, porous solid, often called biochar. This could be a better waste management alternative for contaminated organic wastes than incineration, due to the useful properties of biochar and potential for carbon sequestration. There are, however, concerns about the potential formation/destruction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs). Six organic wastes, including digested sewage sludges, wood wastes, and food waste reject, were pyrolyzed (500-800°C) in a full-scale relevant unit (1-5 kg biochar hr-1). Removal efficiencies for PCBs and PCDD/Fs were > 99% in the produced biochars. Biochar PAH-content (2.7-118 mgkg-1) was not significantly correlated to feedstock or temperature. PAHs (2563-8285 mgkg-1), PCBs (22-113 µgkg-1), and PCDD/Fs (1.8-50 ngTEQ kg-1) accumulated in the pyrolysis condensate, making this a hazardous waste best handled as a fuel for high temperature combustion. Emission concentrations for PAHs (0.22-421 µgNm-3) and PCDD/Fs (≤2.7 pgTEQ Nm-3) were mainly associated with particles and were below the European Union's waste incineration thresholds. Emission factors ranged from 0.0002 to 78 mg tonne-1 biochar for PAHs and 0.002-0.45 µgTEQ tonne-1 biochar for PCDD/Fs. PCDD/F-formation was negligible during high temperature (≥500 °C) biomass pyrolysis (69-90% net loss).
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Affiliation(s)
- Erlend Sørmo
- Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), 0484 Oslo, Norway; Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), 1430 Ås, Norway
| | | | - Gudny Øyre Flatabø
- VOW ASA, 1384 Asker, Norway; University of South-Eastern Norway (USN), 3918 Porsgrunn, Norway
| | - Thomas Hartnik
- Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), 1433 Ås, Norway
| | - Hans Peter H Arp
- Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), 0484 Oslo, Norway; Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Gerard Cornelissen
- Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), 0484 Oslo, Norway; Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), 1430 Ås, Norway.
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Paun I, Pirvu F, Iancu VI, Niculescu M, Pascu LF, Chiriac FL. An Initial Survey on Occurrence, Fate, and Environmental Risk Assessment of Organophosphate Flame Retardants in Romanian Waterways. J Xenobiot 2023; 14:31-50. [PMID: 38249100 PMCID: PMC10801549 DOI: 10.3390/jox14010003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Organophosphate ester flame retardants (OPFRs) are ubiquitous organic pollutants in the environment and present an important preoccupation due to their potential toxicity to humans and biota. They can be found in various sources, including consumer products, building materials, transportation industry, electronic devices, textiles and clothing, and recycling and waste management. This paper presents the first survey of its kind in Romania, investigating the composition, distribution, possible sources, and environmental risks of OPFRs in five wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and the rivers receiving their effluents. Samples from WWTPs and surface waters were collected and subjected to extraction processes to determine the OPFRs using liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection. All the target OPFRs were found in all the matrices, with the average concentrations ranging from 0.6 to 1422 ng/L in wastewater, 0.88 to 1851 ng/g dry weight (d.w.) in sewage sludge, and 0.73 to 1036 ng/L in surface waters. The dominant compound in all the cases was tri(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCPP). This study observed that the wastewater treatment process was inefficient, with removal efficiencies below 50% for all five WWTPs. The environmental risk assessment indicated that almost all the targeted OPFRs pose a low risk, while TDCPP, TCPP, and TMPP could pose a moderate risk to certain aquatic species. These findings provide valuable information for international pollution research and enable the development of pollution control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Luoana Florentina Pascu
- National Research and Development Institute for Industrial Ecology—ECOIND, Drumul Podu Dambovitei Street 57-73, 060652 Bucharest, Romania; (I.P.); (F.P.); (V.I.I.); (M.N.)
| | - Florentina Laura Chiriac
- National Research and Development Institute for Industrial Ecology—ECOIND, Drumul Podu Dambovitei Street 57-73, 060652 Bucharest, Romania; (I.P.); (F.P.); (V.I.I.); (M.N.)
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Zhang Y, Zhao B, Chen Q, Zhu F, Wang J, Fu X, Zhou T. Fate of organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) in the "Cambi® TH + AAD" of sludge in a WWTP in Beijing, China. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2023; 169:363-373. [PMID: 37523947 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2023.07.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) are emerging environmental pollutants that cause endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity, and reproductive toxicity. Sewage sludge is an important source of tri-OPFRs that are released into the environment. The occurrence, distribution, and ecological risk of OPFRs in the full-scale "Cambi® thermal hydrolysis (TH) + advanced anaerobic digestion (AAD) + plate-frame pressure filtration" sludge treatment process is closely related to the application of sewage sludge. We tested sludge samples from a wastewater treatment plant in Beijing, China. Nine tri-OPFRs were detected in the sludge samples collected at different treatment units during four seasons. The ΣOPFRs decreased from 1,742.65-2,579.68 ng/g to 971.48-1,702.22 ng/g. The mass flow of tri-OPFRs in treated sludge decreased by 61.4%, 48.9%, 42.4%, and 63.9% in spring, summer, autumn and winter, respectively, effectively reducing the corresponding ecological risk. The ecological risk of tri-OPFRs in sludge in forestland utilization mainly lies in chlorinated tri-OPFRs, especially TCPP and TCEP. No >42.20 t/hm2 of sludge could be used continuously for one year to prevent tri-OPFRs from exceeding the low ecological risk level, indicating that the current commonly applied proportion of sludge (1.6-30 t/hm2) will likely not raise the ecological risk of tri-OPFRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhui Zhang
- School of Environment & Natural Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing 10872, China
| | - Bing Zhao
- School of Environment & Natural Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing 10872, China
| | - Qian Chen
- School of Environment & Natural Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing 10872, China
| | - Fenfen Zhu
- School of Environment & Natural Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing 10872, China.
| | - Jiawei Wang
- Beijing Engineering Technology Research Center for Municipal Sewage Reclamation, R&D Center, Beijing Drainage Group Co. Ltd., Beijing 100124, China
| | - Xingmin Fu
- Beijing Engineering Technology Research Center for Municipal Sewage Reclamation, R&D Center, Beijing Drainage Group Co. Ltd., Beijing 100124, China
| | - Tiantian Zhou
- School of Environment & Natural Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing 10872, China
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Sørmo E, Castro G, Hubert M, Licul-Kucera V, Quintanilla M, Asimakopoulos AG, Cornelissen G, Arp HPH. The decomposition and emission factors of a wide range of PFAS in diverse, contaminated organic waste fractions undergoing dry pyrolysis. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 454:131447. [PMID: 37121036 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Current treatment options for organic waste contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are generally limited to incineration, composting or landfilling, all resulting in emissions. Dry pyrolysis is a promising emerging alternative to these practices, but there is uncertainty related to the fate of PFAS during this process. The present work first developed a robust method for the determination of PFAS in complex matrices, such as sewage sludge and biochar. Then, a mass balance was established for 56 different PFAS during full-scale pyrolysis (2-10 kg biochar hr-1, 500-800 °C) of sewage sludges, food waste reject, garden waste and waste timber. PFAS were found in all wastes (56-3651 ng g-1), but pyrolysis resulted in a ≥ 96.9% removal. Residual PFAS (0.1-3.4 ng g-1) were detected in biochars obtained at temperatures up to 750 °C and were dominated by long chain PFAS. Emitted PFAS loads ranged from 0.01 to 3.1 mg tonne-1 of biochar produced and were dominated by short chain PFAS. Emissions made up < 3% of total PFAS-mass in the wastes. Remaining uncertainties are mainly related to the presence of thermal degradation products in flue gas and condensation oils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erlend Sørmo
- Geotechnics and Environment, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), Oslo, Norway; Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Ås, Norway.
| | - Gabriela Castro
- Department of Chemistry, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Michel Hubert
- Geotechnics and Environment, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), Oslo, Norway; Faculty of Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Viktória Licul-Kucera
- Institute for Analytical Research, Hochschulen Fresenius gem. Trägesellschaft mbH, Idstein, Germany; Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Marjorie Quintanilla
- Department of Chemistry, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Gerard Cornelissen
- Geotechnics and Environment, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), Oslo, Norway; Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Ås, Norway
| | - Hans Peter H Arp
- Geotechnics and Environment, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), Oslo, Norway; Department of Chemistry, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
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