Chemical recycling of municipal packaging waste by pyrolysis

[EN]The present doctoral thesis centers on studying pyrolysis as a chemical recycling technique for rejected packaging waste fractions coming from separation and sorting plants. The pyrolysis experiments have been carried out in a lab-scale installation equipped with a 3.5 L semi-batch reactor and a condensation and collection system for the liquids and gases generated. In the present thesis, an experimental study on the conventional pyrolysis process applied to the aforementioned waste fractions has been conducted, as well as the study of non-conventional or advanced pyrolysis processes such as catalytic and stepwise pyrolysis. The study of the operating parameters has been carried out using a mixed plastics simulated sample, the composition of which is similar to that found in real fractions, and subsequently the optimized process has been applied to real packaging waste. An exhaustive characterization of the solids, liquids and gases obtained in the process has been made after each experiment and their potential uses have been established. Finally, an empirical model that will predict the pyrolysis yields (% organic liquid, % aqueous liquid, % gases, % char, % inorganic solid) as a function of the composition of the initial sample has been developed. As a result of the experimental work done, the requirements have been established for an industrial packaging waste pyrolysis plant that aims to be sufficiently versatile as to generate useful products regardless of the nature of the raw material.

Estudio del vertedero de RSU de acuerdo con la nueva normativa comunitaria en relación con el vertido de materia orgánica

[ES]Mediante este documento se pretende analizar el estado de la gestión de la fracción biodegradable de los residuos urbanos atendiendo a la normativa vigente. Ese estudio se complementa con el desarrollo teórico de los tratamientos a los que se puede destinar así como ciertas aplicaciones numéricas. De esta manera, se busca establecer unas bases que posibiliten en un futuro profundizar en la temática y obtener diseños aplicables en el ámbito real.

Research on operating conditions at the catalytic reactor for the combined removal of NOx and PCDD/PCDFs from MWI plants

The management of municipal solid waste (MSW), particularly the role of incineration, is currently a subject of public debate. Incineration shows to be a good alternative of reducing the volume of waste and eliminating certain infectious components. Moreover, Municipal Waste Incinerators (MWI), are reported to be highly hygienic and apart from that MWIs are immediately effective in terms of transport (incinerators can be built close to the waste sources) and incineration's nature. Nevertheless, the emissions of many hazardous substances make the Municipal Waste Incineration (MWI) plants to be unpopular. Metals (especially lead, manganese, cadmium, chromium and mercury) are concentrated in fly and bottom ashes. Furthermore, incomplete combustion produces a wide variety of potentially hazardous organic compounds, such as aldehydes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), chlorinated hydrocarbons including polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDD) and dibenzofurans (PCDF), and even acid gases, including NOx. Many of these hazardous substances are carcinogenic and some have direct systemic toxicity.

Emaús, una organización de acción social

[ES] Emaús Bilbao Sociedad Cooperativa, es una entidad de Economía Social y Solidaria para la inserción sociolaboral, dedicada a la gestión integral de residuos sólidos urbanos (RSU), con sede en Bilbao y que desarrolla esta actividad en Bizkaia.

Kautxu birziklatuzko materialek inpaktura duten erantzunaren simulazioa.

[EU]Ondorengo lanean ingeniaritzaren eremuan aurkitzen den eginkizunik garrantzitsuenetako bat egingo da: material berri bat karakterizatu. Hau da, errealitatean ikusten duguna era matematiko batean idatzi, edo beste era batean esanda, modelo matematiko bat lortu. Jorratuko den materiala kautxu birziklatua izango da, pneumatiko zaharretatik abiatuz egiten dena. Material honek, besteak beste, hurrengo abantailak ditu: produzitzeko erraza (beraz, prezio ekonomikoak, lehengaiak hondakin solidoak direla ikusita) eta inpakturako erantzun ona. Kautxu hau, beste erabileren artean, segurtasun-errailetan erabiltzen da, moto-gidariak ebaketetatik babesteko. Modelo matematikoa edo konstitutiboa lortzeko, lege hiperelastiko eta biskoelastikoetatik abiatuz, portaera bisko-hiperelastikorako lege bat proposatuko da. Lege hau deformazio handietarako eta deformazio abiadura handietarako aplikatu egingo da. Honen oinarria aurreko urteetan eskola honetako beste ikasleek eginiko gradu eta karrera amaierako lanak izango dira. Behin hau izanda, elementu finituetako software baten bidez simulatuko da, eta emaitza numerikoak esperimentalekin alderatuko dira. Honen bidez, modeloa hobetu ahal izango dugu, zehaztasun gehiago lortzeko asmoz.