Removal of endocrine disrupting compounds from wastewater: a comparison between a conventional activated sludge with tertiary treatment and membrane bioreactors

Póster presentado en 19th International Congress of Chemical and Process Engineering, Prague, Czech Republic August 28th-September 1st, 2010.

Effect of the metal in the production of pollutants during the decomposition of two types of electric wires

Support for this work was provided by the Generalitat Valenciana (Spain) with projects PROMETEO/2009/043/FEDER, and by the Spanish MCT CTQ2008-05520.

Economic cycles, asymmetric crises and tourism competitiveness: emerging versus mature destinations

This paper considers the influence of business cycles and economic crises on tourism destinations competitiveness. This competitiveness is measured by its share in world tourism. Analysing a period of forty years, the differential permanent or temporary effects that economic crises has on competitiveness of mature and emerging destinations are observed. Furthermore, it identifies the economic transmission mechanisms operating within this context, analysing them using the framework of the most relevant explanatory models of tourism destination competitiveness. The preliminary results obtained suggest that the effects of these shocks on competitiveness are not neutral. In mature destinations the negative effects are more persistent in highly intensive crises. In emerging destinations with a growing natural trend on tourism demand, the effects of the economic crises are softer and limited, reinforcing the process of convergence between destinations. This effect works through two basic transmission mechanisms: the reduction of internal and external tourism demand and the decrease on investment.

Formation of brominated pollutants during the pyrolysis and combustion of tetrabromobisphenol A at different temperatures

Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) is the most widely used brominated flame retardant worldwide. A detailed examination of the degradation products emitted during thermal decomposition of TBBPA is presented in the study. Runs were performed in a laboratory furnace at different temperatures (650 and 800 °C) and in different atmospheres (nitrogen and air). More than one hundred semivolatile compounds have been identified by GC/MS, with special interest in brominated ones. Presence of HBr and brominated light hydrocarbons increased with temperature and in the presence of oxygen. Maximum formation of PAHs is observed at pyrolytic condition at the higher temperature. High levels of 2,4-, 2,6- and 2,4,6- bromophenols were found. The levels of polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans have been detected in the ppm range. The most abundant isomers are 2,4,6,8-TeBDF in pyrolysis and 1,2,3,7,8-PeBDF in combustion. These results should be considered in the assessment of thermal treatment of materials containing brominated flame retardants.

Reduction of emerging micropollutants, organic matter, nutrients and salinity from real wastewater by combined MBR–NF/RO treatment

To study the possibility of producing better water quality from municipal wastewater, a membrane bioreactor (MBR) pilot plant with flat sheet (FS) and hollow fiber (HF) membranes coupled with another pilot plant equipped with nanofiltration (NF)/reverse osmosis (RO) membranes were operated to treat municipal wastewater from the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) Rincón de León, Alicante (Spain). This study was focused on improving the quality of the permeate obtained from the MBR process when complemented by NF or RO stages with respect to salinity, organic matter and nutrients. Furthermore, the removal efficiencies of 10 EMPs were evaluated, comparing the reductions achieved between the wastewater treatment by MBR (adsorption to sludge and biodegradation) and the later treatment using NF or RO (mainly size exclusion). The results showed that the high quality of water was obtained which is appropriate for reuse with salinity removal efficiencies higher than 97%, 96% for total organic carbon (TOC), 91% for nitrates View the MathML sourceNO3- and 99% for total phosphorous (TP). High removal efficiencies were obtained for the majority of the analyzed EMP compounds.

Decomposition of two types of electric wires considering the effect of the metal in the production of pollutants

Combustion runs at 700 °C in a horizontal laboratory furnace were carried out on two different electric wires (PVC and halogen-free wire). Tests were performed in the presence and in the absence of the metal conductor of the wires. The analyses of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), chlorobenzenes (CBzs), chlorophenols (CPhs), mono- to octa-chlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), and dioxin-like PCBs are shown. Regarding semivolatile compounds, PAHs production decreases in the presence of metal, while a higher amount of chlorinated compounds are emitted. Respect to the PCDD/Fs, the PVC wire in the presence of metal presents the highest emission, with a much more emission of furans than dioxins. The maximum emission is with 2 or 3 chlorine atom PCDD/Fs. PCBs emission correlates with PCDD/F production and represents 3–4% of total toxicity, determined by using WHO2005 factors.

Brackish groundwater desalination by reverse osmosis in southeastern Spain. Presence of emerging contaminants and potential impacts on soil-aquifer media

Desalinated brackish groundwater is becoming a new source of water supply to comply with growing water demands, especially in (semi-) arid countries. Recent publications show that some chemical compounds may persist in an unaltered form after the desalination processes and that there is an associated risk of mixing waters with different salinity for irrigation. At the university of Alicante campus (Spain), a mix of desalinated brackish groundwater and water from the existing aquifer is currently applied for landscape irrigation. The presence of 209 emerging compounds, surfactants, priority substances according to the 2008/105/EC Directive, 11 heavy metals and microbiological organisms in blended water and aquifer samples was investigated. Thirty-five compounds were detected (pesticides, pharmaceuticals and surfactants) among them two priority substances α-endosulfan and Ni were found above the permitted maximum concentration. Blended water used for landscape irrigation during the summer period is supersaturated with respect to carbonates, which may ultimately lead to mineral precipitation in the soil-aquifer media and changes in hydraulic parameters.

Analysis of pollutants evolved from combustion and pyrolysis of flexible polyurethane foam in a laboratory furnace

Resumen del póster presentado en PIC2015 – the 14th International Congress on Combustion By-Products and Their Health Effects, Umeå, Sweden, 14-17 June 2015.

Emissions of Gases, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Brominated Pollutants during Thermal Degradation of Waste Printed Circuit Boards

Resumen del póster presentado en Symposium on Renewable Energy and Products from Biomass and Waste, CIUDEN (Cubillos de Sil, León, Spain), 12-13 May 2015