Widespread lead contamination of imported low-cost jewelry in the US

Recent recalls of lead-contaminated jewelry and the death of a Minnesota child by lead poisoning after swallowing a jewelry charm have highlighted the hazards of leaded jewelry to children. We sought to determine the extent of lead contamination in inexpensive, imported jewelry available in United States retail stores. A total of 139 jewelry items were purchased from ten retail store chains in five different geographic locations. Samples were digested in nitric acid followed by atomic absorption analysis. Accessibility of lead was analyzed by leaching a subset of heavily leaded samples in 0.07 M hydrochloric acid. Almost half (42.6%) of the items assayed were heavily leaded, exceeding 80% lead by weight. Average lead content for all items tested was 44.0%, and one or more heavily leaded items were found in samples from each retail store and each geographic location. Six of ten samples tested for leachability of lead exceeded the US Consumer Product Safety Commission guidelines of 175 microg accessible lead. Our results show that much inexpensive children's and costume jewelry imported and sold in the US is heavily leaded. Given the high neurotoxicity of lead to young children, inexpensive jewelry items pose a potential yet avoidable threat to children's health.     

Management and performance of Taiwan's waste recycling fund

Taiwan's resource recycling program was formally established in 1989, starting with the mandatory recycling of polyethylene terephthalate bottles. The number of mandatory regulated materials was extended to 8 categories with 27 items by 2002. Because of false data reporting, financial scandal, lack of transparency of the system, and the demand from parliament, the recycling policy has gradually changed from entirely privatized to being nationalized. Currently, the structure is built on six main bodies: fund management committee, consumers, industries responsible, recyclers, fee reviewing committee, and auditing agents. The industries that are responsible submit a fee, which is set by the fee reviewing committee, to the waste recycling fund (WRF), which is operated by the fund management committee. The auditing agents routinely check the responsible industries by documentation review as well as on-site counting to ensure that the fee is correctly submitted. The WRF provides initiatives to collect and dispose of the end-of-life products. The fund is split into a trust fund and a nonbusiness fund to deal with the collection, disposal, and treatment of the listed materials. The latter deals with the supporting works and ensures that the system runs effectively. The ratio of trust fund to nonbusiness fund is 80-20%. It is no doubt that the current practice achieves some improvements. Household waste has been reduced by 22%. And, most importantly, the benefit-to-cost ratio was as high as 1.24. However, similar to other state-owned systems, the resource recycling program has been criticized for false reporting from the responsible industries, a rigid system, and complicated procedures. To build a sustainable enterprise, the recycling program should be privatized as the recycling market and operating procedures are well established and fully mature.     

电子与电器废弃物资源化处理技术

当今世界电子、电器工业快速发展，层出不穷的技术创新与持续膨胀的市场需求加速了电子与电器设备的更新换代，产生了大量的电子与电器废弃物（WEEE）。鉴于WEEE所带来的严重的环境问题及其所含有的金属、贵金属、塑料及玻璃等高利用价值的材料，对WEEE进行资源化再循环处理已成为人们关注的热点。WEEE组成材料在密度、铁磁性、导电性等物理性质方面的较大差异使采用环境友好的机械物理方法对其进行资源化再循环处理成为可能。就WEEE拆解及其所含物质机械物理分离研究进展进行了综述。     

Status of electronic waste recycling techniques: a review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The increasing use of electrical and electronic equipment leads to a huge generation of electronic waste (e-waste). It is the fastest growing waste...     

Utilization of agricultural waste biomass and recycling toward circular bioeconomy

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The major global concern on energy is focused on conventional fossil resources. The burning of fossil fuels is an origin of greenhouse gas emissions...     

双硫腙法研究废电池中汞的分布及浸出

用双硫腙法测定了几种废电池中汞的含量和分布及在不同水环境条件下,汞的浸出率,试图为废电池中各组分去汞后的回收提供理论依据。结果表明,双硫腙测定废电池中汞的方法是可靠的;汞在废电池中主要分布在锌皮（锌粉）和碳包部分;pH对汞的浸出率有较大的影响,浸出率与pH呈负相关。     

Forecasting model to assess the potential of secondary lead production from lead acid battery scrap

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Lead acid battery (LAB) scrap management is an important issue both environmentally and economically. The recovery of lead from battery scrap leads to...     

Design, manufacture and testing of a waste paper recycling system

Egypt is facing a major crisis due to the 1997's 40% increase in the price of imported newsprint. This price increase not only affected the press and publishers, but also placed a burden on the educational system, because most of the government textbooks depend on this type of imported paper. This crisis can be solved entirely by recycling waste paper and depending on recycled paper instead of imported paper. An experimental test facility for paper recycling was designed, manufactured and tested at the American University in Cairo (AUC). The system consists of a shredder, a beater to produce pulp, a flotation cell to remove the ink mechanically, a hand-sheet machine to produce test paper and a press/dryer to dry the paper. The paper produced was tested for physical (tear and tension) and optical (brightness and opacity) properties at different times and temperatures. The system proved to be very efficient.     

我国电子废弃物管理与资源化对策

电子废弃物对人类环境的影响,已成为全球化的问题.通过对发达国家关于电子废弃物管理以及资源化技术的进展回顾,针对我国目前的情况提出相应的对策：制定延伸生产者责任以及有害物质的停用限期的相应法规;建立电子废弃物回收网络体系;通过国家政策和经济的扶持,尽快建立专门处理电子废弃物的机构;加快我国电子废弃物处理技术的步伐,尽快提高现有工艺及设备.     

System dynamic analysis of construction waste recycling industry chain in China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - With the acceleration of China’s urbanization process, construction activities have led to a substantial increase in construction waste....     

废晶硅太阳能电池资源化分类回收技术研究

晶硅太阳能电池报废后将会产生大量固体废弃物。采用不同浓度盐酸、硝酸和硝酸-氢氟酸混酸分步回收废晶硅太阳能电池中的铝、银和硅,得到了室温下废晶硅太阳能电池资源化回收技术的最佳参数:经20%(体积分数,下同)盐酸反应40min,铝浸出率为99.77%;经35%硝酸反应30 min,银浸出率为99.60%;经40%硝酸-6%氢氟酸混酸反应75 min,硅回收率为85.51%。     

Present status of recycling waste mobile phones in China: a review

A large number of waste mobile phones have already been generated and are being generated. Various countries around the world have all been positively exploring the way of recycling and reuse when facing such a large amount of waste mobile phones. In some countries, processing waste mobile phones has been forming a complete industrial chain, which can not only recycle waste mobile phones to reduce their negative influence on the environment but also turn waste into treasure to acquire economic benefits dramatically. However, the situation of recycling waste mobile phones in China is not going well. Waste mobile phones are not formally covered by existing regulations and policies for the waste electric and electronic equipment in China. In order to explore an appropriate system to recover waste mobile phones, the mobile phone production and the amount of waste mobile phones are introduced in this paper, and status of waste mobile phones recycling is described; then, the disposal technology of electronic waste that would be most likely to be used for processing of electronic waste in industrial applications in the near future is reviewed. Finally, rationalization proposals are put forward based on the current recovery status of waste mobile phones for the purpose of promoting the development of recycling waste mobile phones in developing countries with a special emphasis on China.     

Unveiling the recycling characteristics and trends of spent lithium-ion battery: a scientometric study

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is both essential to sustainable resource utilization and environmental conservation. While spent...     

Evaluation of health and safety risks in municipal solid waste recycling plants

Designers and managers of recycling processing plants need to be informed about the inherent occupational health and safety risks; however, there are few studies in the literature describing these risks. Therefore, the objectives of this project were to document the biological, chemical, physical, and ergonomic risks in three household-waste recycling plants. Bioaerosols (molds and bacteria) were measured using the methodology recommended by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Chemical contaminants and physical agents suspected of being present in this type of environment were measured using the standard methods of the Quebec Occupational Health and Safety Research Institute (IRSST). The ergonomic part of the study identified the work requirements and risk factors causing the workers' physical symptoms. In summer, the average concentrations of total bacteria were greater than the Scandinavian guideline of 10,000 colony forming units per cubic meter of air (CFU/m3) in the receiving areas in plants 1 and 3, in the sorting areas of the three plants, and in shipping in plants 1 and 3. When the average concentrations of gram-negative bacteria were compared to the Scandinavian guideline of 1000 CFU/m3 of air, only the sorting department in plant 2 in summer exceeded this value. Average indoor concentrations of molds that were statistically significantly greater than those measured in the upwind outdoor air were measured in all departments in plants 1 and 3, regardless of the season, and only in sorting in plant 2 during the summer. The only chemical contaminant measured at average concentrations greater than 50% of the Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) proposed by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) was CO in the sorting departments in plants 1 and 2 during the winter. Noise exceeded the ACGIH TLV in plant 2. The workers' physical symptoms seem to be caused by the posture and effort required while remaining in a stationary position. Action must be focused on improving aspects such as work organization and personal protection and on informing citizens of the need for cleanliness of the material to be recycled.     

印刷用铝基材碱洗废液的循环利用

对印刷用铝基材碱洗废液进行了循环利用研究。首先将高COD含量的碱洗废液进行除油脱色处理,通过石灰和硬脂酸的协同效应,使COD含量从26300mg／L降至480mg／L,色度降至60°;然后利用含铝碱性废液通过碳化法制备出结晶度66％的拟薄水铝石产品;最后对分离后的碱性废水按配方要求配制,对铝基材进行除油实验,经5次循环表明,除油效果和对铝基材的腐蚀率均100％达标。     

Interactive analysis of waste recycling and energy recovery program in a small-scale incinerator

Conflicting goals affecting solid waste management are explored in this paper to find the best implementation of resource recovery with a small-scale waste-to-energy process. Recycling paper and plastic material often leaves a shortage of thermal energy to support incineration that forces operators to supplement the process with auxiliary fuels. Although there are considerable profits to be made from material recovery, the increase of fuel usage causes conflict given that it is cost prohibitive. A series of trials performed on a small-scale 1.5-t/day incineration plant with a cyclone heat recovery system found that material recycling can impede performance. Experimental results are expressed as empirical regression formulas with regard to combustion temperature, energy transfer, and heat recovery. Process optimization is possible if the waste moisture content remains <30%. To test the robustness of the optimization analysis, a series of sensitivity analyses clarify the extent of material recycling needed with regard to plastic, paper, and metal. The experiments also test whether the moisture in the waste would decrease when recycling paper because of its exceptional capacity to absorb moisture. Results show that recycling paper is strongly recommended when the moisture content is >20%, whereas plastic recycling is not necessary at that moisture condition. Notably, plastic recovery reduces the heat needed to vaporize the water content of the solid waste, thus it is recommended only when the moisture content is <10%. For above-normal incineration temperatures, plastic recycling is encouraged, because it removes excess energy. Metal is confirmed as an overall priority in material recycling regardless of the moisture content of the incoming waste.     

沉淀法回收聚苯乙烯泡沫塑料的工艺研究

研究沉淀法回收聚苯乙烯泡沫塑料（EPS）的工艺，利用石油裂解副产物为溶剂回收废旧聚苯乙烯泡沫塑料，以废治废，回收利用。溶剂低毒，对聚苯乙烯泡沫塑料溶解速度快，溶解量大，价廉易得。采用转式间歇投料并附加溶剂挥发分z收装置的工艺，溶剂回收率高，无二次污染，可循环使用。聚苯乙烯塑料（PS）回收率可达99％。     

江苏省典型铅酸蓄电池企业周围环境铅污染水平调查

目的调查江苏省典型铅酸蓄电池企业对周围环境的影响。方法按照国家相关标准和规范对该企业内、外的环境样品进行检测。结果下风向区土壤铅含量中位数均明显高于上风向区域(L相似文献   

Plant uptake and dissipation of PBDEs in the soils of electronic waste recycling sites

Plant uptake and dissipation of weathered PBDEs in the soils of e-waste recycling sites were investigated in a greenhouse study. Eighteen PBDE congeners (tri- through deca-) were detected in the plant tissues. The proportion of lower brominated PBDEs (mono- through hexa-) in plant roots was higher than that in the soils. A concentration gradient was observed of PBDEs in plants with the highest concentrations in the roots followed by the stems and lowest in the leaves. Reduction rates of the total PBDEs in the soils ranged from 13.3 to 21.7% after plant harvest and lower brominated PBDEs were associated with a higher tendency to dissipate than the higher brominated PBDEs. This study provides the first evidence for plant uptake of weathered PBDEs in the soils of e-waste recycling sites and planting contributes to the removal of PBDEs in e-waste contaminated soils.     

Sources and fates of lead and cadmium in municipal solid waste

Lead and cadmium enter the municipal solid waste stream as components of a variety of consumer products. Average empirical data from several resource recovery plants were analyzed to obtain an estimate of the source and fate of the subject elements. The total amounts of lead and cadmium found in municipal solid waste, determined from empirical data sources, were found to agree closely with those based on materials flow data. It was determined that most of the cadmium enters the waste stream in the combustible fraction and can account for a major share of the cadmium observed in fly ash and in atmospheric particulates. The most likely sources of cadmium are plastics and pigments. The lead emissions appeared to be derived from both combustible and noncombustible discards of batteries, plastics, and pigments. The data suggests that it would be useful to perform mass balance studies to provide primary data for the determination of the most effective methods for managing discards containing lead and cadmium. The purpose of the suggested research is the reduction of lead and cadmium emissions into the environment from resource recovery plants.