A preliminary experimental feasibility case study of energy upgrade of pellets of lignite and plastic waste mixtures

The calorific value enhancement of lignite by briquetting with novolac resin and plastic wastes is discussed in this work. Mixtures of several types of lignite with novolac as binder, with or without polypropylene, were manufactured in the form of pellets by curing. Pellets were pyrolyzed at 300°C and 500°C, and weight losses were determined. Chemical transformations during curing were studied by Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, and the corresponding changes in the microstructure of the pellets were investigated by optical microscopy. Specimens of cured pellets were tested for their impact resistance index (IRI) and water resistance index (WRI). The incorporation of polypropylene in the pellets leads to an increase of IRI and a decrease of WRI. The calorific value was measured for both cured and pyrolyzed pellets. All pellets exhibit increased lower calorific value compared with raw lignite, indicating an upgrade of their energy content.     

Monitoring plastic ingestion by the northern fulmar Fulmarus glacialis in the North Sea

The abundance of plastics in stomachs of northern fulmars from the North Sea is used in the OSPAR Ecological Quality Objective (EcoQO) for marine litter. The preliminary EcoQO defines acceptable ecological quality as the situation where no more than 10% of fulmars exceed a critical level of 0.1 g of plastic in the stomach. During 2003-2007, 95% of 1295 fulmars sampled in the North Sea had plastic in the stomach (on average 35 pieces weighing 0.31 g) and the critical level of 0.1 g of plastic was exceeded by 58% of birds, with regional variations ranging from 48 to 78%. Long term data for the Netherlands since the 1980s show a decrease of industrial, but an increase of user plastics, with shipping and fisheries as the main sources. The EcoQO is now also used as an indicator for Good Environmental Status in the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive.