Influence of RFID tags on recyclability of plastic packaging

The use of Radio Frequency IDentification Technology (RFID) in the packaging sector is an important logistical improvement regarding the advantages offered by this technology in comparison with barcodes. Nevertheless, the presence of these devices in plastic packaging, and consequently in plastic waste, can cause several problems in the recycling plants due to the materials included in these devices.In this study, the mentioned recycling constraints have been experimentally identified in a pilot scale recycling study consisting in three recycling tests with an increasing presence of RFID tags. Differences in each test were evaluated. Furthermore, the quality of the recycled material of each test was studied through the injection and testing of tests probes.The results of the pilot scale recycling tests did not show a decrease in the quality of the recycled plastic due to the presence of RFID tags. Nevertheless, several operational problems during the recycling process were observed such as the obstruction of the screens, which lessened the process yield and created process interruptions, as well as the loss of extruded plastic during the process.These recycling constraints cannot be directly extrapolated to the industrial plants due to the different working scales. Nevertheless, technological solutions are proposed in order to avoid these recycling constraints if they appear.     

A phytoremediation approach using Calamagrostis ligulata and Juncus imbricatus in Andean wetlands of Peru

Emergent plant species growing in Andean natural wetlands have shown efficient phytoremediation capabilities in wetlands polluted by acid mine drainage. However, the types and amounts of heavy metals accumulated by native plant species are not well understood. In this study, we focused on determining heavy metal concentrations and bioaccumulation factors in Calamagrostis ligulata and Juncus imbricatus. Two acid wetlands located above 3,500 m a.s.l. in Ancash, Peru were assessed. Physico-chemical parameters and heavy metals concentrations in control and experimental plant samples were measured in dry and rainy seasons. Results indicated that C. ligulata and J. imbricatus aerial parts accumulated higher amounts of Fe, Zn, As and Al. Also, bioaccumulation factors revealed notable increases in As, Pb and Al, but less so in Cd, Fe and Zn. On the other hand, physico-chemical parameters of water quality (pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, sulphides) between inflow and outflow of wetlands indicated significant differences in the presence of metals in comparison with their maximum permissible limits. Both emergent plant species showed an accumulation of heavy metals and thus the ability to recovery of water quality in wetland outflows.     

The environmental geochemical baseline,background and sources of metal and metalloids present in urban,peri-urban and rural soils in the O´Higgins region,Chile

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - The importance of environmental geochemistry baseline in soils of O´Higgins Region, Chile, since it hosts in its eastern area one of the major Cu-Mo...