4^th World Congress and Expo on Recycling July 27-29, 2017 Rome, Italy

Diego Piazza has completed graduation at Tecnologia em Polimeros from Universidade de Caxias do Sul (2007), Master’s at Engenharia e Ciencia dos Materiais from Universidade de Caxias do Sul (2011) and Doctorate at Engineering from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (2016). He is currently a Professor at the University of Caxias do Sul and has held the position of Coordinator of the Polymer Technology Undergraduate Course at UCS from 2011 to 2016. He works in the field of polymer nanocomposites, coatings, materials recycling and the processing of polymeric materials by injection, extrusion, thermoforming and rotomoulding. He participates in the UCS Entrepreneurship program. He integrates the group of researchers with The Ocean Cleanup (Holland) in the study of degradation and recovery of polymers from the marine environment. He has experience in the area of project development and research in the field of materials science and engineering, with emphasis on polymers, polymer materials processing, polymer nanocomposites, organic coatings, intelligent inks, powder paints, and materials recycling.

Introduction: One of the major environmental problems is the ocean pollution. It is estimated that the oceans’ surface holds more than 13.000 polymer fragments/km2. These fragments harm the fauna, since animals mistake polymers for food which leads to death of nearly 100 thousand marine mammals every year. Synthetic polymers are inert towards degradation, this way the material tends to accumulate in the oceans as a result of the huge consumption of polymers. This work aims to develop a methodology to recycle polymers found in oceans, comparing their mechanical and rheological properties with virgin polymers. Experimental: The polymers employed in this work were collected on the beach sand of Kamilo Beach, Hawaii with the help of the Ocean Cleanup team. Among the collected polymers, higher amounts of PE and PP is highlighted. After cleaned and dried, they were ground in a knife mill. The resulting product had an average particle size distribution of 2 cm and was separated according to different densities. Afterwards the polymers were extruded in a single-screw extruder at the temperature profile of 170/185/200°C for PE and 180/195/210°C for PP. Afterwards, test specimens were obtained by injection, and then submitted to the flexural strength (ASTM D790), and melt flow index (performed under 190°C, 5 kg and 20s for PE; 230°C, 2.16 kg and 10s for PP) tests. Results: Data obtained for the modulus of elasticity and melt flow index for PP and PE waste had values close to those of the respective commercial virgin resins. Conclusions: Based on the obtained results, it is concluded that although the polymers have been exposed to different weather conditions, PE and PP waste can be recycled and bear properties which enable them to be used in the production of new products.

Kholood Yousef obtained Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Kuwait University, Kuwait in 2000. Her work experience with Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) for past 14 years (2002 to 2015) as a Senior Environmental Engineer is in Health, Safety and Environment (HSE group), KOC. She is certified by NEPOSH. From 2004 to present, she has been trained, worked or exposed to different environmental subjects such as waste management issues, environmental and social impact assessment, environmental aspects identification, management of energy & resources, energy management program, air emissions controls, inland oil contingency response plan, chemical spill response plan, waste management, sewage management, industrial liquid wastewater management and environmental standards. She has vast experience in the HSEMS Management System from Oil and Gas Industrial Sector.

In line with Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) strategic objectives, KOC has established the HSE Management System with procedures based on national and international standards in order to focus on health, safety and environmental (HSE) protection. Drilling waste and its treatment is an increasingly important part of any oil drilling operation. These wastes, which typically include drill fluid cuttings and well bore clean-up fluid are hazardous and must be treated before disposal. Drill cuttings are produced as the rock is broken by the drill bit advancing through the rock or soil; the cuttings are usually carried to the surface by drilling fluid circulating up from the drill bit. OBM Drill Cuttings are toxic, mainly due to PAH (Poly Aromatic Hydrocarbon) content of diesel, the base fluid of oil base mud. PAH consists of toxic priority pollutants. Diesel typically contains 5 to 10% PAH which falls under the hazardous waste category. There are many methods of treating drill cuttings, but thermal desorption method has shown comparative advantage over others. This is demonstrated in its ability to conserve base liquid contents especially the base oil which has high economic value. The technology of indirect thermal desorption provides indirect and controlled heating to remove hydrocarbons undestroyed. Recovered hydrocarbons are reusable as base fluid for making fresh OBM and the recovered water can be reused to hydrate treated soils. Indirect heating is safer and minimize the pollution compared to direct heating. This research shows that the method is most effective, economical and environmentally friendly. The recovery of the products and subsequent recycling and selling help reduce stress on the environment and avoidable economic loss. OBM Cutting Treatment Plant successfully reached good results as following: more than 58000 MT of OBM drill cuttings have been treated so far. Successfully treated fresh OBM cuttings were collected in skips from different operational areas in KOC. Approx. 20000 bbls of recovered oil has been used in plant itself (Plant is being operated on 100% recovered diesel). This project has been selected for one of the Six Sigma Green Belt project in D&T Directorate. The recovered oil is to be re-used for kick-off well fluids, stimulation and cleaning of wells and for fresh oil-based mud preparation. The plant benefits KOC financially as well by enhancing the corporate image by turning waste into value. Recovered hydrocarbons are reusable as base fluids for making fresh OBM, and the recovered water is reused to moisturize treated drilling cuttings and hydrate treated soils. Indirect heating is safer and minimizes the pollution compared to direct heating.

Ji Hye Jo is a Research Fellow at Korea Environment Institute, the Korea’s leading think tank on environmental policy and environmental impact assessment (EIA) sponsored by Korean Government. Her major was a Biological Hydrogen Energy Production. Recently, her research interest includes sustainable resource circulation and waste management policy. She focuses on efficient waste-to-energy, recycling of rare metals and safe management of hazardous wastes such as medical wastes.

With the rapid development of nanotechnology, the use of nanomaterials has increased sharply in various industrial, medical and environmental sectors. A considerable amount of nanomaterials have been discharged in the form of nanowastes in manufacturing plants or laboratories, or after being used by consumers. Concerns over the safety risks of these nanomaterials or nanoproducts to human health have also been continuously raised. In South Korea, the world's third largest producer of nanogoods, there are little data about how nanowastes are exposed to the environment and discharged. In case nanowastes are recycled, nanoparticles containing dust are discharged in the crushing process and released, having negative effects on workers’ health and the environment. Sludges and ashes generated during wastewater treatment and incineration, respectively, end up in landfills and are discharged back into the environment as secondary nanowastes. In this study, we examined the behavior of nanomaterials based on the material flow analysis applied from the major sources of nanowastes to the final landfill through waste treatment facilities. We analyzed the management system and issues by estimating the flows of well-known nanomaterials (n-TiO2, n-ZnO, n-Ag, CNT) with focus on waste incineration process (scenario I~III). According to scenario III which reflects the domestic waste treatment rates, about 48 tons of n-TiO2 and 178 tons of n-ZnO would be discarded to the landfill per year after incineration. In case of n-Ag, a relatively small amount would be produced, among which 7 tons could be processed in incinerators. While around 1 ton of carbon nanotubes would be incinerated, around 99% are estimated to be removed after combustion. In conclusion, other nanomaterials except CNT would not be removed in the incineration process and end up in landfill sites, leading to prediction that a small amount of nanomaterials or less than 0.04% would be emitted into the atmosphere.

Diego Piazza has completed graduation at Tecnologia em Polimeros from Universidade de Caxias do Sul (2007), Master’s at Engenharia e Ciencia dos Materiais from Universidade de Caxias do Sul (2011) and Doctorate at Engineering from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (2016). He is currently a Professor at the University of Caxias do Sul and has held the position of Coordinator of the Polymer Technology Undergraduate Course at UCS from 2011 to 2016. He works in the field of polymer nanocomposites, coatings, materials recycling and the processing of polymeric materials by injection, extrusion, thermoforming and rotomoulding. He participates in the UCS Entrepreneurship program. He integrates the group of researchers with The Ocean Cleanup (Holland) in the study of degradation and recovery of polymers from the marine environment. He has experience in the area of project development and research in the field of materials science and engineering, with emphasis on polymers, polymer materials processing, polymer nanocomposites, organic coatings, intelligent inks, powder paints, and materials recycling.

Introduction: One of the major environmental problems is the issue of the contamination of marine fauna and flora. Animals are prone to death by strangulation when trying to feed, involuntarily, on polymer waste present in this environment. Most of the plastic debris present on the coast has its origin of inappropriate disposal. This work aims at studying and developing a methodology for the recycling of polymers present in coastal ecosystems, comparing their properties with commercial polymers. Experimental: The polymers used in the development of this work were collected at the beach of Torres/Brazil with the help of the Praia Limpa Torres team, in September, 2015. 169.0 kg of waste was collected, from which 20.8 were polymers. The presence of higher amounts of PE and PP is highlighted. After cleaned and dried, they were ground in a knife mill. The resulting product had an average particle size distribution of 20 mm and was separated according to different densities. Afterwards the polymers were extruded in a single-screw extruder at the temperature profile of 170/185/200°C for PE and 180/195/210°C for PP. Afterwards, test specimens were obtained by injection, and then submitted to the flexural strength (ASTM D790), and melt flow index (performed under 190°C, 5 kg and 20 s for PE; 230°C, 2.16 kg and 10 s for PP) tests. Results: The modulus of elasticity and melt flow index results for the PE and PP waste were similar to virgin polymers produced by Braskem®. The fall in flexural modulus of elasticity was not attributed to polymer degradation, since in degraded PE this property tends to be increased. Conclusions: Based on the results obtained it is concluded that PE and PP were able to be recycled and have properties that allow them to be used in the production of new products.

Diego Piazza has completed graduation at Tecnologia em Polimeros from Universidade de Caxias do Sul (2007), Master’s at Engenharia e Ciencia dos Materiais from Universidade de Caxias do Sul (2011) and Doctorate at Engineering from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (2016). He is currently a Professor at the University of Caxias do Sul and has held the position of Coordinator of the Polymer Technology Undergraduate Course at UCS from 2011 to 2016. He works in the field of polymer nanocomposites, coatings, materials recycling and the processing of polymeric materials by injection, extrusion, thermoforming and rotomoulding. He participates in the UCS Entrepreneurship program. He integrates the group of researchers with The Ocean Cleanup (Holland) in the study of degradation and recovery of polymers from the marine environment. He has experience in the area of project development and research in the field of materials science and engineering, with emphasis on polymers, polymer materials processing, polymer nanocomposites, organic coatings, intelligent inks, powder paints, and materials recycling.

Introduction: One alternative for minimizing the problem of polymer accumulation in marine environment is the development of biodegradable polymers. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a biodegradable thermoplastic, degraded by a hydrolysis reaction. Buriti is an abundant palm tree in Brazil, and has relevant applications as polymers reinforcement filler. In view of the above, the main goal of this work is the assessment of the influence of buriti fibers and coupling agent triacetin on the degradation of PLA composites for different exposure times in simulated marine environment. Experimental: PLA and PLA with triacetin (5 wt%) and buriti fiber (30 wt%) designed as PLA/B/T were extruded in a single-screw extruder. The product was milled, dried and compression molded in a press for 60 seconds, at 180°C to prepare test specimens with dimensions 200 mm x 100 mm and 1 mm thickness. The simulated marine environment used is provided with 7 lamps (250 W) simulating ultraviolet rays. Withdrawal of samples was performed after 15, 30, 45, 60, 100 and 600 days of exposure. The morphological characterization of the sample surface was performed in a SEM. Analyses of chemical changes were monitored by FTIR, on prepared films by the KBr pellet method, in the wave number range of 4000 to 400 cm-1. Lactic acid index (ILA) was calculated as the ratio between band surfaces A1 (3200 cm-1) and A2 (750 cm-1), which is considered a PLA band. Results: After 600 days of exposure in a simulated marine environment, all the samples showed colonization by different kinds of diatoms (different frustules). In this study, the buriti fiber favored degradation. Conclusions: PLA degradation in a marine environment is favored by the use of natural fibers, showing that the polymer can provide, when used as a composite, while in use, and lower post use durability which leads to environmental benefits.

Marina Zoccola has been working since 1989 as a Researcher at the National Research Council, Institute for Macromolecular Studies, Textile section of Biella. Her principal interests are in the study and characterization of biopolymers, mainly structural proteins (wool, fine animal fibres, silk, human hair). She has participated in national and international research projects in the Textile and Biopolymer field. She was author of over 30 scientific works published in international journals.

Natural fibres by products represent sustainable and locally available raw materials for application in bio-architecture. These materials, which are renewable, abundant, cheap and lightweight, may replace man-made synthetic or artificial insulating materials (extruded polystyrene, glass wool and rock wool) which are more energy demanding. They are easy recyclable and carbon dioxide neutral, i.e. they do not return excess carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when they are composted at the end of the life cycle. Natural fibres display good thermal-insulating, sound-proofing and mechanical properties. They also enable better handling and working conditions in processing and laying regarding dermal and respiratory irritation, and show less concern with safety and health as for end use properties. Moreover, their thermal-moisture behavior is close to the human body demands (they enhance and stabilize indoor humidity microclimate) and they may contribute to reduce the sick building syndrome due to airborne VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) in existing and new constructions. This work was focused on the preparation of biocomposite stiff boards entirely made with natural fibres, exploiting the different properties of protein and cellulose components submitted to mild alkali treatments. Waste wool was used in combination with rice straw. Thermal properties were determined on testing specimens of insulation boards. Wool-rice straw based insulating materials show very good thermal insulating properties (thermal conductivity is around 0.04 W/m°K and it depends on bulk density and fibre proportion). Important expected advantages are: accessibility of raw materials from the long-term point of view, which is very important for sustainable development. Developed materials can be used in existing and new buildings, for insulation of inclined roofs, hung ceilings, partition walls and external claddings (integrated thermal insulation). Potential applications can also be envisaged in other fields, such as the automotive sector where recyclability and fire resistance are fundamental requirements.

N Rouha received the Dipl.-Ing. degree in Electrical Engineering, the Magister degree and the doctorat d'État in High Voltage Technology from the Polytechnic High School of Algiers. Before 22 years, she joined the Electrical Engineering Department of University of Béjaïa, Algeria, as a Lecturer and LGEB Research Laboratory as member of discharge research group. Her main research interests include diagnostics, partial discharge measurement, electrical and water trees modeling and monitoring of power cable. She is author/coauthor of many publications and international conferences papers.

Dealing with electrical flashover problems, silicone is the ideal material used for coating insulators systems to improve their performances. This paper deals with the thermal treatment effect on the ageing phenomenon of silicone coated insulators in service. For this purpose, a physico-chemical experimental study of silicone rubber films thermally treated and untreated is undertaken. At first, accelerated electrical degradation tests were conducted under a growing alternating 50 Hz homogeneous electrical field. A series of surface breakdown is carried out on this polymer, in both its two states to characterize its performances by measuring the dielectric strength El, the capacitor Cx and the loss factor tgδ. The measurements are performed on virgin (Vg), electrically aged, and electrically aged-heat treated samples. In this latter case, the electrical ageing is performed on relaxed sample during 24 hours, after a heat treatment at a temperature T = 100°C during tT =100 hours. Cx and tgδ are measured under a root mean square voltage in the range of 10 V to 110 V with frequencies of 10 Hz to 1100 Hz using the Schering bridge. Then series of chemical analyses, as an infrared spectroscopy and a X-ray diffraction were performed to monitor the degradation at microscopic scale. Electrical and chemical measurements have evidenced the constraints effects on the silicone ageing phenomenon, and a correlation between the different results was established. It has been observed that the electric stress results in the alteration of silicone dielectric properties while the thermal treatment slows down the silicone electrical aging process. Silicone’s electrical ageing results from the production of an oxidation mechanism, a phase change (crystalline to amorphous) and a surface alteration due to the discharge occurrence. This results in the decrease in both its dielectric strength and capacity and the increase in loss factor. Heat treatment of short duration has improved the silicone dielectric properties through oxidation process activity decrease under applied electric field stress.

Kyounghee Lee has a master's degree in advanced wastewater treatment and her doctoral thesis is "Characteristics of Particle Size Distributions of Dusts Generated by Explosive Demolition and Their Effects on Water and Soil Quality”. For more than 15 years, she has participated in various R&D projects in civilenvironmental engineering field, and specialized on life cycle assessment and greenhouse gas emissions evaluation. In recent years, she is focusing on developing a LCA-based decision making support system & feasibility evaluation system.

In particular, the environment is a daily issue that is brought home to anyone, so that it is necessary to establish the infrastructure to drive technological development, despite the cost incurred to some extent. Therefore, it is needed to consider profitability of business as well as social and public aspects. This study intends to apply the feasibility evaluation and commercialization strategies to the waste resource recycling technologies with the trends of CO2 emissions reduction and waste-energy zero house, which are discussed at home and abroad. Therefore, it discuss an empirical case of resource cycling of multi-family housing complex that environmentally friendly processes the waste from creation to final processing within the complex. The technology collects the food waste created in the housing complex in a pleasant and convenient way, produce compost/biofuels and thereby create the self-sufficient community housing complex. This subject evaluates CO2 emission of on-site composting facility which is a miniaturized version of a large-scale composting treatment facility, in order to accommodate a treatment capacity of less than 100 kg/day. This facility is installed in the apartment complex to avoid the need for separate collection and transportation by not discharging the food waste outside of the complex. In addition, this solves the odor and leachate problems associated with conventional collection and transportation, as the discharged food waste is treated immediately. As a result, the CO2 emission reduction effect to be excellent because, although the CO2 emission is slightly higher in the treatment stage than that in the large-scale composting facilities, this is more than offset by the fact that the collection–transportation and final disposal stages are omitted because of the smaller operation than those of large-scale composting treatment facilities. Through the this study, it aims to evaluate the benefits as economic values in connection with the social benefits including carbon emissions and energy use reduction, renewable energy production and local community vitalization. Through this study, it aims to evaluate the social benefits including carbon emissions and energy use reduction, renewable energy production and local community vitalization.

Sunjung Kim currently works as a Professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering in the University of Ulsan, Korea. He has expertise in the application of electrochemistry theories and experiments to various industrial fields including urban mining, mining resources development, secondary battery, microelectronics, optoelectronics, etc. He obtained a MS and a PhD from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in USA after receiving a BS from Seoul National University in Korea. He has 4 years of working experience in Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics before joining the Faculty of the University of Ulsan in 2008.

Statement of the Problem: Research on the recovery of heavy metals in rare earth element (REE) mine wastewater and the treatment of harmful substances have been actively carried out in order to reduce environmental pollutions and generate valuable REE-based resources. However, studies on electrolytic REE recovery directly from REE mine wastewater are very lacking because the content of REE metals contained in the wastewater is considerably low compared with its process cost and more importantly it is known that REE ions are very difficult to be electrochemically reduced to REE metals due to very low redox potentials. Findings: In this study, we propose a high-efficiency, low-cost REE recovery technology from REE mine wastewater, which is being developed using the principle of electrolytic recovery in an aqueous solution. Electrowinning of erbium (Er), ytterbium (Yb) and thulium (Tm) among REEs were studied using acidic chloride solutions, and the influence of its

Woo-Gwang Jung had experience as a Researcher at POSCO before he moved to Kookmin University, Korea. His major research areas are steelmaking process, chemical metallurgy, thermodynamics and related topics. His recent researches are mainly focused on the recycling of materials including metals, engineering ceramic compounds and industrial wastes.

A large amount of slag is generated in the steel product production process. In general, it is known that about 300 kg of blast furnace slag is produced for 1 ton of pig iron, and about 25 million tons of steel slag is generated annually in Korea. Steel slag can be classified into blast furnace (BF) slag and steel making slag. Blast furnace slag accounts for about 60% of all steel slag. It is widely used as cement raw material and used as civil engineering and construction materials. However, steelmaking slag has a high basicity and its utilization is restricted due to the pulverization behavior due to hydration reaction. Therefore, the recycling rate is limited to be about 20%, and the rest is accumulated in the factory or landfilled, causing environmental problems. This is becoming burdensome in steel industry. Therefore, it is one of the most important tasks to develop appropriate applications that can recycle steelmaking slag and increase added value. In this study, Fe-Ni slag, converter slag and dephosphorization slag generated from steel industry, and fly ash or bottom ash from a power plant were mixed in appropriate mixing ratio, and melted in a melting furnace on mass-production process for glass ceramics. Then the glass-ceramic products having basalt composition with SiO2, Al2O3, CaO, MgO, Fe2O3 components were fabricated through casting and heat treatment process. The comparison was made for the samples before and after the modification of process condition. Glass-ceramic samples before and after the process modification were similar in chemical composition, but Al2O3 and Na2O contents were slightly higher in the samples before the modification. Before and after the process modification, it was confirmed that the sample had a melting temperature below 1250oC, and the pyroxene and diopside are the primary phases in the product. The crystallization temperature in sample after modification was found to be higher than that in sample before modification. The activation energy for crystallization was evaluated as 467 kJ/mol of the sample before the process modification, and 337 kJ/mol of the sample after the process modification. The degree of crystallinity was evaluated as 82% before the process change and 87% after the process change, respectively. Mechanical properties such as compressive strength and bending strength were evaluated as excellent for the sample after the process modification. Optimized process for the production of glass-ceramic materials from steel industry slags and industrial waste was deduced through the evaluation of properties, facility modification and process control.