Diapers, punishment and smartphones crystals: the waste that accumulates in Europe and how to recycle them

Recycling has become normal for many of us, but what European products are still fighting to find a second life? According to the latest figures, in 2023, municipalities will collect half a ton of waste for each resident in the European Union, which Only 48 % will be recycled.

Now there is pressure to increase this number. The new European Union standards prove that by the end of this year, 55 % of Municipal waste And 65 % of the packaging waste You should be ready to reuse or recycle it. But European countries face difficulties in achieving these goals. It is estimated that two -thirds of the European Union will penetrate at least one of the goalsAnd ten member states, including Greece, Hungary and Poland, are at risk of not achieving both goals.

What are the most difficult products in recycling and what is being done to solve?

Laser to dissolve crystal smartphones

Every year in Europe is recycled around it 75 % of the glass containers (For example, bottles and tractor), most of which are merged and played into new glass containers.

But a cup of X -ray tubes, LCD screens and smartphones usually suffer from chemical changes. For example, a cup of screens Smartphones It can be chemically strengthened to make it more resistant to cracks or scratches. This hinders its integration into traditional ovens. “Change the temperature of the ovens a few degrees takes a long time,” says Juan Bou, of the University of Vigo (Spain).

Instead, he and other researchers in the Everglass project, funded by the European Union, They create a preliminary model of the glass recycling machine used for laser to dissolve the glass. Unlike the oven, The laser can quickly adjust the necessary temperature To dissolve any type of glass and even convert it into new products.

They hope that the machine can also recycle medical glass methods used for storage Covid-19 vaccines. Often, hospitals do not know what to do with glass and limit it to throwing them. “The quality of the glass itself is very good,” he says. “We are working to reuse this glass in other technical applications.”

Disputable magnets from wind turbines and electronic study programs

Since their invention in 1984, The demand for Neodimio is only growing. They are still the most powerful magnet on the market and now it is in Wind turbinesfor Electric car engines and even electric motorcycles. But the magnet is manufactured with what the European Union calls “critical raw materials”, that is, important materials for the industry, however From geopolitical risk areas.

Raw materials can be recycled, but so far there is no industrial or commercial process that works. for now, Nobody knows what is the best way to treat this future waste.

“Due to the strength of this type of magnet, it requires special attention and a team.”Lorenzo Berzi, of the University of Florence, who works to recycle this magnet as part of the harmony project, says funded by the European Union.

This international project is studying ways to improve the entire recycling process, from a better group and dismantling with the help of metal recovery and creating a new magnet. This will help Create a future European recycling for the magnetLorenzo countries. “In the future, there will be a great demand for this article, and this means that someone will recycle it,” he says.

Recycling food waste to create “vital stimulation” fertilizer

The European Union generates more than 59 million tons of food waste annuallyThat is, the equivalent of about 132 kg per person. Of them 11 % come from hotels, restaurants and food service services (Horeca).

“Estimates indicate that 99 % of Horeca waste will stop waste burials,” says Bruno Enara, a researcher in the food sustainability at the Azte Research Center (Spain). Although a part can become a fertilizer, it usually does not usually contain enough nutrients for agriculture. His work in the Landfeed project, funded by the European Union, aims to transform restaurants and food services into appropriate biological fertilizers for agricultural farms. He explains that this is difficult All many Accommodation Food is different and a lot of technology for their treatment is still in the initial development phase. The five provinces project focuses on the processes and technologies that can adapt to these challenges to create sustainable fertilizers.

They use the “solid condition of solid condition” method to grow microorganisms in food waste without barely. These microorganisms can produce waste digestion enzymes and produce “biological active compounds”, which are particles that help plants to grow better.

How are diapers are recycled?

Although it is a gift from the sky for parents, diapers have proven to be an environmental headache. Analysts estimate that 46,000 million diapers are thrown every yearAlthough most dependent offensive takes between 150 and 500 years to decompose (the vital scammers take about 50).

Inside the diapers, “excellent polymers” that absorbs moisture hinder its recycling. These polymers form a gel when it becomes moist, and it must first be treated to release moisture before cutting them into small pieces to recycle plastic materials and fibers. Edwin Verhof, of Edwin Ferhof, of diaper recycling, explains that this is a long and costly process that makes most of these diapers end up in the holes. It is a profitable issue, because the more recovery detergents, the more the price, “Edwin explains.

propaganda

Recycling Diaper Recycling Europe has built a demo plant in the Netherlands to treat this waste. This process consists of canceling polymers, separating materials, eliminating any pathogens, or tracking medications from recovered materials and wastewater. To date, the factory has shown that it can separate all diaper materials, and in the background, the material and wastewater will disrupt. In the rear stage, the process will be semi -automatic on a larger scale, says Edwin.

No button

Bots have always been the scourge of street cleaners and beaches throughout Europe. Investigations showed These non -decomposing cubes contain more than 7000 toxic chemicals that are launched in the marine environment. The difficulty of recycling them is due to the difficulty of collecting it. toThe tiles are expensive and difficult to collect because they are easily spread through the environment, as they are small and difficult to separate from other waste. But when staying in the environment, they liquidate Harmful chemicals It can harm soil bacteria and marine life.

Many newly created European companies are trying to treat this situation Install new boxes in cities and convert the spoiler into new products. Italian company Re-Cig has installed more than 4,500 of its boxes in all regions of the country. Once collected, the punishment is washed, dry and mixed at a governed temperature to extract a plastic polymer called cellulose. Then they are crushed into granules to reuse in areas such as 3D printers. The idea has proven that it is popular; “R-Cig works today with more than 350 companies and 80 from the public administration,” Marco Vimoni, founder and general manager of ReI.