Resource recovery from urban stock, the example of cadmium and tellurium from thin film module recycling.

Raw material supply is essential for all industrial activities. The use of secondary raw material gains more importance since ore grade in primary production is decreasing. Meanwhile urban stock contains considerable amounts of various elements. Photovoltaic (PV) generating systems are part of the urban stock and recycling technologies for PV thin film modules with CdTe as semiconductor are needed because cadmium could cause hazardous environmental impact and tellurium is a scarce element where future supply might be constrained. The paper describes a sequence of mechanical processing techniques for end-of-life PV thin film modules consisting of sandblasting and flotation. Separation of the semiconductor material from the glass surface was possible, however, enrichment and yield of valuables in the flotation step were non-satisfying. Nevertheless, recovery of valuable metals from urban stock is a viable method for the extension of the availability of limited natural resources.

Leaching experiments on the release of heavy metals and PAH from soil and waste materials.

Leaching tests are fundamental tools for the assessment of long-term impact of contaminated waste materials on the soil-groundwater pathway. Experiments were carried out in the framework of standardization and validation of column percolation and batch test procedures, in particular concerning the stipulation of the experimental setup. The colloid release of column and batch experiments was compared and the influence of different column filling heights (12.5-50 cm) on the release of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) from soil was studied, as well as the effect of varying contact times (2.5-16 h) on the release of chromium from construction and demolition (C&D) waste and municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash. The results indicate that filtration of the eluate, which is required for batch tests, does not always allow the simulation of the actual colloid amount in soil pore water. Medium column heights four times the inner diameter of the column seemed to provide reasonable equilibrium adjustment conditions and avoid major biodegradation. The release of chromium was only marginally affected by the contact time, varied between 0.115 and 0.150 mg/kg for demolition waste eluate at a liquid-to-solid ratio of approximately 5L/kg.

Thermochemical treatment of sewage sludge ashes for phosphorus recovery.

Phosphorus (P) is an essential element for all living organisms and cannot be replaced. Municipal sewage sludge is a carrier of phosphorus, but also contains organic pollutants and heavy metals. A two-step thermal treatment is suggested, including mono-incineration of sewage sludge and subsequent thermochemical treatment of the ashes. Organic pollutants are completely destroyed by mono-incineration. The resulting sewage sludge ashes contain P, but also heavy metals. P in the ashes exhibits low bioavailability, a disadvantage in farming. Therefore, in a second thermochemical step, P is transferred into mineral phases available for plants, and heavy metals are removed as well. The thermochemical treatment was investigated in a laboratory-scale rotary furnace by treating seven different sewage sludge ashes under systematic variation of operational parameters. Heavy metal removal and the increase of the P-bioavailability were the focus of the investigation. The present experimental study shows that these objectives have been achieved with the proposed process. The P-bioavailability was significantly increased due to the formation of new mineral phases such as chlorapatite, farringtonite and stanfieldite during thermochemical treatment.

Specific activation of ERK pathways by chitin oligosaccharides in embryonic zebrafish cell lines.

Chitin oligosaccharides (COs) play a role in plant development and are presumed to affect body plan formation during vertebrate embryogenesis. The mechanisms of COs recognition and cellular processes underlying embryonic development are still not understood. We analyze the possible link with the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway that is conserved in evolution through the plant and animal kingdom and has been implicated in diverse cellular processes, including cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, survival, and vertebrate development. We show that in vivo stimulation of embryonic zebrafish cells ZF13 and ZF29 with chitin tetrasaccharides at 10-9 M concentration transiently induced activation/phosphorylation of extracellular regulated kinases (ERKs), with a maximum after 15 min. Furthermore the biological specificity of chitin tetrasaccharides and various derivatives was examined. The replacement of one or two GlcNAc residues of the chitin backbone by glucose and fucosylation of chitin tetrasaccharides at the reducing terminus caused a complete loss of their activity. We also tested a chitin tetrasaccharide analogue in which the oxygen atoms in glycosidic linkages were replaced by sulfur atoms. This analog, which could not be enzymatically hydrolyzed, was as potent an inducer as chitin tetrasaccharide. These results suggest that the observed activation of ERKs is chitin tetrasaccharide-specific and does not require further enzymatic processing. We examined possible signaling pathways leading to ERK activation by COs by use of phosphospecific antibodies and inhibitors. We conclude that a high-affinity CO receptor system exists that links to the Raf, MEK, and ERK pathway in zebrafish cells.