Longevity, improved medical care, and pandemics have led to an abundance of medical waste. Waste can be non-hazardous or general, hazardous or infectious, chemical, or pharmaceutical. Various types of feedstock (such as biomass and plastic) have been evaluated for energy recovery using pyrolysis. This study aims to provide fundamental data on pyrolysis for the treatment of hazardous medical waste. Cellulose-based (cotton, gauze) and plastic (syringes, intravenous (IV) tubing waste) were thermochemically degraded without oxygen. The pyrolysis products varied according to the chemical composition of the medical waste. The cotton and gauze were similar in carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (42
As the global use of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) expands, their waste management has become an increasingly important environmental issue. In the current study, potential health impacts associated with the inhalation of non-recycled LED components, particularly phosphor-dispersion encapsulation materials separated from waste LEDs, were identified. Si content was in the order of cool-white LED (CWL), natural white LED (NWL), and warm-white LED particles (WWL), and notable differences in rare-earth and alkaline-earth metals were observed between groups. When aspirated via the pharynx for 28 days (10 and 50 mu g/mL), NWL and WWL significantly reduced triglyceride levels, and the three types of LED particles accumulated in lung tissue, affecting the distribution of elements in the heart, brain, and kidneys. Compared to the control group, the three types of LED particles increased the total number of pulmonary cells. They (50 & micro;g/lung) also significantly increased pulmonary CXCL-1 and interferon-gamma levels, whereas the pulmonary macrophage chemoattractant protein-1 alpha level decreased significantly. Interestingly, the formation of lamellar bodies and tubular myelin was prominent in the lung tissues of CWL-treated mice, whereas collagen and collagen fibers were abundantly formed in the lungs of WWL-treated mice. Moreover, the lamellar body structures fused to damaged mitochondria or surrounding lamellar bodies, along with the loss of membrane integrity. Collectively, more intensive and effective recycling strategies for LED waste should be established to prevent potential adverse environmental and human health effects. Given that lamellar bodies and tubular myelin, which are potential initiators of pulmonary fibrosis, were found notably in CWL with the highest lithium content, and that lithium is a major raw material for secondary batteries, in-depth research on the relationship between inhaled lithium ions and pulmonary diseases should be conducted.
Two-dimensional metallic transition metal dichalcogenides offer high electrical conductivity and large surface areas for electrocatalysis, yet their inherent basal planes are catalytically inert. Here, we present an atomic-scale vacancy engineering strategy to activate the basal surfaces of metallic WSe2 for reversible oxygen electrocatalysis. This approach, based on intentionally designed substitutional metal doping, promotes the spontaneous formation of selenium vacancies while preserving the metallic 1 T′ phase, thereby creating highly reactive and oxygen-affinitive sites. Density functional theory calculations reveal that these vacancy-mediated metal complexes dramatically lower the energy barriers for initial oxygen adsorption, enabling dissociative oxygen adsorption. Operando and ex-situ spectroscopic analyses confirm that vacancy-mediated metal complexes transform into dynamic Se/W-oxide intermediates under operating conditions. Se/W-oxides on the surface experimentally and theoretically prove electrocatalytic activity and reversibility. Applying this strategy in lithium–oxygen batteries, the basal-plane activated WSe2 shows high discharge capacities (9868 mA h g−1, corresponding to 3947 mA h gcathode−1), impressive cycle retention over 550 cycles at 1000 mA h g−1, and outstanding rate–capability over a wide current–density range (100–3000 mA g−1) during 256 cycles.
Sn-Bi solders are suitable for temperature-sensitive electronic packaging because of their low melting temperatures. However, their practical application is limited by the brittleness associated with the continuous Bi-rich phase. In this study, the ductility of Sn-Bi-Zn solders was improved by reducing the Bi content, which simultaneously controlled the Sn-Bi eutectic structure and the morphology and distribution of the Zn-rich phase. Sn-xBi-2Zn (x = 50, 45, and 40 wt.
Floating wind turbines are becoming increasingly mainstream. Floating wind turbines have strengths in terms of cost-efficiency compared to conventional wind turbines. Comparisons between floating and conventional wind turbines can be easily conducted through simulations. In this paper, we estimate the CAPEX and LCOE of fixed and floating offshore wind farms following the INNU cost model with LIR rotor technology and hybrid floater technology.
