Sweden has managed to be 100% recyclable and turn its waste into energy. Spain follows it closely

More than 190 million tons annuls of urban waste are generated in Europe, according to The European Waste Association. This amount of garbage has increased greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change. However, to deal with recycling is not enough, but some countries have found a way to generate energy. 100% recycled. One of those countries and precursor has been Sweden, which They have found In the incineration of waste an energy source, providing heating and electricity to 250,000 homes. Energy source. The data, provided by the Swedish state company VattenfallThey have indicated that only 1% of the trash ends in landfills; The rest becomes energy through the use of biomethane. Thanks to this energy source they can generate heating, electricity and even can be used as fuel for cars. In addition, the Swedish nation is importing the waste from other European countries to produce more energy. The process. Waste management in Sweden It is done In plants Waste-to-Energy (WTE). Once there they are divided into three categories. The first is the organic garbage that is transformed into biogas, compost and fertilizers. Then the plastics that end up recycling. Finally, all non -recyclable waste is incinerated at temperatures up to 850 ° C to generate electricity and heating. And in Spain? A recent report, which has had access Infobaesaid that the Spanish nation will not meet the waste management objectives established by 2025. In it they have stressed that the waste sector is responsible for 5% of greenhouse gas emissions. But are they taking action? The central government has proposed to implement A packaging system, in which citizens will receive a refund for recycling containers. For its part, the Valencian Community will reuse The waste and mud that left the Dana, and is studying the possibility of incinerating them to generate electricity. But there was not an ace under the sleeve … Spain has A great potential To develop the biomethane industry, a renewable gas similar to natural gas that can be stored and injected into the current network. However, as indicated Cecilia Carballo for Fifodiesthe country is behind other European countries in terms of facilities. However, there is a glimpse of hope if appropriate support is given, Spain could take advantage of its ability to produce up to 160 twh per year, which would cover 50% of the national natural gas demand. For this, a robust regulatory framework and policies that foster their development are necessary. Image | Flickr and Norbert Nagel Xataka | A strange source of energy is putting the unity of Europe in energy matters: manure

We have a new type of plastic, with the durability of traditional plastics and what is more important: recyclable

During most of human existence, finding or producing food with which to sustain our population. Agrarian development millennia have allowed us to reach the point where humanity does not have to face the problem of lack of livelihood, but we have reached a point where the problem is at the other end of the chain: the problem of the waste. A new plastic. To solve it, or at least to relieve it, a team of researchers has created a new type of plastic. According to its developers, the new material is of great durability but can also be easily recycled. Recyclable alternative. This new plastic is presented as an alternative to conventional thermosye plastics. These materials stand out for their durability and are widespread in the industry: we can see them in many objects, from wheels to balls to play bowling. The characteristic that makes these plastics so resistant is their structure in which the reticulated polymers. In his secret is his disadvantage and this structure makes them impossible to recycle them, Explain the team responsible for the new plastic material. Double polymerization. The process of creating the new plastic part of the dihydrofurano (DHF), a circular monomer with double bond that can be created from biological materials, The team points out. From this monomer two polymerization processes begin, the second process being the result in a reticulated polymer. In the first process the circular structures of the DHF are cut and then link them to each other, creating a flexible and soft polymer in addition to recyclable and degradable in acid, explains the equipment. This process is part of the intact monomer In the second polymerization, these circular monomers do not open and then intertwine, but thanks to their double bond they join between them and next to the polymer resulting from the first process, everything without changing their circular structure to a linear. This second stage is what hardens the final material. A more sustainable process. The resulting polymer is recyclable using heat and can be degraded naturally in the environment. In addition, the resulting material can be altered through variables in the process such as time using the reaction or number of catalysts used, which leaves a wide range of possible materials result of the same reaction. Altering the light in the process, for example we can choose between a more difficult or more flexible resulting plastic. “The whole process, since the creation of reuse, is more ecological than with current materials,” explained in a press release Reagan Dreiling, a member of the team that developed the new material. The researcher and the rest of the team presented the details of the development of the new material In an article In the magazine Nature. In Xataka | The European waste industry has been lying for years: in 2018 everything jumped through the air and we have not yet recovered Image | Sigmund

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