Nuria OrtuñoUniversity of Alicante | UA · Department of Chemical Engineering
Nuria Ortuño
PhD MSc BEng (Chemical Engineer)
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41
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Introduction
Additional affiliations
October 2018 - September 2019
October 2014 - present
September 2011 - December 2011
Education
September 2009 - July 2014
Publications
Publications (41)
Residual biomass gasification is a promising route for the production of H2-rich syngas. However, the simultaneous formation of pollutants such as light hydrocarbons (HCs), benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTEX), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) during gasification must be controlle...
Water treatment generally does not specifically address the removal of microplastics (MPs). Nevertheless, treatment plants process water effectively, and the number of synthetic microparticles in effluents is usually very low. Still, discharge volumes from water-treatment plants are often elevated (reaching around 108 L/day), leading to the daily d...
Dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) are environmental pollutants that have been associated with impaired semen quality. However, research on the potential impact of paternal exposure to DL-PCBs and the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes are limited. We examine the relationship between serum DL-PCB concentrations and IVF outcomes among 4...
The presence of different pollutants in recycled plastics is reviewed in this article. The desirable circular economy of plastics should be linked to the availability of clean recycled plastics with a non-significant and small to nil amount of substances of concern. Different researchers found polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Persistent...
Persistent organic pollutant inhibition in the combustion process of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) by prior addition of an inhibitor is currently being studied, reducing the emission of pollutants, and thus reducing the large amount of waste PVC destined for landfill. In this work, the use of sewage sludge (SS) as an alternative to chemical inhibitors t...
A kinetic model has been developed for the formation of selected congeners of PCDD/Fs during the thermal decomposition of different wastes in a horizontal reactor. Previously published data on the decomposition of wastes have been correlated using a kinetic model that only considers process parameters, such as the presence of different amounts of o...
In our lab, we have been studying the emissions of different pollutants during pyrolysis and combustion of wastes under different conditions for the last three decades. These studies have focused on the effect of temperature and presence of oxygen on the production of different pollutants. Waste decomposition has been studied in a horizontal labora...
This study investigates the geometric and electronic properties of selected BFRs in their ground (S0) and first singlet excited (S1) states deploying methods of the density functional theory (DFT) and the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). We estimate the effect of the S0→ S1 transition on the elongations of the C-Br bond, identify t...
In order to reduce the calculation effort during the simulation of the emission of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/F) during municipal solid waste incineration, minimizing the number of simulated components is mandatory. For this purpose, two new multilinear regression models capable of determining the dioxins total amount and to...
Endometriosis is a common estrogen-dependent disease defined by the presence of endometrium outside the uterine endometrial cavity, most commonly in the pelvis.
Because of the local chronic inflammatory process, endometriosis patients present a variable volume of peritoneal fluid (PF) bathing your abdominal cavity. This PF contains abnormal levels...
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) electric wires were subjected to dechlorination in subcritical water at three different temperatures in a high-pressure reactor. About 2.09, 73.08, and 95.96 wt % of chlorine in PVC wires was removed during dechlorination at 200 °C, 250 °C, and 300 °C, respectively. The solid residues were analyzed and characterized by ther...
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) electric wires were subjected to dechlorination in subcritical water at three different temperatures in a high-pressure reactor. About 2.09, 73.08 and 95.96 wt. % of chlorine in PVC wires was removed during dechlorination at 200, 250 and 300 °C, respectively. The solid residues were analyzed and characterized by thermogravi...
The inhibitory effect of thiourea (TUA), ammonium thiosulfate (TSA) and amidosulfonic acid (ASA) on the reactivity of fly ash air was investigated using a thermobalance at different heating rates (5, 10 and 20 K min-1). A model fly ash (activated carbon + 50 wt% CuCl2·2H2O, pyrolyzed at 700 °C and washed) was used as carbonaceous material. Adding C...
Four different types of fuel blends containing demolition and construction wood and household waste were combusted in a small-scale experimental set-up to study the effect of fuel composition on the emissions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs), biphenyls (PCBs), chlorobenzenes (PCBzs), chlorophenols (PCPhs) and poly...
Combustion and pyrolysis runs at 850 °C were carried out in a laboratory scale horizontal reactor with different materials combining biomass and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). Analyses are presented of the carbon oxides, light hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated benzenes (ClBzs), polychlorinated...
Heavy metal-loaded almond shell was subjected to pyrolysis to understand the effect of the presence of different heavy metals on its thermal degradation. Pyrolysis behavior of native and metal-loaded samples was studied by thermogravimetric analysis. Similar shapes of thermogravimetric curves indicate that the presence of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr...
Metal recovering through decomposition in the presence of steam of different wastes has been demonstrated to be an effective method. In the present work, three different types of copper clad laminates (FR4, CEM3 and ROGERS) were subjected to high temperature decomposition, analyzing their performance. Firstly, the samples were analyzed by thermogra...
The relationship between dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyl (DL-PCB) levels in serum and semen parameters were investigated. Our case-control included two groups of patients. Total concentrations of PCBs were significantly higher in the low semen quality (n=24) than in the normal semen quality (n=26) group. A significant negative correlation was...
Degradation of brominated flame retardants present in printed circuit boards (PCBs) was tested using subcritical water in a high pressure reactor. Debromination experiments were carried out in a batch stirred reactor at three different temperatures (225 °C, 250 °C and 275 °C) keeping a solid to liquid (S/L) ratio of PCB:water = 1:5 during 180 min....
The present work has been carried out to verify the feasibility of thermal valorization of an automobile shredder residue (ASR). With this aim, the thermal decomposition of this waste has been studied in a laboratory scale reactor, analyzing the pollutants emitted under different operating conditions. The emission factors of carbon oxides, light hy...
The aim of the present work was to assess the emission of different persistent organic pollutants from a cement plant over a period of one year, under normal operational conditions. Thus, a long-term sampling device was installed in the clinker kiln stack of the cement plant. The factory uses petroleum coke as primary fuel, but also alternative fue...
The 14th International Congress on Combustion By-Products and Their Health Effects was held in Umeå, Sweden from June 14th to 17th, 2015. The Congress, mainly sponsored by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Superfund Research Program and the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning, f...
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contaminate 19% of US Superfund sites and represent a serious risk to human and environmental health. One promising strategy to remediate PCB-contaminated sediments utilizes organohalide-respiring bacteria (OHRB) that dechlorinate PCBs.
However, functional genes that act as biomarkers for PCB dechlorination processe...
The emissions of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PBDD/Fs) and their chlorinated analogues (PCDD/Fs) during the thermal treatment of a high impact polystyrene (HIPS) TV casing were investigated. The halogenated compounds were analyzed in the original material and in the gases emitted during...
Introduction Several studies indicate that human semen quality and fertility have declined over the last decades 1. According to the estimation of World Health Organization about 8% of couples at the global level experience some forms of infertility problem during their reproductive lives. This percentage means that 50 to 80 million people have pro...
The present work aims to characterize the emissions from pyrolysis and combustion of waste PCB from mobile phones, before and after the removal of the metallic fraction, and at two different temperatures. The study comprises the analysis of gases, halogens and hydrogen halides, carbon oxides, light hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PA...
In the present work, a review of the data in literature concerning brominated dioxins and furans emissions has been done. Data has been found for different sources, including incineration units, vehicle exhaust, clinker furnaces, air sampling and metal treatment plants among other.
The constant increase in the production of electronic devices implies the need for an appropriate management of a growing number of waste electrical and electronic equipment. Thermal treatments represent an interesting alternative to recycle this kind of waste, but particular attention has to be paid to the potential emissions of toxic by-products....
Based on laboratory experiments with model mixtures (active carbon + CuBr2 at different loads), this work studies the formation of polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PBDD/Fs) by de novo synthesis. For the different samples, the temperature of the maximum carbon oxidation rate was determined by thermogravimetric analysis, and a kine...
Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) is the most widely used brominated flame retardant worldwide. A detailed examination of the degradation products emitted during thermal decomposition of TBBPA is presented in the study. Runs were performed in a laboratory furnace at different temperatures (650 and 800 °C) and in different atmospheres (nitrogen and air)...
Thermal decomposition of printed circuits boards (PCB) is studied, using thermogravimetric analysis to compare the thermal behavior of PCB of mobile phones before and after the removal of the metallic fraction by acid washing. Several dynamic and dynamic + isothermal runs have been carried out at different heating rates (5, 10 and 20 K min−1), from...
Combustion runs at 700°C in a horizontal laboratory furnace were carried out on two different electric wires (PVC and halogen-free wire). Tests were performed in the presence and in the absence of the metal conductor of the wires. The analyses of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), chlorobenzenes (CBzs), chlorophenols (CPhs), mono- to octa...
A study of the degradation of flame retarded high impact polystyrene (HIPS) at low temperatures has been performed in the present study. PBDEs, PBDD/Fs and mono- through octachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) have been analyzed, assessing the emissions of those pollutants under increasing treatment temperatures, from 50 to 25...
Printed circuit boards (PCB) are particularly problematic to recycle because of the heterogeneous mix of organic material, metals, and glass fibre 1. More specifically, the presence of Fe and Cu can catalyze the debromination/hydrogenation reaction, accelerating the formation of chlorinated and brominated dioxins and furans 2. In a previous study 3...
Brominated flame retardants are well recognized as being highly effective flame retardants. 4-4′-Isopropylidenebis(2,6-dibromophenol), commonly known as tetrabromobisphenol A, is the brominated flame retardant with the largest production volume and is used to improve fire safety, mainly of laminates in electrical and electronic equipment. A kinetic...
A study of the thermal degradation of TBBPA has been carried out in the present work to assess the emission of pollutants under different operating conditions. The analysis, identification and quantification of gases, semivolatiles (bromophenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and others) and polybrominated dibenzo-p- dioxins and dibenzofurans (P...
This study complements a previous work with the aim of achieving a better understanding of the most important
pollutants evolved in the thermal decomposition of mobile phones as a representative domestic e-waste.
Introducción Los retardantes de llama son compuestos que se añaden a un gran número de materiales con el objeto de reducir el riesgo de incendio. La industria electrónica supone el principal consumidor de retardantes de llama bromados, siendo el tetrabromobisfenol A (TBBPA) el retardante de llama empleado en las placas de circuitos impresos y lamin...
An analysis of the evaporation process of n-hexadecane in a thermogravimetric apparatus was carried out. n-Hexadecane represents a typical example of a high boiling point compound and its study is interesting for understanding those processes where vaporization takes place in parallel with pyrolysis during thermal treatment. The process has been st...
Los retardantes de llama son sustancias utilizadas en gran variedad de productos de consumo (muebles, plásticos, textiles, equipos electrónicos,…) para mejorar su resistencia al fuego. Los retardantes de llama bromados (BFR) son los agentes ignífugos más efectivos y los más usados en la actualidad. Diferentes estudios demuestran que su descomposici...
Los costes de producción cada vez menores y el aumento de la disponibilidad de equipos electrónicos de todo tipo, incluyendo teléfonos móviles, equipos de audio y vídeo y ordenadores personales, así como sus accesorios, unido a los avances en tecnología que hacen que estos productos queden rápidamente obsoletos, supone un problema de creciente impo...
Projects
Projects (5)
This Special Issue is dedicated to the biomass energy, coming from materials such as organic waste. This renewable energy is obtained by pyrolysis, thermal decomposition occurring in the absence of oxygen, which allows the obtention of different proportions of products depending on the conditions. The products of biomass pyrolysis include a solid product so-called biochar, a condensable liquid so-called bio-oil and gases comprising methane, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. They are later used to obtain energy or for other purposes. When applied to waste, this contributes to reducing its quantity.
Commercialisation of the biomass pyrolysis technology is still challenging. In order to solve this issue, the recent studies are focused on the mechanism of pyrolysis, influencing parameters, analysis of products, reactor design, development of new reactors and catalysts for catalytic pyrolysis.
In this Special Issue, we invite submissions studying recent advances in the field of Biomass Pyrolysis and reactors employed, including theoretical and experimental analyses, as well as comprehensive review papers. They will undoubtedly contribute to extend the knowledge and development of the process.
Dr. M. Francisca Gomez-Rico and Dr. N. Ortuño
Guest Editors
