Aysun Özkan

Plastikler günlük yaşantıda ve endüstriyel üretimde her alanda yoğun bir şekilde kullanılmaktadır. İhtiyaçları karşılamak için kullanılan plastiklerin çoğu kısa sürede atığa dönüştüğü için plastik atık miktarı da oldukça fazla olmaktadır. Mevcut durumda bir kısmı geri dönüştürülen, yakılan ya da depolanan plastiklerin hem çevresel hem de sağlık açısından yarattığı olumsuzlukları azaltmak adına bu atıkları ürüne dönüştürebilecek alternatif yöntemler araştırılmalı ve uygulanmalıdır. Bu noktadan hareketle, bu çalışmada plastik atıkların değerli bir malzeme olan karbon nanotüp (CNT) üretiminde kullanımı ele alınmıştır. Plastik atıklarla ilgili mevcut veriler, uygulama alanları değerlendirilmiş, CNT üretimi ile ilgili kısa bir bilgi verilmiş ve bu proseste karbon kaynağı olarak plastik türlerinin kullanımı irdelenmiştir.

Copper adsorption from waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) was studied using biosorbents derived from waste orange peels (OP). The orange peels were modified by different methods including saponification with NaOH (OP-S), crosslinking with sodium trimetaphosphate and sodium tripolyphosphate (OP-C), hydroxypropylation with propylene oxide (OP-H), and acidification with citric acid (OP-A) to increase the adsorption capacity of orange peels. Adsorption tests on the copper (Cu) model solutions were performed by using native and modified orange peels at three different temperatures (25 °C, 40 °C, and 60 °C) to determine the optimum adsorption conditions. The PCB was pyrolyzed in a fixed bed stainless steel reactor to obtain a solid product that contained only inorganic material. Metals were then leached from the solid product, and adsorption studies were realized on the leach solution under optimum adsorption conditions. According to the analyses results, the best adsorption efficiency for the Cu model solution was obtained with OP-S at 25 C for 30 min. Under these conditions, the Cu adsorption efficiency from pyrolysis solid product was approximately 86%.

The aim of this paper was to determine how to change the environmental performance of electricity generation depending on the resources and their shares, in order to support decision-makers. Additionally, this paper presents an application of life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology to determine the environmental burdens of electricity generation in Turkey. Electricity generation data in Turkey for the years 2012 and 2023 were used as a case study. The functional unit for electricity generation was 1 kWh. The LCA calculations were carried out using CML-IA (v3.00) data and the results were interpreted with respect to Monte Carlo simulation analysis (with the Monte Carlo function built in SimaPro 8.0.1 software). The results demonstrated that the fossil fuel consumption not only contributes to global warming, but it also has effects on the elemental basis of abiotic depletion due to raw material consumption for plant infrastructure. Additionally, it was observed that the increasing proportion of wind power in the electricity mix would also increase certain life cycle impacts (such as the elemental basis of abiotic depletion, human ecotoxicity, and terrestrial ecotoxicity) in Turkey’s geography compared to increasing the share of other renewable energy sources, such as hydropower, geothermal, as well as solar.

Sustainable use of natural resources in the production of construction materials has become a necessity both in Europe and Turkey. Construction products in Europe should have European Conformity (CE) and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), an independently verified and registered document in line with the European standard EN 15804. An EPD certificate can be created by performing a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study. In this particular work, an LCA study was carried out for a refractory brick production for environmental assessment. In addition to the LCA, the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis was also applied for economic assessment. Firstly, a cradle-to-gate LCA was performed for one ton of magnesia spinel refractory brick. The CML IA method included in the licensed SimaPro 8.0.1 software was chosen to calculate impact categories (namely, abiotic depletion, global warming potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, human toxicity, ecotoxicity, ozone depletion potential, and photochemical oxidation potential). The LCC analysis was performed by developing a cost model for internal and external cost categories within the software. The results were supported by a sensitivity analysis. According to the results, the production of raw materials and the firing process in the magnesia spinel brick production were found to have several negative effects on the environment and were costly.

The aim of this study was to remediate lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) from contaminated soil and stabilize to pyrolysis solid product. To accomplish this, phytoremediation of soil contaminated with Pb, Cd and Zn by different plants (sunflower, corn and rape) was performed with and without ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). According to phytoremediation results, rape was the most effective plant with 72 %, 76 % and 77 % removal efficiency for Pb, Cd and Zn, respectively. Also, EDTA addition had no significant effect on translocation of the metals from roots to stems. According to pyrolysis results, Pb, Cd and Zn in the contaminated plants were stabilized in the ash/char fraction. In addition, the solid product can be safely landfilled as inert waste since its toxicity leaching value is lower than the limit values given in the Turkish Regulation on Landfilling of Wastes.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the metal removal ability of three different plants from metal processing sludge containing Pb, Cd, and Zn. Therefore, phytoremediation and pyrolysis were sequentially applied. In the phytoremediation applications, sunflower (Helianthus annuus), corn (Zea mays), and rape (Brassica napus) seeds were sown in sludge/soil mixtures at four different levels (25/75, 50/50, 75/25, 100/0). The chelating agent, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, was added to the mixtures for plant uptake during phytoremediation. At the phytoremediation stage, it was noted that rape was the most effective plant for the mixture of 75/25 sludge/soil, with metal removal efficiencies ranging between 80%–90%. At the pyrolysis stage, after harvesting, contaminated plants grown in a 75/25 sludge/soil mixture were pyrolyzed at 500 °C, with a heating rate of 35 °C/min. The results show that 60%–90% of the initial metal content was held by the solid product. In addition to this, it can be concluded that pyrolysis stabilizes metals into a solid product and that this solid product can be safely landfilled as inert waste since its toxicity leaching value is lower than the limit values.