E-Waste, POPs, Emissions and Microplastics

Question 1

What is an E-Waste

Answer 1

Electronic Waste the describes discarded electrical or electronic devices

Question 2

How much E-waste is produce globally?

Answer 2

54 million tonnes globally (2019)

Question 3

What is the business opportunity around E-waste

Answer 3

Around £9bn of precious metals are dumped each year (UN, 2019)
Business opportunity to retrieve and recycle these metal (platnium, vanadium etc)

Question 4

What does EEE stand for

Answer 4

Electrical and Electronic equipment

Question 5

What does WEEE stand for?

Answer 5

Waste electricial and electronic equipment

Question 6

State the equation to work out the E-waste production (kg/year)

Answer 6

E = E-waste production (kg/year)
M = mass (kg)
N = number of units
L = life span (yrs)

Question 7

Which are the top 3 countries for producing E-waste

Answer 7

1) China
2) Usa
3) India

Question 8

How much total global E-waste is collected and recycled correctly

Answer 8

Only around 17%

Question 9

Which contries have the highest E-waste recycling rates
(why is this a little deceptive?)

Answer 9

1) Estonia
2) Norway
3) Iceland
Because Estonia only produces a relatively small amount of E-waste to physically they are not recycling that much

Question 10

What are the most common contaminats from E-Waste?

Answer 10

• Pesticides organic pollutants (flame retardants)
• CFC (cooling untis)
• Polycyclic armoatic hydrocarbons (PAH) + Dioxins (products of combustion)
• Cadmium, Lithium, Nickel (Batteries)
• Copper, Silver (wiring)
• Chromium (data tapes), Gallium (semiconductors), Lead (solder), Mercury (Fluorescent lamps)

Question 11

What are the 4 possible outcomes for E-waste

Answer 11

• High-Tech recycling (cost money and not always in place)
• Export
• Burning or compaction
• Landfil

Question 12

What will happen to E-waste once it is exported

Answer 12

• Low-tech recycling (burning, acid dissolution, reuse)
• Inappropriate disposal

Question 13

What is the issue with Landfil of E-waste

Answer 13

Leaching resulting in contaminants entering the environment
(and possible resultant water and air contamination)
Which overall could have a human health risk
Burning which can also occur at landfil sites can cause serious environmental pollution

Question 14

What are the issues with manual, low tech E-waste recycling

Answer 14

• The ways it is done (e.g. dipping motherboards into acids to extract metal) is by hand without any protect and can have huge health risks which comminities are not aware of
• And burning of the E-waste can cause heavy metals cause high levels in the atmosphere which can be transported (resultant levels can actually be higher within air plume due to wind that next to source)

Question 15

What is the equation you would use to work out the source profile concenration of speces, i

Answer 15

where there must be simultaneous measurements of ambient and source

Question 16

What is a big issue with Persustent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Answer 16

POPs resist breakdown, store easily in fat and bioaccumulate through the food chain
(Example: they have been found in the tissues of polar bears which are 1000s of miles away from where emissions took place)

Question 17

Global conventions have decreased the emissions of which type of Persistent Organic pollutants (POPs)

Answer 17

Organochlorine POPs
These have been accumulating in the Arctic for decades due to northward atmopsheric transport

Question 18

Which Persistent Organic Pollutant is now more widely used

Answer 18

Chlorinted dioxins
(but these have also caused negative impacts)
And Perfluroalkyl and Polyfluroakyl substances (PFAS) (which huge amounts have been found in water in the UK)

Question 19

Why are Persistent Organic Pollutants such an issue?

Answer 19

• They are persistent (long lifetimes, low reactivity)
• Some are highly toxic (have many reported associated health impacts)
• They bioaccumulate

Question 20

What was occuring in Sweden in 2016 to cause a banning of specific organobromine POPs

Answer 20

Organochlorine POPs where found to be in high concentrations in Swedish human milk in the 1970s and resulted in bans for organochlorine POPs and conversion to organobromine POPs instead
However since 1970s BFR have been on the rise (found in Swedish human milk) and resulted in bans in 2016

Question 21

What was happening to Gulls due to BFR (Brominated flame retardants)

Answer 21

Gulls feeding at landfil sites (near BFR waste) had much higher conentrations and thinner eggshells than gulls feeding elsewhere

Question 22

What is one way the rise of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalky substance (PFAS) in water systems, have had impacts to human health

Answer 22

PFAS reduce the immune response of young children to vaccines (e.g. Diphtheria and tetanus)

Question 23

What are some key benefits of Green Infrastructure?

Answer 23

1) Promotes Healthier living
2) Decreases impacts of climate change (e.g. reduces risk of severe weather events)
3) Improves air and water quality
4) Improves biodiversity and ecological resilience

Question 24

What are the two key processes that explain how green infrastructure can protect people from air pollution

Answer 24

1) Deposition
2) Dispersion
The idea is not to reduce pollutants but control their distribution

Question 25

How does Deposition protect people from air pollution

Answer 25

* Urban vegetation typically removes a few % of emissions * Air pollutants land on the surface of leaves * Useful for large scale vegetation areas (e.g. rural areas)

Question 26

How does dispersion protect people from air pollution

Answer 26

* Changes the speed and distance of the pollution before they reach people * Further the distance the more diluted the pollutants become * Can be effected by vegetation barriers e.g. hedge

Question 27

In the following equation VOC + NOx + Sunlight → Ozone (+secondary pollutants) where are the VOCs emitted from

Answer 27

The Volatile Organic Compound are emitted from vegetation Different trees emit different VOCs (hence tree selection is importants for urban planning)

Question 28

What is one important thing to consider when considering vegetation and VOC

Answer 28

Green infrastructure is responsible for a small fraction of total VOCs an has a small influence on air quality

Question 29

Describe a Street Canyon

Answer 29

Street with buildings (with no gaps) on either side (air is circulated between buildings)

Question 30

Describe an Open Road

Answer 30

Buildings on one side, detached, widely spaced single-storey, buildings which are a distance from the road (air is able to move)

Question 31

What are the products of the reaction of NO with ozone

Answer 31

NO + O₃ → NO₂ + O₂

Question 32

What is a vortex

Answer 32

An area where the air is circulated

Question 33

Is a Street Canyon more or less polluted at street level

Answer 33

More polluted

Question 34

How would exposure to pollutants be controlled in a street cayon

Answer 34

* A street Canyon is more polluted at street level * A dense avenue of trees could trap pollution emitted from vehicles at street levels (decreased vertical air flow) * Trees spaced more widely will have environmental+health benefits

Question 35

What is one way a hedge an be used in a street canion to reduce dispersion However what are the benefits of this dependent on

Answer 35

* A vegetation barrier (e.g. hedge) between the road and pedestrains will have health benefits * Benefit depends on height to width ratio of street canyon. If height to width ratio >2, the not recommeneded

Question 36

How was the dispersion of pollution stopped to inside a playground on a main road

Answer 36

Using a green ivy barrier in which NO₂ would deposit upon

Question 37

How can you use trees within street canyons (with no cars) to reduce pollutant exposure

Answer 37

When a street canyon is less polluted at street level due to there being no cars, a dense avenue of trees can provide a barrier to downwards dispersion in a quiet road, reducing air pollutant exposure (more polluted air at the top which is not circulated to street level due to trees)

Question 38

What are the benefits of Green Roofs and walls?

Answer 38

1) Sustainable urban drainage 2) Mitigation of the urban heat island effect (cooling builidngs and reducing energy for a/c) 3) Increased biodiversity

Question 39

What is a drawback of Green roofs and walls

Answer 39

There is little effect on reducing dispersion of air pollution - instead deposit (focus is on air above exposure level)

Question 40

Why is there greater dispersion in Open roads Why are trees not benefical in this case?

Answer 40

* Open spaces allow pollutants to disperse * Trees disturb the flow of air around * Trees increase the mixing of the more polluted air at street level with the cleaner air above

Question 41

How can you use hedges in open roads to reduce dispersion of pollution

Answer 41

* Hedges are effective barriers between cars and pedestrains * Both person 1 and 2 will benefit due to the hedge, experiencing less pollution * However the benefit for person 2 reduces with distance

Question 42

Additional tall barriers are needed to protect people from a larger open roads when they are further away How tall does the barrier height need to be

Answer 42

The barrier height, H meters, can protect a distance of up to **(3H)-3** meters downwind