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Plasma is the fourth state of matter, following the three states of solid, liquid and gas. Experience has amply demonstrated that solids exposed to the oxygen-deficient plasma flame are converted to liquid, and liquid exposed to the same flame is converted to gas. A low amount of vitrified solid residue material usually remains at the end of this process. Plasma pyrolysis/vitrification (PP/V) has been demonstrated as a safe, efficient, cost-effective technology for the treatment of wastes, including hazardous wastes. Besides the low amounts of gaseous byproducts that PP/V produces, the solid vitrified residue presents a low leachability of pollutants. Studies have been performed in many countries in order to assess the leachability of chemical substances. But from the results of identified studies, none has reported results on the ecotoxicological properties of the leachates. The aim of this study was to contribute to the assessment of ecotoxic risk of four different vitrified materials. Vitrified samples of contaminated soils, municipal solid wastes, and incinerator bottom ashes were submitted to the European leaching pre-standard test number prEN 12457-2. The leachates were analyzed for 22 chemical parameters. The biological characterization comprised the assessment of bioluminescence inhibition of Photobacterium phosphoreum bacterium, growth inhibition of Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata algae and the germination inhibition of Lactuca sativa vegetable. The chemical and ecotoxicological results were analyzed according to the French proposal of Criteria on the Evaluation Methods of Waste Toxicity (CEMWT) and a Toxicity Classification System (TCS). The chemical and ecotoxicological results indicated a low leachability of pollutants and a low toxicity level of leachates. All samples studied were as below the TCS class 1 level (no significant toxicity observed) and as non-ecotoxic for CEMWT. Therefore, the environmental ecotoxic risk of the analyzed vitrified samples was determined to be very low.

In this paper, chemical and ecotoxicological data of leachates from bottom ashes collected in different Municipal Solid Waste Incinerators (MSWI) are shown. The bottom ashes were collected in Belgium (three incinerators—samples B1 to B3), France, Germany, Italy and United Kingdom (one incinerator in each country—samples F1, D1, I1 and UK1, respectively). Both chemical and ecotoxicological characterizations of leachates were done on the framework of the European Directive 91/689/EEC and the European Council Decision 94/904/EC. This work was carried out under the European project called Valomat, which was supported by the European Commission through Brite-Euram III program. Twenty-one inorganic parameters were analyzed. The ecotoxicological assays were done under standard laboratory conditions, using the bacterium Photobacterium phosphoreum, the freshwater alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, the crustacean Daphnia magna and the vegetable Lactuca sativa. Chemical data varied from sample to sample. Similar results were obtained in biological assays. The samples can be classified as ecotoxic/hazardous according to the French proposal for a Criterion and Evaluation Methods of Waste Ecotoxicity (CEMWE) and the German regulation on Hazardous Waste Classification (HWC). However, samples B1, B2, B3 and D1 comply the maximum limits for direct valorization category defined in the French Classification of Bottom Ashes based on their Polluting Potential (CBAPP). Sample B1 presented the lowest level of ecotoxicity, being considered as the most interesting to be used in the development of new materials for civil engineering works.

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Rhodium complexes modified by simple trialkylphosphines can be used to carry out homogeneous hydroformylation in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO(2)). The catalyst derived from PEt3 is more active and slightly more selective for the linear products in scCO2 than in toluene, and under the same reaction conditions [100degreesC, 40 bar of CO/H-2 (1:1)] P(OPri)(3) is also an effective ligand giving good catalyst solubility and activity. Other ligands such as PPh3, POct(3), PCy3, and P(4-C6H4But)(3) are less effective because of the low solubility of their rhodium complexes in scCO(2). P(4-C6H4SiMe3)(n) Ph3-n (n = 3 or 1) and P(OPh)(3) impart activity despite their complexes only being poorly soluble in scCO(2). Under subcritical conditions, using PEt3 as the ligand, C7-alcohols from hydrogenation of the first formed aldehydes are the main products whilst above a total pressure of 200 bar, where the solution remains supercritical (monophasic) throughout the reaction, aldehydes are obtained with 97% selectivity. High pressure IR studies in scCO(2) using PEt3 as the ligand are reported.