In this work a new electrocoagulation reactor with cylindrical geometry using a three-dimensional steel wool anode has been developed. The architecture of the Electrocoagulation reactor is closely related to a filter cartridge, modified in order to contain the electrodes. The complete system includes the Cartridge Type ElectroCoagulation Reactor (CTECR) and its housing. The residence time distribution (RTD) was used as tool to study the flow behavior of the electrolyte within the reactor. The new reactor has been successfully used in the removal of a textile dye (Remazol Red RB 133) working in continuous mode of operation, where the color elimination rate reaches 99 %. Moreover, its design allows both an easy replacement of the cartridge when the steel wool anode is consumed, and the collection and storage of the hydrogen generated on the cathode. Highlights A new Cartridge type reactor for electrocoagulation is tested. Electrocoagulation is performed using 3D electrodes made of steel wool anodes. Removal of textile dye Remazol Red RB 133 is used as test reaction. Color removal efficiency reaches 99%.

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La primera gran crisis de la globalización ha sumido a las economías del mundo en un estado de incertidumbre que requiere la adopción de decisiones eficaces para hacer frente a la misma. Lógicamente, la Unión Europea como interlocutor político en la arena mundial no puede permanecer ajena a esta situación. En el actual debate entre gobernanza global-gobierno de la globalización, las instituciones europeas han hecho valer el paradigma jurídico-político y su correspondiente modelo económico, sobre el que se construye el proyecto de integración. El Estado-mercado y su correlato de actuación económica, el Estado regulador, han estado muy presentes en los ejes de actuación propuestos por la Comisión para el establecimiento de una gobernanza económica global sólida frente a la crisis, en las Cumbres del G-20 celebradas en el 2010. Principios de actuación que también han dejado sentir sus efectos en el propio espacio europeo a través de la propuesta de reforma del Pacto de Estabilidad y Crecimiento.

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This article addresses the scenarios that may be encountered by the first application for pre-market approval of a CRISPR-edited plant in the EU. Two alternative scenarios are considered in the short and medium term. One of these possible EU futures depends on the final drafting and approval of EU legislation on certain New Genomic Techniques, which was started in 2021 and is due to be quite advanced before the next European Parliament elections in 2024. Since the proposed legislation excludes plants with foreign DNA, two different approval processes for CRISPR-edited plants will coexist if the legislation enters into force: one for plants whose genome has been altered, resulting in mutagenesis, cisgenesis and intragenesis; and the second for plants whose alterations result in transgenesis in general. In the event that this legislative process does not succeed, CRISPR-edited plants in the EU could face a regulatory scenario whose foundations were laid in the 1990s: the regulatory framework that applies to GM crops, food and feed. In this review, an ad hoc analytical framework has been built that considers in depth the two possible futures for CRISPR-edited plants in the EU. This framework emphasises the way in which the European Union and the Member States (MS), with their respective national interests, have historically shaped the regulatory framework for plant breeding in the EU. On the basis of the analyses carried out on the two possible futures for CRISPR-edited plants and of their potential with respect to plant breeding, the main conclusions are the following. Firstly, that the regulatory review that started in 2021 is not in itself “good enough” for plant breeding and CRISPR-edited plants. Secondly, that compared to its alternative, the regulatory review currently underway contains at least some promising improvements in the short term. Hence, thirdly, in addition to adopting the current regulation, the MS need to continue to work towards a substantial improvement in the legal status of plant breeding in the EU in the medium term.