In this study, green extraction methods—high voltage electrical discharges (HVED), pulsed electric field (PEF), and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE)—were compared in terms of extraction yield of total and individual polyphenolic compounds, as well as the antioxidant capacity of blueberry pomace extracts. All extractions were performed with methanol- and ethanol-based solvents. The highest total polyphenols content (TPC) (10.52 mg of gallic acid equivalent (GAE) per g of dry weight (dw)) and antioxidant activity (AA) (0.83 mmol TE/g dw) were obtained by PEF-assisted extraction in the ethanol-based solvent after 100 pulses and 20 kV/cm, which corresponds to an energy input of 41.03 kJ/kg. A total of eighteen individual polyphenols were identified in all investigated blueberry pomace extracts by high-performance liquid chromatography with the diode-array detector (HPLC-DAD) and liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric (LC-(HESI)-MS/MS). The highest anthocyanin (1757.32 µg/g of dw) and flavanol (297.86 µg/g of dw) yields were obtained in the methanol-based solvent, while the highest phenolic acid (625.47 µg/g of dw) and flavonol (157.54 µg/g of dw) yields were obtained in the ethanol-based solvent by PEF-assisted extraction at the energy input of 41.03 kJ/kg. These results indicated that PEF is a promising green extraction method which can improve the blueberry pomace’s polyphenol extraction yield.

Social and environmental concern about the use of crumb rubber from end-of-life car tires in the construction of different sport and recreational facilities is increasing due to the presence of hazardous compounds. The aim of this research was the assessment of 42 organic chemicals, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phthalates, adipates, antioxidants and vulcanisation agents in a large number of infill samples (91) from synthetic turf football pitches of diverse characteristics and geographical origin. Samples were taken worldwide, in 17 countries on 4 continents, to show the global dimension of this problem. Ultrasound assisted extraction was employed to extract the target compounds, followed by gas chromatography coupled to tandem-mass spectrometry (UAE-GC-MS/MS). Seventy-eight crumb rubber samples as well as thirteen samples of alternatives materials, such as cork granulates, thermoplastic elastomers and coconut fibre, were analyzed. The results highlight the presence of all target PAH in most rubber samples at concentrations up to μg g^-1, including the eight ECHA (European Chemicals Agency) PAHs considered as carcinogenic, and anthracene (ANC), pyrene (PYR) and benzo[ghi]perylene (B[ghi]P), catalogued as substances of very high concern (SVHC). Endocrine disruptors such as some plasticizers (mainly phthalates), and other compounds like benzothiazole (BTZ) and 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBTZ) were found reaching the mg g^-1 level. This confirms the presence of the hazardous substances in the recycled crumb rubber samples collected all around the world. Three crumb rubber samples exceeded the limit of 20 μg g^-1 for the sum of the eight ECHA PAHs. Regarding the chemical composition of other infill alternatives, cork appears to be adequate, while the thermoplastic elastomers contained high levels of some plasticizers. In addition, the plastic infill as well as the crumb rubber both are microplastics. Microplastics are considered contaminants of emerging concern since they do not biodegrade and remain in the environment for a long time.