SALCER´s Project

SALCER (in Spanish: Sistema de Asesoramiento y Localización de Centrales de EnergíaRenovables) could be translated as Counseling and Location of Renewable Energy Power Station´s System. Its objective is to develop a system capable of finding the most suitable place for the construction of renewable power stations, taking into account such things as: budget, topography, amount of energy needed, among others. The most relevant aims of the project are: study of a certain variety of renewable energy technologies, designing an accurate topology system, restraining decisions to demand forecasts and finally performance of an energy plan for a specific region

Measurements of Protein Content in Aqueous and Alkaline Extracts from Brewer's Spent Grains (bsg): Insights Into the Extraction Kinetics and Energy Consumption

The brewers’ spent grain (BSG) is a rich biomass matrix containing several compounds of interest that require urgent and suitable valorisation strategies, due to its high production volume in the brewing industry. Among the most widespread approaches is the preparation of extracts, targeting particular compounds or soluble and/or insoluble fractions, after operating pre-treatment processes. In the present study, extraction experiments are carried out with fresh untreated BSG, under very gentle extraction conditions (room temperature and moderate agitation, in the 0-5 h interval), and using different solvents: deionized water, 0.1 M NaOH and 0.5 M NaOH in a 1:5 m/v solid-to-solvent ratio. The extraction dynamics were followed by monitoring the dry matter (DM) content obtained in the extracts after a centrifugation step. The protein content is estimated in each case by means of two different methods: direct measurements of absorbance at 280 nm (using bovine serum albumin, BSA, and commercial whey protein isolate as standards) as well as using the Bradford colorimetric method and BSA standard; the consistency of these measurements is contrasted against the DM values. The apparent extraction kinetics were studied, using a saturation model; the coefficients and their range of uncertainty were obtained. Extraction efficiencies in the range 14.24%-53.60% gDM ext/gDM BSG are achieved, which correspond to extraction yields of 38.88-150.09 gDM ext/kg fresh BSG. In addition, the energy footprint of the process is estimated at laboratory scale

Repurposing Tempeh Fermentation: a Promising Protein Source Using Food Residues and Edible Filamentous Fungi

Brewers' spent grains (BSG) are the main by-product of the brewery industry, accounting for more than 80 % of total produced by-products. Although this matrix is primarily composed of hemicellulose, cellulose, protein and lignin, the current end-of-life scenario for BSG is as livestock feed. In the present study, a valorisation approach for BSG that uses an edible fungus (Rhizopus oligosporus) in solid state fermentations (SSF) is proposed. First, a microbiological characterization is performed, to shed light on the indigenous microorganisms that are present in the BSG matrix. Then, an appropriate technology approach is used for the SSF that can be conducted both at laboratory and household levels. In the SSF experiments, different temperature (30-35 °C), mass of BSG substrate, inoculum ratio (10 and 15 % v/m) and drilling patters for the aeration of the systems are investigated. The fermentation products were characterized by preparing homogenized samples; it was registered an increase in protein content (5-64%), a slight acidification (ΔpH=0.1-1.2), a decrease of °Brix and the loss of organic matter (and water). The formation of the tempeh cakes was variable, and the differences are analyzed in terms of the operational parameters of each studied batch

An Efficient approach for selective collection made by scavengers for transportation logistics of recyclable materials

The advance of technology, associated to the increase in the production of recyclable waste due to the increase of consumption and population, has been led to a search for alternatives of management and minimization of this waste. A part of this recyclable material is collected by scavengers, who do it to guarantee their livelihood. Many of them face logistical difficulties in transportation, mainly when they have to walk long distances and the streets have high slopes.Therefore, to minimize these efforts, the purpose of this paper is to settle mobile warehouses to receive recyclable items, with trucks that receive in bulk all materials collected by the collectors, who will deliver them to someone who will be in the truck for weighing and subsequent payment to the collector. With the help of the Analysis of Variance – ANOVA, studies were made so that this receipt is a quick operation, with the historical record of each sampling in a spreadsheet and value calculations based on this description, thus minimizing errors in weighing in bulk and improving, in every collection, the system reliability

A low altitude forest dwelling Pyrenean chamois population increases the potential habitat of this subspecies

Aim of the study: To demonstrate if a population of Pyrenean chamois Rupicapra p. pyrenaica can live at low altitudes all year long. This could enlarge dramatically its potential habitat.
 Area of study: A hunting ground in Sobrarbe County, Pyrenees, Spain, in 2022.
 Material and methods. We interviewed local hunters to find out when the presence of the subspecies in the area dates back. We performed block counts from April to December in the target area for calculating the size of the population.
 Main results: There was a presence of at least 15 years of the subspecies living at 600 m asl. The population was at least 18 animals, reproduces, and shows a normal demographic structure of kids, yearlings, adult females, and adult males.
 Research highlights: Low-altitude chamois populations living in forests could be a result of important ecological changes in high mountain pastures producing migrations to newly suitable areas as low-altitude forests. The potential habitat of the subspecies should be broadened