Agri-Food Wastes for Bioplastics: European Prospective on Possible Applications in Their Second Life for a Circular Economy

Agri-food wastes (such as brewer’s spent grain, olive pomace, residual pulp from fruit juice production, etc.) are produced annually in very high quantities posing a serious problem, both environmentally and economically. These wastes can be used as secondary starting materials to produce value-added goods within the principles of the circular economy. In this context, this review focuses on the use of agri-food wastes either to produce building blocks for bioplastics manufacturing or biofillers to be mixed with other bioplastics. The pros and cons of the literature analysis have been highlighted, together with the main aspects related to the production of bioplastics, their use and recycling. The high number of European Union (EU)-funded projects for the valorisation of agri-food waste with the best European practices for this industrial sector confirm a growing interest in safeguarding our planet from environmental pollution. However, problems such as the correct labelling and separation of bioplastics from fossil ones remain open and to be optimised, with the possibility of reuse before final composting and selective recovery of biomass

Germano Sartelli

Libro-catalogo della mostra sugli artisti imolesi che hanno partecipato alle Biennali Internazionali d'arte di Venezia. Capitolo dedicato all'opera dello scultore Germano Sartelli, tra i principali esponenti dell'informale italiano

Mass Quadrupole Spectrometry for Infrared Laser-Generated Plasmas Detection

A nanosecond pulsed Nd:YAG laser, operating at the fundamental wavelength of 1064 nm and at an intensity of about 10 10 W/cm 2 , was employed to irradiate the Cu 0.4 W 0.6 metallic alloy and the relative pure components (Cu and W) in vacuum to investigate about the ablation. Produced plasmas were characterized in terms of thermal and Coulomb interactions evaluating the equivalent temperatures and acceleration voltages developed in the non-equilibrium plasma core. The particles emission, produced along the normal to the target surface, was investigated by measuring, with the special electrostatic mass quadrupole spectrometer Hiden EQP 300, neutral and ion energy distributions and fitting experimental data with the "Coulomb-Boltzmann-shifted" function. Results indicated that the metal alloy stoichiometry, in a first approximation, is well transported to the ion and neutral stoichiometry of the plasma

Chemical and physical modifications of polyethylene containing nanostructures

The polyethylene is an interesting polymer with a good mechanical strength, ductility, biocompatibility and chemical inertia. It founds several applications in many fields, such as chemistry, engineering, bio-medicine and micro-electronics. The polyethylene chemical and physical properties can be modified embedding different nanostructures in its bulk. Carbon nanotubes, metallic oxides, coloured pigments and other species can be inserted at different concentrations in the polymer material during the preparation phase of thin films and sheets. Mechanical, optical, thermal and chemical properties can be modified significantly depending on the filler concentration. The absorption coefficient at different radiations can be controlled by the amount of doping structure. In the visible region, for example, the high transparency of pure polyethylene can be strongly reduced by low concentrations of carbon nanotubes. The colour, the mechanical resistance, the wet ability of the polyethylene and other parameters can be changed by the doping species in order to prepare special devices useful for many applications

Limited Predictive Utility of Admissions Scores and Objective Structured Clinical Examinations for APPE Performance

Objective. To examine the relationship between admissions, objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), and advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) scores

Comparação de maçã de cultivares mutantes de gala e de fuji quanto à maturação e qualidade na colheita e após a armazenagem.

Os cultivares de maçãs 'Gala' e 'Fuji' foram desenvolvidos por métodos convencionais de hibridação na década de 30 e, desde então, inúmeras variedades resultantes de mutações ocorridas naturalmente em macieiras desses cultivares têm sido identificadas (White, 1991)