The greenBag, the New Solution in Waste Separation

The greenBag is an innovative households’ Used Cooking Oil (UCO) disposal solution aiming to allow the collection of this feedstock interesting European but also Chinese and US market. The possibility to collect UCO produced by households represents the possibilities to increase the amount of biodiesel, respecting the ILUC directive, of the 60%. So far, there are no concrete solutions able to properly respond to this need, due to their huge prizes and due to the low performances, they provide. greenBag is a solution coming from an intensive research activity completed by an infield validation. It has been designed to reply to all the requirements coming from families and from the waste management companies, the two actors involved in UCO disposal. Indeed, two different types of users in general, and in particular the UCO collection, characterize waste collection solutions: families - that want simple solutions, easy to use and able to reward them; waste collection companies – that want cheap solutions, able to trace waste disposals and able to assure them a high quality of wastes. The currently available market solutions are all focused on waste companies and the current innovative ideas designed by Universities and Startups focus their attention only on one of the two involved actors. greenBag is currently the sole solution that aims to satisfy both actors, exploiting the disposal traceability not only to know how many waste people produces but also to quantify their efforts and making them aware about the overall disposal process

the greenbag the new solution in waste separation

The greenBag is an innovative households' Used Cooking Oil (UCO) disposal solution aiming to allow the collection of this feedstock interesting European but also Chinese and US market. The possibility to collect UCO produced by households represents the possibilities to increase the amount of biodiesel, respecting the ILUC directive, of the 60%. So far, there are no concrete solutions able to properly respond to this need, due to their huge prizes and due to the low performances, they provide. greenBag is a solution coming from an intensive research activity completed by an infield validation. It has been designed to reply to all the requirements coming from families and from the waste management companies, the two actors involved in UCO disposal. Indeed, two different types of users in general, and in particular the UCO collection, characterize waste collection solutions: families - that want simple solutions, easy to use and able to reward them; waste collection companies – that want cheap solutions, able to trace waste disposals and able to assure them a high quality of wastes. The currently available market solutions are all focused on waste companies and the current innovative ideas designed by Universities and Startups focus their attention only on one of the two involved actors. greenBag is currently the sole solution that aims to satisfy both actors, exploiting the disposal traceability not only to know how many waste people produces but also to quantify their efforts and making them aware about the overall disposal process

Sensor array and gas chromatographic detection of the blood serum volatolomic signature of COVID-19

Volatolomics is gaining consideration as a viable approach to diagnose several diseases, and it also shows promising results to discriminate COVID-19 patients via breath analysis. This paper extends the study of the relationship between volatile compounds (VOCs) and COVID-19 to blood serum. Blood samples were collected from subjects recruited at the emergency department of a large public hospital. The VOCs were analyzed with a gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GC/MS). GC/MS data show that in more than 100 different VOCs, the pattern of abundances of 17 compounds identifies COVID-19 from non-COVID with an accuracy of 89% (sensitivity 94% and specificity 83%). GC/MS analysis was complemented by an array of gas sensors whose data achieved an accuracy of 89% (sensitivity 94% and specificity 80%)

Light-activated porphyrinoid-capped nanoparticles for gas sensing

The coupling of semiconductors with organic molecules results in a class of sensors whose chemoresistive properties are dictated by the nature of dyes. Organic molecules generally reduce conductivity, but in the case of optically active dyes, such as porphyrinoids, the conductivity is restored by illumination with visible light. In this paper, we investigated the gas sensing properties of ZnO nanoparticles coated with porphyrins and corroles. Under light illumination, the resistance of these materials increases with the adsorption of volatile compounds but decreases when these are strong electron donors. The behavior of these sensors can be explicated on the basis of the structural difference between free-base porphyrin and corrole, the influence of coordinated metal, and the corresponding electronic structures. These sensors are promising electronic noses that combine the selectivity to strong electron donors with the broad selectivity toward the other classes of chemicals. An efficient representation of the data of this peculiar array can be obtained by replacing the Euclidean distance with the angular distance. To this end, a recently introduced spherical principal component analysis algorithm is applied for the first time to gas sensor array data. Results show that a minimal gas sensor array (four elements) can produce a sort of chemotopic map, which enables us to cluster a very large class of pure chemical vapors. Furthermore, this map provides information about the composition of complex odor matrices, such as the headspaces of beef meat and their evolution over the time

Sviluppo di sistemi sensoriali per il monitoraggio della qualità dell'aria e per la sicurezza in ambienti esterni e confinati: i casi del CH4, CO2, CO

Questo lavoro di ricerca è mirato allo sviluppo di sistemi sensoriali per il monitoraggio della qualità dell'aria. Infatti quando si considera che il rischio di inquinamento può causare grossi problemi di salute anche in un breve periodo di tempo, si evince che il monitoraggio preciso di emissioni inquinanti risulta di fondamentale importanza per la sicurezza e la salute dell'uomo. Gli strumenti convenzionali di monitoraggio della qualità dell'aria non sono molto popolari a causa del fatto che essi risultano essere ingombranti e soprattutto molto costosi. Da qui la necessità di sviluppare un sistema sensoriale economico, compatto, affidabile e soprattutto accurato in grado di poter essere installato in qualunque abitazione ed in qualunque altro luogo ove ci sia bisogno di monitorare una determinata specie gassosa. Inoltre il crescente desiderio di vivere in un ambiente sicuro e confortevole spinge la ricerca verso lo sviluppo di sistemi sensoriali per il monitoraggio di gas tossici, esplosivi ed inquinanti sempre più performanti. In questo contesto vengono presentati due sistemi sensoriali per la rilevazione di gas: un sensore elettro-ottico ed un array capacitivo. Il principio di funzionamento del sensore elettro-ottico si basa sulla legge di Lambert Beer. Il sistema è costituito da un microriscaldatore su membrana (utilizzato come sorgente di radiazione infrarossa), da una cella multipasso (necessaria per aumentare il cammino ottico tra sorgente e rivelatore) e da un array di termopile con filtri ottici centrati nella regione di massimo assorbimento dei gas. Inoltre è stata sviluppata un’elettronica di condizionamento al fine di pilotare in regime sinusoidale il corpo nero ed un’elettronica di rivelazione per acquisire, amplificare, filtrare e visualizzare su un display grafico i segnali in uscita. I risultati sperimentali mostrano un limite di rivelazione di 100 ppm per il CH4, di 20 ppm per il CO ed inferiore a 50 ppm per la CO2. Il sensore chimico basato su un array di 300x256 micro-capacità è stato realizzato utilizzando un fingerprint sensor commerciale. Sulla superficie del sensore sono state depositate differenti metallo-porfirine; in questo modo i composti volatili presenti nell’ambiente circostante che interagiscono con il materiale sensibile possono essere rivelati dal dispositivo attraverso la misura della variazione della costante dielettrica delle celle che compongono l’array. La variazione della costante dielettrica relativa provoca una variazione della capacità di ogni elemento dell’array. Le misure preliminari hanno evidenziato un limite di rivelazione di 30 ppm per il CO. In questa tesi verranno descritte e commentate in dettaglio le caratteristiche di entrambi i sistemi, i risultati sperimentali ed i possibili sviluppi futuri.Due to the dramatic growth in industrial development and population, the natural atmospheric environment has become polluted. In fact, when the hazards of environmental pollution that can cause severe injury within a short time period is considered, the precise monitoring of pollutant emissions becomes rather important. Conventional instruments for monitoring the environment are not so popular because they are bulky, time consuming, and expensive. As a consequence, compact, robust, and inexpensive solid-state gas sensors are required as an effective alternative for environmental monitoring. In this work we present two systems suitable for the detection of volatile compounds: an electro-optical infrared sensor and a capacitive chemical sensor array. The working principle of the electro-optical system is based on the absorption of infrared energy by gas molecules at their characteristic absorption bands; the absorbance is proportional to the concentration according to Lambert-Beer law. The system comprises a micro-heater (used as an infrared source), a multipass cell (required to direct the radiation toward the detector), a thermopile array (detector) with three different filters centered on the absorption peaks of CH4, CO2, CO, and a reference filter. Furthermore, an electronic system has been developed to drive the micro-heater with a sine modulation and to acquire, amplify, filter, and show on a graphic display the output signal. The results show a limit of detection of 100 ppm for methane, 20 ppm for carbon monoxide and <50 ppm for carbon dioxide. The capacitive chemical sensor array is based on a commercial fingerprint detector. The device is an array of 300x256 micro-capacitors. Chemical sensors were made by deposition of different metallo-porphryins on the device surface. The volatile compounds present in the close environment and interacting with the sensing materials are detected through the measure of the dielectric constant variation of the cells composing the array. The variation of the relative dielectric constant causes the variation of the capacitance of each element. Tests were performed exposing the sensor to CO with a limit of detection of 30 ppm. In this thesis are described and commented with details the characteristics of both systems, the experimental results and the future developments

Sviluppo di sistemi sensoriali per il monitoraggio della qualità dell'aria e per la sicurezza in ambienti esterni e confinati: i casi del CH4, CO2, CO

Questo lavoro di ricerca è mirato allo sviluppo di sistemi sensoriali per il monitoraggio della qualità dell'aria. Infatti quando si considera che il rischio di inquinamento può causare grossi problemi di salute anche in un breve periodo di tempo, si evince che il monitoraggio preciso di emissioni inquinanti risulta di fondamentale importanza per la sicurezza e la salute dell'uomo. Gli strumenti convenzionali di monitoraggio della qualità dell'aria non sono molto popolari a causa del fatto che essi risultano essere ingombranti e soprattutto molto costosi. Da qui la necessità di sviluppare un sistema sensoriale economico, compatto, affidabile e soprattutto accurato in grado di poter essere installato in qualunque abitazione ed in qualunque altro luogo ove ci sia bisogno di monitorare una determinata specie gassosa. Inoltre il crescente desiderio di vivere in un ambiente sicuro e confortevole spinge la ricerca verso lo sviluppo di sistemi sensoriali per il monitoraggio di gas tossici, esplosivi ed inquinanti sempre più performanti. In questo contesto vengono presentati due sistemi sensoriali per la rilevazione di gas: un sensore elettro-ottico ed un array capacitivo. Il principio di funzionamento del sensore elettro-ottico si basa sulla legge di Lambert Beer. Il sistema è costituito da un microriscaldatore su membrana (utilizzato come sorgente di radiazione infrarossa), da una cella multipasso (necessaria per aumentare il cammino ottico tra sorgente e rivelatore) e da un array di termopile con filtri ottici centrati nella regione di massimo assorbimento dei gas. Inoltre è stata sviluppata un’elettronica di condizionamento al fine di pilotare in regime sinusoidale il corpo nero ed un’elettronica di rivelazione per acquisire, amplificare, filtrare e visualizzare su un display grafico i segnali in uscita. I risultati sperimentali mostrano un limite di rivelazione di 100 ppm per il CH4, di 20 ppm per il CO ed inferiore a 50 ppm per la CO2. Il sensore chimico basato su un array di 300x256 micro-capacità è stato realizzato utilizzando un fingerprint sensor commerciale. Sulla superficie del sensore sono state depositate differenti metallo-porfirine; in questo modo i composti volatili presenti nell’ambiente circostante che interagiscono con il materiale sensibile possono essere rivelati dal dispositivo attraverso la misura della variazione della costante dielettrica delle celle che compongono l’array. La variazione della costante dielettrica relativa provoca una variazione della capacità di ogni elemento dell’array. Le misure preliminari hanno evidenziato un limite di rivelazione di 30 ppm per il CO. In questa tesi verranno descritte e commentate in dettaglio le caratteristiche di entrambi i sistemi, i risultati sperimentali ed i possibili sviluppi futuri.Due to the dramatic growth in industrial development and population, the natural atmospheric environment has become polluted. In fact, when the hazards of environmental pollution that can cause severe injury within a short time period is considered, the precise monitoring of pollutant emissions becomes rather important. Conventional instruments for monitoring the environment are not so popular because they are bulky, time consuming, and expensive. As a consequence, compact, robust, and inexpensive solid-state gas sensors are required as an effective alternative for environmental monitoring. In this work we present two systems suitable for the detection of volatile compounds: an electro-optical infrared sensor and a capacitive chemical sensor array. The working principle of the electro-optical system is based on the absorption of infrared energy by gas molecules at their characteristic absorption bands; the absorbance is proportional to the concentration according to Lambert-Beer law. The system comprises a micro-heater (used as an infrared source), a multipass cell (required to direct the radiation toward the detector), a thermopile array (detector) with three different filters centered on the absorption peaks of CH4, CO2, CO, and a reference filter. Furthermore, an electronic system has been developed to drive the micro-heater with a sine modulation and to acquire, amplify, filter, and show on a graphic display the output signal. The results show a limit of detection of 100 ppm for methane, 20 ppm for carbon monoxide and <50 ppm for carbon dioxide. The capacitive chemical sensor array is based on a commercial fingerprint detector. The device is an array of 300x256 micro-capacitors. Chemical sensors were made by deposition of different metallo-porphryins on the device surface. The volatile compounds present in the close environment and interacting with the sensing materials are detected through the measure of the dielectric constant variation of the cells composing the array. The variation of the relative dielectric constant causes the variation of the capacitance of each element. Tests were performed exposing the sensor to CO with a limit of detection of 30 ppm. In this thesis are described and commented with details the characteristics of both systems, the experimental results and the future developments

An Exploration of the Metal Dependent Selectivity of a Metalloporphyrins Coated Quartz Microbalances Array

Several studies in the last two decades have demonstrated that metalloporphyrins coated quartz microbalances can be fruitfully used in many diverse applications, spanning from medical diagnosis to environmental control. This large versatility is due to the combination of the flexibility of metalloporphyrins molecular design with the independence of the quartz microbalance signal from the interaction mechanisms. The nature of the metal atom in the metalloporphyrins is often indicated as one of the most effective tools to design differently selective sensors. However, the properties of sensors are also strongly affected by the characteristics of the transducer. In this paper, the role of the metal atom is investigated studying the response, to various volatile compounds, of six quartz microbalance sensors that are based on the same porphyrin but with different metals. Results show that, since quartz microbalances (QMB) transducers can sense all the interactions between porphyrin and volatile compounds, the metal ion does not completely determine the sensor behaviour. Rather, the sensors based on the same molecular ring but with different metal ions show a non-negligible common behaviour. However, even if limited, the different metals still confer peculiar properties to the sensors and might drive the sensor array identification of the pool of tested volatile compounds

Sensors for Lung Cancer Diagnosis

The positive outcome of lung cancer treatment is strongly related to the earliness of the diagnosis. Thus, there is a strong requirement for technologies that could provide an early detection of cancer. The concept of early diagnosis is immediately extended to large population screening, and then, it is strongly related to non-invasiveness and low cost. Sensor technology takes advantage of the microelectronics revolution, and then, it promises to develop devices sufficiently sensitive to detect lung cancer biomarkers. A number of biosensors for the detection of cancer-related proteins have been demonstrated in recent years. At the same time, the interest is growing towards the analysis of volatile metabolites that could be measured directly from the breath. In this paper, a review of the state-of-the-art of biosensors and volatile compound sensors is presented

An exploration of the metal dependent selectivity of a metalloporphyrins coated quartz microbalances array

Several studies in the last two decades have demonstrated that metalloporphyrins coated quartz microbalances can be fruitfully used in many diverse applications, spanning from medical diagnosis to environmental control. This large versatility is due to the combination of the flexibility of metalloporphyrins molecular design with the independence of the quartz microbalance signal from the interaction mechanisms. The nature of the metal atom in the metalloporphyrins is often indicated as one of the most effective tools to design differently selective sensors. However, the properties of sensors are also strongly affected by the characteristics of the transducer. In this paper, the role of the metal atom is investigated studying the response, to various volatile compounds, of six quartz microbalance sensors that are based on the same porphyrin but with different metals. Results show that, since quartz microbalances (QMB) transducers can sense all the interactions between porphyrin and volatile compounds, the metal ion does not completely determine the sensor behaviour. Rather, the sensors based on the same molecular ring but with different metal ions show a non negligible common behaviour. However, even if limited, the different metals still confer peculiar properties to the sensors and might drive the sensor array identification of the pool of tested volatile compounds. © 2016 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

The Design of an Energy Harvesting Wireless Sensor Node for Tracking Pink Iguanas

The design of wireless sensor nodes for animal tracking is a multidisciplinary activity that presents several research challenges both from a technical and a biological point of view. A monitoring device has to be designed accounting for all system requirements including the specific characteristics of animals and environment. In this work we present some aspects of the design of a wireless sensor node to track and monitor the pink iguana of the Gal&#225;pagos: a recently discovered species living in remote locations at the Gal&#225;pagos Islands. The few individuals of this species live in a relatively small area that lacks of any available communication infrastructure. We present and discuss the energy harvesting architecture and the related energy management logic. We also discuss the impact of packaging on the sensor performance and the consequences of the limited available energy on the GPS tracking