1 research outputs found
Common Ivy (<i>Hedera Helix</i> L.) as a Novel Green Resource in an Urban Biorefinery Concept
Common ivy (CI) or Hedera Helix L.,
is a clinging
evergreen vine that can be cultivated on any vertical surface (walls,
fences, tree trunks, etc.). In Europe, CI has been recommended by
governments to plant in urban areas because it lowers urban heat island
effects and improves urban air quality. Regular trimmings of these
vertical greenery systems would be necessary, which would yield a
potentially interesting novel biomass resource for urban biorefinery
concepts. Furthermore, CI extracts contain pharmaceutically active
compounds (e.g., hederacoside C and α-hederin), which constitute
the active components of commercially available cough syrups. Moreover,
research on their suitability to treat (lung) inflammations and suppress
cancer tumor growth is ongoing and shows promise. CI extracts also
have demonstrated potential for their application in the agricultural
industry to serve as antifungal agents. Recently, postextracted residues
of CI have shown to be a promising feedstock for green fertilizer
production via slow pyrolysis. Moreover, a provisional sustainability
assessment indicated that the proposed process would be both carbon-
and energy-negative. Therefore, a novel circular biorefinery approach
is proposed, which entails the lifecycle of CI, from cultivation in
vertical ecosystems via refinery into bioproduct(s) and valuable nutrients,
and then back into soil