Net electricity and heat generated by reusing Mediterranean agro-industrial by-products

The necessity to investigate suitable alternatives to conventional fossil fuels has increased interest in several renewable energy resources, especially in biomasses that are widely available and make it possible to reach environmental and socio-economic improvements. Among solutions for bioenergy production, anaerobic digestion technology allows biogas production by reusing agricultural residues and agro-industrial by-products. By considering the basic concepts of the Biogasdoneright® method, the objective of this study was to estimate the theoretical potential net electricity and heat production from anaerobic digestion of citrus pulp and olive pomace highly available worldwide. A model was developed and applied in a study area of the Mediterranean basin, where the biogas sector is still very limited despite the importance of both agricultural and agro-industrial activities, especially with regard to citrus and olive cultivation processing. Firstly, the application of a geographical information system (GIS) software tool allowed the estimation of the biogas potentially produced from citrus pulp and olive pomace re-use. Then, the development of a technical assessment demonstrated that 15.9 GWh electricity and 88,000 GJ heat per year could be generated from these by-products, satisfying approximate 17% of the electricity demand of the agricultural sector of the study area (90.2 GWh y −1 ). The achieved results could be relevant with regard to the intervention priorities established by the European Union related to the planning activities supported by the European Structural and Investment Funds within the Smart Specialisation Strategy

Seleção de fungos produtores de β-D-frutosiltransferase por fermentação em estado sólido

A enzima β-D-frutosiltransferase é responsável pela síntese de FOS (frutooligossacarídeos) a partir de sacarose por reação de transfrutosilação é produzida por diferentes micro-organismos, principalmente por fungos filamentosos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi selecionar a melhor linhagem fúngica produtora da -D-frutosiltransferase por fermentação em estado sólido, bem como o método de extração. A fermentação em estado sólido utilizando o substrato farelo de trigo umedecido com solução de sacarose atingindo 70% de umidade na concentração de esporos de 107 no tempo de 96 horas de crescimento. Todas as linhagens manipuladas apresentaram atividade hidrolítica, no entanto apenas uma linhagem não demonstrou atividade transfrutosilação. O isolado SIS 14 que pertence ao gênero Aspergillus sp. destacou-se pelos maiores valores em atividade no método de extração utilizando água destilada, apresentando 300,90 U/mL na atividade de transfrutosilação e na atividade hidrolítica de 155,74 U/mL. Contudo, pode-se perceber que dos solventes estudados a água destilada foi melhor obtendo o valor em atividade de transfrutosilação, como também a linhagem SIS 14 é promissora para a produção da β-D-frutosiltransferase

Sustainable Promotion of Traditional Rural Buildings as Built Heritage Attractions: A Heritage Interpretation Methodology Applied in South Italy

The study describes the methodology implemented to include a rural cultural heritage attraction within an existing tourist route, i.e., the Sicilian Roads of Wine (“Strade del vino”). The aim was to promote a traditional rural building (TRB) as a tourist attraction and diversify rural tourism offerings. By promoting TRB and wine and food, the rural tourism sector offers a significant opportunity to achieve sustainable socio-economic development in rural areas, rural diversification, and landscape preservation. The inclusion of the TRB within the visitor route is based on a detailed heritage analysis approach as an operative process which could enable the comprehension and collective use of the cultural sites. The valorization of a traditional rural building with wine cellars and oil mills, located within the Chiaramonte Gulfi (RG) boundary, will be described. The objective is to make an architectural heritage building made with local materials and following the traditional Sicilian building techniques accessible to tourists. Special attention is paid to restore the building by respecting its identity and relevant building regulations and focusing on a complete, sustainable approach regarding social, environmental, and economic factors

Phytase production by Aspergillus niger var. phoenicis URM 4924 using cane molasses and rice brain

XI Reunião Regional Nordeste da SBBq | 4th International Symposium in Biochemistry of Macromolecules and BiotechnologyPhytase is a generic term used to describe an enzyme that hydrolyzes phosphomonoester bonds from phytic acid, thereby liberating inorganic phosphorous, consequently increasing the availability of phosphorous for the absorption. It is presumed to be plant storage form of phosphate which also happens to have considerable antinutritive effects for most animals. Phytate, a salt of phytic acid, is the major storage form of phosphorus in typical animal feedstuffs. The aim of this study was evaluate parameters of the medium, such as the concentrations of cane molasses and rice brain in the production of phytase by Aspergillus niger var. phoenicis URM 4924, using a factorial design. The experiments was carried out according to a 22 factorial design with four center points, which were studied at three levels, cane molasses concentration (1.0%, 1.5% and 2.0%) and the rice bran concentration (0.25%, 0.5% and 0.75%). Fermentations were carried out using 250 mL Erlenmeyer flasks, 30° C, 90 rpm, pH 4.0, with addiction of saline solution (gL-1: KCl 0.5; MgSO4.7H2O 1.5; CaCl2.2H2O 2,0) for 72 hours of production. Phytase activity was determined by quantification of the phosphate released from phytate during the enzymatic reaction using the method of ammonium molybdate. The best conditions for phytase production (12.69 U/mL) occurred using 0.75% of rice brain with 2.0% of cane molasses. These results demonstrate the potential of cane molasses and rice brain in submerged fermentation for the phytase production by A.CAPES and CNPqinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Efeito da salinidade sobre a atividade enzimática em solos de região semi-árida do Brasil.

A salinização do solo pode ocorrer por um processo natural ou ser induzida pelo homem (salinização secundária), devido às conseqüências do manejo impróprio da irrigação, má condição de drenagem ou má qualidade da água de irrigação. Estudos realizados no nordeste brasileiro demonstraram que o cultivo de Atriplex nummularia em áreas que receberam rejeito salino foi eficiente na retirada de sais do solo. Este estudo avaliou o efeito da fitorremediação por Atriplex nummularia Lindl, nas propriedades químicas e físicas e nos processos biológicos dos solos que receberam rejeito salino. O estudo foi conduzido em Petrolina, PE, Brasil. Quatro áreas foram identificadas e amostradas. Foram coletadas amostras de solo rizosférico em 15 plantas semelhantes, individuais, escolhidas ao acaso. Em laboratório, as amostras foram homogeneizadas secas ao ar e peneiradas em malha de 2mm. Em triplicata foram determinadas as atividades enzimáticas da ?-glucosidase, fosfatases ácida e alcalina, protease, L-glutaminase e L-asparaginase. Observou-se que o solo cultivado com Atriplex, sem irrigação, considerado como tratamento controle, de maneira geral, apresentou os valores mais altos para as atividades enzimáticas mensuradas, quando comparado aos demais tratamentos, com picos de inibição durante o período seco, quando espera-se que a atividade microbiana seja menor. Posteriormente, houve recuperação em todas as atividades, coincidindo com a estação chuvosa, quando em regra geral, a atividade microbiana é mais alta. No entanto, o solo natural sem irrigação, apresentou valores e comportamento diferenciado em relação ao cultivado com Atriplex, chegando a apresentar atividades mais baixas do que os solos que receberam irrigação com rejeito salino, em algumas atividades enzimáticas. Os solos irrigados com rejeito salino durante cinco anos consecutivos e cultivados com Atriplex, apresentaram picos de atividades no período seco, para quatro, das cinco atividades enzimáticas analisadas. Estes valores foram, porém, menores que os obtidos no tratamento controle. Conclui-se que apesar da aplicação do rejeito salino inibir as atividades enzimáticas, o cultivo da espécie Atriplex nummularia Lindl, foi eficiente em manter os níveis de atividade no mesmo patamar à do solo natural

Effect of phytoremediation with Atriplex nummularia in irrigated soils with saline waste.

In the semi-arid region of northeastern Brazil, the Atriplex plant genus has been efficient in removing salts from soils irrigated with saline wastewater. However, this removal might not be significant compared with the amount of salts added to the soil by the wastewater irrigation. Considering this aspect, the aim of this work was to evaluate the effectiveness of Atriplex nummularia Lindl plants in the remediation of a soil submitted to saline wastewater irrigation. Despite the known inhibition effect of saline wastewater on soil enzyme activity, the cultivation of Atriplex nummularia Lindl maintained the treated soil enzyme activity levels similar to the ones found in natural soils

Livestock Wastes Sustainable Use and Management: Assessment of Raw Sheep Wool Reuse and Valorization

Worldwide, around 998 million tons of agricultural waste are generated yearly, including livestock wastes, which create several critical environmental issues if not properly treated. In this study, a Geographical Information System (GIS)-based model to locate and quantify both the yearly amount of livestock waste, i.e., sheep wool, and the territorial distribution of sheep farms, was carried out and applied within the selected study area. The aim was to identify those territorial areas most suitable for localizing new shared wool collection centers to sustainably manage the reuse of this waste as potential green building material. Data related to both sheep farms and sheep number and the related sheep shared wool (SSW) yearly production were acquired and applied in GIS. By GIS-based model results, two collection centers have been identified within the provinces of Agrigento and Enna. Then, to develop a sustainable reuse in terms of reducing environmental impact due to the SSW logistics and supply phase, a possible third collection center was localized within the territorial area belonging to the province of Ragusa (south area of the Sicily). In this research, for the first time the issue above reported was addressed, by achieving results that contribute at developing an efficient collection chain for recovering and properly reusing SSW to respond adequately to a further industrial scale production

Spatial analysis to quantify and localise the residual cardoon stem fibres as potential bio-reinforcements for building materials

Today in Europe building-sector is responsible for the 50% of air pollution and for 70% of waste production. For this reason, researchers’ interest is focused on new eco-building materials that are sustainable, with low impact, renewable and recyclable. In this context, in the last few years, the use of cellulose-based fibres as potential reinforcements for bio-composite materials, instead of synthetic one, received worldwide growing attention. Among natural fibres, both cellulose and protein-based ones, in literature it was found that, due to its mechanical properties, artichoke fibre is suitable for this use. In this study, a Geographical Information System (GIS)–based model to locate and quantify the yearly amount of agricultural waste coming from Cynara cardunculus L. (CW) cultivation was put forward and was applied in a study area located in Southern Italy. As an additional protein-based fibre, sheep wool fibre was also taken into account due to the high presence of sheep. The estimated available amount of both considered fibres was reported in a GIS map in order to show their distribution at territorial level. The achieved results could represent basic information for both sustainable locating collection centre and analysing the environmental impact related to the logistics and supply phase

Kernel density estimation analyses based on a low power-global positioning system for monitoring environmental issues of grazing cattle

The use of wearable sensors that record animal activity in intensive livestock systems has become more and more frequent for both early detection of diseases and improving production quality. Their application may also be significant in extensive livestock systems, with infrequent farmer-to-animal contact. The pre-sent study aimed to prove the feasibility of a novel automatic sys- tem for locating and tracking cows in extensive livestock systems based on space-time data provided by a low-power global positioning system (LP-GPS). The information was used to study the pasture exploitation by the herd for modelling the environmental impacts of extensive livestock systems through geographical information systems (GIS). A customised device, placed within a rectangular PVC case compatible with the collar usually worn by animals, was equipped with an LP-GPS omnidirectional system, an integrated SigFox communication system, and a power supply. The experimental trial was conducted in an existing semi-natural pasture characterised by good pasture allowance and cultivated grazing areas. Ten cows were embedded with LP-GPS collars, and the data, i.e., geographical coordinates and the time intervals related to each cow detection, were recorded every 20 minutes. Data were collected through a specifically developed AppWeb to be further imported and elaborated by using a GIS software tool. In the GIS environment, the daily distances travelled by each cow were linked with heatmaps obtained by applying Kernel density estimation models from the points obtained from the LP-GPS col-lars. The study results made it possible to obtain information on some relevant aspects of livestock’s environmental issues. In detail, it was possible to acquire information on herd behaviour related to the use of the pasture, e.g., the area of the pasture most frequently used during the day, individual use of the pasture, and possible animal interactions. These results represent the first step towards further insights and research activities because monitoring of animal locations could reduce several environmental issues such as soil degradation and greenhouse emissions. r

Enhancing heat treatment efficacy for insect pest control: A case study of a CFD application to improve the design and structure of a flour mill

Heat treatment of the indoor environment of flour mills is an alternative technique to chemical fumigation for controlling insect pests. The aim of this research was to assess temperature distribution inside a flour mill during a heat treatment for insect pest control by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling and simulation. The model was validated by using the average values of experimental data acquired during a heat treatment carried out in a flour mill, which is representative of the building materials and techniques used in the milling industry of South Italy. Simulations were carried out in steady-state conditions, and simulated data were validated by the average values of air and wall temperature measurements. Since the modelled temperature distribution in the mill fit the real one with a good accuracy (maximum error equal to 2.57 °C), the CFD model was considered reliable to simulate other operating conditions. Since it was observed that the internal surface temperatures of the mill were much lower than the value required for the success of the heat treatment, equal to 45 °C, the CFD model could be used for improving the effectiveness of heat treatments in the flour mill. Application of the proposed CFD model in the simulation of specific interventions could be aimed at improving both building performance and fan heaters' localisatio,n in order to find the best configuration