A PREDICTIVE OPERATING CONTROL SYSTEM BASED ON DATA DRIVEN BAYESIAN NETWORKS

This paper reports a first step towards the implementation of a digital twin of an upper tier Seveso plant, which can predict the behavior of the system (failures, risks, malfunctions, errors) in order to operate effectively in safety. The system, based on machine learning algorithms and Bayesian reasoning, learns continuously from the data provided by the physical system. From the operational experience of the coastal storage facility, it is clear how most of the accidental events are due to a wrong arrangement of the valves, to abnormal transfer pressures, to pump failures and pipe deterioration. This paper is focused on building an operational management system, based on the operational instruction, suitable to predict operational errors and accordingly avoiding them and thus protecting asset integrity and improve aging management

Inherent Safety Development Applied to Green Processes and Energy Transition

Agri-food wastes are annually generated in huge amounts along the whole supply chain and are distinguished for their high moisture content, biological instability, organic load, and potential environmental impact, contributing to climate changes. For these reasons, agri-food waste reuse and recycle are highlighted by EU within a broader biorefinery concept. In this context, spent coffee grounds (SCGs) represent a promising source of high-added value compounds due to their appreciable amounts of polyphenols, caffeine, and lipids, which can be recovered to find applications in several industrial fields. Nevertheless, the unit operation of solid-liquid extraction, can be carried out by several alternative methods and solvents under different operating conditions. Green extraction processes can be seen as an alternative to conventional solvent extraction, but may entail new threats that require further investigation, since the equivalence between green and safer must not be taken for granted. Each option inevitably comprises several hazards, including fire and explosion to be “aprioristically” considered at the initial design stages. This work focuses on the implementation of specific inherent safety indexes to compare SCGs treatments alternatives for designing intrinsically safer plants and contributing to a more aware transition to green processes

Zein and Spent Coffee Grounds Extract as a Green Combination for Sustainable Food Active Packaging Production: An Investigation on the Effects of the Production Processes

In this work, the effect of different production techniques was evaluated on the physical and antioxidant properties of bio-based packaging intended to prevent the premature oxidation of packaged foods. Spent coffee ground extract, rich in antioxidant molecules, obtained through high pressure and temperature extraction, was loaded on zein polymeric matrices. The techniques adopted in this work are particularly suitable due to their mild conditions to produce active packaging completely based on natural compounds: electrospinning, solvent casting, and spin coating. The novelty of this work lay in the investigation of the dependance of the properties of active packaging on the adopted production techniques; the results clearly indicated a strong dependence of the features of the films obtained by different production processes. Indeed, spin coated samples exhibited the best oxygen barrier properties, while a higher tensile strength was obtained for the casted samples, and the fastest release of active compounds was provided by electrospun mats. The films produced with different methods had different physical properties and the release of extract bioactive compounds can be tunable by varying the production technique, dependent on the variable to be considered. The products developed offer an alternative to traditional packaging solutions, being more eco-sustainable and promoting waste valorization

Integrated Risk Assessment of a Dangerous Goods Container Terminal. a Bow-tie Approach

Global trade continues to grow, with an increasing movement of dangerous goods in the supply chain, causing safety concerns. As a significant hub for dangerous goods transport in the Mediterranean region, Genoa Port possibly will develop new container terminals to accommodate the growing load. The proximity of the port to residential areas to the highway and the airport imposes a significant responsibility to assess operational risks and mitigate potential catastrophic events. This study focused on preliminary operational risk assessment using statistical analysis and the Bow-Tie method, which involved analysing the IMO classes to be handled in the terminal as well as accident scenarios based on the most hazardous materials associated with the IMO classes. Due to the increasing effects of climate changes, digitalization and energy transition, potentially adding further hazards during operations, a benchmark needs to be developed, also in view of future applications relying on additional smart and data-driven tools/technologies and statistically significant dataset. The findings of this study can be beneficial for the designing stage of the container terminal, regulatory authorities, stakeholders involved in the transportation and HazMat storage

A Biorefinery from Spent Coffee Grounds: from High-added Value Compounds to Energy by Innovative Processes

Turning waste into a resource is one of the main aims in circular economy systems. The European Union is strongly promoting innovation in recycling and reuse to reduce waste generation and encouraging the transformation of waste into a major, reliable source of raw materials, to recover energy only from non-recyclable materials, and virtually to eliminate landfilling. In this work, Coffea canephora spent coffee grounds were proposed as raw material for a biorefinery involving green processes and innovative solvents, and the effect of pre-treatments on materials destined to energy production was evaluated

Industrial waste-an economical approach for adsorption of heavy metals from ground water

A by product from steel industry mainly known as blastfurnace slag is a waste product which was tested for the removal of As(III),from ground water. Steel slag is a commercial waste material mainly consistingof SiO2, Al2O3and CaO, the former twochemicals being major components of zeolites and the latter a major componentof Hydroxyapatite (HAP). Arsenic is highly toxic, mobile and predominantspecies present in groundwater. Batch experiment was performed to determine thefeasibility of steel industry waste as an adsorbent for treatment of heavymetal present in ground water at a wide range of pH 3-12. The results suggestthat steel slag is a suitable candidate for As(V) remediation and economicallyviable to apply in the areas where cost of a purification process is high

Innovative Treatment of Digestate and Biogas Upgrade Using Chlorella Vulgaris

In the era of energy transition, the research efforts are devoted to find sustainable solutions to enable the transition to a decarbonised energy and production system, by renewable energy sources promoting products circularity, green technologies and safer processes. Anaerobic digestion is a bioprocess involving organic substrate breakdown by various microbial species in the oxygen absence. It yields two valuable products: digestate and biogas. Digestate can be used as fertilizer after stabilization and reduction of its polluting load. Through an upgrading process, biogas can be converted into biomethane, a widely utilized resource in energy and transportation. In this study, a non-conventional method has been investigated to achieve simultaneous biomethane production and reduction of digestate polluting power using Chlorella vulgaris, resulting in two valuable products. A 6-liter anaerobic digester was fed with simulated municipal organic waste every 3 days. Biogas was fed into a photobioreactor, where C. vulgaris was cultivated under mixotrophic conditions, utilizing CO2 from biogas as a carbon source. Biogas was converted into biomethane with over 90% methane content, while digestate was treated in the same photobioreactor, reducing its chemical oxygen demand (COD) by up to 80%. Using CO2 from biogas, maximum cell concentration of 1.332 g/L, maximum specific growth rate of 0.091 day-1 and biomass productivity of 0.057 gBS/L d were obtained at 70 µmol/m2 s. Biogas was analyzed by gas chromatography, and digestate was assessed for suspended solids, total solids, and COD. After cultivation, biomass was harvested, dehydrated, and characterized for total lipids and calorific value. Combining both approaches transforms waste into valuable biomethane and microalgal biomass, supporting the zero-waste objective

A Dynamic Approach to Natech Risk Assessment Applied to an LPG Storage Facility in a Landslides Sensitive Italian Area

Due to the climate change, extreme weather phenomena are becoming increasingly intense and occur with higher frequencies, even in unusual areas. Nevertheless, historical data showed as Natech accidents can be triggered not only by natural disasters, like earthquakes or tornadoes, but even by natural phenomena that are considered of minor importance, such as rain and lightning. Only recently, the Natech issue has gained a great deal of attention, but there is still a lack of consolidated Natech risk-analysis methodologies and tools. The focus of this work is to include natural hazards into a dynamic risk assessment system beside the typical parameters of process risks. In Italy, rainfall represents the most common triggering factor for landslides. Generally, the determination of trigger and propagation can rely on physically-based approaches, which require the calibration of many parameters and are often difficult to apply, or on empirical correlations between rainfall and landslide built from historical data. On the other hand, by using a data driven approach, available data can be exploited to define the system state over time, anticipate the systems outcome, support decision-making, and adopt the most appropriate adjustments, allowing to enhance system resilience and knowledge. The actual capability of the proposed approach was evaluated on a simple case-study represented by an LPG storage facility located in landslides sensitive zone of Liguria Region

miRNAs as candidate biomarker for the accurate detection of atypical endometrial hyperplasia/endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic malignancy in developed countries. Estrogen-dependent tumors (type I, endometrioid) account for 80% of cases and non-estrogen-dependent (type II, non-endometrioid) account for the rest. Endometrial cancer type I is generally thought to develop via precursor lesions along with the increasing accumulation of molecular genetic alterations. Endometrial hyperplasia with atypia/Endometrial Intraepithelial Neoplasia is the least common type of hyperplasia but it is the type most likely to progress to type I cancer, whereas endometrial hyperplasia without atypia rarely progresses to carcinoma. MicroRNAs are a class of small, non-coding, single-stranded RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression mainly binding to 3'-untranslated region of target mRNAs. In the current study, we identified a microRNAs signature (miR-205, miR-146a, miR-1260b) able to discriminate between atypical and typical endometrial hyperplasia in two independent cohorts of patients. The identification of molecular markers that can distinguish between these two distinct pathological conditions is considered to be highly useful for the clinical management of patients because hyperplasia with an atypical change is associated with a higher risk of developing cancer. We show that the combination of miR-205, -146a, and -1260b has the best predictive power in discriminating these two conditions (>90%). With the aim to find a biological role for these three microRNAs, we focused our attention on a common putative target involved in endometrial carcinogenesis: the oncosuppressor gene SMAD4. We showed that miRs-146a, -205, and-1260b directly target SMAD4 and their enforced expression induced proliferation and migration of Endometrioid Cancer derived cell lines, Hec1 a cells. These data suggest that microRNAs-mediated impairment of the TGF-beta pathway, due to inhibition of its effector molecule SMAD4, is a relevant molecular alteration in endometrial carcinoma development. Our findings show a potential diagnostic role of this microRNAs signature for the accurate diagnosis of Endometrial hyperplasia with atypia/Endometrial Intraepithelial Neoplasia and improve the understanding of their pivotal role in SMAD4 regulation

Recupero di antiossidanti da Arthrospira platensis. Estrazione di polifenoli mediante alte pressioni e temperature e successiva purificazione

Nel presente lavoro \ue8 stata confermata la capacit\ue0 di A. platensis di crescere in presenza di intenso stress ossidativo indotto da UV e TiO2. L\u2019induzione di stress ossidativo, oltre a modificare la composizione fenolica, induce il cianobatterio a rilasciare polifenoli nelterreno di crescita.Le prove di coagulazione delle proteine ed estrazione con acetato di etile dell\u2019estratto portano ad un campione contenente una frazione fenolica pi\uf9 concentrata