Chemical characterization and surface properties of a new bioemulsifier produced by Pedobacter sp. strain MCC-Z

A novel biopolymer was described in the form of an extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) by Pedobacter sp.strain MCC-Z, a member of a bacterial genus not previously described as an emulsifier producer. Thenew biomolecule was extracted, purified and characterized, and its surface and emulsifying propertieswere evaluated. The purified bioemulsifier, named Pdb-Z, showed high emulsifying activity (E24% = 64%)and reduced the surface tension of water up to 41 mN/m with a critical micelle concentration value of2.6 mg/mL. The chemical characterization of Pdb-Z was performed using1H NMR, FT-IR, HPLC/MS/MS andGC/MS. Pdb-Z was found to contain 67% of carbohydrates, consisting mainly of galactose and minor quan-tities of talose, 30% of lipids, being pentadecanoic acid the major lipidic constituent, and 3% of proteins. Thebioemulsifier was a glycolipids-protein complex with an estimated molecular mass of 106Da. Further-more, Pdb-Z emulsified pure aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons as well as diesel more efficiently thancommercial synthetic surfactants, used for comparison. Our results suggest Pdb-Z has interesting prop-erties for applications in remediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated environments and bioremediation processes

Nonlinear optical properties of polymers containing a new azophenylbenzoxazole chromophore

The synthesis of the new highly extended chromophore 2-[4-(N,N-dihydroxyethylaminophenylazo)-phenyl]benzoxazole is described. Two polymers obtained by the polycondensation of this chromophore with propyloxyterephthalic acid and 2,4-tolylenediisocyanate and one obtained by the polycondensation of 2-[4-N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)aminophenyl]-6-nitro-benzoxazole with 2,4-tolylenediisocyanate have been prepared and characterized. The polymers are amorphous and exhibit good optical clarity, satisfactory thermal stability above the glass transition temperature and are soluble in common organic solvents. Second order nonlinear optical behavior of the polymers has been studied through measurement of the electrooptic coefficient on films poled between parallel electrodes. The maximum value measured for the electrooptic coefficient (r33) is 6.5 pm/V at an incident laser wavelength of 1.552 mm

Synthesis and electrooptic properties of side chain methacrylate polymers containing a new azophenylbenzoxazole chromophore

The synthesis and characterization of four methacrylate copolymers obtained by radical addition polymerization of methyl methacrylate as well as a new methacrylate azophenylbenzoxazole chromophore in percentages of 10, 30, 50, and 70% were explored. The copolymers were amorphous and showed glass-transition temperatures ranging from132 to 146 °C. High-quality polymer films were easily obtained by spin coating from N-methylpyrrolidone solutions. Polymer films spun cast on iridium tin oxide (ITO) substrates were used in the electro-optic (EO) experiments to evaluate the EO coefficients r33 using the reflection technique. The measured values fell in the range of 1.7–3.7 pm/V (laser incident wavelength of 1.552 mm) depending on the percentage of chromophore in the polymer

Synthesis and Electrooptic Properties of Side-Chain Methacrylate Polymers Containing a New Azophenylbenzoxazole Chromophore

The synthesis and characterization of four methacrylate copolymers ob- tained by radical addition polymerization of methyl methacrylate as well as a new methacrylate azophenylbenzoxazole chromophore in percentages of 10, 30, 50, and 70% were explored. The copolymers were amorphous and showed glass-transition temperatures ranging from 132 to 146 °C. High-quality polymer films were easily obtained by spin coating from N-methylpyrrolidone solutions. Polymer films spun cast on iridium tin oxide (ITO) substrates were used in the electro-optic (EO) experiments to evaluate the EO coefficients r33 using the reflection technique. The measured values fell in the range of 1.7–3.7 pm/V (laser incident wavelength of 1.552 microns) depending on the percentage of chromophore in the polymer

Nonlinear optical properties of polymers containing a new azophenylbenzoxazole chromophore

The synthesis of the new highly extended chromophore 2-[4-(N,N-dihydroxyethylaminophenylazo)-phenyl]benzoxazole is described. Two polymers obtained by the polycondensation of this chromophore with propyloxyterephthalic acid and 2,4-tolylenediisocyanate and one obtained by the polycondensation of 2-[4-N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)aminophenyl]-6-nitro-benzoxazole with 2,4-tolylenediisocyanate have been prepared and characterized. The polymers are amorphous and exhibit good optical clarity, satisfactory thermal stability above the glass transition temperature and are soluble in common organic solvents. Second order nonlinear optical behavior of the polymers has been studied through measurement of the electrooptic coeffcient on films poled between parallel electrodes. The maximum value measured for the electrooptic coefficient (r33) is 6.5 pm/V at an incident laser wavelength of 1.552 mm

The application of byproducts legislation in Italy as a strategic lever for the competitiveness of businesses: an evolving legal administrative scenario

In 2018 the Italian production of special waste amounted approximately to 143.5 Mt with an increase of 3.3% if compared to 2017 and disposal costs in the range of 160-240 €/ton, practically doubled within the last years. Many companies have therefore experienced increasing difficulties in waste managing because of both the increase in disposal costs and the collection timing required by sector operators. In order to make the production residues a new resource for other production activities, it is possible to qualify and manage the residues as by-products by creating paths of industrial symbiosis. Industrial symbiosis allows the transfer of resources (such as by-products and waste but also services and expertise) between two or more dissimilar industries and it represents a key to reduce their annual management costs achieving as well greater competitiveness. In addition to these advantages, there are environmental and social benefits that can have positive impacts not only on the individual companies involved but also on a territorial scale. The economic advantages can be more relevant where the industrial symbiosis approach takes place in a systematic way, against a specific project, allowing to obtain economic margins from the transfer of resources from one company to another. The main administrative legal instrument for the realization of industrial symbiosis is the by-product regulated in Italy by art. 184-bis of Legislative Decree 152/06 and subsequent amendments. Despite some steps forward to encourage and facilitate the use of by-products (Ministerial Decree of the Environment October 13, 2016, n.264, List of producers and users of by-products, List of by-products of the Emilia-Romagna Region), application difficulties persist in Italy, preventing a systematic and organic implementation of industrial symbiosis as a normal practice in the management of industrial production residues. The purpose of this work is to carry out an examination of the regulatory and application landscape of industrial symbiosis in Italy with particular reference to the regulation of the by-product, identifying some possible tools and measures to overcome the difficulties highlighted and to favor the use as by-products of production residues that meet specific criteria as required by current legislation