Identification of most relevant variables and processes to assess the environmental impacts of remediation technologies along their life cycles: Focus on the waste management scenarios

The application of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to remediation technologies is still not a consolidated practice and it is especially lacking in the assessment of the environmental impacts associated to the management of the waste produced during remediation. This study aims at addressing these methodological gaps by identifying the typologies of waste typically generated during the remediation of a contaminated site and classifying them according to the European Waste Catalogue (EWC) codes. Thereafter, the following steps are: (i) the identification of the waste management scenarios (WMSs) applicable to the identified waste typologies, (ii) the selection of Life Cycle Assessment processes that can be used to assess the impacts of the different WMSs and (iii) the quantification and comparison of the environmental impacts caused by the different WMSs applied considering hazardousness levels to which the same waste may belong in relation to its contamination levels and characteristics: inert, non-hazardous and hazardous waste (Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC). As results, a matrix reporting the classes and typologies of waste, their EWC codes, their different WMSs and the suitable LCA processes from the Ecoinvent database that can be applied to each EWC within a specific WMS, has been developed. Additionally, the comparative assessment of the impacts caused by the Ecoinvent processes applicable to the same waste typology within the same WMS has been performed to support the selection of the most appropriate WMS case by case

Valorisation of Ginger and Turmeric Peels as Source of Natural Antioxidants

The antioxidant activity of ginger and turmeric powders derived from freeze-dried rhizomes and peels as well as commercial spices has been evaluated by two spectrophotometric assays based on electron transfer such as DPPH and FRAP. The phenolic characterization has been also carried out by detecting total polyphenols through Folin-Ciocalteu method and HPLC analyzing 6-gingerol and curcumin. Ginger and turmeric peels showed greater antioxidant activity than commercial powders because of their higher phenolic yields. Hence, ginger and turmeric peels can be considered a rich source of phytochemicals which contribute to the antioxidant effects of these agro-food wastes

Evaluation of the antioxidant activity and oxidative stability in ginger- and turmeric-enriched soybean oils

The food industry is currently moving towards replacing synthetic additives such as TBHQ, BHA, and BHT with natural antioxidants to prevent the lipid oxidation in oils and fats. In this study, the commercial and freeze-dried powders of ginger and turmeric rhizomes and peels were added to the soybean oil at the concentration of 10% (w/w). After that, the exhaustive powders were subjected to other two recovery cycles. The antioxidant activity and oxidative stability of ginger- and turmeric-enriched soybean oils were evaluated respectively by spectrophotometric and RANCIMAT methods. The phenolic characterization has been also carried out by detecting total polyphenols through Folin-Ciocalteu assay and HPLC analysing 6-gingerol, 6-shogaol and curcumin. Based on the correlation studies, the antioxidant activity as well as oxidative stability, which non-linearly decreased over cycles, linearly increased with increasing phenolic contents. The soybean oils containing freeze-dried peels achieved the best antioxidant results as a consequence of their enrichment in 6-gingerol and curcumin, the main bioactive compounds of respectively ginger and turmeric. Hence, ginger and turmeric can be proposed as a valid source of natural antioxidants for extending the shelf-life of oils and fats. Moreover, the valorisation of peels is useful to convert these agricultural wastes into value-added products

Water extraction: an ecofriendly strategy to recover antioxidants from ginger and turmeric peels

Messa a punto di un processo di estrazione in acqua per recuperare antiossidanti dalle bucce di zenzero e curcum

Evaluation of physical and antioxidant properties of O/W emulsions based on turmeric-enriched soybean oil and carrot juice

Le emulsioni alimentari rappresentano valide strategie per arricchire la dieta con molecole bioattive. Il presente lavoro si \ue8 focalizzato sulla valutazione delle propriet\ue0 fisico-chimiche e antiossidanti di emulsioni O/A a base di olio di soia alla curcuma e succo di carota in presenza di emulsionanti e/o addensanti e/o acidulanti

Analysis of multichannel EEG synchronization before and during generalized epileptic seizures

The genesis of seizures in idiopatic generalized epilepsy (IGE) is investigated in a population of 10 patients (5 affected by Juvenile Absence Epilepsy, or JAE, and 5 affected by Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy, or JME). Aim of the study is the identification of a talamic or cortical origin of the paroxistic activity. The mutual synchronization among EEG channels was evaluated trough the cross conditional corrected entropy (CCCE) calculated on the row signals and after the application of the Laplacian operator. In JAE patients a leading role of the left frontal lobe was put into evidence in correspondence of the seizure, while in JME patients a leading electrode was not identified, suggesting a possible talamic origin of the seizure

Laboratory diagnosis of renal failure: urine conductivity and tubular function.

AIM: Conductivity is a measure of a material's ability to conduct an electric current and it works thanks to movable charges. Conductivity in urine is directly proportional to ionic contents. The aim of this study was to evaluate the significance of urine conductivity by using the Sismex UF-100 analyser in correlations with other surrogate parameters of osmolality and renal diuresis, relative density, electrolytes and creatinine concentration. METHODS: For this study 140 urine samples were submitted for diagnostic urinalysis to the Clinical Pathology laboratory. Samples were collected from 70 healthy subjects, 42 diabetics with poor metabolic control and significant glicosuria, 28 patients with monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain significance, with significant proteinuria. All the samples were assessed for conductivity (UF-100 Sysmex), relative density (refract meter Zeiss), sodium, potassium, chlorine, creatinine, urea, glucose, protein (Olympus AU-2700). RESULTS: Urine conductivity appears to be related to ionic concentration but not to glucose and/or protein presence. CONCLUSIONS: This study results suggest that conductivity determination should be useful in diabetic patients to study the tubular function minimising interferences due to osmotic action of glucose

Stress hormones liberated by fangotherapy. ACTH and beta-endorphin levels under heat stress.

In 6 healthy subjects submitted to fango therapy in the Euganean thermal baths (Italy), the plasma concentrations of beta-endorphin and ACTH increased transitorily but significantly. These results correlate with the release of these peptides by the pituitary in response to thermal stressing. The analgesic and hypothermic action responsible for good toleration of thermal stress induced by fango therapy, can be explained by this increase in plasma beta-endorphin. The repeated brief increases in plasma beta-endorphin during thermal treatment result in progressive improvement in articular and muscular symptomatology. The results of our study on plasma levels of ACTH confirm that the thermal stress associated with fango therapy activates the pituitary gland. Immunomodulatory effects are discussed