Transformation of Eggshells, Spent Coffee Grounds, and Brown Onion Skins into Value-Added Products

Unlike other wastes from the agri-food industry (straw, corn, cob, stalks, seeds, husks) widely used in biorefineries as feedstock for the production of high-value products (chemicals, biofuels and bioenergy), eggshells, spent coffee grounds, and brown onion skins have not yet found a suitable place in sustainable production, but are mainly landfilled burdening the environment. This paper aims to point out the great potential of eggshells, spent coffee grounds, and brown onion skins as secondary raw materials in sustainable development, with minimal production of waste streams

Transformation of Eggshells, Spent Coffee Grounds, and Brown Onion Skins into Value-Added Products

Unlike other wastes from the agri-food industry (straw, corn, cob, stalks, seeds, husks) widely used in biorefineries as feedstock for the production of high-value products (chemicals, biofuels and bioenergy), eggshells, spent coffee grounds, and brown onion skins have not yet found a suitable place in sustainable production, but are mainly landfilled burdening the environment. This paper aims to point out the great potential of eggshells, spent coffee grounds, and brown onion skins as secondary raw materials in sustainable development, with minimal production of waste streams

Polyphenolic content, antioxidant activity and metal composition of traditional blackberry products

In this study, commercially available traditional blackberry products, namely blackberry wines and blackberry elixirs from Coastal Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, were investigated as sources of bioactive compounds, essential nutrients and metals. Samples were analysed for pH, total polyphenols and monomeric anthocyanins content, individual phenolic acids (gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid and p-coumaric acid), antioxidant activity (DPPH and ABTS), reducing power (RPA), total nitrogen and phosphorus as well as metals (K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Co, Cr, Cd). The results of this study showed that the studied traditional blackberry products are rich sources of polyphenols and their consumption could increase the daily intake of dietary antioxidants in humans. In addition, both groups of traditional blackberry products could be considered safe for health and good additional sources of essential minerals such as manganese and potassium. The concentrations of the analysed undesirable toxic and potentially toxic metals in the studied blackberry products were below the maximum allowable concentrations defined by various regulations for wines and fruit wines

Valorisation of Waste Wood Biomass as Biosorbent for the Removal of Synthetic Dye Methylene Blue from Aqueous Solutions

Background and Purpose: Wood and wood processing industries are generators of a substantial amount of waste wood biomass, such as wood chips, shavings and sawdust. Such waste is often unused and its disposal can be a serious environmental problem. Different lignocellulosic waste materials have been successfully used as low-cost adsorbents (biosorbents) for the removal of synthetic dyes, as well as other contaminants, from wastewater. The aim of this study was to valorise the waste wood biomass of ten tree species, out of which seven are the most represented species of the Croatian growing stock, as biosorbents for the removal of synthetic dye methylene blue (MB) from model solutions. Materials and Methods: The waste wood biomasses (shavings or sawdust) of ten tree species, namely common beech, pedunculate oak, sessile oak, common hornbeam, narrow-leafed ash, poplar, European silver fir, Norway spruce, European larch and Douglas fir, were dried and milled prior to characterisation and adsorption experiments. Characterisation of the biosorbents was performed by chemical analysis and Fourier transform Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Upon characterisation, batch adsorption experiments were conducted in order to survey waste wood biomass as potential adsorbents for the removal of synthetic dye MB. The colour removal was monitored spectrophotometrically at predetermined time intervals. Further adsorption experiments were performed using poplar sawdust. The effects of contact time, biosorbent concentration, initial dye concentration, and pH on the adsorption process were investigated. The experimental data obtained by batch adsorption experiments were analysed using adsorption isotherm models (Freundlich and Langmuir). Results: All the tested biosorbents were found to be very effective for the removal of MB from model dye solution, achieving high removal percentages ranging from 93.25 to 98.50%. Poplar sawdust proved to be the most effective. It was shown that MB adsorption process onto poplar sawdust could be interpreted in terms of Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models. Conclusions: Taken together, these results suggest that waste wood biomass has the potential to be used as a low-cost biosorbent for MB removal from aqueous solutions

REMEDIJACIJA POLJOPRIVREDNOGA ZEMLJIŠTA ONEČIŠĆENOG TEŠKIM METALIMA

The presence of heavy metals in an agricultural land is the primary cause of food product toxicity of a herbal and animal origin associated with a contaminated agricultural land. The anthropogenic sources of pollution, especially the fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture, are the primary sources of agricultural land contamination with heavy metals. The heavy metals whose monitoring is prescribed by the current legislation of the Republic of Croatia include cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn). The aim of this paper is to provide a review of heavy metals that cause contamination of an agricultural land, as well as a review of remediation technologies applied to reduce contamination. Furthermore, the paper considers three groups of remediation technologies, i.e., the biological, chemical, and physical ones, analyzing the applicability, efficiency, cost-effectiveness and accessibility in Croatia to encourage their wider implementation. The biological remediation technologies, also known as phytoremediation, met the set criteria the most, which currently renders them most applicable to the mildly‐ and moderately‐contaminated agricultural land. The chemical and physical remediation technologies are generally more suitable for the remediation of a severely contaminated agricultural land, applied individually or in combination with the phytoremediation methods due to the high cost.Prisutnost teških metala na poljoprivrednome zemljištu primarni je uzrok toksičnosti prehrambenih proizvoda biljnoga i životinjskog podrijetla povezanih s onečišćenim poljoprivrednim zemljištem. Antropogeni izvori onečišćenja, posebno primjena umjetnih gnojiva i pesticida u ratarstvu, primarni su izvor onečišćenja poljoprivrednoga zemljišta teškim metalima. Teški metali čije je praćenje (monitoring) propisano važećom zakonskom regulativom Republike Hrvatske uključuju kadmij (Cd), krom (Cr), bakar (Cu), živu (Hg), nikal (Ni), olovo (Pb) i cink (Zn). Cilj rada bio je dati pregled teških metala koji uzrokuju onečišćenje poljoprivrednoga zemljišta, kao i remedijacijskih tehnologija koje se primjenjuju za smanjenje onečišćenja. U radu su razmatrane tri skupine remedijacijskih tehnologija, biološke, kemijske i fizikalne, i to sa stajališta primjenjivosti, učinkovitosti i ekonomičnosti te sa stajališta društvene prihvatljivosti i dostupnosti u Hrvatskoj, kako bi se potaknula njihova šira implementacija. Biološke remedijacijske tehnologije, poglavito fitoremedijacija, najbolje su zadovoljile postavljene kriterije, što ih trenutačno čini najprimjenjivijima za nisko i umjereno onečišćena poljoprivredna zemljišta. Kemijske i fizikalne remedijacijske tehnologije općenito su pogodnije za remedijaciju teže onečišćenoga poljoprivrednog zemljišta, primijenjene samostalno ili u kombinaciji s metodama fitoremedijacije zbog visokih troškova

REINVENTING THE TRADITIONAL PRODUCTS - THE CASE OF BLACKBERRY WINE

Blackberry wine is traditionally produced in the continental parts of Croatia and consumed in moderate quantities as a dessert wine. It is often used as a popular remedy for anaemia and iron deficiency, as well as for alleviating sleep disorders, because of its mineral composition comprising among other elements, iron and magnesium. Besides minerals, blackberry wine is a good natural source of strong antioxidants, such as phenolic acids, anthocyanins, flavonols, catechins and other flavonoids. For a long time, fruit wines in Croatia were mainly produced by traditional methods in small scale. Therefore, the wines were of inconsistent characteristics and often lower quality. Small and medium scale producers are now implementing the more appropriate modern production technologies to achieve good fermentation control and produce high-quality blackberry wine. Consumers are looking for a fruit wine with traditional, geographically unique characteristics, as well as appropriate enological properties, sensory attributes and high added value (e.g. wine rich in bioactive compounds). This is in accordance with the trends in the food industry and food markets (functional, organic) that are geared towards the development of new products with the high added value associated with health or well-being of environment and society. This work aims at reinventing the traditional product blackberry wine, through the prism of claims and requirements for functional and organic foods

Chemical Constituents of Fruit Wines as Descriptors of their Nutritional, Sensorial and Health-Related Properties

Functional foods are foods that provide positive health effects apart from the provision of essential nutrients. Along with nutraceuticals, they represent the top trends in the food industry. Fruit wines are considered functional foods. When assessing the fruit wine quality, a wide range of descriptors are taken into consideration, namely physicochemical and sensorial properties of fruit wine. Furthermore, within the context of the new food products development (e.g. functional products), functional properties of fruit wines are also taken into consideration. Functional properties are determined by the content of the biologically active components, such as polyphenols, vitamins and micro- and macrominerals. It is also important to consider the food-safety issues regarding the fruit wines consummation, that is, the presence of pesticides, mycotoxins and biogenic amines in different fruit wines. This chapter aims to give an overview of various factors used to evaluate the quality and the functional properties of fruit wines

Lignocellulosic Materials as Dye Adsorbents: Adsorption of Methylene Blue and Congo Red on Brewers’ Spent Grain

Brewers’ spent grain (BSG), a lignocellulosic waste material, was evaluated as a low-cost adsorbent for the removal of synthetic dyes methylene blue (MB) and Congo red (CR) from aqueous solutions in a batch process. Characterisation of the BSG was performed by chemical analysis, FTIR and SEM. The effects of contact time, initial dye concentration, adsorbent particle size, adsorbent concentration and pH on the adsorption process were investigated. High removal of both dyes ranging from 70 to over 90 % was achieved. It was shown that in both cases (MB and CR adsorption) the process could be interpreted in terms of Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. The kinetics of the adsorption process was well described by the pseudo-second-order model. The results indicated the potential use of BSG as a low-cost adsorbent for MB and CR dye removal from aqueous solutions. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

REINVENTING THE TRADITIONAL PRODUCTS - THE CASE OF BLACKBERRY WINE

Blackberry wine is traditionally produced in the continental parts of Croatia and consumed in moderate quantities as a dessert wine. It is often used as a popular remedy for anaemia and iron deficiency, as well as for alleviating sleep disorders, because of its mineral composition comprising among other elements, iron and magnesium. Besides minerals, blackberry wine is a good natural source of strong antioxidants, such as phenolic acids, anthocyanins, flavonols, catechins and other flavonoids. For a long time, fruit wines in Croatia were mainly produced by traditional methods in small scale. Therefore, the wines were of inconsistent characteristics and often lower quality. Small and medium scale producers are now implementing the more appropriate modern production technologies to achieve good fermentation control and produce high-quality blackberry wine. Consumers are looking for a fruit wine with traditional, geographically unique characteristics, as well as appropriate enological properties, sensory attributes and high added value (e.g. wine rich in bioactive compounds). This is in accordance with the trends in the food industry and food markets (functional, organic) that are geared towards the development of new products with the high added value associated with health or well-being of environment and society. This work aims at reinventing the traditional product blackberry wine, through the prism of claims and requirements for functional and organic foods

Removal of synthetic dye malachite green using Trametes versicolor mycelial pellets

U ovom radu istražena je mogućnost upotrebe micelijskih peleta gljive bijelog truljenja Trametes versicolor CCBAS AG 613 s ciljem uklanjanja sintetskog bojila malahitnog zelenila iz vodene otopine. Istraživan je utjecaj početne koncentracije biomase, koncentracije malahitnog zelenila i dodatka glukoze u otopinu bojila na postotak uklanjanja bojila. U gotovo svim provedenim pokusima postotak uklanjanja bojila nakon 24 h iznosio je preko 80 %. Povećanjem početne koncentracije biomase došlo je do povećanja postotka uklanjanja bojila; dok je povećanje koncentracije bojila, neovisno o početnoj koncentraciji biomase, imalo suprotan učinak. Dodatak glukoze u vodenu otopinu bojila rezultirao je manjim postotkom uklanjanja bojila. Nadalje, istražena je mogućnost ponovnog korištenja peleta u drugom ciklusu. U ponovljenom testu peleti su zadržali sposobnost uklanjanja bojila iz vodene otopine malahitnog zelenila, ali u nešto manjem postotku nego prilikom prvog korištenja. Ovi preliminarni rezultati upućuju na mogućnost korištenja micelijskih peleta T. versicolor CCBAS AG613 za biološku obradu otpadnih voda obojenih malahitnim zelenilom.The aim of this study was to investigate the malachite green removal (decolourisation) ability of white rot fungus Trametes versicolor CCBAS AG613 mycelial pellets. The effect of initial biomass concentration, malachite green concentration and glucose addition on dye percentage removal was investigated. The dye percentage removal of more than 80% was achieved after 24 h in almost all runs. An increase in the initial biomass concentration positively affected the removal, resulting in higher dye percentage removal. However, the increase in dye concentration had the opposite effect. The addition of glucose to the dye solution resulted in slightly lower dye percentage removal. Furthermore, the longevity of pellets’ decolourisation activity was tested in repeated-batch mode. When used in repeated-batch mode, pellets still exhibited the malachite green decolourisation activity but to a slightly lower extent. These preliminary results indicate that T. versicolor CCBAS AG613 mycelial pellets could be effectively used for bioremediation of malachite green coloured wastewaters