12 research outputs found
Olive oil mill wastewater to volatile fatty acids: statisticals study of the acidogenic process
The aim of the present paper was to study the
feasibility of using olive oil mill wastewater (OOW) to
produce a mixture of volatile fatty acids (VFA) adequate
for producing polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) with better
mechanical properties in a later aerobic phase. Hence,
thiswastewater can be valorized rather than only treated,
and its organic pollutant content can result in valueadded
products with a sustainable origin. The influences
of alkalinity addition and initial substrate concentration
on VFA formation were evaluated in anaerobic batch
fermentation experiments of OOW. The highest acidification
degree (DA) (60 %) was obtained with an intermediate
alkalinity of 5 gCaCO3 L−1 and a high substrate
concentration of 14 gCOD L−1. These operational conditions
produced a mixture of VFA (7.4 gCOD L−1)
composed predominantly by acetic, n-butyric, and ncaproic
acids. Regarding VFA valorization into PHA,
recovering an adequate VFA composition is crucial to
produce biopolymers that are more attractive industrially.
The most suitable VFA mixture for PHA production
was obtained at the highest alkalinity addition
(7 gCaCO3 L−1), with an odd-to-even VFA ratio ranging
from 0.42 to 0.61 with increasing COD load, predominantly
composed of odd-equivalent acids, mainly
propionic acid, although resulting in a significant
decrease of DA to values close to 20 %. These experimental
results suggest that VFA produced in this process
can be used as substrate in a subsequent process for
PHA production, regulating its monomer composition
and polymer properties, solely by a proper adjustment of
the operational conditions of the acidogenic fermentation
step
Fertility Preservation Methods in Breast Cancer
Thanks to the recent advances in reproductive medicine, more and more young women with breast cancer may be offered the possibility of preserving their fertility. Fertility can be endangered by chemotherapy, by treatment duration and by patient's age at diagnosis. The currently available means to preserve a young woman's fertility are pharmacological protection with gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues during chemotherapy, and ovarian tissue or oocyte/embryo freezing before treatment. New future venues, including in vitro maturation, will improve the feasibility and efficacy of the fertility preservation methods in breast cancer patients