Production of Succinic Acid From Basfia succiniciproducens

Basfia succiniciproducens is a facultative anaerobic capnophilic bacterium, isolated from rumen, that naturally produces high amounts of succinic acid by fixing CO2 and using fumarate as final electron acceptor. This metabolic feature makes it one of the ideal candidates for developing biotechnological industrial routes that could eventually replace the polluting and environment unfriendly petrochemical ones that are still main sources for the production of this value-added compound. In fact, due to the large number of applications of succinic acid that range from the more traditional ones as food additive or pharmaceutical intermediate to the most recent as building block for biopolymers and bioplastic, increasing demand and market size growth are expected in the next years. In line with a “green revolution” needed to preserve our environment, the great challenge is the establishment of commercially viable production processes that exploit renewable materials and in particular preferably non-food lignocellulosic biomasses and waste products. In this review, we describe the currently available literature concerning B. succiniciproducens since the strain was first isolated, focusing on the different renewable materials and fermentation strategies used to improve succinic acid production titers to date. Moreover, an insight into the metabolic engineering approaches and the key physiological characteristics of B. succiniciproducens deduced from the different studies are presented

An Ergonomic Approach of IEQ Assessment: A Case Study

Only in the last fifteen years, the application of the ergonomics principles stated the need to achieve a good IEQ (indoor environmental quality) as a result of thermal, visual, acoustic comfort and indoor air quality (IAQ). The awareness increased that an adequate design of the indoor environment, where people work and live, requires a synergic approach to all facets involved in full compliance with sustainability. IEQ strictly affects the overall building energy performances and exhibits an antagonistic relationship with respect to the energy saving requirements. In addition, the effects of low IEQ levels on the health and the productivity at work could even greater than those related to the energy costs of building facilities. The role played by IEQ is very important especially in school environments. Particularly, children are extra sensitive to a poor indoor environment as they are physically still developing and, in comparison to healthy adults, will suffer the consequences of a poor indoor environment with also negative effects in learning ability. Because of all mentioned issues an integrated approach in the design and in the assessment of school buildings is required where ergonomics plays a crucial role. Since more than 20 years InEQualitES (Indoor Environmental Quality and Energy Saving) team, made by researchers and professors from Universities of Salerno and Naples, has focused the research on the environmental quality in schools. The experience gained in the field allowed to build a large database of subjective and objective data and helped us to find effective solution aimed to solve most common problems related to the application of assessment methods. Based upon this experience, this discussion will be mainly focused to the main criticalities related to the thermal comfort assessment in schools with special reference to the integration of objective investigations (referred to a mean subject statistically significant) and subjective investigations which are the only able to show possible differences (age, gender and so on) in experienced perception

La misura della resistenza termica conduttiva equivalente dell'abbigliamento

Chi ha esperienza di gestione di impianti di climatizzazione sa che questi, anche se perfettamente progettati e realizzati, danno luogo sempre a lamentele che crescono se gli infissi esterni non sono apribili e se gli ambienti di lavoro sono molto ampi e non permettono regolazioni localizzate differenziate. Anche se da una campagna di misura i parametri microclimatici dovessero risultare costanti nel tempo, perfettamente uniformi negli ambienti e pari ai valori di progetto, comunque si avrebbe tra gli occupanti un buon numero di insoddisfatti. Analizzeremo questo fenomeno alla luce della teoria esistente e ormai consolidata, esamineremo come in realtà il fenomeno è più ampio di quanto previsto dalla teoria stessa e trarremo delle conclusioni

Clothing: an essential individual adjustment factor for obtaining general thermal comfort

In air conditioned buildings where thermal conditions comply with existing building codes and standards, many people often complain of unpleasant thermal sensations. These complaints may often be caused by differences in the occupants activity level and the fact that people are not alike and may prefer different thermal conditions. In this paper the important role played by clothing in the attainment of thermal comfort is stressed and it is shown how the clothing may be used to compensate for different activities and personal differences. This phenomenon is analyzed by assessing the sensitivity of Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied (PPD) index to the subjects' activity and to the thermal insulation of the clothes they wear

La qualità globale dell’ambiente interno e la sostenibilità energetica

La sostenibilità energetica non può prescindere dall’attenzione al benessere termico da garantire nell’ambiente interno. La valutazione delle soluzioni di intervento su edifici esistenti propone soluzioni anche a costi contenuti che possono essere ampiamente applicate ad edifici che non necessitano di ristrutturazione significativa. Il contestuale obiettivo di riduzione dei consumi e di soddisfacimento del benessere termico degli ambienti interni comporta la necessità di fondare le valutazioni relative all’ambiente interno sulla temperatura operativa piuttosto che su quella dell’aria. Quest’ultima non tiene infatti conto del contributo radiativo allo scambio termico tra corpo umano e ambiente circostante, fattore che influenza significantemente la sensazione di benessere all’interno degli ambienti