Kinetics assessment and modeling of biogas production by anaerobic digestion of food wastes and acclimated sewage sludge

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - In this work, food wastes (FWs) and domestic sewage sludge (DSS) were used as raw materials for energy recovery by anaerobic digestion (AD). AD was...     

Integration of techniques for early fault detection and diagnosis for improving process safety: Application to a Fluid Catalytic Cracking refinery process

In this paper we show the integration of techniques for early fault detection and diagnosis of operational faults in industrial processes, and we show an application example in a Fluid Catalytic Cracking refinery process. The early fault detection and diagnosis allow the operators in an industrial process to take the best actions during the real state of the process, avoiding incipient faults to scale to critical situations where there is risk of human lives and economical lost.     

Effect of Hot Drawing on the Mechanical Properties of Biodegradable Fibers

The use of biodegradable polymers is increasingly attracting interest over the last years, since they can reduce the environmental effects related to disposal of traditional plastics and, in general, the use of fossil, non-renewable resources. One of the most promising applications is represented by fibers production. However, the orientation and the crystallinity degrees can significantly affect the mechanical properties. Therefore, it is of interest to investigate on the optimum processing conditions, in order to improve the mechanical properties. In particular, while crystallinity can be slightly modified by the processing, orientation can be significantly improved. In this work, the effects of hot stretching on the mechanical and structural properties of fibers made from two different families of biodegradable blends were investigated. The orientation proved to significantly change the mechanical properties, and it was shown that factors such as the different relaxation times, the different crystallization temperatures and the cooling rate can give opposite effects in the three investigated polymer systems with significant consequences on the mechanical behaviour of the fibers. In particular, the behaviour during fiber production in hot stretching, and the orientation mechanisms were studied and explained on the basis of rheological and thermal properties of the polymers.     

Pepper Mild Mottle Virus as Indicator of Pollution: Assessment of Prevalence and Concentration in Different Water Environments in Italy

Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), a plant pathogenic virus belonging to the family Virgoviridae, has been proposed as a potential viral indicator for human faecal pollution in aquatic environments. The present study investigated the occurrence, amount and diversity of PMMoV in water environments in Italy. A total of 254 water samples, collected between 2017 and 2019 from different types of water, were analysed. In detail, 92 raw sewage, 32 treated sewage, 16 river samples, 9 estuarine waters, 20 bathing waters, 67 groundwater samples and 18 drinking waters were tested. PMMoV was detected in 79% and 75% of untreated and treated sewage samples, respectively, 75% of river samples, 67% and 25% of estuarine and bathing waters and 13% of groundwater samples. No positive was detected in drinking water. The geometric mean of viral concentrations (genome copies/L) was ranked as follows: raw sewage (2.2 × 10⁶) > treated sewage (2.9 × 10⁵) > river waters (6.1 × 10²) > estuarine waters (4.8 × 10²) > bathing waters (8.5 × 10¹) > groundwater (5.9 × 10¹). A statistically significant variation of viral loads could be observed between raw and treated sewage and between these and all the other water matrices. PMMoV occurrence and viral loads did not display seasonal variation in raw sewage nor correlation with faecal indicator bacteria in marine waters and groundwater. This study represents the first report on the occurrence and quantification PMMoV in different water environments in Italy. Further studies are required to evaluate the suitability of PMMoV as a viral indicator for human faecal pollution and for viral pathogens in waters.

     

Disentangling the drivers of reduced long-distance seed dispersal by birds in an experimentally fragmented landscape

Seed dispersal is a crucial component of plant population dynamics. Human landscape modifications, such as habitat destruction and fragmentation, can alter the abundance of fruiting plants and animal dispersers, foraging rates, vector movement, and the composition of the disperser community, all of which can singly or in concert affect seed dispersal. Here, we quantify and tease apart the effects of landscape configuration, namely, fragmentation of primary forest and the composition of the surrounding forest matrix, on individual components of seed dispersal of Heliconia acuminata, an Amazonian understory herb. First we identified the effects of landscape configuration on the abundance of fruiting plants and six bird disperser species. Although highly variable in space and time, densities of fruiting plants were similar in continuous forest and fragments. However, the two largest-bodied avian dispersers were less common or absent in small fragments. Second, we determined whether fragmentation affected foraging rates. Fruit removal rates were similar and very high across the landscape, suggesting that Heliconia fruits are a key resource for small frugivores in this landscape. Third, we used radiotelemetry and statistical models to quantify how landscape configuration influences vector movement patterns. Bird dispersers flew farther and faster, and perched longer in primary relative to secondary forests. One species also altered its movement direction in response to habitat boundaries between primary and secondary forests. Finally, we parameterized a simulation model linking data on fruit density and disperser abundance and behavior with empirical estimates of seed retention times to generate seed dispersal patterns in two hypothetical landscapes. Despite clear changes in bird movement in response to landscape configuration, our simulations demonstrate that these differences had negligible effects on dispersal distances. However, small fragments had reduced densities of Turdus albicollis, the largest-bodied disperser and the only one to both regurgitate and defecate seeds. This change in Turdus abundance acted together with lower numbers of fruiting plants in small fragments to decrease the probability of long-distance dispersal events from small patches. These findings emphasize the importance of foraging style for seed dispersal and highlight the primacy of habitat size relative to spatial configuration in preserving biotic interactions.     

Sixteen-year air quality data analysis of a high environmental risk area in Southern Italy

The Brindisi area is characterized by the presence of industries with high environmental impact, located along its eastern border. Epidemiological studies have revealed several critical situations: two short-term (2003-2005) epidemiological studies have shown that PM(10) and NO(2) are adversely associated with daily hospital admissions: one of the two pointed to the associations with wind blowing from the southern, eastern and western sectors. This study aims to expand the time span of available air quality data in order to provide a more complete and extensive epidemiological study. Multi-year series (from 1992 to 2007) of SO(2), NO(2), and TSP concentration data are presented and analyzed. Data show a significant downward trend of SO(2) from 1992 to 2007, while for the TSP series, the downward trend is limited to the period 1992-1994. Marked seasonal trends are evident for all three pollutants, especially for NO(2) and TSP. The NO(2) series shows higher levels in winter. Inversely, the TSP series shows its maximum values during the summer months, associated with a moderate correlation with temperature and a poor correlation with other pollutants. Analysis of the series for wind sectors revealed the influence of the industrial site and of the harbor. The concentration series exhibit high concentration values and stronger correlations between them and with meteorology for wind blowing from the eastern sectors. Overall analysis supports the hypothesis of a different origin for TSP during the year and for different wind regimes and therefore possible size and chemical differences in TSP, which should be further investigated due to their health implications.     

Bio-Based Plastic Based on Ozonated Cassava Starch Produced by Extrusion

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Green methods of modification, such as ozone, can bring new functionalities to starch. In this study, starch-based plastics were produced by extrusion,...     

Effect of particulate matters on inactivation of bacteriophage MS2 under irradiation above 320 nm

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The inactivation of bacteriophage MS2 under irradiation above 320 nm was investigated, focusing on different solution pH, ionic strength, and...