Antonio C. Barbera

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and their Value for Ecosystem Management

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) are a group of obligate biotrophs, to the extent that they must develop a close symbiotic association with the roots of a living host plant in order to grow and complete their life cycle [1]. The term “mycorrhiza” literally derives from the Greek mykes and rhiza, meaning fungus and root, respectively. AMF can symbiotically interact with almost all the plants that live on the Earth. They are found in the roots of about 80-90% of plant species (mainly grasses, agricultural crops and herbs) and exchange benefits with their partners, as is typical of all mutual symbiotic relationships [2]. They represent an interface between plants and soil, growing their mycelia both inside and outside the plant roots. AMF provide the plant with water, soil mineral nutrients (mainly phosphorus and nitrogen) and pathogen protection. In exchange, photosynthetic compounds are transferred to the fungus [3].

Wastewater valorization adopting the microalgae accelerated growth

AbstractMicroalgal biomass cultivation as a byproduct of wastewater treatment represents an interesting opportunity for wastewater valorization. Several studies analyzed the growth of microalgae in urban and agricultural wastewaters, evaluating the potential of microalgae strains to remove organic pollutants. To assess the actual environmental impact of such an integrated system, life cycle assessment (LCA) provides the proper tools for a comprehensive and effective analysis. In this study, olive mill wastewaters (OMW) are chosen and the selected microalgal strains are Chlrorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus quadricauda. Technical activities were carried out to obtain, starting from OMW, a cultivation medium with the same composition of the synthetic substrate (BG 11) used to grow the selected microalgal strains. Then, by means of LCA, a comparison between the environmental burden of the different scenarios was performed. Particular attention was devoted to the environmental indicators and a sensitivity analy...

Preliminary study of employ of an olive leaf extract on bakery products

Most baking processes in the food manufacturing sector involve use of gas-fired ovens. Only about one-third of the total energy used in these ovens adds value to the final product. The remaining two-thirds is discharged with the exhaust gases at 150-250o C and thus represents an opportunity for heat recovery. However, the low temperature range, fouling and presence of corrosive materials in the exhaust streams make heat recovery technically challenging and uneconomical. The existing low grade heat recovery technolgies mostly use gas to liquid heat transfer to produce hot water for use in other areas of the manufacturing plant. The performance of these systems is governed by hot water demand in the factory and is therefore not recommended if there are frequent fluctuations in demand or if a more efficient technology, such as combined heat and power, is already in place. This study involves design, manufacturing and testing of a novel low-temperature gas to gas heat recovery system using an array of heat pipe heat exchangers, for industrial-scale baking ovens at a large confectionary manufacturing plant. Unlike gas to liquid heat transfer, a gas to gas heat transfer system provides direct savings in oven fuel consumption, independent of the hot water and other energy demands elsewhere in the plant. The heat recovery potential of the system is estimated using a thermodynamic model developed based on energy and mass balance for the ovens. The design enables recovery of up to 50% of the energy available through the exhaust stack, increasing the energy efficiency of the overall process to 60% and reducing food manufacturing costs by one third.

Greenhouse Gases Formation and Emission

The rising temperature of earth, known as global warming, is partially the result of the rise of greenhouse gases concentration in the atmosphere since the beginning of the 20th century, mostly due to anthropogenic activities. Global warming is one of the major threats to the environment because of the resulting climate change. This article gives an overview of the formation of most important greenhouse gases which are released to the atmosphere. The greenhouse gases described in this article are carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ), nitrous oxide (N 2 O), and ozone (O 3 ). Particular attention has been paid to the soil conditions under which greenhouse gases are formed.