Chiara Ponzoni

Growth, lipid accumulation, and fatty acid composition in obligate psychrophilic, facultative psychrophilic, and mesophilic yeasts

Obligate psychrophilic, facultative psychrophilic, and mesophilic yeasts were cultured in a carbon-rich medium at different temperatures to investigate whether growth parameters, lipid accumulation, and fatty acid (FA) composition were adaptive and/or acclimatory responses. Acclimation of facultative psychrophiles and mesophiles to a lower temperature decreased their specific growth rate, but did not affect their biomass yield (Y(X/S)). Obligate and facultative psychrophiles exhibited the highest Y(X/S). Acclimation to lower temperature decreased the lipid yield (Y(L/X)) in mesophilic yeasts, but did not affect Y(L/X) in facultative psychrophilic ones. Similar Y(L/X) were found in both groups of psychrophiles, suggesting that lipid accumulation is not a distinctive characteristic of adaptation to permanently cold environments. The unsaturation of FAs was one major adaptive feature of the yeasts colonizing permanently cold ecosystems. Remarkable amounts of alpha-linolenic acid were found in obligate psychrophiles at the expense of linoleic acid, whereas it was scarce or absent in all the other strains. Increased unsaturation of FAs was also a general acclimatory response of facultative psychrophiles to a lower temperature. These results improve the knowledge of the responses enabling psychrophilic yeasts to cope with the cold and may be of support for potential biotechnological exploitation of these strains.

Alkali activation processes for incinerator residues management

Incinerator bottom ash (BA) is produced in large amount worldwide and in Italy, where 5.1 millionstons of municipal solid residues have been incinerated in 2010, corresponding to 1.2-1.5 millionstons of produced bottom ash. This residue has been used in the present study for producing dense geopolymers containing high percentage (50-70 wt%) of ash. The amount of potentially reactive aluminosilicate fraction in the ash has been determined by means of test in NaOH. The final properties of geopolymers prepared with or without taking into account this reactive fraction have been compared. The results showed that due to the presence of both amorphous and crystalline fractions with a different degree of reactivity, the incinerator BA geopolymers exhibit significant differences in terms of Si/Al ratio and microstructure when reactive fraction is considered.

Geopolymer Development by Powders of Metakaolin and Wastes in Thailand

Geopolymer has been developed as an alternative material to Portland cement. Geopolymer is based on the polymerization of alkaline activation and oxide of silicon and aluminium. These oxides can be found in many pozzolanic materials such as metakaolin and the wastes from industries and agricultures in Thailand, e.g., fly ash, bagasse ash and rice husk ash. Pozzolanic materials were selected as source materials for making geopolymers into 4 different types. Sodium hydroxide concentration of 10 Molar (10MNaOH) and sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) solutions were used as alkaline activators by the mass ratio of Na2SiO3/NaOH at 1.5. The mixtures were cast in 25×25×25 mm. cubes. After casting, the geopolymers were cured at 80๐C for 24 hrs. in an oven and then at room temperature for 7 days. The pozzolanic materials effects, the Si/Al molar ratio and the Na/Al molar ratio were studied and characterized. An X-ray fluorescence (XRF) was chosen to determine the percentages of silica and alumina in order to verify the proper ratio of the fly ash, Rice husk ash, Bagasse ash and Metakaolin.The study also included the impact on mechanical and physical properties such as compressive strength, water absorption, density and porosity.

Biotransformation of Acyclic Monoterpenoids by Debaryomyces sp., Kluyveromyces sp., and Pichia sp. Strains of Environmental Origin

Sixty yeast strains, which belong to 32 species of the genera Debaryomyces, Kluyveromyces, and Pichia, and which were isolated from plant‐, soil‐ or insect‐associated habitats, were screened for their ability to biotransform the acyclic monoterpenes geraniol and nerol. The aptitude to convert both compounds (from 2.6 to 30.6, and from 2.7 to 29.1%/g cell DW (=dry weight), resp.) was apparently a broad distributed character in such yeasts. Depending upon the substrate used, the production of linalool, α‐terpineol, β‐myrcene, D‐limonene, (E)‐β‐ocimene, (Z)‐β‐ocimene, or carene was observed. Linalool was the main product obtained from geraniol, whereas linalool and α‐terpineol were the main products obtained through the conversion of nerol. Yet, differently from nerol, the aptitude to exhibit high bioconversion yields of geraniol to linalool was an apparently genus‐related character, whereas the ability to produce other monoterpenes was a both genus‐ and habitat‐related character. The possible pathways of bioconversion of geraniol or nerol to their derivatives were proposed/discussed.

Chromium liquid waste inertization in an inorganic alkali activated matrix: leaching and NMR multinuclear approach

A class of inorganic binders, also known as geopolymers, can be obtained by alkali activation of aluminosilicate powders at room temperature. The process is affected by many parameters (curing time, curing temperature, relative humidity etc.) and leads to a resistant matrix usable for inertization of hazardous waste. In this study an industrial liquid waste containing a high amount of chromium (≈ 2.3 wt%) in the form of metalorganic salts is inertized into a metakaolin based geopolymer matrix. One of the innovative aspects is the exploitation of the water contained in the waste for the geopolymerization process. This avoided any drying treatment, a common step in the management of liquid hazardous waste. The evolution of the process--from the precursor dissolution to the final geopolymer matrix hardening--of different geopolymers containing a waste amount ranging from 3 to 20%wt and their capability to inertize chromium cations were studied by: i) the leaching tests, according to the EN 12,457 regulation, at different curing times (15, 28, 90 and 540 days) monitoring releases of chromium ions (Cr(III) and Cr(VI)) and the cations constituting the aluminosilicate matrix (Na, Si, Al); ii) the humidity variation for different curing times (15 and 540 days); iii) SEM characterization at different curing times (28 and 540 days); iv) the trend of the solution conductivity and pH during the leaching test; v) the characterization of the short-range ordering in terms of TOT bonds (where T is Al or Si) by (29)Si and (27)Al solid state magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (ss MAS NMR) for geopolymers containing high amounts of waste (10-20%wt). The results show the formation of a stable matrix after only 15 days independently on the waste amount introduced; the longer curing times increase the matrices stabilities and their ability to immobilize chromium cations. The maximum amount of waste that can be inertized is around 10 wt% after a curing time of 28 days.

Rapid screening of different chelating agents in the lead extraction from cathode ray tube (CRT) funnel glass

The cathode ray tube (CRT) glass is one of the most important problem that afflicts the electronic waste disposal whose solution lies in the identification of efficient and ecofriendly processes to detoxify and reutilize lead-contained funnel glass. This study is focused on a rapid screening of different chemical and mechanochemical processes to reduce lead content in waste CRT glass downgrading the risk correlated to it. In particular, as a possibility to clean waste CRT glass, treatments of lead-containing glass with different chelating agents (EDTA, NTA, ATMP, EDTMP and HEDP) were performed to evaluate their extractive capabilities. Furthermore, the influence of the grinding, the chelating agent functional groups (polyamino-carboxylic acid, carboxylic acid, and polyamino phosphonic acid), and the time and the temperature on lead content reduction were analyzed. ESEM and EDS analysis were performed on all the samples to evaluate the lead amount before and after the treatments.

Effect of low-temperature high-pressure sintering on BiFeO3 density, electrical magnetic and structural properties

Single-phase multiferroic BiFeO3 (BFO) powders were prepared by hydrothermal microwave synthesis and dense BiFeO3 ceramics were fabricated for the first time by the low-temperature high-pressure (LTHP) sintering technique. Effect of sintering temperature ranging from 400 to 800 °C (3 min and 10 min) and pressure of 3–8 GPa on structural, microstructural, electric and magnetic properties were investigated through X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope (SEM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), density and magnetic measurements. The results highlighted that LTHP sintering method, thanks to the high pressure involved, requires lower temperature and shorter time than other techniques, avoiding BiFeO3 phase degradation. SEM images show that for short experimental time (t = 3 min) the average grain size of the sintered samples was approximately the same size of raw powder. Extending the sintering time up to 10 min the grain growth phenomena occurred. Moreover the results indicate that the best obtained density value was around 98% of theoretical density. The dielectric behavior of BiFeO3 ceramics was not significantly influenced by the LTHP sintering conditions. Magnetic measurements showed that ceramic BiFeO3 is weakly ferromagnetic at room temperature.

Microwave-assisted preparation of sodium-silicate solutions from perlite

Systematic studies on the preparation of sodium-silicate solutions of different compositions via the hydrothermal-microwave treatment of perlite with an NaOH solution were performed. The effect of various factors on the degree of SiO2 recovery and the reaction rate was studied. The application of microwave energy was established to intensify the process of hydrothermal treatment compared to conventional heating.