Massimo Cecchini

The Semitransparent Photovoltaic Films for Mediterranean Greenhouse: A New Sustainable Technology

Mediterranean countries offer very favorable climatic conditions for growing plants in a protected environment: as a matter of fact, the high solar radiation allows the use of greenhouses with simple structures, covered with plastic film and without fixed installations for winter heating. They are called “Mediterranean greenhouses” and are totally different from those in Central and Northern Europe. In the photovoltaic greenhouses, the cover on the pitch facing south is usually replaced by very opaque panels. However, this solution compromises the possibility to grow plants in covered and protected environments since solar radiation availability is limited and strongly nonuniform. In order to overcome this problem, semitransparent photovoltaic materials can be used to let the solar energy, necessary for plant growth, pass into the green house. The aim of this research is to analyze the radiometric properties of innovative semitransparent flexible photovoltaic materials in order to evaluate their performances in comparison with materials commonly used in the coverage of the greenhouses. Particular attention is paid to the transmittance of these materials in the visible range and in the long wave infrared for the achievement of greenhouse effect.

Energy Characterization and Gasification of Biomass Derived by Hazelnut Cultivation: Analysis of Produced Syngas by Gas Chromatography

Modern agriculture is an extremely energy intensive process. However, high agricultural productivities and the growth of green revolution has been possible only by large amount of energy inputs, especially those coming from fossil fuels. These energy resources have not been able to provide an economically viable solution for agricultural applications. Biomass energy-based systems had been extensively used for transportation and on farm systems during World War II: the most common and reliable solution was wood or biomass gasification. The latter means incomplete combustion of biomass resulting in production of combustible gases which mostly consist of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2) and traces of methane (CH4). This mixture is called syngas, which can be successfully used to run internal combustion engines (both compression and spark ignition) or as substitute for furnace oil in direct heat applications. The aim of the present paper is to help the experimentation of innovative plants for electric power production using agro-forest biomass derived by hazelnut cultivations. An additional purpose is to point out a connection among the chemical and physical properties of the outgoing syngas by biomass characterization and gas-chromatography analysis.

The Risk of Musculoskeletal Disorders for Workers due to Repetitive Movements during Tomato Harvesting

Tomatoes are the most common crop in Italy. The production cycle requires operations in the field and factory that can cause musculoskeletal disorders due to the repetitive movements of the upper limbs of the workers employed in the sorting phase. This research aims to evaluate these risks using the OCRA (occupational repetitive actions) index method This method is based firstly on the calculation of a maximum number of recommended actions, related to the way the operation is performed, and secondly on a comparison of the number of actions effectively carried out by the upper limb with the recommended calculated value. The results of the risk evaluation for workers who manually sort tomatoes during harvest showed a risk for the workers, with an exposure index greater than 20; the OCRA index defines an index higher than 3.5 as unacceptable. The present trend of replacing manual sorting onboard a vehicle with optical sorters seems to be appropriate to reduce the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) and is supported from both a financial point of view and as a quality control measure.

Feasibility of the electric energy production through gasification processes of biomass: technical and economic aspects

Biomass is one of the main sources for energy production, indeed, due to its chemical and physical peculiarities, it can be used very well in thermo chemical processes such as combustion, pyrolysis and gasification. Furthermore, the considerable variability of bio fuels that can be produced allows the experimentation of new technologies that with a higher performance are able to produce not only heat but also electric power. On the other hand, due to problems in supplying and technology, the main disadvantage of such energetic system consists in its difficult application in a large scale production. The present study aims to highlight the possible use of biomasses in small energetic districts such as Viterbo area: the exploitation of wood and cellulose biomasses are described and the possible application with flowing bed technology is considered. This study wants to technically test the feasibility of a biomass supplied system, taking care of stocks availability and amount, use of gasification process based on flowing bed technology, chemical characteristic of syngas and energy power production.

Use of Semi-transparent Photovoltaic Films as Shadowing Systems in Mediterranean Greenhouses

In Mediterranean greenhouses, active and passive cooling systems are almost always needed due to high values of solar radiation (nearly 1000 Wm− 2) -especially during summer season- and high values of air temperature (near 40°C). Nevertheless, the use of the above-mentioned systems imply the increase of the operating costs of greenhouses.

Review: Recent Advances in the Use of Non-Destructive near Infrared Spectroscopy for Intact Olive Fruits:

The objective of this review is to illustrate the state of the art in the use of non-destructive near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for quality evaluation of intact fruit in the olive industry. First, the most recent studies regarding the application of non-destructive NIR spectroscopy methods for the assessment of external olive quality are reviewed. External defects including mechanical damage, bruising, ground origin and insect infestation, and the consequences of these defects for finished products are reported. Second, research regarding chemical parameters of olive fruits is reviewed; in particular, the use of portable instruments to measure quality parameters such as moisture, oil and phenolic content while the fruit is on the tree, with the goal of monitoring the trends in these parameters during olive development. Finally, research on intact olive authenticity, an important aspect for legal and economic reasons, is reviewed. As most studies cited indicate the feasibility of NIR spectroscopy for non-destructive evaluation of many quality parameters, this review stresses the urgent need for technology transfer to olive facilities to enhance product quality while reducing production costs.

Characterization of Biomass Emissions and Potential Reduction in Small-Scale Pellet Boiler

In recent years it has been proved that residential biomass combustion has a direct influence on ambient air quality, especially in the case of cereals. The aim of this study is the characterization of the emissions in small-scale fixed-bed pellet boiler (heat output of 25 kW) of beech and corn, and of its potential reduction to an addition of calcium dihydroxide. In the biomass combustion test 7 fuel mixtures were investigated with regard to the particulate content (PM10), gaseous emissions and combustion chamber deposit.

Photovoltaic Pumps: Technical and Practical Aspects for Applications in Agriculture

The paper deals with a series of tests conducted on a PV-DC pump in Viterbo (42°24′ North, 12°06′ East). The tests lasted from January 2003 up to November 2004 and involved measurements of solar radiation, on both a horizontal surface and the tilted module surface, flow rates, volumes, and total dynamic heads. In total, up to 3000 data were collected every day whose analysis allowed us to find empirical relationships among system efficiencies, solar radiations, and total dynamic heads. In the second part of the paper we develop a simple method that allows both the assessment of performances of the whole system when installed in a different site from that in which the tests were performed and the optimal inclination angle of the panel to be determined in relation to annual or seasonal use (see irrigation).

Safety Knowledge and Changing Behavior in Agricultural Workers: an Assessment Model Applied in Central Italy

Background In recent years, the interest in health and safety in the workplace has increased. Agriculture is one of the human work activities with the highest risk indexes. Studies on risk perception of agricultural workers are often referred to as specific risk factors (especially pesticides), but the risk perception plays an important role in preventing every kind of accident and occupational disease. Methods The aim of this research is to test a new method for understanding the relation between risk perception among farmers and the main risk factors to which they are exposed. A secondary aim is to investigate the influence of training in risk perception in agriculture. The data collection was realized using a questionnaire designed to investigate the risk perception; the questionnaire was given to a sample of 119 agricultural workers in central Italy. Through the use of the “principal components analysis” it was possible to highlight and verify the latent dimensions underlying the collected data in comparison with scales of attitudes. Results Results show that the highest percentage of strong negative attitude is among the people who have worked for more years, while farmers who have worked for fewer years have a marked positive attitude. Conclusion The analysis of the questionnaires through the synthetic index method (Rizzi index) showed that agricultural workers involved, in particular the elderly workers, have a negative attitude towards safety; workers are hostile to safety measures if they have not attended special training courses.

Lattice Compatibility Theory LCT investigations on sulfur-oxygen substitution during Sb2S3-Sb2O3 crystals growth

In this paper, we try to give a plausible explanation to the dynamics of incorporation of sulfur element inside antimony (Sb2S3) lattices. This incorporation has been recorded recently as a possible way for enhancing energy conversion devices performance. Some parameters, such as Urbach tailing, Faraday effect (FE) and Amlouk-Boubaker opto-thermal expansivity constants have been reported and correlated to crystallite size along with conversion performance. It has been demonstrated that lattice-linked parameters’ ratio compatibility can be introduced as a guide to explain the increase of the thickness-induced oxygen/sulfur substitution effect which favors such compounds’ renewable energy conversion-related properties.