Beach-cast seagrass wrack: A natural marine resource improving the establishment of dune plant communities under a changing climate.

Seagrass wrack plays multiple ecological roles in coastal habitats but is often removed from beaches and used for economical processing, neglecting its potential role in sustaining dune plant establishment under changing climate scenarios. Rainwater shortage is a major stress for seedlings and reduced precipitations are expected in some coastal areas. We investigated in mesocosm how wrack influenced seedling performance of Cakile maritima, Thinopyrum junceum, and Calamagrostis arenaria under current and reduced precipitation.

Challenges and Opportunities in the Catalytic Synthesis of Diphenolic Acid and Evaluation of Its Application Potential.

Diphenolic acid, or 4,4-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)pentanoic acid, represents one of the potentially most interesting bio-products obtainable from the levulinic acid supply-chain. It represents a valuable candidate for the replacement of bisphenol A, which is strongly questioned for its toxicological issues. Diphenolic acid synthesis involves the condensation reaction between phenol and levulinic acid and requires the presence of a Brønsted acid as a catalyst.

Innovative Bioplasticizers from Residual L. Biomass-Derived Levulinic Acid and Their Environmental Impact Assessment by LCA Methodology.

This work is focused on the application of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology for the quantification of the potential environmental impacts associated with the obtainment of levulinic acid from residual L. biomass and its subsequent valorization in innovative bioplasticizers for tuning the properties as well as the processability of biopolymers. This potentially allows the production of fully biobased and biodegradable bioplastic formulations, thus addressing the issues related to the fossil origin and nonbiodegradability of conventional additives, such as phthalates.

Conversion of the hydrochar recovered after levulinic acid production into activated carbon adsorbents.

Levulinic acid production by acid-catalyzed hydrothermal conversion of (ligno)cellulosic biomass generates significant amounts of carbonaceous hydrochar, which is currently considered a final waste. In this work, the hydrochar recovered after the levulinic acid production, was subjected to cascade pyrolysis and chemical activation treatments (by HPO or KOH), to synthesize activated carbons. The pyrolysis post-treatment was already effective in improving the surface properties of the raw hydrochar (Specific Surface Area: 388 m/g, V: 0.

Isolation of Pure Lignin and Highly Digestible Cellulose from Defatted and Steam-Exploded .

In this work, a three-step approach to isolate the main components of lignocellulosic cardoon, lignin and cellulose, was investigated. The raw defatted biomass, , after steam explosion was subjected to a mild organosolv treatment to extract soluble lignin (). Then, enzymatic hydrolysis was performed to achieve decomposition of the saccharidic portion into monosaccharides and isolate residual lignin ().

Plastic litter in coastal sand dunes: Degradation behavior and impact on native and non-native invasive plants.

Pollution associated to marine plastic litter is raising increasing concerns due to its potential harmful effects on human health, biota, and coastal ecosystems. However, limited information is available on the degradation behavior of plastics, especially biodegradable ones, in dune habitats. Moreover, the effects of plastics on dune plant growth and ability to withstand environmental stresses and invasion by non-native plants have been largely neglected.

Sustainable Valorisation and Efficient Downstream Processing of Giant Reed by High-Pressure Carbon Dioxide Pretreatment.

This work investigated the catalytic high-pressure CO pretreatment of giant reed. CO is a renewable resource; its use does not generate chemical wastes and it can be easily removed and recycled. The effect of the addition of low concentrations of FeCl (0.

Hydrothermal carbonization of digested sewage sludge: The fate of heavy metals, PAHs, PCBs, dioxins and pesticides.

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is emerging as a promising technology for the management of sewage sludge. The fate of phytosanitary products, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls) after HTC, as well as the formation of dioxins and furans, is still unclear. Moreover, only little information is available on the distribution of heavy metals and major nutrients between the hydrochars and the process water.

Integrated Cascade Process for the Catalytic Conversion of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural to Furanic and TetrahydrofuranicDiethers as Potential Biofuels.

The depletion of fossil resources is driving the research towards alternative renewable ones. Under this perspective, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) represents a key molecule deriving from biomass characterized by remarkable potential as platform chemical. In this work, for the first time, the hydrogenation of HMF in ethanol was selectively addressed towards 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF) or 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydrofuran (BHMTHF) by properly tuning the reaction conditions in the presence of the same commercial catalyst (Ru/C), reaching the highest yields of 80 and 93 mol%, respectively.

Integrated cascade biorefinery processes for the production of single cell oil by Lipomyces starkeyi from Arundo donax L. hydrolysates.

Giant reed (Arundo donax L.) is a promising source of carbohydrates that can be converted into single cell oil (SCO) by oleaginous yeasts. Microbial conversion of both hemicellulose and cellulose fractions represents the key step for increasing the economic sustainability for SCO production.

From paper mill waste to single cell oil: Enzymatic hydrolysis to sugars and their fermentation into microbial oil by the yeast Lipomyces starkeyi.

Single cell oil (SCO) represents an outstanding alternative to both fossil sources and vegetable oils from food crops waste. In this work, an innovative two-step process for the conversion of cellulosic paper mill waste into SCO was proposed and optimised. Hydrolysates containing glucose and xylose were produced by enzymatic hydrolysis of the untreated waste.

Optimisation of glucose and levulinic acid production from the cellulose fraction of giant reed (Arundo donax L.) performed in the presence of ferric chloride under microwave heating.

A two-step exploitation of the giant reed cellulose to glucose and levulinic acid, after the complete removal of the hemicellulose fraction, was investigated using FeCl as catalyst. In the first step, the microwave-assisted hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose was optimised by response surface methodology analysis, considering the effect of temperature, reaction time and catalyst amount. Under the optimised reaction conditions, the glucose yield was 39.

Microwave-assisted cascade exploitation of giant reed (Arundo donax L.) to xylose and levulinic acid catalysed by ferric chloride.

The present work aimed to investigate and optimize the selective exploitation of hemicellulose and cellulose fractions of the energy crop Arundo donax L. (giant reed), to give xylose and levulinic acid, respectively. In order to improve the sustainability of this process, a microwave-assisted hydrolysis in the presence of FeCl was implemented using as substrate the raw biomass without any pretreatment process.

Hydrothermal carbonization of sewage sludge: A critical analysis of process severity, hydrochar properties and environmental implications.

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of sewage sludge reduces the waste volume and can be source of energy and valuable products. Furthermore, HTC offers several advantages over conventional dry-thermal pre-treatments, as no prior drying is requested, and the high quality of the char produced promotes applications as energy production and storage, wastewater remediation, and soil amendment. Relationships between char yields, physicochemical properties and process parameters are here analysed, with the aim to provide insight into the choice of the process severity required to fit the desired application.

A novel approach to biphasic strategy for intensification of the hydrothermal process to give levulinic acid: Use of an organic non-solvent.

Levulinic acid is a platform chemical obtained from acid-catalyzed hydrothermal conversion of cellulose-rich biomass. The low amounts of solid biomass which can be handled in the reactor limit the levulinic acid concentration in the aqueous stream, making the economic viability of the aqueous phase process unsuitable for large scale applications. Now a novel approach to biphasic process has been proposed, where a mineral oil has been used as non-solvent for levulinic acid, thus concentrating it in the water phase, reducing the water volume to be processed downstream but at the same time maintaining enough liquid phase to sustain the slurry processability.

In-depth characterization of valuable char obtained from hydrothermal conversion of hazelnut shells to levulinic acid.

For the first time, the exploitation of hazelnut shells for the combined production of levulinic acid (LA) and hydrochar was investigated. The optimization of the catalytic hydrothermal treatment was performed both in autoclave and microwave reactor, approaching a maximum LA yield of ∼9-12wt%. Hydrochars recovered with high yield (∼43-47wt%) were characterized by different techniques, including elemental and proximate analysis, heating value, FT-IR, XPS, XRD, SEM-EDX, and SAA.

Application of microwave irradiation for the removal of polychlorinated biphenyls from siloxane transformer and hydrocarbon engine oils.

The removal of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) both from siloxane transformer oil and hydrocarbon engine oil was investigated through the application of microwave (MW) irradiation and a reaction system based on polyethyleneglycol (PEG) and potassium hydroxide. The influence of the main reaction parameters (MW irradiation time, molecular weight of PEG, amount of added reactants and temperature) on the dechlorination behavior was studied. Promising performances were reached, allowing about 50% of dechlorination under the best experimental conditions, together time and energy saving compared to conventional heating systems.

Monitoring/characterization of stickies contaminants coming from a papermaking plant--Toward an innovative exploitation of the screen rejects to levulinic acid.

Recycled paper needs a lot of mechanical/chemical treatments for its re-use in the papermaking process. Some of these ones produce considerable rejected waste fractions, such as "screen rejects", which include both cellulose fibers and non-fibrous organic contaminants, or "stickies", these last representing a shortcoming both for the papermaking process and for the quality of the final product. Instead, the accepted fractions coming from these unit operations become progressively poorer in contaminants and richer in cellulose.

Autohydrolysis pretreatment of Arundo donax: a comparison between microwave-assisted batch and fast heating rate flow-through reaction systems.

Background: Autohydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass in liquid hot water has been widely studied owing to its high efficiency and relatively low cost. In the perspective of industrial applications, continuous or semi-continuous processes are more interesting than batch systems. Moreover, microwave heating of pretreatment systems has been proposed to intensify the kinetics of the process.

Hydrothermal Conversion of Giant Reed to Furfural and Levulinic Acid: Optimization of the Process under Microwave Irradiation and Investigation of Distinctive Agronomic Parameters.

The hydrothermal conversion of giant reed (Arundo donax L.) to furfural (FA) and levulinic acid (LA) was investigated in the presence of dilute hydrochloric acid. FA and LA yields were improved by univariate optimization of the main reaction parameters: concentration of the acid catalyst, solid/liquid ratio of the reaction mixture, hydrolysis temperature, and reaction time.

Novel highly active niobium catalysts for ring opening metathesis polymerization of norbornene.

Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of norbornene catalyzed by niobium(V) N,N-dialkylcarbamates Nb(O(2) CNR(2) )(5) , R = Et (1), Me (2) was studied in the presence of methylaluminoxane (MAO) as a cocatalyst. These novel catalytic systems resulted very active in chlorobenzene: 1 in the presence of methylaluminoxane catalyzes the ROMP of norbornene with the highest activity (29 000 kg of polymer/mol of catalyst × hour) never reported up to now for niobium catalysts. The high productivity appears particularly attractive considering that these precursors are rather cheap and easy to synthesize and to handle.