Thiophene occurrence in different Tagetes species: agricultural biomasses as sources of biocidal substances.

Background: Tagetes species produce thiophenes, polyacetylenic compounds that possess strong biocidal activity, thus making Tagetes plants very useful for suppressing nematode populations in the soil and as sources of natural pesticides. In the present study, Tagetes species (T. erecta, T.

Olive pulp and its effluents suitability for soil amendment.

Olive pulp (OP) and its effluents produced after digestion processes were characterised and their suitability as soil amendment materials were investigated. Results showed that OP and its effluent for hydrogen (EH2) and methane production (ECH4) contain high amount of organic matter, remarkable concentration of nutrients and negligible content of heavy metals. Decreasing concentrations of low molecular weight phenols (monomeric phenols) and increasing amount of humic-like materials were found passing from OP to EH2 and ECH4.

Characterization of some Italian types of wild fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.).

Wild samples of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. (fennel) were collected from thirteen Italian localities at different latitudes and grown in field trials to evaluate their morphological and agronomic characteristics and essential oil compositions. All the parameters were recorded at full bloom stage, and the essential oils (obtained by steam distillation) were characterized by gas chromatography (GC) and GC/mass spectrometry (GC/MS).

Optimization of electrochemical detection in the high-performance liquid chromatography of lignin phenolics from lignocellulosic by-products.

Free phenolic acids and aldehydes (p- and o-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, vanillic acid, vanillin, syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, syringaldehyde and ferulic acid) were detected in wheat straw extracts by high-performance liquid chromatography with a dual-cell electrochemical detector operated in the redox mode. Phenolics were oxidized with coulometric efficiency in the first cell (+ 1.00 V), then detected by reduction in the second cell (-0.