By-Products from Forest Activities as Low-Cost Sorbents for Bioremediation of Effluents and Other Polluted Media

Author(s):  
Avelino Núñez-Delgado ◽  
Esperanza Álvarez-Rodríguez ◽  
María J. Fernández-Sanjurjo ◽  
Manuel Arias-Estévez ◽  
Juan Carlos Nóvoa-Muñoz ◽  
...  
2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 455-461
Author(s):  
Gabriela M. Baia ◽  
Otniel Freitas-Silva ◽  
Murillo F. Junior

Fruits and vegetables are foods that come into contact with various types of microorganisms from planting to their consumption. A lack or poor sanitation of these products after harvest can cause high losses due to deterioration and/ or pathogenic microorganisms. There are practically no post-harvest fungicides or bactericides with a broad spectrum of action that have no toxic residual effects and are safe. However, to minimize such problems, the use of sanitizers is an efficient device against these microorganisms. Chlorine is the most prevalent sanitizing agent because of its broad spectrum, low cost and well-established practices. However, the inevitable formation of disinfection by-products, such as trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs), is considered one of the main threats to food safety. Alternative sanitizers, such as chlorine dioxide (ClO2) and ozone, are becoming popular as a substitute for traditional post-harvest treatments. Thus, this review addresses the use of chlorine, chlorine dioxide and ozone emphasizing aspects, such as usage, safe application, spectrum of action and legislation. In order to ensure the quality and safety of final products, the adoption of well-prepared sanitation and sanitation programs for post-harvest fruits and vegetables is essential.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6921
Author(s):  
Laura Sisti ◽  
Annamaria Celli ◽  
Grazia Totaro ◽  
Patrizia Cinelli ◽  
Francesca Signori ◽  
...  

In recent years, the circular economy and sustainability have gained attention in the food industry aimed at recycling food industrial waste and residues. For example, several plant-based materials are nowadays used in packaging and biofuel production. Among them, by-products and waste from coffee processing constitute a largely available, low cost, good quality resource. Coffee production includes many steps, in which by-products are generated including coffee pulp, coffee husks, silver skin and spent coffee. This review aims to analyze the reasons why coffee waste can be considered as a valuable source in recycling strategies for the sustainable production of bio-based chemicals, materials and fuels. It addresses the most recent advances in monomer, polymer and plastic filler productions and applications based on the development of viable biorefinery technologies. The exploration of strategies to unlock the potential of this biomass for fuel productions is also revised. Coffee by-products valorization is a clear example of waste biorefinery. Future applications in areas such as biomedicine, food packaging and material technology should be taken into consideration. However, further efforts in techno-economic analysis and the assessment of the feasibility of valorization processes on an industrial scale are needed.


Coatings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 646
Author(s):  
Victor Gomes Lauriano Souza ◽  
Marta M. Alves ◽  
Catarina F. Santos ◽  
Isabel A. C. Ribeiro ◽  
Carolina Rodrigues ◽  
...  

This work aimed to produce bionanocomposites of chitosan incorporated with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) synthesized using food industry by-products and to characterize them. Such nanoparticles are highlighted due to their low cost, antimicrobial activity, accessibility, and sustainability synthesis. Four different levels of ZnO NPs (0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0% w/w of chitosan) were tested, and the bionanocomposites were characterized in terms of their hydrophobicity, mechanical, optical, and barrier properties. Overall, the incorporation of ZnO NPs changed the composites from brittle to ductile, with enhanced elongation at break and reduced Young Modulus and tensile strength. Thus, ZnO NPs acted as plasticizer, turning the films more flexible, due to the presence of organic compounds on the NPs. This also favored permeability of oxygen and of water vapor, but the good barrier properties were maintained. Optical properties did not change statistically with the ZnO NPs incorporation. Thus, the characterization presented in this paper may contribute to support a decision on the choice of the material’s final application.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2683
Author(s):  
Daniel Mota-Rojas ◽  
Ada Braghieri ◽  
Adolfo Álvarez-Macías ◽  
Francesco Serrapica ◽  
Efrén Ramírez-Bribiesca ◽  
...  

This study discusses scientific findings on the use of draught animals such as equids (i.e., horses, mules, and donkeys) and bovids (i.e., cattle and water buffaloes) in rural labours. Relevant peer-reviewed literature published between 1980 and 2021 was retrieved from CAB Abstracts, PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, and Scopus databases. Although animals were used to produce draught power since their domestication and are still being used for this purpose, mechanisation has markedly reduced animal labour demand in agriculture. However, the process was uneven across continents according to economic constraints, and draught animals are currently concentrated in small production units located on terrains that do not favour agriculture mechanisation in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Generally, equids can work at rates similar to those of bovids or faster but can sustain the work for shorter periods of time. In addition, buffaloes possess tough hooves and resistance to disease that make them suitable for working in wetlands and clay soils. Draught animals allow a marked reduction of both GHG emissions and non-renewable energy consumption as compared with agricultural machinery. In addition, they may allow obtaining profits from otherwise non-usable lands. Therefore, their use should be promoted in rural areas where low investments are usually the only ones feasible, and the energy of the animals can be obtained at a low cost by feeding them harvest residues and by-products. However, more attention should be paid to the quality of human–animal interactions—due to the close contact between animals and humans while working—and to the welfare of draught animals when transported and slaughtered—due to the high prevalence of injuries they suffer when subjected to these practices.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 3948
Author(s):  
Francesco Capozzi ◽  
Faidon Magkos ◽  
Fabio Fava ◽  
Gregorio Paolo Milani ◽  
Carlo Agostoni ◽  
...  

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are negatively perceived by part of the scientific community, the public, and policymakers alike, to the extent they are sometimes referred to as not “real food”. Many observational surveys have linked consumption of UPFs to adverse health outcomes. This narrative synthesis and scientific reappraisal of available evidence aims to: (i) critically evaluate UPF-related scientific literature on diet and disease and identify possible research gaps or biases in the interpretation of data; (ii) emphasize the innovative potential of various processing technologies that can lead to modifications of the food matrix with beneficial health effects; (iii) highlight the possible links between processing, sustainability and circular economy through the valorisation of by-products; and (iv) delineate the conceptual parameters of new paradigms in food evaluation and classification systems. Although greater consumption of UPFs has been associated with obesity, unfavorable cardiometabolic risk factor profiles, and increased risk for non-communicable diseases, whether specific food processing techniques leading to ultra-processed formulations are responsible for the observed links between UPFs and various health outcomes remains elusive and far from being understood. Evolving technologies can be used in the context of sustainable valorisation of food processing by-products to create novel, low-cost UPFs with improved nutritional value and health potential. New paradigms of food evaluation and assessment should be funded and developed on several novel pillars—enginomics, signalling, and precision nutrition—taking advantage of available digital technologies and artificial intelligence. Research is needed to generate required scientific knowledge to either expand the current or create new food evaluation and classification systems, incorporating processing aspects that may have a significant impact on health and wellness, together with factors related to the personalization of foods and diets, while not neglecting recycling and sustainability aspects. The complexity and the predicted immense size of these tasks calls for open innovation mentality and a new mindset promoting multidisciplinary collaborations and partnerships between academia and industry.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debomitra Dey ◽  
Jana K. Richter ◽  
Pichmony Ek ◽  
Bon-Jae Gu ◽  
Girish M. Ganjyal

The processing of agricultural products into value-added food products yields numerous by-products or waste streams such as pomace (fruit and vegetable processing), hull/bran (grain milling), meal/cake (oil extraction), bagasse (sugar processing), brewer's spent grain (brewing), cottonseed meal (cotton processing), among others. In the past, significant work in exploring the possibility of the utilization of these by-products has been performed. Most by-products are highly nutritious and can be excellent low-cost sources of dietary fiber, proteins, and bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, antioxidants, and vitamins. The amount of energy utilized for the disposal of these materials is far less than the energy required for the purification of these materials for valorization. Thus, in many cases, these materials go to waste or landfill. Studies have been conducted to incorporate the by-products into different foods in order to promote their utilization and tackle their environmental impacts. Extrusion processing can be an excellent avenue for the utilization of these by-products in foods. Extrusion is a widely used thermo-mechanical process due to its versatility, flexibility, high production rate, low cost, and energy efficiency. Extruded products such as direct-expanded products, breakfast cereals, and pasta have been developed by researchers using agricultural by-products. The different by-products have a wide range of characteristics in terms of chemical composition and functional properties, affecting the final products in extrusion processing. For the practical applications of these by-products in extrusion, it is crucial to understand their impacts on the qualities of raw material blends and extruded products. This review summarizes the general differences in the properties of food by-products from different sources (proximate compositions, physicochemical properties, and functional properties) and how these properties and the extrusion processing conditions influence the product characteristics. The discussion of the by-product properties and their impacts on the extrudates and their nutritional profile can be useful for food manufacturers and researchers to expand their applications. The gaps in the literature have been highlighted for further research and better utilization of by-products with extrusion processing.


Author(s):  
Alex E. S. Green ◽  
Sergio Peres ◽  
James P. Mullin ◽  
Robert W. Anderson

Gas turbines (GT) have emerged as the most efficient means of transforming heat into mechanical work and with efficient generators are serving as major components of new electricity generation systems. The CCTL research and development efforts are directed towards developing a low cost solid fuel (SF) cogasifier fed by low cost local feedstocks to be coupled with smaller GT systems. The benefits of such systems can be enhanced if valuable by-products are produced or additional community purposes are served. We consider cogasification of biomass with other domestic fuels as a long term strategy for effective utilization of biomass. Our theoretical and experimental work indicate that blending oxygenated fuels such as biomass, MSW, RDF and dried sewage sludge with carbonaceous fuels such as coals, coke and chars in a small cogeneration system will have technological, economic and environmental advantages.


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