0000000000775925
AUTHOR
M. M. Mammano
Sustainable, circular and innovative value chains using growing substrata alternative to peat for the cultivation of nutraceutical species
The modern agricultural system is wasteful, with Europe generating some 700 million tonnes of agricultural and food waste each year. In the context of the agri-food chain, the ‘circular economy’ aims to reduce waste while also making best use of the ‘wastes’ produced by using economically viable processes and procedures to increase their value. In this paper we will try to frame the key issues associated with food waste into the emerging bioeconomy and circular-economic mode, suggesting that these three concepts are intertwined, and considering them unitarily might provide win-win solutions that minimize wastage, promote income growth and job creation, and prompt sustainable local developme…
Sicilian potential biogas production from Citrus industry by-product
In Europe, Italy is the second nation after Spain in Citrus production and 49% ca. of national fruit production is located in Sicily. The by-product obtained from the industrial processing of Citrus fruits into juice and essential oils is called “pastazzo” or Citrus Waste (CW). This study is aimed at evaluating the Sicilian potential biogas and energy production from the above “pastazzo” and verifying the possibility of using this by-product for Anaerobic Digestion (AD) process within 30 km from processing plants. The areas cultivated with Citrus species in Sicily and their distribution in the various municipal districts were mapped and analysed by means of QGIS software, together with the …
Germination Pattern of Chamaerops humilis Seed after Short-Time Storage
Dwarf fan palm (Chamaerops humilis) plays an important ecological role in the thermo Mediterranean vegetation stage, both in woodlands, xerophitic shrub communities and degraded ecosystems. Dwarf fan palm is typically propagated from seeds. Whereas other palm species show reduced germination after few months of seed storage, no information is available on the effects of storage time on seed germinability . We examined the germination pattern of dwarf palm seeds aged after a storage of four, six or eight months in comparison to fresh seed (control). A covariance analysis was performed to test the effect of time within seed-storage treatment. The germination patterns were significantly fitted…