Search results for " Raw materials"

Sustainable recovery of critical elements from seawater saltworks bitterns by integration of high selective sorbents and reactive precipitation and c…

2023

The availability of raw mineral resources containing elements included in the Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) list is a growing concern for the European Union. Sea mining has been identified as a promising secondary source. In particular, brines obtained in solar saltworks (bitterns) contain relevant amounts of valuable CRMs such as Mg(II), B(III), other alkaline/alkaline earth metals (Rb(I), Cs(I), Sr(II)) and transition/post-transition elements (Co(II), Ga(III), Ge(IV)). However, the low concentration of some of these elements (µg/L) requires an effort to develop recovery routes that are sustainable and economically feasible where the required chemicals and energy are produced on-site from …

Microbreweries, brewpubs and beerfirms in the Sicilian craft beer industry

2019

Purpose This paper aims to illustrate the organisational and managing models characterising the craft beer producers in Sicily (Southern Italy) and the main issues of the provision of raw materials. Design/methodology/approach A direct survey involving the overall population of 41 craft breweries operating in Sicily in 2016 was carried out. Then 29 questionnaires were collected for exploratory analysis. A hierarchical cluster analysis was also performed out to group companies by similar structural, productive and economic features. Findings The findings of the survey showed a Sicilian craft beer industry characterised by a substantial dependence on the import of malts hops and yeasts and t…

Ceramic Raw Materials

2016

Any ceramic object represents the result of a well-structured production chain starting with the localization and the exploitation of a suitable raw material and ending with the artisanship and craftsmanship of the potter. The study of ceramic raw materials has been increasingly regarded in archaeometric research as the best starting point for identifying local paste recipes for pottery diachronically produced in any historical period. The classification of a ceramic paste and its assignment to a production center can be established more easily when ceramic sherds, kiln wasters, and raw material are studied in combination. The reconstruction of the “production chain” should facilitate the s…

Cellulolytic activity in Aspergillus spp. contaminating livestock feeds and raw materials

2020

The contamination by Aspergillus spp. have become a global concern in food and feedstuffs and can lead to a reduction in yield and quality of agricultural products with significant economic losses. Most species of Aspergillus produce cellulose-degrading enzymes and some of them also have mycotoxigenic activity. This study aimed i) to evaluate the Aspergillus contamination in feeds (16) and row materials (32) collected in Sicily; ii) to isolate and identify fungi belonging to the genus Aspergillus and iii) to analyze their ability to produce cellulolytic enzymes. Aspergillus spp. contamination was evaluated on PDA using serial ten-fold dilution and spread plate technique (Mirabile et al., 20…

Fungal contaminants in Sicilian livestock feeds and first studies on the enzymatic activity of Aspergillus isolates

2019

The purposes of this study were 1) to determine the total fungal contamination in Sicilian raw materials and livestock, 2) to evaluate the occurrence of Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp. and Fusarium spp., 3) to identify fungi belonging to the genus Aspergillus and 4) to determine their ability to produce cellulolytic enzymes. Fourteen feed samples were collected in a feed mill near to Palermo (Sicily, Italy). Analysis of the total mycobiota was performed on Sabourad Dextros Agar (SAB) and Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) and total fungal counts were expressed as CFU/g. Aspergillus spp. isolates were selected on the basis of the frequency of isolation and identifed using micro and macro-morpholo…

Definizione composizionale delle "Argille Ceramiche" presenti nella Sicilia Nord-Occidentale: Inquadramento geologico e ricadute di carattere archeom…

2006

Resource depletion of a Lithium ion battery cell technology

2018

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are the dominating storage technology for electric vehicles (EVs). Different types of LIBs, using diverse cathode materials are available in the market, such as LiMn2O4, Li(Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3)O2. The cathodes contain a wide range of raw materials (RMs), among which e.g. cobalt is in the 2017 list of CRMs for the Europe Union (EU). CRMs are both of high economic importance for the EU, and vulnerable to supply security. In the last years, the increasing demand of LIBs has triggered a growing interest in the need to ensure the security and the sustainability of the supply of the CRMs used in LIBs and in general in EVs. In this context, lithium rich layered oxides from…

Critical Raw Materials and Supply Chain Disruption in the Energy Transition

2022

The energy transition towards efficient energy production, transport, and use, renewable energy (RE) technologies and innovative energy management brings benefits to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and achieving climate targets. The transition requires resources, minerals, metals, and materials for RE technologies themselves, for example, solar photovoltaics (PV), hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs) as well as innovative supporting technologies for variable RE, for example, energy storage systems (ESSs). This requirement of resources and materials occurs over the whole supply chain of the technologies, from the extraction of resources, the manufacture of technology, and the deployme…

Mountain Environment and Landscape in prehistoric Sicily: The Madonie region (Palermo, Italy)

2008

The present paper would like to show a research project still in progress, presenting the first preliminary archaeological data. The aim of the Madonie project is to analyse mobility strategies and the use of a mountain territory by prehistoric and historic age population, relating geomorphological features, raw material sources and landscape to settlements. In this occurence we are going to discuss about the prehistoric periods.

Prehistoric Settlement and Population in the Madonie Mountains. New Data from the Archaeological Survey

2010

The aim of the Madonie research project is to analyse mobility strategies and the use of a mountainous territory by relating geomorphologic features, raw material sources and landscape to the prehistoric settlement. For this purpose we planned an intensive and systematic survey of sample areas, selected on geo-morphological, altimetric and archaeological criteria, correlated to a palaeoenvironmental investigation based on the study of palynological sequence samples coming from wet areas of the Madonie territory and from archaeological deposits. Le projet de recherche sur la Madonie analyse les stratégies de mobilité et l’exploitation du territoire de montagne, en reliant les caractéristique…