Search results for "WASTE"

MULTIPLE CLIMATE-DRIVEN CASCADING ECOSYSTEM EFFECTS AFTER THE LOSS OF A FOUNDATION SPECIES

2021

Abstract Climate change is evolving so fast that the related adverse effects on the environment are becoming noticeable. Thus, there is an urgent need to explore and understand the effects generated by multiple extreme climatic events (MECEs) on marine ecosystem functioning and the services provided. Accordingly, we combined long-term in-situ empirical observations in the Mediterranean Sea with a mesocosm manipulation to investigate the concurrence of increasing temperature and hypoxia events. By focussing on a foundation mussel species, we were able to detect several cascade events triggered by a mass mortality event caused by stressful temperature and oxygen conditions, and resulting in a…

Stable isotope evidence for the environmental impact of a land-based fish farm in the western Mediterranean

2004

Isotopic examination (delta(13)C and delta(15)N) of organic matter sources and consumers was used to assess the impact and trace the dispersal of wastewater from a land-based fish farm in western Mediterranean. The results provide evidence of the non-negligible effect of aquaculture facilities on the natural stable isotopic composition of organisms. Aquaculture waste entered the food web, altering the natural isotopic composition of organic matter sources at the base and the upper trophic levels. Nitrogen-rich fish waste mainly affected delta(15)N values, while delta(13)C showed less alteration. Waste seemed to disperse widely enough to affect the isotopic composition at the study site abou…

Effects of fish-farm biodeposition on periphyton assemblages on artificial substrates in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea (Gulf of Castellammare, Sicily)

2007

An algal assemblage growing on artificial substrata of fish-farm cages was investigated. Specifically, algal response to the effects of fish-farm facilities was studied, in order to identify a possible future descriptor of biodeposition impact. Some sites were positioned upstream of the farms (at least 750 m; ‘controls’) and other sites were positioned downstream of the farms (‘impacts’). All sites were situated in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Control and impact sites differed significantly with regard to the dissolved nutrient profile. The fouling community (samples were scraped from buoys) displayed a reduction gradient in diversity which increased with the effect of fish farms. A total of 51 taxa…

Tracking multiple pathways of waste from a northern bluefin tuna farm in a marine-coastal area.

2011

Aquaculture of bluefin tuna in Mediterranean coastal waters has generated growing concern about the negative environmental effects. In the present isotopic study we examined the dispersal and fate of organic matter derived from a Mediterranean tuna farm in the surrounding environment. An overall enrichment in the heavy nitrogen isotope was found in the feed and in farmed tunas, indicating the input of isotopically traceable organic matter in the system. Waste was clearly traceable in the water column up to 1000 m from the cages, while only slight accumulation occurred in the sediment just below the cages. Waste was isotopically shown also to contribute to the diet of demersal and benthopela…

The effect of fish farming organic waste on food availability for bivalve molluscs (Gaeta Gulf, Central Tyrrhenian, MED): stable carbon isotopic anal…

2001

Stable carbon isotope (δ13C) analysis was used in a fish-farming impacted Mediterranean area (the Gulf of Gaeta, Central Tyrrhenian) to determine the predominant carbon sources available to bivalve molluscs cultivated around fish cages. Wether the organic matter generated by fish farming was taken up by the bivalve molluscs was also investigated. Stable carbon isotope values were measured in the particulate organic carbon (POC) of samples from potential organic matter sources such as fish-pelleted feed, mollusc faecal waste and bivalve flesh. The sources of organic matter affecting the study area water column and benthic communities appeared to be terrigenous-continental, autochthonous (phy…

Reuse and recycling in construction: novel photocatalytic nano-mortars from valorised industrial wastes

2021

Production of novel eco-composite nano-mortars for architectural finishing, designed to combat environmental pollution affecting building shells, is reported. Specimens consist of a natural hydraulic lime mortar matrix doped with various kinds of nanophotocatalysts, produced from valorized industrial wastes: TiO2-hexaferrite from Fe3O2, and Ti(SO4)2-hydroxyapatite from Atlantic codfish bones. Samples were characterized and their photocatalytic activity was evaluated. Analysis showed that industrial wastes may be usefully reused to produce a new generation of sustainable, cheap and multifunctional novel building materials.

Development of novel secondary raw materials from grape juice fining waste as enriched excipients for oral care products and pharmaceuticals

2023

Development of secondary raw materials and oral care products starting from must fining waste

Hemp flour, from waste to nutritional and nutraceuticals reuse

2023

One of the main objectives of recent years is to characterize and valorize by-products of agri-food industries, as new sources of bioactive components, from the perspective of a circular economy and a biorefinery approach both for environmental and economic reasons. Hemp flour, obtained from Cannabis sativa seeds, is an example of promising bio-sustainability raw material with a high nutritional value that can be obtained from industrial by-products. From C. sativa seeds is obtained an oil rich in fatty acids, mainly linoleic and α-linolenic acids [1]. After oil extraction, seeds can be ground to obtain edible flour. Foods fortified with these “non-wheat flours” would have an additional sup…

New tailor-made bio-organoclays for the remediation of olive mill waste water

2013

A systematic study aimed at obtaining new organoclays for the treatment of Olive Mill Waste water (OMW) has been performed. Several organoclays have been prepared by loading different amounts of the biocompatible surfactant Tween20 onto the K10 montmorillonite (MMT). Complementary kinetic and equilibrium studies on the adsorption of the Tween20 onto the MMT have been carried out and the characterization of the new tailor-made bio-materials has been performed by means of the XRD and FT-IR measurements. Finally the prepared bio-organoclays have been successfully applied for the OMW remediation and they proved to be highly effective in decreasing the organic content (OC) to an extent that depe…