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Biomass continues to play a key role as an alternative to fossil fuels. Woody biomass produces lower greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels. However, in order to consider biomass as 'green energy', a number of factors should be taken into account, including the characterization of the quality of the resource. Therefore, monitoring quality parameters, such as moisture, ash, N content, is essential to assess the sustainability of biomass for energy production. This paper presents the results of laboratory analyses performed on wood chip samples from four Italian regions over a five-year period (2019–2023). In particular, all quality parameters defined by ISO 17225-9 for industrial wood chips were assessed. Data were analyzed using descriptive, parametric, non-parametric statistics, and multivariate analysis. An interest in quality monitoring has been observed, indicated by an increase in the number of samples received from suppliers and an enhancement in the average values of quality parameters. Moreover, an overall decrease in moisture and N content has been observed, while ash content and heating value have undergone non-linear variations. Statistically significant quality differences between samples from different regions may be the result of different practices, such as outdoor or indoor storage, climate differences, different biomass growth conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a promising method for the conversion of agricultural and agro-industrial residues into valuable products. HTC processes biomass through chemical reactions that produce hydrochar, a carbon-rich solid similar to lignite. Unlike other thermochemical processes, HTC can handle high-moisture biomass without pre-drying. This article evaluates the efficiency of HTC on wood chips, wheat straw, and grape pomace, examining their chemical and structural characteristics and critical operational parameters such as the temperature, pressure, biomass/water ratio, and reaction time. The obtained results highlight that the two key process parameters are the temperature and the ratio between the solid biomass and liquid phase. Increasing the first parameter increases the energy content by 20% and increases the carbon concentration by up to 50%, while reducing the oxygen content by 30% in the hydrochar. Varying the second parameter leads to the alternating reduction of the ash content but simultaneously reduces the energy content. The reaction time seems to have a limited influence on the quality parameters of the biochar produced. Lastly, HTC appears to successfully enhance the overall quality of widely available agricultural wastes, such as grape pomace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When encountering a family struggling with the human dimensions of dying, the family therapist cannot help but ask himself fundamental questions with profound ethical implications: how and when it is best to mend the split between medical time and the psychic times of the family? How can we support the freedom of choice both of the individual and the system when these do not coincide? Every functional loss dictated by the disease requires more caregivers and equipment which must be added: how and to what extent can the family integrate them? How can the therapist manage the Use of Self when dealing with constant losses? Does it make sense to offer psychotherapy, and on what dimensions does it have to work? Through the reflections on the clinical processes conducted by the Mourning team of the Clinical Center of the Accademia di psicoterapia della famiglia in Rome, the goal of our work has become to identify and strengthen the elements that allow the therapeutic system to keep on working with the vital processes of the family. The unsettling process of dying force the therapeutic system -- which in our thinking includes enlarged family, friends and therapists -- into continuous adaptive change; only by tolerating impotence and be willing to learn from this painful experience can the destructuring loss also became an opportunity to reconstruct new ways of communicating, of being, of living. Rebuilding relationships, seeking and fortifying intact resources, working on the meanings of Time and the conscious choice of how to live it, are the core of our clinical work. The therapeutic relationship is the elective place of this process of mutual learning that allows the family to know and recognize each other even within the new boundaries imposed by the disease and lead the therapists towards new edges of themselves and of what can be considered therapeutic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relevant growth of the wood pellet market in Europe in the last decade led to an increased focus on solid biofuel as a necessary and available renewable resource for energy production. Among biofuels, wooden pellets are among the most widespread for domestic heating. Therefore, monitoring the qualitative properties of commercialized pellets is crucial in order to minimize the amount of harmful emissions in residential areas. Standard ISO 17225 sets threshold values for the chemical and physical properties that commercialized biofuels must fulfil. Specifically, ISO 17225-2 defines that pellets for residential use must be produced from virgin wood, but no method is proposed to assess the actual origin of the material, leading to the risk of the commercialization of pellets made up from chemically treated materials. This study proposes a model obtained via near infrared spectroscopy analyses and chemometrics methods, such as classification, to rapidly assess whether pellets are made up of virgin or chemically treated wood. The result suggests the effectiveness of NIRs for the detection of non-virgin pellets with an accuracy greater than 99%. Furthermore, the model appeared to be accurate in the assessment of both milled and intact pellets, making it a potential in-line instrument for assessments of pellets' quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]