Search

Modern ski resorts have been using systems of technical snow for many years: initially they were used to compensate the limits of natural snow but today it is actually the natural snow that is used as an integration to artificial snow and not vice versa. This paper aims to identify and evaluate the environmental impacts associated to the production of artificial snow, comparing two very different winter seasons in terms of snowfalls. The results of LCA analysis shows that the production of artificial snow primarily implies impacts on natural land transformation and fossil depletion, and that more snowfalls cause more onerous skiing resorts management, due to high consumption of diesel fuel for piste machines used for snow grooming.

Gli apprezzabili risultati, in termini di risparmio energetico e abbattimento delle emissioni di CO2eq, conseguiti dal settore della birra italiana sono attribuibili a efficaci strategie ambientali implementate dalle aziende di maggiori dimensioni, mentre permangono margini significativi di miglioramento per i birrifici artigianali, il vero fenomeno imprenditoriale degli ultimi dieci anni. In questo lavoro è stato esaminato il caso di due micro-birrifici della Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia, al fine di analizzare le relative Carbon Footprint di Organizzazione (OCF). Dai risultati ottenuti in questo studio preliminare appare evidente come, pur in presenza di sostanziali differenze in termini di percentuali di emissioni di GHG attribuibili ai diversi scopes, per entrambe le aziende l’hot-spot principale risieda nei consumi energetici, dove la distanza dalle scelte strategiche effettuate dalla grande industria birraria è ancora rilevante.

In recent years the Municipality of Udine changed the technology of traffic lights in the administered area, no longer equipped with traditional incandescent optics but with Light Emitting Diodes (LED), in order to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions during the operation phase. The paper aims at applying the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, to evaluate whether the transition to the new technology has actually allowed the reduction of environmental impacts, resulting from all life cycle stages for both devices, in different environmental categories. In most cases the obtained results show a better environmental compatibility of LED.

In cooperation with the Local Healthcare Agency No. 1 "Triestina", the quality of food provided in the canteens of four multifunctional facilities in the Province of Trieste dedicated to the not entirely self-sufficient and completely not self-sufficient elderly (two residential care homes and two private care homes) was considered. This assessment represents the first necessary step to understanding whether elderly institutionalization may be a factor predisposing, precipitating or aggravating the status of a possible malnutrition. Most of the food products consumed in the examined canteens were of significantly lower quality compared to the products commonly found on the market. In particular, by detecting secondary oxidation products, a considerable p-anisidine index, higher than 10 for more than 20% tested samples (fat based foods) was found. In addition, the amount of polyphenols, per person, potentially ingestible with meals, hardly reached 150 - 200 mg/day and the vitamin content was generally lower with respect to reference nutritional values established by INRAN.

Concerns over energy security and environmental impacts related to greenhouse gases emissions stimulate developments towards renewable energy. Over the last few years, there has been an intense debate about the major factors that determine the impacts of biofuels both in production and end use phase. The objective of this study is to review existing life cycle assessment (LCA) and water footprint (WF) studies on liquid biofuels used in transport sector to point out if: (i) LCA studies are adequate to evaluate the environmental impacts of biofuels; (ii) biofuels are environmentally sustainable when the WF is considered; (iii) it is possible to use both LCA and WF studies results to better assess the environmental sustainability of biofuels. Furthermore, different aspects of crops production are considered to assess the efficiency of the biofuels in the greenhouse gas emission reduction. The analysed LCA papers present quite different and at times contradictory results on biofuel environmental impacts. Variability in results is affected by crops used and geographical areas of cultivation and, consequently, the impact assessment of biofuels is consistent only at the local level. In conclusion, it can be stated that territory characteristics, weather conditions and farming methods should be considered to evaluate biofuels production.

In questo lavoro sono stati monitorati mangimi e filetti di trota provenienti dagli allevamenti afferenti al progetto IRIDEA, per verificarne la salubrità e la sicurezza. È stato valutato il contenuto di PCB (DL e NDL), di diossine e metalli pesanti. Sul complesso dei campioni di filetto di trota analizzati nessuno ha evidenziato la presenza di diossine e PCB in quantità superiori ai tenori massimi previsti dal Regolamento (UE) n.1259/2011. Analogamente, i dati relativi alla presenza di piombo, cadmio e mercurio nei filetti hanno messo in luce concentrazioni decisamente al di sotto dei livelli massimi previsti dal Regolamento (CE) n. 1881/2006. Dal confronto dei valori di PCB si può osservare inoltre come le concentrazioni si mantengano pressoché costanti nei due anni presi in esame, nel caso dei tre allevamenti per i quali è stato possibile ripetere il campionamento. Per quanto riguarda i mangimi, invece, i dati hanno messo in luce, in un unico campione, una quantità di contaminanti xenobiotici superiore ai tenori massimi previsti dal Regolamento (UE) n. 277/2012. In definitiva è possibile sostenere che i livelli di contaminazione sono risultati in linea con quelli riscontrati in ambienti protetti da contaminazione antropica.

The hydrolysis process to obtain the so-called “reducing sugars" represents the main step involved in the production of the second generation bioethanol. This product can be obtained directly from various types of green biomass, replacing the use of cereals cultivations, with obvious benefits to the environment and the economy of agricultural production. However, it is necessary to improve the hydrolysis process of the cellulose to achieve this goal. To this purpose we applied a chemical process previously used. We tested the yields by using a colorimetric method employing bicinchoninic acid (BCA) for the quantitative detection of reducing sugars.

Le microalghe sono dei microrganismi presenti in tutti gli ecosistemi terrestri, e in grado di adattarsi a diverse condizioni ambientali. Grazie alla presenza di clorofilla assorbono la luce solare, assimilano l’anidride carbonica dall’aria e i nutrienti dagli habitat acquatici per poi produrre lipidi, proteine e carboidrati. La loro potenzialità è quindi legata sia alla biomitagazione della CO2 sia alla produzione di biocarburanti. Nella prima parte introduttiva del lavoro viene esaminato il tema delle tecniche di coltivazione delle alghe a fini energetici, sottolineandone i principali vantaggi, quali l’alta produttività, l’elevata velocità di crescita, l’assenza di competitività col settore alimentare, l’utilizzo di terreni marginali, la produzione combinata (accanto ai biocarburanti si possono ottenere molti composti di interesse industriale, quali prodotti farmaceutici, mangimi, cosmetici...) ed evidenziando nel contempo le criticità ancora presenti. Nella seconda parte vengono riportati i risultati di uno studio preliminare che ha preso in esame una specie autoctona del Golfo di Trieste, Pleurochrysis cf. pseudoroscoffensis. I primi dati evidenziano un possibile utilizzo di tale microalga per l’assorbimento della CO2, laddove non sembra particolarmente adatta alla produzione di biocarburanti.

For the short term the EU has committed to cutting its emissions to 20% below 1990 levels, whereas the European Commission proposed that the EU set itself a target of reducing emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. Natural gas will play an important role in reaching these goals, but European reserves are being depleted. Meanwhile, on a global scale, resources are spread amongst all continents and remain abundant. Therefore, supplying European consumers with natural gas which is both affordable and reliable, represents a major objective. This paper describes the European natural gas market and specifically examines the role of Italy, as regards all the strategic projects that represent an important contribution for Italy, both for covering internal energy demand as well as for becoming an energy hub in southern Europe and the Mediterranean. These projects include new regasification terminals and gas pipelines between Russia and North East Italy (Southstream), between Azerbaijan and South East Italy (Trans Adriatic Pipeline, TAP), between Algeria and Sardinia (Gasdotto Algeria Sardegna Italia, GALSI), between Greece and South East Italy (IGI Poseidon).

The most abundant carotenoids present in tomato-based products were taken into account. Several samples coming from Italian stores have been analysed by using an RP – HPLC method. These products show a free carotenoids content proportional to the intensity of the manufacturing processes to which there are subjected. Among the carotenoids lycopene isomerises in various cis forms under different chemical – physical conditions. The lycopene antioxidant activity appears to be related to its trans – cis isomerisation degree, and the stability and the relative abundance of the isomers were investigated by applying heating and illumination. The cooking process seems to increase the total lycopene availability, whereas a prolonged exposure to a light source appears to be the best way to obtain the cis isomers. β-carotene is partially subjected to degradative processes, and do not shows an appreciable isomerisation degree under the same conditions.

Il presente studio fa parte di un più vasto progetto di ricerca finalizzato alla caratterizzazione degli oli di oliva vergine secondo l’area di provenienza, utilizzando i dati strutturali della frazione triacilglicerolica (TAG). Tali parametri si sono già rivelati utili ai fini di una classificazione degli oli di oliva prodotti nella regione Umbria e in alcuni territori istriani (Slovenia e Croazia), grazie al ricorso di tecniche di statistica multivariata, specificatamente dell’analisi discriminante lineare. L’obiettivo di questo studio è quello di estendere la ricerca al fine di evidenziare, se possibile, un pattern per gli oli prodotti non solo in Istria (Capodistria, Parenzo e Pola) ma anche nella provincia di Trieste, applicando l’analisi multivariata ai dati relativi a 137 campioni di olio provenienti da due stagioni di raccolta.

Following the economic reform of late 1970s China has had a very fast economic growth: its GDP has grown at an average annual rate of 9.3% and in the first nine months of 2005 it stood at 9.4%. To face the energy demand, in the 1980s, the Chinese government adopted, an energy policy plan based on domestic energy resources, mainly coal. China accounts for 12.6% of the world’s proven coal reserves and is both the largest producer and consumer of coal in the world. China's coal production in 2004 was 1.400 billion Mt and at present coal fired plants accounted for 73% of the installed power generation.

As a consequence of strong recent increases in the Chinese consumption of electric power, significant doubts about the ability to face the Chinese energy demand coming from industrial, handicraft and domestic sectors are lately arisen. The need to free itself, at least partially, from oil and coal, has created various political and economic initiatives culminated in the "Law on renewable energies" of February 28th, 2005 that will come into force on January 11th, 2006. In this context, the program of wind energy exploitation assumes particular importance, because China has abundant wind energy resources. At an estimated 23-29% capacity factor, annual potential production of electricity from wind power could be as great as 506-632 TWh. Furthermore, China has a large area of shallow sea along its eastern coastline, and preliminary estimates show that the offshore wind energy potential may be three times greater than onshore potential.

Meaningful amounts of natural antioxidant in the diet are thought indispensable to the reduction of some common degenerative diseases, such as cancer, promoted by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Such effects are evident in the man and in some animal species, like as Ruminants. For this purpose it is interesting to point out the results of the addition of natural antioxidants in common diet of cows. In this study, two groups of animals were tested; the first one was nourished with typical feed, whereas the second one was nourished with feed supplements derived from tomato pomace, rich in carotenoids and in lycopene especially

23 rd World Congress of the International Society for Fat Research