• Energy Research
• 2021-2025close
• CNR ExploRA close

Recently, the marketable value of ω-3 fatty acid, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), increased considering their health effects for human consumption. Microalgae are considered a valuable and “green” source of EPA alternative to fish oils, but considerable efforts are necessary for their exploitation at an industrial level. Due to the high operation costs of photoautotrophic microalgae cultivation, heterotrophic growth represents a promising economic solution. Marine diatoms are the major ecological producers of ω-3 fatty acids. Few species of diatoms are capable to grow in the dark using organic carbon sources. The marine diatom Cyclotella cryptica was cultivated for 14 days under photoautotrophic and heterotrophic conditions to define the effects on growth parameters, lipid production, total fatty acids and EPA content. Photoautotrophic conditions led to a total EPA production of 1.6% of dry weight, 12.2 mg L−1 culture and productivity of 0.9 mg L−1 day−1. The heterotrophy cultures reported a total EPA production of 2.7% of dry cell weight, 18 mg L−1 culture, a productivity of 1.3 mg L−1 day−1, which are promising values in the prospective of improving culture parameters for the biotechnological exploitation of dark cultivation. C. cryptica could be a potential candidate for the heterotrophic production of EPA, also considering its robustness, capacity to resist to bacterial contaminations and plasticity of lipid metabolism.

Polymer solar cells (PSCs) based on non-fullerene acceptors have the advantages of synthetic versatility, strong absorption ability, and high thermal stability. These characteristics result in impressive power conversion efficiency values, but to further push both the performance and the stability of PSCs, the insertion of appropriate interlayers in the device structure remains mandatory. Herein, a naphthalene diimide-based cathode interlayer (NDI-OH) is synthesized with a facile three-step reaction and used as a cathode interlayer for fullerene and non-fullerene PSCs. This cationic polyelectrolyte exhibited good solubility in alcohol solvents, transparency in the visible range, self-doping behavior, and good film forming ability. All these characteristics allowed the increase in the devices’ power conversion efficiencies (PCE) both for fullerene and non-fullerene-based PSCs. The successful results make NDI-OH a promising cathode interlayer to apply in PSCs.

La transizione energetica e lo sviluppo sempre più capillare delle energie da fonti rinnovabili stanno suscitando un interesse sempre più crescente, favorendo la nascita di comunità per la produzione di energia e l'autoconsumo collettivo, al fine di ridurre drasticamente le emissioni e poter così raggiungere definitivamente l'obiettivo di decarbonizzazione prefissato per il 2050 dall'Unione Europea. Nel nostro Paese, le comunità energetiche potranno diventare il volano per le energie da fonti rinnovabili, permettendo ai cittadini di partecipare alla generazione, alla distribuzione, alla fornitura, al consumo, all'aggregazione ed allo stoccaggio dell'energia. Proprio attraverso una maggiore consapevolezza del fenomeno che si sta sviluppando, i cittadini possono associarsi ed effettuare scelte comuni per produrre localmente l'energia elettrica necessaria al proprio fabbisogno, anche condividendola, avendo così accesso a servizi di efficienza energetica. Queste nuove forme di mobilitazione collettiva, già note nei movimenti comunitari legati alla filiera alimentare, cominciano a diventare sempre più presenti nella costituzione delle comunità energetiche, con il fine ultimo, non solo di ridurre l'uso di fonti fossili ed emissioni, in favore di un sistema energetico basato sull'impiego di risorse energetiche rinnovabili, ma anche di poter produrre innovazione sociale in termini di empowerment delle persone, inclusività ed impatto di lunga durata, incoraggiando il cambiamento di pratiche sociali e valori collettivi; il mutamento tecnologico, quanto quello sociale, può essere soddisfatto solo da un forte coinvolgimento degli attori sociali.

AbstractGrape pomace, as by-product of wine making, is a source of polyphenols, fibers, fatty acids, metals, and organic acids, which could be used as raw component for the production of sustainable materials. Novel biodegradable films based on pomaces, from Negroamaro (red) and Fiano (white), Italian grape cultivars, were fabricated. Physical, chemical and antioxidant properties of material produced were characterized. In particular, migration tests of phenols from pomace films to aqueous food simulant medium were investigated. Data obtained allowed to evaluate the antioxidant activity in terms of total phenol assay and Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity assay and phenols profile. The characterization of phenolic composition confirmed the peculiarity of some compounds such as anthocyanins (191.17 ± 10.3 μg/g film) in red skin pomace film (NPF) and a great amount of flavanols (76.36 ± 1.72 μg/g film) in white skin pomace film (FPF). Antioxidant activity of polyphenols resulted in active films and was confirmed in migration test with aqueous food simulants. Physical properties of produced films were then studied in terms of morphological, thermal, mechanical and barrier properties. Finally, in the framework of sustainability and circular economy, the presented data paves the way to the design and production of active materials for packaging application starting from a widely available by-product derived from wine-making chain.

Herein, we review the multifaceted roles of proline in cell biology. This peculiar cyclic imino acid is:(i)A main precursor of extracellular collagens (the most abundant human proteins), antimicrobial peptides (involved in innate immunity), salivary proteins (astringency, teeth health) and cornifins (skin permeability);(ii)an energy source for pathogenic bacteria, protozoan parasites, and metastatic cancer cells, which engage in extracellular-protein degradation to invade their host;(iii)an antistress molecule (an osmolyte and chemical chaperone) helpful against various potential harms (UV radiation, drought/salinity, heavy metals, reactive oxygen species);(iv)a neural metabotoxin associated with schizophrenia;(v)a modulator of cell signaling pathways such as the amino acid stress response and extracellular signal-related kinase pathway;(vi)an epigenetic modifier able to promote DNA and histone hypermethylation;(vii)an inducer of proliferation of stem and tumor cells; and(viii)a modulator of cell morphology and migration/invasiveness. We highlight how proline metabolism impacts beneficial tissue regeneration, but also contributes to the progression of devastating pathologies such as fibrosis and metastatic cancer.

Magnetic dust collected from multiple fusion devices (FTU, Alcator C-Mod, COMPASS) that feature different plasma-facing components (PFCs) and toroidal magnetic fields has been analyzed by means of the X-ray diffraction technique aiming to investigate the nature and origin of dust magnetism. Analysis led to the conclusion that the main mechanism of ferromagnetic dust formation is the change of iron crystalline phase from austenitic to ferritic during the re-solidification of stainless steel droplets. Analysis also revealed differences in the collected dust structure and an unexpectedly high amount of stainless steel based dust in its native austenitic phase. Theoretical estimates showed that the magnetic moment force can also mobilize strongly paramagnetic adhered dust prior to the establishment of proper tokamak discharges. The post-mortem analysis of dust collected during pure magnetic discharges in FTU confirmed these estimates.

One of the main targets of sustainable development is the reduction of environmental, social, and economic negative externalities associated with the production of foods and beverages. Those externalities occur at different stages of food chains, from the farm to the fork, with deleterious impacts to different extents. Increasing evidence testifies to the potential of microbial-based solutions and fermentative processes as mitigating strategies to reduce negative externalities in food systems. In several cases, innovative solutions might find in situ applications from the farm to the fork, including advances in food matrices by means of tailored fermentative processes. This viewpoint recalls the attention on microbial biotechnologies as a field of bioeconomy and of ‘green’ innovations to improve sustainability and resilience of agri-food systems alleviating environmental, economic, and social undesired externalities. We argue that food scientists could systematically consider the potential of microbes as ‘mitigating agents’ in all research and development activities dealing with fermentation and microbial-based biotechnologies in the agri-food sector. This aims to conciliate process and product innovations with a development respectful of future generations’ needs and with the aptitude of the systems to overcome global challenges.