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Papers by valeria moreno

EEA Manfredi, INTA, Jul 28, 2021

Las alfalfas tolerantes a glifosato (con tecnología RR, Roundup Ready®) como consecuencias de los... more Las alfalfas tolerantes a glifosato (con tecnología RR, Roundup Ready®) como consecuencias de los eventos J101 y/o J163 están autorizadas para el cultivo en varios países. Actualmente en Argentina, solamente se encuentran autorizadas las alfalfas desarrolladas mediante ingeniería genética con lignina reducida (HarvXtra®) + el evento J101 que le aporta tolerancia a glifosato. Se presenta un protocolo de detección dirigido a detectar la secuencia de unión del genoma de la alfalfa y el inserto transgénico de el/los eventos que aportan tolerancia a glifosato. El protocolo descripto a continuación enunciará los pasos a seguir en tres escenarios posibles:

2º Congreso Argentino de Bioinformática y Biología Computacional. Córdoba (AR) 11 al 13 de mayo, 2011., Nov 11, 2018

La alfalfa es una leguminosa, perenne y autotetraploide (2n=4x=32). Los cultivares son poblacione... more La alfalfa es una leguminosa, perenne y autotetraploide (2n=4x=32). Los cultivares son poblaciones sintéticas obtenidas por tres o cuatro generaciones de panmixia a partir de un conjunto de varios parentales (Flajoulot et al., 2005). Su importancia como cultivo forrajero radica en su alto contenido de proteínas, vitaminas y minerales, y en que actúa como fuente fijadora de nitrógeno, mediante la simbiosis que establece con Sinorhizobium meliloti (Barnes et al., 1988). En la Argentina se cultivan alrededor de 4 millones de hectáreas, de las cuales el 90% se localiza en las

Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 2021

Abstract With more than 350 GWh per year and thousands of installations around the world, biogas ... more Abstract With more than 350 GWh per year and thousands of installations around the world, biogas is an appealing strategy in the field of energy production and industrial waste optimization. In this sense, it is of paramount importance to address the risk associated with such plants, as an increasing trend of accidents have been recorded in the last 20 years. In this work, a representative biogas production plant was considered, and a risk assessment was carried out through the combination of Recursive Operability Analysis and Failure Mode and Effects Criticality Analysis. The methodology is rigorous and allows for both the identification and the quantification of accidental scenarios due to procedural errors and equipment failures, which miss in the literature for the case of biogas. The analysis allows the automatic generation of the Fault Trees for the identified Top Events, which can be numerically solved. Results show that the most critical accidental scenario in the biogas plant here considered is the formation of an explosive air-biogas mixture, which can occur in both anaerobic digester and condensate trap. The calculated probabilities agree with the results available in literature on similar plants. Pumps and Distributed Control System were found to be the most critical components.

Chemical Engineering Transactions, 2019

Starting from the statement that all activities involve, in principle, an exposure to risk, some ... more Starting from the statement that all activities involve, in principle, an exposure to risk, some years ago, the standard ISO 31000:2009 was published, in order to provide principles and generic guidelines on the management of risks within organizations of all types and sizes throughout their whole life. The standard does not specify the exact nature of risk (i.e. industrial, natural, occupational, etc.) nor it is specific to any industry or sector, therefore any public, private or community enterprise, association, group or individual is supposed to be able to use it. The standard ISO 31000:2009 is supported by the standard ISO 31010:2009, which provides guidance on the selection and application of systematic techniques for risk assessment. In a less generic framework, risk can be due to different activities that are carried out in different industrial sector. Among them, activities involving dangerous substances may be cause of accidents. The Seveso III Directive (2012/18/EU) aims ...

PLOS ONE, 2021

Cardiac hypertrophy is the result of responses to various physiological or pathological stimuli. ... more Cardiac hypertrophy is the result of responses to various physiological or pathological stimuli. Recently, we showed that polycystin-1 participates in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy elicited by pressure overload and mechanical stress. Interestingly, polycystin-1 knockdown does not affect phenylephrine-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, suggesting that the effects of polycystin-1 are stimulus-dependent. In this study, we aimed to identify the role of polycystin-1 in insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) signaling in cardiomyocytes. Polycystin-1 knockdown completely blunted IGF-1-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. We then investigated the molecular mechanism underlying this result. We found that polycystin-1 silencing impaired the activation of the IGF-1 receptor, Akt, and ERK1/2 elicited by IGF-1. Remarkably, IGF-1-induced IGF-1 receptor, Akt, and ERK1/2 phosphorylations were restored when protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B was inhibited, suggesting that polycystin-1 knockdown deregulates thi...

Chemical Engineering Transactions, 2019

In the present framework of global energy transition, a significant increase in the use of carbon... more In the present framework of global energy transition, a significant increase in the use of carbon-neutral synthetic fuels as renewable energy carriers is expected in the next years. Renewable resources are huge even though scarcely exploitable due to aleatory availability and costs of transportation when produced in remote areas and offshore. Thus, the synergy of methanol production with oil & gas activities represents a beneficial opportunity to share infrastructures and convert renewable energy in a synthetic liquid fuel which can be easily stored and transported. Renewable methanol is a valuable chemical and an energy transition fuel with several applications, in particular in the mobility sector. Moreover, the use of carbon dioxide as raw material for the methanol synthesis could have a positive impact on the global carbon balance, valorising the attractive Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) concept. However, the novelty of renewable methanol process technologies in the renewa...

Chemical Engineering Transactions, 2019

NaTech events (Natural Hazard Triggering Technological Disasters) are becoming an increasing conc... more NaTech events (Natural Hazard Triggering Technological Disasters) are becoming an increasing concern in the Chemical and Process Industry (CPI). From a risk management standpoint, a better understanding of such events is of paramount importance. In this perspective, the analysis of past accidents is crucial, being almost the only source of information on the possible interactions between natural threats and CPI. To this aim, the present work collected 438 past NaTechs that affected CPI, analysing the trends of accidents with respect to the trend of natural disasters, the geographical localization, the type of natural hazard triggering the accident, the final scenarios (e.g. fire, explosion,…) and the consequences on human and assets. For each type of NaTech, significant accidents have been reported and discussed.

El girasol (Helianthus annuus var. macrocarpus) es el segundo cultivo oleaginoso más importante e... more El girasol (Helianthus annuus var. macrocarpus) es el segundo cultivo oleaginoso más importante en la Argentina. Desde hace varios años, se vienen realizando diferentes estudios agronómicos, fisiológicos y genéticos con materiales del Banco de Germoplasma de INTA-EEA Manfredi con el objetivo de abordar la problemática sobre la tolerancia al estrés hídrico en este cultivo.

Processes, 2021

The use of hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizing agent becomes increasingly important in chemistry. T... more The use of hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizing agent becomes increasingly important in chemistry. The example of vegetable oil epoxidation is an excellent illustration of the potential of such an agent. This reaction is traditionally performed by Prileschajew oxidation, i.e., by the in situ production of percarboxylic acids. Drawbacks of this approach are side reactions of ring-opening and thermal runaway reactions due to percarboxylic acid instability. One way to overcome this issue is the direct epoxidation by hydrogen peroxide by using γ-alumina. However, the reaction mechanism is not elucidated: does hydrogen peroxide decompose with alumina or oxidize the hydroxyl groups at the surface? The kinetics of hydrogen peroxide consumption with alumina in homogeneous liquid and heterogeneous liquid-liquid systems was investigated to reply to this question. Bayesian inference was used to determine the most probable models. The results obtained led us to conclude that the oxidation mechanis...

Green Chemistry, 2021

We review the use of lignocellulosic biomass for the production of levulinic acid and levulinates... more We review the use of lignocellulosic biomass for the production of levulinic acid and levulinates. We consider the production processes and their environmental and economic impact.

Luca Marmo, Applied Science and Technology Department, Politecnico di Torino, Turin (Italy), luca... more Luca Marmo, Applied Science and Technology Department, Politecnico di Torino, Turin (Italy), luca.marmo@polito.it Enrico Danzi, Applied Science and Technology Department, Politecnico di Torino, Turin (Italy) Leonardo Tognotti, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e Industriale, Università di Pisa, Pisa (Italy) Valerio Cozzani, LISES, Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials, Università di Bologna (Italy) Ernesto Salzano, LISES, Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials, Università di Bologna (Italy) Valeria Casson Moreno, LISES, Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials, Università di Bologna (Italy) Daniela Riccio, Alchim sas, Chieri (TO), Italy

In the present work, the valorisation of waste biomass (olive wood) was analysed from an environm... more In the present work, the valorisation of waste biomass (olive wood) was analysed from an environmental standpoint. A process of thermo-catalytic reforming in which bio-char, bio-oil and syngas are produced, have been integrated to olive wood waste supply chain. In particular, the energy efficiency evaluation was carried out by solving energy and mass balances on the system. Furthermore, the capacity of the systems in energy-selfsustainability has been evaluated along with thermal recovery methods and different uses for the products obtained. The entire supply chain was examined in order to identify its optimal configuration, minimizing environmental charges. Environmental performance is assessed by considering greenhouse gases (GHGs) expressed in terms of CO2 equivalent as an indicator: this approach allows to define the supply chain incidence on the global warming relative to each of the phases involved in the process. In order to obtain the better configuration in terms of thermal...

Chemical engineering transactions, 2020

Nowadays most of energy supply and chemicals are produced from fossil fuels. However, environment... more Nowadays most of energy supply and chemicals are produced from fossil fuels. However, environmental concerns like global warming, depletion of non-renewable resources and pollution, force to search for more sustainable alternative feedstocks. In this framework, the valorization of renewable resources is currently one of the most promising strategies for the next future. In particular, the use of biomass is ranked first for production of chemicals. One of the most attractive compounds that can be obtained from lignocellulosic biomass is Levulinic acid (LA). The present work analyses, from a technical, economic and safety standpoint, the valorization of waste biomass (OPEFB, oil palm empty fruit bunch) to LA with different methodologies. Energy demand of the plant and the separation efficiency are evaluated carrying out process simulations by the commercial software Aspen HYSYS V10. The obtained results allowed an economic analysis of the alternatives, based on the evaluation of inves...

Worldwide, several locations are characterized by abundance of natural energy sources, prone to b... more Worldwide, several locations are characterized by abundance of natural energy sources, prone to be converted in power for electricity generation and process-related duties. However, the discontinuity of such renewable energy sources (RES) coupled with their conversion difficulties, results in moderate advantages when a steady power demand has to be satisfied using a single energy source. To overcome the forehead mentioned limitations, profitable renewable energy harvesting can be reached by exploiting multiple RES at once. Such possibility is, in principle, very versatile, thanks to the modularity of the integrated power generation plant, that can be designed based on the energy availability and investment options. In the present work, the approach of integrating multiple RES was used to assess the technical feasibility of harvesting solar (via photovoltaic panels) and wave energy (via wave energy converters) to supply a desalination unit for the production of irrigation water in Te...

Chemical Engineering Journal, 2021

Renewable Energy, 2021

Abstract The Canary Islands are still largely dependent on expensive imported fossil fuels, are s... more Abstract The Canary Islands are still largely dependent on expensive imported fossil fuels, are stressed by the increasing touristic impact and are extremely vulnerable to climate change due to water scarcity. Water desalinisation is an energy-demanding process and is essential to the sustainable development of these islands. The aim of this study is to explore the potential advantages of a hybrid installation, exploiting two different renewable energy sources, specifically waves and solar, to supply a large desalination plant in Tenerife. The paper ultimately provides a generally applicable procedure for the design of hybrid installations, including three steps: the assessment of available renewable energy sources, the optimal combination of these sources and finally the economic assessment. The wave and solar resources are assessed first, then the hybrid installation is conceptually designed proposing a criterion for the optimal mixing of the renewable energy sources that can be applied to other resources and other sites. The basic idea is to maximize the exploitation of the renewable power, minimizing the need of the fossil-based back-up system. The costs of the hybrid installation are finally assessed considering the sensitivity to government incentives, showing that the project parity point is reached within the lifetime of typical desalination plants (i.e. 40 years) and can be significantly more attractive in case of Feed-In-Tariffs available in other European countries.

Autophagy in Health and Disease, 2022

Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2021

Synthesis of γ-valerolactone (GVL), a platform molecule that can be produced from lignocellulosic... more Synthesis of γ-valerolactone (GVL), a platform molecule that can be produced from lignocellulosic biomass, was performed in this work by hydrogenation of an alkyl levulinate over Ru/C. Kinetic models reported in the literature are typically not compared with rival alternatives, even if a discrimination study is needed to find the optimum operating conditions. Different surface reaction kinetic models were thus considered in this work, specifically addressing hydrogenation of butyl levulinate to GVL, where the latter was used as a solvent to minimize potential solvent interference with the reaction, including its evaporation. The Bayesian approach was applied to evaluate the probability of each model. It was found that non-competitive Langmuir-Hinshelwood with no dissociation of hydrogen model has the highest posterior probability.

Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 2021

Abstract Natural events triggering technological scenarios (Natech events) are an increasing conc... more Abstract Natural events triggering technological scenarios (Natech events) are an increasing concern for regulatory authorities and industry, in particular in areas prone to natural disasters. A comprehensive analysis of the occurrence of Natech scenarios affecting the process industry is presented. A dataset of 9100 past accidents that took place in the last 70 years was compiled and analysed, with the aim of understanding the trend of Natech events, their geographical distribution, the final technological scenarios, and the associated consequences in terms of human losses and asset damages. Meteorological events, such as storms, extreme temperatures and lightning were found to be the main trigger of Natech scenarios (86 %). Despite the difficulty in collecting homogeneous data worldwide, an increasing number of Natech events over the time is observed. Moreover, specific increases in the occurrence of Natech events correspond to the occurrence of severe natural disasters as the devastating hurricanes that affected the Gulf of Mexico in recent years. The societal risk curve associated to Natechs was calculated, evidencing the relevance of extremely severe accidents (> 100 deaths). The analysis of the dataset also allowed building quantified event trees for the evolution of Natech scenarios. Specific ignition probability values for Natech events were estimated.

EEA Manfredi, INTA, Jul 28, 2021

Las alfalfas tolerantes a glifosato (con tecnología RR, Roundup Ready®) como consecuencias de los... more Las alfalfas tolerantes a glifosato (con tecnología RR, Roundup Ready®) como consecuencias de los eventos J101 y/o J163 están autorizadas para el cultivo en varios países. Actualmente en Argentina, solamente se encuentran autorizadas las alfalfas desarrolladas mediante ingeniería genética con lignina reducida (HarvXtra®) + el evento J101 que le aporta tolerancia a glifosato. Se presenta un protocolo de detección dirigido a detectar la secuencia de unión del genoma de la alfalfa y el inserto transgénico de el/los eventos que aportan tolerancia a glifosato. El protocolo descripto a continuación enunciará los pasos a seguir en tres escenarios posibles:

2º Congreso Argentino de Bioinformática y Biología Computacional. Córdoba (AR) 11 al 13 de mayo, 2011., Nov 11, 2018

La alfalfa es una leguminosa, perenne y autotetraploide (2n=4x=32). Los cultivares son poblacione... more La alfalfa es una leguminosa, perenne y autotetraploide (2n=4x=32). Los cultivares son poblaciones sintéticas obtenidas por tres o cuatro generaciones de panmixia a partir de un conjunto de varios parentales (Flajoulot et al., 2005). Su importancia como cultivo forrajero radica en su alto contenido de proteínas, vitaminas y minerales, y en que actúa como fuente fijadora de nitrógeno, mediante la simbiosis que establece con Sinorhizobium meliloti (Barnes et al., 1988). En la Argentina se cultivan alrededor de 4 millones de hectáreas, de las cuales el 90% se localiza en las

Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 2021

Abstract With more than 350 GWh per year and thousands of installations around the world, biogas ... more Abstract With more than 350 GWh per year and thousands of installations around the world, biogas is an appealing strategy in the field of energy production and industrial waste optimization. In this sense, it is of paramount importance to address the risk associated with such plants, as an increasing trend of accidents have been recorded in the last 20 years. In this work, a representative biogas production plant was considered, and a risk assessment was carried out through the combination of Recursive Operability Analysis and Failure Mode and Effects Criticality Analysis. The methodology is rigorous and allows for both the identification and the quantification of accidental scenarios due to procedural errors and equipment failures, which miss in the literature for the case of biogas. The analysis allows the automatic generation of the Fault Trees for the identified Top Events, which can be numerically solved. Results show that the most critical accidental scenario in the biogas plant here considered is the formation of an explosive air-biogas mixture, which can occur in both anaerobic digester and condensate trap. The calculated probabilities agree with the results available in literature on similar plants. Pumps and Distributed Control System were found to be the most critical components.

Chemical Engineering Transactions, 2019

Starting from the statement that all activities involve, in principle, an exposure to risk, some ... more Starting from the statement that all activities involve, in principle, an exposure to risk, some years ago, the standard ISO 31000:2009 was published, in order to provide principles and generic guidelines on the management of risks within organizations of all types and sizes throughout their whole life. The standard does not specify the exact nature of risk (i.e. industrial, natural, occupational, etc.) nor it is specific to any industry or sector, therefore any public, private or community enterprise, association, group or individual is supposed to be able to use it. The standard ISO 31000:2009 is supported by the standard ISO 31010:2009, which provides guidance on the selection and application of systematic techniques for risk assessment. In a less generic framework, risk can be due to different activities that are carried out in different industrial sector. Among them, activities involving dangerous substances may be cause of accidents. The Seveso III Directive (2012/18/EU) aims ...

PLOS ONE, 2021

Cardiac hypertrophy is the result of responses to various physiological or pathological stimuli. ... more Cardiac hypertrophy is the result of responses to various physiological or pathological stimuli. Recently, we showed that polycystin-1 participates in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy elicited by pressure overload and mechanical stress. Interestingly, polycystin-1 knockdown does not affect phenylephrine-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, suggesting that the effects of polycystin-1 are stimulus-dependent. In this study, we aimed to identify the role of polycystin-1 in insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) signaling in cardiomyocytes. Polycystin-1 knockdown completely blunted IGF-1-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. We then investigated the molecular mechanism underlying this result. We found that polycystin-1 silencing impaired the activation of the IGF-1 receptor, Akt, and ERK1/2 elicited by IGF-1. Remarkably, IGF-1-induced IGF-1 receptor, Akt, and ERK1/2 phosphorylations were restored when protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B was inhibited, suggesting that polycystin-1 knockdown deregulates thi...

Chemical Engineering Transactions, 2019

In the present framework of global energy transition, a significant increase in the use of carbon... more In the present framework of global energy transition, a significant increase in the use of carbon-neutral synthetic fuels as renewable energy carriers is expected in the next years. Renewable resources are huge even though scarcely exploitable due to aleatory availability and costs of transportation when produced in remote areas and offshore. Thus, the synergy of methanol production with oil & gas activities represents a beneficial opportunity to share infrastructures and convert renewable energy in a synthetic liquid fuel which can be easily stored and transported. Renewable methanol is a valuable chemical and an energy transition fuel with several applications, in particular in the mobility sector. Moreover, the use of carbon dioxide as raw material for the methanol synthesis could have a positive impact on the global carbon balance, valorising the attractive Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) concept. However, the novelty of renewable methanol process technologies in the renewa...

Chemical Engineering Transactions, 2019

NaTech events (Natural Hazard Triggering Technological Disasters) are becoming an increasing conc... more NaTech events (Natural Hazard Triggering Technological Disasters) are becoming an increasing concern in the Chemical and Process Industry (CPI). From a risk management standpoint, a better understanding of such events is of paramount importance. In this perspective, the analysis of past accidents is crucial, being almost the only source of information on the possible interactions between natural threats and CPI. To this aim, the present work collected 438 past NaTechs that affected CPI, analysing the trends of accidents with respect to the trend of natural disasters, the geographical localization, the type of natural hazard triggering the accident, the final scenarios (e.g. fire, explosion,…) and the consequences on human and assets. For each type of NaTech, significant accidents have been reported and discussed.

El girasol (Helianthus annuus var. macrocarpus) es el segundo cultivo oleaginoso más importante e... more El girasol (Helianthus annuus var. macrocarpus) es el segundo cultivo oleaginoso más importante en la Argentina. Desde hace varios años, se vienen realizando diferentes estudios agronómicos, fisiológicos y genéticos con materiales del Banco de Germoplasma de INTA-EEA Manfredi con el objetivo de abordar la problemática sobre la tolerancia al estrés hídrico en este cultivo.

Processes, 2021

The use of hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizing agent becomes increasingly important in chemistry. T... more The use of hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizing agent becomes increasingly important in chemistry. The example of vegetable oil epoxidation is an excellent illustration of the potential of such an agent. This reaction is traditionally performed by Prileschajew oxidation, i.e., by the in situ production of percarboxylic acids. Drawbacks of this approach are side reactions of ring-opening and thermal runaway reactions due to percarboxylic acid instability. One way to overcome this issue is the direct epoxidation by hydrogen peroxide by using γ-alumina. However, the reaction mechanism is not elucidated: does hydrogen peroxide decompose with alumina or oxidize the hydroxyl groups at the surface? The kinetics of hydrogen peroxide consumption with alumina in homogeneous liquid and heterogeneous liquid-liquid systems was investigated to reply to this question. Bayesian inference was used to determine the most probable models. The results obtained led us to conclude that the oxidation mechanis...

Green Chemistry, 2021

We review the use of lignocellulosic biomass for the production of levulinic acid and levulinates... more We review the use of lignocellulosic biomass for the production of levulinic acid and levulinates. We consider the production processes and their environmental and economic impact.

Luca Marmo, Applied Science and Technology Department, Politecnico di Torino, Turin (Italy), luca... more Luca Marmo, Applied Science and Technology Department, Politecnico di Torino, Turin (Italy), luca.marmo@polito.it Enrico Danzi, Applied Science and Technology Department, Politecnico di Torino, Turin (Italy) Leonardo Tognotti, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e Industriale, Università di Pisa, Pisa (Italy) Valerio Cozzani, LISES, Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials, Università di Bologna (Italy) Ernesto Salzano, LISES, Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials, Università di Bologna (Italy) Valeria Casson Moreno, LISES, Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials, Università di Bologna (Italy) Daniela Riccio, Alchim sas, Chieri (TO), Italy

In the present work, the valorisation of waste biomass (olive wood) was analysed from an environm... more In the present work, the valorisation of waste biomass (olive wood) was analysed from an environmental standpoint. A process of thermo-catalytic reforming in which bio-char, bio-oil and syngas are produced, have been integrated to olive wood waste supply chain. In particular, the energy efficiency evaluation was carried out by solving energy and mass balances on the system. Furthermore, the capacity of the systems in energy-selfsustainability has been evaluated along with thermal recovery methods and different uses for the products obtained. The entire supply chain was examined in order to identify its optimal configuration, minimizing environmental charges. Environmental performance is assessed by considering greenhouse gases (GHGs) expressed in terms of CO2 equivalent as an indicator: this approach allows to define the supply chain incidence on the global warming relative to each of the phases involved in the process. In order to obtain the better configuration in terms of thermal...

Chemical engineering transactions, 2020

Nowadays most of energy supply and chemicals are produced from fossil fuels. However, environment... more Nowadays most of energy supply and chemicals are produced from fossil fuels. However, environmental concerns like global warming, depletion of non-renewable resources and pollution, force to search for more sustainable alternative feedstocks. In this framework, the valorization of renewable resources is currently one of the most promising strategies for the next future. In particular, the use of biomass is ranked first for production of chemicals. One of the most attractive compounds that can be obtained from lignocellulosic biomass is Levulinic acid (LA). The present work analyses, from a technical, economic and safety standpoint, the valorization of waste biomass (OPEFB, oil palm empty fruit bunch) to LA with different methodologies. Energy demand of the plant and the separation efficiency are evaluated carrying out process simulations by the commercial software Aspen HYSYS V10. The obtained results allowed an economic analysis of the alternatives, based on the evaluation of inves...

Worldwide, several locations are characterized by abundance of natural energy sources, prone to b... more Worldwide, several locations are characterized by abundance of natural energy sources, prone to be converted in power for electricity generation and process-related duties. However, the discontinuity of such renewable energy sources (RES) coupled with their conversion difficulties, results in moderate advantages when a steady power demand has to be satisfied using a single energy source. To overcome the forehead mentioned limitations, profitable renewable energy harvesting can be reached by exploiting multiple RES at once. Such possibility is, in principle, very versatile, thanks to the modularity of the integrated power generation plant, that can be designed based on the energy availability and investment options. In the present work, the approach of integrating multiple RES was used to assess the technical feasibility of harvesting solar (via photovoltaic panels) and wave energy (via wave energy converters) to supply a desalination unit for the production of irrigation water in Te...

Chemical Engineering Journal, 2021

Renewable Energy, 2021

Abstract The Canary Islands are still largely dependent on expensive imported fossil fuels, are s... more Abstract The Canary Islands are still largely dependent on expensive imported fossil fuels, are stressed by the increasing touristic impact and are extremely vulnerable to climate change due to water scarcity. Water desalinisation is an energy-demanding process and is essential to the sustainable development of these islands. The aim of this study is to explore the potential advantages of a hybrid installation, exploiting two different renewable energy sources, specifically waves and solar, to supply a large desalination plant in Tenerife. The paper ultimately provides a generally applicable procedure for the design of hybrid installations, including three steps: the assessment of available renewable energy sources, the optimal combination of these sources and finally the economic assessment. The wave and solar resources are assessed first, then the hybrid installation is conceptually designed proposing a criterion for the optimal mixing of the renewable energy sources that can be applied to other resources and other sites. The basic idea is to maximize the exploitation of the renewable power, minimizing the need of the fossil-based back-up system. The costs of the hybrid installation are finally assessed considering the sensitivity to government incentives, showing that the project parity point is reached within the lifetime of typical desalination plants (i.e. 40 years) and can be significantly more attractive in case of Feed-In-Tariffs available in other European countries.

Autophagy in Health and Disease, 2022

Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2021

Synthesis of γ-valerolactone (GVL), a platform molecule that can be produced from lignocellulosic... more Synthesis of γ-valerolactone (GVL), a platform molecule that can be produced from lignocellulosic biomass, was performed in this work by hydrogenation of an alkyl levulinate over Ru/C. Kinetic models reported in the literature are typically not compared with rival alternatives, even if a discrimination study is needed to find the optimum operating conditions. Different surface reaction kinetic models were thus considered in this work, specifically addressing hydrogenation of butyl levulinate to GVL, where the latter was used as a solvent to minimize potential solvent interference with the reaction, including its evaporation. The Bayesian approach was applied to evaluate the probability of each model. It was found that non-competitive Langmuir-Hinshelwood with no dissociation of hydrogen model has the highest posterior probability.

Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 2021

Abstract Natural events triggering technological scenarios (Natech events) are an increasing conc... more Abstract Natural events triggering technological scenarios (Natech events) are an increasing concern for regulatory authorities and industry, in particular in areas prone to natural disasters. A comprehensive analysis of the occurrence of Natech scenarios affecting the process industry is presented. A dataset of 9100 past accidents that took place in the last 70 years was compiled and analysed, with the aim of understanding the trend of Natech events, their geographical distribution, the final technological scenarios, and the associated consequences in terms of human losses and asset damages. Meteorological events, such as storms, extreme temperatures and lightning were found to be the main trigger of Natech scenarios (86 %). Despite the difficulty in collecting homogeneous data worldwide, an increasing number of Natech events over the time is observed. Moreover, specific increases in the occurrence of Natech events correspond to the occurrence of severe natural disasters as the devastating hurricanes that affected the Gulf of Mexico in recent years. The societal risk curve associated to Natechs was calculated, evidencing the relevance of extremely severe accidents (> 100 deaths). The analysis of the dataset also allowed building quantified event trees for the evolution of Natech scenarios. Specific ignition probability values for Natech events were estimated.