Carlo Pastore

• PhD
• Researcher at Italian National Research Council

This study aims to develop a straightforward, eco-friendly, and energy-saving approach for producing isopropyl myristate (IPM) through lipase-catalyzed esterification in a fixed bed reactor. The reaction between isopropyl alcohol and myristic acid was catalyzed using Novozym 435. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was utilized to examine the int...

Featured Application Development of novel and green technologies to produce biochemicals, especially biodiesel and biolubricants from municipal sewage sludge. Abstract In this work, a detailed analysis of the lipid component in primary sludge and sewage scum up-taken from several wastewater treatment plants located in southern Italy was carried ou...

This work aims to develop a simple, clean, and energy-efficient lipase-catalyzed method for the synthesis of isopropyl myristate (IPM). The enzymatic esterification between isopropyl alcohol and myristic acid was cata-lyzed using immobilized Candida Antarctica lipase. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was applied to study the interactive effect of...

In this work, a closed-loop strategy for the management and valorization of winery waste was proposed. The exhausted pomace and grape stalks that are typically obtained from white wine industries were used as a source of simple sugars, namely, glucose and fructose, and of lignocellulosic feedstock for the preparation of selective catalysts for the...

In this work, a novel sustainable approach was proposed for the integral valorisation of Arctium lappa (burdock) seeds and roots. Firstly, a preliminary recovery of bioactive compounds, including unsaturated fatty acids, was performed. Then, simple sugars (i.e., fructose and sucrose) and phenolic compounds were extracted by using compressed fluids...

Algal systems are gaining popularity in biosynthetic operations owing to their ability to capture and assimilate carbon into biomass through the photosynthetic processes, generate bioproducts and materials, and remove/recycle minerals from wastewater. However, their synthetic efficiency and economic outlook are dictated by growth rate, processing c...

Even though the hydrodynamic cavitation reactor (HCR) performs better than the mechanical stirring reactor (MSR) at producing biodiesel, and the ethylic process of biodiesel production is entirely bio-based and environmentally friendly, non-homogeneous ethanol with the triglyceride of underutilized oil, despite the many technical advantages, has di...

AlCl3·6H2O was used as a catalyst in the esterification reaction of levulinic acid with 1-hexanol for producing hexyl levulinate, a compound that finds applications in several industrial sectors and represents an excellent candidate to be used in diesel fuel blends. A kinetic and thermodynamic study of the esterification reaction was performed, con...

Currently, monoglycerides (MG) are produced using a complicated energy-intensive technology that contributes negatively toward greenhouse gas mitigation. This work suggests a cleaner and simpler one-step enzymatic production of α-monolaurin in an inert membrane reactor, where the reaction and enzyme separation are conducted simultaneously in one un...

The characterization of organic contaminants in sewage sludge is a fundamental step to address the relevant most appropriate management practice. In this perspective, C10-C40 hydrocarbon content was considered in Italy a crucial parameter to be considered, in spite of its irrelevance in the literature. The very complex mixture of organic substances...

In recent years, the demand for biofuels has been growing exponentially, as has the interest in biodiesel produced from organic matrices. Particularly interesting, due to its economic and environmental advantages, is the use of the lipids present in sewage sludge as a raw material for the synthesis of biodiesel. The possible processes of this biodi...

A novel viable route for obtaining ethyl hexanoate-rich streams from grape pomace, an agro by-product generated from the winery industry, was investigated. Highly concentrated hexanoic acid (87 wt%) was efficiently produced through the chain elongation fermentation of red and white grape pomace, easily separated, recovered and reacted with ethanol...

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) may play a crucial role in shifting to a zero-emission future by becoming more sustainable and contributing to the circular economy (CE). Recovered lipids from urban sewage can serve as a raw material for biofuel production contributing to a waste reduction, mitigation of natural resources depletion and reinforci...

Currently, monoglycerides (MG) are produced using a complicated energy intensive technology that contributes negatively toward greenhouse gas mitigation. This work suggests a cleaner and simpler one-step enzymatic production of α -monolaurin in an inert membrane reactor, where the reaction and enzyme separation are conducted simultaneously in one u...

Biomasses obtained from green remediation strategies can represent a new valuable feedstock for obtaining fine chemicals and/or next generation liquid fuels. A sustainable chain of technologies for recovering chemicals from poplar grown in a multi-contaminated area is presented here in this work. A pre-treatment based on the use of performic acid (...

A novel activation route for the preparation of carbon-based adsorbents functionalized with lanthanum and their application for arsenic adsorption was proposed. This procedure is based on carbon dioxide activation at room temperature, which could allow to reduce the energy consumption and adsorbent cost. A comparison of this novel activation approa...

Vegetable feedstocks are normally the main source for biodiesel production, but there are a number of economic, ethic, and environmental concerns regarding their use. This chapter reviews and examines the main non‐edible oils: cottonseed oil, Crambe abyssinica , croton oil, desert date, jatropha oil, jojoba oil, karanja oil, kemiri sunan oil, linse...

In this work, a novel method was proposed for the conversion of waste cooking oil into biodiesel. A two-step approach based on a pretreatment with AlCl3•6H2O to convert FFA into the relevant methyl esters, followed by the complete transesterification of glycerides, under KOH catalysis in a reactive distillation column, was considered. The pretreatm...

This work proposes an alternative green and selective biocatalytic route for Glycerin Mono-stearate (α-monostearin) production. The conventional method of production uses an elevated temperature. Apart from the high energy consumption, such high temperatures darken the final product's color, lead to random reactions, and produce high orders of digl...

Sewage sludge is a type of urban waste generated as a byproduct of wastewater treatment in quantities ranging from 9 to 9.5 million tons (dry substance) in Europe. This waste can be considered a source of lipids, which can be converted into biofuels. Recovery of lipids from sludge is a critical step in the overall process, and the choice of the ext...

The growing demand for energy and materials in modern society pushes scientific research to finding new alternative sources to traditional fossil feedstocks. The exploitation of biomass promises to be among the viable alternatives with a lower environmental impact. Making biomass exploitation technologies applicable at an industrial level represent...

This work focuses on the recovery of resources from urban sewage sludge. Sewage sludge is generated by water treatment plants and contains a significant amount of lipids that can be used in a number of applications in fine chemistry. This study reports the extraction of lipids from sewage sludge using ethyl esters of volatile fatty acids as solvent...

A novel biorefinery platform integrating thermal pretreatment and solid-liquid separation unit is here proposed to fully exploit food waste (FW) potential for production of valuable chemicals and energy through semi-continuous anaerobic bioconversion. The liquid fraction deriving from raw or pretreated FW, was fermented into volatile fatty acids (V...

In this work, the transesterification of methyl estolides (ME) extracted from the lipid component present in the sewage scum was investigated. Methyl 10-(R)-hydroxystearate (Me-10-HSA) and Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAMEs) were obtained in a single step. A three-level and four factorial Box–Behnken experimental design were used to study the effects...

The conversion of renewable biomasses into biofuels and chemicals represents a strategic way to reduce the use of fossil feedstock, by contributing in switching to a more sustainable society. The use of agro-industrial wastes does not subtract resources destined for food consumption. In addition, waste utilization would result in a reduction of its...

A process for obtaining ethyl levulinate through the direct esterification of levulinic acid and ethanol using AlCl3·6H2O as a catalyst was investigated. AlCl3·6H2O was very active in promoting the reaction and, the correspondent kinetic and thermodynamic data were determined. The reaction followed a homogeneous second-order reversible reaction mod...

Biodiesel is industrially produced by transesterification of glycerides (animal and/or vegetal) with methanol (MeOH) under homogeneous alkaline conditions, by using sodium or potassium hydroxide, carbonates, or alkoxides. In general, two main strategies have been considered for the conversion of waste oils into biodiesel: physicochemical pretreatme...

Nanostructured calcium oxides supported onto biochar obtained by pyrolysis of avocado seeds were prepared, characterized and successfully used as catalysts to produce biodiesel from waste oils. The effect of increasing calcium load (5, 10 and 20 wt%) was investigated. Elemental analysis, FTIR, XRD, SEM, BET, acid and basic sites were used to charac...

Lipids of sewage scum and primary sludge taken from several wastewater treatment plants were quantified and characterised. In sewage scum, lipids represented 36–50% of total solids and were primarily composed of free fatty acids (45–60%) and calcium soaps (27–35%). In primary sludge, total lipids were 20–24% of total solids, and 71–82% of these wer...

Ethanolysis carried out under Lewis-Brønsted acid catalysis was investigated as a possible process to valorize the organic fraction of urban sewage sludge, with the aim of selectively obtaining liquid biofuels. In a single reactive step, the conversion of lipids into fatty acid ethyl esters, of carbohydrates into ethyl levulinate, furanic compounds...

Posidonia oceanica is the most abundant aquatic plant of the Mediterranean Sea where it plays great ecological importance. The accumulation of residues along the shore, however, creates a littering hardship for the territory due to their bad rotting smell and introduces an obstacle to the enjoyment of the beaches and tourist swimming. Posidonia oce...

The recovery of cellulose in toilet paper from municipal wastewater is one of the most innovative actions in the circular economy context. In fact, fibres could address possible new uses in the building sector as reinforcing components in binder-based materials. In this paper, rotating belt filters were tested to enhance the recovery of sludge rich...

A new process for obtaining ethyl-esters of volatile fatty acids with ethanol is proposed by using aluminium chloride hexahydrate as a catalyst. Besides a good activity, since thermodynamic conversion of volatile fatty acids was achieved already after 3-4 hours at 343 K, it also induced a convenient separation of phases. In fact, ethyl-esters were...

A new process for obtaining the ethyl esters of volatile fatty acids with ethanol by using aluminium chloride hexahydrate as a catalyst is proposed. Aluminium chloride not only exhibits good activity, composition equilibrium is achieved within 3–4 h at 343 K, but also induces a phase separation with a convenient distribution of the components. In f...

One of the most innovative applications for a circular economy approach is the recovery of cellulose fibres from municipal wastewater. Recovered cellulose fibres from the wastewater could bring benefits to the construction industry in terms of reducing the amount of non-renewable raw materials and increasing sustainability. Rotating belt filter was...

The valorization of typical household food waste (HFW) produced at municipality level was studied for the production of electricity in a microbial fuel cell (MFC) from its extract, and methane, through anaerobic digestion of the solid extraction residue. HFW, after heat drying and shredding, was subjected to extraction using warm water, which resul...

A very efficient chemical pre-treatment method that uses cheap and safe hydrated-salts as catalysts for the conversion of waste cooking oils and animal fats having a high Free Fatty Acids (FFAs) content into an oily feedstock convertible into biodiesel through a conventional route (basic catalysis) was investigated. These hydrated-salts allow FFAs...

A new protocol for biodiesel production is proposed, based on a binary ZnO/TBAI (TBAI = tetrabutylammonium iodide) catalytic system. Zinc oxide acts as a heterogeneous, bifunctional Lewis acid/base catalyst, while TBAI plays the role of phase transfer agent. Being composed by the bulk form powders, the whole catalyst system proved to be easy to use...

This study reports the synthesis of heterogeneous catalysts from flamboyant biomass and their evaluation on the transesterification reaction of safflower oil with methanol to produce biodiesel. The optimization of catalyst preparation conditions was performed. Results showed that the concentration of doping metallic specie was the main variable tha...

This study has focused on the synthesis of lanthanum-, cerium-and calcium-functionalized adsorbents to remove heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions. Avocado seeds were used as a feedstock to obtain carbon-based adsorbents via pyrolysis and these adsorbents were further functionalized with lanthanum, cerium and calcium species using different expe...

Three different chemical oxidation processes were investigated in terms of their capability to degrade organic chemical components of real mature landfill-leachate in combination with biological treatment run in a Sequencing Batch Biofilter Granular Reactor (SBBGR). H2O2, H2O2 + UV and O3 were integrated with SBBGR and respective effluents were ana...

A combined Lewis-Brønsted acid ethanolysis of sugars was thoroughly investigated with the aim of producing ethyl levulinate (EL) in a single step. Ethanolysis carried out at 453 K for 4 h using H2SO4 (1 wt%) and AlCl3·6H2O (30 mol % with respect to sugars) produced a yield of 60 mol % of EL respect to glucose and starch. Such optimised conditions w...

This study proposes the evaluation of the suitability of mesophilic anaerobic digestion as a simple technology for the treatment of the citrus waste produced by small-medium agro-industrial enterprises involved in the transformation of Citrus fruits. Two different stocks of citrus peel waste were used (i.e., fresh and stored citrus peel waste), to...

In the framework of the waste circular economy, anaerobic digestion (AD) is a promising treatment option, due to both renewable energy and fertilizer production. Nevertheless, in mesophilic conditions a part of the organic carbon fed is not degraded, reducing the possibility to fully exploit the waste energy potential, and opening the research to a...

Amorphous titanium hydroxide and boron-doped (B-doped) sodium titanates hydrates were synthetized and used as adsorbents for the removal of Pb²⁺ from water. The use of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) and titanium(IV) isopropoxide (TTIP) as precursors permits a very easy synthesis of B-doped adsorbents at 298 K. The new adsorbent materials were first che...

SUSTAINABLE WASTEWATER TREATMENT COUPLED TO ENERGY RECOVERY WITH MICROBIAL ELECTROCHEMICAL TECHNOLOGIES: THE WE-MET PROJECT

Titanates may be selectively used as inorganic adsorbents for heavy metal ions owing to their stability and fast adsorption kinetics. Nevertheless, the synthesis of such materials usually requires extreme reaction conditions. In this work, a new titanium-based material was rapidly synthesized under mild laboratory conditions. The obtained amorphous...

Heterotrophic system for carbon sequestration is gaining importance in the recent decades. Carbonic anhydrase (CA) is a major enzyme involved in carbon sequestration and biomineralization process. In this paper, we evaluate the effect of pesticide on CA activity using inhibitory assay. 2,4-D, being one of the most extensively used pesticide, being...

A very efficient separation of lipids from wet sewage scum was optimised and positively tested on samples taken from several wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). By simply heating sewage scum at 353 K and centrifuging the heated mass at 4000 rpm per 1 min, a recoverability of 93-99% of total oils was always obtained. This procedure resulted to be e...

An on-line solid phase extraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography in tandem with mass spectrometry (on-line SPE/HPLC/MS-MS) method for the determination of five microcystins and nodularin in surface waters at submicrogram per liter concentrations has been optimized. Maximum recoveries were achieved by carefully optimizing the ex...

Separation between primary and secondary sludge treatment could be a valuable solution for sludge management. According to this approach, secondary sludge can be conveniently used in agriculture while primary sludge could be easily dried and incinerated. It follows that some concern may arise from incinerating primary sludge with respect to the cur...

The possibility of reusing leachate substances for agronomical purposes might be of interest, especially in arid areas when used in addition to the leachate water content. This study presents a simple procedure for the revegetation of the walls of closed landfills, reusing the leachate as a fertigant. The results demonstrated the real possibility o...

We describe a process for the selective conversion of C6 -polyols into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) in biphasic systems of organic carbonate/water (OC/W), with cerium(IV) phosphates as catalysts. Different reaction parameters such as the OC/W ratio, catalyst loading, reaction time, and temperature, were investigated for the dehydration of fructo...

Homogeneous aluminium-species, obtained by dissolving AlCl3·6H2O into methanol, were characterised and tested as catalysts into the direct esterification of free fatty acids with methanol. The nature and the role of this catalyst was further investigated through ESI-MS and FTIR spectroscopy, by revealing an immediate exchange reaction between metha...

Fat, oil and grease (FOG) recovered by the oil/water separator of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) were sampled, characterized, activated and converted into biofuel. Free acids (50-55%) and fatty soaps (26-32%) not only composed the main components, but they were also easily separable from the starting waste. The respective free fatty acid profi...

In this paper, we present the results of a study on 5-HMF production from fructose by means of heterogeneous catalysts in aqueous media. Mild conditions were used setting the temperature between 393 K and 443 K. Cerium(IV) phosphates, differently from other metal(IV)-phosphates, such as titanium and zirconium, have been characterized only recently....

Wastes produced by oil/water separation at the wastewater treatment plant of Bari West (Southern Italy) were taken, characterized and converted. About 12% of this material was composed of greases, mainly made of free fatty acids (50%) and soaps (34%), and was easily separable by the aqueous phase through a hot centrifugation. After chemical activat...

The possibility of reusing leachate substances for agronomical purposes might be of interest, especially in arid areas when used in addition to the leachate water content. This study presents a simple procedure for the revegetation of the walls of closed landfills, reusing the leachate as a fertigant. The results demonstrated the real possibility o...

To prevent over-exploitation of global fish stocks by the aquaculture industry, interest is growing in the identification of nontraditional species with potential value as fish feed. In this study, we investigated the biochemical composition of the polychaete Sabella spallanzanii. Its elemental composition, gross protein and proximate composition,...

The balance of organic nitrogen and sulfur during ozonation of organic pollutants often shows a lack of complete mineralization. It follows that polar and ionic by-products are likely to be present that are difficult to identify by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). The structural elucidation of low molecular weight organic acids aris...

In this paper we show that modification of ceria by loading alumina strongly reduces the oxidation of methanol and the consequent reduction of Ce(IV) to Ce(III) with increase of both the life of the catalysts and their selectivity. The combination of surface techniques (XPS and BET) with structural techniques (XRD) has allowed a good characterisati...

[RhCl(C(2)H(4))(PiPr(3))](2) has been synthesised and structurally characterised. It shows an unusual planar Rh(2)Cl(2) system, with the two phosphine and the two ethene molecules disposed trans to each other. It easily reacts with dihydrogen in solution and in the solid state to afford ethane and a dimeric complex of formula [RhCl(H)(2)P](2). The...

Quick on the uptake: The mechanism of uptake of CO2 from simulated flue gases by mono- and disilyl amines, either in their free form, as organic (wet) solutions, or as xerogels, was investigated, and the products formed were characterized by IR and NMR spectroscopy. Several absorption/desorption cycles were carried out which revealed a reversible u...

The oxidation of propene-to-propene oxide (PO) has been achieved via oxygen-transfer from transition-metal oxides to the olefin. Under the operative conditions, the cleavage of the olefinic double bond is not observed. The only co-products are acetone (AC) and propinoaldehyde (PA), that can be considered as isomerisation products of propene oxide....

Cerium(IV) oxide has been reported to catalyse the direct carboxylation of methanol to dimethylcarbonate, DMC. Nevertheless, the life of commercially available catalysts is quite short as after the first cycle the activity decreases and after a few cycles goes to zero. Noteworthy, no reports are in the literature about the stability of catalysts an...

Two kinds of supported homogeneous catalysts have been used in the synthesis of dimethylcarbonate from methanol and carbon dioxide. Bu2nSn(OMe)2 and [Nb(OMe)5]2, that are reported to be active catalysts under homogeneous conditions, have been bound to a solid support. The moiety [–BunSn(OMe)2] has been grafted on a polystyrene resin by using a phen...

This paper reports about a combined technology for soil remediation from PCBs using the thermal desorption technique coupled with the catalytic hydrogenation of recovered PCBs. The reactor is a bench scale rotating desorption furnace through which nitrogen is flushed and used as carrier gas of desorbed PCBs. The latter are condensed into an hexane...

The development of a new synthetic approach to acrylates based on the formation of alkyl esters of acrylic acids has been studied. A preformed Pd-COOMe moiety is used as a model system to investigate the insertion of an olefin into the Pd--C bond. The fast elimination of acrylate is observed. Density functional calculations support the experimental...

In Apulia (southern Italy), copper and pesticides of plant origin such as rotenone, pyrethrines and azadirachtin are used in organic olive groves to control the olive fly. The objective of the trial carried out in Apulia in 2006 was to evaluate the residues of these active ingredients (a.i.) on olives subjected to several treatments (from 1 to 3) a...

The formation of dimethylcarbonate (DMC) from MeOH and CO2 under [Nb(OMe)5]2 catalysis follows a different route (“acid-plus-base activation” of methanol) with respect to other known catalytic systems such as Sn(IV) and dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) that promote a “double-base activation”. The reaction intermediates and related transition states o...