Marinos Stylianou

Open University of Cyprus · Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences

The Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME) region is already experiencing the negative effects of increased temperatures and the increase in prolonged drought periods. The use of organic fertilization could be a valuable tool to meet the main challenges of climate change and maintain the productivity, quality, and sustainability of rainfed ag...

Tomato pomace was slowly pyrolyzed at 350 and 550 °C (under an N2 flow of 50 l/h) at a rate of 6 °C/min and a residence time of 1:30 h to produce two biochars named B350 and B550, respectively. In addition, the two biochars were chemically activated with ΚΟΗ (at a ratio of 1:10 w/v) at 800 °C to produce two new materials named BA350 and BA550. The...

Greenhouse gas emissions (i.e., carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide) produced by agriculture contribute to global warming and climate change. Various practices followed by farmers in different environmental conditions contribute to the increase in the phenomena, and there is a need for immediate measures. The current study examines the environme...

The dairy industry is currently one of the most important industrial sectors in the world, and due to the high demand for products, is considered the largest source of industrial wastewater in the food sector. Whey wastewater is the most abundant liquid by-product and is characterized by a high concentration of organic load. Thus, the treatment of...

The present study aims to investigate the efficiency of the electrocoagulation (EC) process on the removal of heavy metals from real acid mine drainage (AMD) samples derived from the abandoned open-cast of North Mathiatis mine (Nicosia, Cyprus). EC process was applied with the use of aluminum electrodes in 0.5 L reactors and the removal ability of...

In this work, we studied the application of photovoltaic solar energy for driving the electrochemical processes of electrocoagulation and electrooxidation to remediate drilling fluid wastewater, and simultaneously harvest energy in the form of electrolytic hydrogen gas produced at the cathode. The electrocoagulation was performed with sacrificial a...

Carob’s recognized nutritional and medicinal value next to its unique agriculture importance is associated with an array of social, economic, and cultural activities. The carob fruit is popular for its intense aroma due to the emitted volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The composition of VOCs released from carob fruits changes during ripening, rend...

The current study presented a novel process of biogas upgrading to biomethane (higher than 97%) based on anaerobic sludge and zero-valent iron (ZVI) system. When ZVI was added into an aquatic system with anaerobic granular sludge (AnGrSl) under anaerobic abiotic conditions, H2 was generated. Then, the H2 and CO2 were converted by the hydrogenotroph...

Whey wastewater is considered to be the main polluting product of the dairy industry. Electrocoagulation (EC) and electrooxidation (EO) processes using aluminum electrodes and inactive boron-doped diamond (BDD), respectively, were applied to reduce the chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), phosphate (PO4⁻³), nitrate (NO3⁻), chloride (C...

Ceratonia siliqua L. is a typical Mediterranean tree species that has also been introduced to the temperate regions of Central America, Australia, and Africa. The carob fruit consists of the pulp and the seed (endosperm and germ), each one of which is used in a great variety of bakery products and beverages, as animal feed, food additives, syrups,...

Hairdressing personnel is daily exposed to various chemical air pollutants, and specifically to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Particulate Matter (PM) in hair salons. This is of concern, due to the hazardous effects of these chemicals on the individual's health. Nevertheless, a limited exposure assessment of indoor air quality (IAQ) has been...

The global modern challenges of climate change, natural resources scarcity, waste overproduction, management and processing, etc., need to be examined under the circular economy principles. As such, biochar is considered as an abundant, cost effective, and universal organic amendment widely advantaged by the agriculture sector. Biomass waste consti...

The positive effects of biochar applied as soil conditioner for boosting soil fertility and thus plant growth are sufficiently documented, mostly through in-situ experimentation. This field study evaluated the effects of soil amendment (5% v/v) with distinct types of biochar (biosolids-derived biochar, BDB; cattle manure-derived biochar, MDB; spent...

The ability of biochar to be used as filter or as additive for the adsorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from cattle manure is investigated. The employed biochar was produced from cattle manure after slow pyrolysis at 550 °C (under nitrogen). Towards this, in-house-made glass emission reactors were filled with fresh cattle manure...

Four novel fruit-derived biochars were developed: pomegranate peels (PB), prickly pear peels (PPB), carob (CB), and locust bean gum (LBGB). The feedstocks were pyrolyzed at 350 and 550 ℃ (under N2), respectively, and characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Elemental Analysis (EA), Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spect...

Biochar produced from organic waste feedstocks have lately been utilized as adsorbents for the decontamination of antibiotics-contaminated environmental matrices. The aim of the present study is a) the assessment of the adsorption capacity of three distinct derived biochars [biosolids (BDΒ), cattle manure (MDB) and spent coffee grounds (SCGDB)], ap...

In the current study, a novel process of ex-situ biogas upgrading to biomethane is presented which is based on a system consisted of anaerobic sludge and zero valent iron (ZVI). The ZVI when is added in an aquatic system with anaerobic granular sludge generates H 2 under anaerobic abiotic conditions. Then, the H 2 and CO 2 are converted by the hydr...

The wide use of fossil fuels and their associated environmental concerns, highlighted the importance of affordable and clean energy (goal 7), as adopted by the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations for 2030. For years now, the detection of sulfur components in liquid fuels is performed mainly for environmental and health purposes in c...

A laboratory analysis is presented in this study that evaluates the impact of three different biochars, derived from biowastes of sludge (SDB), manure (MDB) and spent coffee grounds (SCGDB), on the physical properties of a loamy sand soil. Column experiments are conducted to measure the hydraulic conductivity and water content of these biochars whe...

The air quality of modern cities is considered an important factor for the quality of life of humans and therefore is being safeguarded by various international organizations, concentrating on the mass concentration of particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter less than 10, 2.5 and 1 μm. However, the different physical and anthropogenic...

Mining in Cyprus resulted in a significant number of abandoned sulphide mines without any rehabilitation measures. The present study aims to describe and compare the environmental parameters in three such mines with respect to water chemistry, waste dumps geochemistry, slope-topography and plant growth. The mines under study are that of Kokkinopezo...

Cattle wastewater (CWW) is considered an important source of contamination in the livestock sector. Therefore, electrocoagulation (EC) using Aluminium electrodes and electrooxidation (EO) through Boron Doped Diamond (BDD) electrodes processes, were applied to the liquid fraction of cattle waste (CW) to decrease the levels of certain pollutants such...

Solid phase micro extraction-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (SPME-GC/MS) analysis was performed in exhaled breath samples of 48 healthy volunteers: 20 non-smokers, 10 smokers and 18 e-cigarette (EC, vape) users. Each volunteer provided 1 L of exhaled breath in a pre-cleaned Tedlar bag, in which an SPME fiber was exposed to absorb the emitted...

Ceratonia siliqua L. is quite popular for the sweetness of its fruit (“natural chocolate”) and the strong, persistent, characteristic odor that associates not only carob fruit, but also its traditional food products. This is due to the emission of an array of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The released odor is a complex mixture, and therefore,...

In the framework of circular economy, the need of new feedstock materials for the production of alternative new products is of high priority. Biowastes such as manure, sewage sludge (biosolids, BS) and food-waste are used as raw materials for the production of biochar. The present study aims at characterizing biochars produced from three distinct b...

The aspect of backyard composting as element of sustainable development is examined and discussed. Towards this, the effect of various physicochemical parameters (temperature, humidity, organic content, pH, electric conductivity and seed germination index) with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released during food waste composting is studied. Mult...

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) contribute to the communication, growth, breeding, and defense of plant; their role in plant kingdom is vital. Carob tree is cultivated mainly in Middle East and eastern European countries (e.g., Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus) and lately in Australia, the USA, and South Africa. Therefore, it is examined as...

The original publication of this paper contains an error.

Vaping is promoted as a healthier alternative to smoking over the recent years, and e-cigarette (EC) users are considered to affect air quality (and thus contribute to passive smoking) much less than tobacco cigarette (TC) smokers. Here we test this hypothesis, by comparing measurements of the size distributions of particles and the levels of Volat...

Over the last decade there has been a significant boost towards the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), especially among youth. Different concentrations of propylene glycol (PG) or vegetable glycerin (VG), flavors and nicotine are mixed in plastic cartridges and commercially offered or privately produced by the vapers. During vaping, a mix...

The performance of biomass char production and application systems depends strongly on feedstock characteristics, conversion techniques, and methods of char handling, transport, and utilization. Although several combinations of biomass resources, conversion processes, and applications have been reported in the literature, few studies are focused on...

Coffee is perhaps one of the most vital ingredients in humans’ daily life in modern world. However, this causes the production of million tons of relevant wastes, i.e., plastic cups, aluminum capsules, coffee chaff (silver skin), and spent coffee grounds (SCG), all thrown untreated into landfills. It is estimated that 1 kg of instant coffee generat...

Use of viscosifiers have been shown helpful for mobility control when displacing higher viscosity fluids, and to improve sweep in heterogeneous media. Foam can be used as a viscosifier for this purpose. Selected surfactant solutions were investigated for their ability to generate foam within porous media and foam stability through batch and column...

Peatlands represent a valuable global carbon store and are critical for preserving biodiversity. In order to reduce peat mining a significant effort is made to search for substitutes of peat in its different uses. Organic products obtained by hydrothermal carbonization processes could fully or partially replace peat in growing media if they possess...

The proposed photovoltaic electrochemical (PV-EC) process combines autonomous and environmentally friendly photovoltaic solar energy with the capability of the combined electrocoagulation/electrooxidation process to effectively remediate toxic olive mill wastewaters and simultaneously produce electrolytic hydrogen. The photovoltaic array can be con...

This research work examined how biodiesel produced from frying oils affects the physicochemical properties of its mixtures with conventional heating oil. Through the characterization of biodiesel blends and heating oil, the purpose is to produce an improved heating oil that will meet the specifications of the existing legislation for heating oil, w...

In this work, the fixed bed removal kinetics of Pb²⁺, Zn²⁺, Mn²⁺, Cr³⁺, Fe³⁺ and Cu²⁺ from aqueous solutions on natural zeolites was studied. For this aim, a non-dimensional two-phase homogeneous solid diffusion model including axial dispersion and equipped with a universal double-selectivity equilibrium model is developed and applied. In total 9 i...

Natural minerals are widely used in numerous environmental applications, mainly as sorbents in ion exchange and sorption processes. Minerals, such as zeolites and clays, can be found all over the world, but they are mined containing a variety of different impurities; this prevents their accurate characterization. The present study examines various...

This (qualitative) research focuses on the investigation of the implementation of standard mixture of Alfoterra and Aerosol with different concentrations of CaCl2 as electrolyte, to be used in the future as in-situ technique for the removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from coal tar. The process will include the implementation of a standard...

Bentonite is a clay mineral often used in ion exchange processes due to its high ion exchange capacity. In the present study, a commercially available in Greece market bentonite was obtained and characterized by XRD, XRF, FTIR, BET, and TG/DTA analysis. Monmorillonite was the main component of bentonite sample (>80%). Ion exchange equilibria of Zn²...

Remediation of contaminated sites often includes the use of alternative barriers as a passive treatment method for a variety of contaminants and sites. Alternative barriers, in turn, require a means for monitoring their performance directly, without the need for costly sampling. It is ideal that the monitoring system provide the data in real time a...

In the present study, batch and fixed bed experiments were conducted in order to compare clinoptilolite and vermiculite for the removal of Mn2+, Zn2+, and Cr3+ from aqueous solutions under the same experimental conditions. Ion-exchange equilibrium is examined by use of batch equilibrium isotherms, distribution coefficients, and maximum exchange lev...

Natural minerals are used as sorbents in ion-exchange processes due to their high exchange capacity and their relatively low cost. In the present study the use of natural zeolite as filling medium in fixed- and fluidized-bed reactors for the removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions is investigated. The major objective is to compare the remova...

Within the European Union, guidance in the form of a uniform Soil Directive does not exist and member states are left to enact their own legislation governing historic soil contamination. Several historic or "legacy" sites exist in Cyprus - an EU member state with a long history of mining and a significant number of abandoned mining sites. The gold...

The abandoned gold-silver enrichment plant of Mitsero village is located in Cyprus and is an example of the long-term environmental impact of mining activity when no rehabilitation measures are undertaken. We conducted a study at a plant that has been abandoned for 70 years to investigate potential environmental contamination and, if discovered, de...

An investigation at an abandoned, open-pit mine (Kokkinopezoula, Cyprus) concluded that environmental contamination has been transported by both mechanical and chemical mechanisms. The conclusion is based on several data sets, which were analysed using hierarchical clustering. Water samples were collected from the open pit during two different seas...

In this chapter, the use of natural zeolites (clinoptilolite) in medical applications is reviewed. Zeolites have been investigated as feed additives in animal nutrition for the prevention of certain diseases and the improvement of animals'health status. The dietary use of zeolites has been shown to sequester mycotoxins and reduce their absorption f...

In the present paper three natural minerals used in many industrial and environmental applications namely zeolite clinoptilolite and the clays bentonite and vermiculite are studied by utilising ion exchange and adsorption. In particular, the Dubinin–Astakhov adsorption isotherm is used modified by introducing a solubility-normalized adsorption pote...

The aim of this work is to examine copper removal from sludge permeate with the use of low-cost minerals of Mediterranean origin combined with ultrafiltration membranes. The minerals used were zeolite (clinoptilolite), bentonite and vermiculite. Activated sludge was enriched with 0.01 N (317.7 ppm) of Cu(II). Fixed concentrations of minerals were a...

The present study presents systematic experimental data on the fluidization of zeolite particles in water-solid fluidized beds. Four particle size groups, 90-180 μm, 180-250 μm, 250-315 μm and 315-500 μm and 22 different volumetric flow rates were used, corresponding to Rep of 0.012 to 1.452. All particle sizes showed smooth flow rate vs expanded b...

The aim of this study is to investigate ammonium removal from a wastewater resulted after homogenization and anaerobic digestion of a mixture of wastes and wastewater from animal processing units and sewage sludge, by using natural zeolite clinoptilolite. Batches as well as closed loop fixed bed system (CLFB) are studied, offering an alternative to...

This study investigated the generation and management of demolition waste (DW) in Cyprus. A methodology has been developed and applied for the estimation of the quantities of the waste stream under examination, since quantitative primary data were not available. The existing situation relating to the practices applied for the management of DW was i...

This article presents the methodology and the results of the performance testing of a prototype system for the production of high quality compost from biodegradable household waste separated at the source. Selected households in three municipalities of the Attica Region in Greece constituted the users of the home composter. The results indicated th...

This paper refers to the management of the construction and demolition (C&D) waste since, according to the EU Waste Strategy, C&D waste is considered to be one of the priority waste streams and appropriate actions need to be taken with respect to its effective management. Initially, the paper presents the state-of-the-art of the problem of C&D wast...

Zeolites are naturally occurring minerals characterized by high cation exchange and adsorption capacity and, thus, are used for metal uptake from sewage sludge subjected to composting process. In the present paper, changes in the physicochemical characteristics of sewage sludge samples after composting were recorded and analysed. The composting pro...

Waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) constitutes one of the most complicated solid waste streams, in terms of its composition, and, as a result, it is difficult to be effectively managed. Waste from electrical and electronic equipment recycling is an important subject not only from the point of waste management, but also from the r...

In this paper, sludge samples that were collected from the municipal wastewater treatment plant in Psittalia (Athens, Greece) were subjected to acid treatment using sulphuric acid. Furthermore, a sequential extraction scheme was applied in order to determine the chemical forms of Ni, Cu, total Cr, Pb and Zn in sewage sludge. The optimum combination...

The ability of natural zeolite (clinoptilolite) and exfoliated vermiculite to remove copper from aqueous solutions was studied in fixed bed column and batch reactors. The effect of agitation speed (0, 100, 200, 400 rpm), temperature (25, 45, 60°C), and particle size [2.5-5.0 mm, dust ( clinoptilolite dust > clinoptilolite 2.5–5.0 mm. The removal of...

In the present study, the ability of natural zeolite clinoptilolite and bentonite (clay) to remove Pb(II) from aqueous solutions has been investigated in batch reactors with a maximum contact time of 120 min. Adsorption tests of Pb(II) were carried out using a solution concentration of 1,036 ppm at initial pH = 4, and solid to liquid ratio of 2 g/1...