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The combustion of biomass is a process that is increasingly used for the generation of heat and energy through different types of wood and agricultural waste. The emissions generated by the combustion of biomass include different kinds of macro- and micropollutants whose formation and concentration varies according to the physical and chemical characteristics of the biomass, the combustion conditions, the plants, and the operational parameters of the process. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of biomass moisture content on the formation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during the combustion process. Wet and dry poplar chips, with a moisture content of 43.30% and 15.00%, respectively, were used in a cogeneration plant based on a mobile grate furnace. Stack’s emissions were sampled through adsorbent tubes and subsequently analyzed by thermal desorption coupled with the GC/MS. The data obtained showed that, depending on the moisture content of the starting matrix, which inevitably influences the quality of combustion, there is significant variation in the production of VOCs.

The sustainable management of coppice forests and the valorization of forest residues represent key activities for the development of wood for the energy supply chain. The present study focused on the quantification and the physical/energetic characterization of oak residues (branches and tops) obtained from a coppice stand in central Italy. The study also evaluated the performance of the technologies used for the harvest and chipping operation. The wood residues obtained were mainly tree branches and tops and accounted for 19.8% of the total biomass extracted from the forest. Taking into account the standards of wood chips for energy use, the material produced was included in the quality class B. Summarizing, the results obtained in this work indicated that opportune forest operations can provide a significant amount of wood residues (mainly branches and tops) from oak coppices in central Italy and that the derived material can reach medium commercial features, being exploitable in different bioenergy production scenarios.

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is a high-yielding crop cultivated for fiber and seed production, generating substantial lignocellulosic residues such as hurds. These byproducts can be valorized through pyro-gasification, a thermochemical process that offers a sustainable alternative to combustion and produces biochar—a promising soil amendment due to its ability to enhance soil quality and mitigate drought stress. This research explores the viability of utilizing industrial hemp hurds as a direct feedstock for biochar production within the context of agricultural exploitation. The study specifically focuses on assessing the feasibility of converting raw, unprocessed hemp hurds into biochar through pyrolysis. A comprehensive characterization of the resulting biochar is conducted to evaluate its properties and potential applications in agriculture, establishing a foundational understanding for future agronomic use. Specific analysis included proximate and ultimate analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), SEM-EDS, and phytotoxicity testing. The biochar exhibited an alkaline pH (≥9), a low H/C ratio (0.37), and suitable macro- and micronutrient levels. Microstructural analysis revealed a porous architecture favorable for nutrient retention and water absorption. Germination tests with corn (Zea mays L.) showed a germination index above 90% for substrates containing 0.5–1% biochar. These findings establish a foundation for future research aimed at thoroughly exploring the agricultural potential of this material.

The sustainable management and valorisation of agricultural and agro-industrial residues are essential to reduce environmental impacts, enhance resource efficiency, and support circular economy strategies. In Mediterranean regions, large quantities of residual biomass are annually produced from olive and citrus supply chains, representing promising feedstocks for biochar production. In this study, biochar was obtained at 600 °C in a fixed-bed reactor under a N2 atmosphere from four representative feedstocks: olive pruning (OPr), citrus pruning (CPr), olive pomace (OPo), and citrus peel (CPe). The resulting biochar was characterized in terms of physico-chemical, energetic, and structural properties, including proximate and ultimate analyses, fuel properties, cation exchange capacity (CEC), pH, elemental ratios (O/C, H/C, N/C), thermal stability, bulk density, metal content, and surface morphology (SEM), in order to assess parameters relevant to environmental potential applications. The results highlighted clear feedstock-dependent differences. OPoB and CPeB exhibited the highest thermal stability (0.56–0.66), indicating a strong potential for long-term carbon sequestration. CPeB showed the highest CEC (47.2 cmol kg−1). From an application-oriented perspective, this high CEC suggests that, when applied to soil at typical amendment rates (2–5 wt%), CPeB could potentially increase soil CEC by approximately 10–30%, thereby improving nutrient retention and cation availability. Energy yields were highest for citrus-derived biochar (42.0–47.5%), while OPoB exhibited the lowest solid yield due to its higher volatile content. SEM analysis revealed marked structural differences, with OPrB retaining an ordered lignocellulosic porous structure, whereas OPoB and CPeB displayed highly irregular morphologies, favorable for surface reactivity. Overall, this study demonstrates that olive and citrus residues are suitable feedstocks for producing biochar with differentiated properties, and that a rapid screening methodology can support feedstock selection and biochar design for targeted energy, soil amendment, and carbon management applications.

The exposure of humans to microplastics through food is a topic of great interest. Foods of marine origin, such as fish and salt, have been the most extensively studied in this regard. Conversely, foods considered less likely to be contaminated (such as dairy products) have been investigated to a lesser extent. This is the first study addressing the occurrence of microplastics in cheese. In this paper, we report the first analytical approach for cheese preparation, before a chemical analysis of microplastics in cheese was performed. Therefore, the most suitable digestion methods were investigated. Alkaline digestion (i.e., KOH 5 M, 50 °C, 48 h) achieved a digestion efficiency of 97.5 ± 0.8%. To assess the feasibility of the preparative method proposed, a recovery rate of spiked polystyrene microbeads (~10 µm) of 98.5 ± 0.4% was determined. Further, the effects of the digestion agent on the microbeads were also investigated. To confirm whether the preparative method allows for the confirmation of the plastic-nature of microparticles, a qualification of spiked microplastics (polystyrene, 150 µm, and polyethylene terephthalate, 300 µm) was performed using pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry.

Agro-industrial activities generate a great amount of bioproducts as biomass residues containing energy and with potentially useful applications in the thermochemical conversion process. The management of this feedstock as uncontrolled combustion (“open burning”) can often be a problem within the supply chain for disposal practices, both in environmental and economic aspects. The residual matrices from agroforestry biomass processing can be treated to increase their energy levels and economic value. A widespread practice for sustainable disposal is the production of pellets from residual biomass, such as pruning. The aim of this study is to explore the combustion of pellets obtained from olive and citrus pruning, and their emissions into the atmosphere. This study confirms the possibility of using waste biomass to obtain a high-energy biofuel that is usable in a controlled combustion system and to monitor the process and its related emissions (CO, CO2, NOx, SO2, PM). Three different pellets (olive pellet, citrus pellet and a pellet obtained from a mix of olive and citrus) were characterized to determine their physicochemical properties and burned in an 80 kWth boiler equipped with multicyclone filter bags as an abatement system to evaluate relative emission. The characterization results show that citrus pellet has a higher ash content, moisture content and lower energy value than mixtures of olive pellet. The emission results suggest that, during combustion, higher emissions of CO and SO2 were monitored from mixtures of citrus pellet compared to burning only olive pellet.

This work aims to study the influence of an oxidant agent on syngas quality. A series of tests using air and steam as oxidant agents have been performed and the results compared with those of a pyrolysis test used as a reference. Tests were carried out at Sapienza University of Rome, using an updraft reactor. The reactor was fed with hazelnut shells, waste biomass commonly available in some parts of Italy. Temperature distribution, syngas composition and heating value, and producible energy were measured. Air and steam gasification tests produced about the same amount of syngas flow, but with a different quality. The energy flow in air gasification had the smallest measurement during the experiments. On the contrary, steam gasification produced a syngas flow with higher quality (13.1 MJ/Nm3), leading to the best values of energy flow (about 5.4 MJ/s vs. 3.3 MJ/s in the case of air gasification). From the cold gas efficiency point of view, steam gasification is still the best solution, even considering the effect of the enthalpy associated with the steam injected within the gasification reactor.

The use of agroforestry biomass provides several advantages, both from an environmental point of view, in terms of the mitigation of global warming, and in terms of a circular economy for agricultural or agroforestry companies that reuse pruning residues as a source of energy. However, even if the use of energy pellets resulting from the pruning residues of various agroforestry species has excellent potential for the valorization of agricultural by-products, the physicochemical characteristics of these pellets have been scarcely studied by the scientific community. In this context, this study aims to assess the valorization potential of various lignocellulosic material residues produced during agroforestry activities. The objectives of the study include evaluating the chemical and physical characteristics of pellets produced with different mixtures of agroforestry biomass (olive, citrus, black locust, poplar, paulownia, etc.) in order to determine the optimal pellet blend from an energy and physicochemical perspective. The results of this study demonstrate that this comprehensive analysis provides valuable information on the optimization of biomass mixtures for better energy valorization, addressing both compositional and combustion-related challenges. In fact, it is observed that the addition of citrus and olive biomass to the various mixtures increases their energy potential. Furthermore, all of the pellets analyzed are found to possess an adequate and useful durability index (PDI) for their handling during storage and transport operations. This study demonstrates that olive and citrus pruning residues can be used to improve biomasses that have poor suitability in energetic, physical, and chemical terms. Further studies could be useful to understand which specific interaction mechanisms have an influence on emissions in order to optimize mixtures using different biomass sources for sustainable energy production.

The present study investigates the potential of poplar (Populus spp.) biomass from phytoremediation plantations as a feedstock for downdraft fixed bed gasification. The biomass was characterized in terms of moisture, ash content, elemental composition (C, H, N, O), and calorific values (HHV and LHV), confirming its suitability for thermochemical conversion. Gasification tests yielded a volumetric syngas production of 1.79 Nm3 kg−1 biomass with an average composition of H2 14.58 vol%, CO 16.68 vol%, and CH4 4.74 vol%, demonstrating energy content appropriate for both thermal and chemical applications. Alkali and alkaline earth metals (AAEM), particularly Ca (273 mg kg−1) and Mg (731 mg kg−1), naturally present enhanced tar reforming and promoted reactive gas formation, whereas heavy metals such as Cd (0.27 mg kg−1), Pb (0.02 mg kg−1), and Bi (0.01 mg kg−1) were detected only in trace amounts, posing minimal environmental risk. The results indicate that poplar pruning residues from phytoremediation sites can be a renewable and sustainable energy resource, transforming a waste stream into a process input. In this perspective, the integration of soil remediation with syngas production constitutes a tangible model of circular economy, based on the efficient use of resources through the synergy between environmental remediation and the valorization and sustainable management of marginal biomass—i.e., pruning residues—generating environmental, energetic, and economic benefits along the entire value chain.

Sea cucumbers, important members of the phylum Echinodermata, play a crucial role in sediment mixing and nutrient cycling on the seafloor. They also hold significant economic value, particularly in Asian food and pharmaceutical markets. In the Mediterranean Sea, the harvesting of sea cucumbers has recently intensified, often without regulation, threatening both species populations and the health of benthic ecosystems. This study investigated the potential of using fatty acid (FA) profiles as ecological biomarkers to trace the different origin and feeding ecology of two sea cucumber species, Holothuria polii and H. tubulosa, collected from ten coastal sites in Italy. A total of 285 individuals were analyzed through lipid extraction and characterization from their body walls using gas chromatography (GC-FID and GC-MS). Key fatty acids identified included arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, eicosenoic acid, palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, stearic acid, and nervonic acid. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed patterns consistent with geographic origin, suggesting that FA profiles can reflect site-specific trophic conditions. The analysis also indicated that sea cucumbers primarily feed on diatoms, bacteria, and blue-green algae, with notable regional variation. This study is the first to successfully apply FA-based trophic markers to differentiate Italian populations of these species, providing insights for ecological monitoring and fishery management.