Globally, lignocellulosic biomass has great potential for industrial production of materials and products, but this resource must be used in an environmentally friendly, socially acceptable and sustainable manner. Wood and agricultural residues such as walnut shells as lignocellulosic biomass are one of the most affordable and important renewable resources in the world, which can partially replace fossil resources. The overall objective of the research is to provide background information that supports new applications of walnut shells in a biorefinery context and to increase the economic value of these non-wood forest products. This paper presents the properties characterization of liquefied biomass according to their chemical composition. All results were compared to liquefied wood. In this study, the liquefaction properties of five different walnut shell particle sizes were determined using glycerol as the liquefaction reagent under defined reaction conditions. The liquefied biomass was characterized for properties such as percentage residue, degree of liquefaction, and hydroxyl OH numbers. The chemical composition of the same biomass was investigated for its influence on the liquefaction properties. Accordingly, the main objective of this study was to determine the liquefaction properties of different particle sizes as a function of their chemical composition, also in comparison with the chemical composition of wood. The study revealed that walnut shell biomass can be effectively liquefied into glycerol using H₂SO₄ as the catalyst, with liquefaction efficiency ranging from 89.21 to 90.98%.

The fast fashion model is one where the fashion industry produces pieces of clothing in keeping with the latest trends, with low storage and high turnover, making the marketing of the products quick and giving consumers new clothes at...

Aware that exposure to stuffy indoor air with high levels of carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) is associated with higher absenteeism and reduced academic performance in school pupils, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe initiated indoor air quality surveys in schools, including CO ₂ monitoring, to assess ventilation and exposure to stuffy air. Here we report the findings of the first such survey in Croatia. It was conducted in 60 classrooms of 20 urban and rural elementary schools throughout the country during the heating season. Measurements of CO ₂ levels showed that all 60 classrooms exceeded the international guidelines of 1938 mg/m ³ . Mean CO ₂ concentrations ranged from 2771 to 7763 mg/m ³ . The highest concentration measured in urban schools was 7763 mg/m ³ and in rural schools 4771 mg/m ³ . Average CO ₂ levels were higher in continental schools (3683 mg/m ³ ) than the coastal ones (3134 mg/m ³ ), but all demonstrate poor ventilation during the heating season all over Croatia.

Pir, krupnik ili dinkel (Lat. Triticum spelta) jedna je od najstarijih žitarica, a potječe iz Azije. Od brončanog doba do srednjeg vijeka u Europi je bio vrlo važna žitarica. Nakon upotrebe zrna u prehrambene svrhe ostaje biomasa...

High-Risk Biodegradable Waste Processing By Alkaline HydrolysisBiodegradable waste is by definition degraded by other living organisms. Every day, meat industry produces large amounts of a specific type of biodegradable waste called slaughterhouse waste. Traditionally in Europe, this waste is recycled in rendering plants which produce meat and bone meal and fat. However, feeding animals with meat and bone meal has been banned since the outbreaks of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). In consequence, new slaughterhouse waste processing technologies have been developed, and animal wastes have now been used for energy production. Certain parts of this waste, such as brains and spinal cord, are deemed high-risk substances, because they may be infected with prions. Their treatment is therefore possible only in strictly controlled conditions. One of the methods which seems to bear acceptable health risk is alkaline hydrolysis. This paper presents the results of an alkaline hydrolysis efficiency study. It also proposes reuse of the obtained material as organic fertiliser, as is suggested by the analytical comparison between meat and bone meal and hydrolysate.

A significant problem in the use of pumpkin is the fact that its total mass is not used completely, but is thrown away and becomes waste. The meat is used for the production of flour, but after its production there are leftovers. The work includes tw...