The properties of fibre-reinforced composites are significantly influenced by manufacturing parameters. Models to simulate these processes typically depend on the chosen reinforcement (short, discontinuous, or long fibres) and the considered moulding process. This chapter revisits some common composite moulding technologies, some associated constitutive models to describe the material behaviour during these processes, and some numerical approaches for implementing them. Different flow regimes are identified, based on the fibre orientations and the resin flow kinematics. These include: (i) the flow of a simple dilute fibre suspension; (ii) the flow of a concentrated fibre suspension, as encountered in injection moulded materials; (iii) entangled suspensions where the fibres and the suspending fluid have different velocities, as encountered in sheet moulding compounds; and finally (iv) the case where fibres remain almost at rest and the resin flows around them, such as resin transfer moulding or prepreg compression moulding. Constitutive models are derived for each flow regime and a case study is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of each approach.

The present work aims to analyze the various aspects relating to olive-vegetative waters (OVW) with particular reference to environmental problems. As is known, olive-vegetation waters are one of the most polluting by-products of the oil industry. They are produced in large quantities and have a polluting potential. For this reason, an in-depth and detailed analysis of the production chain is reported up to the correct and lawful disposal of the olive-vegetation waters. The chemical characteristics of vegetation waters are described, with particular reference to polyphenols, which are the most important compounds present in vegetation waters. The treatments, enhancement, perspectives and possible uses in agriculture are reported.

The present work aims to give a general overview of two important adsorbent materials: Carbon Nanotubes and Engelhard Titanium Silicates. Both are advantageously used for water purification and thanks to their peculiar properties they can be used in different sectors. In this paper are reported the characteristics and properties of each single adsorbent material. Particular attention is paid to the latest studies reported in the literature regarding their application and specificities in the different environmental fields.

Citrus Bergamia, also known as bergamot, it is a fruit belonging to the Rutaceae family which grows almost exclusively in the Calabrian strip coast between Villa San Giovanni and Gioiosa Jonica (Italy). It is mainly cultivated for the bergamot essential oil (BEO) extracted from the fruit peel, a high commercial raw substance which is widely employed in the international perfumery and cosmetics industries but also in pharmaceutical production thanks to its antiseptic and antibacterial properties. All the characteristics of BEO have been largely studied and related to the metabolite composition of the mixture. The characterization of BEO is essential to ensure its effectiveness in the various fields of application and, in particular, for the release of the “Protected Designation of Origin (PDO)” of “Bergamotto di Reggio Calabria – Olio essenziale “. Nowadays, the accepted instrumental methods used to asses the BEO quality and origin are the chromatographic techniques, but the scientific research is moving in the direction of new fast methodologies to better characterize this high values extract often subjected to fraud and sophistication. In this contribution, for the first time NMR spectroscopy was used on samples provided by the “Consorzio del Bergamotto di Reggio Calabria” in order to analyze (fingerprinting) the oil directly, without any treatment. 1D and 2D NMR experiments were recorded dissolving BEO in a common solvent for the metabolic characterization. Moreover, proton NMR spectra were recorded using benzoic acid as internal standard to perform a quantitative analysis of the main metabolites. Combining 1H-NMR spectra with statistical tools (PCA - Principal Component Analysis) and 2D NMR diffusion techniques, preliminary results on BEO samples adulterated with less expensive essential oils have been obtained.

In this research, ETS-10 titanium silicate (Engelhard titanium silicate) was studied for the treatment of water contaminated by the organic dye called Blu Patent V, which is commonly used in the textile industries. In addition to being a microporous material, the ETS-10 phase also has photocatalytic capacities. In particular, predetermined quantities of ETS-10 have been added to the Blu Patent V solutions and the entire system has been exposed, for programmed times, to sunlight. Systems also in the presence of hydrogen peroxide were used. The resulting solutions were analyzed with UV spectrophotometry to evaluate the reduction of the dye. ETS-10, after treatment, was analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis (TG).

In this study, authors propose and investigate a strategy aimed to improve the interaction at the fiber-matrix interface, while tailoring matrix resistance to penetration, in hemp fiber-reinforced cement based mortars. It consists of a chemical modification of the hemp fibers carried out through a Ca(OH)(2) pretreatment and of a matrix modification using an acrylic elastomeric polymer dispersion as additive. The effect of the pre-treatment, on the thermal and chemical properties of the hemp fibers, has been investigated using X-ray diffractometry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy. Results showed that chemical pre-treatment is effective in removing hemicelluloses, lignin and waxes thus providing a clean fibers' surface and a higher thermal stability. Fiber-reinforced cement based mortars have been manufactured using pristine and treated 12 mm long hemp fibers at 0.5 wt%, 1 wt% and 1.5 wt% on cement. Their mechanical performance, capillary water absorption and drying shrinkage behavior have been investigated. Hemp fiber-reinforced mortars show a post peak response in flexural tests, being their energy absorption capacity and load-carrying capacity after crack onset positively affected by hemp fibers content and remarkably improved by chemical pre-treatment. Shrinkage behavior of fiber reinforced mortars is characterized by an initial limited expansion that can be associated to fibers swelling due to water absorption. The acrylic latex fills the matrix pores and reduces by 50% the sorpitivity of the composites. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The present work aims to test the use of zinc ferrite as a photocatalytic agent for the discoloration of water contaminated by organic dyes. The zinc ferrite used is an industrial waste that comes from an industrial plant destined for the extraction of zinc. The organic dye studied was the Blue Patent V. The photocatalytic tests were prepared using aqueous solutions contaminated by the organic dye to which predetermined quantities of zinc ferrite were added and were subsequently exposed to sunlight for programmed times. Furthermore, systems in the presence of hydrogen peroxide have also been studied. After the exposure time, the systems were filtered and the concentrations of the solutions were measured with UV spectrophotometry. The ferrite after the photocatalytic tests was characterized by thermal analysis (DSC). The data obtained were analyzed according to the experimental parameters used. Zinc ferrite showed photodegradative abilities respect to the analyzed dye.

The present research aimed to study the use of geopolymers in the removal of heavy metals in water contaminated by an industrial waste. The geopolymer was synthesized and characterized beforehand in the laboratory while the industrial waste is the so-called zinc ferrite that comes from a zinc processing industry in southern Italy. It is known that this waste contains within it a variety of elements that over time can be released if in contact with water. The study was carried out preparing different aqueous systems containing predetermined quantities of zinc ferrite and geopolymer. The systems were stirred for different reaction times and at room temperature. Subsequently, after the established time the systems were filtered and the resulting solution was analyzed by a mass spectrometer (ICP-Ms). The variation in the concentration of various elements (such as Fe, Zn, Pb, Mn, Ca, Mg, Na and K) was followed as a function of contact times. The obtained data allowed to evaluate the effectiveness of geopolymers in the removal of metals released by zinc ferrite in water. In particular, the geopolymers, in the systems studied, have shown particular propensity in the abatement of iron and zinc which has reached 100%, followed by an abatement of about 95% for Mn and Pb after a 1.5-hour contact time.

The manuscript deals on the main progress achieved by global scientific research on the development of nanostructured catalysts for dry-reforming reaction. The importance to have a global vision on this topic is strictly related to the most currently and important challenges in the sustainable energy production. In fact, dry-reforming is one of the few known processes in which greenhouse gases are utilized as reactants (methane and carbon dioxide) to produce syngas. Syngas represents the basis for liquid fuel production by Fischer-Tropsch process. In this broad and current context, the catalyst development plays a pivotal role due to its great influence on efficiency, and therefore on the costs, of the whole process. Several are the aspects to consider during the catalyst design: role of metal, interaction between metal and support, role of promoters and resistance to the coke deactivation. These issues, as well as the thermodynamics of the process, are the main aspects of which this review speaks about.

Abstract Exotic fruit seeds are waste of industrial preparation of foods and human consumption. The contents in terms of nutrients of oils extracted from exotic fruit seeds are not fully understood, and they remain object of study. We propose a practical, inexpensive, qualitative and quantitative approach based on the use of 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy for the fatty acid chain profiling of these oils. The composition of eleven seed oils was investigated. The amounts of linoleic (from 3.5% in Rambutan to 84.6% in Feijoa), oleic (from 6.9% to 68.7% in Papaya), and saturated fatty acid chains (from 7.9% in Feijoa to 49.5% in Rambutan) were determined. The total contents of unsaturated fatty acid (MUFA and PUFA) chains in oils ranged from 37.5% in Mangosteen to 91.5% in Feijoa. The oils were characterized by saturated/unsaturated (SFA/PUFA) ratios ranging from 0.08 to 1.07, with values which were superior to that commonly reported for extra virgin olive oil. These ratios are potentially favorable for human health. The ANOVA test showed the model to be remarkably significant (p < 0.05). Spectral data agreed those reported in the literature for conventional methods. Although linolenic acid was not detected in all oils, their fatty acid chain profiles make them desirable in terms of nutrition and as alternative energy sources.

Abstract The study reports the results in the removal efficiency of the metals released by zinc ferrite in aqueous systems, using a zeolitic sludge as an ion exchanger The so-called zinc ferrite is an industrial waste produced during the treatment of minerals for zinc extraction. The zeolitic sludge used in the experimental campaign is a by-product that derives from industrial processes and contains a combination of synthetic zeolites such as 4A (LTA) and 13X zeolite (FAU). Initially, different systems have been prepared, with predefined weight ratios of zeolitic sludge/zinc ferrite/water. The systems were analyzed, at different times, by plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) that allowed to measure the variation of concentration of Fe, Mg, Ca, Zn, Mn, Pb, Na, K ions. Zeolitic sludges were efficient for the total absorption of Pb and Zn ions.

In our former works we proposed different Model Order Reduction strategies for alleviating the complexity of computational simulations. In fact we proved that separated representations are specially appealing for addressing many issues, in particular, the treatment of 3D models defined in degenerated domains (those involving very different characteristic dimensions, like beams, plate and shells) as well as the solution of parametrized models for calculating their parametric solutions. However it was proved that the efficiency of solvers based on the construction of such separated representations strongly depends on the affine decompositions (separability) of operators, parameters and geometry. Even if our works proved that different techniques exists for performing such beneficial separation prior of applying the separated representation constructor, the complexity of the solver increases in certain circumstances too much, as the one involving the space separation of complex microstructures concerned by 3D woven fabrics. In this paper we explore an alternative route that allows circumventing the just referred difficulties. Thus, instead of following the standard procedure that consists of introducing the separated representation of the unknown field prior to discretize the models, the strategy here proposed consists of proceeding inversely: first the model is discretized and then the separated representation of the discrete unknown field is enforced. Such a procedure enables the consideration of very complex and non separable features, like complex domains, boundary conditions and microstructures as the ones concerned by homogenized models of complex and rich 3D woven fabrics. It will be proved that such a procedure can be also easily coupled with a non-intrusive treatment of the parametric dimensions by using a sparse hierarchical collocation technique.

A practicable and reliable quantitative proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H qNMR) method was developed and evaluated for the qualitative and quantitative determination of cannabidiol (CBD), the principal and most important among cannabinoids in Cannabis sativa L. (hemp), and present in food products and animal feeding derived from the industrial processing of hemp seeds. Specificity, sensitivity, linearity range, precision, accuracy, LOD and LOQ of the method proved to be entirely satisfactory. This spectroscopic method uses the unlabelled residual solvent of CDCl3 as the "intrinsic" internal standard. The develop procedure might also be applied to measure levels of all the other lawful natural cannabinoids in commercial productions obtained from hemp seeds. Moreover, the rapid and relatively economical quantification of CBD could be of great importance, because it is possible to candidate this cannabinoid to the role of a molecular marker attesting food processing quality.

Abstract The present work aims to experiment the action of carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in the removal of sodium chloride from aqueous systems, not using them as a membrane but dispersing them directly in solution, in order to evaluate possible applications in the desalination of brackish water. For this purpose, different aqueous systems have been prepared by varying the sodium chloride concentration and the amount of carbon nanotubes dispersed therein. The systems were stirred for scheduled times and then the amount of residual sodium chloride was measured by drying, after filtration, the systems and weighing the dry residue. In the final part of the experimentation, after having identified the best system, the tests were carried out directly on sea water and using different types of carbon nanotubes such as not oxidized (MWCNTs) and oxidized (MWCNTS-ox) ones.

In the present work self-bonded pellets of Engelhard Titaniun Silicates, ETS-4 and ETS-10, containing cobalt and carbon nanotubes, were synthesized by hydrothermal synthesis at 190 °C, from gels of the initial composition x–Na2O–0.2TiO2–0.6KF–(1.28x − 2y)HCl–2yHNO3–1.49SiO2–yCoO–39.5H2O, with x equal to 0.8; 1; 1.5; 2.5 mol and y equal to 0.015; 0.03; 0.06; 0.1. To the initial gels were then added different weight percentages of carbon nanotubes compared to the dry gel. The obtained pellets were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis, thermal analysis (TG, DTG, DSC), tests of mechanical resistance to compression and nuclear magnetic resonance.

The main purpose of this work was to prepare and optimize glues consisting primarily of natural components. The fundamental component was the laricio pine resin to which different additives were added, varying their nature and quantity. The additives used were: charcoal, activated carbon and carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The optimization of the systems continued to identify and select suitable solvents, in order to improve dispersion and solubilization of the phases and to obtain glues in the fluid phase at room temperature. The best results were obtained with ethyl alcohol which, moreover, represents a solvent with a limited environmental impact. The evaluation of the adhesive capacity of the glues was carried out by cutting, tensile and flexural tests on prepared wooden specimens. Furthermore, the specimens and the same glue were subjected to thermal cycles and observed by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The carbon nanotubes, used in very low percentages (1%, in a system consisting mainly of natural origin products) in the presence of an adequate solvent, such as ethyl alcohol, make it possible to obtain a glue that is easy to apply, with an excellent adhesive capacity.

The lack of maturity of crash simulation of structures made of hybrid materials is a key issue for lightweight engineering in automotive industry. Tailoring local behavior and mixing materials while accounting for this mix and joining problematics in the simulation methodology are required to optimize weight and costs, without the need of a real prototype. Current lightweight vehicle programs use local strengthening of structural body components through hot or warm formed high strength steels joined with spot-welds. New metals or composites parts with new joining techniques are progressively introduced for the next stage of weight saving. Local reinforcement by thermo-plastic composites is also considered to offset costs trade-offs.

We hereby present the results of a research in order to prepare self-bonded pellets of ETS-4 phase by a new methodology of preparation. In particular, the pellets were prepared by kneading crystals of ETS-4 phase and a dry gel, the latter being the precursor for the synthesis of the ETS-4 phase crystals. One of the innovative aspects that is proposed and highlighted in this work is represented by the fact that the dry-gel acts as a "binder". It is characterized by the same chemical composition of crystals, thus avoiding contamination with other elements. In addition, dry-gel allows, the promotion of nucleation phenomena and thus the formation of new crystals of ETS-4 during the pellets baking phases. The pellets were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Electron microscopy (SEM) and mechanical strength by hardness tester.

The substitution of traditional engineering materials with state of the art composites often fails due to the uncertainties about the material properties. Especially when using textile materials, the effective material behavior is highly dependent on the local reinforcement architecture. Experimental tests on composite parts have shown that the local material structure can vary significantly since it is influenced by the manufacturing process conditions and the handling of the unconsolidated material.

An economic utilization of modern engineering materials can only be achieved through a combination of different materials depending on the local design requirements. This further leads to questions about the joinability of certain materials in a multi-material assembly. During the design of hybrid parts consisting of metallic alloys and fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) different joining techniques can be applied. Since the present study focuses on the application of an Automatic Tape Laying (ATL) process, the joint is established utilizing the adhesive bond generated during the consolidation process of the composite. Laser structuring of the metallic surface has been found to allow for a significant improvement of the adhesive properties. However, in order to optimize the manufacturing process in terms of efficiency, it is required to quantify this effect. To this end, a numerical multiscale approach has been developed and implemented in the commercial FE package ESI Virtual Performance Solution (VPS) [1]. It allows for the examination of effective interface properties and enables to relate directly the joining process to the mechanical performance of the joint.