Browsing by Author "Castro, Paula M. L."
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Phytomanagement of Zn- and Cd-Contaminatedsoil: Helianthus annuus biomass production and metal remediation abilities with plant-growth-promoting microbiota assistancePublication . Paulo, Ana M.S.; Caetano, Nídia S.; Castro, Paula M. L.; Marques, Ana P.G.C.Mining and industrial activity are contributing to the increase in heavy metal (HM) pollution in soils. Phytoremediation coupled to selected rhizosphere microbiota is an environmentally friendly technology designed to promote HM bioremediation in soils. In this study, sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) was used together with Rhizophagus irregularis, an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), and Cupriavidus sp. strain 1C2, a plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), as a phytoremediation strategy to remove Zn and Cd from an industrial soil (599 mg Zn kg−1 and 1.2 mg Cd kg−1). The work aimed to understand if it is possible to gradually remediate the tested soil while simultaneously obtaining significant yields of biomass with further energetic values by comparison to the conventional growth of the plant in agricultural (non-contaminated) soil. The H. annuus biomass harvested in the contaminated industrial soil was 17% lower than that grown in the agricultural soil—corresponding to yields of 19, 620, 199 and 52 g m−2 of roots, stems, flowers and seeds. It was possible to remove ca. 0.04 and 0.91% of the Zn and Cd of the industrial soil, respectively, via the HM accumulation on the biomass produced. The survival of applied microbiota was indicated by a high root colonization rate of AMF (about 50% more than in non-inoculated agricultural soil) and identification of strain 1C2 in the rhizosphere at the end of the phytoremediation assay. In this study, a phytoremediation strategy encompassing the application of an energetic crop inoculated with known beneficial microbiota applied to a real contaminated soil was successfully tested, with the production of plant biomass with the potential for upstream energetic valorisation purposes.
- Sardine Canning Byproducts as Sources of Functional IngredientsPublication . Carvalho, Ana P.; Amorim, Manuela; Rodríguez-Alcalá, Luís; Fontecha, Javier; Castro, Paula M. L.; Pintado, Manuela E.Sardine by-products generated during canning process entail a potential opportunity to drive them into a chain of high added-value compounds, while simultaneously decreasing the environmental impact of their discharge. This paper describes and discusses the biochemical variation of solid and liquid by-products generated during the canning process of sardine along one complete year. Additionally, by-products were also evaluated in terms of their degradation along time, monitored through microbiological and chemical analysis. Finally, their valorisation was ascertained through the recovery of lipid fractions rich in ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), as well as protein fractions with anti-hypertensive activity (ACE). The variability within biochemical composition of by-products along the year is significant, especially in terms of lipid content, and their degradation is strongly dependent on the conditions in which they were collected and stored. Both liquid and solid by-products present ω6/ω3 ratios between 0.05-0.18 and thrombogenic index between 0.27-0.57, whereas low-molecular-weight fractions of protein extracts (<3 kDa) exhibited the strongest ACE activity (IC50 = 51 µg/ml). The potential viability of using liquid by-products as sources of functional ingredients is an interesting alternative to the management of these effluents in fish canning industry.
- Strategies for Enhancing Soil Phytoremediation and Biomass ValorizationPublication . Marques, Ana P. G. C.; Caetano, Nídia; Castro, Paula M. L.The information available in the literature on options for biofuel production from biomass derived from the phytoremediation of metal-contaminated soils is scarce; however, the existing studies have reported a considerable degree of success. In addition to the described advantages for energy production, it is important to remember that the production of biomass in such as soil erosion control through the establishment of a plant cover in an otherwise barren soil, carbon dioxide sequestering by the established crops or environmental justice through compliance with the law by owners of polluted land. Therefore, it seems that this can be an important research pathway to follow. It is important to state that the HM soil remediation process does not end with the phytoremediation and subsequent harvesting of the implemented crops and sometimes not even at the end of the processing for biomass conversion into energy, as metals are non-degradable elements. However, some of these proposed alternatives offer a safe way to turn a potentially harmful residue into a useful resource.