Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy

Funder

Organizational Unit

Publications

Avaliação de extratos de microalgas para potencial aplicação em alimentos funcionais

Publication . Corrêa, P.S.; Freitas, M.M.A.; Caetano, N.S.

(Introdução) Microalgas são micro-organismos fotossintéticos, que para além de servirem como fonte de proteínas, também são capazes de produzir uma gama de compostos bioativos, tais como, pigmentos, lípidos e compostos fenólicos. Tais características as tornam bastante promissoras para aplicação de suas biomassas em alimentos funcionais (Pina-Pérez et al., 2019). De modo geral, os alimentos funcionais além de terem elevado valor nutricional, também trazem algum benefício à saúde. Chromochloris zofingiensis, Koliella longiseta e Schizomeris leibleinii são microalgas de água doce, relativamente pouco estudadas na literatura, mas potencialmente interessantes para produção de carotenoides, lípidos e compostos fenólicos (Fogliano et al., 2010; Zhang et al., 2021). A imposição de condições de estresse abiótico (i.e. variação na concentração de determinado nutriente no meio de cultivo, temperature, pH, etc.), é uma das estratégias mais utilizadas para induzir uma maior produção de determinado composto de interesse (Suparmaniam et al., 2024). Desta forma, este trabalho se propôs a estudar o impacte de diferentes condições de cultivo na produção de carotenoides, clorofilas, lípidos e compostos fenólicos. Além disso, foram produzidos extratos em solventes diferentes (i.e. água e etanol) e testado o potencial antioxidante de cada um.

2024Conference object

Open access

Spirulina in the creation of new nutritionally fortified products

Publication . Santos, C.; Caetano, N.

(Introduction) Protein sources will experience great increase in demand due primarly to the growing population and the change in consumer's habbits. Animal proteins account for about 40% of global protein consumption, however, they are associated with a high environmental footprint. Microalgae are emerging as promising sustainable alternatives. Beyond their rich protein content, Spirulina has a spectrum of dietary bioactive compounds, essential fatty acids, and vitamins, positioning it as a valuable addition to mainstream foods, with the potential to increase their nutritional value and mitigate environmental impact.

2024Conference object

Open access

The potential of bioaugmentation-assisted phytoremediation derived maize biomass for the production of biomethane via anaerobic digestion

Publication . Paulo, Ana M.S.; Caetano, Nídia S.; Marques, Ana P.G.C.

Anthropogenic behaviors are causing the severe build-up of heavy metal (HM) pollutants in the environment, particularly in soils. Amongst a diversity of remediation technologies, phytoremediation is an environmentally friendly technology that, when coupling tolerant plants to selected rhizospheric microorganisms, can greatly stimulate HM decontamination of soils. Maize (Zea mays) is a plant with the reported capacity for HM exclusion from contaminated soil but also has energetic importance. In this study, Zea mays was coupled with Rhizophagus irregularis, an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF), and Cupriavidus sp. strain 1C2, a plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), as a remediation approach to remove Cd and Zn from an industrial contaminated soil (1.2 mg Cd kg−1 and 599 mg Zn kg−1) and generate plant biomass, by contrast to the conservative development of the plant in an agricultural (with no metal pollution) soil. Biomass production and metal accumulation by Z. mays were monitored, and an increase in plant yield of ca. 9% was observed after development in the contaminated soil compared to the soil without metal contamination, while the plants removed ca. 0.77% and 0.13% of the Cd and Zn initially present in the soil. The resulting biomass (roots, stems, and cobs) was used for biogas generation in several biomethane (BMP) assays to evaluate the potential end purpose of the phytoremediation-resulting biomass. It was perceptible that the HMs existent in the industrial soil did not hinder the anaerobic biodegradation of the biomass, being registered biomethane production yields of ca. 183 and 178 mL of CH4 g−1 VS of the complete plant grown in non-contaminated and contaminated soils, respectively. The generation of biomethane from HM-polluted soils’ phytoremediation-derived maize biomass represents thus a promising possibility to be a counterpart to biogas production in an increasingly challenging status of renewable energy necessities.

2023Journal article

Open access

Electrification of a remote rural farm with solar energy: Contribution to the development of smart farming

Publication . Santos, Adriano A; Pereira, Filipe; Silva, António Ferreira da; Caetano, Nídia; Felgueiras, Carlos; Machado, José

Rural farms constitute a vital component of a country’s agricultural landscape, traditionally reliant on energy installations known for their reliability yet notorious for their energy-intensive and inefficient characteristics. While the smart farm concept, integrating renewable energy sources and resource management technologies, has seen widespread adoption in domestic and industrial sectors, rural farms have been slower to embrace these innovations. This study presents a groundbreaking solution, deployed on a rural farm in Portugal, resulting in an impressive 83.24% reduction in energy consumption sourced from the grid. Notably, this achievement translates to a substantial reduction in CO2 emissions, aligning with the growing need for environmentally sustainable farming practices. The technical intricacies of this pioneering solution are comprehensively described and juxtaposed with other scientific case studies, offering valuable insights for replication. This initiative represents a vital first step towards the integration or combination of conventional farming with photovoltaic energy production, exemplified by agrivoltaic systems. In conclusion, this research showcases the potential for rural farms to significantly enhance energy efficiency and financial viability, thereby contributing to a more sustainable and cost-effective agricultural sector. These findings serve as a model for similar endeavors, paving the way for a greener and more economically viable future for rural farming practices.

2023Journal article

Open access

Life cycle analysis of a particleboard based on cardoon and starch/chitosan

Publication . Mata, Teresa Margarida; Freitas, Clara; Silva, Gabriela Ventura; Monteiro, Sandra; Martins, Jorge Manuel; Carvalho, Luísa Hora de; Silva, Luís Manuel; Martins, Antonio Areosa

This work analyzes the life cycle environmental impacts of producing a particleboard based on cardoon fibers and a starch/chitosan adhesive from a “cradle-to-gate” perspective, considering the following life cycle steps: raw material production, adhesive preparation (component mixing and heating), cardoon fiber preparation (crushing and sieving), adhesive and fiber mixing, hot-pressing and final processing. The functional unit is a particleboard with the dimensions of 220 × 220 × 16 mm3. For the life cycle inventory, experimental data obtained from the production of particleboard on a pilot scale were used. The Aspen Plus V9 software was used to simulate the heating process in the manufacture of the biological adhesive and obtain the data associated with this stage. Portuguese or European conditions were considered for the background processes, using data from the EcoInvent V3.5 LCI database. The environmental impacts were quantified using the RECIPE methodology. To complement the study, the VOCs present in the panel were analyzed using the “active headspace” technique. The results show that for most of the environmental impact categories, energy consumption is dominant, followed by starch and chitosan production. Using fully renewable electricity produced in photovoltaic panels, instead of the Portuguese electricity mix, significantly reduces the impacts in most of the environmental impact categories, for example, the carbon footprint is reduced by 34%. Future studies will analyze how the environmental impacts can be further reduced, and how process scale-up may influence them.

2023Journal article

Open access