Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Alternative source of protein'

The studies reported in this thesis were carried out to evaluate the effects of enzyme treatment on the nutritive value of three lupin species (L. luteus, L. albus and L. angustifolius) and evaluate their suitability as a source of protein for growing broilers. Some preliminary in vitro work on the effect of quinolizidine alkaloids on bacteria from poultry excreta was carried out. Furthermore the use of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) as an alternative technique for assessing the chemical composition and nutritive value (such as metabolizable energy and digestibilities) was investigated. Compositional analyses of the various lupins, fractions and diets were conducted. The chemical composition of the lupin seeds used in this study showed a high crude protein content and a variable content in ether extract and neutral detergent fibre. The alkaloid content of the seeds was determined and allowed the classification of the lupin into bitter (L. luteus cv Cardiga), semi-sweet (L. albus cv Estoril) and sweet (L. albus from France and L. angustifolius from Australia) seeds. Alkaloids from lupins decrease feed consumption and may affect the digestive capacity of the animal. A preliminary study on the effects of sparteine and alkaloids extracted from L. luteus seeds on bacteria from poultry excreta indicated that extracts of alkaloids from L. luteus had an inhibitory effect on coliform growth that was not, however, as great as that of sparteine. Sparteine, essentially prevented growth of coliforms at concentrations of 10 g dm-3. Lactobacilli were apparently not directly affected by the lupin extract of alkaloid or the isolated sparteine. This in vitro work suggests that it may be possible to influence the gut microflora in a beneficial manner by using the appropriate concentration of the appropriate alkaloids. A set of tube feeding experiments (by gavage) were carried out to evaluate the effect of different enzymes on the nutritive value of L. luteus (cv. Cardiga) and L. albus (cv. Estoril) seeds. The first experiment was a preliminary one which allowed the modification of the tube feeding assay in order to suit the characteristics of the test materials used in this study. The following six experiments tested the effects of pre-incubation, as a wet mash, of a polygalacturonase, five proteases, a pectinase and an [Special character omitted]-galactosidase at variable levels, on the nutritive value of L. luteus (cv Cardiga) and L. albus (cv. Estoril). The nutritive value of the lupin seeds was evaluated essentially by measuring metabolizable energy (ME) and amino acid (AA) digestibilities. Results indicated that L. albus seeds, irrespective of enzyme treatment, had a higher ME expressed as TMEn than L. luteus seeds. Carbohydrase containing enzyme preparations, caused variable improvements in the ME value of lupin seeds. Polygalacturonase caused a significant increase in the ME of L. luteus seeds, which may have been mediated by an increase in protein digestibility as shown by improvements in the AA digestibility. Increased concentrations of pectinase tended to be more effective in the improvement of ME of L. albus, while increasing concentrations of a-galactosidase were so for L. luteus. The fact that the carbohydrases acted differently upon the two lupin species was probably due to their different concentration in constituent carbohydrates. Pre-incubation with exogenous proteases decreased the ME of the lupin seeds. The reasons for the depression were not clear, however high concentrations of proteases, expressed as U kg-1 of lupin seeds, may have interfered with the gastro intestinal tract and also with the endogenous enzymes of the bird resulting in reduced utilisation of the pre-incubated material. A growth experiment was design to investigate the effects of the inclusion of L. luteus (cv. Cardiga), L. albus (from France) or L. angustifolius (from Australia) as the main or secondary source of protein in diets for growing broilers. Lupin seeds were either pre-incubated as a wet mash, or the lupin containing diets were supplemented with a carbohydrase, a protease or a mixture of both. Diets were fed to the animals over a three week period. The results obtained tended to support the hypothesis that the enzymes had little effect on the other dietary ingredients but had their main effects on the lupins in the diets.

This investigation was conducted in the rural community of Cuambo, located in the northeast of Imbabura province, in the Mira river basin of Salina parish, at 1530 meters above sea level and with an average temperature of 19 C. The principal objective of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of four levels of substitution of fish meal for earthworm meal in broiler chicken diets. The fieldwork occurred in two stages over the course of 20 months: A. Creation of the feed: This step lasted from the installation of an earthworm culturing area through the cultivation, harvest, and drying of the worms until obtaining the flour and then the feed with the respective formulas and acquisition of primary materials. B. Cultivation of broiler chickens: This was carried out in a community member's house adapted to function like a chicken coop that had been previously prepared to receive the chicks. The study lasted 7 weeks. A completely random design (CRD) was used with five treatments and five repetitions per treatment, with five chickens per experimental unit. ANOVA, Tukey analysis at 5%, and orthogonal polynomial analysis were used to evaluate the data. The factor under study was the percentage of earthworm flour in a basic diet. The treatments were as follows: T0: Control (Pronaca commercial feed) T1: 100% earthworm meal T2: 75% earthworm meal T3: 50% earthworm meal T4: 25% earthworm meal Analyzed variables: Weekly weight gain, Weekly food conversion, Accumulated food conversion, Total food consumption, Efficiency index, Yield, Organoleptic analysis, Economic analysis. From the results obtained, we conclude that treatment 0 (T0) is the best because it gave the best results in weight gain, food conversion, efficiency index, yield, and cost of production. In the organoleptic analysis T4 received the most points for appearance and flavor; T3 received the most for color, smell, and texture. The treatment with greatest acceptability was T4, with the most points. In production costs, the least expensive was T1, but it is not recommended for use because the chickens had poor results in the studied variables.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-10T17:47:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Joana_Karin_Finkler.pdf: 807546 bytes, checksum: 6fd6fd164abbf7c0ca6f67ba18c541a7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-02-19<br>Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior<br>Current analysis evaluates the inclusion effect of feather meal in diets with and without aminoacids supplementation on the performance, centesimal composition, hematological parameters and feeding costs of Nile tilapia fingerlings, Oreochromis niloticus. One thousand and four hundred Nile tilapia fingerlings, initial average weight 4.98±0.08 g, distributed in 28 small cages of 1m³, with 50 fish each, were used. Three levels (8, 16 and 24%) of hydrolyzed feather meal (FM) inclusion and two groups, one with and the other without synthetic aminoacids supplementation (AAs), were evaluated during 65 days. Control treatment with neither feather meal nor aminoacids supplementation was also employed, totalizing seven treatments and four replications. Productive performance analysis including total length (TL), weight gain (WG), apparent food conversion (AFC), survival (SU), condition factor (CF) and protein efficiency rate (PER) was performed at the end of the experiment, coupled to body parameters such as visceral fat index (VFI) and hepatosomatic index (HIS). Blood samples were collected for erythrocytes counting and determination of hemoglobin, hematocrit, average corpuscular volume (ACV) and average corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (ACHC). The entire fish was used for the analysis of centesimal composition, namely, moisture (MO), protein (P), ether extract (EE) and mineral matter (MM)). Diet costs per kilo of WG were also assessed. Treatments did not influence (p>0.05) SU, HIS, CF, MO and MM and best results for FM and WG were those of treatments with 8% FM with or without AAs supplementation. AFC was higher and PER lower in treatments with 24% FM without supplementation. P rate was lower in treatment with inclusion of 24% FM without supplementation when compared to control, whereas EE had higher levels of inclusion when compared to control. Hematologic parameters were kept within the species´s normal variation level. Treatment with 8% FM with supplementation presented lower feeding costs. Results show that feather meal may be used in diets for Nile tilapia up to 8% inclusion, with or without supplementation of AAs, without any liability in performance, chemical composition and higidity. In fact, supplementation at the above inclusion level with AAs is economically more viable<br>Esse estudo teve por objetivo avaliar o efeito da inclusão de farinha de pena em dietas com e sem suplmentação de aminoácidos sobre o desempenho, composição centesimal, parâmetros hematológicos e custos de alimentação de alevinos de tilápia do Nilo Oreochromis niloticus. Para isso, foram utilizados 1.400 alevinos de tilápia do Nilo com peso inicial médio de 4,98 ± 0,08 g distribuídos em 28 hapas de 1 m³ com 50 peixes cada. Durante 65 dias foram avaliados três níveis de inclusão de farinha de pena hidrolisada (FP) (8, 16 e 24%) e dois grupos, um com e outro sem suplementação de aminoácidos sintéticos (AAs). Além disso, foi utilizado um tratamento controle, cuja dieta não continha nem farinha de pena e nem suplementação de aminoácidos, totalizando sete tratamentos com quatro repetições. Ao final do experimento foram realizadas análises de desempenho produtivo (comprimento total (CT), ganho de peso (GP), conversão alimentar aparente (CAA), sobrevivência (SO), fator de condição (FC) e taxa de eficiência proteica (TEP) e dos parâmetros corporais, (índice de gordura visceral (IGV) e índice hepatossomático (IHS)). As mostras de sangue foram coletadas para contagem de eritrócitos e determinação de hemoglobina, hematócrito, volume corpuscular médio (VCM) e concentração de hemoglobina corpuscular média (CHCM). Foram utilizados peixes inteiros para a análise da composição centesimal (umidade (UM), proteína (PB), extrato etéreo (EE) e matéria mineral (MM)). Também foi avaliado o custo das dietas por quilo de GP. Os tratamentos não influenciaram (p>0,05) na SO, IHS, FC, UM e MM. Os melhores resultados de PF e GP foram dos tratamentos com 8% de FP com ou sem suplemetação de AAs. A CA foi maior e a TEP menor no tratamento com 24% de FP sem suplementação. A PB foi menor no tratamento com inclusão de 24% FP sem suplementação em relação ao controle, e o EE aumentou com níveis mais altos de inclusão em relação ao controle. Os parâmetros hematológicos mativeram-se dentro da faixa de variação normal para a espécie. O tratamento com 8% de FP com suplementação apresentou o menor custo de alimentação. Conclui-se que a farinha de penas pode ser utilizada em dietas para tilápia do Nilo em até 8% de inclusão, com ou sem suplementação de AAs, sem prejuízos no desempenho, composição química e higidez, sendo que a suplementação deste nível de inclusão com AAs é economicamente mais viável

Ethanol yeast (EY) is a single-cell protein obtained as a co-product during the production of fuel ethanol and may have potential as an alternative protein source for rainbow trout. The objective of the current study was to determine if EY could replace fish meal (FM) without negatively impacting growth performance of juvenile rainbow trout. Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the use of EY. In Exp. 1 a digestibility trial was done to determine EY apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) for protein, lipid, energy, DM, and apparent availability coefficients (AACs) for amino acids. In Exp. 2 a feeding trial was conducted where a control diet (42% digestible protein and 20% crude lipid) was compared to diets where FM digestible protein was replaced by EY at varying levels (25, 37.5, 50, 62.5, 75, 87.5, and 100%). Diets were fed twice daily to rainbow trout to apparent satiation in a 15&Acirc;&deg;C recirculating system. There were 4 replicate tanks per diet (30 fish/tank). Experiment 3 was conducted to determine if a mycotoxin inhibitor (Biofix Plus) could improve performance of rainbow trout when fed higher levels of EY. The experiment was a 2x3 factorial where FM was replaced with EY (0, 50 and 100%) with or without Biofix Plus. There were three replicate tanks per diet (15 fish/tank). Results from Exp. 1 showed that Ethanol yeast ADCs for protein, DM, lipid, energy and AAC for and sum of amino acids were quantified at 98, 65, 100, 70, 81 and 81%, respectively. Results from Exp. 2 showed that fish growth was not different from the control diet at the 25% and 37.5% replacement levels. However, reduced growth (P &lt; 0.001) and poorer feed conversion (P &lt; 0.001) were measured when EY replaced more than 37.5% of dietary FM (11.2% EY inclusion). Results from Exp. 3 found no effect of Biofix Plus on performance of rainbow trout. There was reduced growth (P=0.001) in the 50 and 100% replacement diets. Apparent digestibility coefficients suggested that EY nutrients were highly digestible. However, growth was reduced at EY inclusion levels that were greater than 11.2%.

Aquaculture production is increasing annualy and wild fisheries for fishmeal production remain stagnant. As a consequence, extensive research has been deployed to reduce dietary fishmeal inclusion in feeds of farmed species. Usage of alternative protein sources derived from plants continues to increase with the most popular sources being oilseeds, legumes and cereal grains. The downside of these sources is that most of them could directly be used for human consumption arising legitimate criticism from voices referring to countries where protein shortages lead to malnutrition among the population. Jatropha curcas is a tropical oilseed with upcoming popularity for sustainable fuel sourcing. The plant is thought to thrive in semi-arid and arid areas, not just producing oil, but at the same time reclaiming previously eroded land for the local population. For these reasons, annual cultivation of Jatropha curcas is thought to rise over the next decades. After oil is extracted from the seed, the remaining press cake, is currently used as a fertilizer or energy source. This is mostly due to toxic phorbol esters that until recent- ly limited any nutritional applications. In 2011, a method to detoxify Jatropha press cake was developed and paved the way for nutritional research on the resulting detoxified Jatropha curcas kernel meal (JKM) to be launched. JKM offers very high protein content with a balanced amino acid composition suggesting opportunities for usage as a feedstuff in aquaculture diets. JKM further has higher mineral content than comparable oilseeds. However, potential anti-nutritional factors (ANFs) present in the meal could lead to impairment of nutrient availability or other adverse effects. Previous research has already started to evaluate JKM as a protein source for a variety of aquaculture species. This thesis attempts to further identify the potential of JKM as a protein source and assess the effects of JKM on the development of two model cultured teleost species, common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), as they represent two of the most farmed species, particularly in the tropics. The work comprises growth trials on both species using fishmeal as a subject of replacement in solely fishmeal protein-based diets and on more practical fishmeal/plant protein-based diets. It engages with the effects of phytate, a prominent component of JKM with potential anti-nutritional attributes and commercially available phytase feed supplements to diminish these attributes, as well as oxalate, another plant-specific component with high concentrations in JKM and with limited attention in aquaculture nutrition research. Carp and tilapia showed varying results with different inclusion levels of JKM. For carp 50% fishmeal replacement was possible without losses in growth in diets where fishmeal was the only bulk protein source (Chapter 3.1), Tilapia showed slightly worse growth at a 30% replacement level (Chapter 3.2). A steep decline in growth could be observed when replacing 100% fishmeal with JKM in carp (Chapter 3.1), while tilapia showed no difference at that level compared to 30% replacement (Chapter 3.2). In practical diets, 100% of fishmeal could be replaced by JKM without any adverse effects on growth of carp (Chapter 3.3), while tilapia showed a slight, but significant linear negative correlation with higher inclusion levels of JKM (Chapter 3.4). Phytase addition in tilapia feeds was identified as having no obvious impact on growth in JKM based diets where enough available phosphorus was provided through mineral supplementation (Chapter 4.1). In JKM based diets where available phosphate was not added, phytase addition showed a tendency to increase growth and significantly increased mineral retention and decreased phosphorus effluent contamination (Chapter 4.2). Phytase application through pre-incubating JKM along with citric acid exerted a positive effect of growth on carp when fishmeal protein was replaced by 50% (Chapter 3.1). Phytase was further shown to completely hydrolyze phytate in vitro; however, incomplete hydrolysis was observed in vivo in tilapia (Chapter 4.3). Dietary soluble oxalate added to fishmeal based diets for carp showed better growth parameters, nutrient and mineral retention at inclusion levels 1.5% and higher (Chapter 5.1). For tilapia, a trial could demonstrate adverse effects of oxalate on potassium, calcium, manganese and zinc digestibilities, in this case without negative effects on growth (Chapter 5.2). For both, carp and tilapia, an impact of oxalate on lipid metabolism was evident, lowering body lipid content and blood cholesterol in inclusion levels from 1.5% or higher. JKM can become a valuable alternative to present dietary protein sources in aquaculture feeds. The nutritional attributes of JKM need further research, especially longer-term testing in a commercial scenario and application in commercially produced feeds. Results of this thesis pose a useful addition to previous research and can be referred to for realizing these next steps.

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As global meat consumption is rising, the negative impact the animal husbandry sector has on the environment will increase. Greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 40 % during the last 200 years, and the animal husbandry sector is today responsible for 18 % of the total greenhouse gas emissions from food production. More environmentally friendly protein sources, such as soy and pea, must therefore be developed. Pisum sativum can (unlike the most popular meat alternative – soy) be grown all over Europe and might thus be a good alternative that allows for locally sourced alternatives to meat protein. Identifying genes with important agricultural properties might aid the development of pea cultivars with a more reliable protein content. One such gene was hypothesised to be the OMT gene, which is strongly expressed during the embryonic development of P. sativum and seems involved in functions such as seed storage and protein synthesis. Thirty-one accessions of P. sativum were tested to see if different improvement types differed from each other regarding protein content and seed weight, but no such differences were found. DNA was extracted from all accessions, sequenced, and successful sequences were tested to determine if variation in the gene correlated with protein content. Two haplotypes were identified, but there was no correlation between them and protein content found. Based on the results of this study, there is little evidence that the OMT gene correlates with protein content in the studied accessions.

Syftet med studien är att genom sensoriska analyser sammanställa ett doft- och smakbibliotek för hampfrö-presskaka, gula mjölmasklarver, texturerad veteprotein, ärtproteinisolat och ärtprotein koncentrat. Metoderna pilotstudie, konsensustest och in-house intensitetstest används i studieprocessen. Pilotstudiens syfte är att få en ökad förståelse för produkternas doft och smak. Konsensustestet är en central punkt för uppbyggnaden av doft- och smakbiblioteket, eftersom övervägande attribut som genererats under testet används till produktbeskrivningen i doft- och smakbiblioteket. Inhouse intensitetstestet avsikt är verifiera attributgenereringens validitet från konsensustestet. Resultatet från pilotstudien bidrar med referenser till konsensustestet. Det finns även gemensamma egenskapsord för produkternas doft- och smak i pilotstudien och i konsensustestet. Resultatet från konsensustestet visar att det är svårt att särskilja smak från munkänsla, där till exempel olja kan fastställas som en smak från hampfrö-presskaka. Resultatet från inhouse intensitetstestet har ett större bortfall, vilket gör det svårt att fastställa attributen på grund av differentialen i minimum- och maximum värdet. Attribut som gav en beskrivande text till biblioteket visar att hampfrö-presskaka har en doft av gräs och tång där smak påminner om doft. Ärtproteinisolat doftar framför allt spannmål och smaken påminner om frön och majs. Gula mjölmasklarver doftar cerealier och valnötter, där smaken utgår från grundsmaken umami. Texturerad veteprotein har en doft som kan härledas till rostade vetepuffar och havregryn, där smak påminner om doft. Sista produkten ärtprotein koncentrat, har en doft av ärtskott och en besk smak.<br>The purpose of the study is to construct a fragrance- and flavour library for sensory analyses for hemp seed press cake, yellow mealworms, textured wheat protein, pea protein isolate and pea protein concentrate. The methods pilot study, consensus test and inhouse intensity test are used to be able to execute the study. The purpose of the pilot study is to gain an increased understanding of the fragrance- and flavour of the pre-products. The consensus test is a central point for the structure of the fragrance- and flavour library, since predominant attributes generated during the test are used for the product description in the fragrance- and flavour library. The purpose of the inhouse intensity test is to verify the validity of the attribute generation from the consensus test. The results from the pilot study contribute with references to the consensus test. There are also common attributes for the products' fragrance- and flavour in the pilot study and in the consensus test. The results from the consensus test show that it is difficult to distinguish between taste and mouthfeel. For example, can oil from hemp seed press cake be determined as a flavour. The result from the inhouse intensity test has a large statistical error, which makes it difficult to determine the attributes due to the differential in the minimum- and maximum value. Attributes that gave a descriptive text to the library show that hemp seed press cake has a scent of grass and seaweed where the taste is reminiscent of the scent. Pea protein isolate mainly smells of grain, the taste is reminiscent of seeds and corn. Yellow mealworms smell like cereals and walnuts where the taste is based on the basic taste umami. Textured wheat protein has a scent that can remind of roasted wheat puffs and oatmeal, where the taste is reminiscent of the scent. The last product is pea protein concentrate, which has a scent of pea shoots, and the taste is bitter.

Ce mémoire de thèse présente l'étude de l'expression des protéines d'activation et de régulation du système du C par les myoblastes humains normaux et tumoraux en culture. Différentes approches expérimentales ont été utilisées pour l'analyse protéique dans les surnageants de culture (western-blot, marquage biosynthétique et immunoprécipitation, immunofluorescence, dosages ELISA) et pour l'analyse de l'expression des ARNm (RT-PCR). La régulation de cette synthèse par différentes cytokines est envisagée afin d'analyser les variations dans un contexte inflammatoire. Nous montrons que les myoblastes humains normaux sont capables in vitro d'exprimer l'ensemble des protéines des voies d'activation classique et alterne du C. De plus, ils peuvent activer directement le C autologue via la voie classique mais sont protégés de la lyse par l'expression abondante de protéines de régulation solubles et membranaires du système du C. D'une manière générale, les synthèses sont constitutives et stimulées par les cytokines de l'inflammation. Seul le CR1 n'est pas exprimé par les myoblastes et les myotubes, mais l'utilisation de CR1 soluble (CR1s) diminue l'activation du C par les myoblastes in vitro. Nous émettons l'hypothèse qu'une production endogène de C par le muscle squelettique in vivo pourrait avoir un rôle différent selon le niveau d'activation du système : une activation sublytique aurait un effet physiologique dans la régénération tissulaire tandis qu'une activation incontrôlée serait impliquée dans les processus pathologiques par amplification de l'inflammation et destruction cellulaire locale. Il sera important dans l'avenir de déterminer le rôle précis de l'expression locale de C dans le muscle squelettique. Actuellement, cette étude apporte des précisions qui peuvent être utiles pour améliorer l'utilisation de la cellule musculaire dans le cadre de la thérapie génique. L'utilisation in vitro et in vivo de CR1s dans de nombreuses pathologies expérimentales limite les dommages cellulaires inhérents au C. Le CR1s utilisé par voie systémique pourrait améliorer la thérapie génique en augmentant la survie des myoblastes injectés et donc l'efficacité de la production du facteur codé par le gène d'intérêt.

La valorisation des sous-produits agro-industriels et la recherche de sources alternatives de protéines pour la production de peptides sont d’une grande importance. Ce travail propose le développement d’un procédé capable d’obtenir des fractions riches en peptides bioactifs à partir du sous-produit de brasserie appelé « levure résiduelle de bière ». Ces travaux de recherche sont motivés par la nécessité de valorisation des sous-produits agro-industriels et la demande croissante de peptides bioactifs produits par des technologies vertes et efficaces. La suspension de levure résiduelle de bière a été recueillie après maturation puis soumise à différents traitements de rupture de la paroi cellulaire. L’autolyse, le broyage par billes de verre et l’hydrolyse enzymatique utilisant Brauzyn® ont été comparés, et l’hydrolyse enzymatique a permis une récupération plus importante des protéines avec une activité antioxydante plus élevée. Une rupture de la paroi cellulaire simultanée à la production de peptides a été proposée grâce à un plan de mélanges en utilisant Brauzyn®, Protamex™ et Alcalase™ (pH 7,0, 50 °C, 2000 U g-1 pendant 2 h). Cette procédure a permis de réduire le nombre d’étapes requises pour le traitement des levures résiduelles de bière. Il a été montré que les caractéristiques des hydrolysats obtenus (la quantité de résidus hydrophobes libérés, le degré d’hydrolyse, les propriétés antioxydantes, l’évolution du brunissement et le rendement en solides) est fonction de la proportion en enzymes utilisée. Le fractionnement par techniques membranaires de l’hydrolysat protéique a d’abord été étudié en utilisant des membranes polymères en cellulose régénérée et en polyethersulfone, et ensuite avec des membranes céramiques. Les phénomènes de colmatage sont moins importants lorsque les surfaces sont hydrophiles et lorsque la valeur du pH de l’alimentation est élevée. Les résultats ont confirmé que les principaux éléments colmatants de l’hydrolysat de protéines de levure résiduelle de bière sont les peptides qui s’absorbent facilement à la surface des membranes. Le fractionnement en cascade avec des membranes céramiques de 50 à 1 kg mol-1 de seuil de coupure a permis de séparer des peptides multi-bioactifs des sucres totaux et des acides ribonucléiques. Les peptides de levure résiduelle de bière ont présenté des activités antioxydantes impliquant différents mécanismes d’action, une activité anti-diabétique (inhibition de l’α-glucosidase et de l’α-amylase) et une activité anti-Alzheimer (inhibition de l’acétylcholinestérase). Le traitement séquentiel de la levure résiduelle de bière couplant des technologies d’hydrolyse enzymatique et les techniques de séparation par membranes a permis de récupérer des peptides ayant de multiples bio-activités à partir d’un résidu sous-utilisé du brassage. Les fractions produites représentent une alternative en tant qu’ingrédients riches en peptides pour des applications en industries alimentaires et pharmaceutiques<br>The valorisation of agro-industrial by-products and the search for alternative sources of protein to produce peptides are of great importance. This work proposes the development of a process enabling the production of fractions rich in bioactive peptides from the by-product from brewing called “spent brewer’s yeast”. The motivation of this subject of research is based on the increasing demand to reuse agro-industrial by-products such as spent yeasts and on the production bioactive peptides using clean and efficient technologies. Spent brewer’s yeast slurry was collected after maturation and was submitted to cell wall disruption methods. Autolysis, glass bead milling and enzymatic hydrolysis using Brauzyn® were compared, and enzymatic hydrolysis presented a higher protein recovery and improved antioxidant activity. A simultaneous cell wall disruption and peptide production was proposed using a mixture design employing Brauzyn®, Protamex™ and Alcalase™ (pH 7.0, 50 °C, 2000 U g-1 for 2 h), being able to reduce steps during the processing of spent brewer’s yeast. Protein hydrolysates characteristics varied with the proportion of enzymes used, changing the extent of the release of hydrophobic residues, the degree of hydrolysis, antioxidant properties, browning extent and yield of solids and peptides. Membrane separation of the complex protein hydrolysate was studied firstly using polymeric membranes of regenerated cellulose and polyethersulfone and then in ceramic ones. A smaller susceptibility to fouling was observed for more hydrophilic surfaces, and at higher feed pH values. Results confirmed that the main foulants during ultrafiltration of spent brewer’s yeast protein hydrolysate are peptides that adsorb easily onto the membrane surface. Fractionation using ceramic membranes of 50-1 kg mol-1 of molecular weight cut-off was able to separate multi-active peptides from total sugars and ribonucleic acids. Spent brewer’s yeast peptides presented antioxidant activity by different mechanisms, in vitro anti-diabetic activity (inhibition of α-glucosidase and α-amylase) and anti-Alzheimer activity (inhibition of acetylcholinesterase). Sequential processing of spent brewer’s yeast using enzymatic and membrane separation technologies was able to recover peptides with multiple bioactivities from an underused by-product from brewing. Fractions produced represent an alternative as peptide-rich ingredients in the food and pharmaceutical industries

Today there is a problem of effective and efficient use of energy. Back in 1912, Rudolf Diesel expressed his opinion: "The use of vegetable oil as fuel today is insignificant, but in the future it will become as important source of motor fuel, as it is now refined petroleum products and coal." Today on this thesis scientists have formed the basis of modern energy sectors related to the use of alternative energy sources.

A new complex alternative source of electric energy was proposed; it combines two renewable forms of energy: solar and wind in the form of helicoidal wind generator. The use of solar panels in combination with a wind installation will be effective in terms of reducing the threshold wind speed required to exit the installation to the nominal rotation speed using energy produced by solar panels.

Our relationship with the environment is bilateral. If we want to live in clear world that takes care about us we must take care about the environment. It is evident that healthy population and high quality of life is possible only in healthy environment.

The goal of this paper is to examine the possibility to use crowdfunding as an alternative to the traditional real estate financing solutions. We have decided to focus on the project owners’ perspective contrary to the investors’ side. During the 80’s and 90’s there was a great influx of venture capital to the start-up market, however, financial crisis of 2000 resulted in a faded interest regarding investing in start-ups. The financial crisis and the new rules regarding banks outgoing loan balance, introduced after the crisis of 2008, Basel III, which created a real estate market that is very hard to penetrate for new developers and small businesses. When the real estate market was at its peak in Sweden it was common to find projects were banks represented 90 percent of the total capital, but the equivalent number today is commonly not representing more than 60 percent. The current state of the market creates a rough climate and difficulties for developers, who are continuously searching for new capital. This is where the notion of crowdfunding becomes important and where support from companies such as Tessin gives a developer the opportunity to bring forth the capital needed to create a project that will create value for its investors. Whether crowdfunding is a complement to traditional funding is what this paper aim to answer. The focus company of this research is Tessin, through conducted interviews, and secondary research about the company and the real estate market, this paper aspire to find out what is a reasonable goal for real estate crowdfunding in Sweden and for Tessin as a platform.<br>Denna uppsats syftar till att undersöka möjligheten att använda crowdfunding som en alternativ finansieringslösning i enskilda fastighetsprojekt. Vi har valt att endast fokusera på projektägarens perspektiv och tar därför mindre hänsyn till investerarens. Under 80- och 90-talet kom en stor tillförsel av riskkapital till start-ups, men efter finanskrisen år 2000 försvann i stort sätt all denna vilja att satsa pengar på start-ups. Detta, i samspel med de restriktiva reglerna för bankutlåning som trädde i kraft i och med Basel III skapade en fastighetsmarknad som är svår penetrerad för nya aktörer och mindre företag. Tidigare hörde en belåningsgrad på fastigheter om 90 procent till vardagen, men idag får många företag vara glada om de blir beviljade 60 procent, detta medför en ständig jakt på kapital för projektutvecklare. Det är här crowdfunding kommer in i bilden. Med hjälp av aktörer som Tessin kan projekten komma över det kapital som krävs för att förverkligas. Huruvida detta kan vara ett komplement till traditionell finansiering har vi försökt att besvara genom att samla information från dels Tessin, dels personer med god insyn i både Tessin och fastighetsmarknaden i allmänhet och dels genom att intervjua projektägare som har använt sig av Tessins tjänst. Detta har vi gjort för att bilda oss en uppfattning om hur läget ser ut idag, men även för att undersöka vad som är ett rimligt mål för Tessin och crowdfunding av fastigheter i allmänhet.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico<br>Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a naturally nanoscale biomaterial with high purity and excellent chemical and mechanical properties. There are several sugar-rich renewable sources and wastes that can be used as alternative media for bacterial cellulose production.The aim of this study was to evaluate the suitability of an extract of mesquite pods as an alternative carbohydrate source for the production of BC through fermentation by Gluconacetobacter hansenii. The amount of sugars, soluble solids, and pH of the extract was characterized. The influence of the initial sugar concentration, pH, and the source of supplementary nitrogen on the fermentation were evaluated. The best production of bacterial cellulose was achieved in the medium with a sugar concentration of 30 g /L, pH 4.0, and supplemented with 10 g /L of yeast extract. The films from the optimized medium were oven dried and characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and electron microscopy (SEM). The results were similar to typical bacterial cellulose films produced in the reference medium HS. Thus, it was possible to demonstrate the suitability of mesquite pod aqueous extract to produce BC.<br>A celulose bacteriana (CB) à um biomaterial naturalmente nanomÃtrico, com elevado grau de pureza e excelentes propriedades quÃmicas e mecÃnicas. Existem na natureza fontes renovÃveis e resÃduos ricos em aÃÃcares que despertam um crescente interesse como meios alternativos em substituiÃÃo aos tradicionalmente empregados na produÃÃo de celulose. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o extrato de vagens de algaroba (Prosopis juliflora) como fonte alternativa para produÃÃo de CB atravÃs de fermentaÃÃo por Gluconacetobacter hansenii. O extrato foi caracterizado quanto à quantidade de aÃÃcares, pH e sÃlidos solÃveis. AtravÃs da fermentaÃÃo do extrato foram realizados testes de influÃncia da concentraÃÃo inicial de aÃÃcares, influÃncia do pH e efeito da variaÃÃo da suplementaÃÃo com fonte de nitrogÃnio sobre a produÃÃo de CB. A melhor produÃÃo foi proveniente da fermentaÃÃo do extrato de algaroba diluÃdo a uma concentraÃÃo de aÃÃcares de 30 g/L com pH 4,0 suplementado com 10 g/L de extrato de levedura. As pelÃculas obtidas do extrato com condiÃÃes melhoradas foram secas em estufa e caracterizadas por difraÃÃo de raios x (DRX), espectroscopia de absorÃÃo no infravermelho (FTIR), anÃlise termogravimÃtrica (TGA), calorimetria exploratÃria diferencial (DSC) e microscopia eletrÃnica de varredura (MEV), e apresentaram resultados tÃpicos de celulose bacteriana quando comparados à CB produzida no meio de referÃncia HS. Assim, foi possÃvel mostrar a viabilidade de produÃÃo de CB com extrato aquoso de vagens de algaroba.

The transport industry is one of the fastest growing industries with the sector playing a significant role in negative impact on global warming and pollution through the emission of greenhouse gases. Aviation in particular, has enjoyed growth especially in the few decades. New airlines and aircraft manufacturers are coming up with different innovations and technologies to ensure they make the best possible environmentally friendly aircraft. The new main area of focus has been on how to come up with fuel that will reduce the greenhouse gas-emissions. The stakeholders in the same effort include developed nations like the United States, United Kingdom, Russia, France, Germany, and Canada among others. Energy providers as well as jet fuel suppliers are also making efforts to conserve the environment. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the area of biofuel in aviation by looking into various stakeholders involved in the efforts of the transition from fossil fuel to biofuel. The conclusion of this thesis is that biofuels are viable options in the aviation industries since there have been positive results in the tests made.

L'obiettivo della tesi è un'analisi dettagliata del fenomeno del Crowdfunding in Italia come forma alternativa di finanziamento per progetti imprenditoriali, cercando di comprendere i vantaggi e le criticità di una raccolta di capitali di successo. Negli ultimi anni c'è stato un crescente interesse per il fenomeno delle startup innovative, le piccole e medie imprese di recente costituzione che basano il loro modello di business e il loro vantaggio competitivo sulla creazione o lo sfruttamento di nuove tecnologie. Poiché queste società hanno un alto livello di rischio, è difficile per loro ottenere fondi da banche e altre istituzioni. Questo elaborato vede nel Crowdfunding una soluzione a questo problema. Questa tesi ha lo scopo di analizzare il Crowdfunding come metodo di finanziamento alternativo per queste aziende che lottano per ottenere capitali sul mercato. Il Crowdfunding può essere definito come "lo sforzo collettivo di molte persone che creano una rete e uniscono le proprie risorse per supportare progetti avviati da altre persone o organizzazioni. Di solito attraverso o con l'aiuto di Internet. I singoli progetti e le aziende sono finanziati con piccoli contributi da un gran numero di persone, consentendo a innovatori e imprenditori di utilizzare i loro social network per raccogliere capitali ". Questo tipo di finanziamento dal basso è un'alternativa efficace e valida ai modelli di finanziamento tradizionali. Dopo aver spiegato i vari modelli di Crowdfunding, questo documento si concentrerà sull'analisi dell’equity Crowdfunding. Il crowdfunding è definito come "equity-based" quando, attraverso investimenti online, viene acquisita una partecipazione reale in una società: in questo caso, in cambio di capitale, si riceve un insieme di diritti patrimoniali e amministrativi derivanti dalla partecipazione all'impresa . L’equity-based Crowdfunding rappresenta quindi una possibilità concreta, la cui risposta non è solo auspicata, ma ampiamente confermata dalla continua diffusione e variazione del fenomeno in diversi modelli. È per questo motivo che tra i vari modelli, è stato deciso di indagare con maggiore attenzione l’equity-based Crowdfunding attraverso l'uso di un questionario somministrato ad un campione di startups che hanno chiuso una campagna di equity Crowdfunding di successo, analizzando così i benefici e le criticità rilevate in modo tale da capire come gestire una campagna di Crowdfunding di successo. L’elaborato si chiude con un'analisi del case study "Offlunch", una startup che ha chiuso con successo una campagna di equity Crowdfunding. Il lavoro presenta una metodologia qualitativa, le fonti utilizzate per l'analisi sono primarie, attraverso l'uso di un questionario per la raccolta diretta di dati e l'analisi del case study. Ho scelto questo argomento per la passione che ho per la finanza e il territorio; credo che il Crowdfunding combini perfettamente questo concetto, dando a chiunque la possibilità di investire in progetti innovativi e contribuire così al nostro futuro e al futuro delle nostre attività. Credo che in questo momento storico l'innovazione sia l'unico modo per rilanciare il sistema economico italiano, ma senza capitale l'innovazione non può essere pienamente realizzata. Credo nel Crowdfunding come metodo alternativo di finanziamento in grado di fornire capitale e quindi ossigeno per sviluppare aziende innovative che altrimenti non sarebbero autosufficienti.

Cobia represents one of the most attractive candidate species for aquaculture in the history of the industry. With rapid growth rate, high survival rates, and delectable flesh, cobia possess highly desirable characteristics for a cultured fish. Although interest in this species is high, issues pertaining to nutritional requirements must be resolved if this animal is to be produced sustainably. Cobia are high level marine carnivores and, as such, require relatively high dietary protein levels which usually are met through the use of fish meal. Fish meal supplies have become limited and costly, and alternate proteins must be utilized if future aquaculture production is to meet demand. Moreover, the movement towards organic aquaculture production presents additional challenges with respect to fish meal inclusion in aquafeeds designed for cobia. This thesis summarizes research pertaining to fish meal replacement in cobia aquafeeds with organically certifiable alternate protein sources. Initial trials with an organically certifiable yeast-based protein source indicated that up to 25% of the fish meal could be replaced without detrimental impacts to growth rates, feed efficiency, or biological indices. Substitution levels above this resulted in decreased performance in all measured parameters. Based on these results and other research however, it is hypothesized that fish meal replacement levels could be increased to 40% without detrimental impacts upon production characteristics. In a subsequent study, multiple organically certifiable alternate protein sources were investigated for their ability to replace fish meal in aquafeeds for juvenile cobia. A 25% inclusion level of yeast-based protein was used along with a 40% inclusion level. The remaining alternate proteins (soybean meal, soybean isolate, and hemp) also were included at 40% of dietary protein. Two additional diets were formulated to contain all four alternate proteins with or without 8% fish meal. Lack of fish meal resulted in poor survival, while the 8% inclusion of fish meal resulted in decreased overall performance compared to fish fed the fish meal control and the diets with up to 40% organic protein source. When included at 40% of fish meal replacement, these alternate protein sources led to returned excellent weight gain, feed efficiencies, and other production characteristics when compared to the 100% fish meal control diet. I hypothesized that higher inclusion level of alternate protein sources could be achieved with specific amino acid supplementation. Two additional trials involved the use of the yeast-based protein with supplementation by the amino acids methionine, tryptophan, and taurine. Diets containing 50 and 75% of the yeast-based protein were investigated with the addition of methionine (0.3%) and tryptophan (0.2%), with and without taurine (0.5%). Taurine significantly and dramatically increased production performance. A final trial re-evaluated that ability of the yeast-based protein to completely replace fish meal with supplemental taurine (0.5%). While growth at the 50% inclusion level equaled that of the control, at higher levels (75 and 100%), growth was reduced even with taurine supplementation, leading to the hypothesis that other essential amino acids may also have been limiting. This thesis presents evidence that replacement of fish meal, as well as organic production of cobia, is feasible. However, these studies also illustrate the necessity of developing quantitative amino acid requirement data for cobia if these goals are to be fully realized.<br>Master of Science

A produção da farinha de penas hidrolisadas (FPH) está atrelada a produção de carne de frango. O processo da FPH é a hidrólise térmica, o que pode reduzir a disponibilidade de aminoácidos (aa) essências devido à alta temperatura e pressão que as penas são submetidas. O uso de micro-organismos (MIC) para hidrólise pode ser uma alternativa vantajosa por minimizar essas perdas. Foram conduzidos três experimentos com o objetivo de avaliar a capacidade de degradação das penas por MIC, o coeficiente de digestibilidade aparente (CDA) das classes nutricionais e energia. Também avaliar as características fecais e urinárias em cães alimentados com dietas contendo FPH por micro-organismo Bacillus subtilis (FPHm) ou maneira convencional (FPHc) e a palatabilidade da FPHm. No experimento 1, foram realizadas hidrólises in vitro de penas, utilizando quatro cepas de MIC diferentes e blend enzimático, foram determinados o fator de degradação, o teor de proteína solúvel, a digestibilidade in vitro e aa livres. No experimento 2, determinou-se CDA das dietas experimentais com inclusão por cobertura de 10% de FPHm ou FPHc sobre a dieta basal e a influência nas características fecais e urinárias, além da observação da resistência dos Bacillus subtilis ao passar pelo trato gastrointestinal (TGI) No terceiro experimento, foi realizado teste de palatabilidade, utilizando o método “two-pan” com as mesmas dietas testadas no experimento 2. Os resultados do experimento 1 indicaram que os MIC utilizados tiveram capacidade de degradar as penas e de melhorar a solubilidade proteica quando as penas foram adicionadas em concentrações de 5 e 8%. No experimento 2, os CDA da matéria seca (MS), PB e energia foram menores para a dieta contendo 10% de FPHm (P < 0,05). Apesar de não haver diferença entre os tratamentos para densidade urinária, pH urinário e fecal e escore fecal (P > 0,05), os animais que consumiram dietas com FPHm produziram maior quantidade de fezes (MS) diárias (P < 0,05). Os valores de energia digestível para FPHm e FPHc foram 2.198 e 4.443 kcal/kg, respectivamente. Foi possível verificar maior presença de Bacillus sp. nas fezes dos cães que receberam FPHm, demonstrando que os MIC sobreviveram ao TGI. No experimento 3, a inclusão da FPHm melhorou significativamente a palatabilidade nas dietas para cães adultos (P < 0,05).<br>The production of hydrolyzed feather meal (FPH) is linked to the production of chicken meat. The process of FPH is thermal hydrolysis, which may reduce the availability of amino acids (aa) essences due to the high temperature and pressure that the feathers are subjected to. The use of microorganisms (MIC) for hydrolysis may be an advantageous alternative to minimize such losses. Three experiments were carried out with the objective of evaluating feather degradability by MIC, the apparent digestibility coefficient (CDA) of the nutritional and energy classes, and to evaluate fecal and urinary traits in dogs fed diets containing FPH by microorganism Bacillus subtilis (FPHm) or conventional manner (FPHc) and the palatability of FPHm. In experiment 1, in vitro hydrolyses of feathers were performed, using four different MIC strains and enzymatic blend, and the degradation factor, soluble protein content, in vitro and free digestibility were determined. In Experiment 2, CDA was determined from the experimental diets with inclusion of 10% FPHm or FPHc on the basal diet and the influence on fecal and urinary traits, as well as the observation of Bacillus subtilis resistance when passing through the gastrointestinal tract (TGI) In the third experiment, a palatability test was performed using the two-pan method with the same diets tested in experiment 2. The results of experiment 1 indicated that the MICs used had the ability to degrade feathers and to improve protein solubility when the feathers were added in concentrations of 5 and 8%. In experiment 2, CDA of dry matter (DM), CP and energy were lower for the diet containing 10% FPHm (P <0.05). Although there was no difference between the treatments for urinary density, urinary and fecal pH and fecal score (P> 0.05), the animals that consumed diets with FPHm produced a greater amount of feces (P <0.05). The digestible energy values for FPHm and FPHc were 2,198 and 4,443 kcal / kg, respectively. It was possible to verify greater presence of Bacillus sp. in the faeces of the dogs that received FPHm, demonstrating that the MICs survived the TGI. In experiment 3, the inclusion of FPHm significantly improved palatability in diets for adult dogs (P <0.05)

Poultry litter ash (PLA) is a co-product from manure-to-energy systems that originated in response to increased poultry litter (PL) volumes generated in concentrated poultry production regions. Investigating PLA as a crop fertilizer is an alternative solution to balancing poultry and crop regional nutrient cycling in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As the expanding world population places pressure on the poultry industry to meet consumption demands, increased PL production presents an obstacle to identify alternative uses for increased volumes. Currently, Virginia produces 44 million broilers with PL produced predominately in the Shenandoah Valley and Eastern Shore. Likewise, a growing world population places pressure on crop production areas and subsequently finite natural resources used for crop fertilization. Poultry litter ash is an alternative phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) source enhancing transportation logistics, repurposing PL nutrients, and offers dual purpose as a fertilizer and an energy source when compared to PL. Three PLA products [(fluidized bed bulk (FB Bulk), fluidized bed fly (FB Fly), and combustion Mix (CMix)], two manufactured co-products [(granulated poultry litter ash (GPLA), and ash coated urea (ACU)] were evaluated as P, K, and N sources for corn (Zea Mays L.) production in comparison to industry fertilizers [(PL, triple superphosphate (TSP), muriate of potash (KCL), and urea). A comprehensive examination of elemental composition, P speciation, P and K solubility, improved functionality into granulized forms, and field testing were conducted to discern PLA potential as an alternative fertilizer source. Poultry litter ash products were evaluated by total elemental analysis, backscatter-electron dispersive (BSED) microscopy, and X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. Poultry litter ash elemental concentrations were highly variable ranging from 50.6 to 102.0 g P kg -1 and 62.6 to 120.0 g K kg -1 and were comparatively higher than PL concentrations. Phosphorus structures that provided and controlled P solubility were Ca and Ca-Mg-phosphate compounds. Spectroscopy confirmed Ca structures as predominately monetite (dicalcium phosphate anhydrous; CaHPO4; log K ̊ 0.30) and brushite (dicalcium phosphate dihydrate; CaHPO4.2H20; 0.63 log K ̊ ) species that were supported by BSED and elemental stoichiometric ratios (Ca:P; 1.12 to 1.71:1). Additionally, GPLA acidified from FB Fly had higher brushite and monetite percentages described by spectra models, translating into a more soluble Ca-phosphate species when compared to FB Fly original P species. Granulated poultry litter acidulation trials successfully identified a desired granulation point of 29% (14.5 g acid to 50 g PLA) phosphoric acid (75% H3PO4) acidulation. Acidulation dose response relationships created simple linear regression (SLR) equations that sufficiently (R2 > 0.80) described changes in total measurable P and water soluble P, pH, and exothermic reaction temperatures to increasing H3PO4 acidulation. Solubility tests included: sequential extraction, particle size effect on solubility, carbon effect on water soluble P, and Mehlich-1 extraction of PLA sources that confirmed decreased P solubility. A majority PLA P was found in bound plant unavailable fractions (87.7 to 97.7% P of total P). Granulated poultry litter ash had improved P plant available P of 36.0% P of total P. Carbon (C) effects on PLA P were examined by ashing PLA samples in a muffle furnace at 550 ̊C. Differences in total carbon content negatively impacted FB Bulk and CMix total P (1.30 and 4.56 g P kg -1); however, muffle furnace temperatures increased FB Fly total P by 6.74 g P kg -1. All fertilizer products were investigated under field conditions in separate P, K and N corn studies across Virginia coastal plain soils to determine fertilizer effects on corn plant parameters [(most mature leaf (V6), corn ear leaf (R1), and grain (R6)]. Poultry litter P treatments, averaged over rate, recorded highest yield in both years. At eight of nine field sites, FB Bulk resulted in numerically or significantly higher Mehlich-1 concentrations than other P sources post-harvest. Although Mehlich-1 P increased, yield and plant parameters did not; which leads to the conclusion that PLA sources increased soil residual P that did not translate into immediate plant availability recorded within a growing season. Across plant efficacy parameters examined, PLA K is a comparable nutrient source and improved plant parameters when compared to control. Eighteen out of twenty-one plant parameters examined found similar ACU and urea effects on N concentrations. Therefore, ACU is a comparable N source to urea. When compared to industry fertilizer sources, we concluded that PLA is a slowly available P source, decreased P availability negatively affected early plant growth, K is a comparable nutrient source and improved plant parameters compared to control, and ACU effectively provided N to maintain sufficient corn growth. In conclusion, PLA co-products serve as a densified nutrient source that may provide plant available nutrients if processed to aid in nutrient distribution to grain producing areas.<br>Doctor of Philosophy<br>Poultry litter ash (PLA) is a co-product from manure-to-energy systems that originated in response to increased poultry litter (PL) volumes generated in concentrated poultry production regions. Investigating PLA as an alternative crop fertilizer is essential to balancing poultry and crop regional nutrient cycling in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As the expanding world population places pressure on the poultry industry to meet consumption demands, heightened PL production presents an obstacle to identify alternative uses for increased volumes. Currently, Virginia produces 44,683,904 broilers with PL produced predominately in the Shenandoah Valley and Eastern Shore. Likewise, a growing world population places pressure on crop production areas and subsequently finite natural resources used for fertilization vital to maintaining crop yields. Poultry litter ash, a co-product from manure-to-energy systems, is an alternative phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) source enhancing transportation logistics, repurposing PL nutrients, and offers dual purpose as a fertilizer and an energy source when compared to PL. In this dissertation, three PLA products [(fluidized bed bulk (FB Bulk), fluidized bed fly (FB Fly), and combustion Mix (CMix)], two manufactured co-products [(granulated poultry litter ash (GPLA), and ash coated urea (ACU)] were evaluated as P, K, and N source for corn (Zea Mays L.) production in comparison to industry fertilizers (PL, triple superphosphate (TSP), muriate of potash (KCL), and urea). Each of the following chapters provides a comprehensive examination of the following topics: elemental composition, P speciation, P and K solubility, improved functionality into granulized forms, and field testing designed to provide parameters to conclude PLA potential as an alternative P, K and N source. In the second chapter, PLA products were evaluated by total elemental analysis, backscatter-electron dispersive (BSED) microscopy, and X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. Poultry litter ash elemental concentrations are highly variable and are comparatively higher than PL concentrations. Phosphorus structure and species identified Ca as the primary element controlling P structure and subsequent solubility. The third component of this dissertation is granulation trials investigating phosphoric acid effects on granulizing and increasing total and water soluble P. Our results identified 29% (14.5 g acid to 50 g PLA) phosphoric acid acidulation for desired granule size. The third dissertation component examines PLA solubility. The results demonstrated PLA decreased P water solubility when compared to industry fertilizer sources. Granulated poultry litter ash demonstrated improved P plant availability due to the granulation process. The final and fourth dissertation components investigated PLA sources under field conditions in separate P, K and N corn studies across Virginia coastal plain soils to determine fertilizer effects on corn plant parameters. Minority of plant parameters tested revealed P control yielded numerically higher P concentrations than PLA P sources tested. Poultry litter P treatments, averaged over rate, recorded highest yield in both years. At eight of nine field sites, FB Bulk resulted in numerically or significantly higher Mehlich-1 concentrations than other P sources post-harvest. Although Mehlich-1 P concentrations increased, yield and plant parameters did not; which leads to the conclusion that PLA sources increased soil residual P that did not translate into immediate plant availability recorded within a growing season. Across plant efficacy parameters examined, PLA K is a comparable nutrient source and improved plant parameters when compared to controls. The majority of plant parameters examined found similar ACU and urea effects on N concentrations. Therefore, ACU is a comparable N source to urea. When compared to industry fertilizer sources, field results concluded that PLA is a slowly available P source, decreased P availability negatively affected early plant growth, K is a comparable nutrient source and improve plant parameters compared to control, ACU effectively provides N to maintain sufficient corn growth. In conclusion, PLA co-products serve as a densified nutrient source that may provide plant available nutrients if processed to aid in nutrient distribution to grain producing areas.

Submitted by Marco Antônio de Ramos Chagas (mchagas@ufv.br) on 2016-06-06T12:52:06Z No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 1595035 bytes, checksum: 9d032311a25a396e04439a8bc0418a0f (MD5)<br>Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-06T12:52:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 1595035 bytes, checksum: 9d032311a25a396e04439a8bc0418a0f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-18<br>Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico<br>O presente trabalho foi desenvolvido baseado em trés estudos. 0 obj etivo do primeiro estudo foi avaliar os efeitos da substituioao parcial do milho por glicerina sobre a fermentaoao ruminal utilizando urn sistema de cultura continua de fluxo duplo. Seis fermentadores (1,223 i 21 ml) foram utilizados em urn delineamento em quadrado latino 3X3 replicado, corn trés periodos de 10 d cada, 7 d para adaptaoao a dieta e 3 d para coletas de amostras. Todas as dietas continham 75% de concentrado e trés niveis de glicerina na dieta (0, 15, e 30% com base na matéria seca), totalizando seis repetiooes por tratamento. Os niveis de glicerina nao afetaram a digestibilidade aparente da MS (PLm = 0,13; PQuad, = 0,40), MO (PLin. = 0,72; PQuad_ = 0,15), FDN (PLin, = 0,38; PQuad, = 0,50) e FDA (PUD, = 0,91; Pouad. = 0,18). Além disso, a inclusao de glicerina nao afetou a digestibilidade verdadeira da MS (PLin, = 0,35; PQuad_ = 0,48), e MO (Pm, = 0,08; PQuad, = 0,19). As concentraooes de propionato de (P 0,01) e acidos graxos volateis totais (P < 0,01) aumentaram de forma linear. .121 as concentraeoes de acetato (P < 0,01), butirato (P = 0,01), iso-valerato (P < 0,01), e acidos graxos volateis de cadeia ramificada, assim como a relaoao acetato: propionato (P < 0,01) diminuiram com a inclusao de glicerina. Foi observado aumento linear na concentraoao de N- NH3 dos efluentes (P < 0,01) e no fluxo de N-NH3 (P < 0,01), deVido a inclusao de glicerina nas dietas. A digestibilidade da proteina bruta (P = 0,04) e o fluxo de N microbiano (P 0,04) foram maiores no tratamento controle em comparaoao com os outros tratamentos e responderam de forma quadratica com a inclusao de glicerina. Além disso, a inclusao de glicerina diminuiu linearmente (P = 0,02) 0 fluxo de N nao amoniacal. Os niveis de glicerina nao afetaram os fluxos de N total (Pm, = 0,79; PQuad, = 0,35), e N dietético (PLin, = 0,99; PQuad, = 0,07), assim como a eficiéncia microbiana (PL;n = 0,09; PQuad. = 0,07). Estes resultados sugerem que substituioao ao milho seco por glicerina pode mudar a fermentaoao ruminal, aumentando a concentraoao de acidos graxos volateis totais e propionato, sem afetar a eficiéncia microbiana, o que pode melhorar o potencial gliconeogénico em dietas para bovinos de corte. 0 obj etivo do segundo estudo foi avaliar os efeitos da substituioao do milho seco por glicerina bruto sobre o consumo, digestibilidade aparente, desempenho e caracteristicas de carcaca de novilhos em terminacao. O experimento foi delineado em blocos casualizados, com com 25 d para adaptacao e 100 d para a coleta de dados, onde 3.640 touros da raca Nelore (367 i 36,8 kg; 18 i 3 meses) foram blocados por peso corporal e alocados em 20 baias. Os animais receberam, aleatoriamente, um dos quatro tratamentos: 0, 5, 10, e 15% (com base na matéria seca) de inclusao de glicerina bruto na dieta. Os consumos de matéria seca, matéria organica e fibra em detergente neutro diminuiram linearmente (P 0,05) com a inclusao de glicerina bruto. No entanto, os niveis de glicerina bruto nao afetaram (P > 0,05) 0 consumo de proteina bruta, carboidratos nao fibrosos e nutrientes digestiveis totais. As digestibilidades da matéria seca, matéria organica, fibra em detergente neutro e nutrientes digestiveis totais aumentaram de forma quadratica (P < 0,05) com a inclusao de glicerina bruto na dieta. Inclusao de glicerina bruto nao alterou o consumo de matéria seca digestivel, ganho médio diario, peso corporal final, ganho de carcaca, rendimento de carcaca, eficiéncia alimentar, area muscular do Longissimus thoracis, espessuras de gordura subcutanea e espessuras de gordura subcutanea da garupa (P > 0,05). Estes resultados sugerem que o glicerina bruto pode ser incluido em dietas de acabamento de bovinos de corte em niveis de até 15%, sem prejudicar o desempenho e as caracteristicas de carcaca. Para 0 terceiro estudo, cinco experimentos in vitro foram conduzidos para avaliar a energia metabolizavel e as mudancas na fermentacao ruminal, producao total de gases e concentracao de gases do efeito estufa da glicerina, comparada ao milho e ao amido, bem como sua inclusao em dietas de terminacao para gado de corte. Para 0 Exp. 1, um sistema de 24 garrafas (AnkomRF Gas Production System, Ankom technology, NY, USA) foi usado em 4 corridas consecutivas de 48 h. Os tratamentos foram trés diferentes alimentos: milho, glicerina e amido. A producao total de gases as 24 h, a concentracao de acetato e a relacao acetato: propionato diminuiu (P < 0,01) somente para glicerina. A producao total de gases as 48 h foi maior (P < 0,01) para o milho e semelhante entre glicerina e amido. O tratamento com amido teve a menor (P < 0,01) concentracao total de AGV. O milho apresentou a menor concentracao de propionato (P < 0,01). A energia metabolizavel foi maior (P < 0,01) para o milho e semelhante entre glicerina e amido. Para 0 Exp. 2, um total de 20 garrafas (155ml) foram usadas em 4 corridas consecutivas de 48 h. Os tratamentos foram os mesmos do Exp. 1. A concentracao de CH4 aumentou (P < 0,01) somente para a glicerina. A producao de Co2 em ml/g foi maior (P < 0,01) para o milho e semelhante para glicerina e amido. Comparado com a glicerina, a concentracao de acetato (P < 0,01) e a relacao acetato: propionato (P < 0,01) foram maiores para amido e milho, enquanto a as concentracoes de butirato e valerato foram maiores (P < 0,01) para a glicerina. Para 0 Exp. 3, o mesmo sistema do Exp. 1 foi usado em 4 corridas consecutivas de 48 h. Os tratamentos foram: inclusao de 0, 100, 200 e 30og/kg de MS de glicerina substituindo o milho em dietas de terminacao de bovinos de corte. A inclusao de glicerina nao afetou (P > 0,05) as producoes de gases as 24 e 48 h, 0 pH final, N-NH3, AGV total, e as concentracoes de propionato e butirato. A inclusao de glicerina diminuiu linearmente a concentracao de acetato (P = 0,03) e a relacao acetato: propionato (P = 0,04). Para 0 Exp. 4, um total de 25 garrafas (155ml) foram usadas em 4 corridas consecutivas de 48 h. Os tratamentos foram os mesmos do Exp. 3. A inclusao de glicerina nao afetou (P > 0,05) as concentracoes de CH4, Co2, AGV totais, propionato, butirato, relacao acetato: propionato e pH final. Foi observada diminuicao linear (P = 0,04) na concentracao de acetato deVido a inclusao de glicerina nas dietas. Para 0 Exp. 5, dois sistemas de quatro vasos de digestao de 4 L (Daisyll system, Ankom technology, NY, USA) foram usados em duas corridas consecutivas de 48 h. Os tratamentos foram: feno de orchard (0,4 g/saco), milho (0,4 g/saco), feno de orchard (0,4 g/saco) + glicerina (0,2 g/saco) e milho (0,4 g/saco) + glicerina (0,2 g/saco). O feno de orchard com glicerina apresentou a menor (P 0,01) digestibilidade in Vitro da MS, seguido pelo feno de orchard sem adicao de glicerina e pelos tratamentos com milho. A digestibilidade in Vitro da MS nao diferiu (P > 0,05) entre os tratamentos com milho sem on com adicao de glicerina. Como conclusao, sob essas condicoes experimentais, a glicerina contribuiu mais para o aumento da metanogenese do que carboidratos, mas efetivamente substituiu parcialmente o milho como fonte de energia em dietas para bovinos de corte.<br>The present work was developed based on three studies. The objective of the firs study was to evaluate the effects of partially replacing dry ground corn with glycerin on ruminal fermentation using a dual-flow continuous culture system. Six fermenters (1,223 i 21 ml) were used in a replicated 3x3 Latin square arrangement with three periods of 10 d each, with 7 d for diet adaptation and 3 d for sample collections. All diets contained 75% concentrate and three dietary glycerin levels (0, 15, and 30% on dry matter basis), totaling six replicates per treatment. Glycerin levels did not affect apparent digestibility of DM (PLin. = 0.13; PQuad, 0.40), OM (Pm, = 0.72; PQuad, = 0.15), NDF (PLin. = 0.38; PQuad. = 0.50) and ADF (PLin- 0.91; PQuad. = 0.18). Also, glycerin inclusion did not affect true digestibility of DM (PLin. 0.35; PQuad_ = 0.48), and OM (Pm. = 0.08; PQuad_ = 0.19). Concentrations of propionate (P 0.01) and total volatile fatty acids (P < 0.01) increased linearly and concentrations of acetate (P < 0.01), butyrate (P = 0.01), iso-valerate (P < 0.01), and total branched-chain volatile fatty acids, as well as the acetate: propionate ratio (P < 0.01) decreased with glycerin inclusion. Linear increases on NH3-N concentration in digesta effluent (P < 0.01) and on NH3-N flow (P < 0.01) were observed due to glycerin inclusion in the diets. Crude protein digestibility (P 0.04) and microbial N flow (P = 0.04) were greater in the control treatment compared with the other treatments and responded quadratically with glycerin inclusion. Furthermore, the inclusion of glycerin linearly decreased (P = 0.02) non- ammonia N flow. Glycerin levels did not affect the flows of total N (PLin. = 0.79; PQuad. = 0.35), and dietary N (PLin, = 0.99; PQuad 0.07), as well as microbial efficiency (Put, = 0.09; PQuad. = 0.07). These results suggest that partially replacing dry ground corn with glycerin may change ruminal fermentation, by increasing total volatile fatty acids, and propionate concentration without affecting microbial efficiency, which may improve glucogenic potential of beef cattle diets. The second study was developed aiming to evaluate the effects of replacing dry ground corn with crude glycerin on intake, apparent digestibility, performance, and carcass characteristics of finishing beef bulls. A completely randomized block design experiment with 25 d for adaptation and 100 d for data collection was conducted, in which 3,640 Nellore bulls (367 ± 36.8 kg; 18 ± 3 mo) were blocked by body weight and assigned to 20 pens. Bulls were randomly assigned to one of four treatments: 0, 5, 10, and 15% (dry matter basis) of crude glycerin in the diet. Intake of dry matter, organic matter, and neutral detergent fiber decreased linearly (P < 0.05) with crude glycerin inclusion. However, crude glycerin levels did not affect (P > 0.05) intakes of crude protein, non-fiber carbohydrates, and total digestible nutrients. Digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, neutral detergent fiber, and total digestible nutrients increased quadratically (P < 0.05) with the inclusion of crude glycerin in the diet. Crude glycerin inclusion did not change the intake of digestible dry matter, average daily gain, final body weight, carcass gain, carcass dressing, gain-to-feed ratio, Longissimus thoracis muscle area, and back and rump fat thicknesses (P > 0.05). These results suggest that crude glycerin may be included in finishing beef diets at levels up to 15% without impairing performance and carcass characteristics. For the third study, five in vitro experiments were conducted to evaluate the metabolizable energy and changes on ruminal fermentation, total gas production and greenhouse gases concentration of glycerin compared to corn and starch, as well as when glycerin was added in finishing beef diets. For Exp. 1, a 24 bottles system (AnkomRF Gas Production System, Ankom technology, NY, USA) was used in 4 consecutive runs of 48 h. The treatments were three different feedstuffs: corn, glycerin, and starch. The 24 h total gas production, acetate concentration, and acetate: propionate ratio decreased (P < 0.01) only with feeding glycerin. The 48 h total gas production was highest (P < 0.01) for corn, and similar between glycerin and starch. The starch treatment presented the lowest (P = 0.01) total VFA concentration. Corn presented the lowest propionate concentration (P < 0.01). The metabolizable energy was highest (P < 0.01) for corn, and similar between glycerin and starch. For Exp. 2, the same system of Exp. 1 was used in 4 consecutive runs of 48h. The treatments were: inclusion of 0, 100, 200, and 30og/kg DM of glycerin replacing corn in finishing beef diets. Glycerin levels did not affect (P > 0.05) 24 h and 48 h total gas production, final pH, NHg-N, total VFA, propionate, and butyrate concentrations. The inclusion of glycerin linearly decreased acetate concentration (P 0.03) and acetate: propionate ratio (P = 0.04). For Exp. 3, a total of 20-serum bottles (155 mL) were used in 4 consecutive runs of 48h. The treatments were the same of Exp. 1. The CH4 concentration increased (P < 0.01) only with feeding glycerin. The Co2 in ml/g was higher (P < 0.01) for corn, but similar for glycerin and starch. The pH decreased (P < 0.01) only with feeding starch. Different feedstuffs had no effect (P > 0.05) on total VFA, and propionate concentration. Compared with glycerin treatment, acetate concentration (P 0.01) and acetate: propionate ratio (P = 0.01) were higher for corn and starch, whereas butyrate and valerate concentrations were higher (P = 0.01) for glycerin. For Exp. 4, a total of 25-serum bottles (155 mL) were used in 4 consecutive runs of 48h. The treatments were the same of Exp. 2. The glycerin inclusion did not affect (P > 0.05) the concentrations of CH4, Co2, final pH, and total VFA, propionate, butyrate, and acetate: propionate ratio. A linear decrease of acetate concentration (P = 0.04) was observed due to inclusion of glycerin in the diets. For Exp. 5, two systems of four 4-L digestion vessels (Daisyll system, Ankom technology, NY, USA) were used in two consecutive runs of 48 h. The treatments were: orchard hay (0.4 g/bag), corn (0.4 g/bag), orchard hay (0.4 g/bag) + glycerin (0.2 g/bag) and corn (0.4 g/bag) + glycerin (0.2 g/bag). Orchard hay with glycerin inclusion presented lowest (P < 0.01) in vitro dry matter digestibility followed by orchard hay without glycerin, and corn treatments. There was a lack of effects for in vitro dry matter digestibility (P > 0.05) between corn with or without glycerin. We concluded that, under these experimental conditions, glycerin contributed more to the enhancement of methanogenesis than carbohydrates, but effectively replaced dietary corn as energy source at up to 30og/kg of the diet.

Con la elucidación de la estructura cristalina del Fotosistema II (PSII) se ha dado un paso importante en la búsqueda de nuevas alternativas de energía ambientalmente amigables. El intento de imitar la reacción que caracteriza a la fotosíntesis (para poder generar combustibles poco contaminantes), podría representar una nueva oportunidad en la reducción de nuestra dependencia de los combustibles fósiles.<br>With the elucidation of the crystal structure of photosystemII (PSII), an important step in the search for new environmentally friendly energy alternatives has been taken. The attempt to imitate the characteristic reaction of photosynthesis (in order to manufacture ecologically friendly fuels) could represent a new opportunity to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

Open Source Software (OSS) ist immer mehr verbreitet und anerkannt. Sie zeichnet sich insbesondere durch die Offenlegung des Quellcodes und die Möglichkeit der freien Verwendung und Weiterverarbeitung aus1. Auch im Bereich des eLearning2 spielen Open Source Lösungen zunehmend eine große Rolle, wobei sich vor allem in Universitäten zahlreiche Communities herausgebildet haben.

The use of natural sources in economic activities can aid in the resource saving and recycling and reuse of wastes, contributing for a more sustainable world by providing clean technologies in the industrial and agricultural sector in both developed and developing countries. In general, increased and improved global strategies for energy safety, security and mitigation of CO2 emissions from energy production processes are required, especially those aimed at maximizing the energy efficiency by expanding the use of clean energy. This means using fuels that are able to implement the carbon cycle without changing the atmospheric balance (renewable fuels), by developing energy resources in CO2 reduced/neutral systems (Brennan and Owende, 2011; Moraes et al., 2017). The expansion of biofuels production and use is an important issue since it plays primary role in reducing global the climate change. But, in order to insert a new source/technology in the market, several factors are involved such as industrial aspects and economic feasibility, legal restrictions and incentives, international trade, land use, raw material availability and management techniques. At present, ethanol is the main biofuel produced worldwide. Between 2007 and 2015 bioethanol throughput practically doubled, reaching 25 billion gallons per year, even though after 2010 the production was stagnant (AFDC, 2016). This is the result of a number of reasons, to cite: - high dependency on the first-generation crops which need a lot of arable land and compete directly with food/feed production; - need for a complete validation of the lignocellulosic ethanol industry due to unsuitability of the large-scale process because of corrosion problems (mainly in the pretreatment), cost of enzymes, difficult/inhibition of the fermentation step; - difficulty to utilize all lignocellulosic fractions, according to a biorefinery approach, because each biomass has its biological complexity and the related lignocellulosic content/arrangement/recalcitrance changes significantly; - Lacking of investments/incentives (mainly, governmental) after the decrease of petroleum prices occurred at the end of 2014. In fact, based on the type of biomass, bioethanol production is classified as first (raw material saccharine or starch-based – sugarcane and corn); second (lignocellulosic materials); third (microalgal/macroalgal biomass) and fourth (genetically modified cyanobacteria) generation. Sugar cane ensures the lowest bioethanol production costs. In spite of its significant advantage, it is not a viable option for all the regions of the planet owing to climatic and soil limitations (Belincanta et al., 2016). Consequently, countries of the northern hemisphere have been incessantly looking for new technological routes that permit the efficient production of biofuels while respecting environmental and economic sustainability issues, and ‘new’ generations of biomass-to-ethanol processes are proposed. In addition, countries as Brazil have their sugarcane cultivation saturated, i.e., there is no new extensions of arable land to expand significantly the Brazilian ethanol industry. Low production costs are the advantage of first generation bioethanol, with the exception of corn-based one, which has a well-established and economically sustainable technology, while second generation still requires more investigations to become economically competitive, with pretreatment and hydrolysis processes needing to be more effective and largely scalable (Gupta and Verna, 2015). On the other hand, micro and macroalgae have not reached a maturity for designing and operating industrial scale plants yet. Therefore, in the case of third and fourth generation bioethanol, further studies are required to develop a competitive and consolidated technology, taking into account also issues other than technological ones. In third generation bioethanol, microalgae and/or macroalgae biomass are used, which do not have lignin in their cellular structure, and are cultivated with higher growth rates when compared to higher plants. As for this biomass, a suitable process is not available yet, and the related costs cannot be properly estimated. Researchers are currently trying for microalgae: to optimize microalgal productivity and cultivation conditions, as this represents the highest production costs, considering that hydrolysis and fermentation are instead easier compared with lignocellulosics and macroalgae (Jonh et al., 2011; Wei et al., 2013; Hong et al., 2014). Thanks to their high growth rate, and relatively simple biochemical composition (partitioned among carbohydrates, lipids and proteins), microalgae are acknowledged as very promising feedstock for bioethanol production (Chen et al., 2013). Main aspects needing to be developed in this respect are: carbohydrate cultivation (productivity), hydrolysis and ethanolic fermentation and nutrient recycling/recovery from residual medium/biomass. With regard to the open issues recalled above, the aim of this research project has been to address and study how to improve the knowledge and discuss the real potentiality of microalgal biomass as a feedstock for an effective bioethanol production, from a perspective of biomass/carbohydrate productivity (microalgal cultivation) and bioconversion process (hydrolysis and fermentation) in a context of a biorefinery concept. In fact, experimental values about fermentation applications from microalgae are not expanded yet in literature. The topics addressed by this thesis are organized and subdivided in twelve chapters as follows. In Chapter 1, a literature survey to collect and discuss the available information about bioethanol from photosynthetic microorganisms, and to delimit the main lacks to be developed, is done. Chapter 2 shows a basic analysis of an ethanol biorefinery scheme aimed to include microalgal biomass, discussing the main bottlenecks and the processes which must be developed to adequately evaluate the potentiality of this type of biomass for industrial fermentation proposes. Chapter 3 treats specifically of the carbohydrate-rich biomass cultivation from microalgae utilizing nutritional and environmental techniques. Operation mode of microalgae cultivation is discussed as well, and the importance to consider semi-continuous and continuous processes is shown, because batch mode is extensively used but less efficient. Chapter 4 develops a design procedure of a two-unit system composed by a reactor and settler, discussing the influence of operating variables and their limiting values. Specifically, recycle ratio and purge flow rate concepts and effects are extensively studied. In Chapter 5, the carbohydrate cultivation with Synechococcus PCC 7002 is optimized with respect to the carbon source and pH, because a stable pH (greatly influenced by the carbon source) is necessary for this strain and organic buffers exhibit toxicity. An inorganic buffer study (CO2-bicarbonate) is developed and detailed. Chapter 6 shows S. PCC 7002 treating urban wastewater to remove chemical oxygen demand, nitrogen and phosphorous content, thus ensuring a double gain: environmental enhancement and valorization of cyanobacterial biomass. In Chapter 7, continuous cultivation of Chlorella vulgaris in flat-plate photobioreactors to improve carbohydrate productivity is assessed and evaluated using nitrogen limitation as a combination between nitrogen concentration inlet, light intensity and residence time under constant light intensity. Chapter 8 demonstrates that a similar approach used for the continuous cultivation of C. vulgaris is applicable also to Scenedesmus obliquus. Additionally, it is proved that under outdoor conditions (seasonal regime of illumination – summer and winter), a high carbohydrate content can be produced as well. In Chapter 9, the kinetics regarding acidic hydrolysis to biomass solubilization and sugars depolymerization is studied with Chlorella vulgaris biomass. An n order kinetics for biomass solubilization and m order for acid concentration is applied for biomass solubilization, providing values of reaction order and activation energy for microalgae. In addition, a saccharification model based on the Michaelis-Menten model is proposed and validated. Chapter 10 demonstrates how the kinetics considerations determined in the previous chapter can be efficiently applied with the concept of severity factor – CSF (combination between time, temperature and acid concentration). A literature discussion about some assumptions so far considered and the importance to know the biomass nature to determine a coherent range of CSF is provided. Chapter 11 reports ultrasonication as an effective pretreatment method to improve enzyme accessibility and promote a high rate of hydrolysis from Scenedesmus obliquus biomass. Pretreatment time, ultrasonication intensity and biomass concentration are specifically studied in order to minimize the energy consumption since the bottleneck of the pretreatment method is a high energy dissipation. In Chapter 12, ethanolic fermentation is addressed with acidic and enzymatic hydrolysates. A systematic optimization of inoculum concentration and consortium between Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia stipitis is determined. Then, the influence of salinity/matrix characteristics was evaluated to understand possible interferences during fermentation process and exhibited lower biochemical yields than the control conditions. Thus, further fermentations experiments are necessary.<br>L’obiettivo generale di questo progetto di ricerca è stato di verificare la potenzialità delle microalghe come fonte alternativa di biomassa per la produzione di etanolo. In particolare, sono state discusse teoricamente, sperimentalmente e tramite simulazione di processo la coltivazione, l’idrolisi e la fermentazione della biomassa microalgale. Inizialmente, grazie ad un’ampia ricerca bibliografica ed a prove preliminari effettuate nel Laboratorio Microalghe del Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale della Università di Padova si è dimostrato che le specie più promettenti da studiare erano Synechococcus PCC 7002, Chlorella vulgaris e Scenedesmus obliquus, grazie alle loro elevate velocità di crescita e capacità di accumulo di carboidrati, che costituiscono le materia-prima per la produzione di etanolo (fino al 50-60% del peso secco). In particolare, l’attenta analisi della letteratura riguardo a queste specie ha consentito di verificare che: - per la produzione di carboidrati è preferibile sviluppare un processo continuo, perché richiede un solo step, mentre il processo batch ne richiede due, e perciò consente di ottenere produttività significativamente inferiori; - sono disponibili pochi lavori sulla possibilità di usare le microalghe in un processo continuo di questo tipo, mentre sono parecchi i riferimenti al processo batch; - mancano informazioni sulla capacità di produrre carboidrati da parte di S. PCC 7002. In una prima parte del lavoro sono stati quindi pianificati e condotti esperimenti in modalità batch con S. PCC 7002, per studiare come mantenere la stabilità e vitalità della coltura durante tutto il periodo di coltivazione. Si sono rilevati problemi con il controllo del pH, ed é stato approfondito l’uso di bicarbonato come fonte di carbonio assieme ad un tampone inorganico, dimostrando in un primo lavoro che il suo impiego è efficiente per la produzione di biomassa ma insufficiente per accumulare un alto contenuto di carboidrati, a causa di una significativa inibizione osmotica causata dall’alta concentrazione di sodio in soluzione. D’altro canto, l’applicazione di un tampone con sostanze organiche, generalmente usato nella coltivazione di microalghe e cianobatteri, ha evidenziato notevoli fenomeni di tossicità per questa specie. Al contrario, il tampone inorganico CO2-bicarbonato messo a punto successivamente è stato capace di garantire la stabilità del pH durante 12 giorni di coltivazione, ed ha consentito di ottenere 6 g L-1 di biomassa (peso secco) con circa il 60% di contenuto di carboidrati. La coltivazione in continuo di C. vulgaris in un fotobioreattore piatto e sottile è stata studiata per verificare la produzione di carboidrati secondo questa modalità operativa. Il lavoro ha evidenziato l’importanza della riduzione della concentrazione di azoto in entrata al reattore, che va rapportata ai valori di intensità di luce e tempo di residenza per massimizzare la produzione di carboidrati. Si sono misurati valori massimi per la produttività di biomassa e di carboidrati pari a 0.7 e 0.37 g L-1 giorno-1. La stessa procedura é stata usata nello studio del comportamento di S. obliquus, per vedere se l’approccio era valido anche durante la coltivazione all’aperto, simulando la fornitura della luce in modo stagionale. S. obliquus ha mostrato una produttività quasi tre volte maggiore che Chlorella, raggiungendo valori di 0.8 g L-1 giorno-1 (con luce costante) e di 0.71 g L-1 giorno-1 (nell’estate). Questa produttività di carboidrati, se estrapolata a dimensioni industriali, consentirebbe di ottenere tra 45–100 tonbiomass ha-1 anno-1, ben di più di quanto prodotto con le fonti tradizionali di carboidrati. Un sistema reattore-sedimentatore con riciclo parziale di biomassa è generalmente usato a livello industriale in processi di coltivazione e/o fermentazione. Questo sistema fornisce semplicità e diversi vantaggi per la produzione su larga scala. É stato quindi messo a punto un modello per la simulazione di tale processo, nel caso specifico delle microalghe, per verificare l’influenza dei gradi di libertà (tempo di residenza, rapporto di riciclo della biomassa, età della biomassa e sua velocità di sedimentazione) sulle prestazioni. I principali risultati sono: - la definizione di un rapporto di riciclo minimo Rmin, di un intervallo operativo per la stessa variabile, e di un valore massimo per la portata di spurgo di biomassa Fwmax; - la dimostrazione che la perdita di biomassa dalle sommità del sedimentatore abbassa significativamente le prestazioni del sistema; - la costruzione di grafici adimensionali che legano R a θc/θ e FI/FW (età della biomassa/tempo di residenza, e rapporto tra le portate di ingresso e di spurgo); - il confronto fra il modello rigoroso messo a punto ed il modello semplificato generalmente considerato in letteratura. Synechococcus è stata coltivata in acque reflue urbane (sintetiche e reali, con valori di COD pari a 340.0 ± 14.1 mg L-1, di azoto totale pari a 31.0 ± 1.4 mg L-1, e di fosforo totale a 8.20 ± 0.99 mg L-1), con l’obbiettivo di ottenere la depurazione da questi inquinanti. Questa specie è stata molto efficiente nella rimozione di COD, azoto e fosforo totale, raggiungendo valori sotto i limiti di legge in due giorni di coltivazione. L’acqua reflua sintetica ha evidenziato una limitazione dei micronutrienti quando la concentrazione di COD era elevata, differentemente dell’acqua reflua reale, in cui Synechococcus è cresciuta più velocemente. Successivamente, l’idrolisi e la fermentazione di biomassa microalgale sono state studiate con riferimento ai processi di saccarificazione acida ed enzimatica, e con riferimento ai microorganismi Saccharomyces cerevisiae e Pichia stipitis, rispettivamente. L’idrolisi acida, con acido solforico 0-5% v/v, è stata condotta a diverse temperature (110-130 °C) e tempi di reazione (0-60 min) partendo da 100 g L-1 di concentrazione di biomassa (Chlorella vulgaris). Gli zuccheri idrolizzati sono stati recuperati con un valore massimo pari al 92%, ottenuto con il 3% di acido e 20 min di reazione a 120 °C. La solubilizzazione di biomassa ha esibito un ordine di reazione n = 3.63 ± 0.18 ed un’energia di attivazione pari a 41.19 ± 0.18 kJ/mol. Questi valori sono significativamente diversi di quelli trovati per l’idrolisi di matrici lignocellulosiche, generalmente considerata di primo ordine con Ea = 100-200 kJ/mol, e dimostrano che la biomassa microalgale è più suscettibile al trattamento termico catalizzato all’acido in confronto ai lignocellulosici. Un’equazione basata sulla cinetica di Michaelis-Menten modificata per tenere conto della concentrazione di acido è riuscita a modellare tutti i risultati sperimentali, con un valore della costante di semi-saturazione per la biomassa PolKM pari al 42% della concentrazione iniziale, e con una resa di fermentazione di circa il 60%. Prima di realizzare l’idrolisi enzimatica, si é reso necessario procedere ad un’ottimizzazione del pretrattamento della biomassa. È stata studiata l’ultrasonicazione applicando un piano statistico di sperimentazione su tre livelli con 3 esperimenti centrali (in tutto si sono condotte 11 prove). Le variabili ottimizzate sono state l’intensità, il tempo di pretrattamento e la concentrazione di biomassa. I risultati hanno dimostrato che l’intensità e il tempo di trattamento sono più importanti e consentono di ottenere un recupero degli zuccheri superiore al 90%, in 4-8 ore. Si é visto che l’energia spesa nel processo di ultrasonicazione non è direttamente collegata con l’efficienza dell’idrolisi, per cui questa può essere condotta efficientemente anche riducendo il consumo di energia nel pretrattamento. Infine, si sono eseguiti esperimenti di fermentazione dell’idrolizzato ad etanolo con le due specie menzionate (S. cerevisiae e P. stipitis). Si sono ottimizzati la concentrazione di inoculo (7.5 g L-1) ed il consorzio (25% Pichia + 75% Saccharomyces) per avere una produttività tra 5 e 10 g L-1 ora-1 (prossimo al valore industriale). Si è però visto che le velocità di fermentazione sono però più basse a causa di una inibizione dovuta alla accresciuta salinità dell’idrolizzato, un fattore. Per questo motivo, la parte di fermentazione necessita di essere più approfondita al fine di validare l’impiego di questo tipo di biomassa a livello industriale.

Resumo: Não disponível<br>Abstract: Not available<br>Orientador: Joaquim Mansano Garcia<br>Coorientador: Christina Ramires Ferreira<br>Banca: César Roberto Esper<br>Banca: Felipe Perecin<br>Banca: Karina Belotti Avelino<br>Banca: Paulo Henrique Franceschini<br>Doutor

The main approach to studying the proteome is a technique called data dependent acquisition (DDA). In DDA, peptides are analyzed by mass spectrometry to determine the protein composition of a biological isolate. However, DDA is limited in its ability to analyze the proteome, in that it only selects the most abundant ions for analysis, and different protein identifications can result even if the same sample is analyzed multiple times in succession. Data independent acquisition (DIA) is a newly developed method that should be able to solve these limitations and improve our ability to analyze the proteome. We used an implementation of DIA (SWATH) to perform relative protein quantitation in the model bacterial system, Clostridium stercorarium, using two different carbohydrate sources, and found that it was able to provide precise quantitation of proteins and was overall more consistent in its ability to identify components of the proteome than DDA. Relative quantitation of proteins is an important method that can determine which proteins are important to a biochemical process of interest. How we determine which proteins are differentially regulated between different conditions is an important question in proteomic analysis. We developed a new approach to analyzing differential protein expression using variation between biological replicates to determine which proteins are being differentially regulated between two conditions. This analysis showed that a large proportion of proteins identified by quantitative proteomic analysis can be differentially regulated and that these proteins are in fact related to biological processes. Analyzing changes in protein expression is a useful tool that can pinpoint many key processes in biological systems. However, these techniques fail to take into account that enzyme activity is regulated by other factors than controlling their level of expression. Activity based protein profiling (ABPP) is a method that can determine the activity state of an enzyme in whole cell proteomes. We found that enzyme activity can change in response to a number of different conditions and that these changes do not always correspond with compositional changes. Mass spectrometry techniques were also used to identify serine hydrolases and characterize their expression in this organism.<br>February 2016

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2010.<br>Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 83 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 59-74).

The androgen receptor (AR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that plays a crucial role in the correct development, differentiation, and function of male reproductive organs. Alterations in the AR protein or in the AR signaling pathway result in pathologies such as prostate cancer (PCa), which is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death in men in most western industrialized countries. AR represents the major clinical target in the treatment of PCa and, to date, all the FDA-approved drugs against the AR target the ligand-binding pocket of the receptor, competing with the natural hormones. Unfortunately, prolonged treatments with antiandrogens invariably fail, rendering them ineffective and resulting in the development of castration-resistant PCa. Thus, there is pressing need for more potent and selective novel AR antagonists capable of blocking the action of AR in tumors resistant to conventional antiandrogens. Structural and functional analysis highlighted the presence of another site on the ligand-binding domain (LBD) of AR named binding function-3 (BF-3). Importantly, the BF-3 pocket is a hot spot for mutations involved in PCa and androgen insensitivity syndromes, and some FDA-approved drugs have shown to bind at this site, evidencing its pharmacological potential. Our initial hypothesis was that BF-3 may be a protein-protein interaction site, which may play a physiological role in AR action. Therefore, the major goals of this PhD project have been to further determine the biological role of the newly described BF-3 regulatory surface and to identify and better characterize BF-3-interacting proteins. Firstly, we demonstrate that the newly identified BF-3 site in the human AR is highly conserved among the SR subclass, and that naturally occurring mutations associated with pathology and affecting the function of several NRs in vitro colocalize with their putative BF-3 sites. activation function-2 (AF-2) and BF-3 pockets were mutated in order to further elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which point mutations are linked to disease and determine the allosteric responses they induce in the receptor function. We demonstrate that mutations in the BF-3 pocket and residues lying between the AF-2 and BF-3 sites affect AR transactivation and coactivation by GRIP1, as well as AR N/C interaction and binding to NR corepressors NCoR and SMRT. Finally, as the shape and characteristics of the BF-3 pocket in the examined NRs suggest a possible role for protein-protein interactions, we performed several Y2H screens of both an adult human brain and prostate cDNA libraries to identify possible BF-3 novel interactors. In the presence of DHT, four new putative AR binders were identified: ARMC9, MAPK8IP1, Rab11FIP3, and Uba3. Moreover, Rab11FIP3 and Uba3 inhibited the AR LBD transactivation capacity, attenuated its coactivation by GRIP1 and disrupted the N/C interaction, suggesting that these proteins may be AR corepressors not previously described. Furthermore, we show that SRC3, ARMC9 and Uba3 are capable of binding to the AR LBD in the presence of antiandrogens. Our results suggest that targeting the BF-3 surface may open new promising alternatives to current therapeutics. Compounds that may affect allosterically NR function by binding to BF-3 open promising avenues to develop type-specific NR modulators.

This thesis is a comprehensive study of microalgae biodiesel for the compression ignition engine. It examines microalgae growing conditions, the extraction process and physiochemical properties with a wide range of microalgae species. It also evaluates microalgae biodiesel with regards to engine performance and emission characteristics and explains the difficulties and potentiality of microalgae as a biodiesel. In doing so, an extensive analysis of different extraction methods and engine testing was conducted and a comprehensive study on microalgae biodiesel is presented.

One of the major problems facing aquaculture in Ghana is the non-availability of quality and affordable fish feeds. The present study investigated the nutritional suitability and cost-effectiveness of some Ghanaian oilseed by-products, soybean meal (Glycine spp), cottonseed meal (Gossypium spp), groundnut cake (Arachis hypogaea L.) and groundnut husk, as alternative protein sources to fishmeal (FM) in the diet of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.). The oilseed meals were used individually, as mixtures, as mixtures enriched with methionine and mixtures detoxified by heat processing (autoclaving) and/or addition of supplements (viz. phytase and ferrous sulphate) intended to reduce levels of the most important antinutritional factors (ANFs). Diets, containing the oilseed meals at inclusion levels from 25% to 75% dietary protein, were formulated to be isonitrogenous (320 g.kg-1), isolipidic (100 g.kg-1) and isoenergetic (18 KJ.g-1) and fed to juvenile Nile tilapia at 4-10% of their body weight for a period of eight weeks. Proximate analysis showed that soybean meal (SBM), cottonseed meal (CSM), groundnut cake (GNC) and groundnut husk (GNH) had 500.3, 441.4, 430.5 and 205.6 g.kg-1 crude protein, 38.2, 89.5, 12.8 and 89.2 g.kg-1 crude fibre and 20.19, 19.61, 23.17 and 22.18 kJ.g-1 gross energy respectively. Generally the oilseed meals had good essential amino acid (EAA) profiles with the exception of GNH. The EAA profile of SBM compared very well with FM but methionine and threonine were low (0.73 and 1.50 % of protein respectively) and the same was true for CSM and GNC with even lower levels. Analyzed ANFs in SBM, CSM, GNC and GNH were 17.54, 31.64, 14.86 and 3.99 g.kg-1 phytic acid, 14.09, 1.24 and 2.34 g.kg-1 trypsin inhibitors and 5.80, 6.50, 8.01 and 10.08 g.kg-1 saponin respectively and in CSM 5.6 g.kg-1 gossypol. Nutrient digestibility of these oilseed proteins suggested that Nile tilapia may be able to utilize SBM, CSM and GNC efficiently as dietary protein sources due to high apparent protein digestibility of 94.50%, 84.93% and 90.01% respectively. However, GNH may not be suitable because of very low apparent protein digestibility (27.67%). These protein sources when used individually were shown to cause depressed growth and feed efficiency when substituting more than 50% of the FM protein in diets. This may be attributed to high levels of ANFs, high fibre content and poor EAA profile. However, the use of mixtures of these meals was found to be marginally more effective than that of single sources. This may have been as a result of lower levels of ANFs and improvement in essential amino acid profile due to mixing. Supplementing the mixtures with methionine led to improvement in feed utilization but without significantly improving the nutritive value compared with FM. Heat processing was effective in reducing heat labile trypsin inhibitors in SBM, CSM and GNC by almost 80%, but not phytic acid and saponins, which remained virtually unaffected. Use of meals detoxified by heat processing with/without supplements at 50% inclusion improved growth and feed utilization compared to the unprocessed meals and performance was generally not significantly different from FM. Cost effectiveness analysis revealed that diets containing single feedstuffs or mixtures, particularly those containing equal proportions of oilseed meals and higher proportion of CSM replacing between 50% - 75% FM protein, were more profitable than FM diet. Similarly, the use of heat processed meals at 50% replacement of FM protein yielded greater profit than all other diets including the FM diet. However, essential amino acid supplementation of the meals was less profitable compared to the control. Generally, fish fed diets with oilseed meals would take longer to attain harvest size compared with FM and this could lead to an increase in production costs or a decrease in the number of production cycles which could be achieved within a year. It can be concluded that there is nutritional and economic justification for using SBM, CSM and GNC as partial replacement for FM in diets of Nile tilapia. Based on growth performance, nutrient utilization and economic benefits the diet with heat processed oilseed meal mixtures (containing equal proportions of 16.67% each) at 50% inclusion has the best prospects for replacing FM protein in diets of O. niloticus.

La vapeur d'eau atmosphérique est une ressource en eau sous exploitée. Les matériaux à forte émissivité infrarouge (rayonnement thermique) sont utilisés en climatisation passive de jour. De nuit, ils se refroidissent et sont une technologie bon marché, robuste et efficace pour condenser cette ressource renouvelable avec des rendements mesurés supérieurs à 0,6 L m-2 par nuit. L'enjeu de ces travaux de recherches était d'avancer la compréhension de ces systèmes, de mettre au point les outils et de développer les techniques permettant la réalisation de condenseurs de grandes dimensions.<br /> Des matériaux (films polymères et peintures) originaux et innovants ont été développés pour ces applications : ils conjuguent une grande émissivité IR et un état de surface optimisé pour un coût inférieur à 1 € m-². Des simulations numériques CFD (Phoenics) ont été programmées dans le but d'optimiser la mise en œuvre des condenseurs de rosée sur des systèmes réels complexes et de grande superficie. De nouvelles méthodes d'estimation (mesure de volume ou estimation indirecte) de la ressource potentielle en eau de rosée sont discutées en fonction de l'influence des paramètres météorologiques pour les îles de Biševo (Croatie), Tahiti et Tikehau (P. Française) et les sites de Panandhro et Yellagiri Hills (Inde). <br />Enfin, deux systèmes réels novateurs ont été réalisés : une toiture pérenne de démonstration de <br />15,1 m² installée à Biševo (rendements moyens de 0,181 mm pour un maximum de 0,526 mm). Le second est la première usine à rosée, réalisée avec l'IIMA, dans l'état du Gujarat (Inde). La surface actuelle est de 850 m² et sera étendue à 15 000 m² pour produire jusqu'à 5 m3 d'eau pure par nuit.

Natural attenuation represents an environmentally and economically sustainable means to manage contaminants in situ. To assess potential human and environmental risks associated with this strategy, there is a need to characterize the extent of contaminant containing source zones. Moreover, to obtain public and regulatory support, there is a need to demonstrate that mass losses are occurring. However, quantifying the extent and rate of natural attenuation under field conditions remain challenging. Here a novel approach for assessing and monitoring sites impacted by hydrocarbon and ethanol-blended fuels using surficial gas effluxes is developed. The approach is tested at several sites including those impacted by a crude oil pipeline rupture, ethanol-blended fuel train car derailments, and historic refinery operations. The approach was refined through inclusion of isotopic measurements, comparison to other approaches for monitoring microbial activity, and evaluation of seasonal dynamics and microbial communities. Process-based reactive transport modeling was used to integrate and interpret field data and develop and illustrate a more robust conceptual model of the processes occurring at the different field sites. Results demonstrate that surficial gas effluxes are able to both delineate contaminant containing source zones, and distinguish between the rates of natural soil respiration and contaminant mineralization. In scenarios where methane oxidation goes to completion, carbon dioxide fluxes are sufficient for evaluating natural attenuation rates; when methane escapes oxidation, measurements of methane fluxes are also needed. Results also demonstrated that measurement of radiocarbon is particularly useful for determining the contribution of contaminant degradation to the measured efflux. Comparison of seasonal dynamics showed that both biological and physical parameters must be considered when quantifying average annual contaminant degradation rates while comparison to other approaches for measuring microbial activity showed good correlations with gas effluxes. Comparison across the field sites investigated, showed degradation rates were relatively high at ethanol-blended fuel release sites. In-depth microbiological evaluation of microbial communities at one ethanol-blended fuel release site showed a substantial change in the microbial community associated with the release. Overall, the novel methods provide a useful approach for assessing the extent and rate of natural attenuation at hydrocarbon contaminated field sites.<br>Science, Faculty of<br>Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of<br>Graduate

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Chemistry, 2007.<br>Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-09, Section: B, page: 5920. Adviser: Gary M. Hieftje. Title from dissertation home page (viewed May 8, 2008).

This project revolves around creating a home automation system prototype with the main focus being the ability to lock/unlock a door through the internet. The system consists of a central device, a server and an Android application.The central device is a microprocessor, in this case, a Raspberry Pi that connects to the Internet and receives an order to control a motor which in turn turns the lock with the help of gears. The ability to rotate the motor in both directions is achieved by the use of an H-bridge. The server manages users and devices, and handles the communication between the application and the central device. Users and devices are stored in a database on the server. The application is a frontend which presents the user with a list of devices to interact with.The main prototype where the Raspberry Pi acted as a central device was abandoned due to time and resource constraints. It was instead used to control the motor directly. This brought up some problems concerning powering the device using batteries. The software of the prototype is mostly working but due to the same time limitations not all planned features could be implemented.

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of modern society. From the first studies at the end of the 19th century up to the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has been increasingly clear that global warming will influence our way of life from a social, economic and financial point of view. The studies carried out during the recent years clearly demonstrate the dangers and costs of a possible lack of action to limit CO2 emissions into the atmosphere and, in the same way, show the benefits that would result, in the long term, from the halving of emissions. In this context, the Paris Agreement appears to be the cornerstone of the fight against climate change, with which the signatory States set the objective of limiting the increase of 1.5 °C in global temperature, compared to pre-industrial levels. In order to achieve this objective, the investments and the financial markets play a key role. The necessary investments will have to be increasingly substantial and the creation of new financial instruments to stimulate the energy transaction is a concrete way of combating global warming. This is what climate finance is about, defined by UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) as “local, national, or transnational financing - drawn from public, private, and alternative sources of financing - that seeks to support mitigation and adaptation actions that will address climate change.” Therefore, the role of the actors of the climate finance – from the public actors that must necessarily be the guide against climate change, to the private actors that must be encouraged to invest in “green” projects making sustainable not only the environment around us but also the financial markets – is fundamental. A global sustainable future is closely linked to the future of the energy sector, which will be studied in this thesis in a deeper way than other sectors. The transition from the use of high-carbon energy sources to the energy production from renewable sources, such as photovoltaic, wind and hydroelectric, is a first step towards a sustainable future. In such a context, climate finance may play a key role, proposing innovative financial instruments that foster investments in a "green" direction. In particular, the Green Bonds represent an alternative financing instrument to the classic sources of financing. Initially issued by supranational financial institutions, in recent years there has been an exponential growth in the use of this instrument, driven by climate agreements and by the increasing sensitivity of international organizations to the environmental sustainability issue. In lights of this, the aim of this thesis is to study climate change and climate finance, analyzing the Green Bonds as an alternative financial instrument with respect to more classical methods. In particular how, in the field of renewable energy, the issue of a Green Bond can be a valid alternative to Project Financing, an instrument certainly better known and more used in the last decades. The thesis begins by describing the risks of climate change (Chapter 1) and then focuses on the role of climate finance, studying in depth the public and private actors and the tools used to combat climate change (Chapter 2). Green Bonds will be then analyzed, from the first issues to the exponential growth in recent years, studying the risks and benefits of this innovative tool (Chapter 3). The last part (Chapter 4) will be dedicated to the comparison between the issuance of Green Bonds and Project Finance. To pursue this goal, a case study will be proposed, where it will be analyzed, with a financial model, how the issue of a Green Bond could be a valid alternative in the renewable energy sector in the Italian market.