Ricerc@Sapienza

Food and the practices related to its production and consumption cover a symbolic value, expression of the local identities in a world witnessing product globalization and taste standardization. Food is realized using the noblest part of precious raw materials wich, according to climate, culture, history and folklore, embody the true essence and spirit of the territory. As in an handmade process, they are transformed by tools and expert hands for obtaining a final product.

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly disrupted houshold food purchasing and preparation. A sample of 478 individuals from US and of 476 from Italy completed an online survey. Results evidenced greater reduction in food waste since the beginning of the pandemic in US than in Italian participants.

Il tema degli sprechi alimentari rappresenta un problema globale nonché una preoccupazione centrale del nostro secolo. Negli ultimi anni, il fenomeno ha assunto un’importanza crescente all’interno del dibattito scientifico e delle iniziative della società civile, fino ad essere richiamato nei documenti programmatici dell’UE e delle principali organizzazioni internazionali (FAO, UNEP, USDA, G20).

The organic solid waste and sewage sludge management has important consequences on the overall environmental and economic performance of urban waste management systems. The RESURBIS is a Horizon 2020 project that proposes a biorefinery concept for the combined treatment of all the bio-waste produced in an urban area, mainly focusing on the production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA).

In this study, the influence of the inoculum-to-substrate ratio (ISR) on dark fermentative hydrogen production from food waste (FW) was evaluated. ISR values ranging from 0.05 to 0.25 g VSinoculum/g VSsubstrate were investigated by performing batch tests at T = 39 °C and pH = 6.5, the latter being the optimal value identified based on a previous study. The ISR was found to affect the fermentation process, clearly showing that an adequate ISR is essential in order to optimise the process kinetics and the H2 yield.