Wound healing consists of re-epithelialization, contraction and formation of granulation and scar tissue. Amino acids from proteins are involved in these events, but their exact roles are not well understood. The present study was undertaken to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of some amino acids from two molluscs, Mytilus galloprovincialis (L.) (Mediterranean mussel) and Rapana venosa (hard shell-clam) employed in induced skin burn injuries in Wistar rats. The treatment was evaluated in terms of essential amino acids composition which rendered the extracts very efficient in healing skin burns. The healing process was examined by periodic acid Schiff's, Verhoeff's Van Gieson and immunohistochemistry stains for collagen IV, CD 34 and CD 117 antibodies. According to the obtained results, as expressed by histological studies, the most abundant blood vessels, collagen fibres, basal and stem cells were found only for treated animals with amino acids from Rapana venosa extracts. The rich composition of amino acids from the two molluscs merits consideration as therapeutic agents in the treatment of skin burns.

This paper presents the experimental results for optimization of the waste inertization systems based on Chemically Bonded Phosphate Ceramics (CBPCs). Through this process, the hazardous wastes containing heavy metals are transformed, by chemical reactions and binding in a solid matrix, into non-hazardous wastes. It was studied the obtaining mode of chemically bonded phosphate ceramics from magnesium oxide and potassium dihydrogen phosphate. Since the CBPCs system is a fast setting system it was studied the effect of retarders (boric acid and calcium lignosulphonate) used in concentrations of 1, 2 and 3% (based on the amount of magnesium oxide and potassium dihydrogen phosphate) above the setting process. It was determined the setting time and compressive strength of the obtained samples. The optimal variant has been established to obtain a suitable material in terms of both mechanical and compositional properties.

The extractive industry occasionally faces incidents that lead to soil contamination with specific [...]

Within the CleanTech project, combined technologies are addressed in order to maximize the impact on process efficiency and environmental issues. In this paper, phytoremediation of soil with potential salt contamination [1,2] combined with the production of biomass for 2nd generation biofuels is the path used to fulfill the project's objectives. For this purpose, several plant species able to produce biomass for biofuels were tested using soil sampled from salt-affected land. Plant species were selected based on the potential to obtain low-lignin biomass for bioethanol synthesis.For the laboratory study the seeds, provided by certified providers, were tested for direct germination in commercial peat (as reference) and soils with different initial salinity. In this paper, the results obtained using seeds of Limonium sp. are considered. Thermogravimetric (TGA) characterization of obtained biomass was performed in order to have a complete image of biocomponents content and behavior.Limonium sp. seeded on soil samples with different salinity (expressed in electrical conductivity, dS/m) did not germinate. Seedlings obtained from germinated seeds in commercial peat have shown good adaptability in different soil structures and salinity levels. Soil electrical conductivity (EC) before and after experimental tests are presented in Figure 1. Figure 1. EC of tested soils before and after phytoremediation.0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 CE in soil, [dS/m] EC in soil, after 5 months, [dS/m] S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6