Giovanni Falco

BACKGROUND: Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) are widely used across industries: as intermediates in chemical production (e.g . , solvents and polymers), in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, and as preservatives and health‐promoting additives in food and animal feed. Emerging applications also include bioplastics, bioenergy, and biotechnology. Recovering VFAs from digestate requires downstream processing. Gas stripping has emerged as a promising technique. It transfers VFAs from liquid to gas using air or nitrogen and then recovers them through absorption or condensation. This method is simpler, scalable, and effective even at low concentrations, highlighting its potential for sustainable VFA recovery. RESULTS: Using a real digestate at 95 °C and a space velocity of 6 min ⁻¹ , the stripping efficiency ranged from 23% for acetic acid to 73% for hexanoic acid. The stripping coefficient varied from 3.4 × 10 ⁻⁴ min ⁻¹ for acetic acid to 1.0 × 10 ⁻² min ⁻¹ for hexanoic acid; the mass transfer coefficient varied from 2.2 × 10 ⁻³ min ⁻¹ for acetic acid to 1.0 × 10 ⁻² min ⁻¹ for hexanoic acid. The model showed R ² between 0.62 and 0.997, with 90% of parity‐plot data on the real digestate within ±30%. CONCLUSIONS: Air stripping under alkaline conditions is confirmed as a viable and efficient method for recovering VFAs from a real digestate. Increasing the stripping temperature and the stripping carrier space velocity enhanced VFA recovery performance, with the same trend confirmed for the stripping coefficient and the mass transfer coefficient. Higher molecular weight VFAs exhibited higher recovery efficiencies, notably given the higher market value of hexanoic (caproic) acid compared to the other acids. © 2026 The Author(s). Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

MP contamination in drinking water is an emerging public health concern, yet standardized analytical workflows and exposure assessments remain limited and fragmented. This study provides an exploratory assessment of MP exposure through drinking water, combining particle-resolved analysis with consumption-based estimates. Laser Direct Infrared (LDIR) spectroscopy was applied within the analytical workflow to characterize MPs across different drinking water supply types. Ten drinking-water samples (five bottled, two tap, two public dispensers, and one office dispenser) were analyzed within a 10–500 µm size window, and particle-resolved results were combined with a consumption survey to support preliminary exposure estimates. MPs in the 10–150 µm range were detected in six of ten samples, while tap waters and all blanks were particle-free, supporting analytical robustness. Bottled waters showed the highest MP abundances (6–148 particles L⁻¹) and mass concentrations (0.03–22.4 µg L⁻¹). Particle-size distributions were right-skewed and dominated by particles ≤ 30 µm. PET, PU, PA, and ABS predominated, consistent with packaging and dispensing origins. EDI estimates for bottled-water consumers ranged from 0.1008 to 0.3023 µg kg-bw⁻¹ day⁻¹ across three consumption scenarios (1–3 L day⁻¹). Despite the limited sample size, the results support LDIR for source discrimination and exposure screening, providing a basis for future research.

Environmental accumulation and human exposure to micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are increasing as plastic production rises, yet whether this has been paralleled by greater bioaccumulation in human lungs remains unclear. We conducted a comparative study of paraffin-embedded lung tissues collected post mortem from two series of autopsy cases from the same tertiary care medical center, including individuals who died in 1991 (n = 42) and in 2024 (n = 57). Microplastic abundance, size, and polymer type were assessed using laser-direct infrared (LDIR) imaging. Confirmatory analyses were performed in representative subsets using pyrolysis–gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy. Collagen I staining and CD68 infiltration were evaluated to assess fibrosis and inflammation. MNPs were identified by LDIR in lung samples from 8 of 42 individuals (19%) who died in 1991 and 44 of 57 (77%) who died in 2024. The median MNP burden per gram of tissue (interquartile range) increased from 12.9 particles (11.3–13.7) to 19.9 (15.5–28.2), while mean particle diameter decreased. Polymer composition shifted from polyethylene predominance (51.7%) in 1991 to a more heterogeneous profile in 2024, including polyethylene terephthalate (28.4%), polyvinyl chloride (14.3%), and polystyrene (14.2%), findings corroborated by pyrolysis–gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy. Lung samples containing MNPs showed greater CD68 and collagen I abundance than samples without detectable MNPs. Over the past three decades, MNP contamination of human lung tissue has become markedly more prevalent, compositionally diverse, and characterized by smaller particles, with accompanying histological features consistent with inflammation and fibrosis.

Microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) are emerging as a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease in preclinical studies. Direct evidence that this risk extends to humans is lacking. We conducted a prospective, multicenter, observational study involving patients who were undergoing carotid endarterectomy for asymptomatic carotid artery disease. The excised carotid plaque specimens were analyzed for the presence of MNPs with the use of pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, stable isotope analysis, and electron microscopy. Inflammatory biomarkers were assessed with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunohistochemical assay. The primary end point was a composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, or death from any cause among patients who had evidence of MNPs in plaque as compared with patients with plaque that showed no evidence of MNPs. A total of 304 patients were enrolled in the study, and 257 completed a mean (±SD) follow-up of 33.7±6.9 months. Polyethylene was detected in carotid artery plaque of 150 patients (58.4%), with a mean level of 21.7±24.5 μg per milligram of plaque; 31 patients (12.1%) also had measurable amounts of polyvinyl chloride, with a mean level of 5.2±2.4 μg per milligram of plaque. Electron microscopy revealed visible, jagged-edged foreign particles among plaque macrophages and scattered in the external debris. Radiographic examination showed that some of these particles included chlorine. Patients in whom MNPs were detected within the atheroma were at higher risk for a primary end-point event than those in whom these substances were not detected (hazard ratio, 4.53; 95% confidence interval, 2.00 to 10.27; P<0.001). In this study, patients with carotid artery plaque in which MNPs were detected had a higher risk of a composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, or death from any cause at 34 months of follow-up than those in whom MNPs were not detected. (Funded by Programmi di Ricerca Scientifica di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT05900947.).