Phd in ELECTRICAL, MATERIALS, RAW MATERIALS AND NANOTECHNOLOGY
ENGINEERING

Thesis title: Realizzazione di Zeoliti sintetiche ad alta percentuale cristallina e specificità di adsorbimento per l’eliminazione del Nichel nella conduzione di impianti di crescita aeroponica di ortaggi normalmente fissativi nei confronti dello ione Nichel.

In this Ph.D. work, the pathways of Nickel were analyzed both in the human organism, with direct analyses on feces, urine and blood samples of patients allergic to Nickel, and in the food chain of apples, rocket, Riccio tomatoes and datterino tomatoes. The detection of potentially harmful heavy metals has directed the experimentation aimed at the production of a form of zeolite, clinoptilolite, highly specific in the adsorption of Nickel ions in aqueous solution and in gastrointestinal environments. The detections on Nickel show that the contents of heavy metals depend on several factors, mainly the nature of the food and the cultivation method. From comparative analyses between traditional crops in soil and hydroponics, it is found that the contribution of metals, including Nickel, can be attributed to the contamination of the water used for irrigation to a greater extent than the soil. An experimental campaign on the conditioning of natural clinoptilolite reported that NaCl and NaOH mineral modifier solutions contribute to the removal efficiency of Ni in aqueous solution. Specifically, under conditions of pH, temperature, Ni concentration and solid-liquid ratio typical of the gastrointestinal tract, the modified clinoptilolites achieve removal efficiencies greater than 98%.