Using GreenZyme as a remediation agent, Valentino monitored and enhanced the movement of JP-5 jet fuel in an experimental glass column using a well established photographic method with a code developed with Image Processing Toolbox at Matlab.
In brief, Valentinos research with GreenZyme as a hydrocarbon separator has applications in environmental containment and remediation of Jet fuel spills for airports surfaces and wastewater treatments. His work will be presented at the EGU General Assembly 2018 on 13th of April in Vienna. Valentino is close to graduation for his Environmental Engineering Diploma from Technical University of Crete / Πολυτεχνείο Κρήτης this coming April and he is currently performing an internship as a Policy Officer Assistant for European Association for the Storage of Energy (EASE) in Brussels.
Jet fuel may be released in the environment either by in-flight fuel jettisoning (fuel dumping) or accidentally from spills and leaks, and eventually can reach subsurface formations where it can remain as long-term source of pollution. Remediation of aquifers contaminated by jet fuels is not a trivial task. This experimental study examined the effectiveness of a water-soluble, DNA-protein-based biodegradable non-living catalyst, with commercial name GreenZyme for the remediation of water saturated porous media polluted with jet fuel (JP-5).
Also for comparison purposes, the commercial surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was used. Bench scale experiments were conducted in a glass column packed with glass beads. The migration of JP-5 in the glass column under various conditions, with and without the presence of GreenZyme was monitored by a well-established photographic method. Digital photographs of the packed column were captured under fluorescent lighting.
The fluorescent intensity of JP-5 dyed with Red Oil O within the column was analyzed using the Matlab Image Processing Toolbox. The color intensities were converted to concentrations via appropriate calibration curves. The experimental results suggested that GreenZyme was an efficient biosurfactant capable of enhancing significantly the migration of JP-5 in the glass column, which performed considerably better that SDS under the experimental conditions of this study.
As a junior Engineer he will be seeking new and challenging opportunities in the industry this summer.
The following is a link to the article where Valentinos receives credit. If you would like the full article you can also request it by email:
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