Crude oil price volatility and environmental performance.

We study the relationship between crude oil price volatility and corporate environmental performance. Using an extensive dataset from 32 countries consisting of 18,464 firm-year observations, we provide strong evidence that oil price volatility significantly increases firms' environmental performance. Our main inference is robust when using alternative measures of oil price volatility and environmental performance, alternative econometric specifications and samples, and several approaches to control for endogeneity. In a set of additional analyses, we first conduct a difference-in-differences analysis that exploits the Arab Spring as an exogenous oil price volatility increase and document a stronger relationship between oil price volatility and environmental performance in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. We second identify (i) capital expenditures and (ii) alternative energy importation as two mechanisms through which oil price volatility influences environmental performance. We finally show that national culture plays a significant role in moderating the relationship between oil price volatility and environmental performance. Taken together, our empirical findings highlight the role of economic uncertainty in affecting firms' environmental performance and provide significant contributions to management and policymakers.

Electrocoagulation of olive mill wastewaters to enhance biogas production.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the combination of electrocoagulation and anaerobic co-digestion of olive mill wastewaters (OMWW) with other substrates, such as chicken manure, in a continuous stirred tank reactor for biogas production. RESULTS: Anaerobic digestion of OMWW treated by electrocoagulation allowed higher production of biogas, up to 0.74 l biogas g-1 COD introduced compared to untreated or diluted olive mill wastewaters (OMWW) (0.37 and 0.6 l biogas g-1 COD) respectively. Pretreated OMWW co-digested with chicken manure at different volumic ratios OMWW/manure in a continuous stirred tank reactor under mesophilic conditions revealed that OMWW/manure (7:3 v/v) was optimal for biogas production and process stability. CONCLUSION: Anaerobic digestion could achieve promising results in depollution and valorization of OMWW under a continuous stirred tank reactor.

Optimization of bioconversion of oleuropein, of olive leaf extract, to hydroxytyrosol by Nakazawaea molendini-olei using HPLC-UV and a method of experimental design.

In the present study we aimed firstly to assess the resistance of a set of yeasts, isolated from the black olive pomace, to various phenolic compounds; and to evaluate their growth capacities on an olive leaf extract rich of oleuropein. The results showed that only three yeasts were able to both resist to the different phenolic compounds tested and grow on the olive leaf extract at a concentration of 1%. The second step was devoted to studying the bioconversion of oleuropein of an olive leaf extract into hydroxytyrosol by the above selected three yeasts. The oleuropein degradation and hydroxytyrosol formation were monitored by HPLC-UV. Only one yeast isolate; identified using molecular tools; was chosen to optimize the bioconversion throughout the optimization of the most influencing parameters: temperature, substrate concentration, cell concentration, and pH of the extract using a method of experimental design. The results showed that the three yeasts; F6, F4, and F12 were capable of producing hydroxytyrosol from oleuropein with different concentrations 317 ± 14 mg/l, 210 ± 14 mg/l, and 149 ± 21 mg/l; respectively. The strong oleuropienolytic activity manifested by the F6 isolate was further optimized, and the results showed that the optimal conditions for producing the maximum of hydroxytyrosol are: a temperature of 31 °C, a cell concentration of 2%, a substrate concentration of 1%, and a non-adjusted pH of the extract. Based on the molecular approaches F6 was identified as Nakazawaea molendini-olei.

Phenolic profile (HPLC-UV) of olive leaves according to extraction procedure and assessment of antibacterial activity.

The aim of the present study is to firstly study the effect of the extraction solvents (ethanol, acetonitrile, distilled water), pH, temperature, and the extraction method (maceration, sonication, maceration in two steps) on the flavonoid and phenolic contents of olive leaves. Furthermore, qualitative and quantitative analyzes of phenolic compounds by (HPLC) were performed. Results showed that the extract macerated in two steps by ethanol followed by distilled water of dried leaves showed high contents of phenolic compounds and flavonoids compared to the extracts obtained by the other studied techniques and solvents. On the other hand, the macerated extracts were studied for their antibacterial activity against five pathogenic bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Listeria monocytogenes). The results showed a strong antibacterial activity of the same macerated extract in two steps for dried leaves, which could be attributed to its richness in bioactive compounds such as oleuropein.