Synthetic polymers blend used in the production of high activated carbon for pesticides removals from liquid phase

For the activated carbon (AC) production, we used the most common industrial and consumer solid waste, namely polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), alone or blended with other synthetic polymer such polyacrylonitrile (PAN). By mixing PET, with PAN, an improvement in the yield of the AC production was found and the basic character and some textural and chemical properties were enhanced. The PET–PAN mixture was subjected to carbonisation, with a pyrolysis yield of 31.9%, between that obtained with PET (16.9%) or PAN (42.6%) separately. The AC revealed a high surface area (1400, 1230 and 1117 m2 g−1) and pore volume (0.46, 0.56 and 0.50 cm3 g−1), respectively, for PET, PAN and PET–PAN precursors. Selected ACs were successfully tested for 4- chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) and diuron removal from the liquid phase, showing a higher adsorption capacity (1.7 and 1.2 mmol g−1, respectively, for MCPA and diuron) and good fits with the Langmuir (PET) and Freundlich equation (PAN and PET–PAN blend). With MCPA, the controlling factor to the adsorption capacity was the porous volume and the average pore size. Concerning diuron, the adsorption was controlled essentially by the external diffusion. A remarkable result is the use of different synthetic polymers wastes, as precursors for the production of carbon materials, with high potential application on the pesticides removals from the liquid phase.

Plano de negócios Pharma SPA

A promoção de um espírito empreendedor e de inovação é uma necessidade primordial para o crescimento económico, sustentado na criação de empresas inovadoras. Este trabalho de projecto consiste na elaboração de um plano de negócios para a criação de um empreendimento, que propõe uma nova abordagem estratégica ao sector parafarmacêutico. A Pharma Spa pretende promover o negócio de uma forma inovadora, através da diversificação e complementaridade da actividade da parafarmácia, com a prestação de serviços da área da saúde e bem-estar, integrando uma clínica e um Spa. Este conceito de negócio segue uma estratégia de Marketing Lateral e aposta nas relações com o cliente, promovendo o Marketing Experiencial. O plano de negócios apresentado, permite aferir que a Pharma Spa apresenta viabilidade económico-financeira, sendo interessante a sua concretização, pelo que podemos inferir que estamos na presença de um projecto com elevado potencial de sucesso. ABSTRACT; The promotion of an entrepreneurial and innovative spirit is a primordial necessity for economic growth, supported by the creation of innovative companies. This project consists in the elaboration of a business plan to create an enterprise, which considers a new strategical vision to the parapharmaceutical sector. The Pharma Spa pretends to promote the business in an innovative way, through the diversification and complementing of the parapharmacy activity, with the services rendering in the health area and well-being, integrating a clinic and a Spa. This business concept follows a strategy of “Lateral Marketing” and increment the relations with the customer, promoting the “Experiential Marketing”. The business plan presented, allows concluding that the Pharma Spa presents economical and financial viability, which his implementation is interesting, and we can assess that we are in the presence of a project with high potential of success.

The 'rotiferologist' effect and other global correlates of species richness in monogonont rotifers

Global biodiversity patterns are often driven by diff erent environmental variables at diff erent scales. However, it is still controversial whether there are general trends, whether similar processes are responsible for similar patterns, and/or whether confounding eff ects such as sampling bias can produce misleading results. Our aim is twofold: 1) assessing the global correlates of diversity in a group of microscopic animals little analysed so far, and 2) inferring the infl uence of sampling intensity on biodiversity analyses. As a case study, we choose rotifers, because of their high potential for dispersal across the globe. We assembled and analysed a new worldwide dataset of records of monogonont rotifers, a group of microscopic aquatic animals, from 1960 to 1992. Using spatially explicit models, we assessed whether the diversity patterns conformed to those commonly obtained for larger organisms, and whether they still held true after controlling for sampling intensity, variations in area, and spatial structure in the data. Our results are in part analogous to those commonly obtained for macroorganisms (habitat heterogeneity and precipitation emerge as the main global correlates), but show some divergence (potential absence of a latitudinal gradient and of a large-scale correlation with human population). Moreover, the eff ect of sampling eff ort is remarkable, accounting for 50% of the variability; this strong eff ect may mask other patterns such as latitudinal gradients. Our study points out that sampling bias should be carefully considered when drawing conclusions from large-scale analyses, and calls for further faunistic work on microorganisms in all regions of the world to better understand the generality of the processes driving global patterns in biodiversity.