Adsorção de cobre e cromo utilizando fibra de sisal visando o tratamento da água produzida pela indústria petrolífera

Currently, the oil industry is the biggest cause of environmental pollution. The objective was to reduce the concentration of copper and chromium in the water produced by the oil industry. It was used as adsorbent natural sisal fiber Agave sp treated with nitric acid and sodium hydroxide. All vegetable fibers have physical and morphological properties that enablies the adsorption of pollutants. The basic composition of sisal is cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. The features are typically found in the characterization of vegetable fibers, except the surface area that was practically zero. In the first stage of adsorption, it was evaluated the effect of temperature and time skeeking to optimize the execution of the factorial design. The results showed that the most feasible fiber was the one treated with acid in five hours (30°C). The second phase was a factorial design, using acid and five hours, this time was it determined in the first phase. The tests were conducted following the experimental design and the results were analyzed by statistical methods in order to optimize the main parameters that influence the process: pH, concentration (mol / L) and fiber mass/ metal solution volume. The volume / mass ratio factor showed significant interference in the adsorption process of chromium and copper. The results obtained after optimization showed that the highest percentages of extraction (98%) were obtained on the following operating conditions: pH: 5-6, Concentration: 100 ppm and mass/ volume: 1 gram of fiber/50mL solution. The results showed that the adsorption process was efficient to remove chromium and copper using sisal fibers, however, requiring further studies to optimize the process.

Avaliação da espécie vegetal Croton cajucara Benth como inibidor de biocorrosão em aço carbono Aisi 1020

Actually in the oil industry biotechnological approaches represent a challenge. In that, attention to metal structures affected by electrochemical corrosive processes, as well as by the interference of microorganisms (biocorrosion) which affect the kinetics of the environment / metal interface. Regarding to economical and environmental impacts reduction let to the use of natural products as an alternative to toxic synthetic inhibitors. This study aims the employment of green chemistry by evaluating the stem bark extracts (EHC, hydroalcoholic extract) and leaves (ECF, chloroform extract) of plant species Croton cajucara Benth as a corrosion inhibitor. In addition the effectiveness of corrosion inhibition of bioactive trans-clerodane dehydrocrotonin (DCTN) isolated from the stem bark of this Croton was also evaluated. For this purpose, carbon steel AISI 1020 was immersed in saline media (3,5 % NaCl) in the presence and absence of a microorganism recovered from a pipeline oil sample. Corrosion inhibition efficiency and its mechanisms were investigated by linear sweep voltammetry and electrochemical impedance. Culture-dependent and molecular biology techniques were used to characterize and identify bacterial species present in oil samples. The tested natural products EHC, ECF and DCTN (DMSO as solvent) in abiotic environment presented respectively, corrosion inhibition efficiencies of 57.6% (500 ppm), 86.1% (500 ppm) and 54.5% (62.5 ppm). Adsorption phenomena showed that EHC best fit Frumkin isotherm and ECF to Temkin isotherm. EHC extract (250 ppm) dissolved in a polar microemulsion system (MES-EHC) showed significant maximum inhibition efficiency (93.8%) fitting Langmuir isotherm. In the presence of the isolated Pseudomonas sp, EHC and ECF were able to form eco-compatible organic films with anti-corrosive properties

Proposta de modelo de interação da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte e empresas do setor de petróleo

Operational procedures may negatively interfere in negotiation and execution regarding universities and business companies. In some cases it may even derail business interaction. Thus, aiming to overcome this and other barriers a university-industry interaction model was structured. The model enhances the appropriation of technological solutions on behalf of enterprises, as well as aim to improve the quality of teaching and research done at the university. In order to conduct a case study, sampling considering the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) was made as well as the Oil and Gas sector. For data collection questionnaires, classroom observation, document analysis, semi-structured interviews were used. The study describes the companies as well as the internal organization of UFRN in their interaction context. The diagnosis related to past interactions as well as the expectations of the companies and the university s internal subjects regarding the university-industry relationship were also studied. Thus, specific questionnaires were applied for the three types of groups: researchers, managers and business companies. These subjects pointed out that the great deal of barriers they identified were related to issues regarding the university internal management. Given these barriers, the critical factors were then identified in order to overcome this reality. Among the nine critical factors only one belongs to the macro environment, while the remaining factors are related to organizational issues present in the university context. It was possible to formulate a university-business interaction model one the researched focused on the case study results and contribution from a theoretical framework that was enabled trough literature review. The model considers all business collaboration mechanisms; it focuses on a particular strategic productive sector and provides a co-evolution vision over time, according to the sector´s development strategy. The need for institutionalizing the relationship with the companies involved is pointed out. The proposed model considers all the critical factors identified by the research; it aims long-term relationship with the company and integrates teaching, research and extension actions. The model implementation was also considered. It was seen that it must be done in three phases. The phases will be defined by the level of maturity in the relationship between the university and the companies. Thus, a framework was developed in order to assess the interaction level regarding company institutionalization. Whilst structuring the model was a concern with replication came up. It was pointed out that this model should not only serve to this specific case study situation. So the final result is a model of university-industry relationship appropriate in the first instance, for UFRN, but has applicability, in general, to any Brazilian university

Ecologia parasitária de isópodos e biologia reprodutiva em tibiro, Oligoplites spp (OSTEICHTHYES: CARANGIDAE) das águas costeiras de Natal, Rio Grande do norte

Oligoplites palometa (Cuvier) and Oligoplites saurus (Bloch & Schneider) (Osteichthyes: Carangidae) are coastal pelagic fish species. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of parasitism by isopods and the reproductive biology of the leather jack, Oligoplites spp. A total of 113 individuals of Oligoplites spp (35 of O. saurus and 78 of O. palometa) were captured during the period between January, 2005 and July, 2007 from the coastal waters of Natal, RN. The morphometric and meristic characters were registered; macroscopic analyses were done to collect the isopod parasites and the gonads were observed to verify the reproductive aspects. The crustacean isopod parasite, Cymothoa spinipalpa (Isopoda: Cymothidae) was encountered on the tongue in the oral cavity in both fish hosts. The parasitic indices of C. spinipalpa showed high values of prevalance of 51,4% for O. saurus and 64,1% for O. palometa. The host presented significant correlations between body mass and body length of O. palometa and the number of parasites. Body lengths of female C. spinipalpa were small due to the limited space available in the oral cavity of the host. There was a significant difference in the sex ratio of O. palometa, males outnumbered the females. The isopod parasites showed specificity to the oral cavity of hosts. Macroscopic analyses of gonads showed four stages of gonadal development for both sex of O. palometa: immature, maturing, mature and spent

Rubiaceae em um remanescente de floresta atlântica no Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil

Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária do Rio Grande do Norte

Estudo comparativo da variação temporal da comunidade fitoplanctônica do açude Cruzeta inserido no bioma caatinga, Rio Grande do Norte

The Cruzeta impoundment, situated in the city of Cruzeta, hinterland of the state of the Rio Grande do Norte state has significant importance to the municipality as it represents the only source of supplying water to the region. It was hypothesized that the regional consequence of the global warming and the warming of surface water could substantially contribute the significant growth of the aquatic macrophytes in the years 2008-2009. The growth of these vegetation believed to be improved the degree of water transparency and as a consequence of the improved growth of phytoplankton species and chlorophyll biomass. At the same time the aquatic macrophyte could interact and compete potentially for the dissolved inorganic nutrients resources and the phytoplankton community. This study presents a comparison of years 2004-2005 when it did not have the expressive presence of the aquatic macrophyte community or restricted to the littoral region. In contrast, the years 2008-2009 showed a significant growth of the aquatic macrophyte in the Cruzeta/RN impoundments. The present study is an attempt to elucidate the significant presence of the aquatic macrophyte, Eichhornia crassipes, Ceratophyllum submersum, Nymphea sp and Pistia sp, and its interference on the ecology of phytoplankton. The samplings had been carried out from September of 2008 to April of 2009 and consistently between 10:00 h and 12:00 h with the aid of Van Dorn bottle and the plankton net of mesh size 20 Qm. The collections were made in three depths ie., surface, mid-column and bottom. The Physical-Chemical parameters such as pH, temperature, electrical conductivity and dissolved oxygen had been analyzed in situ. The samples for analysis of nutrients and chlorophyll were kept under refrigeration for posterior analysis in the laboratory. Phytoplankton samples were preserved in Lugol-iodine and kept for sedimentation for quali-quantitative analysis of phytoplankton. Enumeration of cells, colonies and filaments was done with the aid of Sedgwick-Rafter counting chamber and expressed as numbers/ml. Chlorophyll a was analyzed as a functional component of phytoplankton biomass and extracted with cold 90% acetone. The results indicate that the chlorophyll concentration varied between 5,65-8,08 Qg.L-1 for the dry period and 5,09-6,23 Qg.L-1 for the rainy period and showed considerable reduction when compared to the values to the 2004-2005 study period. The temperature was always presented higher in relation to the 2004-2005 study. Phytoplankton species showed a relative abundance of the Cyanophyceae for both the period of dry and rainy. The predominance species are filamentous Leptolymbya geophila Borzi (Planctolyngbya sp), Anabaena plankctônica Brunnthaler, Oscillatória limosa Ag. and Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Wolosz). The concentration of the nutrients such as nitrate and orto-phosfato had always presented higher values during the rainy period and the ammoniacal nitrogen retained moderate values in the dry period and a slight increase in rainy season. The main conclusions are the reduction of the concentration of chlorophyll, diversity of phytoplankton, and the increase in temperature and transparency of the water during the period of the study

Projeto Prevenir: uma pesquisa acerca das mudanças no perfil das infecções por DST/AIDS, com a perspectiva de detectar pontos vulneráveis da prevenção

Rio Grande do Norte is among the Brazilian States where the tourism and sexual violence increasingly grow in the country, occupying 4th place in 2004. Associated to this fact, it comes the problematic one of the contamination of the women by Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD). Studies in Brazil have presented a considerable increase of the STDs, caused through lack of suitable protection in the sexual relationships. Due to the biological and psychosocial vulnerability, besides failures or inconsistencies in the condom use associated to the raised taxes of sexual activity with different partners, the STDs constitute the main risk of health. Many difficulties are found by the confrontation of this problem. In this context, this project had as aim to evaluate the vulnerability of this population of sexually active women in Natal-RN Ponta Negra neighbourhood to the infections by STDs, such as, Candida sp., Vaginoses Bacterial, Trichomonas Vaginalis and Chlamydia sp., arisen with the explosion of the sex market, showing a current statistical panorama. It was possible to detect vulnerable points in prevention through patient anamnesis, where the study it showed: high number of partners (8,3% with more than five), low age of first relationship and not the use of condoms (31,8% sometimes use and 45,8% had not used in the first relationship). Already consolidated by the preventive cytopathologic examination, these data were strengthened by high incidence of causing agents of STDs (58,6%). In this way, it is clear that the sexuality must to be thought on the context of the deep economic and socio-cultural transformations in which pass societies, and mainly the ones concerning to the sexuality exercise and to the sex market. With the profile change of the infections, new demands are placed in relation to the risk factors. Therefore, it can be concluded that the prevention vulnerable points detected as more important had been the deficiency in self-perception and wareness of the risk existence among the studied women

Avaliação da composição química, atividade antioxidante, antibacteriana, antinoceptiva, antiinflamatória e toxicidade do extrato metanólico e frações de folhas de Spondias sp. (Anacardiaceae)

Spondias sp. (Anacardiaceae), popularly known as cajá-umbu, is an endemic plant from Northeastern Brazil, where their leaves are widely used in folk medicine to treat inflammatory processes, while their fruits have a great agro industrial potential. This study was designed to evaluate hepatoprotective, antinociceptive, antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as the acute toxicity and repeated dose 28, using a methanolic extract (MES), a fraction rich in flavonoids (FRF) and a precipitate from Spondias sp.leaves. The antioxidant activity of them was valued to evaluate their free radical scavenger capacity by DPPH test, whereas MES and FRF were used to evaluate while the preventive action on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatotoxicity. Seven groups (n=5) of female Wistar rats were used as follows: control group, CCl4-intoxicated group treated with EMS (500 mg/kg) for 7 days, three CCl4-intoxicated groups treated with FRF (25, 50 and 75 mg/kg) for 7 days and the CCl4-intoxicated group treated with Legalon ® (silimarina; (phytotherapeutic reference) (50 mg/kg; 7 days). MES and FRF showed a protective action against liver injury induced by CCl4, being observed a significant reduction of serum enzyme activity marker of liver damage (alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase). On the other hand, the lipid peroxidation (SRAT) decrease, as well as the increase of glutathione content and enzyme activity of antioxidant defense system (SOD, CAT, GPx) toward near normal values indicated the ability of EMS to restore the oxidative imbalance induced by CCl4. The histological analysis confirmed the hepatoprotection, compared to degenerative changes in CCl4-treated group. This hepatoprotetor effect was similar to that shown by Legalon®. The in vitro high antioxidant capacity of extract (93.16 ± 1.00%) showed analogous results to those obtained by Carduus marianus BHT (reference standard). This fact explains the obtained results in vivo. Although no antimicrobial activity was detected, EMS and FRF promoted the antinociceptive effect induced in the second phase by the intraplantar formalin test, evidencing the anti-inflammatory action; confirmed by the carrageenan-induced peritonitis model. The evaluation of the mechanical allodynia (CFA a 80%) demonstrated the involvement of the Spondias sp. chemical composition in the anti-inflammatory activity toward the acute processes. The acute exposure and repeated dose during 28 days did not produce significant changes in the parameters that evaluate toxicity. Together the experimental results reveal, that Spondias sp. leaf extracts have a promising potential in pharmaceutical area, and due to its non-toxic condition present efficiency and security

A fé e a religiosidade na cova de Pedro Ribeirão do largo -Bahia

At this research we attempted to understand what feeds and supports the faith and popular religiosity at Pedro s Cave in Ribeirao do Largo, located in Bahia State. For this we studied the visitation ritual at Pedro s Cave on June 29th and tried to identify the importance of this ritual in the construction and reconstruction of believer s faith. Moreover, we endeavored to understand which factors led Pedro Afonso Nascimento, a cowhand whose lift was taken in a violent manner, to the roll of popular saints and how it was built around his tomb a sanctuary of constant visitation

A corretagem de imóveis no Rio Grande do Norte: das práticas históricas à emergência como segmento integrante da fração imobiliária do capital

This research proposed to question the development of what was defined as historical practices (commercial, social and political institutions), of the economic activity of the real estate brokerage in the Rio Grande do Norte from the progressive institutionalization of economic agents - individuals (realtors) and legal (real estate) - based on two main approaches: a) the development of economic activity as an integral segment of a fraction of capital (POULANTZAs, 1985; LESSA, 1981). This work set out from a socio-historical approach of the historical practices development the of real estate brokerage in Brazil started in the Southeast, especially in the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo as a result of the "expansion of capitalist relations by the housing sector" (RIBEIRO , 1996). especially the real estate capital ; b) the historical development of relations between labor and capital within the activity, in other words, the development of the relationship between realtors and Real Estate in relation to "group of interests" and their "collective actions" (OFFE, 1984). These historical practices are defined in this research as: 1) mercantile practices, times when there was no distinction between the activity of real estate brokerage and other forms of mercantile capital; 2) social practices, which began in the 1930s, when agents of real estate are to be distinguished from each other within the activity through Taylorist division of labor between workers realtors and developers of real estate; 3) political and institutional practices, initiated in 1962, characterized by State action, in the individualization and distinction of the agents of real estate brokerage as socioprofessional category regulated throughout Brazil by Law 4.116/62 and 6.530/78. The results achieved by the present study showed that in Rio Grande do Norte, due to the specifics as to the peripheral processes of urbanization of the constitution of the land market, as well as the process of conservative modernization of the oligarchic State from the 1960s (CLEMENTINE, 1995; FERREIRA, 1996, 2010, TRINDADE, 2004), the State was led to the development of a late manifestation of the historical practices of real estate brokerage. In other words, it was a process in which historical practices, in particular social practices, not fully developed, mitigating, thus the perception of realtors from his position in the process of exploitation of labor by the Real Estate. And, as a result, of their collective interests front of them.

Reinternações psiquiátricas no Rio Grande do Norte: implicações e impacto das novas estratégias de atenção à saúde mental

The Brazilian Psychiatric Reform based on the desinstitucionalization of the assistance, translated to the emphasis on community/territorial treatment and in the social inclusion of the mental suffering, promoted advances in the psychiatric restructuring. In the Rio Grande do Norte (RN), we can enumerate as advances of the Brazilian Psychiatric Reform the expansion of the mental health care chain and the implementation of some strategies that, together, aims to further the psychosocial attention of the individual with psych suffering and to reduce the indices of psychiatrics readmissions in the state. In the current Brazilian‟s mental health situation we were interesting in answered the following question: what the impact of the substitutes services‟ extension in the revolving door phenomenon? This search aims to analyze the revolving door phenomenon occurrences based on the news strategies of mental health care in the Rio Grande do Norte. This is a descriptive-exploratory study with a qualitative approach, oriented by the theoretical framework of critical-dialectical approach about the Brazilian Psychiatric Reform and using the thematic oral history as method of information collects. The search was realized on the Hospital João Machado (HJM), estate reference in psychiatric treatment, and the participants was 20 professionals that work on it. The collection of information had started after the approval of the UFRN Research Ethics Committee with the opinion number 216/2011 and CAAE number 0021.0.051.000-11 and was realized using the direct observation and semi-structured interview. The study‟s results were categorized in two categories and five subcategories of analysis. CATEGORY 1) Current situation of the mental health care chain in the RN, with the subcategories: 1.1 Impact of the new services of mental health care in the revolving door phenomenon in the RN; 1.2 Implications of the new services of mental health care in assisting user to the HJM; 1.3 Issues the permeate the mental health care chain in the RN. CATEORY 2) Main causes of the revolving door phenomenon in HJM, with the categories: 2.1 Family problems; 2.2 Lack of assistance after discharge from psychiatric hospital. In summary, we conclude that the extension of the mental health care chain contributed for the reduction of the psychiatrics re-hospitalization‟s indices in RN. However, we realized that territorial services of mental health care are not the only responsible for the revolving door phenomenon. Factors as family problems and the disarticulation of the assistance after the discharge from hospital influence on the perpetuation of hospitalizations and re-hospitalizations in the local scenario. To study the revolving door phenomenon that occur in the psychiatrics‟ assistance considering the news strategies of mental health care allowed us to approach the advances and challenges brought by the RPb and by the desinstitucionatization in the state, indicating the need for further discussions and problem-solving strategies of psychosocial care.

Recuperação e purificação de proteínas do soro de queijo tipo coalho usando cromatografia de troca iônica e interação hidrofóbica em leito na forma expandida

Expanded Bed Adsorption plays an important role in the downstream processing mainly for reducing costs as well as steps besides could handling cells homogenates or fermentation broth. In this work Expanded Bed Adsorption was used to recover and purify whey proteins from coalho cheese manufacture using Streamline DEAE and Streamline SP both ionic resins as well as a hydrophobic resin Streamline Phenyl. A column of 2.6 cm inner diameter with 30 cm in height was coupled to a peristaltic pump. Hydrodynamics study was carried out with the three resins using Tris-HCl buffer in concentration of 30, 50 and 70 mM, with pH ranging from 7.0 to 8.0. In this case, assays of the expansion degree as well as Residence Time Distribution (RTD) were carried out. For the recovery and purification steps, a whey sample of 200 mL, was submitted to a column with 25mL of resin previously equilibrated with Tris/HCl (50 mM, pH 7.0) using a expanded bed. After washing, elution was carried out according the technique used. For ionic adsorption elution was carried out using 100 mL of Tris/HCl (50 mM, pH 7.0 in 1M NaCl). For Hydrophobyc interaction elution was carried out using Tris/HCl (50 mM, pH 7.0). Adsorption runs were carried out using the three resins as well as theirs combination. Results showed that for hydrodynamics studies a linear fit was observed for the three resins with a correlation coefficient (R2) about 0.9. In this case, Streamline Phenyl showed highest expansion degree reaching an expansion degree (H0/H) of 2.2. Bed porosity was of 0.7 when both resins Streamline DEAE and Streamline SP were used with StremLine Phenyl showing the highest bed porosity about 0.75. The number of theorical plates were 109, 41.5 and 17.8 and the axial dipersion coefficient (Daxial) were 0.5, 1.4 and 3.7 x 10-6 m2/s, for Streamline DEAE, Streamline SP and Streamline Phenyl, respectively. Whey proteins were adsorved fastly for the three resins with equilibrium reached in 10 minutes. Breakthrough curves showed that most of proteins stays in flowthrough as well as washing steps with 84, 77 and 96%, for Streamline DEAE, Streamline SP and Streamline Phenyl, respectively. It was observed protein peaks during elution for the three resins used. According to these peaks were identified 6 protein bands that could probably be albumin (69 KDa), lactoferrin (76 KDa), lactoperoxidase (89 KDa), β-lactoglobulin (18,3 KDa) e α-lactoalbumin (14 KDa), as well as the dimer of beta-lactoglobulin. The combined system compound for the elution of Streamline DEAE applied to the Streamline SP showed the best purification of whey proteins, mainly of the α-lactoalbumina

Planejamento dos recursos hídricos da bacia hidrográfica do rio Seridó, no Rio Grande do Norte

The present research has the purpose of planning the management of the water resources of the Seridó River watershed, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. It has an emphasis on the amount of surface water available in this region, to provide a sustainable water supply. Based on data and information collected from public departments responsible for the management of the water resources of the Rio Grande do Norte state, well as on researches related to water resources , a watershed balance was done, and the results suggested the transposition of the waters from the Piranhas-Açu river watershed taken from the Oiticica and Armando Ribeiro Gonçalves reservoirs, integrated with the construction of 2 hidroelectrical plants and 2 elevation stations, to pump the amount of water needed to the expected demand in some public dams of the region until 2020. So, with the use of the surface water potential that exists in the region, it was demonstrated that, on the contrary of the public policies implemented in the past and in the current by the federal and state realm, it is possible to supply the currently water demands and also the future ones, in a sustainable way, without the need of importing outter water to the respective watershed. Finally, it was proposed the implementation of the Water Resources Plan in the Seridó region WRPS, aiming at providing an auto-sustainable development by significantly diminishing the effects of the dry seasons in that region, by considering the economic, social and environmental sustainability

Avaliação da disponibilidade hídrica e da demanda hídrica no trecho do Rio Piranhas-Açu entre os açudes Coremas-mãe D´água e Armando Ribeiro Gonçalves

Piranhas-Açu basin is a Federal watershed with a drainage area of 43.681,5 km2, sited at Brazilian northeast semi arid, with 60% of your area in Paraiba State and 40% in Rio Grande do Norte State. The main river, Piranhas-Açu, has strategic importance for development of these states, because it s an essential source for many socio-economics activities developed along watercourse. The river s reach between Coremas-Mãe D`água Dam and Armando Ribeiro Gonçalves Dam has many irrigation projects, and supply many riverside cities. All this activities practiced in this river s reach consumes high water volumes. Due the importance of this stream and the necessity of an adequate management, this work aims for an impartial and detailed evaluation of real water supply conditions in this river s reach, by the application of hydrological modeling, including the arrangement of main dams in tributaries, and storage reservoir water balance. The rainfall-discharge model s applied in each sub-basins it was selected the model MODHISA- Hydrological Model of Semi Arid, that is a concentrated model with easy application. The simulation produced 50 years of inflows into the reservoirs, for which, were constructed the guaranties curves; and produced 50 years of synthetic discharge data in relevant points on the river and on its affluents; so it was constructed the permanence curves. Confronting the available discharge with the current and futures volumes of raw water captured in this river s reach, it was verified that de demands have high guaranties. This work concluded that the MODHISA Model is suitable to reproduce the hydrologic characteristics of Piranhas-Açu sub-basins, and showing good results

Avaliação da genotoxicidade das águas sueprficiais da Barragem Engenheiro Armando Ribeiro Gonçalves, Assu/RN

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico