Desenvolvimento de bioblendas poliméricas a partir de gelatina bovina e de tilápia com amido de milho

The natural raw materials acquired special importance beside the mineral raw materials with the need for using alternative sources to oil, because they can be used to produce biopolymers. Gelatin, produced from the denaturation of collagen, and starch, an abundant polysaccharide in various plants, are examples of biopolymers which have several technological applications, especially in films. The objective of this work is to produce polymeric bioblends with gelatin and corn starch using two types of gelatin: commercial bovine gelatin and gelatin produced from mechanically separated flesh of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). For the extraction of tilapia gelatin 3 distinct pretreatments, followed by extraction in distilled water under heating were performed. The properties of gelatin extracted were similar to bovine gelatin, and the differences can be explained by the difference in extraction processes and sources. Blends of commercial gelatin and starch were produced in an internal mixer from a Haake torque rheometer, to study the behavior of the gelatin mixture with starch, thus, the same compositions were processed by twin screw extrusion, to define the mixing parameters. Subsequently, the extrusion of blends of tilapia gelatin and corn starch was carried out in the same twin screw extruder. The physico-chemical, rheological and morphological properties of the blends with thermoplastic starch and gelatin were studied. It was found that various properties vary linearly with increasing concentration of the components. The blends produced are immiscible, and among the two gelatins, tilapia gelatin showed a better interfacial adhesion with the corn starch. Regarding the morphology, gelatins formed the dispersed phase in all compositions studied, even in compositions rich in starch. Can be concluded that the procedure for tilapia gelatin extraction is feasible and advantageous, and the increasing in its scale to a reactor of 30 liters is possible, with a satisfactory yield. The bioblends of bovine gelatin/corn starch and tilapia gelatin/corn starch were successfully produced, and the processing conditions were appropriate

Efeito da velocidade de aquecimento nas propriedades de produtos da cerâmica estrutural

Heating rate is one of the main variables that determine a fire cycle. In industrial processes that use high temperatures, greater fire great can reduce the cost of production and increase productivity. The use of faster and more efficient fire cycles has been little investigated by the structural ceramic industry in Brazil. However, one of the possibilities that aims at modernizing the sector is the use of roller kilns and the inclusion of natural gas as fuel. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of heating rate on the technological properties of structural ceramic products. Clay raw materials from the main ceramic industries in the state of Rio Grande do Norte were characterized. Some of the raw materials characterized were formulated to obtain the best physical and mechanical properties. Next, raw materials and formulations were selected to study the influence of heating rate on the final properties of the ceramic materials. The samples were shaped by pressing and extrusion and submitted to rates of 1 °C/min, 10 °C/min and 20 °C/min, with final temperatures of 850 °C, 950 °C and 1050 °C. Discontinuous cycles with rates of 10 °C/min or 15 °C/min up to 600 °C and a rate of 20 °C/min up to final temperature were also investigated. Technological properties were determined for all the samples and microstructural analysis was carried out under a number of fire conditions. Results indicate that faster and more efficient fire cycles than those currently in practice could be used, limiting only some clay doughs to certain fire conditions. The best results were obtained for the samples submitted to slow cycles up to 600 °C and fast fire sinterization up to 950 °C. This paper presents for the first time the use of a fast fire rate for raw materials and clay formulations and seeks to determine ideal dough and processing conditions for using shorter fire times, thus enabling the use of roller kilns and natural gas in structural ceramic industries