Analise SWOT do gerenciamento de resíduos do coco verde em duas agroindústrias do estado do Rio Grande do Norte

In the current conjuncture, the environmental factor has been changing the position of companies that are practicing or minimally adopting environmental management. Such tool has been used by companies to face the problems caused by solid waste, in particular green coconut waste, which is constantly among the material discarded by society (companies/ consumer). It is a typical tropical fruit whose fresh water is very benefic for human health, and its popularization has caused a progressive increase of its consumption. Following this stream of thought, this present work came up with an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities SWOT analysis on green coconut solid waste management at two agribusiness companies in the state of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), Brazil, aiming to know the challenges and the potentials of this kind of waste. According to the approach of the problem, this work fits a descriptive, exploratory, and qualitative research. The data collection was obtained by a questionnaire and a structured interview, in order to evaluate the strategic posture of agribusiness companies through SWOT analysis, which is an English acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. The SWOT analysis is an effective tool to analyze the internal and external environment of an organization. This tool contributes to locate the company at the environment in question and when well applied it enables the detection of mistakes, the strengthening of correct procedures, the avoidance of threats, and the bet on opportunities. The studied agribusiness industries have very similar profiles, such as a long business life span, and a strategy that extends the useful life of the fruit, by using its waste for the manufacturing of new subproducts. In both, the daily quantity of waste resulted of this process reaches approximately 20 thousand units of the fruit in high season, being necessary a focus directed at use and/or treatment of these waste. Further to SWOT analysis, it was ascertained that the agribusiness company A works through a defensive marketing strategy and acts vulnerably, in other words, unable of acting before this market segment, for it has decided to stop using the waste due to a lack of equipment and technology. On the other hand, the agribusiness company B has incorporated an offensive marketing strategy because even not possessing equipments, technology, and appropriated internal installations, it still insists on use and benefits of green coconut waste in its agribusiness. Thus, it is considered that the potential of green coconut waste management for the production of several subproducts reduces the impacts produced by inappropriate placement and generates profits in a short, medium and long term. Such profits being tangible and intangible, as the interest for sustainability actions is not only a matter of obtaining return on capital, but it is an important question in order to move on into business, since it is not enough to have quality on products and process nowadays. It is necessary to establish socio-environmental practices aiming the image of the company as the prevailing role on consumers buying decision

Fermentação alcoólica utilizando líquido da casca de coco verde como fonte de nutrientes

The liquid of the rind of green coconut (LCCV), an effluent stream from the industrial processing of green coconut rind, is rich in sugars and is a suitable feedstock for fermentation. The first step of this study was to evaluate the potential of natural fermentation of LCCV. As the literature did not provide any information about LCCV and due to the difficulty of working with such an organic effluent, the second step was to characterize the LCCV and to develop a synthetic medium to explore its potential as a bioprocess diluent. The third step was to evaluate the influence of initial condensed and hydrolysable tannins on alcoholic fermentation. The last step of this work was divided into several stages: in particular to evaluate (1) the influence of the inoculum, temperature and agitation on the fermentation process, (2) the carbon source and the use of LCCV as diluent, (3) the differences between natural and synthetic fermentation of LCCV, in order to determine the best process conditions. Characterization of LCCV included analyses of the physico-chemical properties as well as the content of DQO, DBO and series of solids. Fermentation was carried out in bench-scale bioreactors using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as inoculum, at a working volume of 5L and using 0.30% of soy oil as antifoam. During fermentations, the effects of different initial sugars concentrations (10 - 20%), yeast concentrations (5 and 7.5%), temperatures (30 - 50°C) and agitation rates (400 and 500 rpm) on pH/sugars profiles and ethanol production were evaluated. The characterization of LCCV demonstrated the complexity and variability of the liquid. The best conditions for ethanol conversion were (1) media containing 15% of sugar; (2) 7.5% yeast inoculum; (3) temperature set point of 40°C and (4) an agitation rate of 500 rpm, which resulted in an ethanol conversion rate of 98% after 6 hours of process. A statistical comparison of results from natural and synthetic fermentation of LCCV showed that both processes are similar

Avaliação do potencial da fibra e casca de coco maduro, casca de coco verde e cacto pré-tratados visando à produção de etanol

The present work investigated the potential of different residual lignocellulosic materials generated in rural and urban areas (coconut fibre mature, green coconut shell and mature coconut shell), and vegetable cultivated in inhospitable environments (cactus) aimed at the production of ethanol, being all materials abundant in the Northeast region of Brazil. These materials were submitted to pretreatments with alkaline hydrogen peroxide followed by sodium hydroxide (AHP-SHP), autohydrolysis (AP), hydrothermal catalyzed with sodium hydroxide (HCSHP) and alkali ethanol organosolv (AEOP). These materials pretreated were submitted to enzymatic hydrolysis and strategies of simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) and saccharification and fermentation semi-simultaneous (SSSF) by Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Zymomonas mobilis and Pichia stipitis. It was also evaluated the presence of inhibitory compounds (hydroxymethylfurfural, furfural, acetic acid, formic acid and levulinic acid) and seawater during the fermentative process. Materials pretreated with AHP-SHP have resulted in delignification of the materials in a range between 54 and 71%, containing between 51.80 and 54.91% of cellulose, between 17.65 and 28.36% of hemicellulose, between 7.99 and 10.12% of lignin. Enzymatic hydrolysis resulted in the conversions in glucose between 68 and 76%. Conversion yields in ethanol using SSF and SSSF for coconut fibre mature pretreated ranged from 0.40 and 0.43 g/g, 0.43 and 0.45 g/g, respectively. Materials pretreated by AP showed yields of solids between 42.92 and 92.74%, containing between 30.65 and 51.61% of cellulose, 21.34 and 41.28% of lignin. Enzymatic hydrolysis resulted in glucose conversions between 84.10 and 92.52%. Proceeds from conversion into ethanol using green coconut shell pretreated, in strategy SSF and SSSF, were between 0.43 and 0.45 g/g. Coconut fibre mature pretreated by HCSHP presented solids yields between 21.64 and 60.52%, with increased in cellulose between 28.40 and 131.20%, reduction of hemicellulose between 43.22 and 69.04% and reduction in lignin between 8.27 and 89.13%. Enzymatic hydrolysis resulted in the conversion in glucose of 90.72%. Ethanol yields using the SSF and SSSF were 0.43 and 0.46 g/g, respectively. Materials pretreated by AEOP showed solid reductions between 10.75 and 43.18%, cellulose increase up to 121.67%, hemicellulose reduction up to 77.09% and lignin reduced up to 78.22%. Enzymatic hydrolysis resulted in the conversion of glucose between 77.54 and 84.27%. Yields conversion into ethanol using the SSF and SSSF with cactus pretreated ranged from 0.41 and 0.44 g/g, 0.43 and 0.46 g/g, respectively. Fermentations carried out in bioreactors resulted in yields and ethanol production form 0.42 and 0.46 g/g and 7.62 and 12.42 g/L, respectively. The inhibitory compounds showed negative synergistic effects in fermentations performed by P. stipitis, Z. mobilis and S. cerevisiae. Formic acid and acetic acid showed most significant effects among the inhibitory compounds, followed by hydroxymethylfurfural, furfural and levulinic acid. Fermentations carried out in culture medium diluted with seawater showed promising results, especially for S. cerevisiae (0.50 g/g) and Z. mobilis (0.49 g/g). The different results obtained in this study indicate that lignocellulosic materials, pretreatments, fermentative processes strategies and the microorganisms studied deserve attention because they are promising and capable of being used in the context of biorefinery, aiming the ethanol production.

Avaliação da influência de surfactantes químico e biológico na hidrólise enzimática de casca de coco verde após pré-tratamento ácido/alcalino e com peróxido de hidrogênio alcalino

In Brazil many types of bioproducts and agroindustrial waste are generated currently, such as cacashew apple bagasse and coconut husk, for example. The final disposal of these wastes causes serious environmental issues. In this sense, waste lignocellulosic content, as the shell of the coconut is a renewable and abundant raw material in which its use has an increased interest mainly for the 2nd generation ethanol production. The hydrolysis of cellulose to reducing sugars such as glucose and xylose is catalysed by a group of enzymes called cellulases. However, the main bottleneck in the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose is the significant deactivation of the enzyme that shows irreversible adsorption mechanism leading to reduction of the cellulose adsorption onto cellulose. Studies have shown that the use of surfactants can modify the surface property of the cellulose therefore minimizing the irreversible binding. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the influence of chemical and biological surfactants during the hydrolysis of coconut husk which was subjected to two pre-treatment in order to improve the accessibility of the enzymes to the cellulose, removing this way, part of the lignin and hemicellulose present in the structure of the material. The pre-treatments applied to coconut bagasse were: Acid/Alkaline using 0.6M H2SO4 followed by 1M NaOH, and the one with Alkaline Hydrogen Peroxide at a concentration of 7.35% (v/v) and pH 11.5. Both the material no treatment and pretreated were characterized using analysis of diffraction X-ray (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and methods established by NREL. The influence of both surfactants, chemical and biological, was used at concentrations below the critical micelle concentration (CMC), and the concentrations equal to the CMC. The application of pre-treatment with coconut residue was efficient for the conversion to glucose, as well as for the production of total reducing sugars, it was possible to observe that the pretreatment fragmented the structure as well as disordered the fibers. Regarding XRD analysis, a significant increase in crystallinity index was observed for pretreated bagasse acid/alkali (51.1%) compared to the no treatment (31.7%), while that for that treated with PHA, the crystallinity index was slightly lower, around 29%. In terms of total reducing sugars it was not possible to observe a significant difference between the hydrolysis carried out without the use of surfactant compared to the addition of Triton and rhamnolipid. However, by observing the conversions achieved during the hydrolysis, it was noted that the best conversion was using the rhamnolipíd for the husk pretreated with acid/alkali, reaching a value of 33%, whereas using Triton the higher conversion was 23.8%. The coconut husk is a residue which can present a high potential to the 2nd generation ethanol production, being the rhamonolipid a very efficient biosurfactant for use as an adjuvant in the enzymatic process in order to act on the material structure reducing its recalcitrance and therefore improving the conditions of access for enzymes to the substrate increasing thus the conversion of cellulose to glucose.

Avaliação da influência de surfactantes químico e biológico na hidrólise enzimática de casca de coco verde após pré-tratamento ácido/alcalino e com peróxido de hidrogênio alcalino

In Brazil many types of bioproducts and agroindustrial waste are generated currently, such as cacashew apple bagasse and coconut husk, for example. The final disposal of these wastes causes serious environmental issues. In this sense, waste lignocellulosic content, as the shell of the coconut is a renewable and abundant raw material in which its use has an increased interest mainly for the 2nd generation ethanol production. The hydrolysis of cellulose to reducing sugars such as glucose and xylose is catalysed by a group of enzymes called cellulases. However, the main bottleneck in the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose is the significant deactivation of the enzyme that shows irreversible adsorption mechanism leading to reduction of the cellulose adsorption onto cellulose. Studies have shown that the use of surfactants can modify the surface property of the cellulose therefore minimizing the irreversible binding. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the influence of chemical and biological surfactants during the hydrolysis of coconut husk which was subjected to two pre-treatment in order to improve the accessibility of the enzymes to the cellulose, removing this way, part of the lignin and hemicellulose present in the structure of the material. The pre-treatments applied to coconut bagasse were: Acid/Alkaline using 0.6M H2SO4 followed by 1M NaOH, and the one with Alkaline Hydrogen Peroxide at a concentration of 7.35% (v/v) and pH 11.5. Both the material no treatment and pretreated were characterized using analysis of diffraction X-ray (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and methods established by NREL. The influence of both surfactants, chemical and biological, was used at concentrations below the critical micelle concentration (CMC), and the concentrations equal to the CMC. The application of pre-treatment with coconut residue was efficient for the conversion to glucose, as well as for the production of total reducing sugars, it was possible to observe that the pretreatment fragmented the structure as well as disordered the fibers. Regarding XRD analysis, a significant increase in crystallinity index was observed for pretreated bagasse acid/alkali (51.1%) compared to the no treatment (31.7%), while that for that treated with PHA, the crystallinity index was slightly lower, around 29%. In terms of total reducing sugars it was not possible to observe a significant difference between the hydrolysis carried out without the use of surfactant compared to the addition of Triton and rhamnolipid. However, by observing the conversions achieved during the hydrolysis, it was noted that the best conversion was using the rhamnolipíd for the husk pretreated with acid/alkali, reaching a value of 33%, whereas using Triton the higher conversion was 23.8%. The coconut husk is a residue which can present a high potential to the 2nd generation ethanol production, being the rhamonolipid a very efficient biosurfactant for use as an adjuvant in the enzymatic process in order to act on the material structure reducing its recalcitrance and therefore improving the conditions of access for enzymes to the substrate increasing thus the conversion of cellulose to glucose.

Estudo da fibra de coco como reforço em tijolo de solocimento

To take care of to the demand of the new constructions in the low income communities and to develop the production of a strengthened alternative brick with staple fibers of coconut, capable to contribute mainly with the recycling of the green and mature coconut in the urban and agricultural lexes, this research was developed, to confection bricks of soil-cement with coconut fiber. Ecologically correct material and of low cost, since the greenhouse use of or oven for burning will be manufactured without. The study it presents a set of tables and graphs that prove good indices found in the values of the density, water absorption, axial compressive strength and isolation term acoustics, with evidential results that make possible the production in industrial character with press mechanics or the place of the workmanship with manual form. The preparation of coconut staple fibers was made of natural form without use of chemical products not to deprive of characteristics the properties mechanical physicist-chemistries and of the same ones. The sixty bricks produced in simple and manual press had been carried through in four lots of fifteen units. The mixture of aggregates was made in four different traces composites for: ground erinaceous, cement, fiber of dry coconut and water; the bricks had been compact in the press and cured in natural way under an area covered during the minimum time of seven days

Produção de enzimas por fungos em fermentação semi-sólida utilizando bagaço de coco e pedúnculo de caju como substratos

The production of enzymes by microorganisms using organic residues is important and it can be associated with several applications such as food and chemical industries and so on. The objective of this work is the production of CMCase, Xylanase, Avicelase and FPase enzymes by solid state fermentation (SSF) using as substrates: bagasse of coconut and dried cashew stem. The microorganisms employed are Penicillium chrysogenum and an isolated fungus from the coconut bark (Aspergillus fumigatus). Through the factorial design methodology and response surface analysis it was possible to study the influence of the humidity and pH. For Penicillium chrysogenum and the isolated fungus, the coconut bagasse was used as culture medium. In another fermentation, it was used the mixture of coconut bagasse and cashew stem. Fermentations were conducted using only the coconut bagasse as substrate in cultures with Penicillium chrysogenum fungus and the isolated one. A mixture with 50% of coconut and 50% of cashew stem was employed only for Penicillium chrysogenum fungus, the cultivation conditions were: 120 hours at 30 °C in BOD, changing humidity and pH values. In order to check the influence of the variables: humidity and pH, a 2 2 factorial experimental design was developed, and then two factors with two levels for each factor and three repetitions at the central point. The levels of the independent variables used in ascending order (-1, 0, +1), to humidity, 66%, 70.5% and 75% and pH 3, 5 and 7, respectively. The software STATISTICA TM (version 7.0, StatSoft, Inc.) was used to calculate the main effects of the variables and their interactions. The response surface methodology was used to optimize the conditions of the SSF. A chemical and a physic-chemical characterization of the coconut bagasse have determined the composition of cellulose (%) = 39.09; Hemicellulose (%) = 23.80, Total Lignin (%) = 36.22 and Pectin (%) = 1.64. To the characterization of cashew stem, the values were cellulose (g) = 15.91 Hemicellulose (%) = 16.77, Total Lignin (%) = 30.04 and Pectin (%) = 15.24. The results indicate the potential of the materials as substrate for semisolid fermentation enzyme production. The two microorganisms used are presented as good producers of cellulases. The results showed the potential of the fungus in the production of CMCase enzyme, with a maximum of 0.282 UI/mL and the Avicelase enzyme the maximum value ranged from 0.018 to 0.020 UI/ mL, using only coconut bagasse as substrate. The Penicillium chrysogenum fungus has showed the best results for CMCase = 0.294 UI/mL, FPase = 0.058 UI/mL, Avicelase = 0.010 UI/mL and Xylanase = 0.644 UI/ mL enzyme, using coconut bagasse and cashew stem as substrates. The Penicllium chrysogenum fungus showed enzymatic activities using only the coconut as substrate for CMCase = 0.233 UI/mL, FPase = 0.031 to 0.032 UI/ mL, Avicelase = 0.018 to 0.020 UI/mL and Xylanase = 0.735 UI/ mL. Thus, it can be concluded that the used organisms and substrates have offered potential for enzyme production processes in a semi-solid cultivation