Estética do apocalipse: (re) considerações acerca da (des) arborização urbana de Natal e seu contributo à saúde pública

This study intends to establish a relation between environmental degradation, particularly the devastation of the green canopy, and public health. Utilizing a mapping of the trees included in the researched area, each individual tree was analyzed according to its age, taxonomic listing, architecture, shape and size (determined by aesthetic/convenience reasons or deformed by pruning). Initially investigated were the covert reasons lying underneath the constant aggression against trees (which many times seem to contain elements of hatred and contempt) within the urban environment. In addition to that, the aspects concerning environmental modifications and the consequent impact on public health were also assessed. Two main problems promptly emerged as a result of the removal of trees: a) without a canopy to protect the areas, they became subject to winds directly blown from SW Africa and impregnated with aerosol partic les, which are common causes for respiratory disorders and, b) direct UV solar radiation, which causes some types of skin cancers and eye disorders. To reach such results, we studied the origins and formation of UV radiation induced cancers and searched for the UV radiation spectra of action, e.g., usual intensity and quantity reaching clear and shadowed spaces in a certain area and its consequences. In a second instance, we also searched for pertinent data resources in order to confirm the increase of skin cancer cases due to exposure to UV radiation and the relation between the destruction of the green canopy and the above mentioned problems. We believe that a few significant results have been achieved by this study, namely: the relation between a culture based on medieval beliefs and its consequences on the environment; how this culture exploits and deforms nature in pursuit of financial and psychological interests to a point of transforming the landscape into a copy of something devoid of any relation to latitude and altitude; and above all, the indifference concerning the alarming results carried by these modifications

Desenvolvimento de argamassa para restauração utilizando resíduo do polimento do porcelanato

The coatings mortars are essential elements of building structures because they execute an important role in protecting walls and are particularly exposed to aggressive action responsible for its degradation over time. The importance of wall coverings has been the subject of discussion and analysis in the conservation and rehabilitation of old buildings. Are sometimes removed and replaced with inappropriate solutions of constructive point of view or architecture. The most commonly used coatings on walls of old buildings is based on traditional hydraulic lime mortars. The present study aims at the formulation of new lime- based mortars and aerial fine aggregate, in order to contribute to a better field of conservation and restoration mortar coating of old buildings. Residue was used for polishing porcelain as fine aggregate, replacing the aggregate (sand), in percentages 05-30% by mass. We conducted a thorough evaluation of the mortar properties in fresh and hardened state by comparing the performance of the same with a reference mortar. The residue used was characterized as the density, bulk density, and particle size laser, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence. Formulations were produced 7, 6 with residue and one commonly used formulation, which served as a reference. In the formulations of lime mortars air (hydrated lime powder CH-I) has been adopted a stroke volume (1:3) with constant binder, was varied and the water / binder and aggregate and waste. For evaluation of mortars fresh, proceeded to consistency analysis, specific gravity, water retention and air content embedded. In the hardened state assays were performed in specific gravity, water retention, modulus of elasticity, tensile strength in bending, compressive strength, water absorption by capillary action, adhesion, tensile strength, resistance to shrinkage and salts by of crystallization trials with resources chloride solution, nitrate and sulfate all sodium in prismatic at 90 days of age, in addition to the micro structural analysis of mortars. Based on the results we can see that the mortar formulated with 10% content of waste and the reference free retraction feature more stable closer to neutrality. The composition of 10% was obtained better performance against the action of the salt crystallization. The mortar with 15% residue obtained better density, lower air content embedded and high capacity for water retention developing good workability. The replacement of 20% of waste generates a satisfactory utilization of resistance to compression, flexion and traction grip the base. And, finally, it can be seen that the mortar with 10, 15 and 20% residual show, in principle, good suitability as coatings, thus enabling a final result consistent with durability, workability and aesthetics developing therefore a material with better performance to repair or replace existing mortars in old buildings

Pirólise termoquímica de pós da fibra de coco seco em um reator de cilindro rotativo para produção de bio-óleo

This master thesis aims at developing a new methodology for thermochemical degradation of dry coconut fiber (dp = 0.25mm) using laboratory rotating cylinder reactor with the goal of producing bio-oil. The biomass was characterized by infrared spectroscopy with Fourier transform FTIR, thermogravimetric analysis TG, with evaluation of activation energy the in non-isothermal regime with heating rates of 5 and 10 °C/min, differential themogravimetric analysis DTG, sweeping electron microscopy SEM, higher heating value - HHV, immediate analysis such as evaluated all the amounts of its main constituents, i.e., lignin, cellulose and hemicelluloses. In the process, it was evaluated: reaction temperature (450, 500 and 550oC), carrier gas flow rate (50 and 100 cm³/min) and spin speed (20 and 25 Hz) to condensate the bio-oil. The feed rate of biomass (540 g/h), the rotation of the rotating cylinder (33.7 rpm) and reaction time (30 33 min) were constant. The phases obtained from the process of pyrolysis of dry coconut fiber were bio-oil, char and the gas phase non-condensed. A macroscopic mass balance was applied based on the weight of each phase to evaluate their yield. The highest yield of 20% was obtained from the following conditions: temperature of 500oC, inert gas flow of 100 cm³/min and spin speed of 20 Hz. In that condition, the yield in char was 24.3%, non-condensable gas phase was 37.6% and losses of approximately 22.6%. The following physicochemical properties: density, viscosity, pH, higher heating value, char content, FTIR and CHN analysis were evaluated. The sample obtained in the best operational condition was subjected to a qualitative chromatographic analysis aiming to know the constituents of the produced bio-oil, which were: phenol followed by sirigol, acetovanilona and vinyl guaiacol. The solid phase (char) was characterized through an immediate analysis (evaluation of moisture, volatiles, ashes and fixed carbon), higher heating value and FTIR. The non-condensing gas phase presented as main constituents CO2, CO and H2. The results were compared to the ones mentioned by the literature.

Ecogenômica de archaea e monitoramento de comunidades de procariotos redutores de sulfato: aplicações na indústria de petróleo e gás

The human activities responsible for the ambient degradation in the modern world are diverse. The industrial activities are preponderant in the question of the impact consequences for brazilian ecosystems. Amongst the human activities, the petroliferous industry in operation in Potiguar Petroliferous Basin (PPB) displays the constant risk of ambient impacts in the integrant cities, not only for the human populations and the environment, but also it reaches the native microorganisms of Caatinga ground and in the mangrove sediment. Not hindering, the elaboration of strategies of bioremediation for impacted areas pass through the knowledge of microbiota and its relations with the environment. Moreover, in the microorganism groups associated to oil, are emphasized the sulfate-reducing prokaryotes (SRP) that, in its anaerobic metabolism, these organisms participate of the sulfate reduction, discharging H2S, causing ambient risks and causing the corrosion of surfaces, as pipelines and tanks, resulting in damages for the industry. Some ancestries of PRS integrate the Archaea domain, group of microorganisms whose sequenced genomes present predominance of extremophilic adaptations, including surrounding with oil presence. This work has two correlated objectives: i) the detection and monitoring of the gene dsrB, gift in sulfate-reducing prokaryotes, through DGGE analysis in samples of mDNA of a mangrove sediment and semiarid soil, both in the BPP; ii) to relate genomic characteristics to the ecological aspects of Archaea through in silico studies, standing out the importance to the oil and gas industry. The results of the first work suggest that the petrodegraders communities of SRP persist after the contamination with oil in mangrove sediment and in semiarid soil. Comparing the populations of both sites, it reveals that there are variations in the size and composition during one year of experiments. In the second work, functional and structural factors are the probable cause to the pressure in maintenance of the conservation of the sequences in the multiple copies of the 16S rDNA gene. Is verified also the discrepancy established between total content GC and content GC of the same gene. Such results relating ribosomal genes and the ambient factors are important for metagenomic evaluations using PCR-DGGE. The knowledge of microbiota associated to the oil can contribute for a better destination of resources by the petroliferous industry and the development of bioremediation strategies. Likewise, search to lead to the best agreement of the performance of native microbiota in biogeochemical cycles in Potiguar Petroliferous Basin ecosystem

Estudo das interações polifenol-proteína e das reações de escurecimento não-enzimático para o processamento de cajuína

The cashew, a fruit from Brazilian Northeast is used to produce juice due to its flavor and vitamin C richness. However, its acceptance is limited due to its astringency. Cajuína is a derivate product appreciated by its characteristic flavor, freshness and lack of astringency, due to tannin removal. Cajuína is a light yellow beverage made from clarified cashew juice and sterilized after bottling. It differs from the integral and concentrated juice by the clarification and thermal treatment steps. Many problems such as haze and excessive browning could appear if these steps are not controlled. The objective of this work was divided into two stages with the aim to supply process information in order to obtain a good quality product with uniform characteristics (sensory and nutritional). Polyphenol-protein interaction was studied at the clarification step, which is an empirical process, to provide values on the amount of clarifying solution (gelatin) that must be added to achieve a complete juice clarification. Clarification essays were performed with juice dilutions of 1:2 and 1:10 and the effect of metabissulfite and tannic acid addition was evaluated. It was not possible to establish a clarification point. Metabissulfite did not influenced the clarification process however tannic acid addition displaced the clarification point, showing the difficulty visual monitoring of the process. Thermal treatment of clarified juice was studied at 88, 100, 111 e 121 °C. To evaluate the non-enzymatic browning, vitamin C, 5-hidroximetilfurfural (5-HMF) and sugar variation were correlated with color parameters (reflectance spectra, color difference and CIELAB). Kinetic models were obtained for reflectance spectra, ascorbic acid and 5-HMF. It was observed that 5-HMF introduction followed a first order kinetic rate at the beginning of the thermal treatment and a zero order kinetic at later process stages. An inverse correlation was observed between absorbance at 420 nm and ascorbic acid degradation, which indicates that ascorbic acid might be the principal factor on cajuína non-enzymatic browning. Constant sugar concentration showed that this parameter did not contribute directly to the nonenzymatic browning. Optimization techniques showed showed that to obtain a high vitamin C and a low 5-HMF content, the process must be done at 120 ºC. With the water-bath thermal treatment, the 90 °C temperature promoted a lower ascorbic acid degradation at the expense of a higher 5-HMF level

Análise dos Processos de Flotação e Oxidação Avançada para o Tratamento de Efluente Modelo da Indústria do Petróleo

The generation of wastes in most industrial process is inevitable. In the petroleum industry, one of the greatest problems for the environment is the huge amount of produced water generated in the oil fields. This wastewater is a complex mixture and present great amounts. These effluents can be hazardous to the environmental without adequate treatment. This research is focused in the analysis of the efficiencies of the flotation and photo-oxidation processes to remove and decompose the organic compounds present in the produced water. A series of surfactants derivated from the laurilic alcohol was utilized in the flotation to promote the separation. The experiments have been performed with a synthetic wastewater, carefully prepared with xylene. The experimental data obtained using flotation presented a first order kinetic, identified by the quality of the linear data fitting. The best conditions were found at 0.029 g.L-1 for the surfactant EO 7, 0.05 g.L-1 for EO 8, 0.07 g.L-1 for EO 9, 0.045 g.L-1 for EO 10 and 0.08 g.L-1 for EO 23 with the following estimated kinetic constants: 0.1765, 0.1325, 0.1210, 0.1531 and 0.1699 min-1, respectively. For the series studied, the most suitable surfactant was the EO 7 due to the lower reagent onsumption, higher separation rate constant and higher removal efficiency of xylene in the aqueous phase (98%). Similarly to the flotation, the photo-Fenton process shows to be efficient for degradation of xylene and promoting the mineralization of the organic charge around 90% and 100% in 90 min

Estudo da influência da temperatura na degradação termoquímica da biomassa de avelós

The bio-oil obtained from the pyrolysis of biomass has appeared as inter-esting alternative to replace fossil fuels. The aim of this work is to evaluate the influence of temperature on the yield of products originating from the pyrolysis process of the powder obtained from the dried twigs of avelós (Euphorbia tirucalli), using a rotating cylinder reactor in laboratory scale. The biomass was treated and characterized by: CHNS, moisture, volatiles, fixed carbon and ashes, as well as evaluation of lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose, besides other instrumental techniques such as: FTIR, TG/DTG, DRX, FRX and MEV. The activation energy was evaluated in non-isothemichal mode with heating rates of 5 and 10 oC/min. The obtained results showed biomass as feedstock with potential for biofuel production, because presents a high organic matter content (78,3%) and fixed-carbon (7,11%). The activation energy required for the degradation of biomass ranged between 232,92 392,84 kJ/mol, in the temperature range studied and heating rate of 5 and 10°C/min. In the pyrolysis process, the influence of the reaction temperature was studied (350-520 ° C), keeping constant the other variables, such as, the flow rate of carrier gas, the centrifugal speed for the bio-oil condensationa, the biomass flow and the rotation of the reactor. The maximum yield of bio-oil was obtained in the temperature of 450°C. In this temperature, the results achieved where: content of bio-oil 8,12%; char 32,7%; non-condensed gas 35,4%; losts 23,8%; gross calorific value 3,43MJ/kg; pH 4,93 and viscosity 1,5cP. The chromatographic analysis of the bio-oil produced under these conditions shows mainly the presence of phenol (17,71%), methylciclopentenone (10,56%) and dimethylciclopentenone (7,76%)

Estudo da influência da temperatura na degradação termoquímica da biomassa de avelós (euphorbia tirucalli Linn)

The bio-oil obtained from the pyrolysis of biomass has appeared as inter-esting alternative to replace fossil fuels. The aim of this work is to evaluate the influence of temperature on the yield of products originating from the pyrolysis process of the powder obtained from the dried twigs of avelós (Euphorbia tirucalli), using a rotating cylinder reactor in laboratory scale. The biomass was treated and characterized by: CHNS, moisture, volatiles, fixed carbon and ashes, as well as evaluation of lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose, besides other instrumental techniques such as: FTIR, TG/DTG, DRX, FRX and MEV. The activation energy was evaluated in non-isothemichal mode with heating rates of 5 and 10 oC/min. The obtained results showed biomass as feedstock with potential for biofuel production, because presents a high organic matter content (78,3%) and fixed-carbon (7,11%). The activation energy required for the degradation of biomass ranged between 232,92 392,84 kJ/mol, in the temperature range studied and heating rate of 5 and 10°C/min. In the pyrolysis process, the influence of the reaction temperature was studied (350-520 ° C), keeping constant the other variables, such as, the flow rate of carrier gas, the centrifugal speed for the bio-oil condensationa, the biomass flow and the rotation of the reactor. The maximum yield of bio-oil was obtained in the temperature of 450°C. In this temperature, the results achieved where: content of bio-oil 8,12%; char 32,7%; non-condensed gas 35,4%; losts 23,8%; gross calorific value 3,43MJ/kg; pH 4,93 and viscosity 1,5cP. The chromatographic analysis of the bio-oil produced under these conditions shows mainly the presence of phenol (17,71%), methylciclopentenone (10,56%) and dimethylciclopentenone (7,76%)

Investigação dos processos hidrossedimentológicos em parcela experimental no semi-árido potiguar

In northeastern semiarid, seasonality on precipitation temporal distribution, high intensity storm events and inadequate management of native vegetation can promote soil erosion. Vegetation removal causes soil surface exposure, reduces soil water storage capacity and can be the source degradation processes. In this context, this approach aims to analyze water and soil erosion processes on a 250 m2 undisturbed experimental plot with native vegetation, slope 2.5% by using 2006 and 2007 monitoring data. The site was instrumented to monitor rainfall, overland flow runoff and erosion by using a 5 m³ tank downstream the plot. Soil erosion monitoring was made by transported sediment and organic matter collection after each event. Field infiltration experiments were made at 16 points randomly distributed within the plot area by using a constant head infiltrometer during drought and rainy seasons, respectively. Infiltration data revealed high spatial and temporal variability. It was observed that during the beginning of the rainy period, 77% of the events showed runoff coefficient less than 0.05. As the rainy season began, soil water increase produced annual species germination. High intensity storms resulted in runoff coefficients varying between 0.33 and 0.42. Once the annual species was established, it was observed that approximately 39% of the events produced no runoff, which reflects an increase on soil water retention capacity caused by the vegetation. A gradual runoff reduction during the rainy season emphasizes the effect of vegetative density increase. Soil erosion observed data allowed to fit an empirical relationship involving soil loss and precipitation height, which was used to analyze the plot installation impact on soil erosion. Observed soil loss in 2006 and 2007 was 230 Kg/ha and 54 Kg/ha, respectively

Remoção de matéria orgânica em sistemas de lagoas de estabilização no Nordeste brasileiro

Stabilization pond is the main technology used for treatment wastewater, in northeast Brazil, due to lower cost of deployment, operation and maintenance compared to other technologies. Most systems of stabilization ponds has been in operation for some time, on average 10 years of operation, receiving high organic loads and do not have good removal efficiencies of the main parameters for which have been designed. Therefore it is necessary to work to quantify the efficiency of current systems. This study evaluated the biodegradability of organic matter in raw sewage, the removal of organic matter in reactors and determination of the kinetic constant removal of organic matter (k), both in reactors and in raw sewage, based on the analysis made in the laboratory and through mathematical methods proposed in the literature, in nine systems stabilization ponds, located in Rio Grande do Norte. In relation the degradation kinetics in stabilization ponds, it was observed that many papers published in the literature were obtained in pilot-scale systems, which often, due to the action of external factors such as wind and temperature, these can t be considered as a reference in the analysis of the kinetic constant K, so the need for more research into systems of scale. This study had three distinct phases and simultaneous, routine monitoring, study of the daily cycle and the determination of kinetic constant of degradation of organic matter (K). The monitoring showed that the removal efficiencies of organic matter on most systems were lower than suggested by the literature, the best efficiencies of around 76% (BOD) and 72% (COD) and the worst of the order of 48% (BOD) and 55% (COD). The calculation of K in raw sewage (Ke) was within the range of variation expected in the literature (0.35 to 0.60 days-1). Already for the results obtained for K in the reactors (Kr), there were well below the values recommended in the literature (0.25 to 0.40 d-1 for complete mix and from 0.13 to 0.17 d-1 for flow dispersed), in line with the overloads that organic systems are subject

Análise dos Processos de Flotação e Oxidação Avançada para o Tratamento de Efluente Modelo da Indústria do Petróleo

The generation of wastes in most industrial process is inevitable. In the petroleum industry, one of the greatest problems for the environment is the huge amount of produced water generated in the oil fields. This wastewater is a complex mixture and present great amounts. These effluents can be hazardous to the environmental without adequate treatment. This research is focused in the analysis of the efficiencies of the flotation and photo-oxidation processes to remove and decompose the organic compounds present in the produced water. A series of surfactants derivated from the laurilic alcohol was utilized in the flotation to promote the separation. The experiments have been performed with a synthetic wastewater, carefully prepared with xylene. The experimental data obtained using flotation presented a first order kinetic, identified by the quality of the linear data fitting. The best conditions were found at 0.029 g.L-1 for the surfactant EO 7, 0.05 g.L-1 for EO 8, 0.07 g.L-1 for EO 9, 0.045 g.L-1 for EO 10 and 0.08 g.L-1 for EO 23 with the following estimated kinetic constants: 0.1765, 0.1325, 0.1210, 0.1531 and 0.1699 min-1, respectively. For the series studied, the most suitablesurfactant was the EO 7 due to the lower reagent consumption, higher separation rate constant and higher removal efficiency of xylene in the aqueous phase (98%). Similarly to the flotation, the photo-Fenton process shows to be efficient for degradation of xylene and promoting the mineralization of the organic charge around 90% and 100% in 90 min