User-producer interaction in the Brazilian oil industry: The relationship between petrobras and its suppliers of wet Christmas tree

The objective of this work is to analyze the importance of the user-producer interaction for the innovative process of the Brazilian oil industry from the 2000s. To do so, we selected two of the three providers installed in Brazil that produce the set of valves used in the oil wellhead to control its production, set which is called wet Christmas tree (WCT), the Norway's Aker Solutions and the American FMC Technologies. The results of this analysis indicate not only the development of the oil industry in Brazil is marked by a strategy of cooperative innovation, but they also reveal the importance of geographical proximity and direct cooperation, especially between the centers of engineering and research and development of companies. Furthermore, these partnerships are not limited to the adaptation of products to new needs, but they also include the development of new systems. © Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Facultad de Economía y Negocios.

Glycerol: Production, consumption, prices, characterization and new trends in combustion

The demand for petroleum has been rising rapidly due to increasing industrialization and modernization. This economic development has led to a huge demand for energy, most of which is derived from fossil fuel. However, the limited reserve of fossil fuel has led many researchers to look for alternative fuels which can be produced from renewable feedstock. Increasing fossil fuel prices have prompted the global oil industry to look at biodiesel, which is from renewable energy sources. Biodiesel is produced from animal fats and vegetable oils and has become more attractive because it is more environmentally friendly and is obtained from renewable sources. Glycerol is the main by-product of biodiesel production; about 10% of the weight of biodiesel is generated in glycerol. The large amount of glycerol generated may become an environmental problem, since it cannot be disposed of in the environment. In this paper, an attempt has been made to review the different approaches and techniques used to produce glycerol (hydrolysis, transesterification, refining crude glycerol). The world biodiesel/glycerol production and consumption market, the current world glycerin and glycerol prices as well as the news trends for the use of glycerol mainly in Brazil market are analyzed. The technological production and physicochemical properties of glycerol are described, as is the characterization of crude glycerol obtained from different seed oil feedstock. Finally, a simple way to use glycerol in large amounts is combustion, which is an advantageous method as it does not require any purification. However, the combustion process of crude glycerol is not easy and there are technological difficulties. The news and mainly research about the combustion of glycerol was also addressed in this review. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Fatty acids and some antioxidant compounds of Psidium guajava seed oil

Physico-chemical characteristics, fatty acid and tocopherol compositions, total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of crude oil extracted from guava (Psidium guajava var. pomifera) seeds were investigated. Oil yield from the seeds was 14.0%. Data obtained for the analytical indexes compared well with those of others edible oils. The oil showed high levels of unsaturated fatty acids (88.1%), mainly linoleic acid (78.4%). The tocopherol and total phenolic contents in the oil amounted to 29.2 and 92.3 mg/100 g, respectively. The guava seed oil exhibited a great DPPH · scavenging activity showing EC₅₀ of 12.9 g oil/g [DPPH · ] -1 and antiradical efficiency of 7.9×10 -2 . Therefore, the potential utilization of the guava seed oil as a raw material of food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries appears to be favourable and provides the use of a renewable resource, adding value to agricultural products.

Composition and Activity against Oral Pathogens of the Essential Oil of Melampodium divaricatum (Rich.) DC.

The chemical composition of the essential oil isolated from the aerial parts of Melampodium divaricatum (Rich.) DC. (Asteraceae) was characterized by GC-FID and GC/MS analyses. (E)-Caryophyllene (56.0%), germacrene D (12.7%), and bicyclogermacrene (9.2%) were identified as the major oil components. The antimicrobial activity of the oil against seven standard strains of oral pathogens from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) was evaluated by determining minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) using the microdilution method. MIC Values below 100 mu g/ml were obtained against Streptococcus sobrinus (90 mu g/ml), Lactobacillus casei (30 mu g/ml), S. mutans (20 mu g/ml), and S. mitis (18 mu g/ml). In contrast, the MIC values of the major oil compound (E)-caryophyllene were higher than 400 mu g/ml against all pathogens, suggesting that the activity of the oil might depend on minor oil components and/or on synergistic effects. The M. divaricatum essential oil is a promising agent to include in anticariogenic oral rinse formulations for the control of oral pathogens.

Evaluation of Different Conditions of Contact for Caprolactam Migration from Multilayer Polyamide Films into Food Simulants

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A castor oil-containing dental luting agent: effects of cyclic loading and storage time on flexural strength

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

MORTALITY OF ANTICARSIA GEMMATALIS (LEPIDOPTERA: NOCTUIDAE) CATERPILLARS POST EXPOSURE TO A COMMERCIAL NEEM (AZADIRACHTA INDICA, MELIACEAE) OIL FORMULATION

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Morphological effects of neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) seed oil with known azadirachtin concentrations on the oocytes of semi-engorged Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks (Acari: Ixodidae)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Olive oils from Campos de Hellin (Spain) exhibit significant varietal differences in fatty acid composition, sterol fraction, and oxidative stability

The Spanish region of Campos de Hellin (Albacete) is characterized by a wide range of olive varieties (Arbequina, Benizal, Cornicabra, Cuquillo, Injerta, Manzanilla Local, Manzanilla de Sevilla, Negrilla, Picual), which provides different physicochemical and sensory characteristics to the oils. Thus, the knowledge of these characteristics may help develop more balanced oils. Monovarietal virgin olive oils from the different varieties grown in this area were characterized from the physicochemical and sensory points of view during four consecutive years. Clear differences among the varieties were found when principal component analysis was applied to the data from the studied parameters. The varieties were grouped according to their oleic and linoleic acid content, oxidative stability, and campesterol and total sterols content. The differences were significant with a 95% confidence level. The variety effect on the oil characteristics was stronger than the effect of the crop year. Practical applications: Chemical and sensory characteristics of monovarietal virgin olive oils play an important role in the elaboration of blends. In olive-growing regions where there is more than one variety cultivated, the characterization of monovarietal oils could increase the value of the olive oil produced due to the development of more balanced oils tailored to the preferences of consumers. This work shows that the chemical and sensory differences between varieties make possible the elaboration of a new range of virgin olive oils. This could encourage the development and marketing of quality oils, and thus increase the competitiveness of the mills in the oil market.

The application of neural networks to the analysis of dissolved gases in insulating oil used in transformers

The state of insulating oils used in transformers is determined through the accomplishment of physical-chemical tests, which determine the state of the oil, as well as the chromatography test, which determines possible faults in the equipment. This article concentrate on determining, from a new methodology, a relationship among the variation of the indices obtained from the physical-chemical tests with those indices supplied by the chromatography tests.The determination of the relationship among the tests is accomplished through the application of neural networks. From the data obtained by physical-chemical tests, the network is capable to determine the relationship among the concentration of the main gases present in a certain sample, which were detected by the chromatography tests.More specifically, the proposed approach uses neural networks of perceptron type constituted of multiple layers. After the process of network training, it is possible to determine the existent relationship between the physical-chemical tests and the amount of gases present in the insulating oil.

Chemical and rheological properties of exopolysaccharides produced by four isolates of rhizobia

The rheological, physicochemical properties, emulsification and stability of exopolysaccharides (EPSs) from four rhizobia isolates (LBMP-C01, LBMP-C02, LBMP-C03 and LBMP-C04) were studied. The EPS yields of isolates under these experimental conditions were in the range of 1.5-6.63gL(-1). The LBMP-C04 isolate, which presented the highest EPS production (6.63gL(-1)), was isolated from Arachis pintoi and was identified as a Rhizobium sp. strain that could be explored as a possible potential source for the production of extracellular heteropolysaccharides. All polymers showed a pseudoplastic non-Newtonian fluid behavior or shear thinning property in aqueous solutions. Among the four EPS tested against hydrocarbons, EPS LBMP-C01 was found to be more effective against hexane, olive and soybean oils (89.94%, 82.75% and 81.15%, respectively). Importantly, we found that changes in pH (2-11) and salinity (0-30%) influenced the emulsification of diesel oil by the EPSs. EPSLBMP-C04 presented optimal emulsification capacity at pH 10 (E24=53%) and 30% salinity (E24=27%). These findings contribute to the understanding of the influence of the chemical composition, physical properties and biotechnology applications of rhizobial EPS solutions their bioemulsifying properties.

Verification of applicability of the polyurethane adhesive based on castor oil in the manufacture of glued laminated bamboo

The current concern with the environment promotes the development of new technologies for production with use of alternative materials, from renewable resources, and changes in production processes, having as main objective the reduction of environmental impact. One of the alternatives for cleaner production is the use of castor oil derivatives instead of non-renewable sources, such as adhesives based on PVA (polyvinyl acetate), applied in the manufacturing process of glued laminated bamboo. Based on the versatility of the bamboo laminate and the castor oil, and from the perspective of sustainability, this study aims to contribute to the application of new materials and processes, used in the manufacturing industry, by proposing the use of the polyurethane adhesive based on castor oil for glued laminated bamboo manufacturing, which can later be used in the manufacture of several products. To verify the applicability of the polyurethane adhesive based on castor oil in the glued laminated bamboo manufacture, mechanical tests of traction and shearing of the glue sheet were performed in specimens of the said material, and the results were compared with the Cascorez 2590 and Waterbond adhesives. The results showed that the polyurethane adhesive based on castor oil, in the traction test, has superior performance than the Waterbond adhesive and slightly below than the Cascorez 2590 adhesive, but in the shear test, the polyurethane adhesive based on castor oil presented a slightly inferior performance than the other two adhesives used in the comparison.

Addition of lipolytic enzyme in anaerobic co-digestion of swine manure and inclusion levels of waste vegetable oil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)