Environmental ageing studies of chemically modified micro and nanofibril phenol formaldehyde composites

Cellulose micro and nano fibrils were extracted from banana macro fibres and chemically modified using sodium hydroxide, formic acid, 3-methacryloxy propyltrimethoxy silane. These untreated and chemically treated fibrils were incorporated into PF resin and the specimens were prepared. The composites were subjected to long-term water ageing, thermal ageing soil burial and outdoor weathering. The mechanical properties are reduced under all ageing conditions. The present study investigates the effects of different types of ageing on macro fibre, microfibril and nanofibril reinforced PF composites. The effect of chemical modifications of fibres on the degradability of the composites at different environments also has been analysed. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Comportamento fotofísico do antraceno em sistemas micro-heterogêneos argila-surfactantes-íons metálicos

Argilas constituem uma classe de complexos micro-heterogêneos e podem ser utilizados como substrato para adsorção. O seu comportamento de sorção em fase sólida intensificada pela presença de surfactantes, argilas organofílicas, é um importante fenômeno explorado pela tecnologia ambiental para a remoção de compostos orgânicos policíclicos (hidrocarbonetos aromáticos policíclicos, HPA) da água, introduzidos no ambiente por fontes antropogênicas. Este trabalho tem por objetivo estudar o comportamento fotofísico do antraceno, como modelo de HPA, em sistemas micro-heterogêneos argila-surfactantes-íons metálicos (M(II)= Cd(II), Cu(II), Hg(II), Ni(II) e Pb(II); surfactantes: CTACl; SDS; TR-X100). Os estudos foram conduzidos pelo monitoramento na mudança das propriedades de fluorescência estática e na supressão da emissão do antraceno utilizado como sonda fluorescente. Como supressores foram utilizados os cátions metálicos: Cd(II), Cu(II), Hg(II), Ni(II) e Pb(II). O perfil do espectro de fluorescência e os resultados dos ensaios de supressão da fluorescência da sonda permitiram inferir na localização do sítio de solubilização do antraceno nos sistemas micro-heterogêneos estudados e na conseqüente organização dos mesmos.

Evaluation of metals in water and sediments of micro-basins in the city of Americana, São Paulo state, Brazil

Water pollution found in major rivers in Brazil has its origin from urban sewage discharges and industrial effluent, carried out by small streams and rivers crossing cities. Therefore, studies related to hydrographic micro-basins offer the opportunity to establish environmental management strategies for restoring water resources, based on diagnosis of the water quality. Despite this understanding, few studies in urban and rural areas have been performed in a systematic manner in Brazilian micro-basins. The main goal of this research was to diagnose the water resources in micro-basins in the region of the district of Americana, São Paulo state, Brazil, through the quantification of metals in water and sediment. The methodology was based on the investigation of metals (Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn), in four micro-basins, determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The most significant result showed high concentration levels of chromium (969 μg L-1), downstream of the discharge of sewage from the city of Nova Odessa. This concentration in the river was above the allowed limit of Brazilian regulation agency (50 μg L-1 for Cr). Also high levels of Cr were found in the sediment (98.9 μg g-1) collected at the same monitored site. These results are important indicators of environmental performance and anthropogenic activities to help the government establish environmental management strategies aimed at the reduction of water pollution. © 2013 WIT Press.

Seleção de micro-organismos fermentadores de xilose em etanol a partir de diferentes variedades da casca de uvas (Vitis spp)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Caracterização de micro-habitats do guaxinim (Procyon cancrivorus) em remanescentes de vegetação na região de Campinas, São Paulo (Mammalia: Carnivora)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Aplicação de modelagem hidrológica associada à análise geoespacial, para caracterização da vazão na micro Central Hidroelétrica Ilha Anchieta - SP

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Mecânica - FEG

Micro-fungos de interesse para o setor de petróleo, gás e biocombustíveis

Oil is a hydrocarbon mixture of various sizes, including saturated and aromatic compounds. Natural gas is a mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons and its main component is methane. In our society, the great demand for these fuels requires fast extraction, transportation and refining, increasing the number of accidents that compromise the environment. Oil is a finite resource and it is necessary to reduce the problems related to the question concerning environmental pollution which has encouraged the search for alternative fuel sources in our country. So today we have two major biofuels: ethanol and biodiesel. Concurrently, many studies have been done directed toward the isolation of microorganisms capable of degrading petrochemical industrial wastes, most of them using as a source of isolation soil and water collected in a contaminated environment. Isolation from alternative substrates has emerged as a new strategy that has provided satisfactory results. In this work, we present the leaf-cutter ants of the Attini tribe as a source for the isolation of micro-fungi with the potential for hydrocarbon degradation. These insects have a social way of life and a highly specialized system of intra and interspecific communication, which is based on the recognition of individuals through volatile chemical compounds, the majority hydrocarbons, stored in their exoskeleton. The micro-environment exoskeleton of Attini ants (genus Atta) used in this work proved to be a rich source of microbial biodiversity, as other studies have found. The flotation isolation technique applied here allowed the achievement of 214 micro-fungi, 118 representatives of the dematiaceous fungi group and 96 hyaline filamentous fungi. They were submitted to toluene degradation tests and at least one strain of each genus presented good results, namely Teratosphaeria, Exophiala, Cladosporium, Penicillium, Aspergillus... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Micro-extração em fase sólida (SPME) in situ e comparação de compostos voláteis em variedades de manga (Mangifera indica L.) resistentes e suscetíveis à mosca-das-frutas Anastrepha obliqua (Macquart) (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Pós-graduação em Química - IQ

Green supply chain management and environmental performance of firms in the bioenergy sector in Brazil: an exploratory survey

To achieve sustainable development, supply chains must become greener. In this context, the importance of green supply chain management (GSCM) increases because it can contribute to improving firms'environmental performance (EP). However, little is known about these subjects in the context of firms in the bioenergy sector (sugarcane and ethanol production in Brazil). Thus, the objective of this work is to present the results of a survey conducted on 80 micro-, small-, and medium-sized firms that are suppliers in the Brazilian bioenergy sector (sugarcane and ethanol production). These results indicate that GSCM practices strengthen the EP of firms in the sector. Therefore, this article contributes to the existing literature because it addresses the relationship between GSCM and EP in an understudied sector (sugarcane and ethanol production). (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using landscape metrics to analyze micro-scale soil erosion processes

Methods of recording soil erosion using photographs exist but they are not commonly considered in scientific studies. Digital images may hold an expressive amount of information that can be extracted quickly in different manners. The investigation of several metrics that were initially developed for landscape ecology analysis constitutes one method. In this study we applied a method of landscape metrics to quantify the spatial configuration of surface micro-topography and erosion-related features, in order to generate a possible complementary tool for environmental management. In a 3.7 m wide and 9.7 m long soil box used during a rainfall simulation study, digital images were systematically acquired in four instances: (a) when the soil was dry; (b) after a short duration rain for initial wetting; (c) after the first erosive rain; and (d) after the 2nd erosive rain. Thirteen locations were established in the box and digital photos were taken at these locations with the camera positioned at the same orthogonal distance from the soil surface under the same ambient light intensity. Digital photos were converted into bimodal images and seven landscape metrics were analyzed: percentage of land, number of patches, density of patches, largest patch index, edge density, shape index, and fractal dimension. Digital images were an appropriate tool because they can generate data very quickly. The landscape metrics were sensitive to changes in soil surface micro-morphology especially after the 1st erosive rain event, indicating significant erosional feature development between the initial wetting and first erosive rainfall. The method is considered suitable for spatial patterns of soil micro-topography evolution from rainfall events that bear similarity to landscape scale pattern evolution from eco-hydrological processes. Although much more study is needed for calibrating the landscape metrics at the micro-scale, this study is a step forward in demonstrating the advantages of the method.