Reuse of sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) to produce ceramic materials

Sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) is a residue resulting from the burning of bagasse in boilers in the sugarcane/alcohol industry. SCBA has a very high silica concentration and contains aluminum, iron, alkalis and alkaline earth oxides in smaller amounts. In this work, the properties of sintered ceramic bodies were evaluated based on the concentration of SCBA, which replaced non-plastic material. The ash was mixed (up to 60 wt%) with a clayed raw material that is used to produce roof tiles. Prismatic probes were pressed and sintered at different temperatures (up to 1200 degrees C). Technological tests of ceramic probes showed that the addition of ash has little influence on the ceramic properties up to 1000 C. X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis data showed that, above this temperature the ash participates in the sintering process and in the formation of new important phases. The results reported show that the reuse of SCBA in the ceramic industry is feasible. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reuse of norgestomet implants in an eCG-based superovulation protocol administered to Nelore (Bos taurus indicus) cows

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

Microbiological and physicochemical treatments applied to metallurgic industry aiming water reuse

Estudou-se o reuso de água de um sistema composto por estação de tratamento de esgoto (ETE) com aeração prolongada e lodo ativado, e em uma estação compacta de tratamento de água (ECTA) de uma indústria metalúrgica. Os processos para obtenção da água de reuso foram: microbiológico e físico-químico. O esgoto doméstico foi bombeado para a ETE, onde houve formação de flocos biológicos e água clarificada. Avaliou-se a eficiência do processo microbiológico da ETE mediante a remoção de demanda bioquímica de oxigênio (DBO), demanda química de oxigênio (DQO) e sólidos sedimentáveis (SS). A eficiência do processo físico-químico de clarificação e desinfecção foi avaliada mediante análises de pH, turbidez, cor, contagem de bactérias heterotróficas aeróbias, cloro livre, dureza, alcalinidade, cloretos, sulfatos, sólidos totais dissolvidos (STD). Na água de reuso além desses parâmetros avaliou-se a toxicidade aguda ao microcrustáceo Daphnia similis.

Reuse of sand, crushed sugarcane and peanut hull-based substrates for cherry tomato cultivation

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

NEST REUSE AND COMMUNAL NESTING IN MICROTHURGE-CORUMBAE (HYMENOPTERA, MEGACHILIDAE), WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO NEST DEFENSE

Observations on the nesting activities of Microthurge corumbae, carried out at the University Campus of Ribeirao Preto, São Paulo, Brazil, from 1977 to 1981, indicated that 61.9% of nests were re-used by succeeding generations. Re-use by one generation was more frequent than by two generations, and re-use by a third was observed only once. Nests were re-used by one or several females. Single females were more frequently in the first re-use. In these cases nest re-use did not differ essentially from the solitary foundation of a new nest, except for the adoption of a pre-existing nest without excavation. In multifemale nests, analysis of relative age (wing wear), ovarian and spermathecal conditions of associated females and the content of nests at excavation indicated that the social pattern in such colonies is communal. There is some evidence that the associated females are relatives. The chalcidoid wasp Leucospis was the principal nest parasite, and ants of the genus Crematogaster were nest predators. In multifemale nests, the rate of parasitism was significantly lower than in solitary nests, indicating that nest-sharing resulted in improved nest defense. on the other hand. The absence of predation on immatures of the first generation of M. corumbue in multifemale nests suggests that such nests are also more resistant to attack by predators.

An extended query-the-user tool for expert systems

An extended version of HIER, a query-the-user facility for expert systems is presented. HIER was developed to run over Prolog programs, and has been incorporated to systems that support the design of large and complex applications. The framework of the extended version is described,; as well as the major features of the implementation. An example is included to illustrate the use of the tool, involving the design of a specific database application.

Optimization of query results in peer-to-peer database supported by semantics

The development of new technologies that use peer-to-peer networks grows every day, with the object to supply the need of sharing information, resources and services of databases around the world. Among them are the peer-to-peer databases that take advantage of peer-to-peer networks to manage distributed knowledge bases, allowing the sharing of information semantically related but syntactically heterogeneous. However, it is a challenge to ensure the efficient search for information without compromising the autonomy of each node and network flexibility, given the structural characteristics of these networks. On the other hand, some studies propose the use of ontology semantics by assigning standardized categorization of information. The main original contribution of this work is the approach of this problem with a proposal for optimization of queries supported by the Ant Colony algorithm and classification though ontologies. The results show that this strategy enables the semantic support to the searches in peer-to-peer databases, aiming to expand the results without compromising network performance. © 2011 IEEE.

Comparison of polymers and ceramics in new and discarded electrical insulators: reuse and recycling possibilities

The expansion and maintenance of electricity distribution networks generates large amounts of waste, much of it in the form of discarded insulators that are not reused or recycled. This paper describes the results of tests on used and new ceramic and polymeric insulators to verify if their exposure to weathering justifies their replacement. In new and used ceramic insulators, properties such as contact angle, relative density, porosimetry, dilatometry and X-ray diffraction patterns showed no differences or the differences that were found could not be related to their use. The discarded ceramic material showed high thermal stability, an interesting characteristic for application as chamotte. It can also be reused to replace gravel used in substations. In polymeric insulators, thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry and relative density test results suggest degradation of used material compared to new. This would justify their replacement and discard as waste, but they show little recycling potential.

Reuse of Cyclodextrin Glycosyltransferase through Immobilization on Magnetic Carriers

National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq)