Effect of light intensity and growth substratum on plant development and production of secondary metabolites in Cordia curassavica (Jacq.) Roem. & Schult

Cordia curassavica (Jacq.) Roem. & Schult. (Boraginaceae), also referred to as Cordia verbenacea DC, has been traditionally used for medicinal purposes. This study was driven to verify the behavior of the species in similar conditions to its natural environment, such as high light intensity and sandbank soil, and in conditions of low light intensity and fertilized substratum (dystroferric red nitosoil plus earthworm humus). The growth of the plant, the income of leaf crude extracts and, in the alcoholic extract, the number of substances found in thin layer cromatography and the toxicity of the substratum was observed. The results indicated that the growth of the root biomass, stem and leaves in discharge or lower light intensity was similar, but smaller in sandbank soil than in fertilized soil. The relative income of extracts in ether of petroleum and alcohol was larger in high light intensity and fertilized substratum. The light intensity and the substratum type didn't affect the number of substances detected in the alcoholic extract or the toxicity of this extract. Stains corresponding to the rosmarinic acid were only evidenced in some samples of the alcoholic extract, not allowing the verification of the effect of the treatments about its production.

Start-up of horizontal anaerobic reactors with sludge blanket and fixed bed for wastewater treatment from coffee processing by wet method

In this study it was evaluated the start-up procedures of anaerobic treatment system with three horizontal anaerobic reactors (R1, R2 and R3), installed in series, with volume of 1.2 L each. R1 had sludge blanket, and R2 and R3 had half supporter of bamboo and coconut fiber, respectively. As an affluent, it was synthesized wastewater from mechanical pulping of the coffee fruit by wet method, with a mean value of total chemical oxygen demand (CODtotal) of 16,003 mg L-1. The hydraulic retention time (HRT) in each reactor was 30 h. The volumetric organic loading (VOL) applied in R1 varied from 8.9 to 25.0 g of CODtotal (L d)-1. The mean removal efficiencies of CODtotal varied from 43 to 97% in the treatment system (R1+R2+R3), stabilizing above 80% after 30 days of operation. The mean content of methane in the biogas were of 70 to 76%, the mean volumetric production was 1.7 L CH4 (L reactor d)-1 in the system, and the higher conversions were around at 0.20 L CH4 (g CODremoved)-1 in R1 and R2. The mean values of pH in the effluents ranged from 6.8 to 8.3 and the mean values of total volatile acids remained below 200 mg L-1 in the effluent of R3. The concentrations of total phenols of the affluent ranged from 45 to 278 mg L-1, and the mean removal efficiency was of 52%. The start-up of the anaerobic treatment system occurred after 30 days of operation as a result of inoculation with anaerobic sludge with active microbiota.

Swine manure post-treatment technologies for pathogenic organism inactivation

Swine manure agricultural use is a common practice in Brazil. Their physic-chemical characteristics favor its use as biofertilizer, but the presence of pathogens may become a risk to human health. This research presents a qualitative study of the main alternatives of pig manure disinfection, analyzing efficiency, advantages and limitations of each procedure. The disinfection studies reported in literature are based on the following treatments: alkaline, thermal, biological, chemical, and physical. The greater efficiencies are in thermal treatment (> 4 log: 60 °C), chemical treatment (3 to 4 log: 30mg Cl- L-1; 3 to 4 log: 40 mg O3 L-1) and physical treatment (3 a 4 log: 220 mJ UV radiation cm-2). The biological treatment (anaerobiosis) also promotes the pathogen reduction of swine manure, however with lower efficiency (1 to 2 log). The selection of the treatment should consider: implementation and operation cost, necessity of preliminary treatment, efficiency obtained and destination of the treated manure (agricultural use, water reuse). Brazilian regulation does not have specific guidelines for the microbiological quality of animal production effluents that is very important to be considered due to confined animal feeding operation transformation in the last years in the country.

Solar energy use for water pre-heating in boilers of agro-industries

Energy consumption in the world has been growing every year. The industrial sector represents 27.32% of the world energy demand. Heating systems that use solar energy may contribute with a percentage of the total energy required by industries. This work aimed to study the use of vacuum solar collectors for water pre-heating in boilers. We used four collectors installed according to NBR 15,569; water flow through the tubes was 0.058 L/s, and temperature in the inlet and outlet pipes was measured. Results showed that instantaneous radiation, and inlet fluid and room temperatures are variables that influence the process, reaching water maximum temperature in the solar collector outlet of 97.9 °C, and efficiency of approximately 65% for most experiments. For the financial viability evaluation, the payback study was applied, which resulted in 4; 7 and 5 years, for the respective sources: firewood, LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), and electricity. Regarding the calculation of the annual contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gases, it was, respectively, 2.162 and 356 kg of CO2 per m² of collector tubes, in comparison with firewood and LPG.

Shewhart's control charts and process capability ratio applied to a sewage treatment station

The current study used statistical methods of quality control to evaluate the performance of a sewage treatment station. The concerned station is located in Cascavel city, Paraná State. The evaluated parameters were hydrogenionic potential, settleable solids, total suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand and biochemical oxygen demand in five days. Statistical analysis was performed through Shewhart control charts and process capability ratio. According to Shewhart charts, only the BOD(5.20) variable was under statistical control. Through capability ratios, we observed that except for pH the sewage treatment station is not capable to produce effluents under characteristics that fulfill specifications or standard launching required by environmental legislation.

Soil physical attributes in chemigated banana plantation with wastewater

ABSTRACT The feasibility of using sewage wastewater as a water and nutrient source for plants is an alternative to harness agricultural natural resource, observing its influence on the organic matter dynamics and soil energy. Our objective here was to evaluate the effects of applying different doses of effluent from a sewage treatment plant, in Janaúba – MG, Brazil, over the physical attributes of a soil grown with “Prata Anã” banana. From soil sample collection at depths of 0-20, 20-40, and 40-60 cm, we determined the following soil properties: soil density, total porosity, macroporosity, microporosity, organic matter, clay dispersed in water and stability of soil aggregate. The experimental design was in randomized blocks with four repetitions. Wastewater raising doses promoted increase in suspended solids, contributing to macroporosity reduction at 20-40 and 40-60 cm depths; as well as a reduction in organic matter within 0-20 cm layer. Clay dispersal was observed in the depths of 0-20 cm, being derived from an increase in sodium content. Concurrently, there was a reduction of soil aggregate stability.

HYDROPHOBIC MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY FOR AMMONIA EXTRACTION FROM WASTEWATERS

ABSTRACT Total Ammoniacal Nitrogen - TAN (NH3 + NH4+) in wastewaters cause environmental degradation concerns due to their negative impacts on air, soil and water. Several technologies are available for TAN removal from the wastewaters. One emerging technology is the use of hydrophobic membrane as non-destructive NH3 extraction. In this paper the authors discuss the uses of gas permeable membrane (GPM) and its physicochemical characteristics that influence gas mass transfer rate, diffusion and recovery mechanisms of NH3 from liquid sources (e.g. animal wastewater). Several aspects of NH3 extraction from liquid manure and other TAN generation sources using GPM technology as well as its applicability for NH3 mitigation from liquid effluents and possible recovery as a nutrient for plant growth are also discussed in this review.

Cytotoxicity of Marchantia convoluta leaf extracts to human liver and lung cancer cells

The cytotoxicity of three extracts (petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and n-butanol) from a plant used in folk medicine, Marchantia convoluta, to human non-small cell lung carcinoma (H1299) and liver carcinoma (HepG2) cell lines was tested. After 72-h incubation of lung and liver cancer cell cultures with varying concentrations of extracts (15 to 200 µg/mL), cytotoxicity was determined by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and reported in terms of cell viability. The extracts that showed a significant cytotoxicity were subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis to identify the components. The ethyl acetate, but not the petroleum ether or n-butanol extract, had a significant cytotoxicity against lung and liver carcinoma cells with IC50 values of 100 and 30 µg/mL, respectively. A high concentration of ethyl acetate extract (100 µg/mL) rapidly reduced the number of H1299 cells. At lower concentrations of ethyl acetate extract (15, 30, and 40 µg/mL), the numbers of HepG2 cells started to decrease markedly. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the ethyl acetate extract revealed the presence of several compounds such as phytol (23.42%), 1,2,4-tripropylbenzene (13.09%), 9-cedranone (12.75%), ledene oxide (7.22%), caryophyllene (1.82%), and caryophyllene oxide (1.15%). HPLC analysis result showed that there were no flavonoids in ethyl acetate extract, but flavonoids are abundant in n-butanol extract. Further studies are needed regarding the identification, toxicity, and mechanism of action of active compounds.

Comparison between freeze and spray drying to obtain powder Rubrivivax gelatinosus biomass

The use of colorants in products of animal origin is justified by the improvement in the color of foods since this attribute is considered a quality criterion. These additives can be produced using industrial effluents as substrates and appropriate organisms, such as Rubrivivax gelatinosus. Oxycarotenoids represent a class of carotenes responsible for the pigmentation of animals and vegetables. R. gelatinosus grows in fish industry effluent with the resulting production of a bacterial biomass containing oxycarotenoids. The purpose of this study was to compare the use of two drying processes - spray and freeze drying - to obtain powder biomass in terms of the process parameters (yield, productivity, and product recovery) and the product characteristics (color, proximate composition, and oxycarotenoids). No difference was detected in the yield between these techniques, while productivity was higher using spray drying. Higher product recovery and moisture were achieved with freeze drying, while ash was higher with spray drying. The freeze dried biomass was redder, darker and less saturated than the spray dried biomass. No difference in oxycarotenoids was detected between the biomasses. Although it results in lower recovery rate, spray drying was faster and more productive, and it provided the same yield as freeze drying, which makes it the method of choice for obtaining R. gelatinosus biomass.

Performance of different drying methods and their effects on the physiological quality of grain sorghum seeds (S. bicolor (L.) Moench)

This experiment viewed to evaluate the physiological quality of grain sorghum seeds as well as to determine the respective drying curve of each of three drying methods. The seeds harvested at 18.9%, 18.1%, and 18.2% of moisture content were submitted to the following drying methods : a) under natural conditions, b) an intermittent dryer in which the combustion of firewood was the source of caloric energy, and c) a stationary dryer in which the source of caloric energy was the burning of liquefied petroleum gas. The experimental design was a completely randomized one with 25 repetitions of one hundred seeds each. The water contents and weight of one thousand seeds were evaluated. Seeds physiological quality was evaluated by germination and vigor tests. Seed drying rates were of 0.11, 1.25, and 0.55 percent points per hour (pph -1) for the natural, intermittent and stationary drying methods, respectively. The intermittent treatment permits the highest loss of water in the shortest period of time, and germination and vigor remaining unchanged.