Versatile microanalytical system with porous polypropylene capillary membrane for calibration gas generation and trace gaseous pollutants sampling applied to the analysis of formaldehyde, formic acid, acetic acid and ammonia in outdoor air

The analytical determination of atmospheric pollutants still presents challenges due to the low-level concentrations (frequently in the mu g m(-3) range) and their variations with sampling site and time In this work a capillary membrane diffusion scrubber (CMDS) was scaled down to match with capillary electrophoresis (CE) a quick separation technique that requires nothing more than some nanoliters of sample and when combined with capacitively coupled contactless conductometric detection (C(4)D) is particularly favorable for ionic species that do not absorb in the UV-vis region like the target analytes formaldehyde formic acid acetic acid and ammonium The CMDS was coaxially assembled inside a PTFE tube and fed with acceptor phase (deionized water for species with a high Henry s constant such as formaldehyde and carboxylic acids or acidic solution for ammonia sampling with equilibrium displacement to the non-volatile ammonium ion) at a low flow rate (8 3 nLs(-1)) while the sample was aspirated through the annular gap of the concentric tubes at 25 mLs(-1) A second unit in all similar to the CMDS was operated as a capillary membrane diffusion emitter (CMDE) generating a gas flow with know concentrations of ammonia for the evaluation of the CMDS The fluids of the system were driven with inexpensive aquarium air pumps and the collected samples were stored in vials cooled by a Peltier element Complete protocols were developed for the analysis in air of NH(3) CH(3)COOH HCOOH and with a derivatization setup CH(2)O by associating the CMDS collection with the determination by CE-C(4)D The ammonia concentrations obtained by electrophoresis were checked against the reference spectrophotometric method based on Berthelot s reaction Sensitivity enhancements of this reference method were achieved by using a modified Berthelot reaction solenoid micro-pumps for liquid propulsion and a long optical path cell based on a liquid core waveguide (LCW) All techniques and methods of this work are in line with the green analytical chemistry trends (C) 2010 Elsevier B V All rights reserved

O gerenciamento dos resíduos dos serviços de saúde de uma amostra de hospitais nacionais

O presente trabalho constitui o Relatório Final de um projeto de pesquisa financiado pelo Núcleo de Pesquisas e Publicações da FGV-EAESP. Analisam-se nele os Planos de Gestão de Resíduos de Serviços de Saúde PGRSS de uma amostra de 70 hospitais nacionais, elaborados em 2003, como resultado de um curso de educação a distância, ministrado por um consórcio formado entre a Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina e a Fundação Getulio Vargas. O curso foi sugerido pela UNESCO e financiado por bancos internacionais, com intermediação do REFORSUS. Para cada Plano, foram tabulados, em planilha EXCEL, 164 itens, sendo 12 informações gerais sobre o hospital, 141 relativas à infra-estrutura e aos procedimentos atualmente usados e 11 referentes ao plano futuro de gestão de resíduos. Diagnosticou-se a situação desses hospitais no tocante ao manejo dos resíduos, classificados como infectantes, químicos, radioativos, comuns e perfurocortantes, desde a coleta, o armazenamento e o tratamento interno até a remoção, o tratamento externo e a disposição final. A água, desde a fonte de suprimento até seu consumo, os efluentes líquidos e as emissões gasosas também foram objeto de investigação. Foram avaliados ainda, sob os aspectos técnico e econômico, os planos elaborados pelos hospitais para a gestão futura dos seus resíduos. Os resultados da pesquisa indicam que os hospitais estudados se encontram em sua maioria numa fase incipiente em matéria de gestão dos seus resíduos, carecendo de infra-estrutura, recursos financeiros e humanos e gerenciamento, existindo considerável distância entre a gestão atual dos resíduos e as exigências legais que os hospitais devem cumprir nas áreas sanitária e ambiental.

Rhamnolipid produced from agroindustrial wastes enhances hydrocarbon biodegradation in contaminated soil

A crude biosurfactant solution was produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa growing on agroindustrial wastes as the substrate and used to study its effect on hydrocarbon biodegradation by the indigenous soil microflora under laboratory conditions. Two concentrations were studied at first and 1 mg of biosurfactant/g of soil showed to be the most efficient for the total petroleum hydrocarbon reduction, which reached 85% at the first 20 days in soil microcosms. Respirometric and microbial analyses showed that the biosurfactant added did not have toxic effects over the microbial population. The use of a biosurfactant for bioremediation has been limited because of its high cost production. Biosurfactants produced from cost-free by-products combines waste minimization with economic potential bioremediation process.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa LBI production as an integrated process using the wastes from sunflower-oil refining as a substrate

Pseudomonas aeruginosa LBI produced surface active rhamnolipids when cultivated on waste from the sunflower-oil process under different conditions. These biosurfactants, which reduce the superficial and interfacial tensions between fluids, offer advantages over their chemical counterparts, especially because of their ecological acceptability. These molecules can be used in fields as diverse as chemical, pharmaceutical and petrochemical industries. In this work, we present the effect of C/N ratio on growth and production yield. The best production yields (Y-P/S) were achieved for C/N ratios (in g/g) of 8/1 (0.22) and 6.4/1 (0.23). The product concentration was very satisfactory (7.3 g/L) at C/N ratio of 8/1, especially when considering that the substrate was basically composed of wastes that would otherwise constitute an environmental disposal problem. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Avaliação da remoção de sulfeto de hidrogênio do gás natural em uma coluna de absorção

Natural gas, although basically composed by light hydrocarbons, also presents in its composition gaseous contaminants such as CO2 (carbon dioxide) and H2S (hydrogen sulfide). Hydrogen sulfide, which commonly occurs in oil and gas exploration and production activities, besides being among the gases that are responsible by the acid rain and greenhouse effect, can also cause serious harm to health, leading even to death, and damages to oil and natural gas pipelines. Therefore, the removal of hydrogen sulfide will significantly reduce operational costs and will result in oil with best quality to be sent to refinery, thereby resulting in economical, environmental, and social benefits. These factors highlight the need for the development and improvement of hydrogen sulfide sequestrating agents to be used in the oil industry. Nowadays there are several procedures for hydrogen sulfide removal from natural gas used by the petroleum industry. However, they produce derivatives of amines that are harmful to the distillation towers, form insoluble precipitates that cause pipe clogging and produce wastes of high environmental impact. Therefore, the obtaining of a stable system, in inorganic or organic reaction media, that is able to remove hydrogen sulfide without forming by-products that affect the quality and costs of natural gas processing, transport and distribution is of great importance. In this context, the evaluation of the kinetics of H2S removal is a valuable procedure for the treatment of natural gas and disposal of the byproducts generated by the process. This evaluation was made in an absorption column packed with Raschig ring, where natural gas with H2S passes through a stagnant solution, being the contaminant absorbed by it. The content of H2S in natural gas in column output was monitored by an H2S analyzer. The comparison between the obtained curves and the study of the involved reactions have not only allowed to determine the efficiency and mass transfer controlling step of the involved processes but also make possible to effect a more detailed kinetic study and evaluate the commercial potential of each reagent

Optimisation of environmental gas cleaning routes for solid wastes cogeneration systems. Part II - Analysis of waste incineration combined gas/steam cycle

In the first paper of this paper (Part I), conditions were presented for the gas cleaning technological route for environomic optimisation of a cogeneration system based in a thermal cycle with municipal solid waste incineration. In this second part, an environomic analysis is presented of a cogeneration system comprising a combined cycle composed of a gas cycle burning natural gas with a heat recovery steam generator with no supplementary burning and a steam cycle burning municipal solid wastes (MSW) to which will be added a pure back pressure steam turbine (another one) of pure condensation. This analysis aims to select, concerning some scenarios, the best atmospheric pollutant emission control routes (rc) according to the investment cost minimisation, operation and social damage criteria. In this study, a comparison is also performed with the results obtained in the Case Study presented in Part I. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optimisation of environmental gas cleaning routes for solid wastes cogeneration systems - Part I - Analysis of waste incineration steam cycle

Research of advanced technologies for energy generation contemplates a series of alternatives that are introduced both in the investigation of new energy sources and in the improvement and/or development of new components and systems. Even though significant reductions are observed in the amount of emissions, the proposed alternatives require the use of exhaust gases cleaning systems. The results of environmental analyses based on two configurations proposed for urban waste incineration are presented in this paper; the annexation of integer (Boolean) variables to the environomic model makes it possible to define the best gas cleaning routes based on exergetic cost minimisation criteria. In this first part, the results for steam cogeneration system analysis associated with the incineration of municipal solid wastes (MSW) is presented. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electrolytic treatment applied to the industrial effluent containing persistent wastes monitored by Bartha respirometric assays

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Production and characteristics comparison of crude beta-glucosidases produced by microorganisms Thermoascus aurantiacus e Aureobasidium pullulans in agricultural wastes

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

Pectinase production by Penicillium viridicatum RFC3 by solid state fermentation using agricultural wastes and agro-industrial by-products

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

Wastes released by tanneries at Patrocinio Paulista, São Paulo State, Brazil

This investigation was carried out within the Parana sedimentary basin, Brazil, and involved the sampling of sludge and residuary waters that were collected from reservoirs/decantation ponds settled in two tanneries situated at Patrocinio Paulista, São Paulo State Two samples from each tannery were collected, stored in appropriate flasks and transported to the LABIDRO for chemical analysis The LABIDRO (Laboratory of Isotopes and Hydrochemistry) of the Petrology Department at the Geosciences and Exacts Sciences Institute of UNESP is situated in Rio Claro city, about 240 km distant from the investigated area The data for residuary waters were compared with guideline values established by two different legislations (a) Rule No 12486 (NTA60) established in 20(th) October 1978 by São Paulo State for defining the potable water standards and (b) Register 997 published on 31 May 1976 that defines the permissible concentration limits in effluents to be released to water bodies (coastal, fresh or ground water) in São Paulo State The results confirmed that leather production is an activity with high environmental impact, despite improvements that may be achieved by tanneries

Radionuclide concentrations in raw and purified phosphoric acids from Brazil and their processing wastes: implications for radiation exposures

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

Cogeneration in a solid-wastes power-station: a case-study

Nowadays, natural gas is viewed as the solution to the problem of energy supply for Latin America, Europe and North America for the next few decades; Brazil is increasingly becoming dependent upon the Bolivian natural-gas supply - many industries and some entrepreneurs are deciding to construct industrial cogeneration systems and new thermal power-stations burning natural gas because of its low environmental impact and attractive price. However, natural gas is a finite resource: this will cause, in the future, an increase of its unit price. This paper details questions involved in the energy generation and presents solid-waste burning as a possible alternative fuel for the future, especially in the context of cogeneration practice in which the thermal and electric energy are used primarily for the industries located in an industrial district. Two cogeneration schemes are proposed for the burning of municipal solid wastes, associated or not with natural gas, and their technical and economic feasibilities are examined. (C) 1999 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.