Efeito de variáveis de processo no tempo de fermentação e na concentração das dicetonas vicinais totais

Among the main challenges in the beer industrial production is the market supply at the lowest cost and high quality, in order to ensure the expectations of customers and. consumers The beer fermentation stage represents approximately 70% of the whole time necessary to its production, having a obligatoriness of strict process controls to avoid becoming bottleneck in beer production. This stage is responsible for the formation of a series of subproducts, which are responsible for the composition of aroma/bouquet existing in beer and some of these subproducts, if produced in larger quantities, they will confer unpleasant taste and odor to the final product. Among the subproducts formed during the fermentation stage, total vicinal diketones is the main component, since it is limiting for product transfusion to the subsequent steps, besides having a low perception threshold by the consumer and giving undesirable taste and odor. Due to the instability of main raw materials quality and also process controls during fermentation, the development of alternative forms of beer production without impacting on total fermentation time and final product quality is a great challenge to breweries. In this work, a prior acidification of the pasty yeast was carried out, utilizing for that phosphoric acid, food grade, reducing yeast pH of about 5.30 to 2.20 and altering its characteristic from flocculent to pulverulent during beer fermentation. An increase of six times was observed in amount of yeast cells in suspension in the second fermentation stage regarding to fermentations by yeast with no prior acidification. With alteration on two input variables, temperature curve and cell multiplication, which goal was to minimize the maximum values for diketones detected in the fermenter tank, a reduction was obtained from peak of formed diacetyl and consequently contributed to reduction in fermentation time and total process time. Several experiments were performed with those process changes in order to verify the influence on the total fermentation time and total vicinal diketones concentration at the end of fermentation. This experiment reached as the best production result a total fermentation time of 151 hours and total vicinal diketone concentration of 0.08 ppm. The mass of yeast in suspension in the second phase of fermentation increased from 2.45 x 106 to 16.38 x 106 cells/mL of yeast, which fact is key to a greater efficiency in reducing total vicinal diketones existing in the medium, confirming that the prior yeast acidification, as well as the control of temperature and yeast cell multiplication in fermentative process enhances the performance of diketones reduction and consequently reduce the total fermentation time with diketones concentration below the expected value (Max: 0.10 ppm)

Síntese e caracterização de tungstatos de cério e estrôncio para fins catalíticos

The main goal of this work was to produce nanosized ceramic materials of the family of the tungstates (tungstates of cerium and strontium), and test them for their catalytic activity in processes involving the transformation of methane (CH4). The methodology used for the synthesis of the ceramic powders involved the complexation combining EDTA-citrate. The materials characterization was performed using simple and differential thermogravimetry, x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The microstructure analysis was performed using the refinement by the Rietveld method, and the crystallite size and distribution of the materials was elucidate by the Scherrer and Williamson-Hall methods. The conditions of the synthesis process for the three envisaged materials (SrWO4, SrWO4 using tungsten oxide concentrate as raw material, and Ce2(WO4)3) were adjusted to obtain a single phase crystalline material. The catalytic tests were carried out in the presence of methane and synthetic air, which is composed of 21% O2 and 79% N2. The analysis of the conversion of the reaction was done with the aid of an fourier transform infrared device (FTIR). The analysis showed that, structurally, the SrWO4 produced using raw materials of high and poor purity (99% and 92%, respectively) are similar. The ideal parameters of calcination, in the tested range, are temperature of 1000 °C and time of calcination 5 hours. For the Ce2(WO4)3, the ideal calcination time and are temperature 15 hours and 1000°C, respectively. The Williamson-Hall method provided two different distributions for the crystallite size of each material, whose values ranged between the nanometer and micrometer scales. According to method of Scherrer, all materials produced were composed of nanometric crystallites. The analyses of transmission electron microscopy confirmed the results obtained from the Williamson- Hall method for the crystallite size. The EDS showed an atomic composition for the metals in the SrWO4 that was different of the theoretical composition. With respect to the catalytic tests, all materials were found to be catalytically active, but the reaction process should be further studied and optimized.

Extração enzimática de óleo e produção in situ de biodiesel a partir da Moringa oleífera Lam

With the growth and development of modern society, arises the need to search for new raw materials and new technologies which present the "clean" characteristic, and do not harm the environment, but can join the energy needs of industry and transportation. The Moringa oleifera Lam, plant originating from India, and currently present in the Brazilian Northeast, presents itself as a multi-purpose plant, can be used as a coagulant in water treatment, as a natural remedy and as a feedstock for biodiesel production. In this work, Moringa has been used as a raw material for studies on the extraction and subsequently in the synthesis of biodiesel. Studies have been conducted on various techniques of Moringa oil extraction (solvents, mechanical pressing and enzymatic), being specially developed an experimental design for the aqueous extraction with the aid of the enzyme Neutrase© 0.8 L, with the aim of analyzing the influence variable pH (5.5-7.5), temperature (45-55°C), time (16-24 hours) and amount of catalyst (2-5%) on the extraction yield. In relation to study of the synthesis of biodiesel was initially carried out a conventional transesterification (50°C, KOH as a catalyst, methanol and 60 minutes reaction). Next, a study was conducted using the technique of in situ transesterification by using an experimental design variables as temperature (30-60°C), catalyst amount (2-5%), and molar ratio oil / ethanol (1:420-1:600). The extraction technique that achieved the highest extraction yield (35%) was the one that used hexane as a solvent. The extraction using 32% ethanol obtained by mechanical pressing and extraction reached 25% yield. For the enzymatic extraction, the experimental design indicated that the extraction yield was most affected by the effect of the combination of temperature and time. The maximum yield obtained in this extraction was 16%. After the step of obtaining the oil was accomplished the synthesis of biodiesel by the conventional method and the in situ technique. The method of conventional transesterification was obtained a content of 100% and esters by in situ technique was also obtained in 100% in the experimental point 7, with a molar ratio oil / alcohol 1:420, Temperature 60°C in 5% weight KOH with the reaction time of 1.5 h. By the experimental design, it was found that the variable that most influenced the ester content was late the percentage of catalyst. By physico-chemical analysis it was observed that the biodiesel produced by the in situ method fell within the rules of the ANP, therefore this technique feasible, because does not require the preliminary stage of oil extraction and achieves high levels of esters

Palma forrageira (Opuntia ficus indica e Nopalea cochenillifera) como matéria-prima para produção de etanol celulósico e enzimas celulolíticas

The need for new sources of energy and the concern about the environment have pushed the search for renewable energy sources such as ethanol. The use of lignocellulosic biomass as substrate appears as an important alternative because of the abundance of this raw material and for it does not compete with food production. However, the process still meets difficulties of implementation, including the cost for production of enzymes that degrade cellulose to fermentable sugars. The aim of this study was to evaluate the behavior of the species of cactus pear Opuntia ficus indica and Nopalea cochenillifera, commonly found in northeastern Brazil, as raw materials for the production of: 1) cellulosic ethanol by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process, using two different strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (PE-2 and LNF CA-11), and 2) cellulolytic enzymes by semi-solid state fermentation (SSSF) using the filamentous fungus Penicillium chrysogenum. Before alcoholic fermentation process, the material was conditioned and pretreated by three different strategies: alkaline hydrogen peroxide, alkaline using NaOH and acid using H2SO4 followed by alkaline delignification with NaOH. Analysis of composition, crystallinity and enzymatic digestibility were carried out with the material before and after pretreatment. In addition, scanning electron microscopy images were used to compare qualitatively the material and observe the effects of pretreatments. An experimental design 2² with triplicate at the central point was used to evaluate the influence of temperature (30, 40 and 45 °C) and the initial charge of substrate (3, 4 and 5% cellulose) in the SSF process using the material obtained through the best condition and testing both strains of S. cerevisiae, one of them flocculent (LNF CA-11). For cellulase production, the filamentous fungus P. chrysogenum was tested with N. cochenillifera in the raw condition (without pretreatment) and pretrated hydrothermically, varying the pH of the fermentative medium (3, 5 and 7). The characterization of cactus pear resulted in 31.55% cellulose, 17.12% hemicellulose and 10.25% lignin for N. cochenillifera and 34.86% cellulose, 19.97% hemicellulose and 15.72% lignin for O. ficus indica. It has also been determined, to N. cochenillifera and O. ficus indica, the content of pectin (5.44% and 5.55% of calcium pectate, respectively), extractives (26.90% and 9.69%, respectively) and ashes (5.40% and 5.95%). Pretreatment using alkaline hydrogen peroxide resulted in the best cellulose recovery results (86.16% for N. cochenillifera and 93.59% for O. ficus indica) and delignification (48.79% and 23.84% for N. cochenillifera and O. ficus indica, respectively). This pretreatment was also the only one which did not increase the crystallinity index of the samples, in the case of O. ficus indica. However, when analyzing the enzymatic digestibility of cellulose, alkali pretreatment was the one which showed the best yields and therefore it was chosen for the tests in SSF. The experiments showed higher yield of conversion of cellulose to ethanol by PE-2 strain using the pretreated N. cochenillifera (93.81%) at 40 °C using 4% initial charge of cellulose. N. cochenillifera gave better yields than O. ficus indica and PE-2 strain showed better performance than CA-11. N. cochenillifera proved to be a substrate that can be used in the SSSF for enzymes production, reaching values of 1.00 U/g of CMCase and 0.85 FPU/g. The pretreatment was not effective to increase the enzymatic activity values

Avaliação da produção de biodiesel de microalga Isochrysis galbana via transesterificação in situ

Microalgae are microscopic photosynthetic organisms that grow rapidly and in different environmental conditions due to their simple cellular structure. The cultivation of microalgae is a biological system capable of storing solar energy through the production of organic compounds via photosynthesis, and these species presents growth faster than land plants, enabling higher biomass yield. Thus, it is understood that the cultivation of these photosynthetic mechanisms is part of a relevant proposal, since, when compared to other oil producing raw materials, they have a significantly higher productivity, thus being a raw material able to complete the current demand by biodiesel . The overall aim of the thesis was to obtain biofuel via transesterification process of bio oil from the microalgae Isochrysis galbana. The specific objective was to estimate the use of a photobioreactor at the laboratory level, for the experiments of microalgae growth; evaluating the characteristics of biodiesel from microalgae produced by in situ transesterification process; studying a new route for disinfection of microalgae cultivation, through the use of the chemical agent sodium hypochlorite. The introduction of this new method allowed obtaining the kinetics of the photobioreactor for cultivation, besides getting the biomass needed for processing and analysis of experiments in obtaining biodiesel. The research showed acceptable results for the characteristics observed in the bio oil obtained, which fell within the standards of ANP Resolution No. 14, dated 11.5.2012 - 18.5.2012. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the photobioreactor designed meet expectations about study culture growth and has contributed largely to the development of the chosen species of microalgae. Thus, it can be seen that the microalgae Isochrysis galbana showed a species with potential for biodiesel production

Qualidade de mudas clonais de Eucalyptus urophylla x E. grandis em função do substrato

Considering the increasing demand for seedlings of plants for aforestation and the scarcity of raw materials for the substrates used for plant growth, it is necessary to evaluate new components and formulations that ensure the quality of seedlings. In this experiment the development and quality of production of Eucalyptus urophylla x E. grandis seedlings was studied through vegetative propagation, as a function of nine compositions of substrate, produced from fine-grained vermiculite, carbonized rice chaff and coconut fiber in hard plastic tubes of 50 mL as containers. The physical properties of substrates and morphological development and the quality of the root system of seedlings were evaluated at 90 days after staking. The substrates with higher total porosity promotes better quality of the root system, which consequently results in cuttings with larger diameter, shoot and root dry weight and Dickson Quality Index. Other properties for the physical characteristics of substrates other than mentioned in literature can also be considered adequate.

Influência do teor e granulometria da calcita e da temperatura de sinterização no desenvolvimento de massas cerâmicas para revestimento poroso(BIII)

This work aims at studying the influence of the concentration of calcite, its grain size and sintering temperature to obtain porous coating formulations that meet the design specifications. The experiments involved the physical-chemical and mineralogical caracterization of the raw materials, and mechanical tests on specimens dried and sintered, performing a planning mixture and factorial experiment, using the response surface methodology. The ceramic bodies studied were prepared by dry process, characterized, placed in conformity by uniaxial pressing and sintered at temperatures of 940 º C, 1000ºC, 1060ºC, 1120°C and 1180°C using a fast-firing cycle. The crystalline phases formed during sintering at temperatures under study, revealed the presence of anorthite and wolastonite, and quartz-phase remaining. These phases were mainly responsible for the physical and mechanical properties of the sintered especimens. The results shown that as increases the participation of carbonate in the composition of ceramic bodies there is an increase of water absorption and a slight reduction in linear shrinkage for all sintering temperatures. As for the mechanical strength it was observed that it tended to decrease for sintering at temperatures between 940 ° C and 1060 ° C and to increase for sintering at temperatures above 1060 ° C occurring with greater intensity for compositions with higher content of calcite. The resistence decreased with increasing participation of quartz in all sintering temperatures. The decrease in grain size of calcite caused a slight increase in water absorption for formulation with the same concentration of carbonate, remaining virtually unchanged the results of linear shrinkage and mechanical strength. In conclusion, porous ceramic coating (BIII) can be obtained using high concentrations of calcite and keeping the properties required in technical standards and that the particle size of calcite can be used as tuning parameter for the properties of ceramic products.

Produção de bioetanol a partir de pedúnculo de caju (Anacardium occidentale L.) por fermentação submersa

Recently, global demand for ethanol fuel has expanded very rapidly, and this should further increase in the near future, almost all ethanol fuel is produced by fermentation of sucrose or glucose in Brazil and produced by corn in the USA, but these raw materials will not be enough to satisfy international demand. The aim of this work was studied the ethanol production from cashew apple juice. A commercial strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used for the production of ethanol by fermentation of cashew apple juice. Growth kinetics and ethanol productivity were calculated for batch fermentation with different initial sugar (glucose + fructose) concentration (from 24.4 to 103.1 g.L-1). Maximal ethanol, cell and glycerol concentrations (44.4 g.L-1, 17.17 g.L-1, 6.4 g.L-1, respectively) were obtained when 103.1 g.L-1 of initial sugar concentration were used, respectively. Ethanol yield (YP/S) was calculated as 0.49 g (g glucose + fructose)-1. Pretreatment of cashew apple bagasse (CAB) with dilute sulfuric acid was investigated and evaluated some factors such as sulfuric acid concentration, solid concentration and time of pretreatment at 121°C. The maximum glucose yield (162.9 mg/gCAB) was obtained by the hydrolysis with H2SO4 0.6 mol.L-1 at 121°C for 15 min. Hydrolysate, containing 16 ± 2.0 g.L-1 of glucose, was used as fermentation medium for ethanol production by S. cerevisiae and obtained a ethanol concentration of 10.0 g.L-1 after 4 with a yield and productivity of 0.48 g (g glucose)-1 and 1.43 g.L-1.h-1, respectively. The enzymatic hydrolysis of cashew apple bagasse treated with diluted acid (CAB-H) and alkali (CAB-OH) was studied and to evaluate its fermentation to ethanol using S. cerevisiae. Glucose conversion of 82 ± 2 mg per g CAB-H and 730 ± 20 mg per g CAB-OH was obtained when was used 2% (w/v) of solid and loading enzymatic of 30 FPU/g bagasse at 45 °C. Ethanol concentration and productivity was achieved of 20.0 ± 0.2 g.L-1 and 3.33 g.L-1.h-1, respectively when using CAB-OH hydrolyzate (initial glucose concentration of 52.4 g.L-1). For CAB-H hydrolyzate (initial glucose concentration of 17.4 g.L-1), ethanol concentration and productivity was 8.2 ± 0.1 g.L-1 and 2.7 g.L-1.h-1, respectively. Hydrolyzates fermentation resulted in an ethanol yield of 0.38 g/g glucose and 0.47 g/g glucose, with pretreated CABOH and CAB-H, respectively. The potential of cashew apple bagasse as a source of sugars for ethanol production by Kluyveromyces marxianus CE025 was evaluated too in this work. First, the yeast CE025 was preliminary cultivated in a synthetic medium containing glucose and xylose. Results showed that it was able to produce ethanol and xylitol at pH 4.5. Next, cashew apple bagasse hydrolysate (CABH) was prepared by a diluted sulfuric acid pre-treatment. The fermentation of CABH was conducted at pH 4.5 in a batch-reactor, and only ethanol was produced by K. marxianus CE025. The influence of the temperature in the kinetic parameters was evaluated and best results of ethanol production (12.36 ± 0.06 g.L-1) was achieved at 30 ºC, which is also the optimum temperature for the formation of biomass and the ethanol with a volumetric production rate of 0.25 ± 0.01 g.L-1.h-1 and an ethanol yield of 0.42 ± 0.01 g/g glucose. The results of this study point out the potential of the cashew apple bagasse hydrolysate as a new source of sugars to produce ethanol by S. cerevisiae and K. marxianus CE025. With these results, conclude that the use of cashew apple juice and cashew apple bagasse as substrate for ethanol production will bring economic benefits to the process, because it is a low cost substrate and also solve a disposal problem, adding value to the chain and cashew nut production

Incorporação de resíduo de perfuração em matriz cerâmica: estabilização por solidificação

One of the waste generated during the drilling of oil wells are gravel which are impregnated of drilling fluid. This residue consists of highly toxic chemicals, including toxic metals. This study suggests an alternative process to the treatment of this waste, by incorporating it the form of raw material in the ceramic matrix , and by solidification and stabilize the metals present, Aluminum (Al), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn) and Zinc (Zn). The raw materials were characterized by the techniques of X ray fluorescence (FRX), X ray diffraction (DRX), laser granulometry (GL), thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermal analysis (ADT). To evaluate the percentage of gravel effect the environmental and technological properties were obtained from formulations containing 0, 10 and 20 % by weight of gravel in the ceramic matrix. After sintering at temperatures 1080, 1120 and 1160 °C, the samples were tested for water absorption, the linear shrinkage firing, voltage of rupture and solubility. The results obtained showed that the stabilization by solidification, is a viable alternative to safe disposal of waste drilling. Ceramics products can be used in the manufacture of solid bricks

Estudo da influência de tensoativos em sistemas microemulsionados na extração de gálio e alumínio

Gallium is an important material used in the electronic industry whose demand in the world market is increasing in view of its potential applications. A selective technique is required to allow for the production of the metal, separated from aluminium. Due to the fact that microemulsions constitute an attractive alternative to metal extraction procedures, microemulsified systems have been employed as gallium-selective extraction agents. Two surfactants have been synthesized: sodium 12-N,N-diethylamino-9,10-dihydroxyestearate (AMINE) and saponified coconut oil (SCO), both produced from raw materials readily available in Northeastern Brazil. Also, the commercial extraction agent KELEX-100, conventionally used with the same purpose, has been used in this work for comparison. The optimization of the extraction process with microemulsions was carried out by investigating the influence of some parameters, namely the type of cosurfactant, the cosurfactant/surfactant (C/S) ratio, the pH and concentration of metals in the aqueous phase. Pseudoternary diagrams, which are representative of the microemulsified systems under study, have been constructed in order to establish the boundaries of the regions where the several Winsor systems are formed. An experimental planning methodology (Scheffé Net) has been used to optimize the extraction. The extraction percentage values were as high as 100% for gallium and 99.99% for aluminium for the system with KELEX-100; 96.6% for gallium and 98.8% for aluminium for the system containing AMINE; and 88% for gallium and 85% for aluminium for the system with SCO. The microemulsified system chosen for presenting the best results in gallium extraction was composed by SCO/isoamyl alcohol/kerosene/Bayer licquor with a C/S ratio of 28 and pH of the original aqueous phase of 6.0. The selectivity that has not been observed in the extraction stage was accomplished in the reextraction process using HCl. For the KELEX-100 system, gallium was reextracted at 100% with 6M HCl and aluminium was reextracted at 100% with 0.8M HCl. For the AMINE system, the reextraction percentages were also 100% for both metals, using 6M HCl for gallium and 0.5M HCl for aluminium. On the other hand, the reextraction percentages for the system with SCO were as high as 84% for gallium and 92% for aluminium, with HCl in the same concentrations as those used in the AMINE system. Finally, an optimized system was applied in the gallium extraction process employing a reciprocating perforated-plates extractor. As a result, the metal content was extracted at a recovery rate of 95% for gallium and 97% for aluminium

Análise da adição de resíduo oriundo do tratamento de esgotos em massa cerâmica utilizada para fabricação de telhas

Sludge of Wastewater Treatment Plants (WTPs) disposal is a problem for any municipality, for this reason the amount of sludge production is now a key issue in selecting treatment methods. It is necessary to investigate new applications for this waste type, due to the restrictions imposed by the environmental organs. The raw materials used in the Red Ceramic, are generally very heterogeneous, for this reason, such materials can tolerate the presence of different types of wastes. In Rio Grande do Norte, the roof tiles production corresponds to 60,61% from the total of ceramic units produced. Due to the importance of the ceramic industry of roof tiles for the state, allied to the environmental problem of the sludge disposal, this work had for objective to verify the possibility of the incorporation of sewage sludge in ceramic body used for production of roof tiles. In the research, sludge originating from drying beds of WTP of the Central Campus from UFRN and clays originating from a ceramic industry from Goianinha/RN were used. The raw materials were characterized by techniques of: analysis of particles distribution by diffraction to laser; real density; consistence limits; chemical analysis by X-ray fluorescence; mineralogical analysis by X-ray diffraction; organic matter; and solids content. Five batches of roof tiles were manufactured in the approximate dosages of 2%, 4%, 6%, 8% and 10%. To evaluate the properties of each final product, tests of water absorption, impermeability, bending strength, leachability and solubility were accomplished. The roof tiles manufactured with sludge presented characteristics similar to the roof tiles without sludge in relation to the environmental risk. The results showed that it is possible to use approximately up to 4% of sludge in ceramic bodies for production of roof tiles. However, it is observed that the high amount of organic matter (71%) present in the sludge is shown as factor that limits the sludge incorporation in ceramic bodies, worsening the quality of the roof tiles. It is necessary the use of mixtures of different raw materials under point of view of the granulometry and of the other chemical and mineralogical properties for the obtaining of a satisfactory mass to the production of ceramic roof tiles

Incorporação do lodo de tanque séptico como matéria-prima de uma mistura asfáltica

In Natal/RN, 68% of the population uses some kind of individual system for their domestic sewers treatment, being that the most used it is septic tank, followed by sumidouro. Every treatment system of sewers, usually used, generates a by-product denominated sludge. That residue presents some components, in its constitution, undesirable under the environmental and sanitary point of view. In such case, to assure that the system treatment has satisfactory results, it is necessary to do the adjusted disposition of the sludge sewage. Several countries are looking for technical alternatives for the use and disposition of residues. Under technical and environmental conditions appropriate, these materials can be used, decreasing the consumption of the natural resources and the treatment need, storage or elimination of the wastes, what decrease the risks created. Some of the alternatives of recycling of the sludge sewage are: the application in the agriculture, in the production of energy and as raw material in the civil construction. This study evaluated asphalt mixtures behavior that partially substituted conventional aggregates by septic tank sludge. The septic tank sludge gave origin to two raw materials called raw sludge and sludge ash. The raw sludge was put as a small aggregate and the sludge ash as filler. In the first experiment it was made a comparison between the mixture with conventional aggregates and the mixtures that replaced sand by raw sludge in the proportions from 5% to 40%. In the second experiment, it was made comparison between mixtures with 1%, 2% and 3% of sludge ash and cement. The stages developed along the study were: physical characterization of the conventional materials; physical, chemistry, thermal, mineralogical characterizations and analysis of environmental risk of the raw sludge; physical characterization and analysis of environmental risk of the sludge ash; analysis of the mixtures performance through its volumetric and mechanical characteristics; forecast of the mixtures susceptibility in the moisture presence. For the grain size composition used and with the percentage asphalt adopted, the mixtures with up to 7,5% of raw sludge in his composition attend to the National Department of Transports Infrastructure (DNIT) specifications. However, in agreement with the mixtures susceptibility in the moisture presence, the mixtures with addition of raw sludge don't present satisfactory acting. In such case, they could be used in arid and semi-arid areas. The raw sludge application in mixtures increased their voids volume and their stability. However, it damaged mixtures adhesiveness. Mixtures with sludge ash and with cement presented similar behavior. However, mixtures with sludge ash presented a better performance than mixtures with cement as for their stability and their tensile strength ratio. The mixture with 1% of sludge ash is better. The wastes studied don't represent environmental risk

Thermal analysis of chitosan based networks

In this work two kinds of material were studied: chitosan cross-linked with glutaraldehyde and in a blend with PEO. The resulting products as well as chitosan and PEO raw materials, were analyzed by TG/DTG, DSC and DMTA to determinate the in?uence of cross-linking and PEO addition on thermal properties of the resulting materials. It was observed by thermogravimetry that the water-polymer interaction will be different for the cross-linked material compared to the blend, according to the specific site availability. The in?uence of such modifications (cross-linking and PEO addition), on chitosan thermal stability was also studied. The DSC results showed a good agreement with the TG/DTG results, reinforcing the interpretation given for TG/DTG results. DMTA results indicate that glass transition temperature is around 50 degrees C for the polymer under study. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multi-population genetic algorithm to solve the synchronized and integrated two-level lot sizing and scheduling problem

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

Application of an HPLC method for analysis of propolis extract

Propolis obtained from honeybee hives has been widely used in medicine, cosmetics, and industry due to its versatile biological activities (antioxidant, antimicrobial, fungicidal, antiviral, antiulcer, immunostimulating, and cytostatic). These activities are mainly attributed to the presence of flavonoids in propolis, which points out the interest in quantifying these constituents in propolis preparations, as well as validation of analytical methodologies. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods have been reported to quantify isolated flavonoids or these compounds in complex biological matrices, such as herbal raw materials and extractive preparations. An efficient, precise, and reliable method was developed for quantification of propolis extractive solution using HPLC with UV detection. The chromatograms were obtained from various gradient elution systems (GES) tested in order to establish the ideal conditions for the analysis of propolis extractive solution, using methanol and water: acetonitrile (97.5 : 2.5, v/v) as mobile phase. Gradient reversed phase chromatography was performed using a stainless steel column (250 x 4.6 mm i.d., 5 mum) filled with Chromsep RP 18 (Varian), column temperature at 30.0 +/- 0.1degreesC and detection at 310 nm. The main validation parameters of the method were also determined. The method showed linearity for chrysin in the range 0.24-2.4 mug mL(-1) with good correlation coefficients (0.9975). Precision and accuracy were determined. The obtained results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method. The analytical procedure is reliable and offers advantages in terms of speed and cost of reagents.