Development of a thermoeconomic methodology for the optimization of biodiesel production - Part I: Biodiesel plant and thermoeconomic functional diagram

This work developed a methodology that uses the thermoeconomic functional diagram applied for allocating the cost of products produced by a biodiesel plant. The first part of this work discusses some definitions of exergy and thermoeconomy, with a detailed description of the biodiesel plant studied, identification of the system functions through Physical Diagram, calculation of the irreversibilities of the plant, construction of the Thermoeconomic Functional Diagram and determination of the expressions for the plant's exergetic functions. In order to calculate the exergetic increments and the physical exergy of certain flows in each step, the Chemical Engineering Simulation Software HYSYS 3.2 was used. The equipments that have the highest irreversibilities in the plant were identified after the exergy calculation. It was also found that the lowest irreversibility in the system refers to the process with a molar ratio of 6:1 and a reaction temperature of 60 °C in the transesterification process. In the second part of this work (Part II), it was calculated the thermoeconomic cost of producing biodiesel and related products, including the costs of carbon credits for the CO2 that is not released into the atmosphere, when a percentage of biodiesel is added to the petroleum diesel used by Brazil's internal diesel fleet (case study). © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermal behavior of renewable diesel from sugar cane, biodiesel, fossil diesel and their blends

Biofuels and their blends with fossil fuel are important energy resources, whose production and application have been largely increased internationally. This study focuses on the evaluation of the activation energy of the thermal decomposition of three pure fuels: farnesane (renewable diesel from sugar cane), biodiesel and fossil diesel and their blends (20% farnesene and 80% of fossil diesel - 20F80D and 20% farnesane, 50% fossil diesel and 30% biodiesel - 20F50D30B). Activation energy has been determined from thermogravimetry and Model-Free Kinetics. Results showed that not only the cetane number is important to understand the behavior of the fuels regarding ignition delay, but also the profile of the activation energy versus conversion curves shows that the chemical reactions are responsible for the performance at the beginning of the process. In addition, activation energy seemed to be suitable in describing reactivity in the case of blends of renewable and fossil fuels. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Heterogeneous catalysis afford biodiesel of babassu, castor oil and blends

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Determination of Glycerol in Biodiesel Using a Nickel(II) Oxyhydroxide Chemically Modified Electrode by Cyclic Voltammetry

A glassy carbon electrode chemically modified with nickel oxyhydroxide from a nickel hexacyanoferrate (NiHCF) film was used to determine glycerol in biodiesel by cyclic voltammetry. The modified electrode exhibited a linear response to glycerol concentration in the range from 0.05 to 0.35mmol L-1, and a detection limit of 0.030mmol L-1. The glycerol concentration found in the biodiesel sample was 0.156mmol L-1. The method developed in this study showed a recovery of (100.3±5.0)%. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Estabilidade locomotora durante a condução de um cão

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how walking a dog on a leash influenced haptic perception and stability during human locomotion. Fourteen adults, with and without sight restriction, walked on a narrow balance beam by themselves, or holding a leash attached to a dog that walked on a parallel narrow bench. The performance of participants who walked with the dog, but blindfolded, significantly (p < 0.05) improved as compared to the condition without the dog. Their locomotion performance was assessed via the duration of the total displacement on the balance beam, durations of the double support phase, swing phase, stepping cycle, stepping length, and linear velocity, as well as variability of the inter-limb relative phase. With vision, these parameters were not affected by the presence of the dog. We conclude that these adults were able to use the dog's leash to detect haptic properties in order to achieve postural control (e.g., stability in speed performance) while walking.

Spectroscopic study and thermal behavior of trivalent lanthanides and yttrium(III) chelates of EDTA using TG-DSC, FTIR, and TG-DSC coupled to FTIR

Solid-state compounds of yttrium and lanthanide chelates of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid have been synthesized. Simultaneous thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC), theoretical and experimental infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), elemental analysis, complexometry and TG-DSC coupled to FTIR were used to characterize and to study the thermal decomposition of these compounds. The results provided information about the composition, dehydration, thermal stability, thermal decomposition and identification of gaseous products evolved during the thermal decomposition of these compounds. The theoretical and experimental spectroscopic data suggest the possible modes of coordination of the ligand with the lanthanum and terbium metal ions. © 2013 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary.

Lipase production by Botryosphaeria ribis EC-01 on soybean and castorbean meals: Optimization, immobilization, and application for biodiesel production

The effects of soybean and castorbean meals were evaluated separately, and in combinations at different ratios, as substrates for lipase production by Botryosphaeria ribis EC-01 in submerged fermentation using only distilled water. The addition of glycerol analytical grade (AG) and glycerol crude (CG) to soybean and castorbean meals separately and in combination, were also examined for lipase production. Glycerol-AG increased enzyme production, whereas glycerol-CG decreased it. A 24 factorial design was developed to determine the best concentrations of soybean meal, castorbean meal, glycerol-AG, and KH2PO4 to optimize lipase production by B. ribis EC-01. Soybean meal and glycerol-AG had a significant effect on lipase production, whereas castorbean meal did not. A second treatment (22 factorial design central composite) was developed, and optimal lipase production (4,820 U/g of dry solids content (ds)) was obtained when B. ribis EC-01 was grown on 0.5 % (w/v) soybean meal and 5.2 % (v/v) glycerol in distilled water, which was in agreement with the predicted value (4,892 U/g ds) calculated by the model. The unitary cost of lipase production determined under the optimized conditions developed ranged from US$0.42 to 0.44 based on nutrient costs. The fungal lipase was immobilized onto Celite and showed high thermal stability and was used for transesterification of soybean oil in methanol (1:3) resulting in 36 % of fatty acyl alkyl ester content. The apparent K m and V max were determined and were 1.86 mM and 14.29 μmol min -1 mg-1, respectively. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Biochemical responses in armored catfish (Pterygoplichthys anisitsi) after short-term exposure to diesel oil, pure biodiesel and biodiesel blends

Biodiesel fuel is gradually replacing petroleum-based diesel oil use. Despite the biodiesel being considered friendlier to the environment, little is known about its effects in aquatic organisms. In this work we evaluated whether biodiesel exposure can affect oxidative stress parameters and biotransformation enzymes in armored catfish (Pterygoplichthys anisitsi, Loricariidae), a South American endemic species. Thus, fish were exposed for 2 and 7d to 0.01mLL-1 and 0.1mLL-1 of pure diesel, pure biodiesel (B100) and blends of diesel with 5% (B5) and 20% (B20) biodiesel. Lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde) levels and the activities of the enzymes glutathione S-transferase, superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase were measured in liver and gills. Also, DNA damage (8-oxo-7, 8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine) levels in gills and 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity in liver were assessed. Pure diesel, B5 and B20 blends changed most of the enzymes tested and in some cases, B5 and B20 induced a higher enzyme activity than pure diesel. Antioxidant system activation in P. anisitsi was effective to counteract reactive oxygen species effects, since DNA damage and lipid peroxidation levels were maintained at basal levels after all treatments. However, fish gills exposed to B20 and B100 presented increased lipid peroxidation. Despite biodiesel being more biodegradable fuel that emits less greenhouse gases, the increased lipid peroxidation showed that biofuel and its blends also represent hazards to aquatic biota. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Development of a thermoeconomic methodology for optimizing biodiesel production. Part II: Manufacture exergetic cost and biodiesel production cost incorporating carbon credits, a Brazilian case study

The purpose of this study is to carry on a thermoeconomic analysis at a biodiesel production plant considering the irreversibilities in each step (part I: biodiesel plant under study and functional thermoeconomic diagram [1]), making it possible to calculate the thermoeconomic cost in US$/kWh and US$/l of the biodiesel production, and the main byproduct generated, glycerin, incorporating the credits for the CO2 that is not emitted into the atmosphere (carbon credits). Assuming a sale price for both the biodiesel and the byproduct (glycerin), the annual revenue of the total investment in a plant with a capacity of 8000 t/year of biodiesel operating at 8000 h/year was calculated. The variables that directly or indirectly influence the final thermoeconomic cost include total annual biodiesel production, hours of operation, manufacturing exergy cost, molar ratio in the transesterification reaction, reaction temperature and pressure in the process. Depending on the increase or decrease in sale prices for both biodiesel and glycerin, the payback is going to significantly increase or decrease. It is evident that, in exergy terms, the sale of glycerin is of vital importance in order to reduce the biodiesel price, getting a shorter payback period for the plant under study. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Regiões de estabilidade no sistema Plutão-Caronte

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

Consideração da ação de dispositivos facts em um método automático de análise de estabilidade de sistemas de energia elétrica

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

Controle postural, equilíbrio funcional e estabilidade do ato de locomoção na neuropatia diabética periférica

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A estabilidade do pular corda em diferentes padrões motores do saltar

Pós-graduação em Ciências da Motricidade - IBRC

Efeito da percepção háptica obtidapor meio da condução de um cão na estabilidade locomotora do ser humano

Pós-graduação em Ciências da Motricidade - IBRC

Estudo comparativo do estresse oxidativo entre tilápias (Oreochromis niloticus) e cascudos (Pterygoplichthys anisitsi) expostos a óleo diesel e a biodiesel

Pós-graduação em Biologia Animal - IBILCE