CURRENT ASPECTS OF FUEL ETHANOL-PRODUCTION IN BRAZIL

Brazil has become a great producer of bioethanol using sugarcane as the basic raw material. Fed-batch process and continuous process are used. Biogas generation from vinasse, production of dry yeast, and autolyzed bagasse for animal feed are making the ethanol production less polluting and more profitable. Bagasse surplus has also been converted into electrical energy. Another alternative use for bioethanol is its conversion to petrochemical derivatives. Up to the present, however, this conversion has been carried out on only a small scale by the industry.

Estudo qualiquantitativo do biogás produzido por substratos em biodigestores tipo batelada

Aiming to study the biogas produced by 5 substrates from both quality and quantity point of view, this research was conducted at the Rural Engineering Department of FCAV/UNESP - Brazil, State of São Paulo. The substractes that were used in the anaerobic digestion were characterized as: 1 - Slaughter fowls' manure with napier grass bed (MFNG); 2 - Slaughter fowls' manure with triturate napier grass bed (MFNGT); 3 - Suine manure (SM); 4 - Bovine manure (BM) and 5 - Bovine manure mixed with 50% of sugarcane bagasse (BM50S). From the data collected it was concluded that: the substract (MFNG) and the substract containing SM produced higher and lower volumes of biogas respectively, when compared to the others; the mixture of sugarcane bagasse in the substract containing Bovine manure damages the accumulated biogas production and its quality; 57 days after filling the biodigestors, all substrates produced biogas with a methane level higher than 48% except for the substrates containing Suine manure; the triturate substrates (MFNGT) did not present such distinct characteristics from the non-triturate substrates (MFNG); the quality of biogas at the maximum production stage was similar, for all the studied substrates; the biogas which presented higher quantity of methane in its composition was the one produced with BM, overcoming the value up to 17.7% over the MFNGT production.

A Biophysical Evaluation of a MSW-to-energy System

A biophysical understanding of the MSW-to-energy facility located at the Sao Joao landfill in São Paulo is performed using emergy synthesis. The implementation of a plan for environmental compensation in fulfillment of State's requirements was also assessed. Emergy based indices are calculated to assess the environmental pressure and sustainability status of the biogas project. The study was conducted by combining the study of emergy indicators and the net emergy yield ratio to determine long-term sustainability and measure global environmental stress. The Emergy investment to the use of biogas is relatively low and profitable. The implementation of the project for environmental compensation does not change the Emergy investment significantly, but the energy recovery is high. The conclusions justify the effort invested in developing MSW-to-energy plants and are applicable for policy makers in a highly sensitive sector to achieve sustainability goals - recovery of energy.

Foreign Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean 2003

Includes bibliography

Foreign Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean 2006

Includes bibliography

Avaliação energética de um sistema de refrigeração por absorção utilizando gás de aterro e gás natural

The current technological development made by the absorption refrigeration system is an economic and ambient alternative in comparison to the vapor cycle, possessing an advantage that uses thermal energy that is less noble. Chillers of absorption are used widely in the air conditioned industries, because they can be set in motion through hot water vapors that burn natural gas, solar energy, biomasses amongst others instead of electricity. These systems allow it to reduce the tips of electric demand and balance the rocking of energy demand. This work has had a main objective to simulate a absorption refrigeration cycle with lithium-water bromide solution using biogas of sanitary landfill, and mixtures of this with natural gas. These results shown to the energy viability of the system burning biogas and its mixtures with natural gas in the generator, when compared with equipments that uses traditional fuels (natural gas, oil diesel, amongst others), for operation the commercial chillers with 15 kW of the refrigeration capacity and temperature of the water in the entrance of 14°C and the exit of 7°C.

Anaerobic treatment of wastewater from coffee pulping in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) in two stages

In this work, the efficiency of two-stage upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors was evaluated in bench scale, for treating a liquid effluent from coffee pulping. Hydraulic detention times (HDT) were 4.0; 5.2 and 6.2 days, resulting in organic loading rates (OLR) of 5.8; 3.6 and 3.0g total COD per (L-d) in the first reactor (Rl) and HDT of 2.0; 2.6 and 3.1 days with OLR of 5.8; 0.5 and 0.4 g total COD per (L-d) in the second reactor (R2). The medium values of total COD affluent varied from 15.440 to 23.040 mg O 2/L, and in the effluent to the reactors 1 and 2 were from l.lOO to 11.500 mg 0 2/L and 420 to 9.000 mg O 2/L, respectively. The medium values of removal efficiencies of total COD and TSS varied from 66 to 98% and 93 to 97%, respectively, in the system of treatment with the UASB reactors, in two stages. The content of methane in the biogas varied from 69 to 89% in the Rl and from 52 to 73% in the R2. The maximum volumetric methane production of 0.483 m 3 CH 4per (m 3 reactor d) was obtained with OLR of 3.6 g total COD per (L reactor d) and HDT of 6.2 days in the Rl. The volatile fatty acids concentration was kept below 100mg/L with HDT of 5.2 and 6.2 days in the Rl and HDT of 2.6 and 3.1 days in the R2.

Structural change and productivity growth, 20 years later: old problems, new opportunities

Includes bibliography

The Latin American Pacific Basin initiative and the Asia-Pacific region

Includes bibliography

Opportunities for trade and investment between Latin America and Asia-Pacific: the link with APEC

Includes bibliography

Trade in services in Latin America and the Caribbean: an analysis of recent trends

Includes bibliography

Trade and investment promotion between Asia-Pacific and Latin America: present position and future prospects

Includes bibliography

Quality of Latin American and Caribbean industrialization and integration into the global economy

Includes bibliography

The transformation of the North American apparel industry: is NAFTA a curse or a blessing?

Includes bibliography

Restructuring in manufacturing: case studies in Chile, Mexico and Venezuela

Includes bibliography