Viabilidade econômica da utilização do biogás produzido em granja suínícola para geração de energia elétrica

A produção de biogás por meio de biodigestão anaeróbia representa um avanço para equacionar o problema dos dejetos produzidos pela suinocultura e disponibilidade de energia no meio rural. Este trabalho teve como objetivo estimar a viabilidade econômica de um sistema biointegrado para geração de eletricidade a partir do aproveitamento de dejetos de suínos. Os dados para este estudo foram coletados em uma agroindústria, onde são realizadas diversas atividades agrícolas; entretanto, a suinocultura foi selecionada para o processo de análise de biodigestão anaeróbia, pelo fato de gerar uma grande quantidade de dejetos, com dificuldade de disposição no meio ambiente, configurando um estudo de caso. O biodigestor analisado é um modelo tubular contínuo, com calha de água em alvenaria e com uma manta plástica como gasômetro, onde são depositados diariamente os dejetos de 2.300 suínos em fase de terminação. O investimento inicial para implantação foi estimado em R$ 51.537,17, e os custos anuais do sistema foram de R$ 5.708,20 com manutenção, R$ 4.390,40 com depreciação e R$ 1.366,77 com juros. Concluiu-se que o sistema de produção de biogás é viável do ponto de vista econômico, se o consumo de energia elétrica for de 35 kWh por dia, em média, onde o valor presente líquido (VLP) é de R$ 9.494,90, e a taxa interna de retorno (TIR) é de 9,34% ao ano.

Degradação fotoquímica de efluentes industriais contendo polipropileno e isoniazida

One of the main impacts to the environment is the water pollution, where the industrial sector is one of the main sources of this problem. In order to search for a solution, the industrial sector is looking forward to new technologies to treat its wastewaters with the goal to reuse the water in the own process. In this mode, the treatment presents a reduction in its costs with the water suply. One of these technologies that are getting more and more applications is the advanced oxidative processes (AOP´s). In this work two industrial wastewaters have been studied, i.e., containing polymers and pharmacus. In the case of the wastewaters with polymers the UV/H2O2 process has been applied with a systematic series of experiments, using irradiation from a mercury lamp and also solar. The following variables of the UV/H2O2 process for the polymers wastewaters have been studied systematically with the lamp reactor: mode of addition of hydrogen peroxide, temperature, time of reaction, hydrogen peroxide concentration and power of the lamp (80, 125, 250 and 400W). The results demonstrated to be satisfactory, obtaining rates of organic charge removal of 100% in 120 minutes of reaction. The studied variables for the experiments with solar irradiation using polymers wastewaters were only the time of reaction, the mode of addition and concentration of the hydrogen peroxide. The results with the solar irradiation demonstrated to be not satisfactory, reaching maximum of 22% of TOC removal in 240 minutes of reaction. This is in accordance with the fact that the solar source has only 5% of low UV irradiation. With respect to the photodegradation of the pharmacus wastewaters, the process UV/H2O2 and photo-Fenton have been applied. As a source of photons, in this case, a mercury UV lamp of 80 W has been used. The studied variables for the experiments with artificial irradiation with the pharmacus wastewaters were: initial concentration of the pollutant, concentration of Fe2+ and time of reaction. The results demonstrated a degree of degradation fairly satisfactory, showing a maximum conversion value of 46% in 120 minutes

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

Produção de forragem verde em sistema hidropônico usando esgoto tratado

In the urban areas of the cities a larger problem of destiny of effluents of the treatment stations is verified due to the junction of the sewages in great volumes. This way the hidroponic cultive becomes important, for your intensive characteristic, as alternative of reuse. This work presents as objective the improvement of the relation hidric-nutritious of the hidroponic cultive of green forage (FVH) using treaty sewage. The production of forage was with corn (Zea mays L.), using double hybrid AG1051, in the experimental field of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), in the city of Natal-RN-Brazil. The treated effluent essentially domestic had origin of anaerobic reactor, type decant-digester of two cameras in series followed by anaerobic filters drowned. The hidroponic experimental system was composed of 08 stonemasons, with limited contours for masonry of drained ceramic brick, measuring each one 2,5 meters in length for 1,0 meter of width, with inclination of 4% (m/m) in the longitudinal sense, leveled carefully, in way to not to allow preferential roads in the flow. These dimensions, the useful area of Isow was of 2 square meters. The stonemasons of cultive were waterproof (found and lateral) with plastic canvas of 200 micres of thickness, in the white color. Controlled the entrance and exit of the effluente in the stonemasons, with cycles of 12,68 minutes, it being water of 1,18 minutes. The treatments were constituted of: T1 - 24 hours/day under it waters with flow of 2 L/min; T2 - 12 hours/day under waters with flow of 4 L/min; T3 - 12 hours/day under waters with flow of 2 L/min; and T4 - 16 hours/day under waters with flow of 3 L/min. There were evaluations of the evapotranspirometric demand, of hidroponic system affluent and effluent seeking to characterize and to monitor physical-chemical parameters as: pH, temperature, Electric Conductivity and Fecal Coliforms. This last one was analyzed to the 11 days after isow (DAS) and to the 14 DAS. The others were analyzed daily. I sow it was accomplished in the dates of February 21, 2007, first experiment, and April 10, 2007, second experiment. The density of Isow was of 2 kg of seeds, germinated before 48 hours, for square meter of stonemason. The statistic delineament was it casual entirely with two repetitions, in two experiments. It was applied Tukey test of average to five percent of probability. The cultivation cycle was of 14 DAS with evapotranspirometric demand maximum, reached by T1, of 67,44 mm/day. The analyzed parameters, as mass of green matter - Kg, productivity-Kg/m2 and reason of production of seed FVH/Kg used in Isow, the best result was presented by T1, obtaining value of up to 19,01 Kg/m2 of cultive. Without significant difference, the T4 presented greats values with 16 hours under cycle of water. The Treatments 2 and 3 with 12 hours under cycle of water, they obtained inferior results to the other Treatments. As treatment system, came efficient in the reduction of the salinity. T1 obtained reduction medium maxim of 62,5%, to the 7 DAS, in the amount of salts that enter in the system in they are absorbed in the cultivation. The cultivation FVH acted reducing the microbiologic load. Significant percentile of reduction they were reached, with up to 90,23% of reduction of Units of Colonies (UFC), constituting, like this, the Hidroponic System as good alternative of treatment of effluents of Reactors of high Efficiency

Formação estelar desencadeada pela colisão entre nuvens moleculares magnetizadas

We use a finite diference eulerian numerical code, called ZEUS 3D, to do simulations involving the collision between two magnetized molecular clouds, aiming to evaluate the rate of star formation triggered by the collision and to analyse how that rate varies depending on the relative orientations between the cloud magnetic fields before the shock. The ZEUS 3D code is not an easy code to handle. We had to create two subroutines, one to study the cloud-cloud collision and the other for the data output. ZEUS is a modular code. Its hierarchical way of working is explained as well as the way our subroutines work. We adopt two sets of different initial values for density, temperature and magnetic field of the clouds and of the external medium in order to study the collision between two molecular clouds. For each set, we analyse in detail six cases with different directions and orientations of the cloud magnetic field relative to direction of motion of the clouds. The analysis of these twelve cases allowed us to conform analytical-theoretical proposals found in the literature, and to obtain several original results. Previous works indicate that, if the cloud magnetic fields before the collision are orthogonal to the direction of motion, then a strong inhibition of star formation will occur during a cloud-cloud shock, whereas if those magnetic fields are parallel to the direction of motion, star formation will be stimulated. Our treatment of the problem confirmed numerically those results, and further allowed us to quantify the relative star forming efficiencies in each case. Moreover, we propose and analyse an intermediate case where the field of one of the clouds is orthogonal to the motion and the field of the other one is parallel to the motion. We conclude that, in this case, the rate at which the star formation occurs has a value also intermediate between the two extreme cases we mentioned above. Besides that we study the case in which the fields are orthogonal to the direction of the motion but, instead of being parallel to each other, they are anti-parallel, and we obtained for this case the corresponding variation of the star formation rate due to this alteration of the field configuration. This last case has not been studied in the literature before. Our study allows us to obtain, from the simulations, the rate of star formation in each case, as well as the temporal dependence of that rate as each collision evolves, what we do in detail for one of the cases in particular. The values we obtain for the rate of star formation are in accordance with those expected from the presently existing observational data

On the stability of the satellites of asteroid 87 Sylvia

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

Using the current Brazilian value for the biological exposure limit applied to blood lead level as a lead poisoning diagnostic criterion

Tradicionalmente, os limites de tolerância biológica são utilizados exclusivamente para a promoção e a preservação da saúde dos trabalhadores, não sendo aplicados com fins diagnósticos. Entretanto, com relação a algumas intoxicações profissionais, o assunto é polêmico. Neste artigo, defende-se a utilização do limite de tolerância aplicado atualmente no Brasil à plumbemia como um critério importante para a realização do diagnóstico da intoxicação profissional pelo chumbo. Argumenta-se que, em oposição ao tradicional critério clínico, deve-se abordar o problema do diagnóstico da intoxicação pelo chumbo sob um ponto de vista epidemiológico, utilizando-se o atual valor do limite de tolerância para a plumbemia como um marcador de risco relativo significativamente aumentado.

The aggregation process in tetraethoxysilane-derived sonogels as an analogy to the critical phenomenon

The structural evolution in silica sols prepared from tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) sonohydrolysis was studied 'in situ' using small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). The structure of the gelling system can be reasonably well described by a correlation function given by gamma(r) similar to (1/R(2))(1/r) exp(- r/xi), where xi is the structure correlation length and R is a chain persistence length, as an analogy to the Ornstein-Zernike theory in describing critical phenomenon. This approach is also expected for the scattering from some linear and branched molecules as polydisperse coils of linear chains and random f-functional branched polycondensates. The characteristic length. grows following an approximate power law with time t as xi similar to t(1) (with the exponent quite close to 1) while R remains undetermined but with a constant value, except at the beginning of the process in which the growth of. is slower and R increases by only about 15% with respect to the value of the initial sol. The structural evolution with time is compatible with an aggregation process by a phase separation by coarsening. The mechanism of growth seems to be faster than those typically observed for pure diffusion controlled cluster-cluster aggregation. This suggests that physical forces (hydrothermal forces) could be actuating together with diffusion in the gelling process of this system. The data apparently do not support a spinodal decomposition mechanism, at least when starting from the initial stable acid sol studied here.

Tolerance to the air exposition test of Hoplias lacerdae larvae and juvenile during its initial development

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Aggregation in the generalized transportation problem

Aggregation disaggregation is used to reduce the analysis of a large generalized transportation problem to a smaller one. Bounds for the actual difference between the aggregated objective and the original optimal value are used to quantify the error due to aggregation and estimate the quality of the aggregation. The bounds can be calculated either before optimization of the aggregated problem (a priori) or after (a posteriori). Both types of the bounds are derived and numerically compared. A computational experiment was designed to (a) study the correlation between the bounds and the actual error and (b) quantify the difference of the error bounds from the actual error. The experiment shows a significant correlation between some a priori bounds, the a posteriori bounds and the actual error. These preliminary results indicate that calculating the a priori error bound is a useful strategy to select the appropriate aggregation level, since the a priori bound varies in the same way that the actual error does. After the aggregated problem has been selected and optimized, the a posteriori bound provides a good quantitative measure for the error due to aggregation.

Effect of combined bending strain and thermal cycling on the voltage-current characteristic curves of Bi-2223 tapes

High critical temperature superconductors are evolving from a scientific research subject into large-scale application devices. In order to meet this development demand they must withstand high current capacity under mechanical loads arising from thermal contraction during cooling from room temperature down to operating temperature (usually 77 K) and due to the electromagnetic forces generated by the current and the induced magnetic field. Among the HTS materials, the Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox, compound imbedded in an Ag/AgMg sheath has shown the best results in terms of critical current at 77 K and tolerance against mechanical strain. Aiming to evaluate the influence of thermal stress induced by a number of thermal shock cycles we have evaluated the V-I characteristic curves of samples mounted onto semicircular holders with different curvature radius (9.75 to 44.5 mm). The most deformed sample (epsilon = 1.08%) showed the largest reduction of critical current (40%) compared to the undeformed sample and the highest sensitivity to thermal stress (I-c/I-c0 = 0.5). The V-I characteristic curves were also fitted by a potential curve displaying n-exponents varying from 20 down to 10 between the initial and last thermal shock cycle.

The use of extruded feed in fish food

In our country, the intensive culture of fish has been making progress due to the availability of extruded rations, which are characterized by the way they have been formulated to assist the nutritional demands of the tropical species and for facilitating a better practice of alimentary handling. This process checks the extruded product density and the desirable physical/chemical aspects to a diet that should be handled in the water, the critical factor of this activity. It is important to emphasize that this product stays to the surface of the water, facilitates the consumption control and the observation of the general aspects of the school of fish, as well as guaranteeing that no deterioration of the physical/chemical characteristics of the water occurs. The floating characteristic of the extruded ration is preferable for farmers because most of the tropical species feed at the surface of the water. In some cases, in the function of the alimentary habit, the thermal conditions of the water and the handling system produce granules with different densities. This is due to the humidity and the applied cooking heat, which modifies the time of hydration, and consequently the ability to float. To establish the physical presentation idea for a ration for tropical fishes, it is necessary that the pellets come in sizes, textures, humidities and densities in order to allow for the different phases of the lives of the fishes. This ration should be the result of characteristics of the species, such as the anatomophysiologics particularities, alimentary habits, digestive capacity and alimentary behavior. Only in this way is it possible to offer to those fishes a ration whose nutritious value and physical presentation facilitate the best biological and economic answers.Those aspects need to be reviewed because the tropical species that are cultivated in our country present selective behavior in relation to the size of the pellet. Generally, this has access to the digestive system without waste; the digestibility, therefore, is dependent upon the size of the particles and the physical aspects of the pellets. They should still consider that those granules could be less abrasive and softer. The extruded rations available in the national market present a qualitative reference to its proteic level, whose consequence allows us to infer that those are overestimated for the final phase of those fishes. Thus, the final cost of production is made unfeasible. In this point of view of the development of the national fish culture, and the growing adoption of the intensive system of production, it can link that such progress is a function of the availability of the rations in the extruded form. Although this technique of processing of rations has revolutionized the market in such a way that has been seen as preferable for farmers, some feel that there is a lack of products best suited for the initial phases of fingerlings production.

Peculiar trajectories around the Lagrangian equilateral points

In the present work we analyse the behaviour of a particle under the gravitational influence of two massive bodies and a particular dissipative force. The circular restricted three body problem, which describes the motion of this particle, has five equilibrium points in the frame which rotates with the same angular velocity as the massive bodies: two equilateral stable points (L-4, L-5) and three colinear unstable points (L-1, L-2, L-3). A particular solution for this problem is a stable orbital libration, called a tadpole orbit, around the equilateral points. The inclusion of a particular dissipative force can alter this configuration. We investigated the orbital behaviour of a particle initially located near L4 or L5 under the perturbation of a satellite and the Poynting-Robertson drag. This is an example of breakdown of quasi-periodic motion about an elliptic point of an area-preserving map under the action of dissipation. Our results show that the effect of this dissipative force is more pronounced when the mass of the satellite and/or the size of the particle decrease, leading to chaotic, although confined, orbits. From the maximum Lyapunov Characteristic Exponent a final value of gamma was computed after a time span of 10(6) orbital periods of the satellite. This result enables us to obtain a critical value of log y beyond which the orbit of the particle will be unstable, leaving the tadpole behaviour. For particles initially located near L4, the critical value of log gamma is -4.07 and for those particles located near L-5 the critical value of log gamma is -3.96. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Three-body problem, its Lagrangian points and how to exploit them using an alternative transfer to L4 and L5

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

Simple heuristics for the assembly line worker assignment and balancing problem

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)