Estudo da secagem do pedúnculo do caju em sistemas convencional e solar: modelagem e simulação do processo

This work aims to study the drying of cashew-nut pulp with different lay-out of dryers using conventional and solar energy. It concerns with the use of exceeding of the regional raw material and the suitable knowledge for the applicability of the drying systems as pathway for food conservation. Besides, it used renewable sources as solar energy to dry these agroindustrial products. Runs were carried out using a conventional tray-dryer with temperature, air velocity control and cashew slice thickness of 55°C, 65°C, 75°C; 3.0; 4.5, 6.0 m s-1; 1.0; 1.5 and 2.0 cm, respectively, in order to compare the studied systems. To evaluate the conventional tray-dryer, it was used a diffusional model of 2nd Fick´s law, where the drying curves were quite well fitted to an infinite flat plate design. For the drying runs where the room temperature had no control, it was developed a phenomenological-mathematical model for the solar dryer with indirect radiation under natural and forced convection based on material and energy balances of the system. Besides, it was carried out assays in the in natura as well as dehydrated, statistic analysis of the experimental drying data, sensorial analysis of the final dry product and a simplified economical analysis of the systems studied

Percepção ambiental por uma comunidade rural do entorno de uma reserva particular do patrimônio natural (RPPN), semiárido brasileiro

Com o aumento dos problemas ambientais surgiram várias formas de proteção da natureza, como a criação de Unidades de Conservação (UC s) para preservar a biodiversidade que, por si, não tem obtido os resultados esperados. Para isso, a Percepção Ambiental (PA) vem sendo utilizada em estudos que tratam da relação homem-ambiente. Uma dessas UC s é a Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural (RPPN) Stoessel de Britto, no Estado do Rio Grande do Norte. Este trabalho teve como objetivos identificar o perfil socioeconômico e analisar a PA da comunidade do entorno dessa RPPN para conhecer os significados e atitudes que regem as relações estabelecidas pela comunidade com os elementos naturais e a UC. Foi empregado o instrumento da PA, na forma de formulários com questões abertas e fechadas aplicados a 90 entrevistados, e os dados foram analisados através do método Análise de Conteúdo. Os resultados mostram que a maioria dos moradores reconhece esta RPPN como uma área de proibições e legalizada pelo Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis-IBAMA. A falta de investimentos e de apoio é considerada grande empecilho na proteção e para o desenvolvimento local

Avaliação termoanalítica da eficiência de antioxidantes na estabilidade oxidativa do biodiesel de mamona

The biodiesel is defined as the mono-alkyl ester derived from long-chain fatty acids, from renewable sources such as vegetable oils or animal fat, whose use is associated with the replacement of fossil fuels in diesel engine cycle. The biodiesel is susceptible to oxidation when exposed to air and this process of oxidation affects the quality of fuel, mainly due to long periods of storage. Because of this, the oxidation stability has been the focus of numerous researches since it directly affects the producers, distributors and users of fuel. One of the possibilities to increase the resistance of biodiesel is the autoxidation treatment with inhibitors of oxidation. The antioxidants can be used as potential inhibitors of the effects of oxidation on the kinematic viscosity and the index of acidity of biodiesel, thereby increasing oxidative stability. This work aims to examine the efficiency of antioxidants, α-tocopherol and butylated hydroxy-toluene (BHT), added the biodiesel content of remembrance through Pressurized-Differential Scanning Calorimetry (P-DSC), Thermogravimetry (TG) and Petrology. The results showed that the use of antioxidant BHT, at the concentration of 2000ppm, increased resistance to oxidation of the biodiesel and oxidative induction time (OIT), which is a better result as antioxidant than the α-tocopherol. With the thermogravimetric analysis, it was observed that the biodiesel presented an initial decomposition temperature of lower tendency than that of oil, demonstrating to be more volatile, bearing great similarity to the diesel and being characterized as an alternative fuel. The rheological analysis indicated that each sample of biodiesel behaved as a Newtonian fluid

Estudo do óleo das sementes de Carthamus tinctorius L. Para produção de biodiesel

Most of the energy consumed worldwide comes from oil, coal and natural gas. These sources are limited and estimated to be exhausted in the future, therefore, the search for alternative sources of energy is paramount. Currently, there is considerable interest in making trade sustainable biodiesel, a fuel alternative to fossil fuels, due to its renewable nature and environmental benefits of its use in large scale. This trend has led the Brazilian government to establish a program (Probiodiesel) with the aim of introducing biodiesel into the national energy matrix, by addition of 5% biodiesel to conventional diesel in 2010 to foster not only the increase of renewable energy, but reduce imports of crude oil. This work evaluates different methods of extraction of oil Carthamus tinctorius L., their characterization by IR, 1H and 13C NMR, HPLC and TG and their use in the production of methyl ester (molar ratio of oil / alcohol 1:6, and NaOH catalyst). The physico-chemical parameters (acid value, density, viscosity, saponification index and surface tension) of oil and biodiesel were also described. The produced biodiesel had a yield of 93.65%, was characterized in relation to their physicochemical properties showing satisfactory results (density=875 kg/m3, viscosity = 6.22 mm2/s, AI = 0.01 mg (NaOH) /g) compared with the values established by the the National Agency Oil, Natural Gas and Biofuels

Avaliação das propriedades físico-químicas de sistemas a base de carboximetilcelulose e poli (N-isopropilacrilamida) em soluções aquosas para aplicação na indústria do petróleo

Sustainable development is a major challenge in the oil industry and has aroused growing interest in research to obtain materials from renewable sources. Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) is a polysaccharide derived from cellulose and becomes attractive because it is water-soluble, renewable, biodegradable and inexpensive, as well as may be chemically modified to gain new properties. Among the derivatives of carboxymethylcellulose, systems have been developed to induce stimuli-responsive properties and extend the applicability of multiple-responsive materials. Although these new materials have been the subject of study, understanding of their physicochemical properties, such as viscosity, solubility and particle size as a function of pH and temperature, is still very limited. This study describes systems of physical blends and copolymers based on carboxymethylcellulose and poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), with different feed percentage compositions of the reaction (25CMC, 50CMC e 75CMC), in aqueous solution. The chemical structure of the polymers was investigated by infrared and CHN elementary analysis. The physical blends were analyzed by rheology and the copolymers by UV-visible spectroscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential. CMC and copolymer were assessed as scale inhibitors of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) using dynamic tube blocking tests and chemical compatibility tests, as well as scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Thermothickening behavior was observed for the 50 % CMC_50 % PNIPAM and 25 % CMC_75 % PNIPAM physical blends in aqueous solution at concentrations of 6 and 2 g/L, respectively, depending on polymer concentration and composition. For the copolymers, the increase in temperature and amount of PNIPAM favored polymer-polymer interactions through hydrophobic groups, resulting in increased turbidity of polymer solutions. Particle size decreased with the rise in copolymer PNIPAM content as a function of pH (3-12), at 25 °C. Larger amounts of CMC result in a stronger effect of pH on particle size, indicating pH-responsive behavior. Thus, 25CMC was not affected by the change in pH, exhibiting similar behavior to PNIPAM. In addition, the presence of acidic or basic additives influenced particle size, which was smaller in the presence of the additives than in distilled water. The results of zeta potential also showed greater variation for polymers in distilled water than in the presence of acids and bases. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of PNIPAM determined by DLS corroborated the value obtained by UV-visible spectroscopy. SAXS data for PNIPAM and 50CMC indicated phase transition when the temperature increased from 32 to 34 °C. A reduction in or absence of electrostatic properties was observed as a function of increased PNIPAM in copolymer composition. Assessment of samples as scale inhibitors showed that CMC performed better than the copolymers. This was attributed to the higher charge density present in CMC. The SEM micrographs confirmed morphological changes in the CaCO3 crystals, demonstrating the scale inhibiting potential of these polymers

Formal verification of PLC programs using the B Method

PLCs (acronym for Programmable Logic Controllers) perform control operations, receiving information from the environment, processing it and modifying this same environment according to the results produced. They are commonly used in industry in several applications, from mass transport to petroleum industry. As the complexity of these applications increase, and as various are safety critical, a necessity for ensuring that they are reliable arouses. Testing and simulation are the de-facto methods used in the industry to do so, but they can leave flaws undiscovered. Formal methods can provide more confidence in an application s safety, once they permit their mathematical verification. We make use of the B Method, which has been successfully applied in the formal verification of industrial systems, is supported by several tools and can handle decomposition, refinement, and verification of correctness according to the specification. The method we developed and present in this work automatically generates B models from PLC programs and verify them in terms of safety constraints, manually derived from the system requirements. The scope of our method is the PLC programming languages presented in the IEC 61131-3 standard, although we are also able to verify programs not fully compliant with the standard. Our approach aims to ease the integration of formal methods in the industry through the abbreviation of the effort to perform formal verification in PLCs

Percepção ambiental por uma comunidade rural do entorno de uma reserva particular do patrimônio natural (RPPN), semiárido brasileiro

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior

A produção de biodiesel no assentamento Canudos RN: perspectivas e limites da inclusão social

The need to become energy self-sufficient a country with which Brazil has sought renewable energy sources due to the possibility of depletion of oil in coming decades. This paper will examine the perspective of social inclusion the latest energy plan developed by the Federal Government: the National Program of Biodiesel Production and Use - PNPB. It aims to find out whether that work with family farmers who participated in the PNPB socially included and what limits its inclusion. Secondly, the objective is to analyze the Brazilian biodiesel production and its uses. The methodology used for the preparation of this study was to examine the literature, visits to the study area, conducting interviews with the leadership of the settlement, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with families producing sunflower. Finally, the research dealt with the statistical data. After analyzing the data was verified that the instrument PNPB is able to promote the social inclusion of family farmers, but this occurred in the initial stages because the families involved need a minimum framework of organization and infrastructure to develop activities related to biodiesel

No mutations found in exons of TP53, H-RAS and K-RAS genes in liver of male Wistar rats submitted to a medium-term chemical carcinogenesis assay

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

Conhecimento sobre energia eólica: um estudo exploratório a partir das redes semânticas naturais de estudantes da cidade de Natal

The human being has a fundamental role in issues concerning scarcity of energy resources as well as in the success of technologies which favor the use of renewable sources, such as wind energy. But what does wind energy mean for people? What are the psychological meanings concerning this term? Aiming to answer these questions, the general objective of this dissertation was to identify and to analyze the knowledge about wind energy taking into account a network of psychological meanings. One hundred and ninety one (191) university students from Natal-RN participated in the study, being male the majority (53%); aged between 17 and 51 years old (M=23.3 years; SD=5.7). Participants responded to self reports using the Natural Semantic Networks (NSW) technique, as well as to several sociodemographic questions. The results showed a consistent, positive and useful general semantic network. In this semantic network, knowledge about wind energy was represented by words that correspond to the appeal of (pro) environmental stance (e.g., clean and nature), that evinced both the technological aspect (e.g., force) and the economic aspect (e.g., economy). Results from different groups were also analyzed. The first set of groups (non-environemental and environmental) was divided considering the course (e.g., ecology and economy). The second set of groups(non-caretaker and caretaker) was divided based on the practice of environmental care expressed. Subtle differences were observed in the semantic networks of caretakers, who emphasized environment, an attribute not mentioned by non-caretakes. This indicates a construction of knowledge that is influenced by the presence or absence of the environmental commitment. Such findings may be useful in the construction of instruments for surveys and in the development of public and educational policies. Additionally, they may assist the media towards a more objective performance concerning wind energy

Hidrelétricas na Amazônia: renovabilidade e não renovabilidade da política energética. Se é desejável a renovabilidade das formas de conversão de energia, por que não é desejável renovar a política energética?

O ensaio tem a intenção de discutir, apresentando como pano de fundo os recentes projetos hidrelétricos propostos e em andamento na Amazônia brasileira, aspectos referentes aos processos de licenciamento ambiental, problemas conceituais que dizem respeito à caracterização da conversão hidrelétrica como energia limpa e renovável. Este trabalho parte da análise de planos governamentais e das discussões sobre projetos hidrelétricos, identificando a necessidade de implementar mudanças institucionais e de fortalecer as leis ambientais e de proteção dos direitos de populações tradicionais e indígenas. Propõe-se uma nova maneira de formular problemas energéticos e de planejar a oferta de energia, que leva em consideração aspectos sustentáveis e patrocinadores da discussão pública, além do entendimento e da incorporação das consequências sobre os grandes ciclos biogeoquímicos que dão suporte às conversões de energia.

Simulation of the energy performance of maize production integrated to pig farming

Foi avaliado o desempenho energético da suinocultura integrada à produção de milho em grão em sistema de plantio direto mecanizado. Nesta concepção de integração proposta, os dejetos suínos são utilizados como fertilizantes na produção de milho. O sistema foi delimitado envolvendo as atividades associadas ao manejo dos suínos e de produção do milho (manejo do solo, cultivo e colheita). O período de análise considerado foi de um ano, o que possibilita a produção de três lotes de suínos e duas safras de milho. Para avaliar o desempenho energético, foram criados três indicadores: eficiência energética, eficiência de uso de fontes não renováveis e o custo de energia não renovável para a produção de proteína. As entradas energéticas são compostas pelos insumos e pela infraestrutura, utilizados na criação dos suínos e na produção de milho, e pela radiação solar incidente no agrossistema. Já as saídas são representadas pelos seus produtos (suínos terminados e o milho). Os resultados obtidos nas simulações apontam que a integração melhora o desempenho energético das granjas suinícolas, aumentando a eficiência energética (186%) e a eficiência não renovável (352%), além de reduzir o custo de energia não renovável para a produção de proteína (‑58%).

Espaços iberoamericanos: O investimento estrangeiro, Oportunidades para impulsionar uma relaçao renovada

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Espaços Ibero-Americanos

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Mini-inversores para aproveitamento de energia fotovoltaica, com técnicas de MPPT, sincronismo e conexão com a rede de CA em BT, proteção de ilhamento, gerenciamento da energia e da operação

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Elétrica - FEIS