Macauba palm (acrocomia aculeata) cake from biodiesel processing: an efficient and low cost substrate for the adsorption of dyes

The potential of natural and heat-treated Macauba palm cake as adsorbent for the removal of Methylene Blue (MB) and Congo Red (CR) from solution has been investigated. Equilibrium adsorption was attained in <7 h and the process was favored at pH 5.0 for MB and pH 6.5 for CR with an adsorbent (g):adsorbate (mL) ratio of 1:200 and an initial concentration of adsorbate of 25 mg L−1. The maximum adsorption capacities of the natural and heat-treated materials were, respectively, 25.80 and 32.30 mg g−1 for MB, and 32.00 and 20.30 mg g−1 for CR. The isotherm model proposed by Sips represented most adequately the adsorption of MB and CR. The adsorptions of the dyes were best described in terms of a pseudo second-order reaction. Thermodynamic parameters such as ΔHo, ΔSo and ΔGo were calculated. The adsorption process was found to be endothermic and spontaneous. Macauba palm cake is adequate for the removal of waste dye from industrial effluents by virtue of its abundance, low cost and efficiency of adsorption.

Avaliação da degradação fotoquímica de corante alimentício e lixiviação de corantes têxteis de fibras de algodão expostos a suor sintético por método cromatográficos

Pós-graduação em Química - IQ

Halotolerance, ligninase production and herbicide degradation ability of basidiomycetes strains

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

Nonoxidative thermal degradation kinetic of polyamide 6,6 reinforced with carbon nanotubes

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

Analysis of a microbial community associated with polychlorinated biphenyl degradation in anaerobic batch reactors

The degradation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was investigated under fermentativemethanogenic conditions for up to 60 days in the presence of anaerobic biomass from a full-scale UASB reactor. The low methane yields in the PCBs-spiked batch reactors suggested that the biomass had an inhibitory effect on the methanogenic community. Reactors containing PCBs and co-substrates (ethanol/ sodium formate) exhibited substantial PCB reductions from 0.7 to 0.2 mg mL-1 . For the Bacteria domain, the PCBs-spiked reactors were grouped with the PCB-free reactors with a similarity of 55 %, which suggested the selection of a specific population in the presence of PCBs. Three genera of bacteria were found exclusively in the PCB-spiked reactors and were identified using pyrosequencing analysis, Sedimentibacter, Tissierela and Fusibacter. Interestingly, the Sedimentibacter, which was previously correlated with the reductive dechlorination of PCBs, had the highest relative abundance in the RCS-PCB (7.4 %) and RCS-PCB-PF (12.4 %) reactors. Thus, the anaerobic sludge from the UASB reactor contains bacteria from the Firmicutes phylum that are capable of degrading PCBs.

Removal of dyes by lignocellulose adsorbents originating from biodiesel production

In this study, use was made of tucumã cake, in natura (TCN) and thermally treated (TCT), as potential alternative adsorbents for the adsorption of cationic and anionic dyes. The effects of the parameters: contact time, adsorbent: adsorbate mass ratio, and initial concentration of dye were analyzed. The adsorption isotherms were established from optimized adsorption parameters. The best conditions for adsorption were: equilibrium time of 7 h, concentration of 25 mg L 1 and ratio of 1:200 for the methylene blue dye; and pH 6.5, concentration of 25 mg L 1 and ratio of 1:200 for the congo red dye. The adsorption process was best represented by the Dubinin–Radushkevich and Sips isotherms. The kinetics of adsorption of the dyes were best described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Elovich models. TCT showed the best maximum adsorption capacity (Qm) for the methylene blue dye (63.92 mg g 1 ).

Penetration of hydrogen peroxide and degradation rate of different bleaching products

This study's aim was to evaluate the degradation rate of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and to quantify its penetration in tooth structure, considering the residence time of bleaching products on the dental enamel. For this study, bovine teeth were randomly divided according to the bleaching product received: Opalescence Xtra Boost 38%, White Gold Office 35%, Whiteness HP Blue 35%, Whiteness HP Maxx 35%, and Lase Peroxide Sensy 35%. To analyze the degradation of H2O2, the titration of bleaching agents with potassium permanganate was used, while the penetration of H2O2 was measured via spectrophotometric analysis of the acetate buffer solution, collected from the artificial pulp chamber. The analyses were performed immediately as well as 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and 45 minutes after product application. The data of degradation rate of H2O2 were submitted to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey tests, while ANOVA and Fisher tests were used for the quantification of H2O2, at the 5% level. The results showed that all products significantly reduced the concentration of H2O2 activates at the end of 45 minutes. It was also verified that the penetration of H2O2 was enhanced by increasing the residence time of the product on the tooth surface. It was concluded that the bleaching gels retained substantial concentrations of H2O2 after 45 minutes of application, and penetration of H2O2 in the dental structure is time-dependent.

Unravelling the reaction mechanism of matrix metalloproteinase 3 using QM/MM calculations

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Potential of a bacterial consortium to degrade azo dye Disperse Red 1 in a pilot scale anaerobic-aerobic reactor

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

Purification and characterization of a unique pectin lyase from aspergillus giganteus able to release unsaturated monogalacturonate during pectin degradation

A pectin lyase, named PLIII, was purified to homogeneity from the culture filtrate of Aspergillus giganteus grown in submerged culture containing orange peel waste as carbon source. PLIII was able to digest apple pectin and citrus pectins with different degrees of methyl esterification. Interestingly, the PLIII activity was stimulated in the presence of some divalent cations including Pb(2+) and was not significantly affected by Hg(2+). Like other pectin lyases, PLIII is stimulated by but is not dependent on Ca(2+). The main soluble product released during the degradation of pectic substances promoted by the PLIII is compatible with an unsaturated monogalacturonate. PLIII is a unique enzyme able to release unsaturated monogalacturonate as the only soluble product during the degradation of pectic substances; therefore, PLIII was classified as an exo-pectin lyase. To our knowledge, this is the first characterization of an exo-pectin lyase. The PLIII described in this work is potentially useful for ethanol production from pectin-rich biomass, besides other common applications for alkaline pectinases like preparation of textile fibers, coffee and tea fermentation, vegetable oil extraction, and the treatment of pulp in papermaking.

The oxidation of p-phenylenediamine, an ingredient used for permanent hair dyeing purposes, leads to the formation of hydroxyl radicals: oxidative stress and DNA damage in human immortalized keratinocytes

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

Cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of two hair dyes used in the formulation of black color

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), some hair dyes are considered mutagenic and carcinogenic in in vitro assays and exposed human populations. Epidemiological studies indicate that hairdressers occupationally exposed to hair dyes have a higher risk of developing bladder cancer. In Brazil, 26% of the adults use hair dye. In this study, we investigated the toxic effects of two hair dyes, Basic Red 51 (BR51) and Basic Brown 17 (BB17), which are temporary dyes of the azo group (R-N=N-R'), used in the composition of the black hair dye. To this end, MTT and trypan blue assays (cytotoxicity), comet and micronucleus assay (genotoxicity) were applied, with HepG2 cells. For cytotoxic assessment, dyes were tested in serial dilutions, being the highest concentrations those used in the commercial formula for hair dyes. For genotoxic assessment concentrations were selected according to cell viability. Results showed that both dyes induced significant cytotoxic and genotoxic effects in the cells, in concentrations much lower than those used in the commercial formula. Genotoxic effects could be related to the azo structure present in the composition of the dyes, which is known as mutagenic and carcinogenic. These results point to the hazard of the hair dye exposure to human health.

Stability study and degradation kinetics of ceftazidime in pharmaceutical preparations

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

Design of static var compensators using a general reactive energy definition

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