Composition and quantification of the anthropogenic and natural fractions of wastes collected from the stormwater drainage system for discussions about the waste management and people behavior

A study was made of the composition of wastes collected from the pipes of the stormwater drainage system of Sorocaba, SP, Brazil (600 thousand inhabitants). A total of 10 samples weighing at least 100 kg each were sorted into 19 items to determine the fraction that can be considered natural (earth/sand, stones, organic matter, and water, the latter determined after oven-drying the samples) and the anthropogenic fraction (the remaining 15 items, especially construction and demolition wastes and packaging). Soil/sand was found to be the main item collected (52.5 % dry weight), followed by the water soaked into the waste (24.3 %), which meant that all the other wastes were saturated in mud, whose contents varied from 6.4 % (glass) to 87.2 % (metalized plastics packaging). In general, 83 % of the collected wastes can be classified as natural, but the remaining 17 % represent 2,000 kg of the most varied types of wastes discarded improperly every day on the streets of the city. This is an alarming amount of wastes that may clog parts of the drainage systems, causing troubles for all the population (like flooding) and must be strongly considered in municipal solid wastes management and in environmental education programs. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

Enhanced bulk and superficial hydrophobicities of starch-based bionanocomposites by addition of clay

In this work, thermoplastic starch (TPS)-clay bionanocomposites were obtained by an innovative methodology using a combination of methodologies commonly used in the composites and nanocomposites preparations. The main objectives or novelties were to confirm efficiency of the processing methodology by field emission gun scanning electron microscopy and investigate the effect of clay content on the spectroscopic, bulk and surface hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties of these bionanocomposites. Raman and FTIR spectroscopies confirmed the changes in the spectroscopic properties of the TPS bionanocomposites with the addition of the clay materials. Water absorption and contact angle measurements were also used to analyze the effect of the clay content on the hydrophilic properties of the TPS bionanocomposites. The results also showed that the addition of the cloisite-Na+ clay increased the bulk and surface hydrophobicities of the TPS matrix, which may increase its industrial application, particularly in manufacturing of food containers. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Studies on thermal-oxidative degradation behaviours of raw natural rubber: PRI and thermogravimetry analysis

Thermal-oxidative degradation behaviours of raw natural rubber (NR) have been investigated by using thermogravimetry analysis in inert and oxidative atmospheres and the plasticity retention index (PRI). The activation energy E a, was calculated using Horowitz-Metzger and Coats-Redfern methods and compared with PRI. The E a values obtained by each method were in good agreement with each other. The June samples are the least stable rubbers among the studied ones, whereas February samples exhibited the highest values of activation energy, therefore in agreement with the PRI behaviour, which indicates that the thermo-oxidative stability of the June samples are the poorest during the thermo-oxidative degradation reaction. Natural rubber is a product of biological origin, and thus these variations in the values of thermal behaviour and PRI might be related to the genetic differences and alterations of climatic conditions that act directly on the synthesis of non-rubber constituents, which are generally reflected in latex and rubber properties. © 2013 Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.

Films from resistant starch-pectin dispersions intended for colonic drug delivery

Free films were obtained by the solvent casting method from retrograded starch-pectin dispersions at different polymer proportions and concentrations with and without plasticizer. Film forming dispersions were characterized according to their hardness, birefringence and rheological properties. The polymer dispersions showed a predominantly viscous behavior (G″ > G′) and the absence of plasticizers lead to building of stronger structures, while the occurrence of Maltese crosses in the retrograded dispersions indicates the occurrence of a crystalline organization. Analyses of the films included mechanical properties, thickness, superficial and cross sectional morphology, water vapor permeability, liquid uptake ability, X-ray diffractometry, in vitro dissolution and enzymatic digestion. The high resistant starch content (65.8-96.8%) assured the resistance of materials against enzymatic digestion by pancreatin. Changes in the X-ray diffraction patterns indicated a more organized and crystalline structure of free films in relation to isolated polymers. Increasing of pectin proportion and pH values favored the dissolution and liquid uptake of films. Films prepared with lower polymer concentration presented better barrier function (WVP and mechanical properties). © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exposição in utero ao desregulador endocrino bisfenol A e ao agente quimiopreventivo indol-3-carbinol: efeitos sobra a morfogênese e a suscetibilidade à carcinogênese prostática

Pós-graduação em Biologia Geral e Aplicada - IBB

Caracterização química e energética de briquetes produzidos com rejeitos de resíduos sólidos urbanos e madeira de Eucaliptus grandis

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Aspectos biológicos de Azya luteipes Mulsant, 1850 (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) em Coccus viridis Grenn, 1889 (Hemiptera: Coccidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Viabilidade energética e econômica da incineração de resíduo sólido urbano considerando a segregação para reciclagem

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Potencial biotecnológico de linhagens mutantes de Bradyrhizobium elkanii caracterizado por PCR quantitativo em tempo real

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Biodegradação de polipropileno (PP), de polihidroxibutirato (PHB) e da blenda PP/PHB (1:1) por microrganismos de rio poluído e efluente bruto de refinaria de petróleo

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Foto e biodegradação de PEBD, PHB e suas blendas

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Biodegradação de filmes de PVC e PCL por fungos filamentosos

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Biodegradação de filmes de Polihidroxibutirato-co-hidroxivalerato (PHBV), polietileno de baixa densidade (PEBD) e blenda de PEBD/PHBV (70/30), com fungos específicos

Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Microbiologia Aplicada) - IBRC

Blendas de PVC/PCL foto/termo e biotratadas com fungos de solo (Phanerochaete chrysosporium e Aspergillus fumigatus)

Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Microbiologia Aplicada) - IBRC

Análise de crescimento e marcha de acúmulo de nutrientes na cultura do pimentão, cultivado em substrato

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