Chemical characteristics and Kraft pulping of tension wood from Eucalyptus globulus labill

Tension (TW) and opposite wood (OW) of Eucalyptus globulus trees were analyzed for its chemical characteristics and Kraft pulp production. Lignin content was 16% lower and contained 32% more syringyl units in TW than in OW. The increase in syringyl units favoured the formation of β-O-4 bonds that was also higher in TW than in OW (84% vs. 64%, respectively). The effect of these wood features was evaluated in the production of Kraft pulps from both types of wood. At kappa number 16, Kraft pulps obtained from TW demanded less active alkali in delignification and presented slightly higher or similar pulp yield than pulps made with OW. Fiber length, coarseness and intrinsic viscosity were also higher in tension than in opposite pulps. When pulps where refined to 30°SR, TW pulps needed 18% more revolutions in the PFI mill to achieve the same beating degree than OW pulps. Strength properties (tensile, tear and burst indexes) were slightly higher or similar in tension as compared with opposite wood pulps. After an OD0(EO)D1 bleaching sequence, both pulps achieved up to 89% ISO brightness. Bleached pulps from TW presented higher viscosity and low amount of hexenuronic acids than pulps from OW. Results showed that TW presented high xylans and low lignin content that caused a decrease in alkali consumption, increase pulp strength properties and similar bleaching performance as compared with pulps from OW.

Chemical Biology Screen for Prostate Cancer Therapeutics

Prostate cancer initially responds to hormone-based therapeutics such as anti-androgen treatment or chemotherapeutics but eventually becomes resistant. Novel treatment options are therefore urgently needed. This thesis study applied a high-throughput screen of 4910 known drugs and drug-like small molecules to identify compounds that selectively inhibit growth of prostate cancer cells. In addition, the mechanisms underlying the cellular sensitivity to potent cancer selective compounds were addressed. Surprisingly, many of the compounds currently used in the clinics or studied in clinical trials were not cancer-selective. Only four drugs, aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitor disulfiram (Antabus), antibiotic ionophore monensin, histone deacetylase inhibitor tricostatin A and fungicide thiram inhibited prostate cancer cell growth at nanomolar concentrations without major effects on non-malignant prostate epithelial cells. Disulfiram, monensin and a structurally similar compound to monensin, salinomycin, induced oxidative stress and inhibited aldehyde dehydrogenase activity. Moreover, monensin and salinomycin reduced androgen receptor signalling and steroidogenesis, enforced cell differentiation and reduced the overall levels of cancer stem cells. Taken together, novel and potentially prostate cancer-selective therapeutic agents were identified in this study, including the description of a multitude of intoxicating mechanisms such as those relating to oxidative stress. The results provide novel insights into prostate cancer biology and exemplify useful means of considering novel approaches to cancer treatment.

SOIL COVER AND CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES IN OXISOL IN THE ATLANTIC FOREST BIOME

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical and physical attributes of different soil cover in a Oxisol with a strong wavy relief in the Atlantic Forest Biome, in which were selected three watersheds, employed with grazing (watershed P), forest (watershed M) and coffee (watershed C). Deformed and not deformed samples were collected in three depths for physical and chemical characterization. The chemical characteristics of soil in different watershed studies presented low levels of fertility. It was observed an elevation of pH in the soil and contents of Ca2+ and Mg2+ in the watersheds P and C in relation to the watershed M. Due to deforestation and the establishment of agriculture and livestock, there was a decrease in the contents of soil organic matter in the watershed P and C, not altering the physical characteristics of the soil in the watershed P. The implementation of coffee plantation is causing a reduction in the soil quality of watershed C in comparison to the watershed P and M, therefore indicating a need to adequate soil management in this area.

COMPARISON OF PROCEDURES FOR IMMEDIATE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF CHARCOAL

ABSTRACT The climate change, the quest for sustainability and the strong environmental pressures for alternatives to traditional fossil fuels have increased the interest in the search and use of renewable energy sources. Among them stands out the biomass of charcoal coming from renewable forests, widely used as a thermal reductant in the steel industry in the detriment of the use of mineral coal coke. This study aimed to compare different operating procedures of immediate chemical analysis of charcoal. Seven essays to immediate chemical analysis were compared, spread between procedures performed by Brazilian companies and laboratories, the test described by NBR 8112 and one realized with a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) using the parameters of the NBR 8112. There were significant differences in the volatiles matter content and consequently in the fixed carbon contents found. The differences between the procedures and the NBR 8112 were caused by an excess burning time, a mass sample above or below the standard or inappropriate container used for burning. It observed that the TGA appraisal of the volatiles content must be carried out with a burning time equal to 2 minutes to obtain results similar to those of the NBR 8112 norm. Moreover, the ash content values were statistically identical and the particles size did not influence the differences between means.

Surface chemistry of fibres and vessel elements in chemical and recycled pulps

Den viktigaste råvaran i papperstillverkning är pappersmassa. Massan innehåller (ved)fibrer men också finmaterial och andra typers (ved)celler, så som kärlceller. Hur dessa komponenter beter sig under arkformationen i pappersmaskinen eller hur de bidrar till egenskaperna hos det färdiga pappret avgörs till stor del av massakomponenternas ytkemiska sammansättning, fysiska struktur och mängden joniserbara grupper på ytan. I denna avhandling studerades ytegenskaperna hos fraktionerade kemiska massor och returfibermassor med avancerade analystekniker. Rester av avfärgningskemikalier identifierades på både returfibrer och på kärlceller. Dessa kan påverka arkformationen och arkstyrkan på returfiberpapper. Kärlcellernas cellväggsstruktur visade sig skilja sig från fibrernas. Resultaten kan främja utvecklingen av returfiberprosessen och användningen av kärlcellsrika lövvedsmassor.

Performance during post-harvest storage of banana cv. 'prata', 'maçã' and 'nanica' exposed to physical and chemical treatments

Banana is the most consumed fruit in the world and Brazil is the second largest producer. Despite its global position, Brazil has an average of 40% losses during the post-harvest period. So, this experiment aimed at evaluating the efficiency of post-harvest treatments to improve the storage of banana cultivars cv. 'Prata', 'Maçã' and 'Nanica'. The fruits were acquired at CEASA with green peel, and were submitted to six different treatments: T- immersion in drinking water for 3 minutes (control), H3 - hot water (50 °C for 3 minutes), H8 - hot water (50 °C for 8 minutes), HP - immersion in hypochlorite 0.2% for 3 minutes, OS - immersion in soybean oil 10% for 3 minutes, and OM - immersion in mineral oil 10% for 3 minutes. The fruits were stored at room temperature at about 21 °C for 14 days and evaluated in three periods (1, 7 and 14 days) comparing peel color, flesh/peel ratio, titratable acidity (TA), soluble solids (SS), SS/TA ratio, and pH. The fruits of cv. 'Prata' and 'Maçã' submitted to the treatments H3, H8 and HP ripened at the same time as the control for peel color, which showed increased soluble solids, flesh/peel ratio, acidity and a decrease in pH. On the other hand, the cv. 'Nanica' did not respond significantly different when compared to the applied treatments and the control. The fruits treated with OM and OS were kept green for a longer time for the cultivars 'Prata' and 'Nanica', but there were some changes on peel color due dark spots in 'Prata' banana and a softening aspect in 'Nanica', indicating some level of toxicity of these treatments. Fruits of the 'Maçã' cultivar continued green with the application of mineral oil, without toxicity symptoms. In conclusion, the treatments applied did not show any advantage for storage of these fruits.

Physical, chemical and microbiological properties of a Dystrophic Yellow Latosol using manipueira

The study aimed to evaluate chemical, microbiological and hydro-physical changes of a Dystrophic Yellow Latosol, receiver of different levels of manipueira (cassava wastewater) application, in the cultivation of 'Terra Maranhão' banana. The experimental design was a randomized block with three replications in a factorial scheme 3 x 4, in which it was considered three soil depths and four levels of manipueira. It was evaluated the weighted mean diameter of the aggregate, the percentage of aggregation at different periods, soil density, particle density, porosity and soil saturated hydraulic conductivity, in addition to pH of P (mg dm -3), K (mg dm-3), Ca (cmolc dm-3), Mg (cmolc dm-3), Ca+Mg (cmolc dm-3), Al (cmolc dm-3), Na (cmolc dm -3), H+Al (cmolc dm-3), CEC (cmolc dm-3), V%, OM (g kg-1), soil microbial biomass (Ug Cg-1 dry soil), acid phosphatase (Ug PNP g-1 h-1). The use of manipueira influenced some physical characteristic of the soil, but it was not possible to specify the effect of increasing application dosage. Therefore, the application did not affect the biological indicators assessed in the soil or its pH. The use of manipueira as a fertilizer in the doses used in this study showed low increase of K, P, H+Al and Al in the soil and a good increase of Mg, Ca and Ca+Mg, Na, CEC and V%.

Tabular cusum control charts of chemical variables applied to the control of surface water quality

The aim of this study was to evaluate the application possibility of tabular CUSUM control charts in the quality control of chemical variables in surface water. It was performed bibliographic and field research to collect water samples from 2003 to 2009, totaling 30 samples, some monthly and others semi-annual in order to observe the variables that regulate water quality. It was found that these charts may be applied to control the quality of river water; showing to be effective in the perception of changes during the process, especially for small samples (n=1) which there is no repetition as in this research. It was also concluded that the Mandurim River does not presents significant levels of pollution.

Anaerobic reactors with biofilter and different diameter-length ratios in cassava starch industry wastewater treatment

The use of anaerobic reactors with media support in the treatment of wastewater from the cassava starch industry has emerged as a viable option because it allows the application of high organic loads and a significant reduction of the HDT needed for the treatment. This research aimed at studying the process of biodigestion in two anaerobic reactors with bamboo support, in the treatment of effluent of cassava starch, by evaluating their performance. The two reactors used present the following diameter: length ratio, 1:6 and 1:3. The organic loads applied to the systems were 0.519, 1.156, 1.471, 3.049, 4.347, 4.708 and 5.601g.L-1.d-1. Regarding the efficiency of removal of COD, TS and TVS, no statistically significant differences were obtained between the reactors. The two systems evaluated showed a stable behavior with respect to the VA/TA (volatile acidity/total alkalinity) for all submitted loads. The reactors tended to the maintenance of biogas production as a function of consumed COD for the last three organic loads applied, indicating an ability to withstand higher organic loads.

Performance of UASB reactors in two stages followed by post-treatment with activated sludge in wastewater batch of wet-processed coffee

In this study it was evaluated the efficiency of the treatment of wet-processed coffee wastewater in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors in two stages, in bench scale, followed by post-treatment with activated sludge in batch. The first UASB reactor was submitted to an hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 6.2 d and organic loading rates (OLR) of 2.3 and 4.5g CODtotal (L d)-1, and the second UASB reactor to HRT of 3.1 d with OLR of 0.4 and 1.4g CODtotal (L d)-1. The average values of the affluent CODtotal increased from 13,891 to 27,926mg L-1 and the average efficiencies of removal of the CODtotal decreased from 95 to 91%, respectively, in the UASB reactors in two stages. The volumetric methane production increased from 0.274 to 0.323L CH4 (L reactor d)-1 with increment in the OLR. The average concentrations of total phenols in the affluent were of 48 and 163mg L-1, and the removal efficiencies in the UASB reactors in two stages of 92 and 90%, respectively, and increased to 97% with post-treatment. The average values of the removal efficiencies of total nitrogen and phosphorus were of 57 to 80% and 44 to 60%, respectively, in the UASB reactors in two stages and increased to 91 and 84% with the post-treatment.

Management zones definition using soil chemical and physical attributes in a soybean area

Several equipments and methodologies have been developed to make available precision agriculture, especially considering the high cost of its implantation and sampling. An interesting possibility is to define management zones aim at dividing producing areas in smaller management zones that could be treated differently, serving as a source of recommendation and analysis. Thus, this trial used physical and chemical properties of soil and yield aiming at the generation of management zones in order to identify whether they can be used as recommendation and analysis. Management zones were generated by the Fuzzy C-Means algorithm and their evaluation was performed by calculating the reduction of variance and performing means tests. The division of the area into two management zones was considered appropriate for the present distinct averages of most soil properties and yield. The used methodology allowed the generation of management zones that can serve as source of recommendation and soil analysis; despite the relative efficiency has shown a reduced variance for all attributes in divisions in the three sub-regions, the ANOVA did not show significative differences among the management zones.

Anaerobic-aerobic treatment of swine wastewater in uasb and batch reactors in series

In this work it was evaluated the performance of two systems of swine wastewater treatment consisting of two-stage upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors, with and without post-treatment in sequencing batch reactor (SBR), fed continuously, with aerobic phase. The UASB reactors in the first stage had 908 L in the sets I and II, and in the second stage 350 and 188 L, respectively. In the set II the post-treatment was performed in a SBR of 3,000 L. The hydraulic detention times in the anaerobic treatment systems were 100, 75 and 58 h in the set I; 87, 65 and 51 h in the set II; and 240 and 180 h in the SBR. The volumetric organic load applied in the first stage UASB reactors ranged from 6.9 to 12.6 g total COD (L d)-1 in the set I and 7.5 to 9.8 g total COD (L d)-1 in the set II. The average removal efficiencies of total COD, total phosphorus (Ptotal), and Kjeldahl and organic nitrogen (KN and Norg) in the anaerobic treatment systems were similar and reached maximum values of 97%, 64%, 68%, and 98%. In the SBR, the removal efficiencies of total COD and thermotolerant coliforms were up to 62 and 92% resulting, respectively, in effluent concentrations of 135 mg L-1 and 2x10(4)MPN (100 mL)-1. For Ptotal, total nitrogen (TN) and Norg, the average removal efficiencies in the SBR were up to 58, 25 and 73%, respectively.

Physical-chemical characterization and wet milling yield of four maize hybrids

The influence of physical-chemical characteristics of maize grains and lactic acid concentrations on byproduct yields, generated by conventional wet milling, was studied during steeping, for four maize hybrids and two lactic acid concentrations (0.55 and 1.00%). For physical-chemical characterization, grain dimensions (length, thickness, and width) were determined, as well as mass of 100 grains, percentage of floating grains, volumetric mass, and centesimal composition. Statistical differences were found for percentage of floating grains (2.33 to 24.67%), volumetric mass (0.814 to 0.850 kg.L-1), mass of 100 grains (0.033 to 0.037 kg), water content (11.86 to 12.20%), proteins (8.21 to 9.06%), lipids (3.00 to 4.77%), and ashes (1.07 to 1.26%). There were no relationships of wet milling yields with maize appearance and physical-chemical characteristics. The addition of 1.00% lactic acid did not statistically improve byproduct yields; however, it favored separation of the grain components.

COD, TSS, nutrients and coliforms removals in UASB reactors in two stages treating swine wastewater

The performance of two upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors was evaluated in pilot scale (908 and 188 L), installed in series (R1 and R2), fed with swine wastewater with TSS around 5 and 13 g L-1. The UASB reactors were submitted to HDT of 36 and 18 h with VOL of 5.5 to 34.4 g COD (L d)-1 in the R1 and HDT of 7.5 e 3.7 h with VOL from 5.1 to 45.2 g COD (L d)-1 in the R2. The average removal efficiencies of COD ranged from 55 to 85% in the R1 and from 43 to 57% in the R2, resulting in values from 82 to 93% in the UASB reactors in two stage. Methane concentrations in the biogas were 69 to 74% with specific production from 0.05 to 0.27 L CH4 (g removedCOD)-1 in the R1 and of 0.10 to 0.12 L CH4 (g removedCOD)-1 in the R2. The average removal efficiencies were 61 to 75% for totalP, 39 to 69% for KN, 82 to 93% for orgN and 20 to 94% for Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn. The amN concentration were not reduced indicating the need to post-treatment for effluent disposal into water bodies. There were reductions of total coliforms from 99.8123 to 99.9989% and of thermotolerant coliforms from 99.9725 to 99.9999%. The conditions imposed to the UASB reactors in two stage provided high conversions of removedCOD into methane (up to 77%) and reductions of organic an inorganic pollution loads from swine wastewater.

Start-up of anaerobic reactors for slaughterhouse wastewater treatment

This study aimed to evaluate the start-up of a horizontal anaerobic fixed bed reactor (HAFBR) followed by an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) for the slaughterhouse wastewater treatment. HAFBR was filled with bamboo rings and had 1.2 m in length, 0.10 m in diameter and volume of 7.5 L. The UASB had the volume of 15 L. The HAFBR and UASB operated at organic loading rate and hydraulic retention time average of 8.46 and 3.77 kg m-3 d-1 of COD and 0.53 and 0.98 days, respectively. During 150 days of monitoring system it was found pH 6.8, relatively high values of bicarbonate alkalinity (> 1000 mg L-1) and reduced values of volatile acids (70 to 150 mg L-1), which afforded average removal efficiencies of COD total and total suspended solids of the order of 31 and 23% in HAFBR and 79% and 63% in UASB. It can be concluded that the generation and consumption of bicarbonate alkalinity and total volatile acids, thereby maintaining the pH during the study indicated stable operation of the reactors. The COD removal in the reactors was satisfactory especially when it considers that the assessment was conducted in a period of adaptation of organisms to the effluent and also the high organic load applied during this period.