Municipal solid waste management in the Caribbean: a benefit-cost analysis

Includes bibliography

Ozonized Oils: A qualitative and quantitative analysis

Most of the problems of endodontic origin have a bacterial etiological agent. Thus, there is a continued interest in seeking more effective chemical substances that can replace the camphorated paramonochiorophenol or antibiotics as intracanal medicaments. Among the possible substances, ozone has some interesting biological characteristics: bactericidal action, debriding effect, angiogenesis stimulation capacity and high oxidizing power. The purpose of this study was to chemically evaluate the presence of ozone in sunflower, castor, olive and almond oil, as well as in propylene glycol and byproducts of ozonation, such as formaldehyde. These compounds were ozonized, inserted into empty and sterile vials, and analyzed by testing the reaction between ozone and indigo, for determining the presence of ozone, and subjected to the chromotropic acid test for determining the presence of formaldehyde. It was observed complete absence of ozone in all samples tested and presence of formaldehyde. The bactericidal and healing action of ozonized oils could be attributed to products formed by the ozonation of mineral oils, such as formaldehyde, not to the ozone itself.

Groundwater quality on a waste disposal area due to sand mining activities in São Paulo state, Brazil

This investigation reports the results of a study realized in an area related to the development of sand mining activities, which belongs to Sibelco Mineração Ltd. The site is located around Analândia municipality, nearly in the center of São Paulo State, Brazil. Hydrochemical analyses of groundwater were realized under different periods of time, with the aim of evaluating the possibility of release of several constituents to the liquid phase, which may be a source of pollution of the surface hydrological resources and of the deeper Guarani aquifer. This is because the site is located at the recharge area of Guarani aquifer and some tributaries from Corumbataí river may also be suffering contamination, implying on the impoverishment of the water quality that are very important resources in the region, as they are extensively used for drinking purposes, among others.© 2011 WIT Press.

Modelling thermodynamic properties of banana waste by analytical derivation of desorption isotherms

Banana is an agricultural product of great economic importance for various developing countries. The relationship between moisture content and water activity provides useful information for the processing and storage of banana waste. The water activity and moisture content of three banana (Mussa spp. Haploid AAB cv. Nanica) waste items were analyzed to determine the desorption isotherms at six different temperatures (20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70°C). The desorption isotherms of the peel, pedicel and pulp of overripe bananas were determined in wide ranges of moisture content (0.001-6.360 kg kg-1 d.b.) and water activity (0.02-0.907). The theoretical GAB model was used for modelling the desorption isotherms. An analytical solution of the Clausius-Clapeyron equation was proposed to compute the isosteric heat of sorption, the differential entropy and Gibbs' free energy by way of the GAB model when the effect of temperature on the hygroscopic equilibrium was considered. © 2012 de Gruyter. All rights reserved.

Characterization and fatty acids profile of the oils from Amazon nuts and walnuts: Characterization and fatty acids profile of the oilseeds

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to characterize oils extracted from Bertholletia excelsa, Lecythis pisonis, Dipteryx lacunifera, Carya illinoensis and Juglans regia, regarding their characterization and fatty acid profile. Design/methodology/approach: The oils were extracted from oilseeds by cold pressing and physico-chemical characterization was performed by using standard methods for oils and fats. The oxidative stability and fatty acid profile also were determined. Findings: According to the results, the physico-chemical properties of oils from nuts and walnuts were comparable to those of good quality conventional oils. The oil seeds are a good source of unsaturated fatty acids, especially oleic and linoleic acids. Research limitations/implications: Implies the identification of fatty acid profile and physico-chemical properties of oils extracted from nuts and walnuts, and to prevent certain types of diseases. Originality/value: The paper identifies a new source of essential fatty acids extracted from oilseeds. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Thermal behavior of lignin and cellulose from waste composting process

The lignin and cellulose were extracted from reference material (leaves and twigs) and food of compost at different times composting: zero (raw), 30, and 120 days. According to thermogravimetric analysis and its derivative and differential scanning calorimetry curves for these samples, were verified during composting process there were considerable changes in its thermal profiles, as well as, characteristics lignin in cellulose samples and cellulose in lignin samples. These features were found by fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. © 2012 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary.

Essential oils from medicinal and aromatic plants: A review of the gastroprotective and ulcer-healing activities

Gastric ulcer is an excoriated area of the gastric mucosa. It is among the predominant gastrointestinal chronic diseases. The essential oils represent an important part of the traditional pharmacopoeia in many countries and have been successfully used for gastroprotection and ulcer healing. Thus, this review presents the experimental activity of essential oils traditionally used in the gastric ulcer prevention and treatment, considering their families, part of the plant studied, bioassays, and their mechanisms of gastroprotection and ulcer healing, with the aim of stimulating novel studies in the search for a new phytomedicine to treat gastric diseases. © 2012 The Authors Fundamental and Clinical Pharmacology © 2012 Société Française de Pharmacologie et de Thérapeutique.

From coffee industry waste materials to skin-friendly products with improved skin fat levels

Spent coffee grounds (SCG), which are the residue obtained from the treatment of coffee with hot water or steam, can be used for industrial applications, due to the high content in lipids. The cosmetic products might be a suitable application for these types of residues because the barrier properties of the stratum corneum (SC) are largely dependent on the intactness of the lipid lamellae that surrounds the corneocytes. The purpose of this work was to assess the feasibility of using the lipid fraction of SCG extracted with supercritical carbon dioxide in the development of new cosmetic formulations with improved skin lipids (sebum) and hydration. The use of spent coffee lipid extract in cosmetic industry seems to be a suitable approach to recycle the wastes from coffee industry. Emulsion containing 10% of the lipid fraction of SCG (SpentCofOil cream) presented promising characteristics in the improvement of sebum skin levels with a good acceptance by consumers when compared to an emulsion containing 10% w/w of green coffee oil (GreenCofOil cream) and a placebo without coffee oil (NoCofOil cream). Practical applications: In this work, the authors develop and characterize a cream containing 10% of the lipid fraction of SCG extracted with supercritical carbon dioxide with improved skin lipids (sebum) and hydration. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Brazil's new national policy on solid waste: challenges and opportunities

Brazil, one of the world's largest developing countries, has recently introduced a new solid waste management regulatory policy. This new regulatory policy will have implications for a wide variety of stakeholders and sets the stage for opportunities and lessons to be learned. These issues are discussed in this article. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Glass foam of macroporosity using glass waste and sodium hydroxide as the foaming agent

Glass foams using float glass waste and sodium hydroxide were produced. The influence of the sodium hydroxide amount in the foam formulation was studied. Titanium dioxide was used as a strengthening agent. The variations of temperature, heating rate and sintering time were investigated during the synthesis process. Open porosity was estimated using mercury porosimetry. The morphology of the glass foams was evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, phase formation was studied using X-ray diffraction, and chemical composition was estimated using X-ray fluorescence. As a result, glass foams with macroporosity were obtained. Since the glass foams used glass waste as reactant, the results suggest the development of an alternative route for glass recycling. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l.

Códigos, reglamentos y normas sobre abastecimiento de agua, saneamiento y eliminación de desechos sólidos con especial atención a las necesidades de las comunidades de bajos ingresos en América Latina y el Caribe = Codes, regulations and standards on water supply, sanitation and solid-waste disposal with emphasis on low-income community requirements in Latin America and the Caribbean

Incluye Bibliografía

Plant-derived essential oils affecting settlement and oviposition of Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) biotype B on tomato

The silverleaf whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) biotype B (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is an economically important pest of tomatoes Solanum lycopersicum (L.), causing irregular ripening on fruits and transmitting several plant pathogenic geminiviruses. The management of this pest is commonly based on repetitive spraying with synthetic pesticides, causing serious environmental damages and increase of resistance by insect population. In the present study, essential oils from the leaves of Artemisia camphorata Vill., Ageratum conyzoides L., Foeniculum vulgare Mill., Lippia alba (Mill.) N. E. Br., Plectranthus neochilus Schltr., and Tagetes erecta L. were investigated for their possible repellent and oviposition-deterrent effects against B. tabaci biotype B on tomato. In a multi-choice assay, P. neochilus essential oil was the most active repellent and oviposition deterrent. Essential oils of A. conyzoides and T. erecta significantly deterred the female B. tabaci biotype B from laying eggs on treated tomato leaflets compared with the control. (E)-Caryophyllene (30.67 %) and the monoterpenes α-pinene (15.02 %) and α-thujene (11.70 %) were identified as the major constituents of the essential oil of P. neochilus. Our findings demonstrated the potential of essential oil of P. neochilus and other oils in the reduction of settlement and oviposition of B. tabaci biotype B on tomato. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Analysis of hybrid waste-to-energy for medium-sized cities

Urban centers have a huge demand for electricity and the growing problem of the solid waste management generated by their population, a relevant social and administrative problem. The correct disposal of the municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in cities is one of the most complex engineering problems that involves logistics, safety, environmental and energetic aspects for its adequate management. Due to a national policy of solid wastes recently promulgated, Brazilian cities are evaluating the technical and economic feasibility of incinerating the non-recyclable waste. São José dos Campos, a São Paulo State industrialized city, is considering the composting of organic waste for biogas production and mass incineration of non-recyclable waste. This paper presents a waste-to-energy system based on the integration of gas turbines to a MSW incinerator for producing thermal and electric energy as an alternative solution for the solid waste disposal in São José dos Campos, SP. A technical and economic feasibility study for the hybrid combined cycle plant is presented and revealed to be attractive when carbon credit and waste tax are included in the project income. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Potentially hazardous waste produced at home

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify the sources of waste generation household consisting of biological material and to investigate the knowledge presented by those responsible for the generation of waste in the home environment on the potential health risk human and environmental. Method. It is a quantitative survey performed in Parque Capuava, Santo André (SP). The questionnaire was administered by the community employers and nursing students during the consultation with nursing supervision through interview question/answer. The exclusion criteria were patients who were not in the area served by the Basic Health Unit which covers the area of Pq Capuava. The sample was consisted of 99 persons and the data collection a questionnaire was used. Results: We observed that 63.3% of people said to use disposables, with the majority (58.7%) of these use the public collection as the final destination of these materials. It was reported that 73.7% of those surveyed reported having knowledge about the risk of disease transmission. Public awareness of the importance of proper packaging and disposal of potentially hazardous household waste may contribute significantly to the preservation of human and environmental health and this procedure can be performed and supervised by professional nurses. Conclusion: We suggest implementation of workshops for community health workers and the general population in order to enhance their knowledge about the storage and disposal of potentially infectious waste generated at home, thereby reducing the potential risk of disease transmission by improper management. © 2013 Chaves et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Physico-chemical characterization of seed oils extracted from oranges (Citrus sinensis)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)