Determinação de constituintes químicos em madeira de eucalipto por Pi-CG/EM e calibração multivariada: comparação entre redes neurais artificiais e máquinas de vetor suporte

Multivariate models were developed using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Least Square - Support Vector Machines (LS-SVM) for estimating lignin siringyl/guaiacyl ratio and the contents of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin in eucalyptus wood by pyrolysis associated to gaseous chromatography and mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). The results obtained by two calibration methods were in agreement with those of reference methods. However a comparison indicated that the LS-SVM model presented better predictive capacity for the cellulose and lignin contents, while the ANN model presented was more adequate for estimating the hemicelluloses content and lignin siringyl/guaiacyl ratio.

Aplicações de cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência para o estudo de poluentes orgânicos emergentes

Emerging organic pollutants (EOP) include many environmental contaminants based on commercial products such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, detergents, gasoline, polymers, etc. EOP may be candidates for future regulation as they offer potential risk to environmental and human health due to their continual entrance into the environment and to the fact that even the most modern wastewater treatment plants are not able to totally transform / remove these compounds. High performance liquid chromatography is recommended to separate emerging organic pollutants with characteristics of high polarity and low volatility, especially pharmaceuticals, from environmental matrices.

Avaliação do efeito de gases poluentes na corrosão metálica: um experimento para o ensino da corrosão

In this work one proposes a didactic experience to simulate atmospheric corrosion of copper and nickel, due to sulfur dioxide presence. This is an opportunity to understand some basic aspects of atmospheric corrosion, by using fundamental concepts in chemistry, reactions of extraction and characterization of pollutants, as well as their participation in corrosion process. This subject opens a space for discussion about necessity of pollutant gases emissions control for preservation of materials and the environment.

Inventário de emissão de fontes veiculares da Região Metropolitana de Campinas, São Paulo

The degradation of air quality in great urban centers is noted by frequent critical episodes of air pollution and public health issues, and vehicles are a great source of pollutant emissions, mainly derived from combustion processes. A database is needed to direct mitigation of emissions. The main objective of this work is to present it as an emissions inventory. The results show that vehicular sources of CO, HC and NOx represent over 75% of total emissions in the MRC. Besides, the proposed methodology presented results consistent with the literature

Tratamentos dos efluentes gerados na produção de biodiesel

The wastewaters from biodiesel production contain as primarily wastes sodium or potassium soaps, fatty acids, glycerin, alcohol and other contaminants. In general, these waters are chemically unsuitable for release to any water body, so, it is necessary the adoption of techniques for the treatment of this effluent. In this review, electrochemical, biological, physicochemical, and combined treatments reported for the removal of the wastewater containing pollutants come from biodiesel production have been summarized. In addition, the recovery, the reuse, the energy production and the synthesis of new compounds from the organic matter contained in this kind of effluent are also reviewed.

Efeito da adição de lantânio em catalisadores de Ni/ZrO2 aplicados na reação de reforma a vapor de etanol

The catalytic performance of Ni/ZrO2 catalysts loaded with different lanthanum content for steam reforming of ethanol was investigated. Catalysts were characterized by BET surface area, X-ray diffraction, UV-vis spectroscopy, temperature programmed reduction, and X-ray absorption fine structure techniques. Results showed that lanthanum addition led to an increase in the degree of reduction of both NiO and nickel surface species interacting with the support, due to the higher dispersion effect. The best catalytic performance at 450 ºC was found for the Ni/12LZ catalyst, which exhibited an effluent gaseous mixture with the highest H2 yield.

Degradação de poluentes emergentes por processos Fenton e foto-Fenton

A continuous photochemical treatment system was developed for aiming the treatment of aqueous solutions containing relevant micro-pollutants (microcystin-LR, sulfamethoxazole and 17-b estradiol). The continuous photo-Fenton process provided high degradation efficiency. However, contact time between samples and the irradiated region is short relative to total treatment time, indicating that observed changes are predominantly due to the Fenton process. Higher degradation efficiency was observed in systems operated using two treatment cycles, the first involving a batch Fenton process and the second a continuous photo-Fenton treatment.

Determinação de plastificantes em água potável utilizando cromatografia gasosa e espectrometria de massas

This study investigated the levels of plasticizer endocrine disruptors (diethyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, and bisphenol A) in drinking water at Paraíba do Sul River region and release of these compounds from bottled water. An analytical method employing solid phase extraction and GC/MS was optimized and validated. The results showed that the method is selective, linear (r² > 0.99), precise (RSD <12%), accurate (recoveries between 62 and 105%), sensitive and robust. Applying the method, the presence of all studied pollutants in drinking water was observed for the three sampled plasticizers. These plasticizers were not found in mineral bottled water, before or after storage.

Síntese de nanomateriais de carbono a partir do resíduo de milho (DDGS)

The world's largest ethanol producer (USA) uses corn as feedstock. DDGS (distillers dried grains with solubles) is the main waste generated from this process (around 32 million t/year). DDGS samples were pyrolyzed at 1000 ºC in a furnace with controlled atmosphere. The effluent was channeled to a second furnace, in which catalyst substrates were placed. Chromatographic analysis was used to evaluate the gaseous effluents, showing that the catalyst reduced hydrocarbon emissions. The solid products formed were analyzed by SEM and TEM. Graphitic structures and carbon nanofibers, 50 µm in length and with diameters of 80-200 nm, were formed.

Oxidação eletroquímica do herbicida tebutiuron utilizando eletrodo do tipo DSA

Tebuthiuron (TBH) is a herbicide widely used in different cultures and known for its toxic effects. Electrochemical methods are promising for removing pollutants such as pesticides. This study showed the degradation of TBH using a DSA® anode operated at current densities of 50 to 200 mA cm-2. Removal presented pseudo-first order kinetics while high-pressure liquid chromatography (UV detection) showed two peaks, ascribed to degradation intermediates. The maximum percentage of total organic carbon removed was 12.9%. Ion chromatography revealed that higher concentrations of nitrate and nitrite ions formed with increasing current density.

Emissões naturais e antrópicas de nitrogênio, fósforo e metais para a bacia do Rio Macaé (Macaé, RJ, Brasil) sob influência das atividades de exploração de petroleo e gás na Bacia de Campos

Emission factors of natural processes and anthropogenic activities were used to estimate nutrients and metal loads for the lower Macaé river basin, which hosts the operational base for the offshore oil and gas exploration in the Campos Basin. The estimates indicated that emissions from anthropogenic activities are higher than natural emissions. Major contributing drivers include husbandry and urbanization, whose effluents receive no treatment. The increasing offshore oil exploration along the Brazilian littoral has resulted in rapid urbanization and, therefore might increase the inshore emission of anthropogenic chemicals in cases where effective residue control measures are not implemented in fluvial basins of the region.

Óxidos de ferro e suas aplicações em processos catalíticos: uma revisão

A review of most of the reported studies on the use of iron oxides as catalyst in specific processes, namely Haber-Bosch reaction, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, Fenton oxidation and photolytic molecular splitting of water to produce gaseous hydrogen, was carried out. An essential overview is thus presented, intending to address the fundamental meaning, as well as the corresponding chemical mechanisms, and perspectives on new technological potentialities of natural and synthetic iron oxides, more specifically hematite (α-Fe2O3), goethite (α-FeOOH), magnetite (Fe3O4) and maghemite (γ-Fe2O3), in heterogeneous catalysis.

Time-series forecasting of pollutant concentration levels using particle swarm optimization and artificial neural networks

This study evaluates the application of an intelligent hybrid system for time-series forecasting of atmospheric pollutant concentration levels. The proposed method consists of an artificial neural network combined with a particle swarm optimization algorithm. The method not only searches relevant time lags for the correct characterization of the time series, but also determines the best neural network architecture. An experimental analysis is performed using four real time series and the results are shown in terms of six performance measures. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed methodology achieves a fair prediction of the presented pollutant time series by using compact networks.

Biocatálise heterogênea em fase sólido/gás: princípios e aplicações

Enzymatic conversion of gaseous substrates into products in aquo-restricted media, using enzymes or whole cells (free and immobilized) as biocatalysts, constitutes a promising technology for the development of clearer processes. Solid-gas systems offer high production rates for minimal plant sizes, allow important reduction of treated volumes, and permit simplified downstream processes. In this review article, principles and applications of solid-gas biocatalysis are discussed. Comparisons of its advantages and disadvantages with those of the organic- and aqueous-phase reactions are also presented herein.

Method for determining the photocatalytic potential of portland cement mortar containing TiO2 for decomposing the pollutant nitrogen monoxide

Photocatalytic materials can minimize atmospheric pollution by decomposing certain organic and inorganic pollutants using sunlight as an energy source. In this paper, the development of a methodology to measure the photocatalytic potential of mortar containing TiO2 nanoparticles is reported. The results indicate that up to 40% of NOx can be degraded by Portland cement mortar containing 30-50% of TiO2, which validates the method developed for evaluating the photocatalytic potential of materials.