Removal of hexavalent chromium using coffee husk

The potential to remove chromium(VI) from aqueous solutions through biosorption using coffee husk was investigated. The effects of pH, contact time, initial concentration and adsorbent dosage on the adsorption of Cr(VI) were studied. The data obeyed Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. The Langmuir adsorption capacity was found to be 44.95 mg/g. The Freundlich constants K-f and n were 1.027 mg/g (litre/mg)(n)] and 1.493, respectively. Desorption studies indicated the removal of 60% of the hexavalent chromium. Infrared spectral studies revealed the presence of functional groups, such as hydroxyl and carboxyl groups, on the surface of the biomass, which facilitates biosorption of Cr(VI).

Equine poisoning by coffee husk (Coffea arabica L.)

Background: In Brazil, coffee (Coffea arabica) husks are reused in several ways due to their abundance, including as stall bedding. However, field veterinarians have reported that horses become intoxicated after ingesting the coffee husks that are used as bedding. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether coffee husk consumption causes intoxication in horses.Results: Six horses fed coast cross hay ad libitum were given access to coffee husks and excitability, restlessness, involuntary muscle tremors, chewing movements and constant tremors of the lips and tongue, excessive sweating and increased respiration and heart rates were the most evident clinical signs. Caffeine levels were measured in the plasma and urine of these horses on two occasions: immediately before the coffee husks were made available to the animals (T0) and at the time of the clinical presentation of intoxication, 56 h after the animals started to consume the husks (T56). The concentrations of caffeine in the plasma (p < 0.001) and urine (p < 0.001) of these animals were significantly greater at T56 than at T0.Conclusions: It was concluded that consumption of coffee husks was toxic to horses due to the high levels of caffeine present in their composition. Therefore, coffee husks pose a risk when used as bedding or as feed for horses.

Semivolatile and Volatile Compound Evolution during Pyrolysis and Combustion of Colombian Coffee Husk

Thermal characterization of coffee husk (Coffea arabica) from Colombian coffee has been studied. Different products, mostly volatile and semivolatile compounds, were analyzed, paying special attention to 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) classified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) as priority pollutants, frequently used for checking toxicity in environmental samples. A fixed amount of raw material was exposed to different excess air ratios (λ = 0–2.33) and nominal temperature of 1123 K in a horizontal quartz reactor. The results show that coffee husk is a promising biomass for energetic exploitation with reduced formation of PAHs in a low air excess ratio. This implies reduction of carcinogenic potential in the limited presence of oxygen, demonstrated by calculating the carcinogenic potential (KE) for each experimental condition. Most volatile and semivolatile compounds followed different trends, with the oxygen presence prevailing their decomposition with increasing the air excess ratio.

Coffee processing residues as a soil potassium amendment

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

Enrichment of Pleurotus ostreatus mushrooms with selenium in coffee husks

Pleurotus ostreatus fungus forms an edible mushroom that possesses important nutritional and medicinal properties. Selenium (Se) is essential to human diets and it is in low concentration in the soil, and consequently in food. P. ostreatus was grown in coffee husks enriched with various concentrations of sodium selenite. The biological efficiency of P. ostreatus was affected by the addition of high concentrations of Se. The highest level of Se absorption was obtained by adding 51 mg kg(1) of sodium selenite. The mushrooms from first flush contained more Se than the further flushes. These results demonstrate the great potential of coffee husks in the production of Se-enriched mushrooms and show the ability of this fungus to absorb and biomagnify Se. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of the strategies of organic fruit production and fruit drying in Uganda

Organic agriculture in Uganda is developing at a fast pace and despite this trend Uganda is still unable to produce enough fresh and dry organic fruits mainly pineapple to meet the exporters demand. This current research investigated the strategies of farmers at production level by assessing the pros and cons of fruit growing, organic agriculture and fruit drying in order to understand the underlying causal factor for the low production of organic dry fruits in a major fruit producing district of Uganda. The study was carried out in two separate and distinctive areas; one which only produces and export fresh organic pineapple and the other which exports dried fruits (mainly pineapple and papaya). About 10% of the farmers in the two study areas were surveyed using questionnaires which were further followed by semi-structured interviews and participatory rural appraisals activities with various types of farmers in order to understand the different decisions and strategies of farmers. 82% and 74% of farmers in the two study areas grew fruits as it gave better economic returns and for 77% and 90% respectively in the two study areas, the reasons for growing fruit was the ease of selling compared to other crops. All the farmers were relying on coffee husk for growing organic pineapples. However, 50% of the farmers want to grow pineapples (either organic or conventional) but couldn't afford to buy coffee husk. Fruit drying was mainly a strategy to utilize cheap fruits during harvesting seasons for value addition. 71% and 42% of farmers in the two study areas wanted to dry fruits but it was beyond their economic capacity to buy the driers. Decision of the farmers whether to grow fruits or cereals, organic or conventional agriculture and selling the fruits as fresh or dry were dependent mainly on the economic, knowledge and resource availability of each type of practices. It is concluded that the main barrier for an increase in the production of organic dried fruits is at the processing level, and the limited capacity for investments in drying facilities.

Estudo da potencialidade da incorporação de resíduo de granito e da queima da casca do café em cerâmica vermelha

The industrial production of ornamental rocks and the burning of coffee husk generate waste that is discarded into the environment. However, with the study of the incorporation of these residues in ceramic products, may be found an alternative to reducing environmental impacts and detrimental effects on human health caused by its indiscriminate disposal of waste in nature. Thus, this work aimed to study the addition of ashes of the coffee husk and granite residue in matrix of red ceramic. The raw materials were dry milled and sieved to mesh 100. To characterize the raw materials were carried out analyzes of X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), particle size analysis (PSA), differential thermal analysis (DTA) and thermogravimetric analysis (TG). Six formulations were prepared where the clay content was kept constant (70%wt) and ashes contents and granite residue varied from 10, 15, 20 and 30%. Dilatometrics analyzes were performed at four selected formulations, containing them: 100% clay (A100); 70% clay and 30% ashes (A70C30); 70% clay and 30% granite residue (A70G30); and 70% clay, 15% granite residue and 15% ashes (A70G15C15). The samples were prepared by uniaxial compaction with pressure of 25 MPa, and fired at temperatures of 800°C, 850ºC, 900ºC, 950ºC, 1000ºC and 1100°C. Assays were performed to determine the linear shrinkage of burning (LSB), water absorption (WA), apparent porosity (AP), density (D) and tensile bending. Also were performed analyzes of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the samples fired. The formulations incorporating granite residue and/or ashes reached the required limits of water absorption according to NBR 15270-1 and NBR 15310 and tensile bending according to classical literature (SANTOS, 1989) necessary for the production of tiles and ceramic block for masonry sealing

Adição de subprodutos da cinza da casca de café (coffea canephora) em massa cerâmica para porcelanato

To produce porcelain tiles fluxing agents are used in order to obtain a liquid phase during firing. This liquid phase fills the pores decreasing porosity, water absorption and contributes to material densification. In the porcelain tiles industry, feldspar is the main flux material used, with quantities ranging between 35 and 50%. Studies focus on the discovery of materials with flux characteristics that can reduce the consumption of feldspar by porcelain tiles industry. In this context, the coffee husk ashes, a residue obtained when coffee husks are burned to produce heat for the dryers during the processing of the green fruit, have as main chemical constituents potassium, calcium and magnesium, giving them characteristics of fluxing material. Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world and is responsible for over 30% of the world s production. In this work a physical treatment of coffee husk ash was carried out in order to eliminate the organic matter and, after this, two by-products were obtained: residual wastes R1 and R2. Both residues were added separately as single fluxes and also in association with feldspar in mixtures with raw materials collected in a porcelain industry located in Dias d Ávila-Ba. The addition of these residues aimed to contribute to the reduction of the consumption of feldspar in the production of porcelain tiles. Specimens were produced with dimensions of 60 mm x 20 mm x 6 mm in an uniaxial die with compacting pressure of 45 MPa. The samples were heated to a temperature of 1200 °C, for 8 minutes. Tests were performed to characterize the raw materials by XRF, XRD, particle size analysis, DTA and TGA and, additionally, the results of the physical properties of water absorption, apparent porosity, linear shrinkage, density, dilatometry, flexural strength and SEM of sintered body were analyzed. Additions of less than 8% of the residue R1 contributed to the decrease of porosity, but the mechanical strength of the samples was not satisfactory. Additions of 5% the R2 residue contributed significantly to decrease the water absorption and apparent porosity, and also to increase the mechanical strength. Samples with addition of feldspar associated with the R2 residue, in proportions of 6.7% of R2 and 6.7% of feldspar, led to results of water absorption of 0.12% and mechanical strength of 46 MPa, having parameters normalized to the manufacture of porcelain stoneware tiles

Incorporação de cinzas da casca de café na produção de placas cerâmicas para revestimento

Brazil is the world s leading coffee producer. In 2008, 45.99 million of 60 kg bags of benefited coffee were produced. In the process of improvement 50% is grain and 50% is husk, thus, 1.38 million tons of coffee husk are produced annually. The husk is used as combustible in the drying and improvement ovens in the coffee farms, generating ash as residue. These ashes contain a high concentration of alkaline metals and earth metals, mainly K2O and CaO. This work studies the use of this residue in the ceramic tiles industry, as fluxing agents in substitution to the feldspar. Ten mixtures with equal ratios of clay and kaolin, proceeding from Bahia and the residue (varying from 30 to 5%) were defined and produced in uniaxial tool die of 60x20mm with approximately 5 mm of thickness and 45MPa compacting pressure. The samples were fired in four different temperatures: 1100 °C, 1150 °C, 1185 °C and 1200 °C during 60 minutes and characterized by means of X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, gravimetric thermal analysis and differential thermal analysis. The results of water absorption, apparent porosity, linear shrinkage, XRD, dilatometry, flexural strength and SEM were also analysed. The test specimen with addition of 10% of ash fired in 1200 °C resulted in 0.18% water absorption and 40.77 MPa flexural strength, being classified as porcelain stoneware tiles according to ABNT, UNI and ISO norms

Produtos naturais no comportamento defensivo de Apis mellifera L.

The goal was to investigate the influence of natural products such as lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus), dried avocado leaves (Persea americana), coffee husk (Coffea arabica) and castor bean (Ricinus communis) in the defense of Apis mellifera, as well the effect of these products on the population development of the beehive. Defensive behavior was evaluated by time of first sting (TFS) and number of stingers (NS), and population development, by open brood area and operculated brood. It was observed that the treatment with smoke + seven castor beans presented significant increase in the TFS, for treatment without and with smoke. Regarding NS, it was verified that the treatments with smoke + seven castor bean and smoke + 20% coffee husk were different from the treatment without and with smoke. The other treatments did not differ significantly with respect to the use of smoke or its absence. The application of coffee husk and castor bean did not interfere in the development of the population, suggesting that these compounds were not toxic. It can be concluded that the use of castor bean and coffee husk in smoke may represent an important tool for the reduction of defensiveness, without promoting toxicity for A. mellifera.

Avaliação da liberação de potássio por resíduos do benefício de café

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Liberação de nitrogênio e potássio da palha de café em função da adubação nitrogenada

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Agricultura) - FCA

Solubilização de fontes alternativas de potássio pelos ácidos húmicos, cítrico e casca de café

This study was to evaluate the solubility of nepheline syenite rocks and glauconite as alternative sources of K by organic humic acid arrays, citrus and coffee pods at various times from 0 to 180 days of incubation. The experiment was conducted in the fertility laboratory in the Department of Soil Science at the Federal University of Lavras in a completely randomized design with 90 treatments and 3 replications. The treatments were arranged in a factorial arrangement (2 x 3 x 7 + 3), 2 nepheline syenite rocks and glauconite incubated with water and 3 matrix organic humic acid, citric acid and coffee husk in six different incubation times of 0, 7, 15, 30, 75, 120 and 180 days, incubation were performed with the three above-mentioned organic matrix in increasing doses of 0, 1, 2, 5 and 10% humic acids and citric 0, 5, 10 20 and 40% for coffee husk. We evaluated the K2O content by different extractants soluble in 2% citric acid and water all treatments at all incubation times quoted above. Incubation and the application of organic matrix rocks nepheline syenite and generally glauconite provided a significant increase in solubility of K of the rocks studied in this work. Among the organic matrix has been observed that the coffee husk which provided the greatest release of K2O in both rocks mainly into the extractor 2% citric acid showed that the most efficient extraction K2O in all treatments.

Estudo da emissão e do controle dos gases e particulados provenientes da queima de biomassa

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Mecânica - FEG

Resíduos agroindustriais como potenciais substratos para a produção de renina microbiana por Mucor miehei utilizando fermentação em estado sólido

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)