Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Valorization of solid wastes from the brewery and biodiesel industries for the bioproduction of natural dyes
This study aims to assess a new approach for concomitant valorization of two industrial wastes - raw glycerin and spent brewer ’ s yeast - for the bioproduction of valuable carotenoids. Microbial pigments have numerous applications in the food and cosmetic industries. First, four cultures of yeasts were screened using pure glycerol and either (NH4)2SO4 or urea as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. The ability of the best performing culture to accumulate carotenoids was investigated in a medium in which only wastes were supplemented as carbon and nitrogen sources. All the fermentations were carried out in 500 mL-E...
Source: Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering - July 16, 2019 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research

A NOVEL Scytalidium SPECIES: UNDERSTAND THE CELLULOLYTIC SYSTEM FOR BIOMASS SACCHARIFICATION
ABSTRACT In order to overcome the bottlenecks related to lignocellulosic-derived sugars, the search for more efficient enzymatic cocktails, containing a broad-spectrum of specific activities, relies on an important feature. This paper describes new enzyme activities derived from the novel strain of the Scytalidium genus isolated from the Amazonas rainforest. The production of the enzymatic cocktail was induced by delignified-hydrothermal bagasse (DHB), and yeast extract was used to improve secretion activities, resulting in a positive influence on total cellulase activity. The enzymatic cocktail produced by this novel stra...
Source: Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering - July 16, 2019 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research

ASSESSMENT OF POLYHYDROXYALKANOATE SYNTHESIS IN SUBMERGED CULTIVATION OF Cupriavidus necator AND Burkholderia cepacia STRAINS USING SOYBEAN AS SUBSTRATE
In this study, evaluation and characterization of PHA produced by Cupriavidus necator (IPT 026 and IPT 027) and Burkholderia cepacia (IPT 119 and IPT 400), using soybean as substrate, were carried out (soybean 15 g L-1, pH 7.0, 150 rpm, 72 hours). The highest polymer production was achieved using IPT 027 (0.84 ± 0.07 g L-1). All PHA produced showed the characteristic bands of polyester functional groups in the FTIR spectra. Polymers synthesized by Cupriavidus necator exhibited initial temperatures of degradation superior to 300oC and higher molecular weights than the ones produced by Burkholderia cepacia , which in turn, ...
Source: Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering - July 16, 2019 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research

KINETICS OF THE BIODEGRADATION OF MONOAROMATICS BY Pseudomonas aeruginosa
ABSTRACT Water contamination by monoaromatic compounds has risen throughout time, which leads to the necessity of developing new water treatment technology, capable of minimizing their negative effect on the environment. In this context, biological processes present themselves as a solution to the processes of extraction. Bioremediation makes use of microbial groups capable of using hydrocarbons as a source of carbon to perform their metabolic functions. This work evaluated the biodegradation efficiency of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain isolated from contaminated matrices, for the substrates benzene, ethylbenzene and toluen...
Source: Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering - July 16, 2019 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research

INDUSTRIAL PLANT FOR PRODUCTION OF Spirulina sp. LEB 18
The objective of this work was to study the behavior of physico-chemical variables and kinetic and biological responses in industrial cultivation of Spirulina sp. LEB 18, aiming at the operation of a microalgal photobiorefinery. The maximum specific growth rate (0.133 1/d), the minimum generation time (5.2 d) and maximum productivity (14.9 g/m ².d) were obtained in the first 9 d of microalgae growth. The maximum biomass concentration (1.64 g/L) was obtained in 37 d of cultivation. The highest levels of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids in the biomass were 10.6, 57.0 and 11.7%, respectively. The plant monitoring demonstra...
Source: Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering - July 16, 2019 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research

ELEPHANT GRASS (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach) IS A PROMISING FEEDSTOCK FOR ETHANOL PRODUCTION BY THE THERMOTOLERANT YEAST Kluyveromyces marxianus CCT 7735
ABSTRACT Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach) is regarded as a promising feedstock for second generation ethanol production, due to its high cellulose content, biomass production and rapid growth. The yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus CCT 7735 is capable of producing ethanol from agroindustrial residues, such as lignocellulosic biomass. Therefore, this study aimed to establish the optimal conditions for ethanol production by K. marxianus CCT 7735 from elephant grass. Five factors were evaluated: temperature (35-45 ºC), pH (4.5-5.8), agitation (50-150 rpm), cellulase concentration (7.5-22.5 FPU/mL) and elephant grass...
Source: Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering - July 16, 2019 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research

A simple equation for total reducing sugars (trs) estimation on sweet potato and ethanol yield potential
ABSTRACT Sweet potato is an attractive feedstock for ethanol production due to its high starch content and favorable agronomic characteristics. This paper proposes a simple equation to estimate the total reducing sugars (including glucose from starch) in sweet potatoes based on their moisture content (low cost and simple measurement). It allows the calculation of the ethanol production potential of a given sweet potato mash. According to the equation, the ethanol potential increases non-linearly with increasing concentrations of sweet potato mash in the fermenting medium (w/v), reaching a constant value for high concentrat...
Source: Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering - July 16, 2019 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research

Functionalized graphene-based materials as innovative adsorbents of organic pollutants: a concise overview
ABSTRACT The functionalization of graphene nanosheets is the cutting edge of materials sciences nowadays. Such research promotes the development of innovative, low cost and highly capable sorbents. This review article aims to assemble the available information on functionalized graphene used for the adsorption of organic pollutants and establishes a critical comparison between the data reported in the literature. Various optimal experimental conditions (pH, temperature, contact time, adsorbent dosage) and adsorbent characterization methods (FTIR, Raman, XPS spectra, XRD, TEM and AFM) have been listed to enlighten adsorptio...
Source: Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering - July 16, 2019 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research

Study of kinematic viscosity, volatility and ignition quality properties of butanol/diesel blends
ABSTRACT The alternative use of butanol in blends with diesel has attracted the attention of many researchers worldwide for its possibility to overcome some barriers observed for other lower chain alcohols. Viscosity, volatility and ignition quality are critical characteristics of a fuel intended for use in compression ignition engines. In this paper, the kinematic viscosity, atmospheric distillation and cetane number of butanol/diesel blends in proportions of up to 30 mass% were determined and compared with Brazilian diesel specifications. Two types of diesel matrices 10 ppm (S10) and 500 ppm (S500) sulfur and two butanol...
Source: Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering - March 28, 2019 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research

Analysis of a brazilian thermal plant operation applying energetic and exergetic balances
The objective of this work is to analyze energetically and exergetically a fuel oil thermal plant in operation in Brazil. Real industrial data were used in this analysis. The calculated total work of the turbine is 120.73 MW, which is close to the real value of 120 MW. The cycle energetic efficiency is 36.8% and the exergetic efficiency is 34.4%. The highest exergy destruction was found to be in the boiler (177.11 MW), followed by the high pressure turbine (13.37 MW), due to larger irreversibilities in the processes of these equipment. The exergetic analysis functioned as a complement to the energetic analysis, pointing ou...
Source: Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering - March 28, 2019 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research

PROPERTIES OF MICROALGAE OIL FROM THE SPECIES Chlorella protothecoides AND ITS ETHYLIC BIODIESEL
ABSTRACT Microalgae oil of the species Chlorella protothecoides was obtained via a donation of the Soley Biotechnology Institute (SOLEYBIO) and characterized according to the fatty acid profile. Ethylic biodiesel was prepared using methods adapted by the research group. Analysis of acidity, water content, and density and viscosity temperature dependence (293.15 K to 368.15 K) were performed for the oil and ethylic biodiesel. The biofuel was characterized in terms of its flash and cloud points, heat capacity and cetane number. The properties studied were compared with conventional vegetable oils and biodiesel, presenting li...
Source: Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering - March 28, 2019 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research

Application of uncertainty analysis of artificial neural networksfor predicting coagulant and alkalizer dosages in a water treatment process
ABSTRACT Artificial neural networks (ANNs) were built to predict coagulant (Model I) and alkalizer (Model II) dosages given raw and treated water parameters from a water clarifying process. Different ANN architectures were tested and optimal results were obtained with [10-10-10-01] and [08-12-12-01] nodes of input, hidden and output layers for Models I and II, respectively. Two algorithms based on GUM-S1weredevelopedto evaluate the artificial neural network parameter uncertainty and the coverage interval of model outputs. The results show that these algorithms can provide a better set of parameters for the ANN compared wit...
Source: Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering - March 28, 2019 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research

MONITORING OF BIOSURFACTANT PRODUCTION BY Bacillus subtilis USING BEET PEEL AS CULTURE MEDIUM VIA THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEURAL SOFT-SENSOR IN AN ELECTRONIC SPREADSHEET
ABSTRACT This work investigated the combination of agitation and aeration conditions in a bench-bioreactor to identify the optimal biosurfactant production from substrate based on beet peel and glycerol from a biodiesel process. Thus, a central composite rotatable design (CCRD) and responses were evaluated by response surface methodology (RSM) modeling. The optimal operation values determined were 200 rpm (agitation) and 0.5 vvm (aeration), reaching values of 1931.2 mg/L of crude biosurfactant concentration and 28.37 mN/m of surface tension. For the development of a mathematical model based on an artificial neural network ...
Source: Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering - March 28, 2019 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research

A comparative study of numerical approximations for solving the smoluchowski coagulation equation
ABSTRACT In this work, numerical approximations for solving the one dimensional Smoluchowski coagulation equation on non-uniform meshes has been analyzed. Among the various available numerical methods, finite volume and sectional methods have explicit advantage such as mass conservation and an accurate prediction of different order moments. Here, a recently developed efficient finite volume scheme (Singh et al., 2015) and the cell average technique (Kumar et al., 2006) are compared. The numerical comparison is established for both analytically tractable as well as physically relevant kernels. It is concluded that the finit...
Source: Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering - March 28, 2019 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research

Eulerian-eulerian simulations of the hydrodynamics of a binary mixture in an internally circulating fluidized bed
ABSTRACT The process of solid circulation in an internally circulating fluidized bed (ICFB) having two or more chambers can be developed by applying unequal gas velocities in these chambers. Such a process is beneficial to several applications and provides the means for the energy transfer between the chambers in the ICFB. In this paper, a multi-fluid CFD model incorporating the kinetic theory of granular flow is used to simulate the hydrodynamic characteristics of a binary mixture of particles in an ICFB using ANSYS-Fluent software. The mixture is composed of two particles of different sizes but the same densities. The IC...
Source: Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering - March 28, 2019 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research