UB - Comunicações em actas de encontros científicos internacionais
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- Biodegradation ability of three bacterial strains isolated from a Jacto reactor used for the treatment of an agro-industrial effluentPublication . Eusebio, Ana; Mateus, Marta; Baeta-Hall, Lina; Sàágua, M. C.; Gadanho, M.; Tenreiro, R.; Almeida-Vara, Elsa; Duarte, José Cardoso
- Treatment and reutilization of effluents: one Mediterranean projectPublication . Duarte, José Cardoso; Mateus, Marta; Eusebio, Ana; Almeida-Vara, Elsa; Ribeiro, Belina; Baeta-Hall, Lina; Hassani, Lahcen; Nejmeddine, Ahmed; Moreira, C.; Sukan, Fazilet; Sayadi, Sami; Federici, F.; Gónzalez López, J.; Ferreira, A.; Fenice, M.The problematic of effluent treatment from olive oil industry as been the subject of an European Commission funded project (INCO-MED programme): “Mediterranean Usage of Biotechnological Treated effluent Water”. The potential that effluent offers to increase the availability of water, in mediterranean regions, was the final goal of the project, co-ordinated by INETI with partners from EU and MPC. In the project different systems for the treatment of this effluent had been studied: reactors systems (Intensive type) based on the jet-loop principle (JACTO) and an anaerobic UASB hybrid type reactor technology; lagoons (extensive type) for municipal wastewater treatment were also applied. The aerobic JACTO system demonstrated high unit capacity for biological conversion and operation at different loadings, allowing the removal of the pollutant organic load and the toxicity associated with this effluent. The use of this type of reactor for pre-treatment of OOWW prior to disposal on a lagoon system was tested at FSS (Morocco). Use of fungi as a pre-treatment was tested by UNITUS (Italy), EBC (Turkey) and CBS (Tunisia). In this way the effluent could be “improved” as demonstrated in the case of anaerobic digestion and biogas production (CBS). Effluent improvement and enrichment with phosphate was also tested by UNITUS. Analytical monitoring methodologies were developed at IA (Spain) and treated effluents were tested for a number of agricultural applications in different countries. The different alternatives studied will be analysed and compared taking account of technological and socio-economical criteria in relation with the project objectives.
- Lead bioremoval by cork residues as biosorbentPublication . Mota, Dora; Marques, Paula; Rosa, Maria Fernanda; Gil, Luís; Marques, Carlos PereiraThe intensification of industrial activity during the last few years has greatly contributed to the increase of heavy metals in the environment, mainly in the aquatic systems [1]. Conventional technologies traditionally used for the removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions are expensive and inefficient at low metal concentrations [2]. Biosorption, which is a property of different types of biomass (biosorbents) to bind and concentrate heavy metals from even very dilute aqueous solutions, is one of the most promising technologies that can be used for this purpose [3]. The goal of this work was to study the bioremoval process of Pb(II) ions from aqueous dilute solutions by cork granulates (1-2 mm) from a Portuguese cork processing company. The effect of physico-chemical parameters such as initial metal solution, pH, biomass cork pre-treatments and initial metal and biosorbent concentrations on the metal removal efficiency were investigated. The maximum Pb(II) uptake capacity (Qmax) of cork biomass was also determined from the Langmuir isotherm. The results obtained showed that the optimum initial pH for Pb(II) removal was in the range 3-4, leading to removal yields of about 90-100% for initial metal concentrations of 10-100 mg/L. Cork biomass without treatment provided a higher removal yield (93%) than the biomass submitted to previous extraction with deionised water (80%), ethyl acetate (83%) and ethanol (88 %). The Langmuir model showed a very good correlation with experimental results (r2=0.995) and the Qmax was determined as being 5.3 mg Pb(II)/g cork. The optimisation of continuous bioremoval of Pb(II) (10 mg/L) from 25 L of influent, regarding metal uptake yield and volume of effluent containing a Pb(II) concentration 1 mg/L (MAV), was carried out by the factorial design methodology, leading to the establishment of the best operating conditions. In these conditions, two fixed bed-reactors (operational liquid volume of each reactor containing 20g of biosorbent=138 mL) running in sequential mode (feed flow rate - 590 mL/h) were more efficient (effluent volume with [Pb(II)] 1 mg/L=10 L) than one reactor alone (effluent volume with [Pb(II)] 1 mg/L=5 L). Finally, the chemical characterization in terms of CQO, TOC and phenolic compounds of the effluent before discharge showed that all values were lower than the ones allowed by environmental legislation.
- Produção de biodiesel a partir de matéria-prima do sector oleícoPublication . Sebadelhe, C.S.; Oliveira, Ana Cristina; Rosa, Maria FernandaDada a crescente procura de matérias-primas alternativas para a produção de biodiesel testou-se, neste trabalho, a viabilidade de utilização de produtos ligados ao sector oleícola, nomeadamente azeite lampante e óleo de bagaço de azeitona. Numa primeira fase, este material glicerídico foi caracterizado em termos de parâmetros que têm influência no processo de transformação em biodiesel e na qualidade deste produto. Observou-se, por exemplo, que ambas as matérias-primas possuem um indíce de iodo bastante mais favorável (78-85) do que óleos vegetais como a soja ou o girassol, que apresentam valores para este parâmetro superiores aos permitidos pela norma europeia de qualidade do biodiesel. Por outro lado, os valores determinados para o indíce de acidez quer no azeite lampante (7 mg KOH/g) quer no óleo de bagaço de azeitona (22 mg KOH/g) foram bastante elevados e mostraram que a produção de biodiesel não devia ser realizada pelo processo tecnológico mais tradicional. Por este facto, um primeiro passo de catálise ácida foi optimizado, através da metodologia do desenho factorial, em termos de concentração de catalisador, tempo de reacção e razão molar metanol/ácidos gordos livres, de modo a determinar quais as condições que conduziam a uma diminuição do teor em ácidos gordos livres, para valores que permitissem prosseguir com a reacção de transesterificação por catálise básica (< 2 mg KOH/g). Esta última foi depois realizada em condições previamente definidas para outros óleos (razão molar metanol:óleo de 6:1, 1 % catalisador, 55ºC e 500 rpm), e o biocombustível obtido foi caracterizado de acordo com as especificações da norma EN 14214. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que estas matérias-primas podem constituir uma alternativa para o fabrico de biodiesel, o que corresponderá também a apresentar alternativas de utilização para o sector oleícola, fomentando o consumo de produtos de melhor qualidade para fins alimentares.
- TGGE-monitoring of the microbial community along the olive mill wastewaters anaerobic treatmentPublication . Eusebio, Ana; Tacão, M.; Baeta-Hall, Lina; Freitas, P.; Almeida-Vara, Elsa; Marques, Isabel Paula
- Prebiotic xylo-oligosaccharides as high-value co-products on an integrated biorefinery approach from lignocellulosic feedstockPublication . Moura, Patrícia; Carvalheiro, Florbela; Esteves, M. P.; Gírio, FranciscoThe present work proposes the production of prebiotic xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) as high-value co-products of the Lignocellulose Feedstock Biorefinery concept, foreseeing potential applications on food, feed and nutraceutical industries. Autohydrolysis was used to selectively solubilise the hemicellulosic fraction of several xylan-rich, widely available, agricultural, agro-industrial and forestry by-products: corn cobs, brewery’s spent grain and Eucalyptus wood chips. The soluble hemicellulose-rich and the solid cellulose- and lignin-rich fractions were separated, and the crude XOS-rich hydrolysates were further purified by gel filtration chromatography. Selected fractions of purified XOS within the desired ranges of polymerization degree were characterised and their prebiotic potential was investigated in in vitro fermentations by bifidobacteria, lactobacilli and intestinal inocula. Parameters such as bacterial growth and XOS consumption were evaluated and compared with commercially available xylo-oligosaccharides. The differences observed were considered of relevance for the formulation of symbiotic preparations and the future design of targeted, tailor-made prebiotic xylo-oligosaccharides.
- Prediction of H2S and HCl formation during RDF and co-gasification in fluidized bedPublication . Gulyurtlu, Ibrahim; Pinto, Filomena; Lopes, Helena; Andre, Rui N.; Dias, Mário; Cabrita, IsabelMost solid fuels contain S and Cl and during their gasification, the formation of pollutants such as H2S and HCl becomes inevitable, however, a better understanding of the mechanism involved in their formation and subsequent destruction during the process could help to define operating conditions and to achieve synergy during co-gasification to minimize their emissions. The formation of these pollutants along with the partitioning of S and Cl in the gas and solid phases can be predicted using theoretical models in software packages like FactSage. If the tendency of H2S and HCl emissions predicted by the model corresponds to what has been observed, then an overall mechanism could be derived at using the thermochemical stability data. In this paper a comparison between numerical and experimental results is presented. The results obtained seem to suggest a relationship between the levels of sulphur in the fuels and the concentration of H2S in the gas phase, although the presence of K, Na and Ca may minimize the release of H2S. The formation of HCl seemed to be greatly affected by the inorganic matter of the fuels.
- Kinetics of a packed-bed bacth reactor for the treatment of olive oil wastewaters from a Portuguese millPublication . Ribeiro, Belina; Correia, Anabela; Baeta-Hall, Lina; Sàágua, M. C.; Duarte, José CardosoOlive oil production is a traditional agricultural industry in Mediterranean countries and Portugal is one of the ten major producers. This industry generates an effluent, olive mill wastewater. This effluent does not undergo any treatment and is usually stored in evaporation lagoons or spread on the land. This can have a negative impact in the environment since this effluent has a high level of organic matter leading to a high chemical oxygen demand. In addition it has also a high content of polyphenols that contributes to the ecotoxicity of this effluent.Different techniques for the treatment of these wastewaters have been studied. In this work a 60 litre vessel was filled with a packaging of plastic material consisting of a cubic geometry (Biological Carrier Media from Rauschert). The non-inoculated reactor was filled with effluent from an olive mill farm (from Alfândega da Fé, Trás-os-Montes) and the effluent was re-circulated daily for homogeneity. COD, colour, nitrogen, solids and phosphorous were measured to follow the evolution of the system. Microbial composition and polyphenols were also evaluated. As an indicator of the microbial activity in the reactor, lipase activities were measured. Ecotoxicity tests were carried out to follow the detoxification capacity of the system as well as its potential for using in the treatment of this type of agroindustrial effluent.
- Bio-Hydrogen production from glycerol by a strain of Enrerobacter aerogenesPublication . Marques, Paula; Bartolomeu, M. Lourdes; Tomé, M. Manuela; Neves, L. M.In this work, H2 production by a strain of Enterobacter aerogenes using as substrate pure glycerol and glycerol-containing biodiesel wastes was compared. The effect of physico-chemical parameters such as temperature, initial substrate and biomass concentrations on the bio-hydrogen production efficiency was investigated. The influence of the simultaneous removal of gases produced was also evaluated The results obtained showed that a decrease of the process temperature of 37 to 30 ºC leads to both, an increase of the bio-hydrogen production rate and a decrease of the equilibrium time of the process. Furthermore, it was also observed that using 10 g/dm3 of pure glycerol or biodiesel wastes containing the same concentration of glycerol as substrate lead to very similar bio-hydrogen production yields (2.5dm3 H2/dm3 fermentation medium). This proves that the performance of the strain of E. aerogenes used was not influenced by the presence of other components than glycerol in biodiesel residues, at least for the biodiesel wastes concentration studied. Simultaneous removal of gaseous phase (mainly H2 and CO2), with its production, shows to be very efficient leading to an increase of the value of the H2/CO2 volumetric ratio, in the headspace, from 2 to 8, which is very promising regarding costs involved in the technologies for purification of H2 produced.
- Fluidised bed combustion of two species of energy cropsPublication . Abelha, Pedro; Franco, Carlos; Lopes, Helena; Gulyurtlu, Ibrahim; Cabrita, IsabelThe use of biomass fuels for energy production through combustion has a growing application worldwide mainly for two reasons: first, the utilization of biomass for energy contributes to mitigate emission of green house gases; second, its use decreases the dependence of imported fossil fuels in Europe. The objective of this work was to study the combustion behaviour of two endogenous biomass species: cardoon (cynara cardunculus) and arundo (arundo donax), which were specially produced in energy crops plantations. Mixtures of cardoon and a forestry biomass specie (eucalyptus) were also studied to evaluate potential benefits from synergies between both biomass fuel types. The results showed that the utilization of cardoon, in pelletized form, and loose arundo as feedstock, did not give rise to any operational problems related with the feeding system. It was verified that the mono combustion of cardoon could pose problems at industrial scale in fluidised bed systems, considering the high levels of HCl and NOX emissions obtained and tendency to sinter the bed sand material. The addition of the forestry biomass to cardoon appeared to prevent the bed agglomeration problem. Furthermore, both the NOX and SO2 emissions were found to decrease at the same time suggesting potential synergy of blending different types of biomass regarding pollutant emissions and in bed agglomeration problems.