The rapid accumulation of municipal solid waste is a significant environmental concern in our rapidly growing world. Due to its low cost, high energy recovery and limited environmental impact anaerobic digestion (AD) is a promising solution for stabilizing the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). Hydrolysis is often the rate-limiting step during AD of wastes with high solid content; this step can be accelerated by pretreatment of waste prior to AD. This thesis presents the results of alkaline pretreatment of OFMSW using NaOH and KOH. Four different pH levels 10, 11, 12 and 13 at two temperatures 23±1°C and 80±1°C were examined to study the effects of the pretreatment on (i) enhancing the solubility of the organic fraction of the waste, and (ii) enhancing the AD process and the biogas production. The effects on solubility were investigated by measuring changes in the soluble COD (SCOD) concentrations of pretreated wastes and the enhanced AD was investigated by measuring volatile solids (VS) destruction, total COD (TCOD) and SCOD removal in addition to biogas and methane production using biochemical methane potential (BMP) assay and semi-continuous laboratory reactor experiments. Pretreatment at pH 13 at 80±1°C demonstrated the maximum solubility for both NaOH and KOH pretreated samples; however the BMP analysis demonstrated that pretreatment at pH 12 at 23±1°C showed the greatest biogas yield relative to the removed VS for both chemicals. Thus pretreatment at pH 12 at 23±1°C using NaOH and KOH were examined using semi-continuous reactors at three different HRTs: 10, 15 and 20 days. Pretreatment demonstrated a significant improvement in the AD performance at SRTs of 10 and 15 days.

Diss. (sammanfattning). Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniv. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

A pesquisa avalia comparativamente algumas propriedades físicas e químicas da poliamida 6.6 convencional e biodegradável. Avalia também o tempo de biodegradabilidade da amostra de fio biodegradável e convencional. As propriedades físicas analisadas foram de resistência, alongamento e tenacidade. Já as propriedades químicas foram relativas ao comportamento das amostras quanto ao tingimento e avaliações de solidez posteriores ao tingimento. As amostras avaliadas foram retiradas de malhas produzidas com fio de poliamida 80 dtex f68 x 2, normal e biodegradável, sendo purgadas, alvejadas e tintas. Os resultados das análises físicas, apesar de estatisticamente diferente, possuem os valores das médias muito próximos, o que na prática representam valores aceitáveis dentro do controle estatístico de processo. Ambas as amostras normal e biodegradável apresentaram mesmo comportamento químico, não havendo nenhuma diferença. Com relação ao tempo de biodegradabilidade, sob condições laboratoriais, o dióxido de carbono produzido pelas amostras foi monitorado e medido para determinar a porcentagem de biodegradação de acordo com a norma ASTM D 5511. O fio biodegradável apresenta um tempo de biodegradação 16 vezes mais rápido do que o fio de poliamida normal, tendo 81,7% de biodegradação após 735 dias de teste. Isto representa um ganho muito grande em termos ecológicos, tratando-se de uma fibra sintética / The study evaluates comparatively some physical and chemical properties of conventional and biodegradable polyamide 6.6. It also evaluates the period of biodegradation of the biodegradable and conventional yarn. The physical properties analyzed were strength, elongation and toughness. The chemical properties were related on the behavior of the samples in dyeing and evaluation of subsequent strength dyeing. The evaluated samples were taken from knitwear produced with polyamide yarn 80 dtex f68 x 2, normal and biodegradable, being purged, bleached and dyed. The results of the physical tests, although statistically different, have values very near the average, which in practice represent acceptable values within the statistical control process. Both normal and biodegradable samples had the same chemical behavior, and there is no difference. With respect to biodegradation time under laboratory conditions, the carbon dioxide produced by the samples was monitored and measured to determine the percentage of biodegradation according to ASTM D 5511. The biodegradable yarn has a biodegradation time 16 times faster the yarn normal polyamide, having 81.7% biodegradation after 735 days of testing. This is an expressive gain in ecological terms for a synthetic fiber

Os polietilenoglicóis (PEGs) são polímeros sintéticos não iônicos, solúveis em água, que possuem diferentes propriedades físico-químicas devido ao efeito de sua cadeia longa, conferindo assim uma vasta disposição na aplicação industrial do PEG. Como exemplos de aplicação destacam-se o uso como lubrificante solúvel em água para moldes de borracha, fibras têxteis e operações de formação de metais, sendo também usado em tintas à base de água, revestimento de papéis, polimento, na indústria cerâmica, na confecção de fases estacionárias para cromatografia, entre inúmeras outras. O PEG também pode ser adicionado às dietas de ruminantes baseadas em foragem com alto teor de taninos, onde ele se insere como um agente complexante do tanino. Contudo, devido à ampla aplicação do PEG, mostra-se uma maior preocupação com seu uso e disposição no meio ambiente, uma vez que sua concentração, seja no solo ou água, possa ser grande. No entanto, pouco se sabe acerca do seu destino no ambiente, principalmente em condições tropicais, sendo que não foram encontrados na literatura estudos de monitoramento de águas subterrâneas e superficiais, e nem mesmo estudos de impacto ambiental. Neste contexto, este projeto se insere na busca sobre o destino do PEG-4000 no ambiente, buscando informações sobre sua mobilidade, degradação e sorção em solos, utilizando técnicas radiométricas (14C-PEG). Complementando o estudo do PEG, foi avaliado o transporte de pesticidas na presença do PEG, uma vez que ele possui uma alta solubilidade, podendo atuar como co-solvente, avaliando assim o papel do PEG na presença de contaminantes / Polyethylene glycols (PEGs) are non-ionic synthetic polymer, soluble in water, which have different physical and chemical properties because of its long chain, thereby providing a broad industrial application of PEG. Examples of application are the use as water-soluble lubricant for rubber molds, textile fibers and metallurgy, also used in water-based paints, paper coating, polishing, ceramic industry, in construction of stationary phases for chromatography, and numerous others. PEG can also be added to the diets of ruminants based on forage with a high content of tannins, where it comes as a complexing agent of tannin. However, due to the wide application of PEG, it is a greater concern about its use and disposal in the environment, since their concentration, either in soil or water, can be large. However, little is known about their fate in the environment, especially in tropical conditions, which were not found in the literature studies for monitoring underground and surface water, and even environmental impact studies. In this context, this project falls in the search on the fate of PEG-4000 in the environment, seeking information on their mobility, degradation and sorption in soils, using radiometric techniques (14C-PEG). Complementing the study of PEG, was evaluated the pesticides transport in the presence of PEG, since it has a high solubility and can act as co-solvent, thereby assessing the role of PEG in the presence of contaminants

The rapid accumulation of municipal solid waste is a significant environmental concern in our rapidly growing world. Due to its low cost, high energy recovery and limited environmental impact anaerobic digestion (AD) is a promising solution for stabilizing the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). Hydrolysis is often the rate-limiting step during AD of wastes with high solid content; this step can be accelerated by pretreatment of waste prior to AD. This thesis presents the results of alkaline pretreatment of OFMSW using NaOH and KOH. Four different pH levels 10, 11, 12 and 13 at two temperatures 23±1°C and 80±1°C were examined to study the effects of the pretreatment on (i) enhancing the solubility of the organic fraction of the waste, and (ii) enhancing the AD process and the biogas production. The effects on solubility were investigated by measuring changes in the soluble COD (SCOD) concentrations of pretreated wastes and the enhanced AD was investigated by measuring volatile solids (VS) destruction, total COD (TCOD) and SCOD removal in addition to biogas and methane production using biochemical methane potential (BMP) assay and semi-continuous laboratory reactor experiments. Pretreatment at pH 13 at 80±1°C demonstrated the maximum solubility for both NaOH and KOH pretreated samples; however the BMP analysis demonstrated that pretreatment at pH 12 at 23±1°C showed the greatest biogas yield relative to the removed VS for both chemicals. Thus pretreatment at pH 12 at 23±1°C using NaOH and KOH were examined using semi-continuous reactors at three different HRTs: 10, 15 and 20 days. Pretreatment demonstrated a significant improvement in the AD performance at SRTs of 10 and 15 days.

No description available.

The increased demand for advanced sludge stabilization in wastewater treatment facilities over the past decade has led to the implementation of various pretreatment techniques prior to anaerobic digestion. In an attempt to reduce sludge volumes and improve sludge conditioning properties, the use of thermal hydrolysis process before anaerobic digestion has been adopted with an increase in solids destruction, COD removal, and methane gas. In this study, the evaluation of thermal hydrolysis process as a viable pretreatment strategy to anaerobic digestion has been conducted in order to assess its capacity for solids solubilization. Solubilization experiments were conducted at temperatures ranging from 130 to 170℃ and reaction times between 10 and 60 min. Anaerobic biogas production by thermally pre-treated sludge was carried out through a mesophilic anaerobic digester. The results showed that solids solubilization increased with increases in temperature and time, while temperatures above 160℃ for 30 min strongly affected the sludge characteristics. Ammonia production via deamination by thermal hydrolysis was less significant than protein solubilization at a temperature of 170℃. Both protein and carbohydrate solubilization were more dependent on temperature than reaction time. The enhancement of the biogas production was achieved with increases in temperature as pretreatment of 170℃ yielded 20% more biogas than at 130℃. However, it seems the enhancement was linked to the initial biodegradability of the sludge. / Master of Science

Dans un contexte énergétique en crise, les sources alternatives d'énergie et d'économie d'énergie sont primordiales. Fort de ce constat, la station d'épuration de demain se doit d'atteindre un bilan énergétique positif. Dans cet objectif, de nombreux travaux de recherche se focalisent au niveau mondial sur la valorisation matière et énergétique à travers un procédé d'intérêt : la digestion anaérobie des boues. Afin d'optimiser ce procédé, la connaissance de la matière organique entrante est cruciale pour ne plus la subir mais la contrôler et en prédire les impacts sur les performances des digesteurs, notamment grâce à la modélisation. Une méthodologie de caractérisation de la matière organique des boues a donc été mise en place et testée afin de prédire les variables du modèle de digestion anaérobie basées sur la biodégradabilité et la bioaccessibilité. Cette méthode repose sur la mesure de la fluorescence en 3 dimensions réalisée sur les extractions chimiques de la boue, extractions simulant son accessibilité. Les résultats obtenus sur 52 échantillons de boues (primaires, secondaires, digérées, et traitées thermiquement) ont mis en évidence avec succès la corrélation entre cette méthode et la biodégradabilité anaérobie ainsi que la bioaccessibilité des boues. Le temps analytique classique de 30 jours pour les tests de potentiel méthane est par ailleurs réduit à 5 jours. Grâce à ces résultats, les variables d'entrée du modèle des processus biologiques ont pu être caractérisées ainsi que les composés réfractaires à la digestion. Une validation de la méthodologie a également été réalisée par le biais de la modélisation de 2 réacteurs pilotes expérimentaux. Une analyse de scenarios utilisant le modèle calibré a aussi montré que grâce à la prédiction de la bioaccessibilité et de la biodégradabilité, un temps de séjour minimum des digesteurs peut être calculé via une corrélation linéaire et ainsi optimiser le dimensionnement des digesteurs. De plus, cette approche s'est avérée être d'un grand potentiel en termes d'applications pour l'instrumentation et l'aide à la décision afin d'optimiser les performances des procédés de digestion anaérobie. / In an energetic crisis context, alternative sources of energy and saving costs has become of first importance. From this observation, the wastewater treatment plants of the future aim at a positive energetic balance and worldwide research on sludge treatment today focuses on energetic and material valorization through the optimization of anaerobic digestion processes. To this end, knowledge of the input organic matter is crucial to avoid suffering from these disturbances and to control, predict or drive the process through modeling. In the present study, a methodology of sludge characterization is investigated to describe biodegradability and bioaccessibility variables used in anaerobic digestion models. This method is based on the three dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy measurement performed on the chemical extraction of sludge simulating accessibility. Results obtained in 52 sludge samples (primary, secondary digested and thermally treated) show that the method can be successfully correlated with the sludge biodegradability and bioaccessibility within 5 days instead of the 30 days usually needed for the biochemical methane potential tests. Based on these results, input variables of dynamic models of biological processes occurring in anaerobic digestion have been characterized as well as recalcitrant fluorescent compounds. Validation has been performed with modeling of experimental data obtained from two different laboratory scale reactors. Scenarios analysis with the calibrated model have shown that using the measurements of sludge bioaccessibility and biodegradability, a minimal hydraulic retention time could be calculated with a linear correlation leading to the improvement of digesters design. Moreover, this approach has a high potential for applications such as instrumentation or decision support systems to improve both control and optimization of anaerobic digestion processes.

Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Department of: Pharmaceutical Technology Consultants: PharmDr. Ondřej Holas, Ph.D. Mgr. Jana Kubačková Student: Adélka Semrádová Title of thesis: Acidoresistant polymeric nanoparticles: preparation and assessment Use of oral drug delivery nanosystems has a great potential in therapy of inflammatory bowel disease, which includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Nanosized delivery systems are more efficiently accumulated at the inflammatory site, targeting specifically macrophages to resolve inflammation locally and reduce systemic adverse effects. The aim of this research was to prepare pharmaceutical formulations based on polymeric nanoparticles. Three types of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) - two linear and one branched polymer - together with the acidoresistant polymer cellulose-acetate phthalate (CAF) in various ratios were used to prepare nanoparticles by nanoprecipitation method. Rhodamine B was used as model active substance. The effect of acidoresistant component content on size and zeta potential of the nanoparticles was evaluated. Furthermore, dissolution tests were performed at both acidic and physiological pH. It was found that CAF doesn't have any significant effect on size of the particles and their stability....

A presença de substâncias recalcitrantes na vinhaça causa inibição da anaerobiose. Pesquisas indicam que a oxidação destas substâncias com ozônio (\'O IND.3\') promova um aumento da biodegradabilidade da vinhaça (DBO5/DQO) de aproximadamente 25%. A introdução de vinhaça pré-ozonizada em reatores anaeróbios resultou em ganhos no rendimento de metano da ordem de 15% (mL\'CH IND.4\'/gDQO removida). Por outro lado, sabe-se que a composição da vinhaça varia bastante de acordo com a matéria-prima, solo, clima e processo industrial empregado para a produção de etanol. Assim, é necessário verificar o efeito da ozonização sobre a biodegradabilidade de uma vinhaça proveniente de uma destilaria brasileira. Além disso, é necessário responder se a quantidade de energia produzida pela combustão do metano adicionalmente gerado por conta da ozonização compensaria a energia consumida por um ozonizador em escala real. Desta forma, esta pesquisa pretendeu avaliar os efeitos da aplicação de ozônio na biodegradabilidade de uma vinhaça bruta proveniente de uma destilaria brasileira, assim como realizar uma avaliação econômica da ozonização em escala real. Procedeu-se a operação de um reator em escala de bancada para ozonização de vinhaça em batelada (0, 2, 4, 6 e 8 horas), com a aplicação das doses de 0, 2, 4, 6 e 8 g \'O IND.3\'/L, respectivamente. A ozonização deu-se em três valores iniciais de pH (4.8, 7 e 9). Os parâmetros avaliados foram: DQO, DBO5, COT, cor, fenóis e Abs254, DBO5/DQO e DQO/COT. De acordo com os resultados, observou-se que a aplicação de 2 g \'O IND.3\'/L elevou a biodegradabilidade da vinhaça em 22% e 10% em pH inicial 4,8 e 7, respectivamente. A avaliação econômica preliminar mostrou que a quantidade de energia elétrica consumida por um ozonizador em escala real seria 6 vezes maior (278.400 kWh) do que aquela possivelmente produzida pela combustão do metano adicionalmente gerado (44.780 kWh). Estes resultados indicam que a ozonização de vinhaça bruta com o objetivo específico de se produzir metano adicional em um reator anaeróbio posteriormente instalado é inviável do ponto de vista econômico. / The presence of recalcitrant substances in the vinasse causes inhibition in anaerobic process. Research indicates that oxidation of these substances with ozone (\'O IND.3\') promotes an increase in biodegradabilidade of vinasse (DBO5/DQO) in approximately 25%. The introduction of vinasse pre-ozonated in anaerobic reactors resulted in gains in the yield of methane on the order of 15% (mL\'CH IND.4\'/gDQO removed). However, it is known that the composition of vinasse varies greatly depending on the raw material, soil, climate and industrial process used to produce ethanol. It is therefore necessary to verify the effect of ozonation on biodegrability of a vinasse from a Brazilian distillery. Moreover, it is also necessary to answer if the amount of energy produced by combustion of methane additionally generated by ozonation would off set the energy consumed by a full-scale ozonator. Thus, this study sought to evalu-ate the effects of ozone on the biodegradability of a raw stillage from a Brazilian distillery, as well as conduct an economic evaluation of a full-scale ozonation. The procedure was the operation of a bench scale reactor for the batch ozonation of vinasse (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 hours), with the application of 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 g \'O IND.3\'/L, respectively. The ozonation occurred in three starting values of pH (4.8, 7 and 9). The parameters evaluated were: COD, BOD5, TOC, color, phenols and Abs254, DBO5/DQO and COD / TOC. According to the results, it was observed that the application of 2 g \'O IND.3\'/L increased biodegradability of vinasse in 22% and 10% at initial pH 4,8 and 7, respectively. The preliminary economic assessment showed that the amount of electricity consumed by a full-scale ozonator would be 6 times greater (278.400 kWh) than that energy, possibly produced by combustion of additional methane generated (44.780 kWh). These results indicate that the ozonation of raw vinasse with the specific goal of producing additional methane in an anaerobic reactor later installed, it is unfeasible from an economic perspective.