Devido à alta perecibilidade do mamão papaia (Carica papaia L.), estudos póscolheita, com foco nas boas práticas de estocagem e transporte, são importantes na cadeia de comercialização desse fruto. O uso de ozônio (O3) tem sido recomendado como um tratamento alternativo aos compostos clorados tradicionais para o controle de podridões de diversos frutos. Nesse contexto o presente trabalho tem como objetivos: estudar o efeito do (O3) e de outros tramentos alternativos no intuito de eliminar a antracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Penz) no mamão papaia armazenado em câmaras ozonizadas em concentrações de 0 a 0,5 ppm de ozônio; avaliar a sanitização superficial desse fruto através da imersão em água ozonizada em concentrações de 0 a 4 ppm de O3 durante 30 e 60 segundos e otimizar o tratamento hidrotérmico em temperaturas de 45 a 65 ºC por períodos de 30 a 60 segundos. O uso de (O3) em concentrações entre 0,2 e 0,5 ppm, em câmara ozonizada, resultou em mamões com manchas na casca do fruto por possível oxidação de componentes da parede celular. Foi observado ainda que a imersão das frutas em água ozonizada em concentrações de 1 a 4 ppm de O3 não foi efetiva na eliminação da antracnose, razão pela qual foi necessário o uso do tratamento hidrotérmico prévio ao uso do (O3), sendo que os melhores resultados obtidos foram nas temperaturas próximas de 55ºC por 1 minuto. O uso de ozônio não afetou a superfície cuticular dos mamões enquanto que o tratamento hidrotérmico proporcionou um recobrimento das fissuras naturais do fruto. O aumento da concentração de ozônio de 2 para 4 ppm proporcionou uma perda de mais de 40% do conteúdo de Vitamina C. O ozônio não alterou o grau de maturação (ratio) e cor dos frutos. / Postharvest studies are important for marketing chain of papaya fruit (Carica papaya L.) with focus on good agricultural practices for storage and transportation due to the high perishibility of this fruit. The use of ozone (O3) has been recommended as an alternative treatment to traditional chlorine compounds for the control of several decay organisms. Within that the present work objectivated study the effects of O3 and other alternative treatments to control antracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Penz) on the papaya fruit stored in chambers with ozone concentrations of 0 to 0.5 ppm; evaluate the superficial healthyness of papayas by immersion in ozone water at concentrations of 0 to 4 ppm for 30 to 60 seconds; optimize the hydrothermal treatment at temperatures of 45 to 65°C for periods of 30 to 60 seconds. The use of O3 at concentrations of 0.2 and 0.5 ppm in ozoned chamber result in spots on the fruit epidermis by the possible oxidation of cell wall components. It was noted, however, that immersion in ozoned water of the fruits at concentrations of 1 to 4 ppm of O3 were not effective in the removal of antracnose. So it is necessary to use hydrothermal treatments before the use of O3. Best results were obtained an temperatures close to 55°C for 1 minute. The use of ozone did not affect the fruit cuticular surface, while the hydrothermal treatment provided the recovering of the natural fissures of the fruit. The increased ozone concentration from 2 to 4 ppm provided a loss of more than 40% of the Vitamin C content. Ozone did not affect the degree of ripening (ratio) and the skin color of the papayas.

Devido à alta perecibilidade do mamão papaia (Carica papaia L.), estudos póscolheita, com foco nas boas práticas de estocagem e transporte, são importantes na cadeia de comercialização desse fruto. O uso de ozônio (O3) tem sido recomendado como um tratamento alternativo aos compostos clorados tradicionais para o controle de podridões de diversos frutos. Nesse contexto o presente trabalho tem como objetivos: estudar o efeito do (O3) e de outros tramentos alternativos no intuito de eliminar a antracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Penz) no mamão papaia armazenado em câmaras ozonizadas em concentrações de 0 a 0,5 ppm de ozônio; avaliar a sanitização superficial desse fruto através da imersão em água ozonizada em concentrações de 0 a 4 ppm de O3 durante 30 e 60 segundos e otimizar o tratamento hidrotérmico em temperaturas de 45 a 65 ºC por períodos de 30 a 60 segundos. O uso de (O3) em concentrações entre 0,2 e 0,5 ppm, em câmara ozonizada, resultou em mamões com manchas na casca do fruto por possível oxidação de componentes da parede celular. Foi observado ainda que a imersão das frutas em água ozonizada em concentrações de 1 a 4 ppm de O3 não foi efetiva na eliminação da antracnose, razão pela qual foi necessário o uso do tratamento hidrotérmico prévio ao uso do (O3), sendo que os melhores resultados obtidos foram nas temperaturas próximas de 55ºC por 1 minuto. O uso de ozônio não afetou a superfície cuticular dos mamões enquanto que o tratamento hidrotérmico proporcionou um recobrimento das fissuras naturais do fruto. O aumento da concentração de ozônio de 2 para 4 ppm proporcionou uma perda de mais de 40% do conteúdo de Vitamina C. O ozônio não alterou o grau de maturação (ratio) e cor dos frutos. / Postharvest studies are important for marketing chain of papaya fruit (Carica papaya L.) with focus on good agricultural practices for storage and transportation due to the high perishibility of this fruit. The use of ozone (O3) has been recommended as an alternative treatment to traditional chlorine compounds for the control of several decay organisms. Within that the present work objectivated study the effects of O3 and other alternative treatments to control antracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Penz) on the papaya fruit stored in chambers with ozone concentrations of 0 to 0.5 ppm; evaluate the superficial healthyness of papayas by immersion in ozone water at concentrations of 0 to 4 ppm for 30 to 60 seconds; optimize the hydrothermal treatment at temperatures of 45 to 65°C for periods of 30 to 60 seconds. The use of O3 at concentrations of 0.2 and 0.5 ppm in ozoned chamber result in spots on the fruit epidermis by the possible oxidation of cell wall components. It was noted, however, that immersion in ozoned water of the fruits at concentrations of 1 to 4 ppm of O3 were not effective in the removal of antracnose. So it is necessary to use hydrothermal treatments before the use of O3. Best results were obtained an temperatures close to 55°C for 1 minute. The use of ozone did not affect the fruit cuticular surface, while the hydrothermal treatment provided the recovering of the natural fissures of the fruit. The increased ozone concentration from 2 to 4 ppm provided a loss of more than 40% of the Vitamin C content. Ozone did not affect the degree of ripening (ratio) and the skin color of the papayas.

Devido à alta perecibilidade do mamão papaia (Carica papaia L.), estudos póscolheita, com foco nas boas práticas de estocagem e transporte, são importantes na cadeia de comercialização desse fruto. O uso de ozônio (O3) tem sido recomendado como um tratamento alternativo aos compostos clorados tradicionais para o controle de podridões de diversos frutos. Nesse contexto o presente trabalho tem como objetivos: estudar o efeito do (O3) e de outros tramentos alternativos no intuito de eliminar a antracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Penz) no mamão papaia armazenado em câmaras ozonizadas em concentrações de 0 a 0,5 ppm de ozônio; avaliar a sanitização superficial desse fruto através da imersão em água ozonizada em concentrações de 0 a 4 ppm de O3 durante 30 e 60 segundos e otimizar o tratamento hidrotérmico em temperaturas de 45 a 65 ºC por períodos de 30 a 60 segundos. O uso de (O3) em concentrações entre 0,2 e 0,5 ppm, em câmara ozonizada, resultou em mamões com manchas na casca do fruto por possível oxidação de componentes da parede celular. Foi observado ainda que a imersão das frutas em água ozonizada em concentrações de 1 a 4 ppm de O3 não foi efetiva na eliminação da antracnose, razão pela qual foi necessário o uso do tratamento hidrotérmico prévio ao uso do (O3), sendo que os melhores resultados obtidos foram nas temperaturas próximas de 55ºC por 1 minuto. O uso de ozônio não afetou a superfície cuticular dos mamões enquanto que o tratamento hidrotérmico proporcionou um recobrimento das fissuras naturais do fruto. O aumento da concentração de ozônio de 2 para 4 ppm proporcionou uma perda de mais de 40% do conteúdo de Vitamina C. O ozônio não alterou o grau de maturação (ratio) e cor dos frutos. / Postharvest studies are important for marketing chain of papaya fruit (Carica papaya L.) with focus on good agricultural practices for storage and transportation due to the high perishibility of this fruit. The use of ozone (O3) has been recommended as an alternative treatment to traditional chlorine compounds for the control of several decay organisms. Within that the present work objectivated study the effects of O3 and other alternative treatments to control antracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Penz) on the papaya fruit stored in chambers with ozone concentrations of 0 to 0.5 ppm; evaluate the superficial healthyness of papayas by immersion in ozone water at concentrations of 0 to 4 ppm for 30 to 60 seconds; optimize the hydrothermal treatment at temperatures of 45 to 65°C for periods of 30 to 60 seconds. The use of O3 at concentrations of 0.2 and 0.5 ppm in ozoned chamber result in spots on the fruit epidermis by the possible oxidation of cell wall components. It was noted, however, that immersion in ozoned water of the fruits at concentrations of 1 to 4 ppm of O3 were not effective in the removal of antracnose. So it is necessary to use hydrothermal treatments before the use of O3. Best results were obtained an temperatures close to 55°C for 1 minute. The use of ozone did not affect the fruit cuticular surface, while the hydrothermal treatment provided the recovering of the natural fissures of the fruit. The increased ozone concentration from 2 to 4 ppm provided a loss of more than 40% of the Vitamin C content. Ozone did not affect the degree of ripening (ratio) and the skin color of the papayas.

Entre os processos oxidativos avançados, a fotocatálise heterogênea tem se destacado na degradação de poluentes recalcitrantes aos tratamentos convencionais. Neste processo, a geração de espécies radicalares ocorre a partir de uma fotoreação catalisada por materiais semicondutores, sendo o dióxido de titânio um dos mais utilizados, principalmente, devido a sua estabilidade química e baixo custo. A estrutura do TiO2 possui grande influência no processo fotocatalítico. Neste trabalho buscou-se preparar, a partir do TiO2 comercial e do TiO2 sintetizado pelo método sol gel, diferentes nanoestruturas do dióxido de titânio e avaliar o desempenho fotocatalítico destes materiais na degradação de fenol. Utilizando o tratamento hidrotérmico em meio fortemente alcalino, foi possível obter materiais nanoestruturados com maior área superficial, de até 308 m2 g-1. O tratamento foi aplicado em três diferentes precursores, com diferentes morfologias inicias. Avaliou-se o efeito de diferentes temperaturas (120 e 200 ºC) e tempos de tratamento (12, 24 e 48 horas), a fim de avaliar a influência das condições de tratamento e da morfologia inicial nos materiais obtidos. As amostras obtidas foram empregadas como catalisadores na degradação do poluente fenol por fotocatalise heterogênea. Em dois dos precursores estudados foram obtidas estruturas nanotubulares quando empregou-se condições mais brandas de tratamento. Em temperaturas mais severas, observou-se a formação de nanobastões. As amostras nanotubulares derivadas do TiO2 comercial anatásio, quando aplicadas na degradação do fenol, permitiram porcentagens de degradação superiores ao do precursor. Quando calcinadas, as amostras apresentaram resultados ainda melhores. O material tratado por 48 horas à 120 ºC possibilitou uma degradação de cerca de 100% do poluente, após 3 horas de irradiação. Utilizando três precursores com morfologias iniciais distintos foram observados resultados diferentes quanto a formação de nanoestruturas e atividade fotocatalítica, sendo o material obtido utilizando o TiO2 comercial anatásio, o que apresentou melhores resultados na degradação do fenol. / Among the advanced oxidation processes, heterogeneous photocatalysis has attracted great attention due the degradation of pollutants recalcitrant to conventional treatments. In this process, the generation of radical species takes place from a photoreaction catalyzed by semiconductor materials. Titanium dioxide is the most used catalyst mainly because of its chemical stability and low cost. The TiO2 structure has great influence on the photocatalytic process. In this study, different nanostructures of titanium dioxide were prepared from commercial TiO2 and TiO2 synthesized by sol gel method. The performance of these materials was evaluated the on the photocatalytic degradation of phenol. Using the hydrothermal treatment in strongly alkaline media, it was possible to obtain nanostructured materials with higher surface area, up to 308 m2 g-1. The treatment was employed in three different precursors with different initial morphology. It was evaluated the effect of different temperatures (120 and 200 °C) and treatment times (12, 24 and 48 hours) to assess the influence of processing conditions and of the initial morphology. The different materials were employed as catalysts in the phenol degradation by heterogeneous photocatalysis. In two precursors studied, nanotubular structures were obtained when it was used milder conditions of treatment. In more severe temperatures, it was observed nanorods formation. Nanotubular samples were obtained from commercial TiO2 anatase. When applied to the degradation of phenol, this material allowed degradation percentages higher than the precursor. When calcined, these samples showed even better results. The material treated for 48 hours at 120 °C allowed a phenol degradation of almost 100% after 3 hours of irradiation. Using three precursors with different initial morphologies it was observed different results regarding the formation of nanostructures and photocatalytic activity. The material obtained from the commercial anatase TiO2 it was the sample which presented the best result in the degradation of phenol

There has been an exponential increase of plastics being produced, used, and disposed of over the last 60 years. Most of plastic waste (76%) is consigned to landfills, 12% is incinerated, 3% ends up in the oceans while only 9% is recycled. If the current trend continues, more than 30 billion tons plastic waste will be generated on this planet and more plastic than fish will be in the oceans by 2050. Plastics take more than 100 years to degrade into plastic debris, microplastics, and toxic chemicals, which pose serious threats to the ecosystems, water and food supply, and eventually human health.<br>Polyolefins (Type 2 HDPE, Type 4 LDPE, and Type 5 PP), which are the majority (63%) of global plastic waste, are targeted in this study. Two methods, Hydrothermal Processing (HTP) and Sequential Selective Extraction and Adsorption (SSEA) were developed and tested. HDPE was converted into wax and oils using supercritical water under HTP at reaction temperature 400- 450 °C with reaction time 0.5- 3 hr. PP was converted into oils under supercritical water at 425 °C with reaction time 1- 3 hr. The oil products from HDPE and PP via HTP were composed of paraffins, olefins, cyclics, and aromatics with carbon numbers from C6 to C31. Reaction intermediates were analyzed using two-dimensional gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (GC × GC-FID). The results were used to establish potential reaction pathways of HDPE and PP, respectively. PP was found to react faster than HDPE under the same HTP conditions while generating more olefins and cyclics than HDPE. Clean wax was obtained from PE waste via HTP. Its Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectrum was almost identical to the one of commercial paraffin wax. Oils converted from PE waste via HTP was distilled into three fractions. The diesel-like fraction (170 °C≤ b.p. < 300 °C) has similar properties as No.1 ultra-low-sulfur diesel. It also can be used as a blendstock for No2. Ultra-low-sulfur diesel.<br>SSEA methods were developed to recover pristine polymers from polyolefin waste via extraction and adsorption. Mixed solvents with higher selectivity, reduced toxicity, and lower costs were found based on their Hansen Solubility Parameters. Extraction conditions were investigated using model polyolefins. Selective mixed solvents were found for the separation of LLDPE from LLDPE/PP blend. Pristine PE polymers were recovered from dark green PE waste pellets.<br>Preliminary analyses indicated HTP and SSEA have a higher energy efficiency and lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than incineration, mechanical recycling, and pyrolysis. A combination of these two methods has the potential to convert 63% of the plastic waste into useful and profitable products. It also helps transform current linear path from crude oil to plastics to landfills, to a more sustainable circular path.<br>

Content: Leather goods are noble and sustainable but leather production may bear a potential for pollution. During leather manufacture high amounts of chromium shavings, wet by-products of the leather industry, are produced worldwide. Due to their chromium content they are disposed in landfill sites worldwide leading to long lasting environmental problems. They are stable towards temperatures of up to 110 °C and enzymatic degradation, preventing anaerobic digestion in a biogas plant. This stability is due to the three-dimensional native structure, typical for collagen, and additional chemical cross-links between the collagen fibers achieved by Cr3+ salts in the tanning step in tanneries. Therefore, hitherto chromium shavings are not utilized industrially to produce biogas. In order to ease enzymatic degradation, necessary to produce biogas, a previous denaturation of the native structure has to be carried out. Otherwise, the generation of biogas is hindered. In our projects, shavings were pre-treated thermally and mechanically by extrusion and hydrothermal methods. In previous works, we studied intensively the use of these shavings to produce biogas in batch scale and significant improvement was reached when using pre-treated shavings. In this work, a scale-up of the process was performed in a continuous reactor using pre-treated and untreated shavings to examine the feasibility of the considered method. Measuring different parameters along the anaerobic digestion, namely organic matter and volatile fatty acids content, it was possible to show that a higher loading rate can be used when feeding the reactor with pre-treated shavings instead of untreated shavings, which means a more economical process in an industrial scenario. Take-Away: The use of a pre-treatment improves the biogas production from chromium shavings

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Power generation in South Africa depends majorly on the combustion of coal and the increasing demand for energy due to industrialisation and population growth signifies the continuous consumption of coal. During this process, a by-product known as coal fly ash (CFA) is generated which poses several environmental issues. The common management of the waste involves the disposal of CFA in landfills or the direct disposal to open uncultured lands, thus contaminating water bodies by the leaching of constituent CFA metals and salts that render arable land uncultivable.

Hydrothermal synthesis is one of the most widely used methods for preparing nanoparticles of titanium dioxide. The process carried out at elevated temperatures and pressure, which facilitates the transformation of amorphous to crystalline titanium dioxide. Change of reaction conditions of the process (reactants concentration, temperature, time, pH, etc.) leads to change in morphology, microstructure and crystallinity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles. In this work the method of titanium dioxide preparation is briefly described. The titanium dioxide was prepared from a precursor titanium oxochloride and potassium hydroxide as the precipitating agent. Thus prepared titanium dioxide was immobilized on a glass substrate by material printing. This is a modern, highly precise and contactless method for preparing thin films. The photocatalytic activity of printed thin films of titanium dioxide was investigated by degradation of 2,6-dichlorindophenol at different irradiance. It was found that the sample prepared by hydrothermal treatment at 160 °C shows very similar photocatalytic activity to Degussa P25.

No description available.

Zeolites are among the least-known products for environmental pollution control, separation science and technology. Due to their unique porous properties, they are used in various applications in petrochemical cracking, ion-exchange and separation and removal of gases and solvents. The preparation of synthetic zeolites from chemical reagents is expensive. Therefore, in order to reduce costs, zeolite researchers are seeking cheaper aluminosilicate bearing raw materials, such as clay minerals, to produce synthetic zeolites. This research concerns the synthesis of zeolites and zeotypes derived from low-cost materials like kaolinite (KAO), natural clinker (NC) and fly ash (FA). The motivation for using these sources as the starting materials in zeolite synthesis is driven by factors, such as they are cheap and available in bulk quantities, are currently under-utilized, have high workability, and require less water (or solution) for activation. The raw materials were activated by two different routes: (1) classic alkaline hydrothermal synthesis and (2) alkaline fusion prior to hydrothermal synthesis. In the first method, the synthesis of zeolitic materials was carried out generally in alkaline media, although KAO or its calcination product, metakaolinite (MTK), was also activated in the presence or absence of structure directing agents (SDAs) and additional silica (precipitated SiO2), with the last one determining the SiO2/Al2O3 ratio of the reaction mixture and the time given for zeolitization. Synthesis in fluoride- and calcium-bearing media was also used to activate kaolinite. The process of synthesis was optimized by applying a wide range of experimental conditions with a wide range of reaction temperature, time, mineralizer concentration and solid/solution ratio. In the second approach, an alkaline fusion step was conducted prior to hydrothermal treatment, because it plays an important role in enhancing the hydrothermal conditions for zeolite synthesis. On the other hand, this approach was adopted because it can dissolve more aluminosilicates. The main synthesis products obtained after activation of KAO in NaOH solutions included zeolite LTA (LTA), sodalite (SOD), cancrinite (CAN), faujasite (FAU), zeolite Na-P1 (GIS), JBW-type zeolite (JBW), analcime (ANA), whereas the activation of KAO in KOH solutions produced chabazite (CHA), zeolite Barrer-KF, phillipsite (PHI) and K-feldspar. The hydrothermal conversion of kaolinite in fluoride media did not produce successful results, although traces of FAU, GIS, CHA, SOD and CAN crystallized. The activation of KAO in the system CaO-SiO2-Al2O3-H2O promoted the formation of different calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) phases, including hydrogarnet (HYD) and tobermorite (TOB). Following the fusion approach, the main zeolitic phases obtained using NaOH as mineralizer were LTA and CAN. The main as-synthesized zeolites obtained from NC by the conventional hydrothermal treatment method include PHI, SOD and CAN. Using the fusion approach, FAU and LTA were obtained with NaOH as an activator, whereas non-zeolitic material crystallized when KOH was used. The main as-synthesized zeolitic materials obtained by hydrothermal reaction of FA include PHI, zeolite Barrer-KF, CHA and SOD with traces of TOB, ANA, zeolite LTF (LTF) and herschelite (HER), appearing occasionally. By the fusion approach, FAU was obtained with NaOH as activator, whereas no zeolitic material crystallized using KOH. Experimental results indicate that the method, mineralizer, concentration and time have strong effects on the type and degree of crystallinity of the synthesis products. On the other hand, the type and chemical composition of the as-synthesized products are strongly dependent on the chemical composition of the starting material. The chemistry of zeolite synthesis was subject to perturbations caused by the presence of impurities in the raw materials, which may remain insoluble during crystallization and cause undesired species to nucleate, developing mixtures of different types of zeolites. However, other physicochemical factors may play a very important role in the thermodynamics and kinetics of zeolite formation. The raw materials have very high contents of SiO2 and Al2O3, with SiO2/Al2O3 ratios appropriate for the synthesis of low-Si zeolitic materials with high crystallinity and cation exchange capacity (CEC). However, although zeolites’ CEC represents a very important characteristic quality in the removal of undesired species from polluted effluents, it is not the deciding factor in determining zeolite performance during ion exchange processes, since numerous other factors also need to be considered. Finally, the potential application of the raw materials and their as-synthesized products as low-cost sorbents in the remediation of metal ions and ammonium from wastewater effluents was investigated. PHI showed a lower efficiency than FAU. Selectivity of FAU for metal removal was, in decreasing order, Fe>As>Pb>Zn>Cu>Ni>Cr. Based on these results, the use of these materials has the potential to provide improved methods for the treatment of contaminated effluents.