Palladium membranes have been identified as the membranes of choice in hydrogen separation and purification processes due to their infinite selectivity to hydrogen when defect free. Despite their potentials in hydrogen processes, palladium membranes pose challenges in terms of cost and embritllement which occurs when palladium comes in contact with hydrogen at temperatures below 573 K. The challenges posed by palladium membranes have encouraged research into nonpalladium based membranes such as Silica and Alumina. This thesis investigates hydrogen permeation and separation in palladium membranes and also the use of nonpalladium membranes, Silica and Alumina membranes in hydrogen permeation. In this study, hydrogen permeation behavior was investigated for 3 types of membranes, Palladium, Silica and Alumina. Thin palladium films were deposited onto a 30 nm porous ceramic alumina support using both conventional and modified electroless plating methods. The hydrogen separation and purification behavior of the membranes were investigated including the effect of annealing at higher temperatures. Gas permeation through Silica and Alumina membranes was investigated for 5 single gases including hydrogen. The Silica and Alumina membranes were fabricated using the dip coating method and their hydrogen permeation behavior of investigated at different coatings. A thin Palladium (Pd1) membrane with a thickness of 2 μm was prepared over porous ceramic alumina support using the electroless plating method and a maximum hydrogen flux of 80.4 cm3 cm-2 min-1 was observed at 873 K and 0.4 bar after annealing the membrane. The hydrogen flux increased to 94.5 cm3 cm-2 min-1 at same temperature and pressure for the Palladium membrane (Pd2) prepared using the modified electroless plating method. The hydrogen flux increased to 98.1 cm3 cm2 min-1 for the palladium/silver (Pd/Ag) membrane prepared using the codeposition electroless plating method and the PdAg membrane avoided the hydrogen embrittlement at low temperature. Hydrogen purity for the membrane was also investigated for a reformate gas mixture and a maximum hydrogen purity of 99.93% was observed at 873 K and 0.4 bar. The hydrogen purity was observed to increase as a result of the addition of sulphur which surpresses the inhibition effect of the carbon monoxide in the reformate gas mixture. The presence of CO and CO2 was observed to lead to an increase of the exponential factor n above 0.5 as a result of the inhibiting effect of these compounds on hydrogen permeation. The value of the exponential factor n depicting the rate limiting step to hydrogen permeation in the palladium and palladium-alloy membranes was also investigated. Deviations from Sievert’s law were observed from the Palladium membranes inverstigated in this work. In single gas hydrogen permeation investigation for the Pd1 membrane prepared using the conventional electroless plating method, the value of the exponential factor n = 0.5 in accordance with Sievert’s law. However, for the mixed gas hydrogen separation investigation n=0.62 at 573 K which decreased to 0.55 when the membrane was annealed at 873 K. For the Pd2 membrane prepared using the modified elctroless plating method, n=1 at 573 K but the value decreased to 0.76 for the mixed gas hydrogen separation investigation at same temperature which depicts a deviation from Sievert’s law. In all the investigations carried out for the Pd3 palladium alloy membrane prepared using the co-deposition Pd/Ag electroless plating method at same conditions with the Pd1 and Pd2 membranes, n=0.5 in accordance with Sievert’s law. For the Nonpalladium based Silica and ceramic Alumina membranes, investigations were carried out for hydrogen permeation and 5 other single gases; He, CO2, CH4, N2 and Ar. For the Silica membranes, a maximum hydrogen permeance of 3.12-7 x 10 mol m-2 s-1 Pa-1 at 573 K and 0.4 bar was observed which increased to 4.05 x 10-7 mol m-2 s-1 Pa-1 at 573 K and 0.4 when the membrane was modified with Boehmite sol prior to deposition of the Silica layer. The permeance for hydrogen and the 5 single gases was investigated for the alumina membrane at 5 successive coatings. It was observed that the commercial alumina membrane displayed a maximum hydrogen permeance of 9.72 x 10-7 mol m-2 s-1 Pa-1 at 573 K and 0.4 bar which increased to 9.85 x 10-7 mol m-2 s-1 Pa-1 at same temperature and pressure when the membrane was modified with Boehmite sol.

Biosurfactants are naturally occurring surface active compounds with unique properties such as biodegradability, low toxicity and tolerance to extreme conditions. These unique properties promote their use as alternatives to traditional petrochemical and oleochemical surfactants, as they satisfy requirements for environmentally friendly manufacturing processes. However, the cost of biosurfactants is still significantly higher than chemical surfactants which hinders their large-scale commercialisation. This work presents an investigation into the production of surfactin, a lipopeptide biosurfactant, exploiting its foamability characteristics for the design and implementation of a recirculating continuous foam fractionation column operated in parallel with a bioreactor. Surfactin is a powerful amphiphilic compound produced by Bacillus subtilis. It is a plant-elicitor with antimicrobial properties offering a huge potential in the food and agricultural industries. However, surfactin has extreme foamability even at low concentrations. This foamability can lead to production problems such as large volumes of uncontrolled overflowing foam with significant product and biomass losses. Here, it is demonstrated that this overflow can be controlled, or eliminated, by integrating a foam fractionation system to the bioreactor in a recirculating loop. A dual production and separation process was engineered and enabled reaching high surfactin productivity in a controlled manner. After elucidating the surface properties of surfactin-rich broth, a foam fractionation column was designed for bench-scale production. Operation of the recirculating column in parallel with the bioreactor enabled air flow to be independently controlled for each unit. Surfactin solutions of various concentrations were tested to relate foamability to concentration over a range of bubble sizes. The sintered glass pore size was revealed to be the main factor influencing the enrichment, with a positive correlation with increasing pore size. Characterisation of the fermentation production rate enabled fractionation column air flow rate to be controlled to ensure sufficient foam surface area for product adsorption. The airflow rate was identified as the main factor impacting on the surfactin recovery rate. This characterisation enabled broth feed flow rate to be controlled to balance the removal rate with the production rate. Two processes were created coupling the newly designed fractionation column with the bioreactor operated either in aerated or non-aerated conditions. Under aerated settings, controlled surfactin production was successfully achieved at a productivity of 0.0019 g L-1 h-1 whilst simultaneously recovering 91% of the product at a maximum enrichment of 79 and 116 through the column and overflow routes, respectively. Under non-aerated settings, overflowing foam was fully avoided and 90% of the product was recovered solely through the fractionation column at an enrichment ratio of 40 under non-optimised settings. Additionally, up to 14% (g/g) increase in surfactin production was observed with the coupling of the fractionation column demonstrating a further benefit as a bioprocess intensifying device for surfactin production. This work provides a benchmark for a robust system for surfactin production, substantially improving the productivity at bench scale, potentially leading the way to more productive and less costly industrial processes for surface active compounds in a wide range of industrials fields.

In this modern age, society has become much more aware of the danger bacteria can have on people's health. Personal and household antimicrobial formulations are commonly used within the home to lower the levels of harmful bacteria such as E. Coli, Salmonella and Pseudomonas. The active which kills the bacteria within the formulation is described as a biocide. This research looks at the often neglected potential of cationic polyelectrolyte as a biocide, firstly within solution and secondly in creating an antimicrobial surface. The solution properties and antimicrobial activity for a range of commercially available cationic polyelectrolytes (polymeric quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) and biguanides) of differing molecular weights were investigated. All polyelectrolytes were observed to have some level of antimicrobial activity. The second phase of this research investigated polyelectrolyte/surfactant/water mixture of similar charge (cationic). Two QAC surfactants were investigated: Alkyl (C12 70%; C14 30%) dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (BAC) and Didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDQ). At a critical concentration, these mixtures segregatively phase separate into a surfactant rich upper phase and polyelectrolyte rich lower phase. This phase separation phenomenon was investigated in respect of surfactant and polyelectrolyte type as well as polyelectrolyte molecular weight. Surfactant type was observed to be the dominant factor in determining the onset of phase separation and by mixing different ratios of surfactants the ability to tune this phase separation concentration was shown. Dilute solutions of these mixtures well below their respective phase separation concentration were then deposited onto glass substrates via a drop cast or inkjet printer method. The surfactant/polyelectrolyte film composites left after drop evaporation ranged from an amorphous film to nodular like structures. The ability to order/structure actives onto a surface could alter active adhesion and surface roughness properties of the film. This change in surface property could consequently affect antimicrobial performance.

Part I deals with the simulation of fluid dynamics using the lattice-Boltzmann method. Microfluidic devices often feature two-dimensional, repetitive arrays. Flows through such devices are pressure-driven and confined by solid walls. We have defined new adaptive generalised periodic boundary conditions to represent the effects of outer solid walls, and are thus able to exploit the periodicity of the array by simulating the flow through one unit cell in lieu of the entire device. The so-calculated fully developed flow describes the flow through the entire array accurately, but with computational requirements that are reduced according to the dimensions of the array. / Part II discusses the problem of separating macromolecules like proteins or DNA coils. The reliable separation of such molecules is a crucial task in molecular biology. The use of Brownian ratchets as mechanisms for the separation of such particles has been proposed and discussed during the last decade. Pressure-driven flows have so far been dismissed as possible driving forces for Brownian ratchets, as they do not generate ratchet asymmetry. We propose a microfluidic design that uses pressure-driven flows to create asymmetry and hence allows particle separation. The dependence of the asymmetry on various factors of the microfluidic geometry is discussed. We further exemplify the feasibility of our approach using Brownian dynamics simulations of particles of different sizes in such a device. The results show that ratchet-based particle separation using flows as the driving force is possible. Simulation results and ratchet theory predictions are in excellent agreement. / Part III deals with the co-evolution of networks and dynamic models. A group of agents occupies the nodes of a network, which defines the relationship between these agents. The evolution of the agents is defined by the rules of the dynamic model and depends on the relationship between agents, i.e., the state of the network. In return, the evolution of the network depends on the state of the dynamic model. The concept is introduced through the adaptive SIS model. We show that the previously used criterion determining the critical infected fraction, i.e., the number of infected agents required to sustain the epidemic, is inappropriate for this model. We introduce a different criterion and show that the critical infected fraction so determined is in good agreement with results obtained by numerical simulations. / This thesis comprises three parts, reporting research results in Fluid Dynamics (Part I), Particle Separation (Part II) and Co-evolving Networks (Part III). / We further discuss the concept of co-evolving dynamics using the Snowdrift Game as a model paradigm. Co-evolution occurs through agents cutting dissatisfied links and rewiring to other agents at random. The effect of co-evolution on the emergence of cooperation is discussed using a mean-field theory and numerical simulations. A transition between a connected and a disconnected, highly cooperative state of the system is observed, and explained using the mean-field model. Quantitative deviations regarding the level of cooperation in the disconnected regime can be fully resolved through an improved mean-field theory that includes the effect of random fluctuations into its model. / Graeser, Oliver = 自主個體為本系統與在流體力學、分子分離、共同演化網絡上的應用 / 顧皓森. / Adviser: Hui Pak-Ming. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-01, Section: B, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 204-216). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese. / Graeser, Oliver = Zi zhu ge ti wei ben xi tong yu zai liu ti li xue, fen zi fen li, gong tong yan hua wang luo shang de ying yong / Gu Haosen.

Microplastics are particles that are < 5 mm in size and come from a wide range of sources. The global distribution in terrestrial and aquatic environments indicates they are likely to cause harm to living organisms. They are used in a variety of personal care products and kitchen scourers. To advance further studies, different approaches have been developed in recent years. In this research, a comparison of methods and analytical techniques were applied to characterise microplastics in two toothpastes and two facial scrubs. The analysis of microplastics was determined using light microscopy, laser diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. This research reports for the first time, the application of Imaging flow cytometry to characterise microplastics, and was explored to characterise smaller sized particles in each product. The methods developed where validated by characterising particles abraded from kitchen scourers. Two market leading and three chain store brands of kitchen scourers were utilised for the characterisation of microplastics. The application of the different techniques indicated differences in the size, number and morphological characteristics of the particles analysed. The different approaches developed for particle extraction, and the analytical techniques had an apparent influence on the results produced. Currently, there are no universally accepted laboratory protocol and analytical techniques to characterise microplastics. However, this research can serve as a reference point to promote more studies on laboratory methods and analytical techniques to characterise microplastics, with the hope of understanding better these complex particles.

O presente trabalho tem como tema eficiência de corte dos ciclones de meio denso da planta de beneficiamento da mina de carvão da Vale- Moatize, Moçambique. O foco deste trabalho centra-se na avaliação de eficiência de ciclone de meio denso. As amostras utilizadas nos estudos foram provenientes de ciclones de meio denso da usina da mineradora da Vale- Moatize, de onde foram coletadas amostras em dois ciclones (Dmc1 e Dmc2) sendo que o concentrado do primeiro Ciclone alimenta o segundo ciclone, de onde se obtém dois produtos finais (Carvão metalúrgico e térmico). Este roteiro compreendeu a caracterização, comparação das características de lavabilidade e curvas de Tromp. Estas amostras foram processadas de forma padronizada de modo que os resultados obtidos pudessem ser comparados. As amostras foram secadas a 60°C de modo a retirar o excesso de humidade. Em seguida foram quarteadas e emcaminhadas para o processo de densimétricos. Após o processo densimétrico nas densidades 1,3 á 2,2, seguiu se a análise imediata de cinzas. Com os resultados densimétricos e químicas foi plotado as curvas de separabilidade densimétrica. Quanto aos aspectos de lavabilidade do carvão, apesar da diferença na densidade de corte nos dois ciclones de meio denso, verifica-se uma alta liberação do material orgânico em relação ao material inorgânico nas densidades 1,3; 1,4; e 1,5g/cm3 devido ao processo de formação do carvão e o tempo de carbonificação com que esta matéria orgânica ficou submetida apresentando maiores dificuldades de separação na densidade 1,3 nos dois ciclones. Os parâmetros avaliados foram: densidade de corte (D50), Erro provável médio ( EPM) e Imperfeição (I). Os ciclones mostraram desempenhos satisfatórios. O Dmc1 e Dmc2 apresentaram uma boa eficiência de corte com índice de precisão de 0,02 e 0,05 respectivamente. Portanto mesmo com alimentação bastante variaveis os ciclones apresentaram um densepenho muito similar isto se deve a independéncia da distribuição densimentrica na alimentação. / The present work focuses on cutting efficiency of dense medium cyclones from the Vale- Moatize coal mine beneficiation plant, Mozambique. The focus of this work focuses on the evaluation of dense medium cyclone efficiency. The samples used in the studies were obtained from dense medium cyclones of the Vale-Moatize mining plant, from which samples were collected in two cyclones (Dmc1 and Dmc2) and the concentrate of the first Cyclone feeds the second cyclone, from which one obtains Two final products (metallurgical and thermal coal). This script comprised the characterization, comparison of the washability characteristics and Tromp curves. These samples were processed in a standardized way so that the results obtained could be compared. The samples were dried at 60 ° C to remove excess moisture. Then they were quarteted and headed for the densimetric process. After the densimetric process at densities 1.3 to 2.2, immediate ash analysis was followed. With the densimetric and chemical results the densimetric separability curves were plotted. Regarding the washability aspects of the coal, despite the difference in cut density in the two cyclones of dense medium, there is a high release of the organic material in relation to the inorganic material in the densities 1,3; 1.4; And 1.5g / cm3 due to the process of formation of the coal and the carbonization time with which this organic matter was submitted presenting greater difficulties of separation in the density 1,3 in the two cyclones. The evaluated parameters were: cut density (D50), Mean Probable Error (EPM) and Imperfection (I). Cyclones showed satisfactory performances. The Dmc1 and Dmc2 presented a good cutting efficiency with an accuracy index of 0.02 and 0.05 respectively. Therefore, even with very variable feeding, the cyclones showed a very similar performance, due to the independence of the density distribution in the feed.

Neste trabalho, investigam-se técnicas autodidatas baseadas em estatísticas de ordem superior, aplicadas à equalização de canais de comunicação. Inicialmente, obtém-se um intervalo do passo de adaptação que assegura a convergência do algoritmo do Módulo Constante com o gradiente exato. Algoritmos como o CMA (Constant Modulus Algorithm) e o SWA (Shalvi-Weinstein Algorithm) são revisitados e suas capacidades de tracking analisadas, utilizando-se uma relação de conservação de energia. Além disso, é proposto um algoritmo autodidata denominado AC-CMA (Accelerated Constant Modulus Algorithm) que utiliza a segunda derivada (“aceleração") da estimativa dos coeficientes. Esse algoritmo pode apresentar um compromisso mais favorável entre complexidade computacional e velocidade de convergência que o CMA e o SWA. Esses resultados são estendidos para o caso multiusuário. Através de simulações, os algoritmos são comparados e as análises de convergência e tracking validadas. Considerando o DFE (Decision Feedback Equalizer) no caso monousuário com o critério do módulo constante, é proposto um algoritmo concorrente que evita soluções degeneradas e apresenta um desempenho melhor do que os existentes na literatura. Com o intuito de evitar propagação de erros, é proposta uma estrutura híbrida que utiliza uma rede neural recorrente na malha de realimentação. Resultados de simulações indicam que seu uso pode ser vantajoso para canais lineares e não-lineares. / The equalization of communication channels is addressed by using blind techniques based on higher order statistics. A step-size interval is obtained to ensure the convergence of Steepest-Descent Constant Modulus Algorithm. The Shalvi-Weinstein Algorithm (SWA) and Constant Modulus Algorithm (CMA) are revisited and their tracking capabilities are analyzed by using an energy conservation relation. Moreover, a novel blind algorithm named Accelerated Constant Modulus Algorithm (AC-CMA) is proposed. It adjusts the second derivative (“acceleration") of the coefficient estimates and presents a more favorable compromise between computational complexity and convergence rate than CMA or SWA. These results are extended to the MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) case. By means of simulations, the algorithms are compared and the convergence and tracking analysis are validated. The Decision Feedback Equalizer (DFE) is considered in the SISO (Single-Input Single-Output) case with the Constant Modulus criterion and a concurrent algorithm is proposed. It avoids degenerated solutions and shows better behavior than the others presented in the literature. In order to avoid error propagation, a hybrid DFE is also proposed. It includes a recurrent neural network in the feedback filter and may be advantageously used to equalize linear and nonlinear channels.

Although distinguishing different sounds in noisy environment is a relative easy task for human, source separation has long been extremely difficult in audio signal processing. The problem is challenging for three reasons: the large variety of sound type, the abundant mixing conditions and the unclear mechanism to distinguish sources, especially for similar sounds. In recent years, the neural network based methods achieved impressive successes in various problems, including the speech enhancement, where the task is to separate the clean speech out of the noise mixture. However, the current deep learning based source separator does not perform well on real recorded noisy speech, and more importantly, is not applicable in a more general source separation scenario such as overlapped speech. In this thesis, we firstly propose extensions for the current mask learning network, for the problem of speech enhancement, to fix the scale mismatch problem which is usually occurred in real recording audio. We solve this problem by combining two additional restoration layers in the existing mask learning network. We also proposed a residual learning architecture for the speech enhancement, further improving the network generalization under different recording conditions. We evaluate the proposed speech enhancement models on CHiME 3 data. Without retraining the acoustic model, the best bi-direction LSTM with residue connections yields 25.13% relative WER reduction on real data and 34.03% WER on simulated data. Then we propose a novel neural network based model called “deep clustering” for more general source separation tasks. We train a deep network to assign contrastive embedding vectors to each time-frequency region of the spectrogram in order to implicitly predict the segmentation labels of the target spectrogram from the input mixtures. This yields a deep network-based analogue to spectral clustering, in that the embeddings form a low-rank pairwise affinity matrix that approximates the ideal affinity matrix, while enabling much faster performance. At test time, the clustering step “decodes” the segmentation implicit in the embeddings by optimizing K-means with respect to the unknown assignments. Experiments on single channel mixtures from multiple speakers show that a speaker-independent model trained on two-speaker and three speakers mixtures can improve signal quality for mixtures of held-out speakers by an average over 10dB. We then propose an extension for deep clustering named “deep attractor” network that allows the system to perform efficient end-to-end training. In the proposed model, attractor points for each source are firstly created the acoustic signals which pull together the time-frequency bins corresponding to each source by finding the centroids of the sources in the embedding space, which are subsequently used to determine the similarity of each bin in the mixture to each source. The network is then trained to minimize the reconstruction error of each source by optimizing the embeddings. We showed that this frame work can achieve even better results. Lastly, we introduce two applications of the proposed models, in singing voice separation and the smart hearing aid device. For the former, a multi-task architecture is proposed, which combines the deep clustering and the classification based network. And a new state of the art separation result was achieved, where the signal to noise ratio was improved by 11.1dB on music and 7.9dB on singing voice. In the application of smart hearing aid device, we combine the neural decoding with the separation network. The system firstly decodes the user’s attention, which is further used to guide the separator for the targeting source. Both objective study and subjective study show the proposed system can accurately decode the attention and significantly improve the user experience.

Os processos de separação por membranas, especialmente a microfiltração e a ultrafiltração, são tecnologias emergentes para o tratamento de águas de abastecimento pela possibilidade de obtenção de águas com melhor qualidade em estações de tratamento mais compactas, de fácil automação, com menor geração de lodo e custo competitivo em relação ao sistema convencional de tratamento. A presente pesquisa avaliou o desempenho do processo de ultrafiltração no tratamento de água na ETA Alto da Boa Vista, que se utiliza do processo convencional tratando água do Reservatório Guarapiranga, manancial degradado da Região Metropolitana de São Paulo, sob os pontos de vista do desempenho operacional de produção de água e remoção de contaminantes. Tendo como água bruta, a água decantada da ETA ABV, o sistema operou por 2995 horas e 40 minutos, de agosto de 2009 a janeiro de 2010, produzindo com fluxo médio normalizado de 24,3 ± 2,2 L.h-1.m-2, pressão transmembrana de 94,2 ± 6,6 kPa e recuperação de 90,6 ± 0,9%. Foram analisados 13 pares de amostras de alimentação e permeado que indicaram a rejeição de COT de 11,2±8,6% (permeado=2,18±0,20 mg.L-1) , cor aparente 57,5±15,4% (permeado=2±2 mg.L-1 Pt- Co), condutividade elétrica 2,2±1,3% (permeado=138,2±17,8 S.cm-1), turbidez 92,7±4,5% (permeado=0,040±0,010 uT) e substâncias com absorção de radiação UV em 254nm 19,7±8,2% (permeado=0,025±0,008 cm-1). Em uma única amostra analisada, a rejeição a coliformes totais foi de 100%. Não foram detectados coliformes termotolerantes. Em 22/01/2010 foram coletadas amostras de alimentação e permeado para análise segundo Portaria 518 do Ministério da Saúde que indicou rejeição da contagem de bactérias heterotróficas de 98,98%, fluoretos de 36,49%, trihalometanos totais de 30,91%, alumínio total de 100%, cloretos de 20,29%, manganês total de 14,29% e sódio total de 0,81%. Em comparação com a água de abastecimento produzida na ETA ABV, a água do permeado da ultrafiltração apresentou qualidade melhor especialmente em relação à turbidez. / Membrane processes, specially microfiltration and ultrafiltration, are emerging technologies for drinking water treatment due the possibility for producing high quality water through compact treatment plants that are easier to automate with reduced sludge production and cost competitive compared with conventional processes. In this research it had been evaluated the ultrafiltration performance for water treatment at Alto da Boa Vista Water Treatment Plant that runs with conventional process, in São Paulo Metropolitan Region, from the viewpoints of water production and contaminants removal. An UF pilot plant was operated during 2995 hours and 40 minutes from August 2009 to January 2010 treating water from sedimentation tanks outlet. The UF pilot plant was able to operate with normalized flux of 24,3 ± 2,2 L.h- 1.m-2, transmembrane pressure of 94,2 ± 6,6 kPa and water recovery of 90,6 ± 0,9%. A total of 13 pairs of samples from feed and permeate were analyzed. The results were TOC rejection of 11,2±8,6% (permeate=2,18±0,20 mg.L-1), apparent color of 57,5±15,4% (permeate=2±2 mg.L-1 Pt-Co), conductivity of 2,2±1,3% (permeate=138,2±17,8 S.cm-1), turbidity 92,7±4,5% (permeate=0,040±0,01 uT) and UV 254nm 19,7±8,2% (permeate=0,025±0,008 cm-1). In an unique sample analysed for total coliforms, the rejection was 100%. Faecal coliforms were not detected in this sample. A sample of feed and permeate was collected at 01/22/2010 for analyses according to Portaria 518 (Brazilian drinking water regulations) that resulted in heterotrophic bacteria rejection of 98,98%, fluoride of 36,49%, total THM of 30,91%, total aluminium of 100%, chloride of 20,29%, total manganese of 14,29% and total sodium of 0,81%. In comparison with drinking water produced at Alto da Boa Vista WTP, the permeate of UF pilot plant was better in quality specially in terms of turbidity.

O progressivo desenvolvimento das relações internacionais, acompanhado dos múltiplos reflexos da globalização, em especial do aparecimento de novos sujeitos que atuam, concomitantemente, nos âmbitos interno e externo, resultou na intensificação dos pontos de contatos entre Direito Constitucional e Direito Internacional. Esse cenário faz que, cada vez mais, as fronteiras entre o nacional e o exterior tornem-se rarefeitas, impondo significativas transformações em conceitos tradicionais consagrados pelo tempo. Assim, as Constituições nacionais abrem-se para o Direito das Gentes e as normas internacionais antes encarregadas de apenas possibilitar a coexistência entre soberanias ampliam seu campo de incidência na medida em que passam a disciplinar temas que eram objeto de estudo somente do constitucionalismo. É exatamente esse acentuado entrelaçamento entre as ordens jurídicas que inspirou a elaboração desta tese, cujo escopo principal é o de contribuir para que se conheça, ainda que de modo incompleto, os reflexos sentidos no Direito Constitucional brasileiro em decorrência do processo de internacionalização das Constituições. Apesar da ambivalência inerente à problemática tratada, na compreensão desse complexo quadro, primou-se por um enfoque centrado na perspectiva do Direito Constitucional. Essa opção demandou, pois, análises que evidenciassem como o constitucionalismo pátrio sem perder sua identidade e preservando suas conquistas tem enfrentado o desafio de assegurar a execução interna de uma infinidade de mandamentos provenientes do exterior. As conclusões obtidas apontam para a importância de cultivar um permanente diálogo entre Constituição e Direito Internacional como instrumento para que essa crescente interconexão resulte em aperfeiçoamento de ambas as ordens jurídicas. Do ponto de vista do Direito Constitucional, cabe antecipar que a aproximação sistêmica em questão já permite vislumbrar a revitalização do funcionamento do mecanismo de freios e contrapesos derivado do princípio da separação de poderes, a valorização dos mandamentos exteriores por parte das autoridades nacionais responsáveis por aplicá-los e, ainda, o fortalecimento da autonomia federativa em matéria de interações com o mundo externo. Embora os resultados finais desse processo sejam incertos, acredita-se que ele não acabará com o papel das Constituições para os Estados nacionais porque, se isso acontece, toda a dinâmica dos relacionamentos estudados restará severamente comprometida. / The progressive development of international relations, followed by the multiple reflexes of globalization especially the emergence of new subjects that act simultaneously in the internal and external spheres has resulted in the intensification of the intersections between Constitutional law and International law. Such a scenario makes the boundaries between national and international increasingly rarefied, imposing significant changes in traditional concepts consecrated by time. Therefore, national Constitutions open up to the Ius Gentium and the international rules originally in charge of merely enabling the coexistence of sovereignties expanding their scope as they shall regulate topics that were formerly approached only by constitutionalism. It is precisely this strong entwinement of legal systems that has inspired the development of this thesis, whose main aim is to contribute for the knowing, albeit incomplete, of the reflexes felt in the Brazilian Constitutional law as a result of the internationalization process of Constitutions. Despite the ambivalence inherent to the problem approached, we have chosen to focus on the Constitutional law perspective in the understanding of this complex scenario. Such an option has demanded, thus, analyses that would evidence how national constitutionalism without losing its identity and by preserving its achievements has faced the challenge of ensuring the internal implementation of a plethora of external commands. The conclusions drawn highlight the importance of cultivating a constant dialogue between Constitution and International law as a means for this increasing interconnection to result in improvement for both legal systems. From the point of view of Constitutional law, we should anticipate that the systemic approximation at issue provides insight into the revitalization of the functioning of the checks and balances mechanism deriving from the principle of separation of powers, the valuing of external commands by the national authorities in charge of their enforcement, and also the strengthening of federal autonomy in terms of interaction with the external world. Even though the final results of this process are still uncertain, we believe that it will not end the role of the Constitutions for the national States, because, if that happens, the whole dynamics of the relationships studied will ultimately be severely compromised.