O tratamento cirúrgico mais utilizado para a reparação das lesões de nervos periféricos com perda de substância é através de auto-enxertia de nervo. Essa técnica produz alterações na área doadora e muitas vezes não se dispõe de tecido suficiente para grandes perdas de tecido neural. Desta forma é necessária a busca de novas técnicas, menos traumáticas e mais simples, visando eliminar a morbidade na área doadora e prover a quantidade necessária de tecido para a regeneração neural. O objetivo desse trabalho foi comparar, em ratos Wistar, o grau de regeneração neural, utilizando-se de análise histológica e análise funcional, através de interposição de enxerto autógeno de nervo (Grupo A), veia autógena conservada em glicerol (Grupo B) e enxerto alógeno de nervo conservado em glicerol (Grupo C) para correção de defeito de 5 mm de nervo fibular. Quinze ratos machos da raça Wistar, com peso variando entre 200 e 300g, e idade ao redor de oito semanas foram divididos em três grupos de cinco animais de acordo com o tratamento empregado. Para a coleta de segmentos de nervos alógenos, foram escolhidos cinco ratos da Raça Sprague-Dawley, com sexo, idade e peso semelhantes ao da raça Wistar. Os animais foram submetidos à avaliação funcional (\"walking track analysis\") imediata, com três semanas e com seis semanas e sacrificados para realização dos estudos histológicos com a coloração de tetróxido de ósmio. Na análise microscópica das lâminas, realizada, em todos os grupos foram visualizados pequenos fascículos contendo axônios mielinizados de tamanhos variados e degeneração Walleriana em pequeno número de axônios. Nos grupos B (Veia autógena conservada em glicerol) e C(Nervo alógeno conservado em glicerol) o escape de fibras axonais mielinizadas para fora dos limites do epineuro e o processo inflamatório local foram menores que o do grupo A (Auto-enxertia). Em relação à avaliação funcional, onde foi utilizada a análise estatística por meio do modelo de análise de variância com medidas repetidas e o de comparações múltiplas de Bonferroni (p<0.05), não houve diferença estatisticamente significativa entre as recuperações funcionais do nervo fibular independente do tipo de reparação utilizada em nenhum período avaliado. / The most used surgical treatment of peripheral nerves for the repair of injuries with loss of substance is using nerve autograft. This technique produces alterations in the donor area and often not sufficient tissue is available for great losses of neural tissue. Thus the need for new less traumatic and simpler techniques is needed in order to eliminate morbidity in the donor area and to provide the necessary amount of tissue for neural regeneration. The objective of this study was to compare, in Wistar rats, the degree of neural regeneration, using histological and functional analysis through interposition of autogenous nerve graft (Group A), autogenous vein preserved in glycerol (Group B) and allogenous graft preserved in glycerol (Group C) for the correction of a 5-mm defect of fibular nerve. Fifteen male Wistar rats, weighing between 200 and 300 g and approximately 8 weeks old were divided into 3 groups of five animals according to the used treatment. For the collection of autogenous nerve segments 5 Sprague-Dawley rats were chosen, with similar sex and age as the Wistar rats. The animals were submitted to immediate functional evaluation (walking track analysis), at 3 and 6 weeks and sacrificed for histologic studies using osmium tetroxide stain. On microscopic analysis of the slides, performed in all groups, small fascicles containing myelinated axons of varied sizes and wallerian degeneration in a small number of axons were visualized. In Groups B (autogenous vein preserved in glycerol) and C (allogenous nerve preserved in glycerol) escape of axonal myelinated fibers outside the limits of the epineurium and the local inflammatory process were less than in Group A (autograft). Regarding functional evaluation, where statistical analysis by variance analysis using the models of repeated measures and that of Bonferroni\'s multiple comparisons were used (p<0.05) there was no statistically significant difference between functional recoveries of the fibular nerve independent of the type of repair used in any evaluated period.

In the last decades, intensive research has been carried out in order to replace oil-based polymers with bio-based polymers due to growing environmental concerns. So far, most of the barrier materials used in food packaging are petroleum-based materials. The purpose of the barrier is to protect the packaged food from oxygen, water vapour, water and fat. The mechanical and barrier properties of coatings based on starch-plasticizer and starch-poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH)-plasticizer blends have been studied in the work described in this thesis. The plasticizers used were glycerol, polyethylene glycol and citric acid. In a second step, polyethylene coatings were extruded onto paperboard pre-coated with a starch-PVOH-plasticizer blend. The addition of PVOH to the starch increased the flexibility of the film. Curing of the film led to a decrease in flexibility and an increase in tensile strength. The flexibility of the starch-PVOH films was increased more when glycerol or polyethylene glycol was added than citric acid. The storage modulus of the starch-PVOH films containing citric acid increased substantially at high temperature. It was seen that the addition of polyethylene glycol or citric acid to the starch-PVOH blend resulted in an enrichment of PVOH at the surface of the films. Tensile tests on the films indicated that citric acid acted as a compatibilizer and increased the compatibility of the starch and PVOH in the blend. The addition of citric acid to the coating recipe substantially decreased the water vapour transmission rate through the starch-PVOH coated paperboard, which indicated that citric acid acts as a cross-linker for starch and/or PVOH. The starch-PVOH coatings containing citric acid showed oxygen-barrier properties similar to those of pure PVOH or of a starch-PVOH blend without plasticizer when four coating layers were applied on a paperboard. The oxygen-barrier properties of coatings based on a starch-PVOH blend containing citric acid indicated a cross-linking and increase in compatibility of the starch-PVOH blends. Polyethylene extrusion coating on a pre-coated paperboard resulted in a clear reduction in the oxygen transmission rate for all the pre-coating formulations containing plasticizers. The addition of a plasticizer to the pre-coating reduced the adhesion of polyethylene to pre-coated board. Polyethylene extrusion coating gave a board with a lower oxygen transmission rate when the paperboard was pre-coated with a polyethylene-glycol-containing formulation than with a citric-acid-containing formulation. The addition of polyethylene glycol to pre-coatings indicated an increase in wetting of the pre-coated paperboard by the polyethylene melt, and this may have sealed the small defects in the pre-coating leading to low oxygen transmission rate. The increase in brittleness of starch-PVOH films containing citric acid at a high temperature seemed to have a dominating effect on the barrier properties developed by the extrusion coating process. / Over the last few decades, industry and academia have made joint efforts to generate knowledge about renewable barrier materials in order to replace the oil-based barrier materials currently used in food packaging. This work has focused on the possibility of producing a material with high oxygen barrier properties including polyethylene as a moisture protection. The flexibility of starch films was increased by adding poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH) to the starch and the addition of a plasticizer to the starch-PVOH blend films further increase the flexibility of the films. The plasticizers used were glycerol, polyethylene glycol and citric acid. Curing of the films reduce their flexibility. The addition of citric acid to a starch-PVOH blend increased the compatibility of the starch-PVOH blend and affected the barrier properties of the coating layers containing citric acid. When a sufficient number of coating layers was applied, the starch-PVOH-citric-acid coatings showed oxygen-transmission-rate-values similar to those of the pure PVOH and of the starch-PVOH blend without plasticizers. Polyethylene extrusion coating on pre-coated paperboard resulted in a clear reduction in the oxygen transmission rate of all the pre-coating recipes based on starch-PVOH blends. The polyethylene extrusion coating showed a higher oxygen transmission rate for a board pre-coated with citric-acid-containing recipes than for a board pre-coated with polyethylene-glycol-containing recipes.

In the production of biodiesel via the transesterification of vegetable oils, purification to international standards is challenging. A key measure of biodiesel quality is the level of free glycerol in the biodiesel. In order to remove glycerol from fatty acid methyl ester (FAME or biodiesel), a membrane separation setup was tested. The main objective of this thesis was to develop a membrane process for the separation of free glycerol dispersed in FAME after completion of the transesterification reaction and to investigate the effect of different factors on glycerol removal. These factors included membrane pore size, pressure, temperature, and methanol, soap and water content. First, a study of the effect of different materials present in the transesterification reaction, such as water, soap, and methanol, on the final free glycerol separation was performed using a modified polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membrane, with 100 kD (ultrafiltration) molecular weight cut off for all runs at 25°C. Results showed low concentrations of water had a considerable effect in removing glycerol from the FAME. The mechanism of separation of free glycerol from FAME was due to the removal of an ultrafine dispersed glycerol-rich phase present in the untreated (or raw) FAME. The size of the droplets and the free glycerol separation both increased with increasing water content of the FAME. Next, three types of polymeric membranes in the ultrafiltration range with different molecular weight cut off, were tested at three fixed operating pressures and three operating temperatures (0, 5 and 25oC) to remove the free glycerol from a biodiesel reactor effluent. The ASTM standard for free glycerol concentration was met for the experiments performed at 25°C. The results of this study indicate that glycerol could be separated from raw FAME to meet ASTM and EN standards at methanol feed concentrations of up to 3 mass%. The process was demonstrated to rely on the formation of a dynamic polar layer on the membrane surface. Ceramic membranes of different pore sizes (0.05 µm (ultrafiltration (UF) range) and 0.2 µm (microfiltration (MF) range)) were used to treat raw FAME directly using the membrane separation set up at temperatures of 0, 5 and 25°C. The results were encouraging for the 0.05 µm pore size membrane at the highest temperature (25°C). The effect of temperature on glycerol removal was evident from its relation with the concentration factor (CF). Higher temperatures promoted the achievement of the appropriate CF value sooner for faster separation. Membrane pore size was also found to affect separation performance. A subsequent study revealed the effect of different variables on the size of the glycerol droplets using dynamic light scattering (DLS). A key parameter in the use of membrane separation technology is the size of the glycerol droplets and the influence of other components such as water, methanol and soaps on that droplet size. The effect of water, methanol, soap and glycerol on the size of suspended glycerol droplets in FAME was studied using a 3-level Box-Behnken experimental design technique. Standard statistical analysis techniques revealed the significant effect of water and glycerol on increasing droplet size while methanol and soap served to reduce the droplet size. Finally, a study on the effect of trans-membrane pressure (TMP) at different water concentrations in the FAME phase on glycerol removal using UF (0.03 µm pore size, polyethersulfone (PES)) and MF (0.1 and 0.22 µm pore sizes, PES) membranes at 25, 40 and 60°C was performed. Results showed that running at 25°C for the two membrane types produced the best results for glycerol removal and exceeded the ASTM and EN standards. An enhancement of glycerol removal was found by adding small amounts of water up to the maximum solubility limit in biodiesel. An increase in temperature resulted in an increase in the solubility of water in the FAME and less effective glycerol removal. Application of cake filtration theory and a gel layer model showed that the gel layer on the membrane surface is not compressible and the specific cake resistance and gel layer concentration decrease with increasing temperature. An approximate value for the limiting (steady-state) flux was reported and it was found that the highest fluxes were obtained at the lowest initial water concentrations at fixed temperatures. In conclusion, dispersed glycerol can be successfully removed from raw FAME (untreated FAME) using a membrane separation system to meet the ASTM biodiesel fuel standards. The addition of water close to the solubility limit to the FAME mixture enables the formation of larger glycerol droplets and makes the separation of these droplets straightforward.

In the production of biodiesel via the transesterification of vegetable oils, purification to international standards is challenging. A key measure of biodiesel quality is the level of free glycerol in the biodiesel. In order to remove glycerol from fatty acid methyl ester (FAME or biodiesel), a membrane separation setup was tested. The main objective of this thesis was to develop a membrane process for the separation of free glycerol dispersed in FAME after completion of the transesterification reaction and to investigate the effect of different factors on glycerol removal. These factors included membrane pore size, pressure, temperature, and methanol, soap and water content. First, a study of the effect of different materials present in the transesterification reaction, such as water, soap, and methanol, on the final free glycerol separation was performed using a modified polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membrane, with 100 kD (ultrafiltration) molecular weight cut off for all runs at 25°C. Results showed low concentrations of water had a considerable effect in removing glycerol from the FAME. The mechanism of separation of free glycerol from FAME was due to the removal of an ultrafine dispersed glycerol-rich phase present in the untreated (or raw) FAME. The size of the droplets and the free glycerol separation both increased with increasing water content of the FAME. Next, three types of polymeric membranes in the ultrafiltration range with different molecular weight cut off, were tested at three fixed operating pressures and three operating temperatures (0, 5 and 25oC) to remove the free glycerol from a biodiesel reactor effluent. The ASTM standard for free glycerol concentration was met for the experiments performed at 25°C. The results of this study indicate that glycerol could be separated from raw FAME to meet ASTM and EN standards at methanol feed concentrations of up to 3 mass%. The process was demonstrated to rely on the formation of a dynamic polar layer on the membrane surface. Ceramic membranes of different pore sizes (0.05 µm (ultrafiltration (UF) range) and 0.2 µm (microfiltration (MF) range)) were used to treat raw FAME directly using the membrane separation set up at temperatures of 0, 5 and 25°C. The results were encouraging for the 0.05 µm pore size membrane at the highest temperature (25°C). The effect of temperature on glycerol removal was evident from its relation with the concentration factor (CF). Higher temperatures promoted the achievement of the appropriate CF value sooner for faster separation. Membrane pore size was also found to affect separation performance. A subsequent study revealed the effect of different variables on the size of the glycerol droplets using dynamic light scattering (DLS). A key parameter in the use of membrane separation technology is the size of the glycerol droplets and the influence of other components such as water, methanol and soaps on that droplet size. The effect of water, methanol, soap and glycerol on the size of suspended glycerol droplets in FAME was studied using a 3-level Box-Behnken experimental design technique. Standard statistical analysis techniques revealed the significant effect of water and glycerol on increasing droplet size while methanol and soap served to reduce the droplet size. Finally, a study on the effect of trans-membrane pressure (TMP) at different water concentrations in the FAME phase on glycerol removal using UF (0.03 µm pore size, polyethersulfone (PES)) and MF (0.1 and 0.22 µm pore sizes, PES) membranes at 25, 40 and 60°C was performed. Results showed that running at 25°C for the two membrane types produced the best results for glycerol removal and exceeded the ASTM and EN standards. An enhancement of glycerol removal was found by adding small amounts of water up to the maximum solubility limit in biodiesel. An increase in temperature resulted in an increase in the solubility of water in the FAME and less effective glycerol removal. Application of cake filtration theory and a gel layer model showed that the gel layer on the membrane surface is not compressible and the specific cake resistance and gel layer concentration decrease with increasing temperature. An approximate value for the limiting (steady-state) flux was reported and it was found that the highest fluxes were obtained at the lowest initial water concentrations at fixed temperatures. In conclusion, dispersed glycerol can be successfully removed from raw FAME (untreated FAME) using a membrane separation system to meet the ASTM biodiesel fuel standards. The addition of water close to the solubility limit to the FAME mixture enables the formation of larger glycerol droplets and makes the separation of these droplets straightforward.

A biodegradable alternative to synthetic plastics was explored in this study through the extrusion of a soy-based protein/fiber composite film. Two fractions of fibers with different size distributions (nano- to micro-) were isolated from soy pods and stems using a chemi-mechanical method. Fibers through successive treatments were characterized via microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and Fourier Transform infrared analysis (FTIR). The continuous extrusion of homogenous SPI film (0.08 to 0.3 mm thick) was reported for the first time. Processing window was limited by protein sensitivity to moisture and heat. With the incorporation of extracted fibers, homogenous films were obtained with a concentration below 0.5% w/w fiber/SPI. Increasing fiber content resulted in the formation of aggregates. At the optimal concentration of 0.25% w/w fiber/SPI, films exhibited mild improvements in mechanical performance most noticeable at a high RH (84%). Film properties with and without fiber addition were negatively affected by relative humidity. Titanium dioxide addition suggested mild coupling effects for SPI and fiber. / Hannam Soy Foundation / Ontario Ministry of Agricultural, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)

In the production of biodiesel via the transesterification of vegetable oils, purification to international standards is challenging. A key measure of biodiesel quality is the level of free glycerol in the biodiesel. In order to remove glycerol from fatty acid methyl ester (FAME or biodiesel), a membrane separation setup was tested. The main objective of this thesis was to develop a membrane process for the separation of free glycerol dispersed in FAME after completion of the transesterification reaction and to investigate the effect of different factors on glycerol removal. These factors included membrane pore size, pressure, temperature, and methanol, soap and water content. First, a study of the effect of different materials present in the transesterification reaction, such as water, soap, and methanol, on the final free glycerol separation was performed using a modified polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membrane, with 100 kD (ultrafiltration) molecular weight cut off for all runs at 25°C. Results showed low concentrations of water had a considerable effect in removing glycerol from the FAME. The mechanism of separation of free glycerol from FAME was due to the removal of an ultrafine dispersed glycerol-rich phase present in the untreated (or raw) FAME. The size of the droplets and the free glycerol separation both increased with increasing water content of the FAME. Next, three types of polymeric membranes in the ultrafiltration range with different molecular weight cut off, were tested at three fixed operating pressures and three operating temperatures (0, 5 and 25oC) to remove the free glycerol from a biodiesel reactor effluent. The ASTM standard for free glycerol concentration was met for the experiments performed at 25°C. The results of this study indicate that glycerol could be separated from raw FAME to meet ASTM and EN standards at methanol feed concentrations of up to 3 mass%. The process was demonstrated to rely on the formation of a dynamic polar layer on the membrane surface. Ceramic membranes of different pore sizes (0.05 µm (ultrafiltration (UF) range) and 0.2 µm (microfiltration (MF) range)) were used to treat raw FAME directly using the membrane separation set up at temperatures of 0, 5 and 25°C. The results were encouraging for the 0.05 µm pore size membrane at the highest temperature (25°C). The effect of temperature on glycerol removal was evident from its relation with the concentration factor (CF). Higher temperatures promoted the achievement of the appropriate CF value sooner for faster separation. Membrane pore size was also found to affect separation performance. A subsequent study revealed the effect of different variables on the size of the glycerol droplets using dynamic light scattering (DLS). A key parameter in the use of membrane separation technology is the size of the glycerol droplets and the influence of other components such as water, methanol and soaps on that droplet size. The effect of water, methanol, soap and glycerol on the size of suspended glycerol droplets in FAME was studied using a 3-level Box-Behnken experimental design technique. Standard statistical analysis techniques revealed the significant effect of water and glycerol on increasing droplet size while methanol and soap served to reduce the droplet size. Finally, a study on the effect of trans-membrane pressure (TMP) at different water concentrations in the FAME phase on glycerol removal using UF (0.03 µm pore size, polyethersulfone (PES)) and MF (0.1 and 0.22 µm pore sizes, PES) membranes at 25, 40 and 60°C was performed. Results showed that running at 25°C for the two membrane types produced the best results for glycerol removal and exceeded the ASTM and EN standards. An enhancement of glycerol removal was found by adding small amounts of water up to the maximum solubility limit in biodiesel. An increase in temperature resulted in an increase in the solubility of water in the FAME and less effective glycerol removal. Application of cake filtration theory and a gel layer model showed that the gel layer on the membrane surface is not compressible and the specific cake resistance and gel layer concentration decrease with increasing temperature. An approximate value for the limiting (steady-state) flux was reported and it was found that the highest fluxes were obtained at the lowest initial water concentrations at fixed temperatures. In conclusion, dispersed glycerol can be successfully removed from raw FAME (untreated FAME) using a membrane separation system to meet the ASTM biodiesel fuel standards. The addition of water close to the solubility limit to the FAME mixture enables the formation of larger glycerol droplets and makes the separation of these droplets straightforward.

Biomass valorization is an interesting alternative to fossil resources, which is frequently performed via heterogeneous catalysis. Designing new catalysts is a challenging task that can be significantly accelerated in silico. However, biomass molecules are often complex and highly oxygenated, hence rendering calculations more difficult and time consuming. Among these compounds, polyols are particularly important. We developed linear relations of the Brønsted-Evans-Polanyi (BEP) type from the DFT study of C-H or O-H bond dissociation elementary steps for a family of monoalcohol molecules on metallic catalysts (Co, Ni, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ir, Pt). Such relations aim at predicting activation energies from reaction energies. The accuracy of the obtained linear energy models is better than 0.10 eV on the sampling set. Then, the relations were applied for the prediction of the dehydrogenation elementary steps of glycerol, chosen as a prototype of polyalcohols, with an accuracy better than 0.10 eV and with a systematic error around ±0.10 eV for Rh. Keeping in mind that the main difference between glycerol and monoalcohols comes from intramolecular H-bonds present in the former, we designed linear relations for water-assisted dehydrogenation of monoalcohols. These new relations allowed us to improve the prediction on glycerol and to eliminate the systematic deviation in the case of OH bond breaking. Even if in this study we focused on glycerol dehydrogenation, similar methods may be applied to other polyols with other chemical reactions, and considerably speed up the computational design of solid catalysts. This work paves the way for the development of novel numerical techniques to address the issue of biomass conversion.

Darbo tikslas: Ištirti glicerolio, kvietinių sėlenų su krakmolo gamybos sirupo granulių ir salyklo daigelių efektyvumą melžiamų karvių racionuose bei įvertinti jų įtaką azotinių medžiagų fermentacijai karvių didžiajame prieskrandyje. Darbo uždaviniai: 1. Ištirti krakmolo gamybos sirupo, kvietinių sėlenų ir krakmolo gamybos sirupo granulių, salyklo daigelių cheminę sudėtį ir apskaičiuoti energetinę vertę. 2. Atlikti penkis šėrimo bandymus su melžiamomis karvėmis: tris bandymus panaudojant glicerolį skirtingais laktacijos periodais, vieną – naudojant krakmolo dekstrinų sirupą ir vieną – naudojant salyklo daigelius. 3. Nustatyti karvių racionų pašarų ėdamumą. 4. Atlikti karvių didžiojo prieskrandžio (Rumen) turinio tyrimus, jame nustatyti: sausąsias medžiagas, infuzorijų skaičių, pH, lakių riebalų rūgščių (LRR) suminį kiekį ir procentinį santykį, bendro ir amoniako azoto kiekius. 5. Įvertinti tiriamų pašarų įtaką pieno primilžiui, nustatyti pieno riebalų ir baltymų kiekius ir įvertinti ekonominį efektyvumą. 6. Tyrimų duomenis apdoroti statistiškai pateikiant aritmetinius vidurkius ir aritmetinio vidurkio paklaidą. Mūsų tyrimuose pirmą kartą Lietuvoje glicerolis panaudotas kaip pašaras melžiamų karvių racionuose skirtingais laktacijos periodais drėgnuose pašarų mišiniuose, sėlenų granulės, praturtintos krakmolo dekstrinų sirupu ir salyklo daigeliai nustatant jų poveikį azotinių medžiagų ir angliavandenių fermentacijai karvių didžiajame prieskrandyje, jų produktyvumui bei... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The purpose of the study: To investigate the efficiency of glycerol, wheat bran with starch dextrin syrup pellets and malt shoots in the diets of lactating cows and the effects of these products on nitrogen matter fermentation in the rumen of cows. Objectives: 1. To analyze the chemical composition and calculate the energy value of starch syrup, wheat bran and starch syrup pellets and malt shoots. 2. To carry out 5 feeding trials with lactating cows, i. e. 3 trials using glycerol at different lactation periods, one – using starch dextrin syrup and one – using malt shoots. 3. To determine the intake of feeds in the diets. 4. To study rumen contents for the analysis of dry matter, infusoria count, pH-value, total volatile fatty acids (VFA) and percentage ratio, contents of total and ammonia nitrogen. 5. To assess the influence of the above feedstuffs on milk yields, milk fat and protein contents and economic efficiency. 6. To statistically process the data and give arithmetic means and mean deviations. In this study for the first time in Lithuania, glycerol was used as a feedstuff in the diets of lactating cows at different lactation periods in wet mash, bran pellets enriched with starch dextrin syrup and malt shoots for determination of their effect on nitrogen matter and carbohydrate fermentation in the rumen of cows, cow productivity and economic efficiency. Practical application: After completion of the study, recommendations for milk producers were prepared on the usage of... [to full text]

Glycerol and fructose are molecules that are readily available in substantial quantities fromthe biomass. In this work dehydration routes for valorization of these compounds wereinvestigated. Therefore, zirconia and titania based catalysts, and calcium phosphate materialswere prepared and evaluated in the glycerol dehydration in gas phase. Niobia-ceria mixedoxides and mesoporous Nb2O5-MeO2 (M = Ce, Zr, Ti) mixed oxides were prepared andtested in fructose dehydration reaction in aqueous phase. The surface acid-base properties ofthe studied catalysts were correlated to their catalytic performance.

Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2002--Aachen.