A lixiviação de elementos tóxicos presentes nas cinzas de carvão causa contaminação no meio ambiente e é, por isso, motivo de grande preocupação. Ensaios em batelada e em coluna de leito fixo foram realizados para avaliar a estabilização de As, Cr, Mo e Se em cinzas leve de carvão modificadas com orgânosilano (OS) e surfactante de amônio quaternário (SF). As cinzas leve utilizadas foram coletadas na Usina Termelétrica da Figueira, localizada na cidade de Figueira, Estado do Paraná. Nos ensaios em batelada, em primeiro lugar, avaliou-se a influência da relação massa de cinzas/volume de água na concentração dos elementos lixiviados das cinzas não tratadas. Posteriormente, determinou-se o pH, a condutividade e as capacidades de imobilização dos elementos tóxicos presentes nas cinzas após a modificação. As reduções de concentração usando OS foram de 89%, 77%, 42% e 11% para Cr, Mo, As e Se, respectivamente. Quando SF foi utilizado para o tratamento das cinzas, a redução de concentração nos lixiviados foi superior a 60% para todos os elementos. As cinzas tratadas foram caracterizadas em relação ao ponto de carga zero, morfologia, grupos funcionais, mineralogia e hidrofobicidade. As superfícies das cinzas tratadas com OS e SF apresentaram carga superficial positiva em água. A composição mineralógica e a morfologia das cinzas não foram alteradas após o tratamento, enquanto mudanças nos grupos funcionais foram observadas. Esse resultado corroborou com o observado nos testes de hidrofobicidade onde, as cinzas tratadas com OS e SF na proporção 1:10 foram classificadas como material extremamente hidrofóbico e na proporção 1:100 foram classificadas como material fortemente hidrofóbico, confirmando que foi efetivo o tratamento das cinzas com os agentes imobilizadores. Na segunda etapa do estudo foram realizados três ensaios de lixiviação em colunas contendo cinzas de carvão e solo coletado na região da Usina Termelétrica da Figueira. Nos ensaios foram usadas cinzas não tratadas, cinzas tratadas com OS e cinzas tratadas com SF nas diluições de maior efetividade selecionadas pelos ensaios em batelada. Nas colunas foi aplicado um volume de chuva ácida sintética simulando a precipitação que ocorre na região. Na coluna com cinzas tratadas com OS ocorreu redução considerável na concentração de As e principalmente do Cr. Após o tratamento com SF, as concentrações de As e Cr reduziram aproximadamente 30%. Em ambos os tratamentos, as concentrações de Mo e Se também foram reduzidas. Os resultados evidenciaram que tanto o orgânosilano, quanto o surfactante podem ser utilizados como agentes imobilizadores para a retenção de elementos tóxicos presentes em cinzas de carvão. / The leaching of toxic elements in coal ash causes contamination of the environment and is therefore of great concern. Batch and column tests were performed to evaluate the stabilization of As, Cr, Mo and Se in fly ash modified with organosilane (OS) and quaternary ammonium surfactant (SF). The fly ashes used were collected at the Figueira Thermoelectric Plant, located in the city of Figueira, State of Paraná. In the batch tests, first, the influence of ash / volume ratio on the concentration of the leached elements of the untreated ash was evaluated. Subsequently, the pH, conductivity and immobilization capacities of the toxic elements present in the ashes after the modification were determined. The reductions in the concentrations of toxic elements using OS were 89%, 77%, 42% and 11% for Cr, Mo, As and Se, respectively. When SF was used for ash treatment, the concentration reduction in the leachates was greater than 60% for all elements. The treated ash was characterized in relation to zero charge point, morphology, functional groups, mineralogy and hydrophobicity. OS and SF treated ash surfaces showed a positive surface charge in water. The mineral composition an morphology of the ashes was not altered after treatment, while changes in the functional groups were observed. This result corroborated with that observed in the hydrophobicity tests, where ashes treated with OS and SF in the proportion 1:10 were classified as extremely hydrophobic material and in the proportion 1: 100 were classified as strongly hydrophobic material, confirming that the treatment of the ashes with immobilizing agents were efficient. In the second stage of the study three leaching tests were carried out on columns containing coal ash and soil collected in the Figueira Thermoelectric Power Plant region. In the tests, untreated fly ash, OS treated fly ash and SF treated fly ash were used at the most effective dilutions selected by batch tests. In the columns a synthetic acid rain was applied simulating the precipitation that occurs in the region. In the column with ash treated with OS there was a considerable reduction in the concentration of As and especially of Cr. After treatment with SF, concentrations of As and Cr reduced approximately 30%. In both treatments, the concentrations of Mo and Se were also reduced. The results showed that both the organosilane and the surfactant can be used as immobilizers for the retention of toxic elements present in coal ash.

A lixiviação de elementos tóxicos presentes nas cinzas de carvão causa contaminação no meio ambiente e é, por isso, motivo de grande preocupação. Ensaios em batelada e em coluna de leito fixo foram realizados para avaliar a estabilização de As, Cr, Mo e Se em cinzas leve de carvão modificadas com orgânosilano (OS) e surfactante de amônio quaternário (SF). As cinzas leve utilizadas foram coletadas na Usina Termelétrica da Figueira, localizada na cidade de Figueira, Estado do Paraná. Nos ensaios em batelada, em primeiro lugar, avaliou-se a influência da relação massa de cinzas/volume de água na concentração dos elementos lixiviados das cinzas não tratadas. Posteriormente, determinou-se o pH, a condutividade e as capacidades de imobilização dos elementos tóxicos presentes nas cinzas após a modificação. As reduções de concentração usando OS foram de 89%, 77%, 42% e 11% para Cr, Mo, As e Se, respectivamente. Quando SF foi utilizado para o tratamento das cinzas, a redução de concentração nos lixiviados foi superior a 60% para todos os elementos. As cinzas tratadas foram caracterizadas em relação ao ponto de carga zero, morfologia, grupos funcionais, mineralogia e hidrofobicidade. As superfícies das cinzas tratadas com OS e SF apresentaram carga superficial positiva em água. A composição mineralógica e a morfologia das cinzas não foram alteradas após o tratamento, enquanto mudanças nos grupos funcionais foram observadas. Esse resultado corroborou com o observado nos testes de hidrofobicidade onde, as cinzas tratadas com OS e SF na proporção 1:10 foram classificadas como material extremamente hidrofóbico e na proporção 1:100 foram classificadas como material fortemente hidrofóbico, confirmando que foi efetivo o tratamento das cinzas com os agentes imobilizadores. Na segunda etapa do estudo foram realizados três ensaios de lixiviação em colunas contendo cinzas de carvão e solo coletado na região da Usina Termelétrica da Figueira. Nos ensaios foram usadas cinzas não tratadas, cinzas tratadas com OS e cinzas tratadas com SF nas diluições de maior efetividade selecionadas pelos ensaios em batelada. Nas colunas foi aplicado um volume de chuva ácida sintética simulando a precipitação que ocorre na região. Na coluna com cinzas tratadas com OS ocorreu redução considerável na concentração de As e principalmente do Cr. Após o tratamento com SF, as concentrações de As e Cr reduziram aproximadamente 30%. Em ambos os tratamentos, as concentrações de Mo e Se também foram reduzidas. Os resultados evidenciaram que tanto o orgânosilano, quanto o surfactante podem ser utilizados como agentes imobilizadores para a retenção de elementos tóxicos presentes em cinzas de carvão. / The leaching of toxic elements in coal ash causes contamination of the environment and is therefore of great concern. Batch and column tests were performed to evaluate the stabilization of As, Cr, Mo and Se in fly ash modified with organosilane (OS) and quaternary ammonium surfactant (SF). The fly ashes used were collected at the Figueira Thermoelectric Plant, located in the city of Figueira, State of Paraná. In the batch tests, first, the influence of ash / volume ratio on the concentration of the leached elements of the untreated ash was evaluated. Subsequently, the pH, conductivity and immobilization capacities of the toxic elements present in the ashes after the modification were determined. The reductions in the concentrations of toxic elements using OS were 89%, 77%, 42% and 11% for Cr, Mo, As and Se, respectively. When SF was used for ash treatment, the concentration reduction in the leachates was greater than 60% for all elements. The treated ash was characterized in relation to zero charge point, morphology, functional groups, mineralogy and hydrophobicity. OS and SF treated ash surfaces showed a positive surface charge in water. The mineral composition an morphology of the ashes was not altered after treatment, while changes in the functional groups were observed. This result corroborated with that observed in the hydrophobicity tests, where ashes treated with OS and SF in the proportion 1:10 were classified as extremely hydrophobic material and in the proportion 1: 100 were classified as strongly hydrophobic material, confirming that the treatment of the ashes with immobilizing agents were efficient. In the second stage of the study three leaching tests were carried out on columns containing coal ash and soil collected in the Figueira Thermoelectric Power Plant region. In the tests, untreated fly ash, OS treated fly ash and SF treated fly ash were used at the most effective dilutions selected by batch tests. In the columns a synthetic acid rain was applied simulating the precipitation that occurs in the region. In the column with ash treated with OS there was a considerable reduction in the concentration of As and especially of Cr. After treatment with SF, concentrations of As and Cr reduced approximately 30%. In both treatments, the concentrations of Mo and Se were also reduced. The results showed that both the organosilane and the surfactant can be used as immobilizers for the retention of toxic elements present in coal ash.

A sperm specific and species conserved monoclonal antibody (HS-63) was shown to inhibit in vitro fertilization of mouse oocytes and human sperm penetration to zona-free hamster ova. The sperm antigen (SA-63) which reacts with HS-63 was found to be localized on the sperm acrosome. Following sperm capacitation, this antigen becomes exposed and is shed after the acrosome reaction. SA-63 may be involved in the sperm acrosome reaction during the initial fertilization process. Sperm antigen (SA-63) from mouse (MSA-63) was purified from mouse testes with soluble and detergent extraction procedures followed by immunoaffinity chromatography. The purified MSA-63 antigen was shown to be a group of proteins with a size ranging from 25 Kd to 50 Kd and pIs of about 4.2 when analyzed by two dimensional gel electrophoresis. MSA-63 antigen may be associated with actins in its native form. A proteolytic activity was found in the solution of purified MSA-63 preparation. Purified MSA-63 was used for immunization of mice and rabbits. Following successive immunizations, antisera of high titres were raised and reacted specifically with sperm acre-some. The isoimmune sera from immunized mice exhibited significant inhibition on in vitro fertilization of mouse oocytes. Complementary deoxyribonucleic acid (cDNA) fragments encoding the MSA-63 were cloned from a mouse testis cDNA library by using an immunoscreening method with rabbit antisera against MSA-63 as the detecting probe. When a specific cDNA probe was used for Northern blot analysis, an mRNA of 1.5 Kb in size was detected only in the adult mouse testis, but not in any other somatic tissues. By Southern blot analysis, it was also demonstrated that the gene encoding for SA-63 protein is conserved among different mammalian species. The location of SA-63 antigen gene was determined to be on human chromosome 11 when analyzed with a blot of a human-hamster somatic cell hybrid panel. By DNA sequence analysis, a protein of 28 Kd in size was deduced from the MSA-63 cDNA. The amino acid sequences of trypsin-digested peptide fragments of MSA-63 were used to verify that deduced amino acid sequence from the cDNA. The recombinant fusion proteins containing MSA-63 protein fragment were produced in E. coli and used to immunize female mice. Similar to the original HS-63 monoclonal antibody, the antisera thus produced reacted only with the sperm acrosome and revealed significant inhibition of the in vitro fertilization of mouse oocytes. In the developing mouse testis, the expression of MSA-63 gene was found to be post-meiotic. Protein and mRNA of MSA-63 were not produced until day 20 after birth. / Medicine, Faculty of / Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Department of / Graduate