Oligocat: Oligoesters as Pseudo-Homogenous Catalysts for Biodiesel Synthesis

Biodiesel production from first-generation feedstock has shown a strong correlation with the increase in deforestation and the necessity of larger areas for land farming. Recent estimation from the European Federation for Transport and Environment evidenced that since the 2000s decade, an area equal to the Netherlands was deforested to supply global biodiesel demand, mainly originating from first-generation feedstock. Nevertheless, biodiesel is renewable, and it can be a greener source of energy than petroleum. A promising approach to make biodiesel independent from large areas of farming is to shift as much as possible the biodiesel production chain to second and third generations of feedstock. The second generation presents three main advantages, where it does not compete with the food industry, its commercial value is negligible, or none, and its usage as feedstock for biodiesel production reduces the overall waste disposal. In this manuscript, we present an oligomeric catalyst designed to be multi-functional for second-generation feedstock transesterification reactions, mainly focusing our efforts to optimize the conversion of tallow fat and sauteing oil to FAME and FAEE, applying our innovative catalyst. Named as Oligocat, our catalyst acts as a Brønsted-Lowry acid catalyst, providing protons to the reaction medium, and at the same time, with the course of the reaction, it sequesters glycerol molecules from the medium and changes its physical phase during the transesterification reaction. With this set of properties, Oligocat presents a pseudo-homogenous behavior, reducing the purification and separation steps of the biodiesel process production. Reaction conditions were optimized applying a 4$^{2}$ factorial planning. The output parameter evaluated was the conversion rate of triacylglycerol to mono alkyl esters, measured through gel permeation chromatography (GPC). After the optimization studies, a conversion yield of 96.7 (±1.9) wt% was achieved, which allows classifying the obtained mono alkyl esters as biodiesel by ASTM D6751 or EN 14214:2003. After applying the catalyst in three reaction cycles, Oligocat still presented a conversion rate above 96.5 wt% and as well an excellent recovery rate

Impact of complex adatom-induced interactions on quantum spin Hall phases

Adsorbate engineering offers a seemingly simple approach to tailor spin-orbit interactions in atomically thin materials and thus to unlock the much sought-after topological insulating phases in two dimensions. However, the observation of an Anderson topological transition induced by heavy adatoms has proved extremely challenging despite substantial experimental efforts. Here, we present a multiscale approach combining advanced first-principles methods and accurate single-electron descriptions of adatom-host interactions using graphene as a prototypical system. Our study reveals a surprisingly complex structure in the interactions mediated by random adatoms, including hitherto neglected hopping processes leading to strong valley mixing. We argue that the unexpected intervalley scattering strongly impacts the ground state at low adatom coverage, which would provide a compelling explanation for the absence of a topological gap in recent experimental reports on graphene. Our conjecture is confirmed by real-space Chern number calculations and large-scale quantum transport simulations in disordered samples. This resolves an important controversy and suggests that a detectable topological gap can be achieved by increasing the spatial range of the induced spin-orbit interactions on graphene, e.g., using nanoparticles

SARS-CoV-2 and Saliva: an update

Covid-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The high rate of contagion and the spread of the virus in the population make the early detection of the pathogen the means for the adequate targeting of infection control measures. WHO directs sample collection on upper respiratory specimens, including nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab or wash in ambulatory patients, as well as lower respiratory specimens: sputum and/or endotracheal aspirate or bronchoalveolar lavage, in addition to citing blood and feces. Among the various sample collection methods, saliva has been investigated and reported as a potential source for diagnosis. Thus, we propose to evaluate the current scenario, based on recent publications on the perspective of detecting SARS-CoV-2 in saliva as a diagnostic method for Covid-19

Composição corporal e exigências líquidas de proteína e energia para ganho de peso de bovinos F1 Simental x Nelore

Avaliaram-se os efeitos de cinco níveis de concentrado nas rações sobre a composição corporal e as exigências líquidas de proteína e energia para ganho de peso. Vinte e nove bovinos, não-castrados, F1 Simental x Nelore com, em média, 17 meses de idade e 354 kg PV inicial, foram usados. Cinco animais foram abatidos ao início do experimento, como referência, para estimar o peso de corpo vazio (PCV) inicial e as concentrações iniciais de gordura, proteína e energia. Os animais restantes foram distribuídos nos tratamentos, de forma inteiramente casualizada, de acordo com o nível de concentrado nas rações: 25; 37,5; 50; 62,5; e 75%. Os animais foram alimentados à vontade até atingirem o peso de abate preestabelecido de 500 kg. Equações de regressão foram ajustadas, para cada nível de concentrado e em conjunto, do logaritmo das quantidades de gordura, proteína ou energia, em relação ao logaritmo do PCV. Derivando-se as referidas equações de regressão, obteve-se a composição do ganho de PCV. A quantidade de gordura e o conteúdo de energia no peso ganho aumentaram, à medida que se elevou o PV do animal. O conteúdo corporal de proteína elevou-se com o aumento do PV, mas a concentração em g/kg de PCV diminuiu. As exigências líquidas de energia para um animal de 400 kg PCV para 1 kg PCV foram, em média, 3,96 Mcal/dia. As exigências de energia líquida para ganho em peso aumentaram e as de proteína reduziram, com o aumento do peso corporal.The effects of five dietary concentrate levels on the body composition and on the net requirements of protein and energy for weight gain were evaluated. Twenty nine F1 Simental Nellore bulls, averaging 17 months of age and initial 354 kg LW, were used. Five animals were slaughtered at the beginning of the experiment, as a reference, to estimate the initial empty body weight (EBW) and the initial concentrations of fat, protein and energy. The remaining animals were allotted to a completely randomized design, according to the dietary concentrate level: 25, 37.5, 50, 62.5 and 75%. Animals were full fed until a pre-established slaughter weight of 500 kg. The logarithm of amount of fat, protein or energy were regressed on the logarithm of the EBW, for each concentrate levels and for all levels of concentrate. By deriving those regression equations, the composition of the EBW gain was obtained. The amount of fat and the energy content in the weight gain increased as the animal LW increased. The body content of protein increased with the LW increasing, but the concentration in g/kg of EBW decreased. The net energy requirements for an animal with 400 kg EBW to gain 1 kg EBW were in an average 3.96 Mcal/day. The net energy requirements for weight gain increased whereas those of protein reduced with the increase of the body weight