Environmental profile of the electricity supplied in Portugal by the main suppliers

The main aim of this study was to assess and compare the environmental profile of 1 KWh of electricity supplied during 2014 by the four main electricity selling companies in Continental Portugal. The study was elaborated based on Life Cycle Assessment methodology and the method chosen for environmental impact assessment was EPD2013. The results show that the ENDESA´s electricity was the worst in terms of acidification, eutrophication, global warming, photochemical oxidation and ozone layer depletion while IBERDROLA´s electricity was the best for those impact categories and the worst in terms of abiotic depletion. Including in the study, the net electricity fed into the Portuguese and UCTE grid at the high voltage level, the conclusion is that the electricity at Portuguese grid presents the worst performance in terms of acidification, global warming and photochemical oxidation while the electricity at UCTE grid presents the worst performance in terms of eutrophication and ozone layer depletion.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Liquefaction and chemical composition of walnut shells

The cultivation of walnut (Juglans regia L.) for the exploitation of the fruit has been increasingly recognized worldwide; therefore, it is important to valorize a large amount of biomass from walnut shells (WS), where liquefaction may play an important role. This work intends to contribute to an improved understanding of the best uses for this material. The assays were made with a binary mixture of ethylene glycol and glycerol (1:1 v/v) as solvents, catalyzed by sulfuric acid. The tested parameters were as follows: particle size >0.420– 0.177mm, temperature 140–200°C, and reaction time between 15 and 60min. The initial dried material, the liquefied material, and the resulting solid residue were analyzed by FTIRATR for polyol characterization. The results showed that WS are mostly composed of lignin with 35.0% and polysaccharides, 30.0% cellulose and 24.9% hemicelluloses. High-lignin content indicated that WS might be used as a bio-fuel or adhesives. Extractives represent 10.2% with almost half (4.6%) of polar extractives. The best conditions to attain the optimal liquefaction yield were 160°C, 30min, and 0.420–0.250mm particle size, for the tested parameters. FTIR spectrum of the liquefied material is very different from the original material, and solid residue spectra seem to indicate that there is higher liquefaction of polysaccharides when compared with lignin since there is a higher absorption at 1,600 cm−1 and lower absorption at 1,040 cm−1 and that liquefied compounds are probably in smaller molecules.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Water-related properties of Pinus pinaster wood treated by different methods

A study was made of water-related properties of Pinus pinaster wood impregnated with paraffin or modified by heat treatment or furfurylation. Treated woods were submerged in water for periods ranging from 2 to 1680 hours. Water absorption, swelling, and dimensional stability in the radial and tangential directions – expressed as Anti-Shrinking Efficiency (ASE) – were determined. Water absorption increased with time, reaching approximately 140% after 1680 h for untreated and heat-treated wood, and 60% for paraffinated and furfurylated wood. The rate of swelling differed between the first hours of soaking and after prolonged immersion. The final swelling was approximately 9% and 6% for untreated pine, 8% and 4% for paraffinated pine, 5.5% and 3% for heat-treated pine and 2.5% and 1% for furfurylated pine (in the tangential and radial directions respectively). At the end of the soaking test, furfurylated pine had the best ASE of approximately 80% and 70% in the tangential and radial directions respectively, followed by heat-treated pine with 44% and 34%, and paraffinated wood with 35% and 13%. [info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Maritime pine land use environmental impact evolution in the context of life cycle assessment

Between 2005 and 2015, the forest area occupied by maritime pine trees in Continental Portugal decreased by about 10.6%, and the existing volume decreased by about 18.4%mainly due to fires and pests (e.g., nematode) that occurred during this period. The purpose of this study was to study the evolution of the land use environmental impact of 1m3 of maritime pine, standing in Portuguese forest, during that period using the model by Milà i Canals based on soil organic matter measured by soil organic carbon. Results show that the land use impact category increased from 16,812 kg C deficit in 2005 to 18,423kg C deficit in 2015. Land transformation to forest roads is the main contribution for land use impact representing 54%of the total value followed by land occupation as forest that represents about 40%.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Increase of calorific value of two important feedstocks by mild torrefaction

In the last decades efforts have been made to replace fossil fuels by more sustainable feedstocks for the production of energy. A way to increase the travelable distance of this feedstock is to increase its energy content. The objective of this work was to study the increase in the calorific value of two of the most important wood species in the central region of Portugal, a softwood, (Pinus pinaster Ait) and a hardwood (Eucalyptus globulus Labill.), by mild torrefaction. The treatment was made in an oven during 2 -24 hours and temperatures from 170ºC to 190ºC. Calorific value and insoluble lignin were determined. Results show that there is an increase in the HHV (High Heating Value) of both pine and eucalypt samples (higher in eucalypt) and that the increase is higher for higher treatment times. A good correlation between the amount of lignin and the HHV was found.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Modelo de integração de aplicações distribuídas e não colaborantes

Este artigo descreve um modelo, para o desenvolvimento de aplicações distribuídas, que permite a divisão de uma aplicação em diversos módulos de processamento. Serão igualmente apresentadas, as potencialidades deste modelo para integrar aplicações autónomas e não colaborantes. Apesar da generalidade do sistema proposto a sua aplicabilidade será discutida no âmbito de um projecto de um Sistema de Gestão de Redes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Contribuição para o conhecimento da flora do Estado de Alagoas

Esta contribuição é o início de uma série de estudos multidisciplinares sobre a Flora do Estado de Alagoas, questionando problemas ecológicos, taxinômicos e fito-econômicos. Sessenta e nove espécies componentes de Matas Orientais (Atlânticas), Dunas e Restingas, são aqui consideradas. _________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTA series of studies was undertaker in cooperation with the Department of Phytochemistry of Universidade Federal de Alagoas (Brazil). These studies deal with the flora of Estado de Alagoas an 69 species from the "matas Atlânticas" sand dunes and "restingas" are treated here. Ecological, taxonomic an phyto-economic problems are discussed

Changes in the content and composition of the extractives in thermally modified tropical hardwoods

Chemical composition of wood is known to change during thermal treatments. Two species grown in Turkey, afrormosia (Pericopsis elata) and duka (Tapirira guianensis) were heat treated according to Thermowood® method. Lignin, cellulose, hemicelluloses and extractives in dichloromethane, ethanol and water were determined. Wood extracts were analysed by gas chromatography with mass detection and existing compounds were identified by NIST17 database. Results show that hemicelluloses and cellulose content decreased for both heat-treated woods along the treatment while lignin percentage increased. The analysis of extractives has shown several compounds normally associated to lignin thermal degradation that increased along the treatment. At the same time several compounds associated to carbohydrate thermal degradation were found in all the extracts for both heat-treated woods. These founding have allowed the understanding of the degradation pattern of wood during thermal modification. There was not much difference between afrormosia and duka woods structural compounds behaviour along thermal modification. However, the variation of the amount of extractives along the treatment depended on the species

The Influence of Age on the Wood Properties of Paulownia tomentosa (Thunb.) Steud

Forests in Portugal are highly dependent on a short number of wood species, and new species with higher profitability are needed. The Paulownia species has generated great interest due to its fast-growing and relatively good wood properties. However, environmental factors have shown that Paulownia grows differently in each case. This study intends to determine the properties of young Paulownia trees from Portuguese plantations to determine the best age to cut the trees according to their use. The chemical composition (extractives in dichloromethane, ethanol and water, lignin, -cellulose, and hemicelluloses), heating value, elemental analysis (CHNO), inorganic elements and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), and the most important mechanical and physical properties (density, MOE, bending strength, water absorption equilibrium, moisture content, and dimensional changes) were determined for 1-, 3-, and 5-year-old trees. The results show that, chemically, the extractives increased while hemicelluloses decreased with age, and no trend was found for lignin and -cellulose. The physical and mechanical properties increased with age, except for the MOE and bending strength. The 5-year-old samples presented the best features for pellet production, namely, calorific power, elemental composition CHNO and sulfur, and inorganic elementsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

COVID-19 salivary protein profile: unravelling molecular aspects of SARS-CoV-2 infection

COVID-19 is the most impacting global pandemic of all time, with over 600 million infected and 6.5 million deaths worldwide, in addition to an unprecedented economic impact. Despite the many advances in scientific knowledge about the disease, much remains to be clarified about the molecular alterations induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this work, we present a hybrid proteomics and in silico interactomics strategy to establish a COVID-19 salivary protein profile. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD036571. The differential proteome was narrowed down by the Partial Least-Squares Discriminant Analysis and enrichment analysis was performed with FunRich. In parallel, OralInt was used to determine interspecies Protein-Protein Interactions between humans and SARS-CoV-2. Five dysregulated biological processes were identified in the COVID-19 proteome profile: Apoptosis, Energy Pathways, Immune Response, Protein Metabolism and Transport. We identified 10 proteins (KLK 11, IMPA2, ANXA7, PLP2, IGLV2-11, IGHV3-43D, IGKV2-24, TMEM165, VSIG10 and PHB2) that had never been associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, representing new evidence of the impact of COVID-19. Interactomics analysis showed viral influence on the host immune response, mainly through interaction with the degranulation of neutrophils. The virus alters the host’s energy metabolism and interferes with apoptosis mechanisms.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio