Process intensification for the ethyl lactate synthesis : integrated pervaporation reactor

Ethyl lactate is an important organic ester, which is biodegradable, produced by renewable resources and can be used as food additive, perfumery, flavor chemicals, solvent and pharmaceutical preparations[1]. It is a green solvent and could replace a range of environment-damaging halogenated and toxic solvents (for example: Nmethylpyrrolidone, toluene)[2]. The conventional way to produce ethyl lactate is the esterification of lactic acid with ethanol in the presence of an acid catalyst, according to the reaction: Ethanol + Lactic Acid ¬¾H ®Ethyl Lactate + Water + The conversion of this reaction is limited by the chemical equilibrium and in order to obtain higher ethyl lactate yields it is necessary to shift the reaction towards products formation

Utilization of existing assets

The chapter deals with a study on the techno-economical feasibility of the process of maleic anhydride synthesis by oxidehydration of bio-1-butano

Chromatographic Separation of Isomaltooligosaccharides on Ion-Exchange Resins: Effect of the Cationic Form

Prebiotic isomaltooligosaccharides (IMOs) are composed of α-d-glucose units linked by glucosidic α (1Ø6) bonds and they remain intact until reaching the large bowels, where they are metabolized by bifidobacteria and lactobacillus. These saccharides can also be synthesized enzymatically, wherein the reaction media is composed of monosaccharides (glucose and fructose), disaccharides (sucrose and maltose), IMOs (the product of interest) and dextrans. Dextrans are readily separated by solvent precipitation; however, continuous chromatographic separation (simulated moving bed or SMB) should be an interesting option for the enrichment and purification of IMOs from mono- and disaccharides. The objective of the present work was to measure fundamental adsorption data of IMOs, mono- and disaccharides in preparative columns packed with ion-exchange resin of different cationic forms (K + , Ca + , H + and Na + ), so as to verify the influence of the cation on the selectivity and capacity. Ion exchange in H + form showed the best performance in terms of selectivity between maltose and maltotriose, but the resin in the K + form had superior adsorption capacities. Additionally, on the basis of equilibrium theory, optimal SMB operating conditions for resin H + will yield the highest productivity as compared with the other cationic forms

Spatial and temporal variability of productivity of coffee plants grown in an experimental field located in Três Pontas, Brazil

Received: January 31st, 2023 ; Accepted: April 25th, 2023 ; Published: September 5th, 2023 ; Correspondence: [email protected] coffee grower seeks to increase productivity, as well as reduce the operating costs of his crop. Precision Agriculture (PA) is composed of a cycle of tools and technologies that can bring a good return to coffee growers, seeking to optimize production processes, bringing better yields and minimizing costs. Therefore, the objective of this research is to evaluate the spacetime behavior of productivity in a coffee plantation, aiming to apply AP techniques. The study was carried out in a coffee plantation of the species (Coffea arabica), cultivar Topázio MG1190, located in the municipality of Três Pontas, Brazil, with an area of 1.2 ha. With the aid of a GNSS RTK, 30 plants were georeferenced, from which their yields were later sampled in the years 2020, 2021 and 2022. The collected data were evaluated in two statistical processes in the RStudio software. The first stage consisted of a one-way analysis of variance with repeated measures, from the results it is concluded that there are differences between the production averages when buying the productivity of the years 2020, 2021 and 2022 and, in addition, the coefficient of variation for the three sets of samples was quite high (CV > 30%) indicating a heterogeneity between the data. The second stage consisted of a geostatistical analysis the data were fitted in a model and interpolated by ordinary kriging; the result was maps of spatial variability. Through these maps it was possible to evaluate the behavior of productivity spatially and temporally, as well as to quantify areas that had higher and lower levels of this attribute. It is concluded that productivity, even in the case of such a small productive area, can vary substantially in space and time, and the use of PA can help producers in decision making regarding management

Phenology, seed germination, and genetics explains the reproductive strategies of Diospyros lasiocalyx (Mart.) B. Wall

Diospyros lasiocalyx (Mart.) B. Wall. is a dioecious tree species found in the threatened and fragmented Brazilian Cerrado. Its fleshy fruits, which are consumed extensively by wildlife, make the species ideal for use in restoration. This study includes a ten-year phenological observation, germination tests, and analysis of molecular markers to understand the reproductive strategy of D. lasiocalyx based on samples from three populations in two Cerrado ecosystems in São Paulo State, Brazil. The within population reproductive phenological pattern presented low synchrony, indicating a lack of sexual reproduction. The vegetative phenological pattern was well pronounced, with the peak of senescence occurring at the end of the dry season, just before leaf flushing. A small number of unique genets were found, indicating asexual reproduction and low genotypic diversity in the studied populations. The absence of inbreeding and the presence of ramets (stems) suggest that reproduction mainly occurs by apomixis and vegetative propagation, with some mating among unrelated stems and a low germination rate. Our study indicates that D. lasiocalyx can colonize harsh environments such as the Cerrado using alternative asexual reproductive strategies, while simultaneously attracting many seed dispersers