Phenol biodegradation and its effect on the nitrification process

Phenol biodegradation under aerobic conditions and its effect on the nitrification process were studied, first in batch assays and then in an activated sludge reactor. In batch assays, phenol was completely biodegraded at concentrations ranging from 100 to 2500 mg l−1. Phenol was inhibitory to the nitrification process, showing more inhibition at higher initial phenol concentrations. At initial phenol concentrations above 1000 mg l−1, the level of nitrification decreased. In the activated sludge reactor, the applied ammonium loading rate was maintained at 140 mg N–NH4+ l−1 d−1 (350 mg N–NH4+ l−1) during the operation time. However, the applied organic loading rate was increased stepwise from 30 to 2700 mg COD l−1 d−1 by increasing the phenol concentration from 35 up to 2800 mg l−1. High phenol removal efficiencies, above 99.9%, were maintained at all the applied organic loading rates. Ammonium removal was also very high during the operation period, around 99.8%, indicating that there was no inhibition of nitrification by phenol

Biofilter performance and characterization of a biocatalyst degrading alkylbenzene gases

A biofilter treating alkylbenzene vapors was characterized for its optimal running conditions and kinetic parame-ters. Kinetics of the continuous biofilter were compared to batch kinetic data obtained with biofilm samples as well as with defined microbial consortia and with pure culture isolates from the biofilter. Both bacteria and fungi were present in the bioreactor. Five strains were isolated. Two bacteria, Bacillus and Pseudomonas, were shown to be dominant, as well as a Trichosporon strain which could, however, hardly grow on alkylbenzenes in pure culture. The remaining two strains were most often overgrown by the other three organisms in liquid phase batch cultures μ max, KS, KI values and biodegradation rates were calculated and compared for the difterent mixed and pure cultures. Since filter bed acidification was observed during biofiltration studies reaching a pH of about 4, experiments were also undertaken to study the influence of pH on performance of the different cultures. Biodegradation and growth were possible in all cases, over the pH range 3.5–7.0 at appreciable rates, both with mixed cultures and with pure bacterial cultures. Under certain conditions, microbial activity was even observed in the presence of alkylbenzenes down to pH 2.5 with mixed cultures, which is quite unusual and explains the ability of the present biocatalyst to remove alkylbenzenes with high efficiency in biofilters under acidic conditions

Projeto SENSOR: políticas públicas relacionadas a expansão da Cana-de-açúcar para a produção de biocombustíveis.

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Studies of mass transfer coefficients in denitrifying biofilms

Mass transfer coefficients within denitrifying biofilms were determined with an inert compound (LiCl) using two different flow conditions in a membrane flow cell and feeding an easily degradable substrate. The experiments were made until the biofilm reached steady state. The results obtained from the biofilm mass transfer experiments show that the biofilms grown under these two different conditions reach similar values in the steady state. However, the mass transport was higher during biofilm formation, for the biofilm developed under higher upflow velocity.Comissão Europeia, TMR program (project BioToBio); Spanish CICYT (project AMB 98-0288)

Magnetic properties of GdT2T_2Zn20_{20} (T = Fe, Co) investigated by X-ray diffraction and spectroscopy

We investigate the magnetic and electronic properties of the Gd$T_2$Zn$_{20}$ ($T$ = Fe and Co) compounds using X-ray resonant magnetic scattering (XRMS), X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) techniques. The XRMS measurements reveal that the GdCo$_2$Zn$_{20}$ compound has a commensurate antiferromagnetic spin structure with a magnetic propagation vector $\vec{\tau}$ = $(\frac{1}{2},\frac{1}{2},\frac{1}{2})$ below the N\'eel temperature ($T_N \sim$ 5.7 K). Only the Gd ions carry a magnetic moment forming an antiferromagnetic structure with magnetic representation $\Gamma_6$. For the ferromagnetic GdFe$_2$Zn$_{20}$ compound, an extensive investigation was performed at low temperature and under magnetic field using XANES and XMCD techniques. A strong XMCD signal of about 12.5 $\%$ and 9.7 $\%$ is observed below the Curie temperature ($T_C \sim$ 85 K) at the Gd-$L_2$ and $L_3$ edges, respectively. In addition, a small magnetic signal of about 0.06 $\%$ of the jump is recorded at the Zn $K$-edge suggesting that the Zn 4$p$ states are spin polarized by the Gd 5$d$ extended orbitals

Use of a membrane flow cell to measure average mass transfer coefficients in denitrifying biofilms

Average mass transfer coefficients within denitrifying biofilms were determined during biofilm growth with an inert compound (LiCl) in a membrane flow cell at different flow conditions, until the biofilm reached (pseudo-) steady state. Similar values were obtained for the steady-state mass transfer coefficients of LiCl within the different biofilms. However, those coefficients were higher during the transient period of biofilm growth for the biofilm developed under the highest upflow velocity.Xunta de Galicia, project BioToBi

The Influence of Quadrature Errors on Isogeometric Mortar Methods

Mortar methods have recently been shown to be well suited for isogeometric analysis. We review the recent mathematical analysis and then investigate the variational crime introduced by quadrature formulas for the coupling integrals. Motivated by finite element observations, we consider a quadrature rule purely based on the slave mesh as well as a method using quadrature rules based on the slave mesh and on the master mesh, resulting in a non-symmetric saddle point problem. While in the first case reduced convergence rates can be observed, in the second case the influence of the variational crime is less significant

A Case Report of a Sclerotic Fibroma of the Oral Mucosa

Sclerotic fibroma, also known as storiform collagenoma, is a rare benign tumor that grows on the skin, but it can also appear, less frequently, in the oral mucosa. It can present as part of Cowden syndrome manifestation, especially when multiple lesions are encountered, but it may also appear as a solitary, sporadic lesion in healthy individuals. We describe a patient, diagnosed with Cowden syndrome, who presented with a sclerotic fibroma in the oral mucosa, which is a very uncommon manifestation of Cowden syndrome.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Energy Embodiment in Brazilian Agriculture: An Overview of 23 Crops

The amount of energy required to produce a commodity or to supply a service varies from one production system to another and consequently giving rise to differing levels of environmental efficiency. Moreover, since energy prices have been continuously increasing over time, this energy amount may be a factor that has economic worth. Biomass production has a variety of end-products such as food, energy, and fiber; thus, taking into account the similarity in end-product of different crops (e.g.: sunflower, peanuts, or soybean for oil) it is possible to evaluate which crops require less energy per functional unit, such as starch, oil, and protein. This information can be used in decision-making about policies for food safety or bioenergy. In this study, 23 crops were evaluated allowing for a comparison in terms of energy embodied per functional unit. Crops were grouped as follows: starch, oil, horticultural, perennial and fiber, to provide for a deeper analysis of alternatives for the groups, and subsidize further studies comparing conventional and alternative production systems such as organic or genetically modified organisms, in terms of energy. The best energy balance observed was whole sugarcane (juice, bagasse and straw) with a surplus of 268 GJ ha−1 yr−1; palm shows the highest energy return on investment with a ratio of approximately 30:1. For carbohydrates and protein production, cassava and soybean, respectively, emerged as the crops offering the greatest energy savings in the production of these functional foods