Composting of rice straw with effective microorganisms (EM) and its influence on compost quality.

This study aims to assess the effect of EM application on the composting process of rice straw with goat manure and green waste and to evaluate the quality of both compost treatments. There are two treatment piles in this study, in which one pile was applied with EM and another pile without EM. Each treatment was replicated three times with 90 days of composting duration. The parameters for the temperature, pH, TOC and C/N ratio, show that decomposition of organic matter occurs during the 90-day period. The t-test conducted shows that there is a significant difference between compost with EM and compost without EM. The application of EM in compost increases the macro and micronutrient content. The following parameters support this conclusion: compost applied with EM has more N, P and K content (P < 0.05) compared to compost without EM. Although the Fe in compost with EM is much higher (P < 0.05) than in the compost without EM, for Zn and Cu, there is no significant difference between treatments. This study suggests that the application of EM is suitable to increase the mineralization in the composting process. The final resultant compost indicated that it was in the range of the matured level and can be used without any restriction

Measurement of He{sup 3} Formation in Pd

This is the final report of a one-year, Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Single crystal palladium samples were both grown at Los Alamos and purchased from a commercial source. These samples were aligned using X-ray diffraction and cut along appropriate crystal planes. After cutting, the samples were mechanically polished and then electro-etched to remove surface damage produced by the cutting and polishing. Ion beam channeling measurements and resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS) measurements were completed on palladium and palladium deuteride samples. The ion beam channeling measurements on palladium samples confirmed the crystal structure and orientation of the samples and the measurements on palladium deuteride samples confirmed the octahedral location of the deuterium atoms in the palladium lattice. RUS measurements of the elastic constants of palladium and palladium deuteride samples were compared to previous measurements. Finally, RUS measurements were also completed on a palladium tritide sample at room temperature

Influência da densidade básica da madeira na qualidade da polpa kraft de clones hibrídos de Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden X Eucalyptus urophylla S. T. Blake Effect of wood basic density on kraft pulp quality of hybrid Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden X Eucalyptus urophylla S.T. Blake clones

Foram estudados dois clones de Eucalyptus com densidades básicas de 447 e 552 kg/m&sup3;. O processo kraft foi utilizado para a produção de celulose, tendo sido aplicadas diferentes cargas de álcali para se obterem polpas com número kappa 18 &plusmn; 0,5. As polpas foram branqueadas pela seqüência ODEopDD, a alvuras de 90 &plusmn; 1% ISO, e refinadas, sendo suas propriedades físico-mecânicas e ópticas analisadas. A madeira de baixa densidade mostrou-se mais recomendável para a produção de celulose, por ter apresentado maior rendimento depurado, viscosidade da polpa mais elevada, ter requerido menor carga de álcali no cozimento, ter proporcionado menor teor de sólidos no licor residual e menor consumo de reagentes químicos no branqueamento. As propriedades mecânicas e estruturais das polpas não foram afetadas significativamente pela densidade básica das madeiras.<br>Two hybrid Eucalyptus clones having 447 kg/m&sup3; and 552 kg/m&sup3; basic densities were used for this study. The kraft process was used for pulping the wood chips to kappa number 18&plusmn;0.5 and different alkali charges were applied to reach this delignification target. Pulp was bleached to 90&plusmn;1% ISO using the ODEopDD bleaching sequence. The bleached pulp was refined and its physical-mechanical properties were determined. The lower density wood was recommended for pulp production due to its lower alkali requirement for pulping, higher screened yield, superior pulp viscosity, lower black liquor solids content and lower bleaching chemical requirement. Wood basic density did not affect significantly the mechanical and structural pulp properties

Caracterização tecnológica, para produção de celulose, da nova geração de clones de Eucalyptus do Brasil Technological characterization of the new generation of Eucalyptus clones in Brazil for kraft pulp production

Foram analisados clones de Eucalyptus de última geração, pertencentes às principais empresas brasileiras de celulose. Os estudos consistiram numa caracterização tecnológica detalhada da qualidade das madeiras utilizadas no processamento fabril das empresas. Foram realizadas análise químicas detalhadas das madeiras e cozimentos kraft, simulando-se uma das modernas técnica de digestor contínuo. Os resultados indicaram a alta qualidade dos clones de Eucalyptus atualmente plantados no Brasil para produção de celulose.<br>Last generation of Eucalyptus clones pulped by the main Brazilian kraft pulp mills were used for this study. Detailed chemical analysis of the woods were carried out to establish the wood quality. Laboratory simulation of a modern continuous digester technique was used for pulp production. Results demonstrated the high quality of Eucalyptus clones wood that are being planted in Brazil for kraft pulp production