Desenvolvimento de PVC reforçado com resíduos de Pinus para substituir madeira convencional em diversas aplicações Development of PVC/wood composites for the replacement of conventional wood products

Este trabalho avalia a viabilidade técnica da obtenção de compósitos lignocelulósicos de PVC, utilizando-se resíduo de Pinus elliottii e Pinus taeda como carga reforçativa. Foi desenvolvido um processo simples e economicamente viável de tratamento de resíduos industriais desta madeira, processo este baseado na secagem e revestimento das partículas com lubrificantes funcionais e agentes de acoplamento utilizados como aditivos na indústria do PVC, bem como no uso de equipamentos tradicionais da indústria de processamento deste termoplástico. Foram avaliados os efeitos da incorporação da farinha de madeira em concentrações variáveis e do tipo de agente de tratamento superficial utilizado na processabilidade do composto de PVC, bem como em propriedades finais do compósito. Os resultados mostram que o desenvolvimento deste tipo de material compósito é uma alternativa viável para a substituição da madeira convencional em diversas aplicações.This work evaluates the technical viability of lignocellulosic vinyl composites, using residues of Pinus elliottii and Pinus taeda as the reinforcement fiber. A simple and economically viable process for the treatment of these industrial residues was developed. The process includes sieving, drying and treating the wood particles. Treatment is made with functional lubricants and coupling agents used as additives in the PVC industry. Extrusion was performed using traditional equipment available in the Brazilian PVC processing industry. The effect on the processability of the variable concentrations of the residues incorporated and the type of agent used for the treatment had been evaluated, as well as in the final properties of the composite. The results show that the development of this kind of composite material is a viable alternative for the substitution of conventional wood in diverse applications

Eco-efficient cements: Potential economically viable solutions for a low-CO2 cement-based materials industry

The main conclusions of an analysis of low-CO2, eco-efficient cement-based materials, carried out by a multi-stakeholder working group initiated by the United Nations Environment Program Sustainable Building and Climate Initiative (UNEP-SBCI) are presented, based on the white papers published in this special issue.We believe that Portland-based cement approaches will dominate in the near future due to economies of scale, levels of process optimisation, availability of raw materials and market confidence. Two product-based approaches can deliver substantial additional reductions in their global CO2 emissions, reducing the need for costly investment in carbon capture and storage (CCS) over the next 20-30 years:1. Increased use of low-CO2 supplements (SCMs) as partial replacements for Portland cement clinker.2. More efficient use of Portland cement clinker in mortars and concretes.However, other emerging technologies could also play an important role in emissions mitigation in the longer term, and thus merit further investigation

Rheological behavior of mortars under different squeezing rates

In the present work the squeeze flow technique was used to evaluate the rheological behavior of cement-based mortars containing macroscopic aggregates up to 1.2 mm. Compositions with different water and air contents were tested at three squeezing rates (0.01, 0.1 and 1 mm/s) 15 and 60 min after mixing. The mortars prepared with low (13 wt.%) and usual water content (15 wt.%) presented opposite behaviors as a function of elapsed time and squeezing speed. The first lost its cohesion with time and required higher loads when squeezed faster, while the latter became stiffer with time and was more difficult to be squeezed slowly as a result of phase segregation. Due to the increase of air content, the effects of this compressible phase became more significant and a more complex behavior was observed. Rheological properties such as elongational viscosity and yield stress were also determined. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.FAPESPFINEPABAIABCPABRATECSINDUSCON-S

The influence of moisture on the deformability of cement-polymer adhesive mortar

Adhesive mortars are widely used to set porcelain stoneware tiles on buildings because their bond strength and flexibility properties increase the cladding serviceability. However, their long-term performance is not well understood, mainly the degradation of the polymeric matrix. The influence of moisture content on the flexibility of six adhesive mortars is investigated, based on standard EN 12002. Four of them have defined formulations and the other two are commercial and are widely used to set porcelain stoneware tiles on building facades in Brazil. The results show that moisture content above 6% is sufficient to reduce 50% of the mortar deformability, but that the drying process allows it to recover to a value similar to that prior to saturation; a logarithmic function best fits the correlation between moisture content and flexibility; water immersion increases matrix rigidity. It is suggested that standards should consider flexibility tests on both dried and wet samples as a requirement for polymer-modified mortars. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

SEPARABILIDADE DE AGREGADOS RECICLADOS PROVENIENTES DE RESÍDUOS DE CONSTRUÇÃO E DEMOLIÇÃO DE DIFERENTES ORIGENS

Resíduos de construção e demolição constituem a maior parcela dos resíduos sólidos urbanos. A proibição de sua disposição em aterros, a redução na oferta de agregados naturais somada ao aumento de sua demanda, e a crescente exigência para o desenvolvimento de aplicações sustentáveis para tais resíduos impulsionaram o desenvolvimento de aplicações para este material. Diferentes estratégias foram estabelecidas para melhorar a qualidade dos agregados reciclados (reduzir sua porosidade), no entanto, a liberação das fases presentes é raramente discutida na literatura. Neste trabalho, são apresentados os resultados de um estudo de separabilidade realizado em agregados reciclados provenientes de resíduos de construção e demolição de diferentes origens. Os resultados mostram que a proporção de material mais denso aumenta nas frações mais finas e indicam maior liberação entre as fases presentes, especialmente para as frações abaixo de 12,7 mm. Os produtos obtidos diferem expressivamente entre si, independentes de sua origem, o que pode ser confirmado pelos teores de aglomerantes, perda ao fogo e pela sua composição mineralógica. Tais diferenças refletem diretamente nas propriedades físicas dos agregados reciclados (absorção de água, porosidade e resistência mecânica)

Effect of culture medium on biocalcification by Pseudomonas Putida, Lysinibacillus Sphaericus and Bacillus Subtilis

The objective of this study is to investigate the efficiency of calcium carbonate bioprecipitation by Lysinibacillus sphaericus, Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas putida, obtained from the Coleção de Culturas do Instituto Nacional de Controle de Qualidade em Saúde (INCQS), as a first step in determining their potential to protect building materials against water uptake. Two culture media were studied: modified B4 containing calcium acetate and 295 with calcium chloride. Calcium consumption in the two media after incubation with and without the bacterial inoculum was determined by atomic absorption analysis. Modified B4 gave the best results and in this medium Pseudomonas putida INQCS 113 produced the highest calcium carbonate precipitation, followed by Lysinibacillus sphaericus INQCS 414; the lowest precipitation was produced by Bacillus subtilis INQCS 328. In this culture medium XRD analysis showed that Pseudomonas putida and Bacillus subtilis precipitated calcite and vaterite polymorphs while Lysinibacillus sphaericus produced only vaterite. The shape and size of the crystals were affected by culture medium, bacterial strain and culture conditions, static or shaken. In conclusion, of the three strains Pseudomonas putida INQCS 113 in modified B4 medium gave the best results precipitating 96% of the calcium, this strain thus has good potential for use on building materials

Measuring the eco-efficiency of cement use

At present, the cement industry generates approximately 5% of the world`s anthropogenic CO(2) emissions. This share is expected to increase since demand for cement based products is forecast to multiply by a factor of 2.5 within the next 40 years and the traditional strategies to mitigate emissions, focused on the production of cement, will not be capable of compensating such growth. Therefore, additional mitigation strategies are needed, including an increase in the efficiency of cement use. This paper proposes indicators for measuring cement use efficiency, presents a benchmark based on literature data and discusses potential gains in efficiency. The binder intensity (bi) index measures the amount of binder (kg m(-3)) necessary to deliver 1 MPa of mechanical strength, and consequently express the efficiency of using binder materials. The CO(2) intensity index (ci) allows estimating the global warming potential of concrete formulations. Research benchmarks show that bi similar to 5 kg m(-3) MPa(-1) are feasible and have already been achieved for concretes >50 MPa. However, concretes with lower compressive strengths have binder intensities varying between 10 and 20 kg m(-3) MPa(-1). These values can be a result of the minimum cement content established in many standards and reveal a significant potential for performance gains. In addition, combinations of low bi and ci are shown to be feasible. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.FINEP (Habitare)CNP

Biodeterioration of painted mortar surfaces in tropical urban and coastal situations: Comparison of four paint formulations

Four different architectural acrylic paint formulations were tested by exposure to weathering for 7 years in the urban site of Sao Paulo and the coastal site of Ubatuba, South-East Brazil. Surface discolorations and detachment of coatings were assessed and the components of the biofilms were identified by standard microbiological methods. The painted surfaces of the mortar panels were much more discolored in Ubatuba, where major components of the biofilms were the cyanobacteria Gloeocapsa and Scytonema. In two of the four paint films, a pink coloration on the surface at this coastal site, caused mainly by red-pigmented Gloeocapsa, produced high discoloration ratings, but low degradation (as measured by detachment). Biofilms in Sao Paulo contained the same range of phototrophs, but in lesser quantity. However, fungal numbers, as determined by plating, were higher. Detachment ratings in this urban site were only slightly lower than in Ubatuba. The matt paint performed worst of the four, with silk and semi-gloss finishes giving lowest biodeterioration ratings. The matt elastomeric paint performed well at both sites, apart from becoming almost 100% covered by the pink biofilm in Ubatuba. Unpainted mortar panels became intensely discolored with a black biofilm, showing that all the paints had achieved one of their objectives, that of surface protection of the substrate. The value of PVC (pigment volume content) as an indicator of coatings biosusceptibility, is questioned. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.FAPESP (Sao Paulo Research Support Foundation

Squeeze flow as a tool for developing optimized gypsum plasters

This paper presents a rheological investigation of pure gypsum (PG) and a commercial gypsum-lime-filler plaster (CP) using the modified Vicat apparatus and squeeze flow method. The samples were tested at several different intervals after manual or mechanical mixing. The results confirmed squeeze flow to be more sensitive in determining fresh paste behavior than the modified Vicat apparatus. PG set faster when prepared in mechanical mixer than when manually mixed. Conversely, the CP composition presented longer setting when mixed mechanically. The study also included the analysis of two ready-to-use polymer-based products for leveling and rendering (drywall joint compound - DJC; acrylic putty - AP) measured by squeeze flow and compared to the commercial composition. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.FAPESPCNP