Sedimentation rates by the Pb chronological method in Itanhaém river watershed, southeast Brazil.

The historical variation of sedimentation rate was investigated in five cores collected from the Itanhaém watershed main rivers, the second largest coastal watershed of the São Paulo state, Brazil, using the lead-210 radioisotope as a geochronometer. The main characteristics of the rivers' waters and sediments were determined in order to support the geochronological analysis results and associate sediments with possible source areas. In this context, the fluvial waters' general classification indicated the facies sulfated or chlorinated sodium in the winter and summer seasons, except for the Branco river waters in summer, which were classified as calcium or magnesium bicarbonate.

Hybrid treatment system for remediation of sugarcane vinasse.

The sugar and alcohol industries provide promising alternative energy sources to replace the use of petroleum derivatives. Vinasse is a byproduct of the alcoholic fermentation of various raw materials, and is used in the fertirrigation of sugarcane plantations. However, its excessive use leads to many soil and groundwater related problems, including toxicity to living organisms, acidification of soil and water, accumulation of heavy metals, and contamination of groundwater.