Impact of torrefaction and low-temperature carbonization on the properties of biomass wastes from Arundo donax L. and Phoenix canariensis.

The impact of torrefaction and low-temperature carbonization on the properties of biomass wastes from Arundo donax L. and Phoenix canariensis was studied. Thermal treatments were performed at temperatures from 200°C to 350°C during 15 to 90min and temperature was the parameter that more influenced mass and energy yields as well as biochar composition.

Biomass fly ashes as low-cost chemical agents for Pb removal from synthetic and industrial wastewaters.

The main aim of this work was to study the removal efficiency of Pb from synthetic and industrial wastewaters by using biomass fly ashes. The biomass fly ashes were produced in a biomass boiler of a pulp and paper industry. Three concentrations of Pb(2+) were tested in the synthetic wastewater (1, 10 and 1000 mg Pb/L).

Bio-oil upgrading strategies to improve PHA production from selected aerobic mixed cultures.

Recent research on polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) has focused on developing cost-effective production processes using low-value or industrial waste/surplus as substrate. One of such substrates is the liquid fraction resulting from pyrolysis processes, bio-oil. In this study, valorisation of bio-oil through PHA production was investigated.

Removal of lead (Pb2+) from aqueous medium by using chars from co-pyrolysis.

The effectiveness of chars from the co-pyrolysis of pine, used tires and plastic wastes for the removal of lead (Pb(2+)) from aqueous medium, was investigated. The chars were predominantly of macroporous nature, but the introduction of tires in the pyrolysis feedstock enhanced their mesoporous content as well as surface area. Pb(2+) sorption with the chars was a slow and unstable process in which sorption-desorption seems to be competing.

Analytical methods and validation for determining trace elements in red wines.

The objective of this work is to quantify As, Hg, Cd, Ni and Pb in Portuguese red wines. First, the methods for the quantification of trace elements in red wines were validated. Several pre-treatments were compared, namely a pre-digestion process with HNO(3), a pre-oxidation step with H(2)O(2), and a spiking step of wine samples with a known concentration of the trace elements analyzed.

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction of organophosphorous pesticides using nonhalogenated solvents.

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) combined with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was applied to the determination of five organophosphorous pesticides (OPPs) in water samples. The analytes included in this study were prophos, diazinon, chlorpyrifos methyl, fenchlorphos, and chlorpyrifos. The use of nonhalogenated solvents (cyclohexane, heptane, and octane) as extraction solvents was investigated using acetone, acetonitrile, or methanol, as dispersion solvents.

Degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid by a halotolerant strain of Penicillium chrysogenum: antibiotic production.

The extensive use of pesticides in agriculture has prompted intensive research on chemical and biological methods in order to protect contamination of water and soil resources. In this paper the degradation of the pesticide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid by a Penicillium chrysogenum strain previously isolated from a salt mine was studied in batch cultures. Co-degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid with additives such as sugar and intermediates of pesticide metabolism was also investigated.

Determination of organophosphorous pesticides in the ppq range using a simple solid-phase extraction method combined with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction.

Solid-phase extraction combined with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (SPE-DLLME) was applied for the extraction of six organophosphorous pesticides (OPPs) in water samples. The analytes considered in this study were determined by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry and included prophos, diazinon, chlorpyrifos methyl, methyl parathion, fenchlorphos and chlorpyrifos. Several extraction conditions (extraction solvent and elution/dispersion solvents nature, extraction solvent volume, elution solvent volume, water volume and sample volume) were tested for SPE-DLLME with these analytes and the best results were obtained using carbon tetrachloride as the extraction solvent and acetone as the elution/dispersion solvent.

Stabilization/solidification of fly ashes and concrete production from bottom and circulating ashes produced in a power plant working under mono and co-combustion conditions.

Two combustion tests were performed in a fluidized bed combustor of a thermo-electric power plant: (1) combustion of coal; (2) co-combustion of coal (68.7% w/w), sewage sludge (9.2% w/w) and meat and bone meal (MBM) (22.

Validated dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for analysis of organophosphorous pesticides in water.

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) combined with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was applied to the determination of six organophosphorous pesticides (OPPs) in water samples. The analytes included in this study were prophos, diazinon, chlorpyrifos methyl, methyl parathion, fenchlorphos and chlorpyrifos. Several extraction and dispersion solvents were tested for dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction of these analytes and the best results were obtained using chloroform as extraction solvent and 2-propanol as dispersion solvent.

Penicillium chrysogenum var. halophenolicum, a new halotolerant strain with potential in the remediation of aromatic compounds in high salt environments.

A halotolerant phenylacetate-degrading fungus Penicillium CLONA2, previously isolated from a salt mine at Algarve (Portugal), was identified as a variant of P. chrysogenum using the ITS-5,8S rDNA and the D1/D2 domain of 28S rDNA sequences. The metabolic features and genetic characteristics suggest that this strain belongs to a subgroup of P.

Resorcinol degradation by a Penicillium chrysogenum strain under osmotic stress: mono and binary substrate matrices with phenol.

A phenol-degrading Penicillium chrysogenum strain previously isolated from a salt mine was able to grow at 1,000 mg l(-1) of resorcinol on solid medium. The aerobic degradation of resorcinol by P. chrysogenum CLONA2 was studied in batch cultures in minimal mineral medium with 58.

Co-combustion of coal and sewage sludge: chemical and ecotoxicological properties of ashes.

The co-combustion of sewage sludge (SS) and coal is widely used for the treatment and thermal valorization of SS produced in wastewater treatment plants. The chemical and ecotoxicological properties of the ashes produced in this thermal treatment have not been fully studied. Two combustion tests were performed in a fluidized bed combustor.