Hydrolytic enzyme production from açai palm (Euterpe precatoria) endophytic fungi and characterization of the amylolytic and cellulolytic extracts.

Enzymes are biocatalysts that are widely used in different industries and generate billions of dollars annually. With the advancement of biotechnology, new enzymatic sources are being evaluated, especially microbial ones, in order to find efficient producers. Endophytic fungi are promising sources of biomolecules; however, Amazonian species are still poorly studied as to their enzymatic production potential.

Impact of biomass burning on a metropolitan area in the Amazon during the 2015 El Niño: The enhancement of carbon monoxide and levoglucosan concentrations.

Extreme droughts associated with changes in the climate have occurred every 5 years in the Amazon during the 21st century, with the most severe being in 2015. The increase in biomass burning (BB) events that occurred during the 2015 drought had several negative socioeconomic and environmental impacts, one of which was a decrease in the air quality. This study is an investigation into the air quality in the Manaus Metropolitan Region (MMR) (central Amazon, Brazil) during the dry (September to October) and wet (April to May) seasons of 2015 and 2016.

Increasing Isoprene Epoxydiol-to-Inorganic Sulfate Aerosol Ratio Results in Extensive Conversion of Inorganic Sulfate to Organosulfur Forms: Implications for Aerosol Physicochemical Properties.

Acid-driven multiphase chemistry of isoprene epoxydiols (IEPOX), key isoprene oxidation products, with inorganic sulfate aerosol yields substantial amounts of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) through the formation of organosulfur compounds. The extent and implications of inorganic-to-organic sulfate conversion, however, are unknown. In this article, we demonstrate that extensive consumption of inorganic sulfate occurs, which increases with the IEPOX-to-inorganic sulfate concentration ratio (IEPOX/Sulf), as determined by laboratory measurements.