Changes in physicochemical properties of biodiesel after degradation and remediation

Biodiesel is the main substitute for petrodiesel being constituted by several alkyl esters including unsaturated compounds. It can undergo partial oxidation when stored for long periods and transported over long distances. The aims of this study were to analyze the impact of the oxidation process on the physicochemical properties of biodiesel and its remediation through distillation and esterification. Due to its high susceptibility to oxidation, sunflower biodiesel was used as a model. Specific mass, cloud point, cold filter plugging point, oxidation stability and iodine value were the properties analyzed. The results revealed that the treatments affected each sample differently, and in some cases the product after remediation had properties close to or even better than the initial biodiesel. The results reported here indicate that although biodiesel undergoes degradation during storage and transport, this does not mean the affected fuel cannot be marketed. Some important properties can be recovered with simple treatment.     

Input of geophysics to understand hydrogeology towards the assessment of geoenvironmental conditions in Beira city,Mozambique

As the fourth largest city in Mozambique, and located right beside the Indian Ocean, Beira faces sanitary and environmental problems that are a strong concern to the local and national authorities. One of the major problems that Beira city has to deal with is the existence of undrinkable groundwater in many dug-wells that supply a large amount of the city population. The cooperation project among Direcção Nacional de Geologia of Mozambique, the Laboratório Nacional de Energia e Geologia of Portugal and the Instituto de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Português that took place from 2007 to 2011 has as one of its main goals the production of the Geological and Geoenvironmental Maps of Beira at scale 1:50,000, intending to create a tool to support the implementation of governmental policies regarding sustainable groundwater and natural resources exploitations, land management and environmental protection. These goals were achieved through the identification, characterization and mapping of the different geological units and the evaluation of the city environmental problems regarding water and soil contamination in urban areas, involving the use of several methodologies that were subsequently integrated and jointly interpreted. These comprised remote sensing techniques, hydrogeology analysis and evaluation and the use of geochemistry and electrical geophysical methods. This work emphasizes the input of geophysical and hydrogeological methods to assess the geoenvironmental conditions of Beira, namely those related with the prediction of occurrence of saline and brackish water in the shallow dug-wells that supply a large amount of Beira populations, especially in the crowded suburbs. Several geophysical surveys using electrical and electromagnetic methods were conducted and interpreted regarding the evaluation of the several hypotheses that were stood for this feature. Results are related with hydrogeological conditions and organic and inorganic hydrochemical analysis. Considering these facts, this study was an important input for mapping areas with saline and brackish water imprisoned in the subsurface geological formations, using a wider set of methodologies that were integrated in these results.     

Detection of integron integrase genes on King George Island,Antarctica

The presence and diversity of class 1 integrase gene (intI) sequences were evaluated by PCR using previously designed primers. Two clone libraries were constructed from DNA in sediment and microbial ma...     

On the production of traveling ionospheric disturbances by atmospheric gravity waves

This paper deals with how atmospheric gravity waves produce the traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) that are observed by ionosondes. It is shown that, rather than directly producing variations of ionospheric height, a likely mechanism involves changes in ionization density by gradients in the horizontal atmospheric gravity wave air motion. These density changes can be observed as variations of the height of an ionospheric isodensity surface (the usual way of measuring TIDs). This mechanism involving enhancement/depletion of ionospheric density requires quite moderate atmospheric gravity wave air motion speeds, and works well at almost all latitudes.     

Groundwater and surface water connectivity within the recharge area of Guarani aquifer system during El Niño 2014–2016

Recharge areas of the Guarani Aquifer System (GAS) are particularly sensitive and vulnerable to climate variability; therefore, the understanding of infiltration mechanisms for aquifer recharge and surface run‐off generation represent a relevant issue for water resources management in the southeastern portion of the Brazilian territory, particularly in the Jacaré‐Pepira River watershed. The main purpose of this study is to understand the interactions between precipitation, surface water, and groundwater using stable isotopes during the strong 2014–2016 El Niño Southern Oscillation event. The large variation in the isotopic composition of precipitation (from ?9.26‰ to +0.02‰ for δ¹⁸O and from ?63.3‰ to +17.6‰ for δ²H), mainly associated with regional climatic features, was not reflected in the isotopic composition of surface water (from ?7.84‰ to ?5.83‰ for δ¹⁸O and from ?49.7‰ to +33.6‰ for δ²H), mainly due to the monthly sampling frequency, and groundwater (from ?7.04‰ to ?7.76‰ for δ¹⁸O and from ?49.5‰ to ?44.7‰ for δ²H), which exhibited less variation throughout the year. However, variations in deuterium excess (d‐excess) in groundwater and surface water suggest the occurrence of strong secondary evaporation during the infiltration process, corresponding with groundwater level recovery. Similar isotopic composition in groundwater and surface water, as well as the same temporal variations in d‐excess and line‐conditioned excess denote the strong connectivity between these two reservoirs during baseflow recession periods. Isotopic mass balance modelling and hydrograph separation estimate that the groundwater contribution varied between 70% and 80%, however, during peak flows, the isotopic mass balance tends to overestimate the groundwater contribution when compared with the other hydrograph separation methods. Our findings indicate that the application of isotopic mass balance methods for ungauged rivers draining large groundwater reservoirs, such as the GAS outcrop, could provide a powerful tool for hydrological studies in the future, helping in the identification of flow contributions to river discharge draining these areas.     

Lysimeter soil water balance evaluation for an experiment developed in the Southern Brazilian Atlantic Forest region

This study aims at monitoring the behaviour of the rainfall, runoff, drainage, soil water storage, and evapotranspiration variables involved in the water balance measured by lysimeter data. The evaluation of the water balance considered different time scales, where the components were monitored daily and in 10‐day accumulated period intervals. The results demonstrated that in wet periods the soil water content was greater at a depth of 10 cm, whereas in the dry periods a greater concentration was observed at 70 cm depth. At the depth of 30 cm, the lowest values of soil water content were observed for both wet and dry periods. The results, obtained through the use of tensiometers and time domain reflectometry installed internally and externally to the lysimeter, were very close, which was more noticeable during the periods of lower water loss by the soil. The water balance, calculated from the lysimeter data, demonstrated that 70% of the total rainfall was lost by the process of evapotranspiration. The drainage accounted for 27·5% of the precipitated water, highlighting the fact that this component should not be disregarded in the water balance calculation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Atmospheric wave propagations in the mesopause region observed by the OH(8,3) band,NaD, O2A(8645Å) band and OI 5577 Å nightglow emissions

Simultaneous measurements of the upper mesospheric NaD and OH(8,3) band emissions by meridional scanning photometers, and the OI 5577 Å, O₂ Atmospheric band at 8645 Å, NaD and OH(8,3) band emissions by multi-channel tilting filter type zenith photometers have been carried out at Cachoeira Paulista (22.7°S, 45.0°W), Brazil. On two nights during the period May–August 1983, the meridional scanning observations showed horizontal intensity gradients and phase propagations. The nocturnal intensity variations on one of these occasions 13–14 June 1983, which was a magnetically disturbed night with 4 ?k_p? 8, also showed vertical phase propagation. In this paper, we present these observations and discuss the possible effects of the horizontal wind system and of gravity wave propagation.     

Observations and model calculations of an additional layer in the topside ionosphere above Fortaleza, Brazil

Calculations using the Sheffield University plasmasphere ionosphere model have shown that under certain conditions an additional layer can form in the low latitude topside ionosphere. This layer (the F3 layer) has subsequently been observed in ionograms recorded at Fortaleza in Brazil. It has not been observed in ionograms recorded at the neighbouring station São Luis. Model calculations have shown that the F3 layer is most likely to form in summer at Fortaleza due to a combination of the neutral wind and theE × B drift acting to raise the plasma. At the location of São Luis, almost on the geomagnetic equator, the neutral wind has a smaller vertical component so the F3 layer does not form.     

Diurnal and seasonal variations of the oh (8, 3) airglow band and its correlation with OI 5577 Å

In this paper the results of OH (8,3) emission intensity and rotational temperature measurements made in the Brazilian sector (23°S) from 1972 to 1974 are presented. Diurnal variations of both the parameters are found to fall into distinct classes, showing significant seasonal effects. A correlative study with the OI 5577 Å emission measured simultaneously is also presented. It is shown that both the phase and amplitude of the major part of the mean nocturnal intensity variations of the two emissions can be explained by the density and temperature perturbations caused by the solar semidiurnal tide. The OH emission is found to increase slightly during magnetic disturbances.     

High efficacy on diclofenac removal by activated carbon produced from potato peel waste

In the present study, a novel porous carbon obtained by K₂CO₃ activation of potato peel waste under optimized conditions was applied for the first time as liquid-phase adsorbent of sodium diclofenac in parallel with a commercial activated carbon. The biomass-activated carbon presented an apparent surface area of 866 m² g^?1 and well-developed microporous structure with a large amount of ultramicropores. The obtained carbon presented leaching and ecotoxicological properties compatible with its safe application to aqueous medium. Kinetic data of laboratory-made and commercial sample were best fitted by the pseudo-second-order model. The commercial carbon presented higher uptake of diclofenac, but the biomass carbon presented the higher adsorption rate which was associated with its higher hydrophilic nature which favoured external mass transfer. Both adsorbents presented adsorption isotherms that were best fitted by Langmuir model. The biomass carbon and the commercial carbon presented adsorption monolayer capacities of 69 and 146 mg g^?1, and Langmuir constants of 0.38 and 1.02 L mg^?1, respectively. The better performance of the commercial sample was related to its slightly higher micropore volume, but the most remarkable effect was the competition of water molecules in the biomass carbon.