The presence of plastic waste in water bodies has led to a growing concern due to the impact on human health. Among the most important plastic additive molecules is bisphenol-A (BPA). On the other hand, micro-pollutant removal processes that make use of agro-industrial waste have aroused the interest of researchers. This is because the accumulation of lignocellulosic materials is also an environmental problem. The objective of this work is to use corncob agro-industrial residue (CC) as an adsorbent in the removal of BPA in aqueous matrix. The adsorption studies were carried out in reaction media containing the ground vegetable fiber and BPA solution in concentrations of 10, 25 and 50 mg L-1, as well as at pHs 3, 5, 7 and 9. Isotherms models and kinetic models were evaluated. The results showed that CC is a potent BPA adsorbent in aqueous solution, leading to about 90% of removal. The adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second order model and isotherm that best suited was the Lagmuir model, and the maximum adsorption capacity was 51.25 mgper gram of adsorbent fiber, after 20 min of contact. The thermogravimetric analysis allowed us to conclude that CC is a material resistant to high temperatures, due to the presence of a considerable amount of lignin. Finally, the best results of BPA removal efficiency by CC compared to activated carbon corroborate its high biosorption capacity.

RESUMO As análises da água, na perspectiva da química, são realizadas, normalmente, a partir da definição dos parâmetros a serem analisados e sobre as técnicas para determinação da concentração. Desse modo, considera-se essa abordagem essencialmente cartesiana, que engessa outras possibilidades, tais como o conhecimento de outras áreas da ciência, assim como o conhecimento de fatores sociais, econômicos e de políticas públicas. Portanto, este trabalho de revisão bibliográfica pretendeu apresentar uma visão mais próxima do pensamento sistêmico e da interdisciplinaridade aplicada à análise química, com a finalidade de gerar uma discussão mais integrada sobre a análise de agrotóxicos. Os resultados revelam que a legislação ambiental brasileira sobre gestão de recursos hídricos é omissa em alguns aspectos, ainda não é plenamente aplicada em razão das carências na fiscalização e que há deficiências de integração e interação entre os diversos agentes públicos: universidades e instituições de pesquisa, agências reguladoras e demais órgãos do Poder Executivo.

ABSTRACT Water analysis, from a chemical perspective, is usually performed based on the definition of the parameters to be analyzed and on the techniques for determining the concentration. Thus, this essentially Cartesian approach is considered, which engenders other possibilities, such as knowledge of other areas of science, as well as knowledge of social, economic, and public policy factors. Therefore, this bibliographic review work aims to present a closer view of systemic thinking and interdisciplinarity applied to chemical analysis, with the purpose of generating a more integrated discussion about the analysis of pesticides. The results show that the Brazilian environmental legislation on water resources management is not yet fully implemented due to the lack of surveillance; moreover, there is a lack of integration and interaction between the various public agents: universities and research institutions, regulatory agencies, and other branches of the executive power.

Due to the ability to catalyze the oxidation of several substrates, the enzyme laccase has been used in several applications, among them the bioremediation of emerging pollutants. This work evaluate the capacity of the cocoa agro-industrial residue to induce the production of Pycnoporus sanguineus laccase and to apply the enzymatic extract in the biodegradation of 17-α-ethinylestradiol (EE2). The macro and micronutrient levels of the cocoa residue were previously evaluated to establish correlations with induction of enzymatic production. The fungus was cultured for 7 days at 28 °C and shaking at 150 rpm. For the biodegradation, the enzymatic extract of laccase was added to the solution of EE2 and the percentage of removal was evaluated. The production of enzyme extract was notably increased by the addition of only 1% (m v−1) of agro-industrial cocoa residue. Laccase activity reached 3920 U mL−1 on the 7th day of cultivation, being superior to the positive control (511 U mL−1). The percentage of EE2 removal was 63% after 4 h, and after 8 h of reaction the EE2 concentration was below the limit of detection (LOD, 0.35 µg mL−1). Analysis showed the presence of kojic acid in the enzyme extract, constituting a powerful redox mediator, capable of enhancing the action of laccase.

ABSTRACT One of the most prominent fields of environmental chemistry is the study and the removal of micro-pollutants from aqueous matrices. Analytical techniques for their identification and quantification are becoming more sensitive and comprehensive and, as a result, an increasing number of drugs have been detected in environmental samples. However, the literature shows that conventional treatments for drinking water and wastewater are not sufficient for remove these compounds. This study aims to check whether the process of hydrothermal carbonization (CHT) is effective in removing the synthetic sex hormones: ethinyl estradiol, gestodene and cyproterone acetate from aqueous samples. The system used in CHT basically consists of a pressurized reactor made of stainless steel and solutions of compounds of interest, both individual and mixed, with a concentration of 1.0 μg.L-1 and a pH range of 2.0 to 3.0. The maximum surface temperature in the reactor was about 180 °C, the internal pressure was 20 bar with 90 minutes for the reaction. Four experiments were conducted, one for each hormone and one with the three hormones together. In individual tests removal of the compounds was found to be 99.8% for ethinyl estradiol, 99.3% for gestodene and 100% for cyproterone acetate. For a mixture of the hormones treated under the same conditions, the mean values of CHT-removal of Ethinylestradiol, Gestodene and Cyproterone Acetate were 99.60%, 96.80% and 68.90%, respectively. The impact of the matrix effect may have affected the efficiency of the hormone removal process by CHT.

The objective of this work is to demonstrate the efficient utilization of the Principal Components Analysis (PCA) as a method to pre-process the original multivariate data, that is rewrite in a new matrix with principal components sorted by it's accumulated variance. The Artificial Neural Network (ANN) with backpropagation algorithm is trained, using this pre-processed data set derived from the PCA method, representing 90.02% of accumulated variance of the original data, as input. The training goal is modeling Dissolved Oxygen using information of other physical and chemical parameters. The water samples used in the experiments are gathered from the Paraíba do Sul River in São Paulo State, Brazil. The smallest Mean Square Errors (MSE) is used to compare the results of the different architectures and choose the best. The utilization of this method allowed the reduction of more than 20% of the input data, which contributed directly for the shorting time and computational effort in the ANN training.

O uso de fungos na descoloração de corantes com métodos economicamente viáveis de produção de água bacteriologicamente segura há muito vem sendo descrito por diversos autores. Este trabalho teve por objetivo investigar a eficiência da remoção de corante artificial FD&C azul no 2 Indigotina, com uso do fungo de degradação branca Trametes versicolor em combinação com a filtração lenta. Para a realização dos trabalhos, foram instalados dois protótipos de filtros lentos denominados FL-A e FL-B - no sobrenadante do filtro FL-A foi inoculado o referido fungo, e o filtro FL-B foi utilizado como controle (sem inoculação do microrganismo). O melhor percentual de remoção do corante pelo fungo Trametes versicolor em combinação com a filtração lenta foi de 44,74% 24 horas após a atividade máxima registrada de lacase. Os resultados mostraram que a filtração lenta combinada com o tratamento com o fungo T. versicolor não apresenta grande potencial para remoção de cor em 21 dias de tratamento, visto que os produtos microbianos gerados interferem no processo de filtração, diminuindo a eficiência do processo físico. Entretanto, restringindo o tempo de tratamento a 24 horas após a atividade enzimática máxima, o tratamento combinado apresentou boa eficiência.

The use of fungi in the decolorization of dyes with economically viable methods of producing bacteriologically safe water has long been described by several authors. This study aimed to investigate the removal efficiency of artificial coloring FD&C Blue no 2 Indigo, using the degradation white fungus Trametes versicolor in combination with slow sand filtration. Two prototype filters slowly termed FL-A and FL-B were installed - the supernatant water of filter FL-A was inoculated with the fungus, while filter FL-B was used as control. The best percentage of dye removal by the fungus Trametes versicolor in combination with the slow sand filtration was 44.74% achieved 24 hours after the maximum laccase activity. The results show that the combination of the fungus T. versicolorwith slow sand filtration treatment presents no great potential for color removal at 21 days of treatment, whereas microbial products generated interfere with the filtration process, lowering the efficiency of the physical process. However, with the restriction of the handling time into 24 hours after the maximum enzymatic activity, combined treatment showed good efficiency.

Indústrias farmacêuticas, têxteis e alimentícias são umas das responsáveis por grande parte da carga de poluentes lançados no meio ambiente. Pesquisa de substâncias possivelmente presentes no efluente da indústria farmacêutica é justificada pela possibilidade de considerar um tratamento adequado para seus efluentes por meio de sua caracterização físico-química. Neste trabalho, as características físico-químicas de um efluente da indústria farmacêutica foram estudadas: concentrações de compostos fenólicos, metais pesados, fósforo total, nitrato, demanda química de oxigênio (DQO), oxigênio dissolvido (OD). O teste do micronúcleo in vivo foi realizado em camundongos Swiss, para a averiguação e possível genotoxicidade e mutagenicidade de um efluente farmacêutico do pólo farmacêutico de Anápolis - Goiás. Em todas as amostras coletadas, apenas os compostos fenólicos apresentaram concentrações acima dos valores estabelecidos pela Resolução CONAMA 430/2011. As altas concentrações de fenóis totais e a sinergia entre metais encontrados nos efluentes podem estar ligadas à mutagenicidade e genotoxicidade encontrada no efluente, visto que os resultados do teste de micronúcleo indicaram maior formação de micronúcleos quando os camundongos foram expostos ao efluente. Através dos resultados obtidos observou-se a necessidade da caracterização desses efluentes para a indicação do tratamento mais adequado.

The pharmaceutical, textile and food industry bear much of the responsibility for environmental pollution. In order to appropriately treat and mitigate the effects of pharmaceutical effluent, it is necessary to study it in order to determine its physical and chemical composition. In this work, the physicochemical characteristics of a pharmaceutical effluent were studied, to include the concentration of phenolic compounds, heavy metals, total phosphorus, nitrate, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and dissolved oxygen (DO). The in vivo micronucleus test was performed in mice, for investigation and possible genotoxicity and mutagenicity of the effluent from the pharmaceutical hub in Anápolis - Goiás. In all samples, only the phenolics showed concentrations above the values established by CONAMA Resolution 430/2011. The high concentrations of total phenols and synergy between metals found in wastewater can be linked to mutagenicity and genotoxicity found in the effluent, since the results of the micronucleus test indicated higher micronucleus formation when the mice were exposed to the effluent. The results of the study highlighted the necessity of characterizing these effluents in order to determine an appropriate treatment.

Se não for tratado de forma adequada e eficientemente, os resíduos produzidos pela indústria química podem contaminar o meio-ambiente. Utilizar fungos capazes de degradar compostos orgânicos (por exemplo, fenol), pode ser um método para tratar efluentes proeminentes de insústrias farmacêuticas, em particular, os fungos da podridão branca. O objetivo deste trabalho foi tratar um efluente farmacêutico pelo fungo Pycnoporus sanguineus. Três amostras de efluentes foram coletadas em uma indústria farmacêutica. A produção de enzimas como a lacase e manganês peroxidase foi determinado. A sua produção durante o tratamento com o fungo P. sanguineus atingiu concentrações máximas de 4,48 U.mL-1 (Efluente 1), 8,16 U.mL-1 (Efluente 2), 2,8 U.mL-1 (Efluente 3) e 0,03 Abs.min-1 (efluente 2), respectivamente, durante 96 horas de tratamento biológico. Efeitos genotóxicos dos efluentes brutos e tratados também foram investigados usando o ensaio em que foi avaliada a formação de micronúcleos (MN) na medula óssea de camundongos. Os resultados mostraram que o tratamento biológico reduziu a frequência de MN, de um modo dependente da dose, em comparação com amostras não tratadas. A diminuição de cerca de 20% e 45% da concentração de compostos fenólicos foi observada em todo o tratamento, o que confirma que a produção de lacase pode ser relacionada com a degradação de compostos tóxicos presentes no efluente. Por conseguinte, a biodegradação do fungo P. sanguineus parece um método promissor para a mineralização de compostos recalcitrantes presentes em efluentes farmacêuticos.

If not properly and efficiently treated, wastes produced by the chemical industry can contaminate the environment. Using fungi able to degrade organic compounds (e.g. phenol) seems to be a prominent method to treat pharmaceutical wastewaters, in particular, the white-rot fungus. The aim of this work was to treat pharmaceutical effluent by the Pycnoporus sanguineus fungus. Three effluent samples were collected in a pharmaceutical industry. The production of enzymes such as laccase and manganese peroxidase was determined. Their production increased throughout the treatment with the P. sanguineus fungus, reaching maximum concentration of 4.48 U.mL-1 (Effluent 1), 8.16 U.mL-1 (Effluent 2), 2.8 U.mL-1 (Effluent 3) and 0.03 Abs.min-1 (Effluent 2), respectively, during 96 hours of biological treatment. Genotoxic effects of the raw and treated effluents were also investigated using the in vivo mouse bone marrow micronucleus (MN) assay. Results showed the biological treatment reduced the frequency of MN, in a dose-dependent manner, when compared to untreated sample. The decreasing of around 20% and 45% of phenolics concentration was observed throughout the treatment, confirming that laccase production can be related to the degradation of toxic compounds present in the effluent. Therefore, the biodegradation by the P. sanguineus fungus seems a promising method for the mineralization of recalcitrant compounds present in pharmaceutical effluents.

This paper describes an approach for the colour-based classification of RGB (red-green-blue) images, acquired using a common scanner, of commercial carbonated soft drinks. Mean histograms of image colour channels were evaluated for the PCA classification of 29 brands of Guaraná, Cola, and orange flavors. Loadings for principal component axes resulted in different patterns for sample grouping on score plots according to RGB histograms. pH, sorbic acid and sucrose measurements were also correlated to the analyzed brands through PCA score plots of the digitalized images.

The objective of this work was to accomplish the simultaneous determination of some chemical elements by Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) Spectroscopy through multivariate calibration in several sample types. The multivariate calibration models were: Back Propagation neural network, Levemberg-Marquardt neural network and Radial Basis Function neural network, fuzzy modeling and Partial Least Squares Regression. The samples were soil standards, plant standards, and mixtures of lead and sulfur salts diluted in silica. The smallest Root Mean Square errors (RMS) were obtained with Back Propagation neural networks, which solved main EDXRF problems in a better way.