Bandas de rodagem de sucatas de pneus apresentam baixos teores de cargas inorgânicas e grande quantidade de negro de fumo em sua formulação. Neste trabalho, esse material foi tratado com hidróxido de potássio e cloreto de zinco e, em seguida, realizou-se a pirólise a 500 e 700 °C. Foi investigado o desempenho dos produtos na remoção dos corantes azul de metileno e alaranjado de metila em condições ambientais de pH e concentração. Carbonos obtidos com KOH e pirólise a 700 °C apresentam uma melhor capacidade de adsorção. A simulação deste processo permitiu a caracterização dos gases que contribuem para o desenvolvimento da superfície. Os produtos obtidos apresentam estrutura mesoporosa e estreita distribuição no tamanho de partícula. A presença de contaminantes oriundos desses carbonos foi investigada em meio aquoso. A ausência de zinco e enxofre e o excelente desempenho para remoção de corantes fazem esses materiais úteis no tratamento de água.

Treads of scrap tires present low contents of inorganic fillers and a large amount of carbon black. In this work, this material was treated with potassium hydroxide and zinc chloride followed by pyrolysis at 500 and 700 °C. The ability to remove methylene blue and methyl orange were investigated under environmental conditions of pH and concentration. Carbons obtained with KOH at 700 °C present superior adsorption capacity. A simulation of this process permitted the characterization of the gases which contributed to surface development. The obtained products present a mesoporous structure and narrow particle size distribution. The presence of contaminants originated from these carbons was investigated in the aqueous media. The absence of zinc and sulfur releasing and the excellent ability to remove organic dye make these materials useful in the treatment of waste water.

We have produced nanocomposite films of Ni:SiO2 by an alternative polymeric precursor route. Films, with thickness of ~ 1000 nm, were characterized by several techniques including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, flame absorption atomic spectrometry, and dc magnetization. Results from the microstructural characterizations indicated that metallic Ni-nanoparticles with average diameter of ~ 3 nm are homogeneously distributed in an amorphous SiO2 matrix. Magnetization measurements revealed a blocking temperature T B ~ 7 K for the most diluted sample and the absence of an exchange bias suggesting that Ni nanoparticles are free from an oxide layer.