Oily waste from sanitation processes was characterized for its potential use in the generation of biofuels. The waste residues studied showed high levels of oil and grease, reaching up to 87% (m/m) in a grease trap of a food company, showing that these residues can be utilized for the production of biofuels. The results revealed high levels of moisture and saponification as well as high levels of free fatty acids (FFA). Analysis of chromatographic profiles (HPLC) showed great heterogeneity of the fatty acids contained in the sample, and a predominance of palmitic, oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids.

Blooms of cyanobacteria represent a public health risk due to their cyanotoxins such as microcystins. Liquid chromatography techniques to separate and quantify microcystins invariably use acetonitrile as the organic component of the mobile phase. The price and availability of acetonitrile together with its elevated toxicity encourage the validation of acetonitrile-free methods of microcystin analysis. In this work, methanol was employed as the organic solvent of the mobile phase and the validation method was performed with different environmental water samples. The method showed limits of detection between 0.17 and 0.25 µg/L and of quantification between 0.55 and 0.82 µg/L for the microcystin variants: -RR, -YR, -LR, -LA.

Nesse estudo foi avaliado a dinâmica de redução de sulfato e da geração de sulfeto dissolvido (S², HS-, H2Saq) na fase líquida de um reator UASB tratando esgoto sanitário tipicamente doméstico com baixa relação DQO/sulfato. Para isso foram coletadas amostras do afluente e efluente, além de três alturas (0,25 m, 1,25 m e 2,25 m) ao longo do reator. Durante todo experimento foi observada redução de sulfato no reator UASB, com um valor médio de 24%. Entretanto, a concentração de sulfeto dissolvido no efluente do reator não foi maior que 5,0 mg Sdiss/L. O modelo cinético de primeira ordem apresentou um bom ajuste para descrever a redução de sulfato sob diferentes relações DQO/sulfato, com o valor de K1app entre 2.94x10-5 s-1 e 1.17x10-5 s-1 com coeficiente de correlação para os dados superior a 91%. A taxa máxima observada de redução de sulfato foi de 18.0 mg SO4(2-)/L.h-1 e pequenas variações na relação DQO/sulfato promoveu uma mudança significativa tanto na concentração de sulfato como na de sulfeto dissolvido.

In this study, the dynamics of sulfate reduction and dissolved sulfide generation (S2-, HS-, H2Saq) in liquid phase was evaluated in an UASB reactor treating domestic wastewater with low COD/Sulfate content. The evaluation in the UASB reactor was performed at three sludge heights (0.25, 1.25, 2.25 taps) and effluent of the reactor. Sulfate reduction was verified in the reactor, with an average reduction of 24 % throughout the experiment period. However, the dissolved sulfide concentration in the reactor was not higher than 5.0 mg Sdiss/L. The kinetic model of first order showed good fit to describe the sulfate reduction under different COD/sulfate ratio, with K1app between 2.94x10-5 s-1 and 1.17x10-5 s-1 with correlation coefficients for data over 91%. The maximum rate to sulfate reduction was 18.0 mg SO4(2-)/L.h-1 and small variation in COD/sulfate ratio promotes a significant change both in sulfate and sulfide concentrations.

We characterized indigenous common bean rhizobia from five districts of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The isolates were trapped by two common bean varieties, the Mineiro Precoce (Andean origin) and Ouro Negro (Mesoamerican origin). Analysis by BOX-PCR of selected isolates detected a high level of genetic diversity.

Foliar analysis of biochemical parameters were carried out in order to investigate the influence of air pollutants on two tropical tree species (Licania tomentosa (Benth.) and Bauhinia forfícata (Link.)). Special attention was given to tropospheric ozone due to the fact that concentration levels in the region were found to be up to 140 µg m-3 for a 4 h average time, which is well above the value that can cause injuries to orchides and tobacco (59 µg m-3). Other pollutants such as nitrogen and sulphur oxides were measured and their ambient concentrations were also associated to biochemical alterations in the investigated species.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a capacidade de nodulação e a especificidade de feijão (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) dos conjuntos gênicos andino e meso-americano submetidos a inóculo de Rhizobium. O experimento foi estabelecido em parcelas subdivididas em blocos ao acaso, com quatorze cultivares de feijão e três estirpes de Rhizobium (R. etli KIM 5, R. etli CIAT 632 e R. tropici CIAT 899). Somente as cultivares andinas WAF 15, WAF 7, Mineiro Precoce, WAF 6 e Antioquia 8 apresentaram especificidade na nodulação. Em relação à massa seca dos nódulos, houve diferenças significativas dos tratamentos de inoculação nas cultivares andinas WAF 15, WAF 7, WAF 6 e Diacol Andino, e na cultivar meso-americana Ouro Negro. Nenhuma das cultivares restringiu a nodulação, embora tenham sido verificadas diferenças de até 53 e 103 vezes no número e massa de nódulos por planta, respectivamente. Considerando todas as cultivares e estirpes de rizóbio, WAF 15 foi a cultivar com melhor desempenho em número e massa nodular. WAF 6 foi a cultivar de pior desempenho, chegando quase ao nível de restrição da nodulação com a estirpe R. etli CIAT 632.

The objective of this work was to determine the capacity and specificity for nodulation in dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivars, arising from Andean or Mesoamerican germplasm, inoculated with Rhizobium. The experiment was a factorial 14x3 in a randomized block design with fourteen dry bean cultivars and three strains of Rhizobium (R. etli KIM 5, R. etli CIAT 632 and R. tropici CIAT 899). Only five cultivars (WAF 15, WAF 7, Mineiro Precoce, WAF 6 and Antioquia 8), all from the Andean germplasm, demonstrated nodulation specificity. In relation to the nodules' dry weight, the values revealed significative difference when comparing the inoculation treatments of the Andean cultivars WAF 15, WAF 7, WAF 6 and Diacol Andino as well as the Mesoamerican cultivar Ouro Negro. None of the cultivars completely eliminated nodulation by the less compatible Rhizobium strains, but the differences in number of nodules per plant and the nodule dry weight among inoculation with the highly specific strains and the non-specific strains was 53 and 103 times greater, respectively. Considering all of the combinations of bean cultivars and Rhizobium strains, cultivar WAF 15 was the most responsive to nodulation and demonstrated superior growth and nodule number, while cultivar WAF 6 inoculated with CIAT 632 grew very little with practically no nodulation.

Marcadores RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA) foram usados para avaliar a diversidade genética entre 19 cultivares de feijão (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Dos cento e oito locos de RAPD obtidos de 15 primers decâmeros, 70 foram polimórficos. Para estimar a distância genética foi usado o coeficiente de similaridade de Jaccard e as análises de agrupamento foram feitas pelos métodos UPGMA e Tocher. As análises de agrupamento confirmaram a ampla diversidade genética existente entre germoplasmas tropicais de feijão, separando as cultivares em dois grupos principais, correspondendo aos centros de domesticação Andino (genótipos de sementes médias e grandes) e Mesoamericano (genótipos de sementes pequenas). No grupo Andino, a diversidade genética relativa foi maior do que no Mesoamericano.

RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA) markers were used to evaluate the genetic diversity among 19 common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivars. Amplifications using 15 decamers primers revealed 108 RAPD loci, 70 of which were polymorphic. The relative genetic distance was estimated using the complement of Jaccard's coefficient and grouping analyses were derived from UPGMA and Tocher. These two grouping analyses confirmed the broad genetic diversity among the common bean tropical germplasm, which was divided into two main groups. These groups correspond to the Andean (genotypes with medium and large size seeds) and Mesoamerican (genotypes with small seeds) domestication centers. The relative genetic diversity was greater among the Andean cultivars than that of the Mesoamerican cultivars.

A sensibilidade, in vitro, de amostras de Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus sp. coagulase negativos, Streptococcus agalactiae e bactérias do grupo dos coliformes, isoladas do leite de vacas com mastite, a diferentes extratos de própolis, na concentração de 100 mg/ml, foi avaliada pela técnica do antibiograma em discos de papel de filtro com sobrecamada de meio de cultura. Os resultados mostraram que o extrato etanólico de própolis comercial, os extratos etanólico e, em menor proporção, o metanólico inibiram o crescimento das amostras de bactérias Gram-positivas, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus sp. coagulase negativos e Streptococcus agalactiae. Os extratos obtidos através da água, do acetato de etila e do clorofórmio não inibiram nenhuma amostra bacteriana, assim como os veículos etanol e metanol puros utilizados como controle. A bactéria Gram-negativa testada, do tipo coliforme, não apresentou sensibilidade a nenhum dos extratos. Verificaram-se diferenças significativas (p < 0,05) na sensibilidade aos extratos entre amostras bacterianas de uma mesma espécie, mas de origens diferentes. Nas amostras de Streptococcus agalactiae, os diâmetros dos halos de inibição do crescimento bacteriano ao redor do disco foram maiores que aqueles observados para as amostras de Staphylococcus aureus e Staphylococcus sp. coagulase negativos. Todos estes resultados estimulam o prosseguimento de novas pesquisas sobre a utilização de extratos de própolis, em veículos adequados, com vistas ao tratamento da mastite bovina.

In vitro, the sensitivity to different propolis extracts, at a concentration of 100 mg/ml, of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus sp. coagulase negative, Streptococcus agalactiae and bacteria of the coliform group, isolated from the milk of cows with mastitis, was evaluated using the technique of an agar disk diffusion with a medium doublelayer. The results showed that the commercial propolis, the ethanolic extract, and, in a minor proportion, the methanolic extract inhibited the growth of the Gram positive bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus sp. coagulase negative and Streptococcus agalactiae. The extracts obtained through water, etila acetate and chloroform did not inhibit any bacterial strains, nor did the pure ethanol and methanol vehicles that were utilized as controls. The Gram negative bacterium tested, from the coliform group, did not show sensitivity to any extract. Bacterial strains of the same species collected from different sources presented significant differences in sensitivity to the extracts (p < 0.05). In the Streptococcus agalactiae samples, the diameters of the zone of inhibition around the disks were bigger than those observed for samples of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus sp. coagulase negative. The results of this experiment stimulate the continuation of studies on the use of propolis extracts, by means of using the appropriate vehicles for the treatment of bovine mastitis.