An evaluation was made to determine the effect of the glycerides presence resulting from the incomplete conversion of soybean biodiesel produced via alkaline catalysis and ethylic route on engine performance, and emissions in formulations containing 10 and 20% (m/m) of biodiesel used as additives in base diesel with low sulfur content and cetane ratings of 45 and 50. By way of comparison, similar formulations were used with soybean biodiesel methyl route with low concentration of glycerides. Tests on a diesel cycle engine with a mechanical fuel injection system indicated that the presence of glycerides decreases the volatility of biodiesel and increase the cetane number of fuels. The higher the cetane number, the higher the particulate matter emissions and the lower the unburned hydrocarbon emissions. Formulations with cetane number 50 showed higher emissions of particulate matter. The presence of glycerides in biodiesel reduces the fuel's vapor pressure, thereby increasing the cetane number and emissions of particulate matter and lower emissions of unburned hydrocarbons. The specific consumption of fuels formulated with biodiesel increases due to its lower enthalpy of combustion and to the presence of glycerides in fuels formulated with soybean biodiesel produced via the ethanol route.

An alternative system was tested for the determination of CO2 in air using recyclable materials. The results indicate that the proposed system allows for reliable, accurate, robust and efficient collection, comparable to the standard gravimetric method. Laboratory wastes are easily treated using a filtrate that can be discharged into the sewer and solids that can be reused. The proposed system is a simple and low-cost tool that encompasses important aspects of environmental education, which should be part of the education in chemistry of undergraduate students and technicians.

The specific consumption and carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxide (NO) emissions from gasolines formulated with ethanol, methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and tert-amyl ethyl ether (TAEE) were evaluated in the rich, stoichiometric and lean-burn regions during the operation of an Otto-cycle engine. The use of ethanol as an additive presented high specific consumption, while gasoline formulated with TAEE showed low specific consumption with the engine operating under lean-burn conditions. The ethers evaluated here presented a low percentage of CO in the rich-burn region when compared with ethanol.

Este artigo apresenta um procedimento para determinar a condutividade térmica de gases através de injeção por pulso, utilizando um detector de condutividade térmica (TCD). As medidas foram efetuadas à 323K e pressão atmosférica, com um sensor de filamento de tungstênio de 160 ômega. Através de aproximações bem definidas, foi possível transformar uma equação de segunda ordem não-linear, que descreve a saída do sensor como uma função de condutividade térmica e calor específico a volume constante (Cv), em uma equação linear de primeira ordem. De acordo com esta equação, o sinal elétrico do sensor, elevado ao quadrado e integrado em função do tempo, multiplicado pelo Cv, é proporcional a razão do Cv pela condutividade térmica. Os resultados experimentais obtidos com os gases Ar, N2, O2, CH4, CO2, C2H4, C3H6 e i-C4H8 estão de acordo com o modelo teórico proposto e a correlação de linearidade confirma a validade do método proposto.

This paper presents a procedure to determine the thermal conductivity of gases by pulse injection, using a thermal conductivity detector (TCD). The measurements are taken at 323K and atmospheric pressure with a 160 omega tungsten filament sensor. Under well defined approximations the original nonlinear second order equation, which describes the sensors output, as a function of thermal conductivity and constant volume specific heat was transformed into a linear first order equation. According to this equation the time integrated, second order sensors electrical output signal, multiplied by the constant volume heat capacity is proportional to the constant volume heat capacity, divided by the thermal conductivity. The experimental results obtained with Ar, N2, O2, CH4, CO2, C2H4, C3H6 and i-C4H8 gases are in good agreement with the proposed theoretical model and the linearity correlation confirms the validity of the proposed method.