Thermal stability and kinetic parameters of commercial edible oils were investigated by non-isothermal thermogravimetry/derivative thermogravimetry (TG/DTG). Kinetic parameters were calculated by integral and approximation methods. Results obtained indicated that these parameters were dependent on composition of fatty acids, being influenced by the presence of natural and artificial antioxidants. According to the thermogravimetric curves, the following thermal stability sequence was suggested: corn . sunflower . soybean . rice . soybean 1 olive . sunflower 1 olive . canola . olive; while the activation energy indicated the following stability order: sunflower . corn . soybean . rice . soybean 1 olive . canola . sunflower 1 olive . olive.

This communication describes a general method for templating fungal filaments with gold nanoparticles that results in a gold replica of filaments after calcination of the biological template.

The use of vermicompost (humified material) for treating wastewaters, remediating polluted soils, improving agricultural productivity, protecting crop production, and developing sensitive analytical methods is reviewed here, covering the past 17 years. The main advantages of vermicompost, considering all applications covered in this paper, comprise (i) easy acquisition, (ii) low costs, (iii) structural, chemical, and biological characteristics responsible for exceptional adsorptive capacities as well as pollutant degradation, and (iv) the promotion of biocontrol. Specifically, for wastewater decontamination, a considerable number of works have verified the adsorption of toxic metals, but the application of vermicompost is still scarce for the retention of organic compounds. Problems related to the final disposal of enriched vermicompost (after treatment steps) are often found, in spite of some successful destinations such as organic fertilizer. For decontaminating soils, the use of vermicompost is quite scarce, mainly for inorganic pollutants. In agricultural productivity and biocontrol, vermicompost imparts remarkable benefits regarding soil aggregation, plant nutrition, and the development of beneficial microorganisms against phytopathogens. Finally, the use of vermicompost in sensitive analytical methods for quantifying toxic metals is the newest application of this adsorbent.

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