The energy crisis resulted in increasing awareness that alternative sources of energy should be considered. During this time, Brazil implemented ethanol production from sugarcane as biofuel. However, during this process, large amounts of residues are generated, such as vinasse. This residue can be treated anaerobically to generate methane as a source of bioenergy with the use of sequencing batch reactors operated with immobilized biomass (AnSBBR). In this work, tests were conducted in an AnSBBR laboratory-scale reactor, and the main results regarding the kinetic model fitting and performance of substrate consumption (83 %), methane content in the biogas (77 %), applied organic load (5.54 g COD L(-1) day(-1)), methane productivity (973 N-mL CH4 L(-1) day(-1)), and yield (9.47 mol CH4 kg COD(-1)) show that AnSBBR is a promising technological alternative. After tests conducted in a laboratory-scale reactor, an industrial reactor was scaled and was also operated in a sequencing batch with immobilized biomass (AnSBBR) for the anaerobic treatment of vinasse with the goal of generating methane and environmental suitability to further disposal in soil. The calculations were performed based on data from a sugar and alcohol plant located in São Paulo, Brazil. This study proposes to the operation of the industrial scale reactor was the association of four AnSBBR (each one with a volume of 15849 m(3)) operating in parallel (with a feeding and discharge time of 4 h and a reaction time of 8 h), with the goal of adapting the treatment system from a discontinuous operation to a continuous operation. In this industrial scenario, the methane production was estimated at 1.65 × 10(6) mol CH4 day(-1), and the energy was approximately 17 MW, increasing the possible energy recovery contained in sugarcane from 93 to 96 %.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a polysaccharide of alternating d-glucuronic acid and N-acetyl-d-glucosamine residues present in the extracellular matrix of connective, epithelial, and nervous tissues. Due to its singular hydrating, rheological and adhesive properties, HA has found numerous cosmetic and medical applications. However, techno-economic analyses of high value-added bioproducts such as HA are scarce in the literature. Here, we present a techno-economic analysis of a process for producing HA using Streptococcus zooepidemicus, simulated in SuperPro Designer. In the baseline scenario, HA is produced by batch fermentation, reaching 2.5 g/L after 24 h. It is then centrifuged, diafiltered, treated with activated carbon and precipitated with isopropanol. The product is suitable for topical formulations and its production cost was estimated as 1115 $/kg. A similar scenario, based on fed-batch culture and assuming a titer of 5.0 g/L, led to a lower cost of 946 $/kg. Moreover, in two additional scenarios, 10% of the precipitated HA is diverted to the production of a highly pure and high-molecular weight HA, suitable for injectable applications. These scenarios resulted in higher capital and operating costs, but also in higher profits, because HA for injectable use has a higher selling price that more than compensates for its higher production costs.
The bio-based production of aromatics is experiencing a renaissance with systems and synthetic biology approaches promising to deliver bio-catalysts that will reach yields, rates, and titers comparable to already existing bulk bio-processes for the production of amino acids for instance. However, aromatic building blocks derived from petrochemical routes have a huge economic advantage, they are cheap, and very cheap in fact. In this article, we are trying to shed light on an important aspect of biocatalyst development that is frequently overlooked when working on strain development: economic and environmental impact of the production process. We estimate the production cost and environmental impact of a microbial fermentation process depending on culture pH, carbon source and process scale. As a model molecule we use para-hydroxybenzoic acid (pHBA), but the results are readily transferrable to other shikimate derived aromatics with similar carbon yields and production rates.
Este artigo apresenta um estudo e uma aplicação prática de modelos internacionais de Tecnologia da Informação em um ambiente de tecnologia de uma das maiores instituições bancárias do país. Como instrumento de integração entre os modelos estudados e o ambiente real de TI, foi utilizada a abordagem de modelagem de processos, a qual auxilia de forma abrangente à gerencia da informação além de possibilitar a formalização do conhecimento.
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