Changes in phytochemical composition of Merlot grape and wine induced by the direct application of boron.

In this study the effect of the direct application of different concentrations of boron in grape bunches on the phytochemical composition of grapes and wine was evaluated. The experiment was carried out by direct application to the grape bunch of different concentrations (0, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 and 8.0 g/L) of boron solution, in two consecutive vintages, 2018 and 2019. The wines were elaborated by the same microvinification method. Histological analyzes by optical microscopy and phenolic profile by HPLC-DAD were performed on the grapes. The wines were analyzed by HPLC-DAD and ICP-MS for phenolic profile and elemental composition, respectively. Histological analyzes of the grape skin showed an increase in the presence of polyphenols in the cellular tissue of grapes treated with different concentrations of boron when compared to the control samples in both vintages. The addition of boron influenced the phenolic profile of the grapes, resulting in an increase in the content of anthocyanins and flavanols. Regarding to wines, the treatment of grapes by direct application of boron significantly influenced the chemical composition of wines. In 2018, the application of 2 g/L of boron showed a significant increase in the concentration of malvidin and delphinidin in wines. The application of 1 g/L showed the highest concentration of malvidin, delphinidin and peonidin in the 2019 vintage. The boron content increased in the wine samples according to the boron concentrations applied to the grape. Thus, it is possible to produce chemically distinct wines with the direct application of boron to the grapes.

Feasibility of calcium alginate beads to preconcentrate lead in river water samples prior to determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry.

Lead (Pb) is a potentially toxic element with significant environmental interest. Simple and sensitive analytical methods are necessary to allow determination of this element at trace levels using sample preparation procedures related to green chemistry. For this, calcium alginate beads (CA-beads), a low-cost and environmentally friendly biopolymer, have been proposed for extraction and preconcentration of Pb2+ in river water samples and determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). CA-beads were prepared and applied to extract and preconcentrate Pb2+ in river water samples, providing an enrichment factor (EF) of 50, enhancement factor (E) of 54, a detection limit of 2 µg L-1, and a relative standard deviation < 5%. The extraction of Pb2+ in CA-beads achieved good selectivity, with recoveries from 94.8 to 100.2% in real samples, demonstrating the good accuracy of the proposed method. The results were also compared to those obtained by ICP-MS. The reuse of CA-beads was evaluated for six cycles, and under these conditions, the extraction and preconcentration efficiency of Pb2+ were not significantly affected. The developed methodology was applied to determine Pb2+ in water samples from rivers that are part of the hydrographic areas of Tibagi and Pitangui Rivers, in which the Pb2+ concentration was less than 2 µg L-1, a concentration lower than that established by Brazilian legislation for class I and II rivers.

Comparision of photocatalysis and photolysis processes for arsenic oxidation in water.

The oxidation of As(III) to As(V) in aqueous solution was evaluated using heterogeneous photocatalysis and photolysis. The influence of TiO2 as catalyst in different crystalline (rutile, anatase) and commercial forms was evaluated in a batch reactor and an insignificant difference was observed between them. The process by photocatalysis reached up to 97% As(III) oxidation and no significant difference was observed comparing to results obtained by photolysis. The photolysis experiments (UV radiation only), also carried out in a batch system, showed a high oxidation rate of As(III) (90% in 20min). The influence of different matrices (well water, river water and public water supply) were evaluated. Additionally, the effect of As(V) concentration, generated during the oxidation process, was studied. Continuous photolysis experiments using only UV radiation were performed, resulting in a high As(III) oxidation rate. Using a flow rate of 5mLmin-1 and an initial concentration of As(III) 200µgL-1, gave an oxidation percentage of As(III) of up to 72%, showing a simple and economical alternative to the oxidation step of As(III) to As(V) in the treatment of water contaminated with arsenic.

Textile dye removal from aqueous solutions by malt bagasse: Isotherm, kinetic and thermodynamic studies.

The biosorption of orange solimax TGL 182% (OS-TGL) textile dye onto new and low cost biossorbent (malt bagasse) in aqueous solutions was investigated. The malt bagasse was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and specific surface area (BET method).Batch biosorption experiments were conducted in order to determine the following parameters: particles size, pH, agitation speed, temperature, contact time, biomass dosage, influence of the ionic strength and, finally, the influence of other textile dye on the OS-TGL biosorption. The optimum conditions for OS-TGL removal were obtained at pH 1.5, agitation speed of 150rpm, contact time of 180min and biomass dosage 2, 8gL(-1). The results show that the kinetics of biosorption followed a pseudo-second-order model and by increasing the temperature from 293 up to 313K, the biosorption capacity was improved. The Langmuir model showed better fit and the estimated biosorption capacity was 23.2mgg(-1). The negative values of Gibbs free energy, ΔG°, and positive value of enthalpy, ΔH°, confirm the spontaneous nature and endothermic character of the biosorption process. The results of the ionic strength effect indicated that the biosorption process under study had a strong tolerance in high salt concentrations. The removal capacity (>95%) was not affected with the presence of other textile dyes.

Determination of metals in Brazilian soils by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

The concentration of metals in Brazilian soil under no-tillage (NT) and an area under native vegetation (NV) was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The applied method was based on microwave-assisted acid digestion using HNO3, HCl, H2O2, and HF. The accuracy of the method was evaluated by analyzing two certified reference materials (BCR-142 and RS-3). The relative standard deviation for all target elements was below 8% indicating an adequate precision and the limit of detection ranged from 0.03 µg g(-1) (Cd) to 24.0 µg g(-1) (Fe). The concentrations of Al, As, Ba, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, and Zn in the different layers (0-10, 10-20, 20-40, and 40-60 cm) were determined in two types of soils, located in Paraná State in Brazil. The soil layers analysis revealed a different behavior of metals concentrations in soil samples under NT and NV. The obtained results showed a clear impact of anthropogenic action with respect to specific metals due to many years of uncontrolled application rates of limestone and phosphate fertilizers.

Determination of Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and V in diesel and biodiesel samples by ETV-ICP-MST.

This work presents the determination of Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and V in diesel and biodiesel samples by ETV-ICP MS using emulsion sample preparation. The emulsion composition was: 1.0 g of the diesel or biodiesel sample, 2.0 mL of a 5% m/v Triton X-100 solution, 0.5 mL of HNO3 and deionized water to a 10 mL final volume. The optimized parameters were mass of carrier/modifier (1.0 microg Pd), RF power (1100 W), carrier gas flow rate (0.95 L min(-1)) and inner ETV gas flow rate (0.15 L min(-1)). The determinations were performed against aqueous solutions using 10 microg L(-1) Rh as internal standard. The accuracy of the method was verified through the analysis of the NIST 1634c reference residual fuel oil, recovery tests and comparison of the results with those obtained by GF AAS. The results were in agreement according to the t-test at a 95% confidence level. The RSD values were lower than 20%, the recoveries were between 80 and 120% and the LOD values were in the order of ng g(-1), showing the good accuracy and sensitivity of the method.