Antônio Augusto Ulson de Souza

Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina | UFSC · Departamento de Engenharia Química e Engenharia de Alimentos

Cotton gauze bandages have traditionally played a pivotal role in wound care and surgical procedures, absorbing fluids, including blood, and protecting against infection. However, their limited liquid absorption capacity raises concern about potential post-surgery complications if inadvertently retained. In response, resorbable and biocompatible po...

Durante o processo de tratamento de água, são gerados resíduos úmidos, conhecidos como LETA (lodo de ETA) ou simplesmente lodo, principalmente nos decantadores e filtros. O manejo desse lodo representa um desafio significativo para a indústria brasileira de saneamento, devido à sua consistência semissólida e ao alto teor de umidade, o que dificulta...

O objetivo deste trabalho é propor a reciclagem de catalisadores desativados ou de equilíbrio (ecat-R) em colunas de dessulfurização e desnitrogenação por adsorção em leito fixo. O ecat-R é um resíduo de unidades de craqueamento catalítico fluidizado (FCC) remediado por tratamento eletrocinético com ácido sulfúrico. A dessulfurização por adsorção e...

The alarming release of pollutants into aquatic ecosystems, particularly concerning the emission of antibiotics, demands attention. Tetracycline (TC) is a drug commonly identified in both industrial and residential wastewater. In this context, new perovskite-type catalysts are considered a relevant topic for antibiotic degradation in water. The foc...

Society confronts the pressing environmental challenges posed by the pervasive presence of toxic pollutants in aquatic ecosystems. The repercussions of contaminant release extend far and wide, endangering marine life and human well-being. While various techniques such as bioremediation, filtration, and adsorption have been employed for wastewater t...

This study investigates the biodegradation of Reactive Red 141 (RR 141), an azo dye prevalent in the textile industry, by bacteria isolated from activated sludge in a textile effluent treatment plant. RR 141, characterized by nitrogen–nitrogen double bonds (-N=N-), contributes to environmental issues when improperly disposed of in textile effluents...

Organochlorine pesticides have been widely used in agriculture to control agricultural pests. Although effective in controlling pests, organochlorine pesticides present numerous hazards to ecosystems and human health due to their persistence in the environment, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. Scientific studies have shown that organochlorines may be...

One of the main drawbacks of the application of photocatalysis for wastewater treatment is the use of dispersed photocatalysts, which are difficult to remove from effluent after the treatment process and may pose additional toxicity to the receiving bodies. As an alternative, immobilized catalysts can be applied; however, this strategy can increase...

Even with the development of alternative fuels and energy sources, the world is still highly dependent to the petroleum production and extraction. Align to this, the treatment of oilfield produced water (OPW) is a global challenge, since for each barrel of extracted oil it is produced 3 barrels of OPW in average. OPW contains numerous organic comp...

It is well known that certain diseases can be transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces. Due to the structural characteristics and composition, textile products are favorable media for the retention, growth, and propagation of pathogens, making them potential vehicles for contamination. The current health and humanitarian crises have h...

Advances in chemical synthesis have increased the complexity and degradation resistance of dyes used in textile processes. This fact interferes drastically with conventional biological wastewater treatment and demands further methods to avoid environmental damage. In this sense, this work presents a bioflocculant produced by the alkaline hydrolysis...

Given the great relevance that adsorption processes have for many applications, especially for the water and wastewater treatment, the development and improvement adsorbent materials is a key research topic. When a new adsorbent is proposed, a good characterization of the material is fundamental to in order to know its properties, support its appli...

The use of graphene-based materials in water purification via adsorption processes has become attractive among the scientific community in the recent decades. Its high porosity, great surface area, and especially, the available functional groups on its surface and potential for modification with new functional groups make graphene a promising adsor...

This study aimed to reuse waste from the steel industry as a sustainable electrode modifier material in a simple and one-step modification approach for the electrochemical monitoring of the neurotransmitters dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT), and tryptophan (TRP), biomarkers related to depression diagnostics. Iron oxides constitute the mill scale (MS...

Micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration (MEUF) is a surfactant-based method used to remove low concentrations of contaminants from water and wastewater streams. The process consists of adding surfactant above the critical micelle concentration (CMC) in the contaminated water to solubilize the contaminant in micelles or to retain ionic contaminants via el...

Mill scale is the metallurgical waste produced by the rolling mill in the steel hot rolling process. This hazardous waste is mainly composed of oxide iron, such as hematite, magnetite and wustite. It may have a different and alternative final destination by becoming a catalyst for wastewater treatment. In this work, the catalytic potential of mill...

This work proposes distinct configurations for tubular photobioreactors (PBRs) illuminated with specific and adequate light wavelength provided by LEDs. The PBRs are characterized by an involute/flat reflective surface around/below a cylindrical borosilicate glass tube that is illuminated by a LED panel located above. Reflectors can enlarge the abs...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential use of textile sludge and its pyrolysis by-products in the energy sector and the potential use of the oily phase fraction (OPF) as an antibacterial against selected microorganisms. Characterization assays were carried out, for the raw textile sludge (TS) and pyrolysis by-products, as pH variation,...

The world consumption of dyes has been increasing, mainly due to the textile industry (colorization of fibers). The textile industry generates a massive amount of wastewater. The incorrect disposal of colored effluent into the environment leads to the derangement of aquatic life. Several techniques have been applied to reduce this impact, including...

Purpose This paper aims to present a systematic review of the development process of Industry 4.0 in the textile and apparel sector, as well as to show some concepts, examples found in the literature on the application of the principles and technologies involved like the internet of things (IoT), cloud computing, Big Data, autonomous robots, three-...

This work aims to produce bio-surfactant using a brewery waste (trub) as a strategy to reduce production costs related to the substrate, as well as to provide an eco-friendly destination for this residue. Trub is obtained during the boiling of the wort, being mainly composed of proteins and reducing sugars. To evaluate important process parameters...

Regarding environmental impact, the textile industry is one of the most relevant sectors. Worldwide, it is estimated that 700,000 tons of dyes are generated annually, and 12% of them are inappropriately disposal into aquatic resources. In this sense, flocculating systems can be a cost-effective treatment of dye-containing wastewater. One route that...

The presence of heavy metals in wastewaters originating from different industries is of great concern since they can enter into the food chain. Therefore, of the several existing procedures, “green extraction” methods have gained increased interest since solvent volumes are significantly reduced. In this regard, liquid-liquid extraction has been ap...

One of the largest wastewater flows generated in the oil and gas industry is produced water (PW), which can come from oil fields, gas fields or a combination of oil and gas fields. This effluent has a complex and variable chemical composition; it contains a significant amount, sometimes up to 500 mg L−1, of water soluble organic compounds (WSO) tha...

Eco-responsible flame retardant treatments with some resistance to washing are of considerable interest in the sale and applications of technical garments and home textiles. Thus, in the present study, a nano-hybrid composite based on kaolinite-TiO2 was prepared and incorporated into the fibers of cotton fabric through a more sustainable route comp...

Guided bone regeneration involves excluding non-osteogenic cells from the surrounding soft tissues and allowing osteogenic cells originating from native bone to inhabit the defect. The aim of this work was to fabricate, analyze antibiofilm activity and evaluate in vivo biological response of poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) electrospun membran...

The effluent from the textile industry is a complex mixture of recalcitrant molecules that can harm the environment and human health. Biological treatments are usually applied for this wastewater, particularly activated sludge, due to its high efficiency, and low implementation and operation costs. However, the activated sludge microbiome is rarely...

Dark heterogeneous catalysis dismisses the need for both light and additional chemicals, and it also complements or even replaces more traditional pollutant abatement processes. Although recently reported, dark catalysts take several hours to bring the pollutant concentration to under 50 %, tested just with low weight pollutants, and their structur...

Trub is the second-largest residue from brewing industry (250 thousand tons/year) and, due to the presence of high amounts of carbon and nitrogen, it is a potential source of reducing sugars and nitrogen for biological processes. Therefore, this work aimed to enhance surfactin production by B. subtilis using Trub as a carbon source. The effect of n...

Water and wastewater treatment is a global challenge that requires innovative solutions. Electrospinning is a versatile and simple technique that allows the generation of ultrathin fibers of numerous compositions. Titanium dioxide is a photocatalyst with applications in several technological fields. Thus, the use of electrospinning to produce TiO2...

The aim of this research was to investigate the activity of functionalized PLGA electrospun membranes in preventing Streptococcus mutans biofilm formation. PLGA nanofibres were functionalized with the additives Melaleuca alternifolia and Coffea canephora essential oils, furan‐2(5H)‐one, and a novel synthetic butyrolactam, in three concentrations (0...

This work reports surfactin production by B. subtilis ATCC 6051 in a stirred tank bioreactor, where trub was used as a carbon source. Trub is a residue from the brewing industry mainly composed of high-molar-mass proteins and reducing sugars, being a sustainable and low-cost substrate for bioprocess. Despite this, Trub has been little explored as a...

A indústria têxtil e confecção tem se caracterizado como intensivas em mão de obra, entretanto os processos de automação vêm ganhando espaço nestes ambientes industriais. Um processo como o de etiquetagem no setor de embalagem industrial, quando realizado manualmente, está sujeito a erros e desperdícios indesejáveis, porém, este processo manual ain...

Leachates treatment relies on the adoption of a multi-barrier strategy, involving primary, secondary, and tertiary processes. Due to their ability to grow in a wide variety of environmental conditions, and their nutritional requirements, especially in terms of nitrogen and phosphorus, microalgae appear as a promising alternative for the tertiary tr...

The dyeing of cotton with synthetic dyes is associated with environmental and health problems, which can be overcome using natural dyes. But in natural dyeing, metal mordants are commonly used, which are also related to harmful effects on the environment and health. That is why the green process should be investigated. In this work, cotton was cati...

Produced water treatment has become a challenge for the oil industry to meet environmental legislation requirements, due to several dissolved organic compounds, which are barely removed under conventional treatments. In this work, oil and grease removal from real offshore produced water samples was evaluated by a novel liquid-liquid extraction proc...

Nanotechnology has become one of the most promising fields of research due to the possibility to develop new advanced materials for many applications. Nevertheless, the development of an efficient and stable nanostructured photocatalyst, such as titanium dioxide (TiO2), remains a challenge. In this paper, a review is presented on titania–containing...

Superacid sulfated TiO2 was prepared by the sol-gel method and tested as a titania precursor to obtaining a kaolinite/TiO2 nano-hybrid composite. Raman, FTIR, Zeta Potential, and XRD analyses allowed the identification of kaolinite and titania as well as the interactions between them to form the nanohybrid composite. SEM-FEG/TEM analyses clearly sh...

Oilfield produced water treatment represent a global challenge due to the presence of several contaminants such as heavy metals and dissolved organic compounds. They cannot be removed by conventional equipment and may threat the environment when discarded. Hence, oil industry has the challenge of manage the produced water according to the disposal...

In this study, cork granules, 100% natural and sustainable, were used as effective electron donors for hexavalent chromium reduction to its trivalent form, through the oxidation of cork surface, and as binder of positively charged trivalent chromium species. Cr(VI) reduction and total chromium removal was evaluated as function of solution pH, cork...

The importance of creating sustainable alternatives for products that can be easily recyclable, such as, poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET), is not new, being textile fibers the product of greatest interest. The objective of this work is to propose a recycling alternative for PET bottles for fiber production as a reservoir of essential oils for ar...

BACKGROUND Biostoning using cellulase is a process used in place of the traditional stone‐washing of denim. This process guarantees a more controlled removal of the Indigo blue dye from the cotton fibers, giving an aged‐look and softness to denim. However, it also causes backstaining and generates a high volume of colored effluent. In this context,...

This study investigated different dyeing conditions for a cross bobbin acrylic cotton blend yarn, with the aim of identifying, through the bleaching of cotton fiber. Interference from the addition of softener regarding the tone difference across the bobbin, especially the inner end, was also studied. With these dyes, the concentration profiles of t...

Surfactin has potential as next generation antibiofilm agent to combat antimicrobial resistance against emerging pathogens. However, the widespread industrial applications of surfactin is hampered by its high production cost. In this work, surfactin was produced from Bacillus subtilis using a low-cost brewery waste as a carbon source. The strain pr...

Clay minerals are naturally non-combustible materials with potential applications for protection against thermal degradation in textiles. However, their immobilization on the surface of the fabrics is a complicating factor depending on many variables. The application of clay minerals using the technique of finishing by direct-coating seems a viable...

The remediation of a real textile wastewater aiming its reuse in the textile industry was carried out by integrating two processes: (i) a chemical or electrochemical advanced oxidation process (AOP or EAOP) based on Fenton's reaction for organics degradation, and (ii) a cation exchange process using marine macroalgae for removal of the iron acting...

Knitted fabrics are widely used in the textile and garment industry. However, dimensional change (DC) and pilling can occur during production and also after use. To reduce these undesirable effects, a polymeric coating with poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) and crosslinking via UV-C irradiation was performed on a 50:50 % polyester/cotton (PES/CO) k...

In this work, the effect of low-pressure cold plasma treatment, UV and the incorporation of TiO2 nanoparticles on thermal degradation and flammability of titanium dioxide (TiO2)/polyetherimide (PEI) nanofibers was evaluated. The morphology of nanocomposite fibers was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spect...

A cinética de adsorção dos compostos BTX (benzeno, tolueno, o-xileno) em solução aquosa foi investigada em um reator em batelada a 23 ±1°C usando carvão de casca de coco ativado termicamente comercial, como adsorvente. O pH da solução não afetou a adsorção e a ativação térmica do adsorvente produziu uma maior quantidade de cargas negativas na super...

The removal of water-soluble organics compounds in oilfield produced water (OPW) is currently one of the biggest challenges to meet the environmental legislation, as conventional remediation focuses mainly on removing solids and the dispersed oil fraction. Naphthenic acids (NAs) are present in significant amounts in water-soluble organics compounds...

Novel Mott-Scokttky heterojunction photocatalyst was constructed by supporting Co nanoparticles (NPs) onto the surface of P-doped graphic carbon nitride (PCN) for the dehydrogenation of ammonia-borane (AB). Stable chemical bonding of Co-P-N between metallic Co NPs and PCN has formed when Co NPs are introduced. The analysis shows that this bonding n...

Resumo: A epistaxe é caracterizada pela perda de sangue da fossa nasal, oriunda da ruptura dos vasos da mucosa nasal. Dentre os métodos usados atualmente, o mais eficaz é a cauterização, porém, esta apresenta desvantagens podendo formar crostas e perfuração do septo. O objetivo desta pesquisa é propor um tampão produzido de um nãotecido eletrofiado...

RESUMO-Sistemas de liberação controlada de fármacos apresentam diversas vantagens como, por exemplo, diminuição de toxicidade, efeitos colaterais e aumento da eficácia terapêutica. Nestes sistemas de liberação o agente ativo pode ser incorporado através de microcápsulas, cuja casca pode ser de origem sintética ou natural, como o complexo de gelatin...

Resumo Os têxteis funcionais são cada vez mais desejados, pois trazem funcionalidades específicas em diversas áreas, permitem maior conforto, proteção e segurança, tendo destaque na área médica e da saúde. A microencapsulação de agentes ativos e sua incorporação em artigos têxteis biomédicos proporciona vantagens, como por exemplo, a possibilidade...

Resumo Eletrofiação é uma técnica que origina nãotecidos (têxteis técnicos) a partir de uma solução polimérica, que permitem a inserção de um aditivo para algum fim benéfico. O objetivo deste trabalho é propor um nãotecido eletrofiado de Poli(ácido-láctico) com um aditivo anti-hemorrágico (ácido tranexâmico) para tratar casos de epistaxe, uma das m...

A mechanistic and phenomenological model for multi-component cation exchange has been applied in order to describe the dynamic behavior of barium removal by seaweeds in batch and fixed-bed systems, instead of the empirical models usually applied. Initially, four macroalgae were tested as natural cation exchangers for barium removal: Arribadas, Grac...

Chromium is a metal that could be both toxic and essential dependent on its oxidation state. While Cr(VI) is toxic to plants, animals and microorganisms, Cr(III) at low levels is an essential dietary nutrient for human beings. In this study, novel biophotocatalysts were developed and applied for Cr(VI) reduction and removal from aqueous solution. T...

The oilfield produced water treatment has been the focus of intense research, due to the presence of high amount of dissolved organic compounds, heavy metals and other chemicals, whose discharge is regulated by environmental agencies. Between them, naphthenic acids (NAs) are naturally-occurring carboxylic acids that contributes to increase the tota...

Paper and pulp industries produce effluents with high phosphorus concentrations, which need to be treated before their discharge in watercourses. The use of microalgae for this purpose has attracted the attention of researchers because: (i) microalgae can assimilate phosphorus (one of the main nutrients for their growth); and (ii) growing on efflue...

Textile industries account for two-thirds of the total dyestuff market been responsible for the production of a large volume of effluent with unfixed dye. Aromatic dyes as potassium indigo-trisulfonate dye (PIT) are characterized as a chemically stable and complex molecule with high heat and light stability and with high toxicity even at low concen...

Photocatalysis and ozonation have limited efficiency for the degradation of persistent pollutants as well as the mineralization of byproducts. In this work, we intensify the degradation processes by using simultaneously both processes in macroporous catalytic supports under mild reaction conditions, for degradation of tetracycline. The total organi...

This work aimed to enhance the biodegradation of synthetic textile wastewater using pyrolyzed sludge from an effluent treatment plant of a textile industry as biofilm carrier. The control carrier was compared to a carrier supplemented with nutrients (potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, calcium, and sulfur) that were sequentially adsorbed. These nutrie...

Natural dyeing of cotton is commonly associated with the use of metallic mordants, which are related to harmful effects on the environment and human health. For this reason, more environmentally sustainable processes should be investigated. In this work, cotton was cationized with ovalbumin by cross-linking in order to improve its dyeing with natur...

Nanostructured materials have become increasingly widespread, and in recent decades, the processing industries have shown a great interest in coating materials with antibacterial properties. In this research, the biocidal effect of silver nanoparticles in the water-soluble polyurethane paint composition was evaluated. Silver nanoparticles in the aq...

The use of cork granules for cleaning up crude oil or oil derivative spills and further oil recovery appears as a promising option due to their unique properties, which allow a high oil sorption capacity, low water pickup and excellent reuse. The present work reports the effect of oil viscosity on cork sorption capacity by using five types of oils...

The original publication of this paper contains a mistake.

The purpose of this paper is to present the third stage of regeneration for ecat: deactivated or equilibrium catalysts which are waste from fluidized catalytic cracking (FCC) units. This stage is going to compose a complete circular economy (CE) model and increase the life cycle of the catalyst. The third stage of regeneration, after the adsorption...

The BTEX compounds have potential pollution with serious risk to the environment and human health. In this study, batch and continuous bioreactors, using biofilms supported on activated carbon particles were studied to remove BTEX compounds. The activated sludge from local wastewater treatment plant was adapted to biodegrade BTEX compounds and used...