Rubens Maciel Filho

• Head of Department at State University of Campinas (UNICAMP)

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major global cause of death, with recurrence risk rising after inadequate treatment. Existing VTE recurrence prediction models often overlook the phenomenological aspects of blood clot formation. This study aimed to predict Recurrent VTE (RVTE) by combining an artificial neural network (ANN) with a phenomenological...

Microalgal oil has been increasingly studied as a feedstock for biodiesel production through transesterification reactions using heterogeneous catalysts. This route offers several benefits, including catalyst reuse, ease of separation, and improved safety, while addressing environmental and technical issues associated with using homogeneous acids a...

In the pursuit of personalized medicine, there is a growing demand for computational models with parameters that are easily obtainable to accelerate the development of potential solutions. Blood tests, owing to their affordability, accessibility, and routine use in healthcare, offer valuable biomarkers for assessing hemostatic balance in thrombotic...

This manuscript reports for the first time a heterogenous catalytic route to monoglycerides (MAGs) from microalgal oil. Microalgae is an important biomass source with high‐value applications, such as food ingredients with essential fatty acids. To date, the glycerolysis of microalgae has only been investigated for a microbial oil (Schizochytrium sp...

This paper reports the case of a female patient, with a bone tumor in the frontal region and bone defect in the parietal side of the skull, who underwent one-step cranioplasty surgery. Preoperative surgical planning was performed via virtual 3D modeling of the patient’s computed tomography, and biomodels consistent with the skull’s geometry were pr...

The agro-food industry generates important quantities of by-products, often considered waste, which represent for the companies huge costs of handling and disposal. On the other hand, they contain copious amounts and varieties of compounds that, appropriately extracted, purified, and processed, can be valued in several industrial sectors. Their exp...

Quasi-solid-state electrolytes (QSSEs) and electrolytes based on ionic liquids (ILs) hold promise for addressing the inherent instability and safety concerns associated with conventional organic electrolytes in lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs). This review explores recent studies on electrolytes for LSBs, focusing on QSSEs and IL-based electrolytes....

Oral cavity tumors are a prevalent cause of mandible reconstruction surgeries. The mandible is vital for functions like oralization, respiration, mastication, and deglutition. Current mandible reconstruction methods have low success rates due to complications like plate fracture or exposure, infections, and screw loosening. Autogenous bone grafts a...

Different discharge products were revealed in Li–O 2 batteries with different carbon cathodes by operando Raman and ex situ Raman and XPS measurements. In a carbon paper electrode Li 2 O 2 is formed, while for electrodes with CNT, Li 2 CO 3 and Li 2 O 2 were noticed in different discharge stages.

The advent of additive manufacturing has been a disruptive technology in various fields, including medicine. One of the main causes of orthopedic implant failure is the mismatch between the implant material and the bone, causing bone resorption and aseptic loosening. In this regard, the use of additively manufactured lattice structures as orthopedi...

The transport sector defossilisation, among other urgent actions, is crucial to limit Earth’s temperature rise to under 1.5 °C. Air transportation, despite its relatively low contribution to the global greenhouse gasses (GHG) emissions, is potentially the most challenging transportation mode for off-setting emissions since electrification is not fe...

This Opinion highlights several successful cases of biofuel technologies recently described by the IEA Bioenergy Intertask Report on Lessons Learned. The report discussed the potential of biofuels to contribute to a significant market supply, thus replacing fossil fuels and mitigating global warming, and it underscores the challenges in expanding b...

The production of hydrogen by syngasification of biomass in Brazil provides a significant opportunity to increase the profitability of the sugarcane ethanol industry, as sugarcane biomass residues are available at low cost and in large quantities in the country. Hydrogen makes it possible to produce high-value chemicals from ethanol, whose producti...

Storing larger amounts of energy is becoming critical as more renewable and intermittent energy sources emerge in our society. Li-O 2 batteries have the highest theoretical energy density, but there are still barriers to overcome. The presence of water in atmospheric air makes studying its effects on battery performance necessary if ambient oxygen...

Battery electricity storage has been one of the main strategies to reach a sustainable energy network. They are adequate to store energy and release it later, supporting a high volume of variable renewable electricity. In this context, lithium-air batteries (LABs) have the potential to be a high-capacity battery option, with theoretical energy dens...

La Homeopatía de México | Evidencias Científicas de la Homeopatía | Edición Especial de Aniversario (90 años) | 2023 || EDITORIAL: Para aquellos que demandan evidencias científicas de la Homeopatía. Marcus Zulian Teixeira. | ARTÍCULOS: Homeopatía: una breve descripción de esta especialidad médica. Marcelo Pustiglione, Eduardo Goldenstein, Y. Moisés...

Liquidliquid extraction as a detoxification process can increase productivity and product titers from lignocellulosic biomass fermentable sugars while leading to inhibitors recovery for further upgrading in sustainable chemical platforms. In this study, 14 solvents were investigated for inhibitors compounds removal. In addition to solvent solubilit...

Studies on B. terribilis cultivation have great economic and environmental relevance but are scarcely addressed in the literature. This article analyzes and compares, for the first time, the growth and metabolite productivity of B. terribilis in closed and open systems. The effect of nitrogen and phosphorus reduction on B. terribilis’ main metaboli...

The present study evaluated the influence of three strategies to improve the economic feasibility of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production through gasification and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (GFT) of lignocellulosic biomass feedstocks in Biomass-to-Liquids (BtL) plants. Apart from the integration with sugarcane ethanol production and the use of...

Ethanol production in Brazil started in the early 1930s due to laws created by the Brazilian government. However, ethanol production only increased significantly with the National Program of Ethanol implementation in 1975. This program was another action taken by the Brazilian government aiming to provide conditions for the development of the ethan...

Correction for ‘Tuning aprotic solvent properties with long alkyl chain ionic liquid for lithium-based electrolytes’ by Tuanan C. Lourenço et al. , J. Mater. Chem. A , 2022, 10 , 11684–11701, https://doi.org/10.1039/D1TA10592B.

This chapter describes Heat Integration methodologies and their application in the pulp and paper industry. The energy sources and demands in the Kraft pulping process for the most prevalent pulping processes and most intensive steam user processes are described, as well as state-of-the-art technologies for reducing energy use in pulp and paper mil...

Heat Cascade Analysis, which makes it possible to evaluate the flowrate of cascaded heat through any system, is a powerful tool for increasing energy efficiency. The objective of this chapter is to present a global perspective on plant-wide Heat Cascade Analysis in retrofit situations. It describes how the approach helps improve boilers, steam turb...

The increasing demand for renewable energy, fuels, and chemicals encourages the development of new biorefinery processes. This work presents a techno-economic analysis of the pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse using the protic ionic liquid 2-hydroxyethylammonium acetate ([MEA][OAc]) considering four washing methods to remove it from the pretreated p...

Some synthetic polymers, such as Poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA), are interesting to use in 3D bioprinting because they can have adaptable and resilient mechanical properties that also facilitate bioprinting processes. PLLA is a biocompatible polymer which makes it very interesting for medical applications, it is an aliphatic polyester obtained from α-...

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a joint of small dimensions composed by two components: condyle, the extremity of mandibular bone, and fossa, in the cranial bone. TMJ is one of the most used human joints, because it is used to talk, eat, and breathe, for example. For this reason, TMJ disorder can significantly impair patient's quality of life. So...

This study assessed the production, land use, environmental impacts, and energy balance associated with ethanol and biodiesel production in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Guatemala. These countries are considered developing economies and produced 97% of biofuel in Latin America, achieving production of 46 billion liters in 2019. The implementatio...

A cytotoxicity study is performed on a poly(methyl methacrylate) polymer (PMMA) to be used for the fabrication of bone tissue by Rapid Prototyping (RP). The solution polymerization is conducted in a pilot plant reactor using more appropriated reagents in consideration of the medical application. Moreover, the polymer is efficiently handled to avoid...

Microalgae lipid accumulation can be accomplished by different strategies rather than naturally reaching the stationary phase. Many studies employ nitrogen (N) depletion to improve lipid production; however, this approach might not be a suitable alternative when growth in wastewater is attempted. Agro-industry effluents in particular can have high...

A Michaelis-Menten-like kinetic model is proposed to simulate the effects of redox balance on Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 metabolism during fermentation of biomass-derived xylose to acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE). The model builds on previous metabolic kinetic models by introducing six mass balance differential equations for the redox pairs...

Water/diesel (W/D) microemulsions are a sought solution to reduce pollution emission of diesel engines by lowering the combustion temperature without interfering the engine's performance and design. In this paper, the formation of W/D microemulsions are described by population balance models-an innovative approach, once there was no known phenomeno...

Microalgae are a sustainable source for many bioproduct syntheses. This study shows how different cultivation systems and nutrient concentrations affect Chlorella sp. development. The cultivation was performed in open and closed lab-scale systems. A Tukey test was used to evaluate the significant differences between the microalgae growth and compos...

Characterize the effects of the addition of the IL 1-hexadecyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide, [C mim][Br], on the 16physicochemical properties of the dimethylsulfoxide lithium perclorate, DMSO/LiClO4 0.100 M electrolyte. Develop a complete experimental and theoretical methodology that can be applied to other electrolyte and battery systems.

Botryococcus terribilis is a peculiar species that directs a higher portion of the consumed CO2 to metabolite biosynthesis. It results in a low growth rate associated with high oil productivity - compared to other species. In addition to its oils (mainly composed of lipids and hydrocarbons), this microalgae is also a promising source of proteins, c...

A deeper understanding of the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of thermal degradation of sugarcane bagasse (SCB) is fundamental to defining appropriate conditions for primary biorefining in the production of renewable fuels. In this work, the kinetics of thermal degradation of high polymers of SCB was investigated through thermogravimetric data...

This work focuses on the revamp of existing sugarcane biorefineries and cogeneration units by using those byproducts, aiming to increase the selling of surplus electricity. The analysis allows identifying potential improvements in the sugarcane cogeneration plants. Simulation processes are employed to denote incremental modifications related to sug...

In the global pursuit of sustainable production and cleaner consumption strategies, bio-based plastics have been increasingly developed, produced, and used in the field of renewable materials. This study performs techno-economic and environmental assessments of polylactic acid (PLA) produced via lactic acid from sugarcane juice fermentation in inte...

Lactic acid (LA) can be synthesized via carbohydrate microbial fermentation; such acid is a bifunctional compound containing hydroxyl and carboxylic acid as chemical groups, having optical activity due to an asymmetric carbon in its structure. A common application for lactic acid is the synthesis of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) via direct polycondensati...

With the decreasing costs of wind and solar power, these two energy sources are set to gain a sizeable share of the electricity market in the next years. To cope with the intermittency of these electricity sources, grid operators are required to develop new, inexpensive, and efficient energy storage facilities. One of the technologies being conside...

Bio-char prepared from lignocellulosic wastes is a sustainable and low-cost material with many interesting applications, such as the adsorption of contaminants from wastewaters, among others. It is obtained from the pyrolysis of biomass through a thermochemical process in the absence of oxygen. In this process, biomass hydrocarbons, volatile matter...

Biomass gasification is the thermochemical conversion of biomass mainly into syngas, and sugarcane bagasse (SCB) is its main feedstock in Brazil. However, the seasonal production of SCB influences biomass supply. This paper analyzed, via multivariate analysis, gasification datasets of 12 Brazilian feedstocks obtained from simulation to determine po...

Lattice structures are porous materials with interconnected porosity and non-stochastic pore distribution that present unique properties. Recently, additive manufacturing (AM) has driven attention to the production of lattice structures since it provides a direct-from-CAD production, tailoring their mechanical properties by controlling their unit c...

Environmental agreements and international concerns on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction policies have pushed for the search for economically viable ways to produce sustainable biofuels, such as renewable jet fuels to decrease fossil fuel-based GHG emissions in the international flight sector. The gasification of lignocellulosic biomass follo...

Lithium-air batteries are presented in the literature as a candidate for electrochemical energy storage because of their potentially high energy density. Part of this high energy density comes from the fact that one of its components – oxygen – can be sourced from the air. However, when operating with ambient air, these batteries are exposed to con...

A deeper understanding of the kinetics and thermodynamics parameters of sugarcane bagasse (SCB) thermal degradation could define appropriate conditions for primary biorefining in the production of renewable fuels. In this work, the kinetics of thermal degradation of SCB’s high polymers are investigated through thermogravimetric data. From this data...

Currently, there are serious concerns regards the increase of the Earth's temperature. In addition, studies about global warming have identified many different sources that contribute to the emissions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Previous studies indicate that the transport sector is among the main drivers of global warming. Moreover, the...

Lactide dimer is an important monomer produced from lactic acid dehydration, followed by the prepolymer depolymerization process, and subsequent purification. As lactic acid is a chiral molecule, lactide can exist in three isomeric forms: L-, D-, and meso-lactide. Due to its time-consuming synthesis and the need for strict temperature and pressure...

Ionic liquids are molten salts that have excellent chemical and thermal stability. Because they have qualities inherent to some precepts of green chemistry, they are identified as a potential substitute for traditional organic solvents. These useful physical and chemical properties have led to several promising applications in renewable energy tech...

The International Energy Agency’s Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Programme (IEA Bioenergy TCP), Task 39 (Transport Biofuels) (i.e., IEA Bioenergy Task 39) has been evaluating the effectiveness of technology-push and market-pull policies to encourage the production and use of transport biofuels in member countries since 2007. This evaluation has...

Microalgae are a promising feedstock for several bioproducts due to their low carbon footprint in cultivation and high biomass productivity. However, downstream processes such as oil extraction usually require the use of solvents harmful to health. This work evaluated lipid extraction from cyanobacteria Spirulina platensis using green solvents: sup...

Many studies on Li-O2 batteries have addressed the chemical and morphological evolution of the device as a function of electrode material, electrolyte, and discharge current density. Here we report that simple operating conditions can also affect discharge product formation. Results show the formation of Li2O2 and LiOH in experiments using continuo...

This study explores key success factors for ethanol production via fermentation of gas streams, by assessing the effects of eight process variables driving the fermentation performance on the production costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Three fermentation feedstocks are assessed: off-gases from the steel industry, lignocellulosic biomass-derived...

Lithium-metal batteries, such as Li – O2, are one of the most promising candidates for high-performance energy storage applications, however, their performance is still limited by the electrolyte instability. Then, to overcome this limitation it is necessary to develop improved electrolytes with large electrochemical stability and decent ionic tran...

Reactive distillation (RD) is the integration of reaction and thermal separation in one piece of equipment. Structured catalytic packings have been developed for this application, but their simulation and design are often limited to manufacturer software. Studies in the literature that rely on process simulation using Aspen Plus typically assume th...

The projected increase in the market share of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power will demand a similar increase in the global energy storage capacity. Batteries represent one of the most flexible solutions to cope with this demand because of their easy installation and high energy density when compared to other large-scale energy...

This study describes a methodological framework designed for the systematic processing of experimental syngas fermentation data for its use by metabolic models at pseudo-steady state and at transient state. The developed approach allows the use of not only own experimental data but also from experiments reported in literature which employ a wide ra...

Levulinic acid (LA) is commonly obtained from acid hydrolysis of renewable biomass via dehydration of hexoses. Its bifunctionality is due to its structure's ketone and carboxylic acid groups. This turns LA a key compound for producing a biobased chemical platform, which products have a broad application range. The interest is due to the sustainable...

Increasing the energy efficiency in industrial processes leads to positive effects for society, such as reduced production costs and improved sustainability. Pinch analysis, which is the most currently used approach to process integration, already includes the column grand composite curve (CGCC) for evaluating the minimum energy consumption in dist...

This work assessed the economics of the organosolv fractionation of eucalyptus to compare the returns from valorizing lignin to phenols and polyols with the production of cellulosic ethanol and chemicals. An organosolv plant, co-located with a eucalyptus kraft pulp mill in Brazil, that sells technical lignin at $300/t, can produce glucose by enzyma...

Li–Air Batteries In article number 2101884, Gustavo Doubek and co-workers report the use of multi-scale FTIR (Micro-Nano) to track the chemical evolution and inhomogeneities of Li–Air batteries under a realistic atmosphere. The study combines Synchrotron Infrared Nano-Spectroscopy over distinct spots in the electrode with micro-sized FTIR showing h...

Emulsions are common in the oil industry, being present in the extraction and production stages. Its formation occurs with the contact of brine and crude oil under intense flow. The presence of emulsified water (dispersed droplet size, ϕ ≤ 50 μm) in crude oil can negatively impact its exploration, transportation, and refining, making transportation...

The coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic required educational institutions to adapt face-to-face to remote teaching. This study reports the experience in the first semester of 2020 for a Chemical Engineering Capstone Design Course at the University of Campinas in Brazil. In this course, senior year students develop a group project, in which they simulate...

The Isopropanol-Butanol-Ethanol productivity by solventogenic clostridia can increase when cells are immobilized on low-cost, renewable fibrous materials; however, butanol inhibition imposes the need for dilute sugar solutions (< 40 g/L). To alleviate this problem, the in-situ vacuum product recovery technique was applied to recover IBE in repeated...

The main objective of this article is to determine the true boiling point (TBP) curve of 08 crude oils (Campinas, Guaratinguetá, Leme, Pacaembu, Poá, Registro, Sales, and Sertãozinho-fantasy names-names of cities in the Sao Paulo State, Brazil) by high temperature gas chromatography, using the high temperature simulated distillation (SimDis-HT) ana...

Metal–air batteries, such as Li–air, may be the key for large‐scale energy storage as they have the highest energy density among all electrochemical devices. However, these devices suffer from irreversible side reactions leading to battery failure, especially when ambient air is used as the O2 source, so a deep understanding over the surface chemis...

Microalgae have been largely considered for biofuel production; however, further research focusing on its wide potential also in food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries is still scarce. It is a promising raw material for several bioproducts, due to high growth rate, CO2 biofixation, and nutrient assimilation from wastewater and does not requi...

Production of biofuels via biomass pyrolysis has received a strong emphasis since it may produce a wide variety of renewable fuels in liquid (bio-oil), solid (biochar), and gas (syngas) forms. Sugarcane bagasse, waste from the sugar-alcohol industry, is largely produced in Brazil, India, and Thailand and appears as a great biomass option for pyroly...

Brazil is one of the major players in the biofuels market worldwide, and its existing biorefining infrastructure can be used as the basis to support the implementation of new advanced biofuel production routes at a large scale. This paper demonstrates the benefits of the integration of both biochemical and thermochemical processes and how this conf...

In this work, the techno-economic and exergy analyses of two gasification technologies with integration into heat and power combined cycles are presented: i). Circulating fluidized bed (CFB) and ii). Dual fluidized bed (DFB) systems. As feedstock, lignocellulosic biomass (sugarcane bagasse, SCB) was considered. The gasification process of the fluid...

Background Monoglycerides (MAG) and Diglycerides (DAG) belong to the category of naturally-occurring glycerolipids. They have wide applications in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries, with commercial demand supplied by the consolidated industrial catalytic route of vegetable oil glycerolysis. Despite the economic competitiveness of pr...

This work presents a strategy for optimizing the production process of ethanol via integrated gasification and syngas fermentation, a conversion platform of growing interest for its contribution to carbon recycling. The objective functions (minimum ethanol selling price (MESP), energy efficiency, and carbon footprint) were evaluated for the combina...

Increased energy efficiency in the production of renewable energies can contribute to sustainable economic growth, with less consumption of fossil resources, less greenhouse gas emissions, and more energy supply certainty. The most abundant bio-based fuel for automobile transportation is presently ethanol. Brazil is an important producer of ethanol...

Co-fermentation of mixed sugars to produce butanol is an attractive route in sucrochemical production chains. Herein, high-level mixed sugars from sugarcane bagasse hemicellulosic hydrolysate (HH) and molasses (SCM) were investigated as potential substrates for acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) production in batch fermentation by Clostridium saccharope...

The transport sector is one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions and nowadays there are many alternatives to reduce emissions from light-duty vehicles. Currently, plug-in electric vehicles are the main alternative to reduce emissions from cars; however, this technology has some disadvantages, such as the demand for infrastructure. Anothe...

Large-scale microalgae cultivation is often associated with high costs, and nutrients account for a significant part. However, the use of cheaper nutrients, carbon, and water sources could reduce expenses. This study aims to produce Chlorella vulgaris and Desmodesmus sp. cultivated in sugarcane biorefinery residues bagasse and vinasse. A biofertili...

Esters of levulinic acid constitute a promising class of renewable fuel additives that improve the cold properties of diesel and reduce soot emissions. However, the production of levulinic acid via thermolysis of biomass has low selectivity, a problem that compromises both yield and reactor operability, with impacts on cost. The main undesirable by...

Lactic acid production is highly affected by the fermentation pH. The need for neutralizing agents and the salts produced during fermentation have a significant impact on the overall process performance. Changing the neutralizing agent and allowing lower pH fermentation can improve the process profitability. This work investigates the impact of fer...