RESUMO
In the last decades, the demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has been growing fast to attend the markets of electric and hybrid vehicles and of electric portable devices. As scarce metals like cobalt and lithium are employed in their manufacturing the recycling of spent LIBs is a strategic solution for the sustainability of these minerals and also the maintenance of the LIBs production. Therefore, efforts should be driven to produce low cost, environment-friendly and industrially scalable recycling processes. In this study, a closed-loop process with these characteristics was developed to recover cobalt and lithium compounds from LiCoO2 cathodes of spent cell phone lithium-ion batteries. The process employs citric acid as green leaching agent to recover cobalt as CoC2O4.2H2O and Co3O4 and lithium as Li2CO3. Lithium compound was recovered from a proposed new and original method based on simple chemical procedures as evaporation-calcination and water dissolution. The developed process also allows the resynthesis of LiCoO2 as a stoichiometric, well crystallized and structurally ordered compound from the recovered Co and Li compounds, in a closed-loop recycling process. The obtained results indicate that the developed process has great potential to be scaled up to a recycling industrial plant of spent lithium-ion batteries.
RESUMO
RESUMO No Brasil, cerca de 32.700 postos de lavagem de veículos consomem 3,7 milhões de m3/mês-1, média de 60 L por veículo. Esse consumo poderia ser minimizado, se o efluente fosse devidamente tratado e reutilizado. Como diversos tipos de efluentes têm sido eficientemente tratados por técnicas eletroquímicas, como a eletrocoagulação (EC) e a eletroflotação (EF), o objetivo principal deste estudo foi desenvolver um sistema de tratamento de efluentes de lavagem de carros por EC, usando eletrodos de alumínio. Parâmetros como pH inicial, corrente elétrica aplicada e tempo de eletrólise foram otimizados por meio de análises físico-químicas e estatísticas. Em sua condição ótima, pH 5, corrente elétrica de 3,5 A e tempo de 20 minutos, o sistema conseguiu reduzir em 73% a demanda química de oxigênio (DQO), 58% de surfactantes e no mínimo 90% a turbidez e os sólidos suspensos totais (SST). Além da simples implantação e operação, a técnica mostrou-se eficiente na recuperação desse tipo de efluente, podendo ser utilizada em sistemas de reúso de água de lavagem de veículos.
ABSTRACT In Brazil, about 32,700 vehicle washing stations consume 3,7 million m3 per month-1, average of 60 L per vehicle. Consumption could be minimized if the effluent was properly treated and reused. As different types of effluents have been effectively treated by electrochemical techniques, such as electrocoagulation (EC) and electrocoagulation (EF), the main objective of this study was to develop a treatment system of carwash wastewater, by EC using electrodes aluminum. Parameters like the initial pH, applied electric current and electrolysis time were optimized by means of physical-chemical analysis and statistics. In its optimum condition, pH 5, electrical current of 3,5 A and time of 20 minutes, the system has managed to reduce by 73% the chemical oxygen demand (COD), 58% of surfactants and a minimum of 90% turbidity and total suspended solids (TSS). Besides the simple installation and operation, the technique was efficient in the recovery of this type of effluent and can be used in reuse system carwash water.
RESUMO
Este trabalho teve o objetivo de identificar e descrever a estrutura das comunidades arbóreas de uma floresta de terra firme sob regime de manejo na Amazônia Oriental, localizada no município de Almeirim, Pará, Brasil. O levantamento florístico foi realizado em 1.400,30 ha de uma Unidade de Produção Anual (UPA), do Plano de Manejo Florestal da empresa ORSA Florestal. Todos os indivíduos com DAP > 30 cm foram inventariados, registrando-se 77.834 árvores distribuídas em 57 famílias, 229 gêneros e 556 espécies. Oito comunidades foram identificadas por meio de uma analise de agrupamento, apresentando alta diversidade e equibilidade florística (H" médio = 4,25 e J" médio = 0,75). As comunidades apresentaram 138 espécies comuns, 119 espécies de ocorrência exclusiva e 377 espécies raras, representadas por apenas um indivíduo. As espécies que mais se destacaram foram: Dinizia excelsa, Vouacapoua americana, Goupia glabra, Mouriri brachyanthera, Parinari excelsa, Manilkara bidentada, Tachigalia mymecophyla e Licania micrantha. Algumas espécies de valor comercial apresentaram variações importantes na densidade, sugerindo risco de extinção em comunidades onde as espécies apresentam densidade muito baixa. Sugerimos que os planos de manejo considerem as várias comunidades ecológicas encontradas nas UPAs evitando assim variações significativas, causadas pela exploração e seus impactos, na composição florística e estrutura das comunidades existentes.
To demonstrate the importance of the ecological concept for forest management, the object of this work was to identify and describe the structure of tree communities of a tropical forest under management in the Eastern Amazonia, located in Almeirim municipality, in the state of Pará, Brazil. The floristic survey was undertaken in a terra-firme tropical forest of 1,400.30 hectares. All individuals with DBH > 30 cm were inventoried, registering 77,834 trees distributed in 57 families, 229 genera and 556 species. Eight communities were identified, presenting high diversity and floristic equitability (H" = 4.25 average and J" = 0.75 average). The communities presented 138 common species, 119 species of exclusive occurrence and 377 rare species, represented by only one individual. The most remarkable species found in the area were: Dinizia excelsa, Vouacapoua americana, Goupia glabra, Mouriri brachyanthera, Parinari excelsa, Manilkara bidentada, Tachigali mymecophyla and Licania micrantha. The communities presented significant variations between the averages of the main floristic parameters. Some species of commercial value had important variations in the density, suggesting extinction risk in communities where they present very low density. We suggest that all sustainable forest management plans consider the several ecological communities found in the Annual Production Unit (UPA) thus avoiding significant variations, caused by exploration and their impacts, in the floristic composition and structure of these communities.