Carlos R. Menegatti

Low-melanin containing pullulan production from sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate by Aureobasidium pullulans in fermentations assisted by light-emitting diode

Pullulan is a polymer produced by Aureobasidium pullulans and the main bottleneck for its industrial production is the presence of melanin pigment. In this study, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) of different wavelengths were used to assist the fermentation process aiming to produce low-melanin containing pullulan by wild strain of A. pullulans LB83 with different carbon sources. Under white light using glucose-based medium, 11.75g.L-1 of pullulan with high melanin content (45.70UA540nm.g-1) was obtained, this production improved in process assisted by blue LED light, that resulted in 15.77g.L-1 of pullulan with reduced content of melanin (4.46UA540nm.g-1). By using sugarcane bagasse (SCB) hydrolysate as carbon source, similar concentration of pullulan (about 20g.L-1) was achieved using white and blue LED lights, with lower melanin contents in last. Use of LED light was found as a promising approach to assist biotechnological process for low-melanin containing pullulan production.

A review on the formation of heteronuclear cold molecules

In this paper, we review the present status of the formation of cold ground-state heteronuclear molecules in cold-trapped atomic samples. The experimental techniques and results are presented and reviewed. The molecule production rates are compared among themselves as well as with existing theories. We conclude that theoretical and experimental improvements are necessary to help plan new experiments. The experimental results indicate that KRb and RbCs are the best systems for heteronuclear molecule production.

Semiquantitative analysis of mercury in landfill leachates using double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is showing to be a promising, quick, accurate, and practical technique to detect and measure metal contaminants and nutrients in urban wastes and landfill leachates. Although conventional LIBS presents some limitations, such as low sensitivity, when used in the single pulse configuration if compared to other spectroscopic techniques, the use of the double-pulse (DP) configuration represents an adequate alternative. In this work DP LIBS has been applied to the qualitative and quantitative analysis of mercury (Hg) in landfill leachates. The correlation analysis performed between each intensified charge-coupled device pixel and the Hg concentration allowed us to choose the most appropriate Hg emission line to be used for its measure. The normalization process applied to LIBS spectra to correct physical matrix effects and small fluctuations increased from 0.82 to 0.98 the linear correlation of the calibration curve between LIBS and the reference data. The limit of detection for Hg estimated using DP LIBS was 76  mg Kg-1. The cross validation (leave-one-out) analysis yielded an absolute average error of about 21%. These values showed that the calibration models were close to the optimization limit and satisfactory for Hg quantification in landfill leachate.

Temperature dependence of Rb2 molecule formation rate constant in a magneto-optical trap

In this paper, we report the measurement of Rb2 molecule formation rate constant due to a two body process in a magneto-optical trap as a function of the sample temperature. The ground state molecules are detected by two-photon ionization, through the intermediate a3Σu+ → 23Πg molecular band. Our results show that the Rb2 molecules formed in the MOT could be due to a wave shape resonance, which enhances the molecule formation rate. This effect may be used to enhance the molecule production; and therefore it maybe important to future experiments involving production and trapping of cold ground state molecules.

Determination of Pb in soils by double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy assisted by continuum wave-diode laser-induced fluorescence

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has attracted a lot of attention due to its potential to rapidly identify and quantify any chemical element with minimal sample preparation. Despite continuous improvements, the sensitivity of this technique still remains a challenge. In order to increase LIBS intensity, a laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) system can be coupled with LIBS to re-excite a transition of the element in the plasma by employing very expensive optical parametric oscillators (OPO). In this work, a homemade tunable continuum wave-diode laser (CW-DL) has been developed and coupled to a double pulse (DP) LIBS system to enhance the sensitivity of Pb detection in a soil sample at the transition 6s26p2-P32→6s26p7s-P31 at 405.78 nm. Before sample analysis, the production of no scattered light by the plasma was ascertained, and the optimal temperature of 10,000 K was estimated for this transition, feasible to be achieved in DP-LIBS systems. An increase of approximately 100% for the Pb I transition at 405.78 nm was obtained by DP-LIBS-CW-DL-LIF with respect to the DP-LIBS system alone. This result opens a new promising line of research to improve LIBS sensitivity using the CW-DL approach.

Enhancement of cold ground state Rb2 molecule formation by a wave shape resonance

In this paper, we measured the temperature dependence of the Rb2 molecule formation rate constant in a MOT. We observed that the production of cold Rb2 via photoassociation in a magneto-optical trap can be enhanced by varying the temperature of the atomic sample using a molasses phase. Our results indicate that molecule production can be enhanced due to a wave shape resonance by a factor of six, and that the formed molecules are colder than the initial atoms.