The present work describes an experimental investigation concerning the exhaust emissions and the electric energy generation using blends of diesel and an alternative fuel obtained through the Low Temperature Conversion process applied to petrochemical residue. The alternative fuel (LTCF) was obtained in a Pilot Unit. The exhaust emissions (CO, CO₂, O₂, NO, NO_x and SO₂) were, also, studied. The results show that the use of diesel-LTCF blends in stationary engine is an alternative for the sustainable development. The mixture 10%vol. of LTCF and 90%vol. of diesel is the best one concerning the exhaust emissions.

The composition and, consequently, the biological degradability (BD), of pharmaceutical wastewaters are not constant in time. To optimize the wastewater management of a pharmaceutical factory, real time data are needed about the BD of wastewaters. In our experiments, it was found that measurements using a lab-scale wastewater treatment plant (LWWTP) and a short-time BOD (RBOD) meter, as well as the combined evaluation of RBOD and COD data ensured rapid and accurate assessment of BD of wastewaters.

In this work it is proposed a new tool to measure crop water-content using RF communication signals from nodes of a wireless sensor network. Accurate measurement is obtained combining data from many nodes spread in the crop field. The mathematical model of the measuring process is discussed and experimental data are presented supporting the model.

The measurement of electrolytic conductivity is widely applied as a control parameter and its relevance is continuously increasing, not only in industrial applications but also in the environmental monitoring domain. In this work the attention is focused on the electrical behavior of low cost in-situ four electrode conductivity cells for water quality monitoring in estuaries and oceans. The design of each cell, the choice of the cell constant suitable for the range of conductivities to be measured, the modeling of the current density distribution using a finite element method are described in detail. The experimental characterization of the cell versus frequency, temperature and salt concentration is also carried out. A frequency range where parasitic effects are minimized is identified.

In this paper we describe an inductive sensor constructed as a double transformer, to be utilized to measure the water salinity in the sea and estuaries. The sensor uses two toroidal cores. Each core is provided with one single winding. The windings have equal number of turns. The electromotive forces developed in the water give rise to electrical currents which act as the secondary currents of one transformer and the primary currents of the other. Therefore, the relation between the voltage applied to the primary circuit and the voltage in the secondary depend on the conductivity of the water.