Flow systems exploiting multi-pumping, single interface or chemometry

Author(s)

Evandro Roberto Alves

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Piracicaba.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA/STB)
• Defense date: 2009-10-09

Examining board members

Elias Ayres Guidetti Zagatto; Eder Tadeu Gomes Cavalheiro; José Anchieta Gomes Neto; Patrícia Benedini Martelli; Boaventura Freire dos Reis

• Advisor: Elias Ayres Guidetti Zagatto

Abstract

Multi-pumping flow systems (MPFS) present as an unique feature the use of solenoid pumps as fluid propelling devices, which deliver pulsed flows. This flow regime was evaluated in order to improve mixing conditions between the involved solutions, heating transfer and gas diffusion.The association of the chemometric methods of analysis and MPFS systems was demonstrated in the spectrophotometric determination of glucose, fructose and glycerol in musts and sugar cane juices. The method involved metaperiodate oxidation of carbohydrates and further oxidation of remainder metaperiodate iodide yield in the [I3 -] complex that was spectrophotometrically monitored. Data treatment involved multivariate calibration relying on the PLS algorithm and results were in agreement with liquid anion chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection. The proposed system is simple and rugged, allowing 120 samples to be run per hour. The pulsed flow led to a enhanced in heating transfer and gas diffusion, in view of the enhanced radial mass transport. These aspects were verified in the spectrophotometric determination of total reducing sugars (TRS) and ethanol. The proposed MPFS system for TRS determination involved in-line hydrolysis of sucrose and alkaline degradation of the carbohydrates. The intrinsic characteristic of pulsed flow allowed the use of lower temperatures in bath thermostatization during hydrolysis and degradation steps, as well as a lower alkalinity. The MPFS for spectrophotometric determination of ethanol involving diffusion towards an acceptor stream, reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) under acidic condition, and Cr*(III) monitoring proved to be eficient and amenale to analytical procedures involving gas diffusion. After optimization of the main parameters, the system was compared with a multicommuted flow system (MCFA) that exploits a laminar flow. Better analytical results were obtained with the proposed system which demonstrated fair sensitivity. Regarding flow systems exploiting a single reaction interface (SIFA), their potentialities were demonstrated by implementing analytical procedures for simultaneous determination without requiring reconfigurations in the flow manifold. In this proposed system the simplification of the optimization step was atained, and the approach was evaluated in relation to spectrophotometrically determination of aluminum, total iron and phosphate. The system exhibits simple configuration and allows 130, 140 and 90 samples of aluminum, total iron and phosphate to be run per hour, respectivelly (AU)