Electro-catalysts based on Fe-Ni alloys were prepared using physical mixture and modified Pechini methods; they were supported on a composite of Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) and Gadolinia Doped Ceria (GDC). The composites had compositions of 35% metal load and 65% support (70% wt. YSZ and 30% wt. GDC mixture) (cermets). The samples were characterized by Temperature-Programmed Reduction (TPR) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and evaluated in ethanol steam reforming at 650 °C for six hours and in the temperature range 300-900 °C. The XRD results showed that the bimetallic sample calcined at 800 °C formed a mixed oxide (NiFe 2 O 4) in spinel structure; after reducing the sample in hydrogen, Ni-Fe alloys were formed. The presence of Ni decreased the final reduction temperature of the NiFe 2 O 4 species. The addition of Fe to Ni anchored to YSZ-GDC increased the hydrogen production and inhibits the carbon deposition. The bimetallic 30Fe5Ni samples reached an ethanol conversion of about 95%, and a hydrogen yield up to 48% at 750 °C. In general, the ethanol conversion and hydrogen production were independent of the metal content in the electro-catalyst. However, the substitution of Ni for Fe significantly reduced the carbon deposition on the electro-catalyst: 74, 31, and 9 wt. % in the 35Ni, 20Fe15Ni, and 30Fe5Ni samples, respectively.

In the present work, polyesters were prepared from the polycondensation between glycerol and adipic acid using dibutyltin dilaurate as catalyst. Three glycerol: adipic acid molar ratio were used for the bulk polymerization namely: 2:2; 2:3 and 2:4. FTIR confirmed the esterification of glycerol by the acid for all the polymers. DSC and XRD indicated no crystallinity for all the polymers. The morphology of the materials are characterized by globular structure, which may suggest compositional fluctuations throughout the samples.

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RESUMOVários países têm enfrentado problemas relacionados ao fornecimento de água potável e também para atender às necessidades das indústrias. Alguns destes países têm procurado soluções para obter água purificada a partir de água salgada encontrada em poços ou água do mar. O objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar um estudo sobre produtos processos tecnológicos na área de purificação de água por energia solar abrangendo documentos de patentes publicados desde a década de 1950. A China destaca-se no número de patentes e inventores. Grande parte dos processos de purificação são fundamentalmente baseados na vaporização de água através da concentração de energia solar por espelhos côncavos ou por placas metálicas com estruturas tipo estufa. O Brasil tem sete depósitos de patentes nesta área, disponíveis nas bases de dados nacionais e internacionais.Palavras chave: Água. Destilação. Salobra. Energia Solar. ABSTRACTSeveral countries have encountered problems related to drinking water supply and to meet the needs of industries. Some of these countries have sought solutions for water purified from salt water found in wells or seawater. The objective was to conduct a study on technological processes and products in water purification area for solar energy covering patent documents published since 1950. China stands out in the number of patents and inventors. Much of the purification processes are fundamentally based on the vaporization of water by concentrating solar energy by concave mirrors or metal plates greenhouse-like structures. Brazil has eight patent applications in this area, available in national and international databases.