Germination of the Asphodelus bento-rainhae under different conditions
Contribution to its preservation

Asphodelus bento-rainhae is an exclusive andematic of Serra da Gardunha being first described by A. R. Pinto da Silva in 1956. In what concerns its status of conservation it is considered to follow the criterion of UINC (1994) which classifies it as an area of an occurrence inferior to 5000 Km2 and an area of occupation inferior to 500 Km2, in a unique place. It is not surprising then it is mentioned as a priority in the II supplement of Habitats Directive.
For this investigation the seeds of the plant have been subjected to different conditions where the controlled variable was the temperature. The germination has been carried out in Petri dishes and after they have been transplanted to plastic PET vases. With this research assignment we can contribute to the preservation of Asphodelus bento-rainhae and to a better knowledge of its germination conditions and life cycle.
 

Bruno Joel Farto MAGALHAES (17)

City/Region: Seixal
E-mail: brunomagalhaes96@hotmail.com
Hobbies: Listening to music, Sailing, Going to the beach, Cinema, Going out
Career: Pilot
School: Escola Secundária Alfredo dos Reis Silveira

Lorina DE CARVALHO VENTURA (17)

City/Region: Pinhal de Frades
E-mail: lorinaventura@hotmail.com
Hobbies: Sports, Reading, Listening to music, Internet, Going to the beach, Travelling
Career: Doctor
School: Escola Secundária Alfredo dos Reis Silveira

An environment's friendly fuel

We decided to study the production of an environment’s friendly fuel for diesel engines made from waste vegetable oil. The main purpose was to give a good destination to the waste vegetable oil. To produce the environment’s friendly fuel we went to the Chemistry Lab and made a transesterification reaction using vegetable oil, methanol and sodium hydroxide as a catalyst. To determine the quality of the biodiesel produce we run a series of analyses and compared the results with the specifications given by the standard EN14214. We were able to determine the water content, by the Karl-Fischer method (coulometric method), the refraction index using the Abbé Refractometer, the viscosity using a calibrated viscometer and the density using the pyknometer. With this work we learn how to turn a waste into an environmentally friendly fuel, as well as the precaution needed for the production of this fuel. We also learned the importance of the quality control of the biodiesel.