Impact of acid precipitation on recreation and tourism in Ontario: an overview

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1984-01-01

The impacts of acid precipitation on fishing opportunities, waterfowl and moose hunting, water contact activities, and the perception of the environment in Ontario are analyzed. Economic effects and future research needs are also estimated and discussed. These questions have been examined by identifying the likely links between acidic precipitation and recreation and tourism, by developing estimates of the importance of aquatic-based recreation and tourism, by describing the current and estimated future effects of acid precipitation. 101 references, 9 figures, 19 tables.

Characteristics of a continuous denitration by formic acid - electrolytic trimming of residual acid with accompanying the precipitation of metal ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, G. W.; Kim, S. H.; Lim, J. G.; Lee, I. H.

2003-01-01

This work has studied the characteristics of destruction of nitric acid and precipitation of several metal ions in a continuous denitration process combining a denitration by formic acid and a residual acid-electrolytic trimming system. The metal ions of Zr, Mo, Fe, and Nd did not affect the electrodes at the step of electrolytic trimming of the residual acid after denitration by formic acid. The Mo ion in electrolytic solution enhanced the generation of nitrite ion during the electrolytic reaction. The mole ratio of formic acid to nitric acid fed into the continuous denitration reactor using formic acid affected much the final acidity, the precipitation yields of metal ions, the precipitate morphology. At the ratio of 1.65, the process had the lowest final acidity of less than 0.1 M, and the precipitation yields of Zr and Mo reached 95% and 83%, respectively as the highest values

Indium sulfide precipitation from hydrochloric acid solutions of calcium and sodium chlorides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kochetkova, N.V.; Bayandina, Yu.E.; Toptygina, G.M.; Shepot'ko, A.O.

1988-01-01

The effect of precipitation duration, acid concentration, indium complexing with chloride ions on the process of indium sulfide chemical precipitation in hydrochloric acid solutions, precipitate composition and dispersity are studied. It is established that indium sulfide solubility increases in solutions with acid concentration exceeding 0.40-0.45 mol/l. Calcium and indium chloride addition to diluted hydrochloric solutions greatly increases the solubility of indium sulfide. The effect of calcium chloride on In 2 S 3 solubility is higher than that of sodium chloride

Acid Precipitation Awareness Curriculum Materials in the Life Sciences.

Science.gov (United States)

Stubbs, Harriett S.

1983-01-01

Provides an outline of course content for acid precipitation and two acid rain activities (introduction to pH and effects of acid rain on an organism). Information for obtaining 20 additional activities as well as an information packet containing booklets, pamphlets, and articles are also provided. (JN)

Tracing of salicylic acid additive during precipitation of zirconium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bharati Misra, U.; Gopala Krishna, K.; Narasimha Murty, B.; Yadav, R.B.

2011-01-01

This paper presents the results of experimental study carried out to know whether the salicylic acid used as an additive during the precipitation of zirconium using ammonium hydroxide solution goes into the filtrate, remains in the hydrated zirconia or gets distributed between the both under the ambient conditions of precipitation. Keeping its simplicity and amenability to adopt on a routine basis, spectrophotometric method has been chosen for the purpose among the many methods available and the problems associated in determining salicylic acid in the presence of zirconium and the medial measures to circumvent the same have been brought out in detail. (author)

Precipitation stripping of neodymium from carboxylate extractant with aqueous oxalic acid solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konishi, Yasuhiro; Asai, Satoru; Murai, Tetuya

1993-01-01

This paper describes a precipitation stripping method in which neodymium ions are stripped from carboxylate extractant in organic solvent and simultaneously precipitated with aqueous oxalic acid solution. For the single-stage process, a quantitative criterion for precipitating oxalate powders was derived theoretically, and stripping experiments were done under the precipitation conditions. The resultant precipitates were neodymium oxalate, which is completely free from contamination by the carboxylate extractant and the organic solvent. The overall rate of stripping was controlled by the transfer of neodymium carboxylate in the organic solution, indicating that the presence of oxalic acid in the aqueous phase has no effect on the stripping rate. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of combining the conventional stripping and precipitation stages in a solvent extraction process for separation and purification of rare earths

Comparison of Four Strong Acids on the Precipitation Potential of Gypsum in Brines During Distillation of Pretreated, Augmented Urine

Science.gov (United States)

Muirhead, Dean; Carrier, Christopher

2012-01-01

In this study, three different mineral acids were substituted for sulfuric acid (H2SO4) in the urine stabilizer solution to eliminate the excess of sulfate ions in pretreated urine and assess the impact on maximum water recovery to avoid precipitation of minerals during distillation. The study evaluated replacing 98% sulfuric acid with 85% phosphoric acid (H3PO4), 37% hydrochloric acid (HCl), or 70% nitric acid (HNO3). The effect of lowering the oxidizer concentration in the pretreatment formulation also was studied. This paper summarizes the test results, defines candidate formulations for further study, and specifies the injection masses required to stabilize urine and minimize the risk of mineral precipitation during distillation. In the first test with a brine ersatz acidified with different acids, the solubility of calcium in gypsum saturated solutions was measured. The solubility of gypsum was doubled in the brines acidified with the alternative acids compared to sulfuric acid. In a second series of tests, the alternative acid pretreatment concentrations were effective at preventing precipitation of gypsum and other minerals up to 85% water recovery from 95th-percentile pretreated, augmented urine. Based on test results, phosphoric acid is recommended as the safest alternative to sulfuric acid. It also is recommended that the injected mass concentration of chromium trioxide solution be reduced by 75% to minimize liquid resupply mass by about 50%, reduce toxicity of brines, and reduce the concentration of organic acids in distillate. The new stabilizer solution formulations and required doses to stabilize urine and prevent precipitation of minerals up to 85% water recovery are given. The formulations in this study were tested on a limited number of artificially augmented urine batches collected from employees at the Johnson Space Center (JSC). This study successfully demonstrated that the desired physical and chemical stability of pretreated urine and brines

Acidic precipitation, Vol. 1: Case studies. Advances in environmental science

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adriano, D.C.; Havas, M. (eds.)

1989-01-01

As has been the case with many environmental issues of the twentieth century, acidic precipitation has its origin in emissions to the atmosphere of numerous compounds from both natural and man-made sources. This volume of the subseries Acidic precipitation emphasizes some of the classical interactions between acidic deposition and ecological effects. It covers the cycling, behavior, and effects of acidic components in nature. Included are the effects of acidic deposition on soil chemistry, soil solution chemistry, aquatic chemistry, forest productivity, and fish populations. Several major ecological consequences, such as a decline in forest productivity, soil and water acidification, depletion of fish populations, and slower litter decomposition are highlighted. A chapter is devoted to the comparative biogeochemistry of aluminum, encompassing several ecosystems in North America and Europe. Nine chapters have been processed separately for inclusion in the appropriate data bases.

Wet precipitators for sulphuric acid plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ojanpera, R.O.

1989-01-01

Both the service requirements and design construction details have changed considerably in recent years for wet electrostatic precipitators as used for gas cleaning ahead of metallurgical sulphuric acid plants. Increased concern over acid quality has resulted in more emphasis on dust efficiencies compared to collection of acid mist. Also, higher static operating pressures have caused large structural loads on casing and internal components. In this paper these two issues are addressed in the following ways: Recognition that all dusts do not collect similarly. The mechanism by which various dusts collect affect the design of the entire wet gas cleaning system. Use of both traditional and newer materials of construction to accommodate the higher design pressures while still maintaining corrosion resistance

Arsenic removal from acidic solutions with biogenic ferric precipitates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahoranta, Sarita H., E-mail: sarita.ahoranta@tut.fi [Department of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Tampere University of Technology, P.O. Box 541, FI-33101 Tampere (Finland); Kokko, Marika E., E-mail: marika.kokko@tut.fi [Department of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Tampere University of Technology, P.O. Box 541, FI-33101 Tampere (Finland); Papirio, Stefano, E-mail: stefano.papirio@unicas.it [Department of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Tampere University of Technology, P.O. Box 541, FI-33101 Tampere (Finland); Özkaya, Bestamin, E-mail: bozkaya@yildiz.edu.tr [Department of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Tampere University of Technology, P.O. Box 541, FI-33101 Tampere (Finland); Department of Environmental Engineering, Yildiz Technical University, Davutpasa Campus 34220, Esenler, Istanbul (Turkey); Puhakka, Jaakko A., E-mail: jaakko.puhakka@tut.fi [Department of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Tampere University of Technology, P.O. Box 541, FI-33101 Tampere (Finland)

2016-04-05

Highlights: • Continuous and rapid arsenic removal with biogenic jarosite was achieved at pH 3.0. • Arsenic removal was inefficient below pH 2.4 due to reduced Fe–As co-precipitation. • As(V) had better sorption characteristics than As(III). • Biogenic jarosite adsorbed arsenic more effectively than synthetic jarosite. - Abstract: Treatment of acidic solution containing 5 g/L of Fe(II) and 10 mg/L of As(III) was studied in a system consisting of a biological fluidized-bed reactor (FBR) for iron oxidation, and a gravity settler for iron precipitation and separation of the ferric precipitates. At pH 3.0 and FBR retention time of 5.7 h, 96–98% of the added Fe(II) precipitated (99.1% of which was jarosite). The highest iron oxidation and precipitation rates were 1070 and 28 mg/L/h, respectively, and were achieved at pH 3.0. Subsequently, the effect of pH on arsenic removal through sorption and/or co-precipitation was examined by gradually decreasing solution pH from 3.0 to 1.6 (feed pH). At pH 3.0, 2.4 and 1.6, the highest arsenic removal efficiencies obtained were 99.5%, 80.1% and 7.1%, respectively. As the system had ferric precipitates in excess, decreased arsenic removal was likely due to reduced co-precipitation at pH < 2.4. As(III) was partially oxidized to As(V) in the system. In shake flask experiments, As(V) sorbed onto jarosite better than As(III). Moreover, the sorption capacity of biogenic jarosite was significantly higher than that of synthetic jarosite. The developed bioprocess simultaneously and efficiently removes iron and arsenic from acidic solutions, indicating potential for mining wastewater treatment.

Acidic precipitation. Volume 3: Sources, deposition, and canopy interactions. Advances in environmental science

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindberg, S.E.; Page, A.L.; Norton, S.A. (eds.)

1990-01-01

As has been the case with many environmental issues of the twentieth century, acidic precipitation has its origin in emissions to the atmosphere of numerous compounds from both natural and man-made sources. This volume emphasizes the atmospheric aspects of acidic precipitation and all that this term has come to include (e.g. toxic gases such as ozone, trace metals, aluminum, and oxides of nitrogen). It progresses from emissions of the precursors of acidic precipitation to their eventual deposition on environmental surfaces. The chapters describe the sources of acidic and basic airborne substances, their interactions in the atmosphere and with rain droplets, and their reactions with other airborne constituents such as aluminum and other metals. Also discussed are the use of metals as tracers of sources of the precursors of acidic precipitation and as tracers of historical deposition rates, the processes controlling the removal of airborne material as dry deposition and deposition interactions with the forest canopy, and past and future trends in atmospheric emissions and options for their abatement.

Acid precipitation literature review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seip, H M; Andersen, B; Andersson, G; Hov, Oe; Kucera, V; Moseholm, L

1986-01-01

There is an increasing number of publications on acid deposition and related phenomena. Interest in these topics has also been reflected in a considerable number of meetings and conferences in this field. The largest of these in 1985 was the ''International Symposium on Acidic Precipitation'' (Muskoka, Ontario). Most work so far has been carried out in North America and Europe. There is, however, an increasing interest in obtaining a better picture of sensitive areas and possible acidification in other parts of the world. Anthropogenic SO/sub 2/ emissions have been estimated to be (in TgSyr/sup -1/): 2.4 (Africa), 4.1 (South America), 0.7 (Ocenia), and 18.3 (Asia). The largest increase during the last decade has been in Asia. Based on Studies of precipitation in remote areas it has been suggested that the natural background concentration for sulphate in many areas should be about 6 ..mu..eq 1/sup -1/. A new study of sulphate and nitrate in Greenland snow showed that both ions increased by a factor of about 2 from 1895 to 1978. The concentrations of SO/sub 2/ at Norwegian rural sites show a decreasing trend since late 1970s, while concentrations of sulphate in air show no clear trend. More reliable models for transformation, transport and deposition of chemicals are being developed, including three-dimensional grid models to describe episodes of elevated pollution levels lasting for a few days. Model calculations indicate that control of hydrocarbon (HC) emissions is much more efficient in reducing the ozone level in southern Scandinavia in episodes influenced by long-range transported pollutants than NO/sub x/ control of combined NO/sub x/ and HC control. 36 refs. (EG).

Long range transport of air pollutants in Europe and acid precipitation in Norway

Science.gov (United States)

Jack Nordo

1976-01-01

Observations show that pollutants from large emission sources may cause significant air concentrations 500 to 1000 miles away. Very acid precipitation occurs in such periods. The scavenging is often intensified by the topography. Case studies will be presented, with special emphasis on acid precipitation in Scandinavia. Large scale dispersion models have been developed...

Object-Based Assessment of Satellite Precipitation Products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jingjing Li

2016-06-01

Full Text Available An object-based verification approach is employed to assess the performance of the commonly used high-resolution satellite precipitation products: Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks (PERSIANN, Climate Prediction center MORPHing technique (CMORPH, and Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM Multi-Satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA 3B42RT. The evaluation of the satellite precipitation products focuses on the skill of depicting the geometric features of the localized precipitation areas. Seasonal variability of the performances of these products against the ground observations is investigated through the examples of warm and cold seasons. It is found that PERSIANN is capable of depicting the orientation of the localized precipitation areas in both seasons. CMORPH has the ability to capture the sizes of the localized precipitation areas and performs the best in the overall assessment for both seasons. 3B42RT is capable of depicting the location of the precipitation areas for both seasons. In addition, all of the products perform better on capturing the sizes and centroids of precipitation areas in the warm season than in the cold season, while they perform better on depicting the intersection area and orientation in the cold season than in the warm season. These products are more skillful on correctly detecting the localized precipitation areas against the observations in the warm season than in the cold season.

Acidic precipitation. Volume 4: Soils, aquatic processes, and lake acidification. Advances in environmental science

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Norton, S.A.; Lindberg, S.E.; Page, A.L. (eds.)

1990-01-01

Acidic precipitation and its effects have been the focus of intense research for over two decades. Recently, research has focused on a greater understanding of dose-response relationships between atmospheric loading of acidifying material and lake acidity. This volume of the subseries Acidic Precipitation emphasizes acid neutralizing processes and the capacity of terrestrial and aquatic systems to assimilate acidifying substances and, conversely, the ability of systems to recover after acid loading diminishes. Eight chapters have been processed separately for inclusion in the appropriate data bases.

Amphibian recovery after a decrease in acidic precipitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Dolmen, Dag; Finstad, Anders Gravbrøt; Skei, Jon Kristian

2018-04-01

We here report the first sign of amphibian recovery after a strong decline due to acidic precipitation over many decades and peaking around 1980-90. In 2010, the pH level of ponds and small lakes in two heavily acidified areas in southwestern Scandinavia (Aust-Agder and Østfold in Norway) had risen significantly at an (arithmetic) average of 0.14 since 1988-89. Parallel with the general rise in pH, amphibians (Rana temporaria, R. arvalis, Bufo bufo, Lissotriton vulgaris, and Triturus cristatus) had become significantly more common: the frequency of amphibian localities rose from 33% to 49% (n = 115), and the average number of amphibian species per locality had risen from 0.51 to 0.88. In two other (reference) areas, one with better buffering capacity (Telemark, n = 21) and the other with much less input of acidic precipitation (Nord-Trøndelag, n = 106), there were no significant changes in pH or amphibians.

Glycation inhibits trichloroacetic acid (TCA)-induced whey protein precipitation

Science.gov (United States)

Four different WPI saccharide conjugates were successfully prepared to test whether glycation could inhibit WPI precipitation induced by trichloroacetic acid (TCA). Conjugates molecular weights after glycation were analyzed with SDS-PAGE. No significant secondary structure change due to glycation wa...

Application of a precipitation method for uranium recovery from abu-zaabal phosphoric acid plant, Egypt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-hazek, N.M.T.; Hussein, E.M.

1995-01-01

Current industrial recovery of uranium from 30% phosphoric acid-produced by the dihydrate process-is based on solvent extraction method. Uranium recovery from concentrated phosphoric acid (45-52% p o5 ) produced by evaporation of the 30% acid or directly produced by the hemihydrate process, by solvent extraction is difficult to apply in practice. In addition to possible contamination of the acid by the organic solvents and/or their deterioration. This paper investigates the possibility of applying a precipitation method (Weterings and Janssen, 1985) for uranium recovery from both low (28% P 2 O 5 ) and high (48% P 2 O 5 ) concentration phosphoric acids produced by abu-zaabal phosphoric acid plant (Abuzaabal fertilizers and chemicals Co., Egypt). The 28% acid produced by H 2 SO 4 dihydrate method and the 48% acid produced by evaporation of the 28% acid The applied precipitation method depends on using NH 4 F as a uranium precipitant from both low and high concentration phosphoric acids in presence of acetone as a dispersing agent. All the relevant factors have been studied

Precipitation of plutonium from acidic solutions using magnesium oxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, S.A.

1994-01-01

Plutonium (IV) is only marginally soluble in alkaline solution. Precipitation of plutonium using sodium or potassium hydroxide to neutralize acidic solutions produces a gelatinous solid that is difficult to filter and an endpoint that is difficult to control. If the pH of the solution is too high, additional species precipitate producing an increased volume of solids separated. The use of magnesium oxide as a reagent has advantages. It is added as a solid (volume of liquid waste produced is minimized), the pH is self-limiting (pH does not exceed about 8.5), and the solids precipitated are more granular (larger particle size) than those produced using KOH or NaOH. Following precipitation, the raffinate is expected to meet criteria for disposal to tank farms. The solid will be heated in a furnace to dry it and convert any hydroxide salts to the oxide form. The material will be cooled in a desiccator. The material is expected to meet vault storage criteria

Generation of dose-response relationships to assess the effects of acidity in precipitation on growth and productivity of vegetation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evans, L.S.

1981-01-01

Experiments were performed with several plant species in natural environments as well in a greenhouse and/or tissue culture facilities to establish dose-response functions of plant responses to simulated acidic rain in order to determine environmental risk assessments to ambient levels of acidic rain. Response functions of foliar injury, biomass of leaves and seed of soybean and pinto beans, root yields of radishes and garden beets, and reproduction of bracken fern are considered. The dose-response function of soybean seed yields with the hydrogen ion concentration of simulated acidic rainfalls was expressed by the equation y = 21.06-1.01 log x where y = seed yield in grams per plant and x = the hydrogen concentration if μeq l -1 . The correlation coefficient of this relationship was -0.90. A similar dose-response function was generated for percent fertilization of ferns in a forest understory. When percent fertilization is plotted on logarithmic scale with hydrogen ion concentration of the simulated rain solution, the Y intercept is 51.18, slope -0.041 with a correlation coefficient of -0.98. Other dose-response functions were generated that assist in a general knowledge as to which plant species and which physiological processes are most impacted by acidic precipitation. Some responses did not produce convenient dose-response relationships. In such cases the responses may be altered by other environmental factors or there may be no differences among treatment means

Third generation capture system: precipitating amino acid solvent systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sanchez Fernandez, E.; Misiak, K.; Ham, L. van der; Goetheer, E.L.V.

2013-01-01

This work summarises the results of the design of novel separation processes for CO2 removal from flue gas based on precipitating amino acid solvents. The processes here described (DECAB, DECAB Plus and pH-swing) use a combination of enhanced CO2 absorption (based on the Le Chatelier’s principle)

Effect of amino acids on the precipitation kinetics and Ca isotopic composition of gypsum

Science.gov (United States)

Harouaka, Khadouja; Kubicki, James D.; Fantle, Matthew S.

2017-12-01

Stirred gypsum (CaSO4 · 2H2O) precipitation experiments (initial Ωgypsum = 2.4 ± 0.14, duration ≈ 1.0-1.5 h) were conducted in the presence of the amino acids glycine (190 μM), L-alanine (190 μM), D- and L-arginine (45 μM), and L-tyrosine (200 μM) to investigate the effect of simple organic compounds on both the precipitation kinetics and Ca isotopic composition of gypsum. Relative to abiotic controls, glycine, tyrosine, and alanine inhibited precipitation rates by ∼22%, 27%, and 29%, respectively, while L- and D-arginine accelerated crystal growth by ∼8% and 48%, respectively. With the exception of tyrosine, amino acid induced inhibition resulted in fractionation factors (αs-f) associated with precipitation that were no more than 0.3‰ lower than amino acid-free controls. In contrast, the tyrosine and D- and L-arginine experiments had αs-f values associated with precipitation that were similar to the controls. Our experimental results indicate that Ca isotopic fractionation associated with gypsum precipitation is impacted by growth inhibition in the presence of amino acids. Specifically, we propose that the surface-specific binding of amino acids to gypsum can change the equilibrium fractionation factor of the bulk mineral. We investigate the hypothesis that amino acids can influence the growth of gypsum at specific crystal faces via adsorption and that different faces have distinct fractionation factors (αface-fluid). Accordingly, preferential sorption of amino acids at particular faces changes the relative, face-specific mass fluxes of Ca during growth, which influences the bulk isotopic composition of the mineral. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that the energetic favorability of glycine sorption onto gypsum crystal faces occurs in the order: (1 1 0) > (0 1 0) > (1 2 0) > (0 1 1), while glycine sorption onto the (-1 1 1) face was found to be energetically unfavorable. Face-specific fractionation factors constrained by

Studies on Pu(IV)/(III)-oxalate precipitation from nitric acid containing high concentration of calcium and fluoride ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalsi, P.K.; Pawar, S.M.; Ghadse, D.R.; Joshi, A.R.; Ramakrishna, V.V.; Vaidya, V.N.; Venugopal, V.

2003-01-01

Plutonium (IV)/(III) oxalate precipitation from nitric acid solution, containing large amount of calcium and fluoride ions was investigated. It was observed that direct precipitation of Pu (IV) oxalate from nitric acid containing large amount of calcium and fluoride ions did not give good decontamination of Pu from calcium and fluoride impurities. However, incorporation of hydroxide precipitation using ammonium hydroxide prior to Pu (IV) oxalate precipitation results into PuO 2 with much less calcium and fluoride impurities. Whereas, good decontamination from calcium and fluoride impurities could be obtained by employing Pu (III) oxalate precipitation directly from nitric acid containing large amount of calcium and fluoride ions. A method was also developed to recover Pu from the oxalate waste containing calcium and fluoride ions. (author)

Optimization of precipitation conditions of thorium oxalate precipitate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pazukhin, Eh.M.; Smirnova, E.A.; Krivokhatskij, A.S.; Pazukhina, Yu.L.; Kiselev, P.P.

1986-01-01

Thorium precipitation in the form of difficultly soluble oxalate has been investigated. The equation binding the concentration of metal with the nitric acid in the initial solution and quantity of a precipitator necessary for minimization of desired product losses is derived. The graphical solution of this equation for a case, when the oxalic acid with 0.78 mol/l concentration is the precipitator, is presented

Precipitation of plutonium from acidic solutions using magnesium oxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, S.A.

1994-01-01

Magnesium oxide will be used as a neutralizing agent for acidic plutonium-containing solutions. It is expected that as the magnesium oxide dissolves, the pH of the solution will rise, and plutonium will precipitate. The resulting solid will be tested for suitability to storage. The liquid is expected to contain plutonium levels that meet disposal limit requirements

Dose-response functions for effects of acidic precipitation on vegetation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jacobson, J S; Troiano, J J

1983-01-01

Research on the effect of sulfuric and nitric acids, as well as other substances, in rain on plant growth has focused on quantifying the relationship between doses of acids in precipitation and plant response. After eight years, there has been no direct demonstration of harmful effects to plants by ambient acidic rain in North America, and there remains considerable uncertainty about the potential risk to cultivated and native plants. Current efforts to describe the relationships between dose of acidity and effects on plants need better experimental approaches if the results are to be more relevant to actual field situations. Mechanistic models that describe the physiological and biochemical basis for effects of acidic rain on plants will be needed to provide confidence in the predictions of plant response. 34 references, 1 figure.

Influence of commercial (Fluka) naphthenic acids on acid volatile sulfide (AVS) production and divalent metal precipitation.

Science.gov (United States)

McQueen, Andrew D; Kinley, Ciera M; Rodgers, John H; Friesen, Vanessa; Bergsveinson, Jordyn; Haakensen, Monique C

2016-12-01

Energy-derived waters containing naphthenic acids (NAs) are complex mixtures often comprising a suite of potentially problematic constituents (e.g. organics, metals, and metalloids) that need treatment prior to beneficial use, including release to receiving aquatic systems. It has previously been suggested that NAs can have biostatic or biocidal properties that could inhibit microbially driven processes (e.g. dissimilatory sulfate reduction) used to transfer or transform metals in passive treatment systems (i.e. constructed wetlands). The overall objective of this study was to measure the effects of a commercially available (Fluka) NA on sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), production of sulfides (as acid-volatile sulfides [AVS]), and precipitation of divalent metals (i.e. Cu, Ni, Zn). These endpoints were assessed following 21-d aqueous exposures of NAs using bench-scale reactors. After 21-days, AVS molar concentrations were not statistically different (pAVS production was sufficient in all NA treatments to achieve ∑SEM:AVS AVS) could be used to treat metals occurring in NAs affected waters. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Biomediated Precipitation of Calcium Carbonate in a Slightly Acidic Hot Spring

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, L.

2015-12-01

A slightly acidic hot spring named "Female Tower" (T=73.5 °C, pH=6.64) is located in the Jifei Geothermal Field, Yunnan Province, Southwest China. The precipitates in the hot spring are composed of large amounts of calcite, aragonite, and sulfur. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses revealed that the microbial mats were formed of various coccoid, rod-shaped, and filamentous microbes. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the intracellular sulfur granules were commonly associated with these microbes. A culture-independent molecular phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the majority of the bacteria in the spring were sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. In the spring water, H2S concentration was up to 60 ppm, while SO42- concentration was only about 10 ppm. We speculated that H2S might be utilized by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria in this hot spring water, leading to the intracellular formation of sulfur granules. In the meantime, this reaction increased the pH in the micron-scale microdomains, which fostered the precipitation of calcium carbonate in the microbial mats. The results of this study indicated that the sulfur-oxidizing bacteria could play an important role in calcium carbonate precipitation in slightly acidic hot spring environments.

Assessing changes in extreme convective precipitation from a damage perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Schroeer, K.; Tye, M. R.

2016-12-01

Projected increases in high-intensity short-duration convective precipitation are expected even in regions that are likely to become more arid. Such high intensity precipitation events can trigger hazardous flash floods, debris flows and landslides that put people and local assets at risk. However, the assessment of local scale precipitation extremes is hampered by its high spatial and temporal variability. In addition to which, not only are extreme events rare, but such small scale events are likely to be underreported where they don't coincide with the observation network. Rather than focus solely on the convective precipitation, understanding the characteristics of these extremes which drive damage may be more effective to assess future risks. Two sources of data are used in this study. First, sub-daily precipitation observations over the Southern Alps enable an examination of seasonal and regional patterns in high-intensity convective precipitation and their relationship with weather types. Secondly, reports of private loss and damage on a household scale are used to identify which events are most damaging, or what conditions potentially enhance the vulnerability to these extremes.This study explores the potential added value from including recorded loss and damage data to understand the risks from summertime convective precipitation events. By relating precipitation generating weather types to the severity of damage we hope to develop a mechanism to assess future risks. A further benefit would be to identify from damage reports the likely occurrence of precipitation extremes where no direct observations are available and use this information to validate remotely sensed observations.

Chemical composition and seasonal variation of acid deposition in Guangzhou, South China: Comparison with precipitation in other major Chinese cities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Deyin; Xu Yigang; Peng Pingan; Zhang Huihuang; Lan Jiangbo

2009-01-01

With the aim of understanding the origin of acid rains in South China, we analyzed rainwaters collected from Guangzhou, China, between March 2005 and February 2006. The pH of rainwater collected during the monitoring period varied from 4.22 to 5.87; acid rain represented about 94% of total precipitation during this period. The rainwater was characterized by high concentrations of SO 4 2- , NO 3 - , Ca 2+ , and NH 4 + . SO 4 2- and NO 3 - , the main precursors of acid rain, were related to the combustion of coal and fertilizer use/traffic emissions, respectively. Ca 2+ and NH 4 + act as neutralizers of acid, accounting for the decoupling between high SO 4 2- concentrations and relatively high pH in the Guangzhou precipitation. The acid rain in Guangzhou is most pronounced during spring and summer. A comparison with acid precipitation in other Chinese cities reveals a decreasing neutralization capacity from north to south, probably related to the role and origin of alkaline bases in precipitation. - A north-to-south decreasing trend in the neutralization capacity of precipitation in China

OCHRE PRECIPITATES AND ACID MINE DRAINAGE IN A MINE ENVIRONMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

BRANISLAV MÁŠA

2012-03-01

Full Text Available This paper is focused to characterize the ochre precipitates and the mine water effluents of some old mine adits and settling pits after mining of polymetallic ores in Slovakia. It was shown that the mine water effluents from two different types of deposits (adits; settling pits have similar composition and represent slightly acidic sulphate water (pH in range 5.60-6.05, sulphate concentration from 1160 to 1905 g.dm-3. The ochreous precipitates were characterized by methods of X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM and B.E.T. method for measuring the specific surface area and porosity. The dominant phases were ferrihydrite with goethite or goethite with lepidocrocide.

Dissolution of oxalate precipitate and destruction of oxalate ion by hydrogen peroxide in nitric acid solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Eung-Ho; Chung, Dong-Yong; Park, Jin-Ho; Yoo, Jae-Hyung

2000-01-01

This study aims at developing an oxalate precipitation process, which is applicable to a partitioning of long-lived radionuclides from the high-level radioactive liquid waste. In order to achieve this, a study for decomposition-reaction of oxalic acid by hydrogen peroxide was first carried out. The decomposition rates of H 2 O 2 and oxalic acid increased with an increase of nitric acid concentration, and especially those decomposition rates steeply increased at more than 2 M HNO 3 . Based on this result, the decomposition kinetics of H 2 O 2 and oxalic acid were suggested in this work. Then, the dissolution of oxalate precipitate and the destruction of oxalate ion in the solution were examined. Oxalate precipitates were prepared by adding oxalic acid into a simulated radioactive waste containing 8 metallic elements. The precipitates obtained thereby were dissolved in various nitric acid concentrations and reacted with H 2 O 2 at 90degC. When the oxalates were completely dissolved, most of the oxalates were decomposed by adding H 2 O 2 , but in a slurry state the decomposition yield of the oxalate decreased with an increase of the slurry density in the solution. Such phenomenon was considered to be due to a catalytic decomposition of H 2 O 2 on a solid surface of oxalate and the decomposition mechanism was explained by a charge transfer from a surface of oxalate solid to H 2 O 2 , producing OH radicals which can destruct H 2 O 2 explosively. Accordingly, the experimental condition for the decomposition of the oxalate precipitates was found to be most favorable at 3 M HNO 3 under the initial concentrations of 0.2 M oxalate and 1 M H 2 O 2 . At 3M HNO 3 , oxalate precipitates could be safely and completely dissolved, and almost decomposed. Additionally, it was observed that the presence of ferric ion in the solution largely affects the decomposition rate of H 2 O 2 . This could be explained by a chain reaction of hydrogen peroxide with ferric ion in the solution

Acid precipitation and reproductive success of Ambystoma salamanders

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pough, R H; Wilson, R E

1976-01-01

The two species of mole salamander that occur in the Ithaca, New York, region (Ambystoma maculatum and A. jeffersonianum) breed in temporary ponds that are formed by accumulation of melted snow and spring rains. Water in many of these pools during the breeding season is acid; pH values as low as 3.5 have been measured. In laboratory experiments A. maculatum tolerated pHs from 6 to 10 and had greatest hatching success at pH 7 to 9. Ambystoma Jeffersonianum tolerated pH 4 to 8 and was most successful at pH 5 to 6. Mortality rose abruptly beyond the tolerance limits. The pH optimum shifted upward with increasing temperature for A. jeffersonianum and downward for A. maculatum. Judging from our laboratory studies, the acidity measured in breeding ponds should cause mortality in A. maculatum and permit normal development in A. jeffersonianum. In a four-year study of a large acidic vernal pond, 938 adult A. maculatum produced 486 metamorphosed juveniles (0.52 juvenile/adult), while 686 adult A. jeffersonianum produced 2157 juveniles (3.14 juveniles/adult). Because the effects of acid precipitation on the salamanders' breeding ponds are cumulative from year to year, profound changes in the salamander populations can be anticipated.

Acid precipitation and reproductive success of Ambystoma salamanders

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pough, F H; Wilson, R E

1977-03-01

The two species of mole salamander that occur in the Ithaca, New York, region (Ambystoma maculatum and A. jeffersonianum) breed in temporary ponds that are formed by accumulation of melted snow and spring rains. Water in many of these pools during the breeding season is acid; pH values as low as 3.5 have been measured. In laboratory experiments A. maculatum tolerated pHs from 6 to 10 and had greatest hatching success at pH 7 to 9. Ambystoma jeffersonianum tolerated pH 4 to 8 and was most successful at pH 5 to 6. Mortality rose abruptly beyond the tolerance limits. The pH optimum shifted upward with increasing temperature for A. jeffersonianum and downward for A. maculatum. Judging from our laboratory studies, the acidity measured in breeding ponds should cause mortality in A. maculatum and permit normal development in A. jeffersonianum. In a 4 yr study of a large, acidic vernal pond, 938 adult A. maculatum produced 486 metamorphosed juveniles (0.52 juvenile/adult), while 686 adult A. jeffersonianum produced 2157 juveniles (3.14 juveniles/adult). Because the effects of acid precipitation on the salamanders' breeding ponds are cumulative from year to year, profound changes in the salamander populations can be anticipated.

Effects of initial supersaturation on spontaneous precipitation of calcium carbonate in the presence of charged poly-L-amino acids.

Science.gov (United States)

Njegić-Dzakula, Branka; Falini, Giuseppe; Brecević, Ljerka; Skoko, Zeljko; Kralj, Damir

2010-03-15

Spontaneous precipitation of calcium carbonate was investigated in two precipitation systems: (1) with initial supersaturation lower than that corresponding to the solubility of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC), at which vaterite precipitated, and (2) with initial supersaturation higher than that of ACC solubility, at which a mixture of calcite and vaterite was formed. After the addition of an acidic polypeptide, poly-L-glutamic acid (pGlu) or poly-L-aspartic acid (pAsp), into (1) a significant inhibition of nucleation, expressed as an increase in induction time, and growth of vaterite, perceived as a dead zone, was observed. Extent of inhibition decreased in the order: Inh(pAps)>Inh(pGlu)>Inh(pLys). The addition of a polypeptide into (2) caused the inhibition of precipitation and changed the morphology and polymorphic composition of the precipitate; only vaterite appeared at approximately c(pAsp)=3 ppm, c(pGlu)=6 ppm, or c(pLys)=7 ppm. This finding is explained as a consequence of kinetic constraints through the inhibition of calcite nucleation and stronger binding of acidic polypeptide by the calcite surfaces than by the vaterite surfaces. Laboratory precipitation studies using conditions that resemble those in living organism should be run at an initial supersaturation corresponding to the solubility of ACC as a limiting condition. 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

pH and its frequency distribution patterns of Acid Precipitation in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kitamura, Moritsugu; Katou, Takunori; Sekiguchi, Kyoichi

1991-01-01

The pH data was collected at the 29 stations in Phase-I study of Acid Precipitation Survey over Japan by Japan Environment Agency in terms of frequency distribution patterns. This study was undertaken from April 1984 to March 1988, which was the first survey of acid precipitation over Japan with identical sampling procedures and subsequent chemical analyses. While the annual mean pH at each station ranged from 4.4 to 5.5, the monthly mean varied more widely, from 4.0 to 7.1. Its frequency distribution pattern was obtained for each station, and further grouped into four classes: class I; a mode at the rank of pH 4.5∼4.9, class II; bimodes above and below this pH region, class III; a mode at a higher pH region, class IV; a mode at a lower pH region. The bimodal pattern was suggestive of precipitation with and without incorporation of significant amounts of basic aerosol of anthropogenic origin during descent of rain droplet. The patterns of the stations were also classified on a basis of summer-winter difference into another four classes. Winter pH values were appreciably lower than summer pHs in western parts of Japan and on Japan Sea coast, we attribute the winter pH to probable contribution of acidic pollutants transported by strong winter monsoon from Eurasian Continent. At most stations in northern and eastern Japan, the pH was higher in winter months reflecting more incorporation of basic materials, e.g., NH 4 + and Ca 2+ . (author)

Oleic-acid-coated CoFe2O4 nanoparticles synthesized by co-precipitation and hydrothermal synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gyergyek, Sašo; Drofenik, Miha; Makovec, Darko

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Synthesis of oleic-acid-coated CoFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles from an aqueous solution. ► During the co-precipitation of Co 2+ /Fe 3+ single-phase spinel forms. ► During the co-precipitation of Co 2+ /Fe 2+ , feroxyhyte forms in addition to spinel. ► Oleic acid increases the spinel formation temperature and limits particle growth. ► Colloidal suspensions of ferrimagnetic CoFe 2 O 4 were prepared. - Abstract: Oleic-acid-coated CoFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles were synthesized by co-precipitation and hydrothermal synthesis. The coprecipitation of the nanoparticles was achieved by the rapid addition of a strong base to an aqueous solution of cations in the presence of the oleic acid surfactant, or without this additive. The nanoparticles were also synthesized by a hydrothermal treatment of suspensions of the precipitates, coprecipitated at room temperature in the presence of the oleic acid, or without it. The influence of the synthesis conditions, such as the valence state of the iron cation in the starting aqueous solution, the temperature of the treatment and the presence of oleic acid, on the particles size was systematically studied. X-ray powder diffractometry (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) revealed that, although spinel forms at room temperature, a substantial amount of Co was incorporated within the secondary, feroxyhyte-like phase when the iron cation was in the 2+ state. In contrast, when iron was in the 3+ state, the spinel forms at elevated temperatures of approximately 60 °C. The presence of the oleic acid further increased the formation temperature for the stoichiometric spinel. Moreover, the oleic acid impeded the particles’ growth and enabled the preparation of colloidal suspensions of the nanoparticles in non-polar organic solvents. The nanoparticles’ size was successfully controlled by the temperature of the synthesis in the region where superparamagnetism

Activities and results of the terrestrial effects program: acid precipitation in Ontario study (Apios)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Linzon, S N

1986-11-01

Studies on the terrestrial effects of acidic precipitation in Ontario involve determining the effects on soils, crops, forests, lichens, mosses and biogeochemical systems. In the soils program, a baseline study was started in 1980 to establish a reliable and uniform data base for soils across the province, in order to identify future trends. Soil sensitivity criteria are being derived for mapping purposes. Starting in 1982, a complex, sophisticated mobile rain exclusion canopy system was constructed outdoors for controlled acid rain studies to determine the dose-response relationships of field crops. In response to numerous complaints a program was designed to determine the role that acidic precipitation is playing in the decline of sugar maple trees in Ontario. At 8 sites, tree conditions were noted, samples of foliage, bark, roots and soil were collected for chemical analysis, and increment cores and discs (from felled trees) were taken for radial growth patterns. Results from this study indicated that acidic precipitation was an additional stress to insect outbreaks and spring droughts. Intensive surveys have been conducted in selected areas in Ontario to identify the current viability and distribution of common denominator lichens and mosses. Biogeochemical studies are being conducted at four watersheds in Ontario. The different watersheds are located in progressively decreasing atmospheric deposition loadings from east to west across the province. The studies are attempting to document the role of contrasting terrestrial ecosystems in the process of lake acidification by atmospheric deposition. 9 references.

Phosphate recovery through struvite-family crystals precipitated in the presence of citric acid: mineralogical phase and morphology evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Perwitasari, D S; Edahwati, L; Sutiyono, S; Muryanto, S; Jamari, J; Bayuseno, A P

2017-11-01

Precipitation strategy of struvite-family crystals is presented in this paper to recover phosphate and potassium from a synthetic wastewater in the presence of citric acid at elevated temperature. The crystal-forming solutions were prepared from crystals of MgCl 2 and NH 4 H 2 PO 4 with a molar ratio of 1:1:1 for Mg +2 , [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text], and the citric acid (C 6 H 8 O 7 ) was prepared (1.00 and 20.00 ppm) from citric acid crystals. The Rietveld analysis of X-ray powder diffraction pattern confirmed a mixed product of struvite, struvite-(K), and newberyite crystallized at 30°C in the absence of citric acid. In the presence of citric acid at 30° and 40°C, an abundance of struvite and struvite-(K) were observed. A minute impurity of sylvite and potassium peroxide was unexpectedly found in certain precipitates. The crystal solids have irregular flake-shaped morphology, as shown by scanning electron microscopy micrograph. All parameters (citric acid, temperature, pH, Mg/P, and N/P) were deliberately arranged to control struvite-family crystals precipitation.

Ochre precipitates and Acid Mine Drainage in a mine environment

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Máša, B.; Pulišová, Petra; Bezdička, Petr; Michalková, E.; Šubrt, Jan

2012-01-01

Roč. 56, č. 1 (2012), s. 9-14 ISSN 0862-5468 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) MEB0810136 Grant - others:Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic(SK) VEGA 1/0529/09 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40320502 Keywords : ochre precipitate * Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) * X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) * Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) * specific surface area and porosity Subject RIV: CA - Inorganic Chemistry Impact factor: 0.418, year: 2012

Conceptual design of a novel CO2 capture process based on precipitating amino acid solvents

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sanchez Fernandez, E.; Heffernan, K.; Ham, L.V. van der; Linders, M.J.G.; Eggink, E.; Schrama, F.N.H.; Brilman, D.W.F.; Goetheer, E.L.V.; Vlugt, T.J.H.

2013-01-01

Amino acid salt based solvents can be used for CO2 removal from flue gas in a conventional absorption-thermal desorption process. Recently, new process concepts have been developed based on the precipitation of the amino acid zwitterion species during the absorption of CO2. In this work, a new

Nitric acid adduct formation during crystallization of barium and strontium nitrates and their co-precipitation from nitric acid media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mishina, N.E.; Zilberman, B.Ya.; Lumpov, A.A.; Koltsova, T.I.; Puzikov, E.A.; Ryabkov, D.V.

2015-01-01

The molar solubilities of Ba, Sr and Pb nitrates in nitric acid as a function of total nitrate concentration is presented and described by the mass action law, indicating on formation of the adducts with nitric acid. Precipitates of Ba(NO 3 ) 2 and Sr(NO 3 ) 2 crystallized from nitric acid were studied by ISP OES and IR spectroscopy. The data obtained confirmed formation of metastable adducts with nitric acid. IR and X-ray diffraction studies of the mixed salt systems indicated conversion of the mixed salts into (Ba,Sr)(NO 3 ) 2 solid solution of discrete structure in range of total nitrate ion concentration ∼6 mol/L. (author)

Assessment of global precipitation measurement satellite products over Saudi Arabia

Science.gov (United States)

Mahmoud, Mohammed T.; Al-Zahrani, Muhammad A.; Sharif, Hatim O.

2018-04-01

Most hydrological analysis and modeling studies require reliable and accurate precipitation data for successful simulations. However, precipitation measurements should be more representative of the true precipitation distribution. Many approaches and techniques are used to collect precipitation data. Recently, hydrometeorological and climatological applications of satellite precipitation products have experienced a significant improvement with the emergence of the latest satellite products, namely, the Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission (IMERG) products, which can be utilized to estimate and analyze precipitation data. This study focuses on the validation of the IMERG early, late and final run rainfall products using ground-based rain gauge observations throughout Saudi Arabia for the period from October 2015 to April 2016. The accuracy of each IMERG product is assessed using six statistical performance measures to conduct three main evaluations, namely, regional, event-based and station-based evaluations. The results indicate that the early run product performed well in the middle and eastern parts as well as some of the western parts of the country; meanwhile, the satellite estimates for the other parts fluctuated between an overestimation and an underestimation. The late run product showed an improved accuracy over the southern and western parts; however, over the northern and middle parts, it showed relatively high errors. The final run product revealed significantly improved precipitation estimations and successfully obtained higher accuracies over most parts of the country. This study provides an early assessment of the performance of the GPM satellite products over the Middle East. The study findings can be used as a beneficial reference for the future development of the IMERG algorithms.

Cross-Regional Assessment Of Coupling And Variability In Precipitation-Runoff Relationships

Science.gov (United States)

Carey, S. K.; Tetzlaff, D.; Soulsby, C.; Buttle, J. M.; Laudon, H.; McDonnell, J. J.; McGuire, K. J.; Seibert, J.; Shanley, J. B.

2011-12-01

The higher mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere are particularly sensitive to change due to the important role the zero-degree isotherm plays in the phase of precipitation and intermediate storage as snow. An international inter-catchment comparison program North-Watch seeks to improve our understanding of the sensitivity of northern catchments to change by examining their hydrological and biogeochemical variability and response. The catchments are located in Sweden (Krycklan), Scotland (Mharcaidh, Girnock and Strontian), the United States (Sleepers River, Hubbard Brook and HJ Andrews) and Canada (Catamaran, Dorset and Wolf Creek). For this study, 8 catchments with 10 continuous years of daily precipitation and runoff data were selected to assess the seasonal coupling of rainfall and runoff and the memory effect of runoff events on the hydrograph at different time scales. To assess the coupling and synchroneity of precipitation, continuous wavelet transforms and wavelet coherence were used. Wavelet spectra identified the relative importance of both annual versus seasonal flows while wavelet coherence was applied to identify over different time scales along the 10-year window how well precipitation and runoff were coupled. For example, while on a given day, precipitation may be closely coupled to runoff, a wet year may not necessarily be a high runoff year in catchments with large storage. Assessing different averaging periods in the variation of daily flows highlights the importance of seasonality in runoff response and the relative influence of rain versus snowmelt on flow magnitude and variability. Wet catchments with limited seasonal precipitation variability (Strontian, Girnock) have precipitation signals more closely coupled with runoff, whereas dryer catchments dominated by snow (Wolf Creek, Krycklan) have strongly coupling only during freshet. Most catchments with highly seasonal precipitation show strong intermittent coupling during their wet season. At

Assessment of satellite-based precipitation estimates over Paraguay

Science.gov (United States)

Oreggioni Weiberlen, Fiorella; Báez Benítez, Julián

2018-04-01

Satellite-based precipitation estimates represent a potential alternative source of input data in a plethora of meteorological and hydrological applications, especially in regions characterized by a low density of rain gauge stations. Paraguay provides a good example of a case where the use of satellite-based precipitation could be advantageous. This study aims to evaluate the version 7 of the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission Multi-Satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA V7; 3B42 V7) and the version 1.0 of the purely satellite-based product of the Climate Prediction Center Morphing Technique (CMORPH RAW) through their comparison with daily in situ precipitation measurements from 1998 to 2012 over Paraguay. The statistical assessment is conducted with several commonly used indexes. Specifically, to evaluate the accuracy of daily precipitation amounts, mean error (ME), root mean square error (RMSE), BIAS, and coefficient of determination (R 2) are used, and to analyze the capability to correctly detect different precipitation intensities, false alarm ratio (FAR), frequency bias index (FBI), and probability of detection (POD) are applied to various rainfall rates (0, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 40, 60, and 80 mm/day). Results indicate that TMPA V7 has a better performance than CMORPH RAW over Paraguay. TMPA V7 has higher accuracy in the estimation of daily rainfall volumes and greater precision in the detection of wet days (> 0 mm/day). However, both satellite products show a lower ability to appropriately detect high intensity precipitation events.

Calcium in milk products precipitates intestinal fatty acids and secondary bile acids and thus inhibits colonic cytotoxicity in humans

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Govers, MJAP; Termont, DSML; Lapre, JA; Kleibeuker, JH; Vonk, RJ; VanderMeer, R

1996-01-01

Dietary calcium may reduce the risk of colon cancer, probably by precipitating cytotoxic surfactants, such as secondary bile acids, in the colonic lumen. We previously showed that milk mineral, an important source of calcium, decreases metabolic risk factors and colonic proliferation in rats, We non

Study of lithium extraction from brine water, Bledug Kuwu, Indonesia by the precipitation series of oxalic acid and carbonate sodium

Science.gov (United States)

Sulistiyono, Eko; Lalasari, Latifa Hanum; Mayangsari, W.; Prasetyo, A. B.

2018-05-01

Lithium is one of the key elements in the development of batteries for electric car applications. Currently, the resources of the world's lithium are derived from brine water and lithium mineral based on spodumene rock. Indonesia which is located in the area of the ring of fire, has potential brine water resources in some area, such as brine water from Bledug Kuwu, Central Java that used in this research. The purposes of this research are to characterize brine water, Bledug Kuwu and to investigate the influence of chemical solvents on Li, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Al, B ion precipitation from brine water. This research was done with 2 times the process of chemical precipitation that runs series as follows: 5 liters of brine water were chemically precipitated using 400 ml of 12.43 N oxalic acid and followed by chemical precipitation using 400 mL of 7.07 N sodium carbonate solutions. Evaporation and filtration processes were also done twice in an effort to separate white precipitate and filtrate. The filtrate was analyzed by ICP-OES and white precipitates (salts) were analyzed by SEM, XRD, and XRF. The result shows that oxalate precipitation process extracted 32.24% Al, 23.42% B, 22.43% Ca, 14.26% Fe, 3.21 % K, 9.86% Na and 14.26% Li, the following process by carbonate precipitation process extracted 98.86% Mg, 73% Ca, 22.53% Li, 82.04% Al, 14.38% B, 12.50% K, 2.27% Na. There is 63.21% lithium is not extracted from the series process. The SEM analysis shows that the structure of granules on the precipitated salts by oxalic acid form gentle cubic-shaped solid. In the other hand, oxalate precipitation followed by sodium carbonate has various particle sizes and the shape of crystals is fragments, prism and cube look like magnesium carbonate, calcium chloride, and calcite's crystal respectively. This is in accordance with XRD analysis that phases of whewellite (CaC2O4.H2O), disodium oxalate (Na2C2O4), magnesite (MgCO3), calcium lithium aluminum (Al1.19 Ca1Li0.81), dolomite (CaCO3

Sustained release of nucleic acids from polymeric nanoparticles using microemulsion precipitation in supercritical carbon dioxide.

Science.gov (United States)

Ge, Jun; Jacobson, Gunilla B; Lobovkina, Tatsiana; Holmberg, Krister; Zare, Richard N

2010-12-21

A general approach for producing biodegradable nanoparticles for sustained nucleic acid release is presented. The nanoparticles are produced by precipitating a water-in-oil microemulsion in supercritical CO(2). The microemulsion consists of a transfer RNA aqueous solution (water phase), dichloromethane containing poly(l-lactic acid)-poly(ethylene glycol) (oil phase), the surfactant n-octyl β-D-glucopyranoside, and the cosurfactant n-butanol.

Assessment of CLIGEN precipitation and storm pattern generation under four precipitation depth categories in China

Science.gov (United States)

CLIGEN (CLImate GENerator) is a widely used stochastic weather generator to simulate continuous daily precipitation and storm pattern information for hydrological and soil erosion models. Although CLIGEN has been tested in several regions in the world, thoroughly assessment before applying it to Chi...

Metal transport and remobilisation in a basin affected by acid mine drainage: the role of ochreous amorphous precipitates.

Science.gov (United States)

Consani, Sirio; Carbone, Cristina; Dinelli, Enrico; Balić-Žunić, Tonci; Cutroneo, Laura; Capello, Marco; Salviulo, Gabriella; Lucchetti, Gabriella

2017-06-01

Metal-polluted mine waters represent a major threat to the quality of waters and sediments in a downstream basin. At the confluence between acidic mine waters and the unpolluted waters of the Gromolo Torrent (Liguria, North-West Italy), the massive formation of an ochreous amorphous precipitate takes place. This precipitate forms a soft blanket that covers the torrent bed and can be observed down to its mouth in the sea. The aim of this work is to evaluate the dispersion of metals in the Gromolo Torrent basin from the abandoned Cu-Fe sulphide mine of Libiola to the Ligurian Sea and to assess the metal remobilisation from the amorphous precipitates. The mineralogy of the superficial sediments collected in the torrent bed and the concentrations of different elements of environmental concern (Cu, Zn, Cd, Co, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb, As, and Sb) were therefore analysed. The results showed that the precipitates contain high concentration of Fe, Al, Cu, and Zn, significantly modifying the bulk chemistry of the Gromolo Torrent sediments. In order to evaluate the possible remobilisation of ecotoxic elements from the amorphous precipitates, bulk leaching tests were performed with both deionised and seawater. Bulk leaching tests with deionised water mobilised primarily high Pb amounts, but also relatively high concentrations of Fe, Al, Cu, and Zn are released in the leachate. In seawater tests, Fe, Al, Cu, and Zn were released in smaller amounts, while other elements like Mn, Cd, Co, and Ni increased in the released fraction. Pb was still strongly released as in deionised water experiments. The results show that the interaction of precipitates and seawater can remobilise high concentrations of metals, thus affecting the surrounding environment.

The production of rare earth elements group via tributyl phosphate extraction and precipitation stripping using oxalic acid

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Esmaeil Jorjani

2016-11-01

Full Text Available In this study, solvent extraction and precipitation stripping were used to produce rare earth elements (REEs. Tributyl phosphate (TBP was used to extract yttrium, lanthanum, cerium, and neodymium from an aqueous solution produced by nitric acid leaching of apatite concentrate. In the extraction stage, the effects of TBP concentration, pH, contact time, temperature, and phase ratio were investigated. The results show that about 95%, 90%, 87% and 80% of neodymium, cerium, lanthanum, and yttrium, respectively, can be extracted in optimum conditions of extraction. Hot, deionized water was used to scrub the impurities from the loaded organic phase. The results showed that three stages of scrubbing with a phase ratio (Va/Vo of five removed about 80%, 30%, 27%, and 15% of Ca, Mg, Fe, and P, respectively, from loaded TBP, while less than 9% of total REEs was lost. The effects on precipitation stripping of oxalic acid concentration, contact time, and phase ratio were investigated. The results showed that precipitation stripping is a viable alternative to traditional acid stripping in the REEs production process. Mixed REEs oxide with an assay of about 90% can be achieved as a final product.

Removal of chromophore in enzymatic hydrolysis by acid precipitation to improve the quality of xylo-oligosaccharides from corn stalk.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yue-Hai; Zhang, Jie; Qu, Yong-Shui; Li, Hong-Qiang

2018-02-01

As the most representative functional sugar, the application areas and market demands of xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) have been expanding year by year. Owing to the complex structure of corn stalk (CS), XOS obtained from CS are accompanied by problems such as low purity and high color value, which degrade the product. To improve the quality of XOS from CS, the enzymatic hydrolysis was precipitated by acid; then, the ethanol elution concentration was systematically investigated after optimizing the adsorption conditions. The results showed that the purity of XOS was increased to 87.28% from 67.31%, and the color value was decreased to 1050 from 4682 when the acid precipitation pH was 2. On the basis of acid precipitation, if the corresponding optimal conditions of XOS adsorption and elution were used, the highest purity of XOS was 97.87% obtained, with the lowest color value, 780, which reached the standard of the commercial XOS. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The effect of scale in daily precipitation hazard assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. J. Egozcue

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Daily precipitation is recorded as the total amount of water collected by a rain-gauge in 24 h. Events are modelled as a Poisson process and the 24 h precipitation by a Generalised Pareto Distribution (GPD of excesses. Hazard assessment is complete when estimates of the Poisson rate and the distribution parameters, together with a measure of their uncertainty, are obtained. The shape parameter of the GPD determines the support of the variable: Weibull domain of attraction (DA corresponds to finite support variables as should be for natural phenomena. However, Fréchet DA has been reported for daily precipitation, which implies an infinite support and a heavy-tailed distribution. Bayesian techniques are used to estimate the parameters. The approach is illustrated with precipitation data from the Eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula affected by severe convective precipitation. The estimated GPD is mainly in the Fréchet DA, something incompatible with the common sense assumption of that precipitation is a bounded phenomenon. The bounded character of precipitation is then taken as a priori hypothesis. Consistency of this hypothesis with the data is checked in two cases: using the raw-data (in mm and using log-transformed data. As expected, a Bayesian model checking clearly rejects the model in the raw-data case. However, log-transformed data seem to be consistent with the model. This fact may be due to the adequacy of the log-scale to represent positive measurements for which differences are better relative than absolute.

Application of a precipitation method for uranium recovery from Abu-Zaabal phosphoric acid plant, egypt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Hazek, N.M.T.; Hussein, E.M.

1997-01-01

Current industrial recovery of uranium from 30% phosphoric acid-produced by the dihydrate process-is based on solvent extraction method. Uranium recovery from concentrated phosphoric acid (45-52% P 2 O 5 ) produced by evaporation of the 30% acid or directly produced by the hemihydrate process, by solvent extraction is difficult to apply in practice. In addition to possible contamination of the acid by the organic solvents and/or their deterioration. This paper investigates the possibility of applying a precipitation method (Weterings and Janssen, 1985) for uranium recovery from both low (28% P 2 O 2 ) and high (48% P 2 O 5 ) concentration phosphoric acids produced by abu-Zaabal phosphoric acid plant (abu-Zaabal fertilizers and chemicals Co., Egypt). The 28% acid produced by H 2 SO 4 dihydrate method and the 48% acid produced by evaporation of the 28% acid

Microscopic evaluation of trace metals in cloud droplets in an acid precipitation region.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Weijun; Wang, Yan; Collett, Jeffrey L; Chen, Jianmin; Zhang, Xiaoye; Wang, Zifa; Wang, Wenxing

2013-05-07

Mass concentrations of soluble trace metals and size, number, and mixing properties of nanometal particles in clouds determine their toxicity to ecosystems. Cloud water was found to be acidic, with a pH of 3.52, at Mt. Lu (elevation 1,165 m) in an acid precipitation region in South China. A combination of Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICPMS) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) for the first time demonstrates that the soluble metal concentrations and solid metal particle number are surprisingly high in acid clouds at Mt. Lu, where daily concentrations of SO2, NO2, and PM10 are 18 μg m(-3), 7 μg m(-3), and 22 μg m(-3). The soluble metals in cloudwater with the highest concentrations were zinc (Zn, 200 μg L(-1)), iron (Fe, 88 μg L(-1)), and lead (Pb, 77 μg L(-1)). TEM reveals that 76% of cloud residues include metal particles that range from 50 nm to 1 μm diameter with a median diameter of 250 nm. Four major metal-associated particle types are Pb-rich (35%), fly ash (27%), Fe-rich (23%), and Zn-rich (15%). Elemental mapping shows that minor soluble metals are distributed within sulfates of cloud residues. Emissions of fine metal particles from large, nonferrous industries and coal-fired power plants with tall stacks were transported upward to this high elevation. Our results suggest that the abundant trace metals in clouds aggravate the impacts of acid clouds or associated precipitation on the ecosystem and human health.

Design of Test Facility to Evaluate Boric Acid Precipitation Following a LOCA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suh, Jeong-Kwan; Song, Yong-Jae [KHNP CRI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

The U.S.NRC has identified a concern that debris associated with generic safety issue (GSI) - 191 may affect the potential precipitation of boric acid due to one or more of the following phenomena: - Reducing mass transport (i.e. mixing) between the core and the lower plenum (should debris accumulate at the core inlet) - Reduced lower plenum volume (should debris settle in the lower plenum), and, - Increased potential for boric acid precipitation (BAP) in the core (should debris accumulate in suspension in the core) To address these BAP issues, KHNP is planning to conduct validation tests by constructing a BAP test facility. This paper describes the design of test facility to evaluate BAP following a LOCA. The design of BAP test facility has been developed by KHNP. To design the test facility, test requirements and success criteria were established, and scaling analysis of power-to-volume method, Ishii-Kataoka method, and hierarchical two-tiered method were investigated. The test section is composed of two fuel assemblies with half of full of prototypic FA height. All the fuel rods are heated by the electric power supplier. The BAP tests in the presence of debris, buffering agents, and boron will be performed following the test matrix.

Biogenic precipitation of manganese oxides and enrichment of heavy metals at acidic soil pH

Science.gov (United States)

Mayanna, Sathish; Peacock, Caroline L.; Schäffner, Franziska; Grawunder, Anja; Merten, Dirk; Kothe, Erika; Büchel, Georg

2014-05-01

The precipitation of biogenic Mn oxides at acidic pH is rarely reported and poorly understood, compared to biogenic Mn oxide precipitation at near neutral conditions. Here we identified and investigated the precipitation of biogenic Mn oxides in acidic soil, and studied their role in the retention of heavy metals, at the former uranium mining site of Ronneburg, Germany. The site is characterized by acidic pH, low carbon content and high heavy metal loads including rare earth elements. Specifically, the Mn oxides were present in layers identified by detailed soil profiling and within these layers pH varied from 4.7 to 5.1, Eh varied from 640 to 660 mV and there were enriched total metal contents for Ba, Ni, Co, Cd and Zn in addition to high Mn levels. Using electron microprobe analysis, synchrotron X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy, we identified poorly crystalline birnessite (δ-MnO2) as the dominant Mn oxide in the Mn layers, present as coatings covering and cementing quartz grains. With geochemical modelling we found that the environmental conditions at the site were not favourable for chemical oxidation of Mn(II), and thus we performed 16S rDNA sequencing to isolate the bacterial strains present in the Mn layers. Bacterial phyla present in the Mn layers belonged to Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria, and from these phyla we isolated six strains of Mn(II) oxidizing bacteria and confirmed their ability to oxidise Mn(II) in the laboratory. The biogenic Mn oxide layers act as a sink for metals and the bioavailability of these metals was much lower in the Mn layers than in adjacent layers, reflecting their preferential sorption to the biogenic Mn oxide. In this presentation we will report our findings, concluding that the formation of natural biogenic poorly crystalline birnessite can occur at acidic pH, resulting in the formation of a biogeochemical barrier which, in turn, can control the mobility and bioavailability of heavy metals in

CONCENTRATION OF Pu USING AN IODATE PRECIPITATE

Science.gov (United States)

Fries, B.A.

1960-02-23

A method is given for separating plutonium from lanthanum in a lanthanum fluoride carrier precipitation process for the recovery of plutonium values from an aqueous solution. The carrier precipitation process includes the steps of forming a lanthanum fluoride precipi- . tate, thereby carrying plutonium out of solution, metathesizing the fluoride precipitate to a hydroxide precipitate, and then dissolving the hydroxide precipitate in nitric acid. In accordance with the invention, the nitric acid solution, which contains plutonium and lanthanum, is made 0.05 to 0.15 molar in potassium iodate. thereby precipitating plutonium as plutonous iodate and the plutonous iodate is separated from the lanthanum- containing supernatant solution.

Assessment of Observational Uncertainty in Extreme Precipitation Events over the Continental United States

Science.gov (United States)

Slinskey, E. A.; Loikith, P. C.; Waliser, D. E.; Goodman, A.

2017-12-01

Extreme precipitation events are associated with numerous societal and environmental impacts. Furthermore, anthropogenic climate change is projected to alter precipitation intensity across portions of the Continental United States (CONUS). Therefore, a spatial understanding and intuitive means of monitoring extreme precipitation over time is critical. Towards this end, we apply an event-based indicator, developed as a part of NASA's support of the ongoing efforts of the US National Climate Assessment, which assigns categories to extreme precipitation events based on 3-day storm totals as a basis for dataset intercomparison. To assess observational uncertainty across a wide range of historical precipitation measurement approaches, we intercompare in situ station data from the Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN), satellite-derived precipitation data from NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), gridded in situ station data from the Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM), global reanalysis from NASA's Modern Era Retrospective-Analysis version 2 (MERRA 2), and regional reanalysis with gauge data assimilation from NCEP's North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR). Results suggest considerable variability across the five-dataset suite in the frequency, spatial extent, and magnitude of extreme precipitation events. Consistent with expectations, higher resolution datasets were found to resemble station data best and capture a greater frequency of high-end extreme events relative to lower spatial resolution datasets. The degree of dataset agreement varies regionally, however all datasets successfully capture the seasonal cycle of precipitation extremes across the CONUS. These intercomparison results provide additional insight about observational uncertainty and the ability of a range of precipitation measurement and analysis products to capture extreme precipitation event climatology. While the event category threshold is fixed

Continuous precipitation process of plutonium salts; Procede continu de precipitation des sels de plutonium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Richard, P [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Fontenay-aux-Roses (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1967-03-01

This work concerns the continuous precipitation process of plutonium oxalate. Investigations about the solubility of different valence states in nitric-oxalic and in nitric-sulfuric-oxalic medium lead to select the precipitation process of tetravalent plutonium oxalate. Settling velocity and granulometry of tetravalent oxalate plutonium have been studied with variation of several precipitation parameters such as: temperature, acidity, excess of oxalic acid and aging time. Then are given test results of some laboratory continuous apparatus. Conditions of operation with adopted tubular apparatus are defined in conclusion. A flow-sheet is given for a process at industrial scale. (author) [French] Cette etude porte sur la precipitation continue de l'oxalate de plutonium. L'etude de la solubilite des differentes valences du plutonium dans des milieux acides nitrique-oxalique, puis nitrique-sulfurique-oxalique conduit a choisir la precipitation de l'oxalate de plutonium tetravalent. L'etude porte ensuite sur la sedimentation et la granulometrie de l'oxalate de Pu{sup 4+} obtenue en faisant varier differents parametres de la precipitation : la temperature, l'acidite, l'exces oxalique et le temps de murissement. La derniere partie traite des resultats obtenus avec plusieurs types d'appareils continus essayes au laboratoire. En conclusion sont donnees les conditions de marche de l'appareil tubulaire adopte, ainsi qu'une extrapolation a l'echelle industrielle sous forme d'un flow-sheet. (auteur)

Recovery of Vanadium from H2SO4-HF Acidic Leaching Solution of Black Shale by Solvent Extraction and Precipitation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xingbin Li

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The recovery of vanadium from sulfuric and hydrofluoric mixed acid solutions generated by the direct leaching of black shale was investigated using solvent extraction and precipitation methods. The process consisted of reduction, solvent extraction, and stripping, followed by precipitation and calcination to yield vanadium pentoxide. The influence of various operating parameters on the extraction and recovery of vanadium was studied. Vanadium (IV was selectively extracted using a mixture of 10% (v/v di(2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid and 5% (v/v tri-n-butylphosphate in sulfonated kerosene. Using six extraction and five stripping stages, the extraction efficiency for vanadium was 96.7% and the stripping efficiency was 99.7%. V2O5 with a purity of 99.52% was obtained by oxidation of the loaded strip solution and precipitation of ammonium polyvanadate at pH 1.8 to 2.2, followed by calcination of the dried precipitate at 550 °C for 2 h. It was concluded that the combination of solvent extraction and precipitation is an efficient method for the recovery of vanadium from a multi-element leach solution generated from black shale.

STRONTIUM PRECIPITATION

Science.gov (United States)

McKenzie, T.R.

1960-09-13

A process is given for improving the precipitation of strontium from an aqueous phosphoric-acid-containing solution with nickel or cobalt ferrocyanide by simultaneously precipitating strontium or calcium phosphate. This is accomplished by adding to the ferrocyanide-containing solution calcium or strontium nitrate in a quantity to yield a concentration of from 0.004 to 0.03 and adjusting the pH of the solution to a value of above 8.

Assessing Changes in Precipitation and Impacts on Groundwater in Southeastern Brazil using Regional Hydroclimate Reconstruction

Science.gov (United States)

Nunes, A.; Fernandes, M.; Silva, G. C., Jr.

2017-12-01

Aquifers can be key players in regional water resources. Precipitation infiltration is the most relevant process in recharging the aquifers. In that regard, understanding precipitation changes and impacts on the hydrological cycle helps in the assessment of groundwater availability from the aquifers. Regional modeling systems can provide precipitation, near-surface air temperature, together with soil moisture at different ground levels from coupled land-surface schemes. More accurate those variables are better the evaluation of the precipitation impact on the groundwater. Downscaling of global reanalysis very often employs regional modeling systems, in order to give more detailed information for impact assessment studies at regional scales. In particular, the regional modeling system, Satellite-enhanced Regional Downscaling for Applied Studies (SRDAS), might improve the accuracy of hydrometeorological variables in regions with spatial and temporal scarcity of in-situ observations. SRDAS combines assimilation of precipitation estimates from gauge-corrected satellite-based products with spectral nudging technique. The SRDAS hourly outputs provide monthly means of atmospheric and land-surface variables, including precipitation, used in the calculations of the hydrological budget terms. Results show the impact of changes in precipitation on groundwater in the aquifer located near the southeastern coastline of Brazil, through the assessment of the water-cycle terms, using a hydrological model during dry and rainy periods found in the 15-year numerical integration of SRDAS.

Precipitation of humic acid with divalent ions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Niels Peder Raj; Mikkelsen, Lene Haugaard; Keiding, Kristian

2001-01-01

and Ba2+. The phase diagram model can not account for the observed precipitation in region III and However, in region IV the HA appears to posses colloidal properties, which is supported by precipitation taking place at a constant zeta-potential -21mV with the same amount of added barium ion regardless...

The assessment of Global Precipitation Measurement estimates over the Indian subcontinent

Science.gov (United States)

Murali Krishna, U. V.; Das, Subrata Kumar; Deshpande, Sachin M.; Doiphode, S. L.; Pandithurai, G.

2017-08-01

Accurate and real-time precipitation estimation is a challenging task for current and future spaceborne measurements, which is essential to understand the global hydrological cycle. Recently, the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellites were launched as a next-generation rainfall mission for observing the global precipitation characteristics. The purpose of the GPM is to enhance the spatiotemporal resolution of global precipitation. The main objective of the present study is to assess the rainfall products from the GPM, especially the Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for the GPM (IMERG) data by comparing with the ground-based observations. The multitemporal scale evaluations of rainfall involving subdaily, diurnal, monthly, and seasonal scales were performed over the Indian subcontinent. The comparison shows that the IMERG performed better than the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)-3B42, although both rainfall products underestimated the observed rainfall compared to the ground-based measurements. The analyses also reveal that the TRMM-3B42 and IMERG data sets are able to represent the large-scale monsoon rainfall spatial features but are having region-specific biases. The IMERG shows significant improvement in low rainfall estimates compared to the TRMM-3B42 for selected regions. In the spatial distribution, the IMERG shows higher rain rates compared to the TRMM-3B42, due to its enhanced spatial and temporal resolutions. Apart from this, the characteristics of raindrop size distribution (DSD) obtained from the GPM mission dual-frequency precipitation radar is assessed over the complex mountain terrain site in the Western Ghats, India, using the DSD measured by a Joss-Waldvogel disdrometer.

Acid Rain Examination and Chemical Composition of Atmospheric Precipitation in Tehran, Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohsen Saeedi

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Air pollution is one of the most important environmental problems in metropolitan cities like Tehran. Rain and snow, as natural events, may dissolve and absorb contaminants of the air and direct them onto the land or surface waters which become polluted. In the present study, precipitation samples were collected from an urbanized area of Tehran. They were analyzed for NO3-, PO43-, SO42-, pH, turbidity, Electrical Conductivity (EC, Cu, Fe, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cr, and Al. We demonstrate that snow samples were often more polluted and had lower pH than those from the rain, possibly as an effect of adsorption capability of snow flakes. Volume weighted average concentrations were calculated and compared with some other studies. Results revealed that Tehran's precipitations are much more polluted than those reported from other metropolitan cities. Cluster analysis revealed that studied parameters such as metals and acidity originated from the same sources, such as fuel combustion in residential and transportation sectors of Tehran.

TCA precipitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Koontz, Laura

2014-01-01

Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) precipitation of proteins is commonly used to concentrate protein samples or remove contaminants, including salts and detergents, prior to downstream applications such as SDS-PAGE or 2D-gels. TCA precipitation denatures the protein, so it should not be used if the protein must remain in its folded state (e.g., if you want to measure a biochemical activity of the protein). © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Inhibition of calcium phosphate precipitation under environmentally-relevant conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao Xinde; Harris, Willie G.; Josan, Manohardeep S.; Nair, Vimala D.

2007-01-01

Precipitation of Ca phosphates plays an important role in controlling P activity and availability in environmental systems. The purpose of this study was to determine inhibitory effects on Ca phosphate precipitation by Mg 2+ , SO 4 2- , CO 3 2- , humic acid, oxalic acid, biogenic Si, and Si-rich soil clay commonly found in soils, sediments, and waste streams. Precipitation rates were determined by measuring decrease of P concentration in solutions during the first 60 min; and precipitated solid phases identified using X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. Poorly-crystalline hydroxyapatite (HAP: Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 OH) formed in control solutions over the experiment period of 24 h, following a second-order dependence on P concentration. Humic acid and Mg 2+ significantly inhibited formation of HAP, allowing formation of a more soluble amorphous Ca phosphate phase (ACP), and thus reducing the precipitation rate constants by 94-96%. Inhibition caused by Mg 2+ results from its incorporation into Ca phosphate precipitates, preventing formation of a well-crystalline phase. Humic acid likely suppressed Ca phosphate precipitation by adsorbing onto the newly-formed nuclei. Presence of oxalic acid resulted in almost complete inhibition of HAP precipitation due to preemptive Ca-oxalate formation. Carbonate substituted for phosphate, decreasing the crystallinity of HAP and thus reducing precipitation rate constant by 44%. Sulfate and Si-rich solids had less impact on formation of HAP; while they reduced precipitation in the early stage, they did not differ from the control after 24 h. Results indicate that components (e.g., Mg 2+ , humic acid) producing relatively soluble ACP are more likely to reduce P stability and precipitation rate of Ca phosphate in soils and sediments than are components (e.g., SO 4 2- , Si) that have less effect on the crystallinity

Assessing Hourly Precipitation Forecast Skill with the Fractions Skill Score

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Bin; Zhang, Bo

2018-02-01

Statistical methods for category (yes/no) forecasts, such as the Threat Score, are typically used in the verification of precipitation forecasts. However, these standard methods are affected by the so-called "double-penalty" problem caused by slight displacements in either space or time with respect to the observations. Spatial techniques have recently been developed to help solve this problem. The fractions skill score (FSS), a neighborhood spatial verification method, directly compares the fractional coverage of events in windows surrounding the observations and forecasts. We applied the FSS to hourly precipitation verification by taking hourly forecast products from the GRAPES (Global/Regional Assimilation Prediction System) regional model and quantitative precipitation estimation products from the National Meteorological Information Center of China during July and August 2016, and investigated the difference between these results and those obtained with the traditional category score. We found that the model spin-up period affected the assessment of stability. Systematic errors had an insignificant role in the fraction Brier score and could be ignored. The dispersion of observations followed a diurnal cycle and the standard deviation of the forecast had a similar pattern to the reference maximum of the fraction Brier score. The coefficient of the forecasts and the observations is similar to the FSS; that is, the FSS may be a useful index that can be used to indicate correlation. Compared with the traditional skill score, the FSS has obvious advantages in distinguishing differences in precipitation time series, especially in the assessment of heavy rainfall.

Detrital processing in streams exposed to acidic precipitation in the Central Appalachian Mountains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meegan, S.K.; Perry, S.A.; Perry, W.B.

1996-01-01

Continuing high rates of acidic deposition in the eastern United States may lead to long-term effects on stream communities, because sensitive catchments are continuing to lose anions and cations. A two-year study of the effects of pH and associated water chemistry variables on detrital processing in three streams with different bedrock geology in the Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia were investigated. Leaf pack processing rates and macroinvertebrate colonization and microbial biomass (ATP concentration) on the packs in the three stream were compared. It was found that macroinvertebrate and microbial communities differed both among streams that differed in their capacity to buffer the effects of acidic precipitation and among years in the same stream; these differences in biotic communities were not large enough to affect rates of leaf processing between the two years of the study, but they did significantly affect processing rates between acidic and circumneutral streams

Gas Antisolvent Approach for the Precipitation of α -Methoxyphenylacetic Acid – ( R -1-Cyclohexylethylamine Diateromeric Salt

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A. Zodge

2017-10-01

Full Text Available One of the major drawbacks of diastereomeric salt precipitation based enantioseparation is the time and solvent requirement of crystallization. In the gas antisolvent (GAS approach, supercritical carbon dioxide is applied as an antisolvent, and the precipitation takes place in a couple of minutes. By setting the process parameters diastereomeric excess, yields, and selectivity can be controlled. Applicability of the process is demonstrated on the resolution of racemic 2-methoxyphenylacetic acid with enantiopure (R-(−-1-cyclohexylethylamine. Diastereomeric excess values over 55 % along with 80 % yields were achieved at optimal conditions in a single step.

PRECIPITATION OF PROTACTINIUM

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, R.L.

1958-07-15

An lmprovement in the separation of protactinium from aqueous nitric acid solutions is described. 1t covers the use of lead dioxide and tin dioxide as carrier precipitates for the protactinium. In carrying out the process, divalent lead or divalent tin is addcd to the solution and oxidized, causing formation of a carrier precipitate of lead dioxide or stannic oxide, respectively.

IMPROVED PROCESS OF PLUTONIUM CARRIER PRECIPITATION

Science.gov (United States)

Faris, B.F.

1959-06-30

This patent relates to an improvement in the bismuth phosphate process for separating and recovering plutonium from neutron irradiated uranium, resulting in improved decontamination even without the use of scavenging precipitates in the by-product precipitation step and subsequently more complete recovery of the plutonium in the product precipitation step. This improvement is achieved by addition of fluomolybdic acid, or a water soluble fluomolybdate, such as the ammonium, sodium, or potassium salt thereof, to the aqueous nitric acid solution containing tetravalent plutonium ions and contaminating fission products, so as to establish a fluomolybdate ion concentration of about 0.05 M. The solution is then treated to form the bismuth phosphate plutonium carrying precipitate.

Parametric study on co-precipitation of U/Th in MOX fuel of AHWR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tiwari, S.K.; Swaroopa Lakshmi, Y.; Nath, Baidurjya; Setty, D.S.; Kalyana Krishnan, G.; Saibaba, N.

2015-01-01

During manufacturing of Mixed Oxide Fuel (MOX) pellets for Advance Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR-LEU), around 30% rejected MOX pellets are generated in every cycle. These rejected MOX pellets are dissolved in nitric acid for recovery of U/Th. The recovered U/Th is recycled for production of MOX pellets. MOX pellets of varying compositions are used in AHWR fuel. Dissolution of MOX pellets in nitric acid is a challenging task because of its low surface area and longer dissolution times. High normal nitric acid is used in order to increase rate of dissolution, which in turn results in generation of high free acidity solution which influences the precipitation characteristics of Uranium (VI) by oxalic acid. Oxalic acid precipitation helps in generation of nitric acid which can be used for dissolution there by effectively facilitating nil effluent generation. Precipitation by oxalic acid unlike ammonia has advantage of zero liquid effluent discharge by complete recycle of oxalate filtrate to dissolution section. In the present work, the effect of various parameters like free acidity, residence time, concentration of oxalic acid, initial concentration of uranium and thorium etc. on the precipitation of U(VI) and Th(IV) in nitrate media by oxalic acid was carried out. The precipitated powder was subjected to various morphological evaluations like particle size etc. Study of various parameters on the co-precipitation of uranium and thorium by oxalic acid was carried out. It was observed that complete precipitation (> 99.9%) of thorium as oxalate does not depend on free acidity range (1- 6 N). Excess oxalic acid is not required for complete precipitation of thorium oxalate. The precipitation of uranyl oxalate varies with initial free acidity of solution. Uranyl oxalate precipitation does not take place at and above 5 N of free acidity

Fractionation of equine antivenom using caprylic acid precipitation in combination with cationic ion-exchange chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Raweerith, Rutai; Ratanabanangkoon, Kavi

2003-11-01

A combined process of caprylic acid (CA) precipitation and ion-exchange chromatography on SP-Sepharose was studied as a means to fractionate pepsin-digested horse antivenom F(ab')(2) antibody. In the CA precipitation, the optimal concentration for fractionation of F(ab')(2) from pepsin-digested horse plasma was 2%, in which 89.61% of F(ab')(2) antibody activity was recovered in the supernatant with 1.5-fold purification. A significant amount of pepsin was not precipitated and remained active under these conditions. An analytical cation exchanger Protein-Pak SP 8HR HPLC column was tested to establish optimal conditions for the effective separation of IgG, albumin, pepsin and CA from the F(ab')(2) product. From these results, the supernatant from CA precipitation of pepsin-digested plasma was subjected to a SP-Sepharose column chromatography using a linear salt gradient. With stepwise elution, a peak containing F(ab')(2) antibody could be obtained by elution with 0.25 M NaCl. The total recovery of antibody was 65.56% with 2.91-fold purification, which was higher than that achieved by ammonium sulfate precipitation. This process simultaneously and effectively removed residual pepsin, high molecular weight aggregates and CA in the final F(ab')(2) product, and should be suitable for large-scale fractionation of therapeutic equine antivenoms.

Precipitation variability assessment of northeast China: Songhua ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Variability in precipitation is critical for the management of water resources. ... applied on precipitation data on a monthly, seasonally, annually, decade scale and the number of rainy ... 2015). As a result, such irregularities in precipitation,. i.e., droughts and floods can affect the ... (January–December), years and decades.

Response of surface water chemistry to reduced levels of acid precipitation: Comparison of trends in two regions of New York, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Burns, Douglas A.; McHale, M.R.; Driscoll, C.T.; Roy, K.M.

2006-01-01

In light of recent reductions in sulphur (S) and nitrogen (N) emissions mandated by Title IV of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, temporal trends and trend coherence in precipitation (1984-2001 and 1992-2001) and surface water chemistry (1992-2001) were determined in two of the most acid-sensitive regions of North America, i.e. the Catskill and Adirondack Mountains of New York. Precipitation chemistry data from six sites located near these regions showed decreasing sulphate (SO42-), nitrate (NO3-), and base cation (CB) concentrations and increasing pH during 1984-2001, but few significant trends during 1992-2001. Data from five Catskill streams and 12 Adirondack lakes showed decreasing trends in SO42- concentrations at all sites, and decreasing trends in NO3-, CB, and H+ concentrations and increasing trends in dissolved organic carbon at most sites. In contrast, acid-neutralizing capacity (ANC increased significantly at only about half the Adirondack lakes and in one of the Catskill streams. Flow correction prior to trend analysis did not change any trend directions and had little effect on SO42- trends, but it caused several significant non-flow-corrected trends in NO3- and ANC to become non-significant, suggesting that trend results for flow-sensitive constituents are affected by flow-related climate variation. SO42- concentrations showed high temporal coherence in precipitation, surface waters, and in precipitation-surface water comparisons, reflecting a strong link between S emissions, precipitation SO42- concentrations, and the processes that affect S cycling within these regions. NO3- and H+ concentrations and ANC generally showed weak coherence, especially in surface waters and in precipitation-surface water comparisons, indicating that variation in local-scale processes driven by factors such as climate are affecting trends in acid-base chemistry in these two regions. Copyright ?? 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Synthesis of aqueous suspensions of magnetic nanoparticles with the co-precipitation of iron ions in the presence of aspartic acid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pušnik, Klementina; Goršak, Tanja [Department for Materials Synthesis, Jožef Stefan Institute, 1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, 1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Drofenik, Miha [Department for Materials Synthesis, Jožef Stefan Institute, 1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor (Slovenia); Makovec, Darko [Department for Materials Synthesis, Jožef Stefan Institute, 1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, 1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia)

2016-09-01

There is increasing demand for the production of large quantities of aqueous suspensions of magnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles. Amino acids are one possible type of inexpensive, nontoxic, and biocompatible molecules that can be used as the surfactants for the preparation of stable suspensions. This preparation can be conducted in a simple, one-step process based on the co-precipitation of Fe{sup 3+}/Fe{sup 2+} ions in the presence of the amino acid. However, the presence of this amino acid changes the mechanism of the magnetic nanoparticles' formation. In this investigation we analyzed the influence of aspartic amino acid (Asp) on the formation of magnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles during the co-precipitation. The process of the nanoparticles’ formation was followed using a combination of TEM, x-ray diffractometry, magnetic measurements, in-situ FT-IR spectroscopy, and chemical analysis, and compared with the formation of nanoparticles without the Asp. The Asp forms a coordination complex with the Fe{sup 3+} ions, which impedes the formation of the intermediate iron oxyhydroxide phase and suppresses the growth of the final magnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles. Slower reaction kinetics can lead to the formation of nonmagnetic secondary phases. The aspartic-acid-absorbed nanoparticles can be dispersed to form relatively concentrated aqueous suspensions displaying a good colloidal stability at an increased pH. - Highlights: • Co-precipitation of Fe{sup 3+}/Fe{sup 2+} ions in the presence of aspartic amino acid (Asp). • Through analysis of nanoparticle formation mechanism. • Presence of Asp changes the mechanism of the nanoparticles’ formation. • Asp forms a coordination complex with the Fe{sup 3+} ions. • Asp impedes the formation of iron oxyhydroxide phase and suppresses the growth of iron-oxide nanoparticles. • The aspartic-acid-absorbed nanoparticles form stable aqueous suspensions.

Synthesis of aqueous suspensions of magnetic nanoparticles with the co-precipitation of iron ions in the presence of aspartic acid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pušnik, Klementina; Goršak, Tanja; Drofenik, Miha; Makovec, Darko

2016-01-01

There is increasing demand for the production of large quantities of aqueous suspensions of magnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles. Amino acids are one possible type of inexpensive, nontoxic, and biocompatible molecules that can be used as the surfactants for the preparation of stable suspensions. This preparation can be conducted in a simple, one-step process based on the co-precipitation of Fe 3+ /Fe 2+ ions in the presence of the amino acid. However, the presence of this amino acid changes the mechanism of the magnetic nanoparticles' formation. In this investigation we analyzed the influence of aspartic amino acid (Asp) on the formation of magnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles during the co-precipitation. The process of the nanoparticles’ formation was followed using a combination of TEM, x-ray diffractometry, magnetic measurements, in-situ FT-IR spectroscopy, and chemical analysis, and compared with the formation of nanoparticles without the Asp. The Asp forms a coordination complex with the Fe 3+ ions, which impedes the formation of the intermediate iron oxyhydroxide phase and suppresses the growth of the final magnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles. Slower reaction kinetics can lead to the formation of nonmagnetic secondary phases. The aspartic-acid-absorbed nanoparticles can be dispersed to form relatively concentrated aqueous suspensions displaying a good colloidal stability at an increased pH. - Highlights: • Co-precipitation of Fe 3+ /Fe 2+ ions in the presence of aspartic amino acid (Asp). • Through analysis of nanoparticle formation mechanism. • Presence of Asp changes the mechanism of the nanoparticles’ formation. • Asp forms a coordination complex with the Fe 3+ ions. • Asp impedes the formation of iron oxyhydroxide phase and suppresses the growth of iron-oxide nanoparticles. • The aspartic-acid-absorbed nanoparticles form stable aqueous suspensions.

Acidic weathering of carbonate building stones: experimental assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ryszard Kryza

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Three types of carbonate rocks, travertine, limestone and marble have been studied to determine their selected technical parameters (water absorption, resistance to salt crystallization damage and reaction to experimentally modelled acid rain weathering imitating the polluted urban atmospheric conditions. The acidic agents present in natural acid rain precipitation, H2SO4, HCl, HNO3, CH3COOH and mixture of all the acids, “Acid mix”, were tested. The initial stages of acid weathering involve, apart from chemical dissolution, particularly intense physical detachment of rock particles (granular disintegration significantly contributing to the total mass loss. Travertine was found to be most prone to salt crystallization damage and to acid weathering, and these features should be taken into account especially in external architectural usage of this stone in cold climate conditions and polluted urban atmosphere.

Continuous precipitation process of plutonium salts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richard, P.

1967-03-01

This work concerns the continuous precipitation process of plutonium oxalate. Investigations about the solubility of different valence states in nitric-oxalic and in nitric-sulfuric-oxalic medium lead to select the precipitation process of tetravalent plutonium oxalate. Settling velocity and granulometry of tetravalent oxalate plutonium have been studied with variation of several precipitation parameters such as: temperature, acidity, excess of oxalic acid and aging time. Then are given test results of some laboratory continuous apparatus. Conditions of operation with adopted tubular apparatus are defined in conclusion. A flow-sheet is given for a process at industrial scale. (author) [fr

Kinetic study of the precipitation of radioactive elements in the production process of phosphoric acid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ben Mahmoud, Souha

2009-01-01

In this engineering study we determined the activities of gamma emitting radionuclides belonging to the families of 238 U , 232 Th and 40K in phosphate, the acid derivatives and gypsum in Tunisian Chemical Group. The most important activities are those of 238 U and 226 Ra, which are located in the phosphate, gypsum and the precipitates formed in the pipes.

Removal of sulfamic acid from plutonium sulfamate--sulfamic acid solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gray, L.W.

1978-10-01

Plutonium metal can be readily dissolved in aqueous solutions of sulfamic acid. When the plutonium sulfamate--sulfamic acid solutions are added to normal purex process streams, the sulfamate ion is oxidized by addition of sodium nitrite. This generates sodium sulfate which must be stored as radioactive waste. When recovery of ingrown 241 Am or storage of the dissolved plutonium must be considered, the sulfamate ion poses major and undesirable precipitation problems in the process streams. The present studies show that 40 to 80% of the sulfamate present in the dissolver solutions can be removed by precipitation as sulfamic acid by the addition of concentrated nitric acid. Addition of 64% nitric acid allows precipitation of 40 to 50% of the sulfamate; addition of 72% nitric acid allows precipitation of 50 to 60% of the sulfamate. If the solutions are chilled, additional sulfamic acid will precipitate. If the solutions are chilled to -10 0 C, about 70 to 80% of the orginal sulfamic acid in the dissolver will precipitate. A single, low-volume wash of the sulfamic acid crystals with concentrated nitric acid will decontaminate the crystals to a plutonium content of 5 dis/(min-gram)

Oxidative Precipitation of Manganese from Acid Mine Drainage by Potassium Permanganate

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Regeane M. Freitas

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Although oxidative precipitation by potassium permanganate is a widely recognised process for manganese removal, research dealing with highly contaminated acid mine drainage (AMD has yet to be performed. The present study investigated the efficiency of KMnO4 in removing manganese from AMD effluents. Samples of AMD that originated from inactive uranium mine in Brazil were chemically characterised and treated by KMnO4 at pH 3.0, 5.0, and 7.0. Analyses by Raman spectroscopy and geochemical modelling using PHREEQC code were employed to assess solid phases. Results indicated that the manganese was rapidly oxidised by KMnO4 in a process enhanced at higher pH. The greatest removal, that is, 99%, occurred at pH 7.0, when treated waters presented manganese levels as low as 1.0 mg/L, the limit established by the Brazilian legislation. Birnessite (MnO2, hausmannite (Mn3O4, and manganite (MnOOH were detected by Raman spectroscopy. These phases were consistently identified by the geochemical model, which also predicted phases containing iron, uranium, manganese, and aluminium during the correction of the pH as well as bixbyite (Mn2O3, nsutite (MnO2, pyrolusite (MnO2, and fluorite (CaF2 following the KMnO4 addition.

Precipitous Birth

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Jennifer Yee

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Audience: This scenario was developed to educate emergency medicine residents on the management of a precipitous birth in the emergency department (ED. The case is also appropriate for teaching of medical students and advanced practice providers, as well as reviewing the principles of crisis resource management, teamwork, and communication. Introduction: Patients with precipitous birth require providers to manage two patients simultaneously with limited time and resources. Crisis resource management skills will be tested once baby is delivered, and the neonate will require assessment for potential neonatal resuscitation. Objectives: At the conclusion of the simulation session, learners will be able to manage women who have precipitous deliveries, as well as perform neonatal assessment and management. Method: This session was conducted using high-fidelity simulation, followed by a debriefing session and lecture on precipitous birth management and neonatal evaluation.

Separation and Precipitation of Nickel from Acidic Sulfate Leaching Solution of Molybdenum-Nickel Black Shale by Potassium Nickel Sulfate Hexahydrate Crystallization

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Zhigan; Wei, Chang; Fan, Gang; Li, Xingbin; Li, Minting; Li, Cunxiong

2018-02-01

Nickel was separated and precipitated with potassium nickel sulfate hexahydrate [K2Ni(SO4)2·6H2O] from acidic sulfate solution, a leach solution from molybdenum-nickel black shale. The effects of the potassium sulfate (K2SO4) concentration, crystallization temperature, solution pH, and crystallization time on nickel(II) recovery and iron(III) precipitation were investigated, revealing that nickel and iron were separated effectively. The optimum parameters were K2SO4 concentration of 200 g/L, crystallization temperature of 10°C, solution pH of 0.5, and crystallization time of 24 h. Under these conditions, 97.6% nickel(II) was recovered as K2Ni(SO4)2·6H2O crystals while only 2.0% of the total iron(III) was precipitated. After recrystallization, 98.4% pure K2Ni(SO4)2·6H2O crystals were obtained in the solids. The mother liquor was purified by hydrolysis-precipitation followed by cooling, and more than 99.0% K2SO4 could be crystallized. A process flowsheet was developed to separate iron(III) and nickel(II) from acidic-sulfate solution.

Investigation of Neptunium Precipitator Cleanout Options

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, B.C.

2003-01-01

Oxalate precipitation followed by filtration is used to prepare plutonium oxalate. Historically, plutonium oxalate has tended to accumulate in the precipitation tanks. These solids are periodically removed by flushing with concentrated (64 percent) nitric acid. The same precipitation tanks will now be used in the processing of neptunium. Literature values indicate that neptunium oxalate may not be as soluble as plutonium oxalate in nitric acid. Although a wide variety of options is available to improve neptunium oxalate solubility for precipitator flushing, most of these options are not practical for use. Many of these options require the use of incompatible or difficult to handle chemicals. Other options would require expensive equipment modifications or are likely to lead to product contamination. Based on review of literature and experimental results, the two best options for flushing the precipitator are (1) 64 percent nitric acid and (2) addition of sodium permanganate follow ed by sodium nitrite. Nitric acid is the easiest option to implement. It is already used in the facility and will not lead to product contamination. Experimental results indicate that neptunium oxalate can be dissolved in concentrated nitric acid (64 percent) at 60 degree C to a concentration of 2.6 to 5.6 grams of Np/liter after at least three hours of heating. A lower concentration (1.1 grams of Np/liter) was measured at 60 degree C after less than two hours of heating. These concentrations are acceptable for flushing if precipitator holdup is low (approximately 100-250 grams), but a second method is required for effective flushing if precipitator holdup is high (approximately 2 kilograms). The most effective method for obtaining higher neptunium concentrations is the use of sodium permanganate followed by the addition of sodium nitrite. There is concern that residual manganese from these flushes could impact product purity. Gas generation during permanganate addition is also a concern

Aquatic chemistry of acid deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stumm, W; Sigg, L; Schnoor, J L

1987-01-01

The occurrence of acid precipitation in many regions of the Northern hemisphere is a consequnece of human interference in the cycles that unite land, water and atmosphere. The oxidation of carbon, sulfur and nitrogen, resulting mostly from fossil fuel burning, rivals oxidation processes induced by photosynthesis and respiration and disturbs redox conditions in the atmosphere. The paper discusses oxidation-reduction reactions, particularly those involving atmospheric pollutants that are important in the formation of acid precipitation. Topics covered are: a stoichiometric model of acid rain formation; sulfur dioxide and ammonia adsorption; acid neutralizing capacity. The paper concludes that explanations of simple chemical equilibria between gases and water aid our understanding of how acidifying gases become dissolved in cloud water, in droplets of falling rain, or in fog. Rigorous definitions of base- or acid-neutralizing capacities are prerequisites to measuring and interpreting residual acidity in dry and wet deposition and for assessing the disturbance caused by the transfer of acid to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. 20 references.

Risk assessment of precipitation extremes in northern Xinjiang, China

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jun; Pei, Ying; Zhang, Yanwei; Ge, Quansheng

2018-05-01

This study was conducted using daily precipitation records gathered at 37 meteorological stations in northern Xinjiang, China, from 1961 to 2010. We used the extreme value theory model, generalized extreme value (GEV) and generalized Pareto distribution (GPD), statistical distribution function to fit outputs of precipitation extremes with different return periods to estimate risks of precipitation extremes and diagnose aridity-humidity environmental variation and corresponding spatial patterns in northern Xinjiang. Spatiotemporal patterns of daily maximum precipitation showed that aridity-humidity conditions of northern Xinjiang could be well represented by the return periods of the precipitation data. Indices of daily maximum precipitation were effective in the prediction of floods in the study area. By analyzing future projections of daily maximum precipitation (2, 5, 10, 30, 50, and 100 years), we conclude that the flood risk will gradually increase in northern Xinjiang. GEV extreme value modeling yielded the best results, proving to be extremely valuable. Through example analysis for extreme precipitation models, the GEV statistical model was superior in terms of favorable analog extreme precipitation. The GPD model calculation results reflect annual precipitation. For most of the estimated sites' 2 and 5-year T for precipitation levels, GPD results were slightly greater than GEV results. The study found that extreme precipitation reaching a certain limit value level will cause a flood disaster. Therefore, predicting future extreme precipitation may aid warnings of flood disaster. A suitable policy concerning effective water resource management is thus urgently required.

Precipitation of plutonium oxalate from homogeneous solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rao, V.K.; Pius, I.C.; Subbarao, M.; Chinnusamy, A.; Natarajan, P.R.

1986-01-01

A method for the precipitation of plutonium(IV) oxalate from homogeneous solutions using diethyl oxalate is reported. The precipitate obtained is crystalline and easily filterable with yields in the range of 92-98% for precipitations involving a few mg to g quantities of plutonium. Decontamination factors for common impurities such as U(VI), Am(III) and Fe(III) were determined. TGA and chemical analysis of the compound indicate its composition as Pu(Csub(2)Osub(4))sub(2).6Hsub(2)O. Data are obtained on the solubility of the oxalate in nitric acid and in mixtures of nitric acid and oxalic acid of varying concentrations. Green PuOsub(2) obtained by calcination of the oxalate has specifications within the recommended values for trace foreign substances such as chlorine, fluorine, carbon and nitrogen. (author)

DISSOLUTION OF LANTHANUM FLUORIDE PRECIPITATES

Science.gov (United States)

Fries, B.A.

1959-11-10

A plutonium separatory ore concentration procedure involving the use of a fluoride type of carrier is presented. An improvement is given in the derivation step in the process for plutonium recovery by carrier precipitation of plutonium values from solution with a lanthanum fluoride carrier precipitate and subsequent derivation from the resulting plutonium bearing carrier precipitate of an aqueous acidic plutonium-containing solution. The carrier precipitate is contacted with a concentrated aqueous solution of potassium carbonate to effect dissolution therein of at least a part of the precipitate, including the plutonium values. Any remaining precipitate is separated from the resulting solution and dissolves in an aqueous solution containing at least 20% by weight of potassium carbonate. The reacting solutions are combined, and an alkali metal hydroxide added to a concentration of at least 2N to precipitate lanthanum hydroxide concomitantly carrying plutonium values.

Kinetics of cadmium hydroxide precipitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patterson, J.W.; Marani, D.; Luo, B.; Swenson, P.

1987-01-01

This paper presents some preliminary results on the kinetics of Cd(OH)/sub 2/ precipitation, both in the absence and the presence of citric acid as an inhibiting agent. Batch and continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) precipitation studies are performed by mixing equal volumes of NaOH and Cd(NO/sub 3/)/sub 2/ solutions, in order to avoid localized supersaturation conditions. The rate of metal removal from the soluble phase is calculated from the mass balance for the CSTR precipitation tests. In addition, precipitation kinetics are studied in terms of nucleation and crystal growth rates, by means of a particle counter that allows a population balance analysis for the precipitation reactor at steady state conditions

Synthesis of aqueous suspensions of magnetic nanoparticles with the co-precipitation of iron ions in the presence of aspartic acid

Science.gov (United States)

Pušnik, Klementina; Goršak, Tanja; Drofenik, Miha; Makovec, Darko

2016-09-01

There is increasing demand for the production of large quantities of aqueous suspensions of magnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles. Amino acids are one possible type of inexpensive, nontoxic, and biocompatible molecules that can be used as the surfactants for the preparation of stable suspensions. This preparation can be conducted in a simple, one-step process based on the co-precipitation of Fe3+/Fe2+ ions in the presence of the amino acid. However, the presence of this amino acid changes the mechanism of the magnetic nanoparticles' formation. In this investigation we analyzed the influence of aspartic amino acid (Asp) on the formation of magnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles during the co-precipitation. The process of the nanoparticles' formation was followed using a combination of TEM, x-ray diffractometry, magnetic measurements, in-situ FT-IR spectroscopy, and chemical analysis, and compared with the formation of nanoparticles without the Asp. The Asp forms a coordination complex with the Fe3+ ions, which impedes the formation of the intermediate iron oxyhydroxide phase and suppresses the growth of the final magnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles. Slower reaction kinetics can lead to the formation of nonmagnetic secondary phases. The aspartic-acid-absorbed nanoparticles can be dispersed to form relatively concentrated aqueous suspensions displaying a good colloidal stability at an increased pH.

Interaction of bovine gallbladder mucin and calcium-binding protein: effects on calcium phosphate precipitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Afdhal, N H; Ostrow, J D; Koehler, R; Niu, N; Groen, A K; Veis, A; Nunes, D P; Offner, G D

1995-11-01

Gallstones consist of calcium salts and cholesterol crystals, arrayed on a matrix of gallbladder mucin (GBM), and regulatory proteins like calcium-binding protein (CBP). To determine if interactions between CBP and GBM follow a biomineralization scheme, their mutual binding and effects on CaHPO4 precipitation were studied. Binding of CBP to GBM was assessed by inhibition of the fluorescence of the complex of GBM with bis-1,8-anilinonaphthalene sulfonic acid (bis-ANS). The effects of the proteins on precipitation of CaHPO4 were assessed by nephelometry and gravimetry. Precipitates were analyzed for calcium, phosphate, and protein. CBP and bis-ANS competitively displaced each other from 30 binding sites on mucin, with a 1:1 stoichiometry and similar affinity. The rate of precipitation of CaHPO4 was retarded by mucin and CBP. Precipitate mass was unaffected by GBM alone but decreased with the addition of CBP. Complexing CBP with GBM abolished or moderated this latter effect, altered precipitate morphology, and changed the stoichiometric ratios of Ca to PO4 in the precipitates from 1:1 to 3:2. Mucin and CBP were incorporated into the precipitates. These studies suggest that the formation of calcium-containing gallstones is a biomineralization process regulated by both GBM and CBP.

Seasonal factors controlling mineral precipitation in the acid mine drainage at Donghae coal mine, Korea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, J.J.; Kim, S.J.

2004-01-01

Monitoring over a 12 month period in the Sanae creek flow in acid mine drainage, Donghae coal mine area, demonstrates that the concentrations of dissolved metals and sulphate are highest during autumn when water flow in the creek is at its lowest. The highest pH values of the stream were measured in April and May, whereas the lowest pH was recorded in October. The Fe concentration of stream water rapidly decreased downstream due to the precipitation of Fe oxyhydroxide and/or oxyhydroxysulfate phases in the stream. Mineral precipitates in the creek in the Donghae mine area show various colours such as brownish yellow (Munsell colour 9.5 YR hues), reddish brown (Munsell colour 3.5 YR hues) and white depending on seasons and distance from the pollution source in the creek. Such phenomena are attributed to the variation in pH and chemical composition of stream water caused by seasonal factors. The measured pH ranges in stream water of the brownish yellow, white and reddish brown precipitates are pH 3.2-4.5, 4.5-6.0 and 5.3-6.9, respectively

Crosslinkers of Different Types in Precipitation Polymerization of Acrylic Acid

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Eshaghi

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Crosslinked poly(acrylic acids were prepared using two types of crosslinker by precipitation polymerization method in a binary organic solvent. N,N’-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA and polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate (PEGDMA-330 were used as low-molecular weight and long-chain crosslinkers, respectively. The effect of various types of crosslinkers on polymer characteristics (i.e., gel content, equilibrium swelling, glass transition temperature, and rheological properties was investigated. Maximum amount of viscosity was obtained by using long-chain crosslinker. The Flory-Rehner equation and rubber elasticity theory were used to discuss the network structure of polymer. It was observed that, the glass transition temperature (Tg of the synthesized polymer containing PEGDMA-330 is higher than that of polymer containing MBA. Apparent and rotational viscosity were used to determine the optimal crosslinker type. In addition, the consistencycoefficient (m and flow behavior index (n parameter of Ostwald equation were investigated as well.

An Optimized Trichloroacetic Acid/Acetone Precipitation Method for Two-Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis Analysis of Qinchuan Cattle Longissimus Dorsi Muscle Containing High Proportion of Marbling.

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Ruijie; Adoligbe, Camus; Jiang, Bijie; Zhao, Xianlin; Gui, Linsheng; Qu, Kaixing; Wu, Sen; Zan, Linsen

2015-01-01

Longissimus dorsi muscle (LD) proteomics provides a novel opportunity to reveal the molecular mechanism behind intramuscular fat deposition. Unfortunately, the vast amounts of lipids and nucleic acids in this tissue hampered LD proteomics analysis. Trichloroacetic acid (TCA)/acetone precipitation is a widely used method to remove contaminants from protein samples. However, the high speed centrifugation employed in this method produces hard precipitates, which restrict contaminant elimination and protein re-dissolution. To address the problem, the centrifugation precipitates were first grinded with a glass tissue grinder and then washed with 90% acetone (TCA/acetone-G-W) in the present study. According to our result, the treatment for solid precipitate facilitated non-protein contaminant removal and protein re-dissolution, ultimately improving two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) analysis. Additionally, we also evaluated the effect of sample drying on 2-DE profile as well as protein yield. It was found that 30 min air-drying did not result in significant protein loss, but reduced horizontal streaking and smearing on 2-DE gel compared to 10 min. In summary, we developed an optimized TCA/acetone precipitation method for protein extraction of LD, in which the modifications improved the effectiveness of TCA/acetone method.

Assessing the costs and market impacts of carbon sequestration, climate change, and acid rain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Callaway, J.M.

2000-03-01

This thesis provides fourteen journal articles and papers. Thirteen of these papers were published in referred journals, covering environmental economics, policy modelling, policy analysis, and the physical sciences. One paper was published as a USDA Forest Service research report. The papers in the thesis are divided into three topical areas: 1) Section 2: The Economics of Carbon Sequestration. Eight papers plus Appendix A of the thesis cover the development and application of models to estimate the economic costs and management consequences of policies to sequester carbon emissions by planting trees on agricultural land in the US or through more intensive forest management. 2) Section 3: The Economics of Climate Change Damages. Two papers of the thesis cover the development of models that can be used to estimate the market and nonmarket damages associated with the impacts of climate change on water resources in the US. 3) Section 4: The Economics of Acid Rain Damages. Three papers in the thesis examine the methods that were developed to estimate the damages due to acid rain in the US by the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP) and discuss more generally the role of economic policy analysis in this assessment. (EHS)

Organic influences on inorganic patterns of diffusion-controlled precipitation in gels

Science.gov (United States)

Barge, Laura M.; Nealson, Kenneth H.; Petruska, John

2010-06-01

The well-known AgNO 3/K 2CrO 4 reaction-diffusion system produces periodic bands of silver chromate precipitate in gelatin, but only randomly oriented crystals in agarose gel. We show that comparable bands can be produced in agarose gel by adding small amounts of simple organic acids (e.g., acetic acid, N-acetyl glycine, and N-acetyl alanine) that suppress crystal growth and promote formation of rounded particles of precipitate. These results indicate that α-carboxyl groups of amino acids or short peptides in gelatin under mildly acidic conditions can induce periodic band patterns in diffusion-controlled silver chromate precipitates.

A perspective of stepwise utilisation of Bayer red mud: Step two—Extracting and recovering Ti from Ti-enriched tailing with acid leaching and precipitate flotation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Yanfang; Chai, Wencui; Han, Guihong; Wang, Wenjuan; Yang, Shuzhen; Liu, Jiongtian

2016-01-01

Highlights: • An integrated process for the stepwise disposal of red mud was proposed. • Extracting and recovering Ti from Ti-enriched tailing was the second step. • The factors influencing acid leaching and precipitate flotation were examined. • The extracting of metals in concentrated H 2 SO 4 was controlled by diffusion reactions. • [Hbet][Tf 2 N] was an effective precipitating reagent with its coordination mechanism. - Abstract: The extraction and recovery of Ti from Ti-enriched tailing with acid leaching and precipitate flotation, as one of the critical steps, was proposed for the stepwise utilization of red mud. The factors influencing acid leaching and precipitate flotation were examined by factorial design. The leaching thermodynamics, kinetics of Ti 4+ , Al 3+ and Fe 3+ , and the mechanism of selectively Fe 3+ removal using [Hbet][Tf 2 N] as precipitating reagent were discussed. The extracting of Ti 4+ , Al 3+ and Fe 3+ in concentrated H 2 SO 4 is controlled by diffusion reactions, depending mainly upon leaching time and temperature. The maximum extracting efficiency of Ti 4+ is approximately 92.3%, whereas Al 3+ and Fe 3+ leaching are respectively 75.8% and 84.2%. [Hbet][Tf 2 N], as a precipitating reagent, operates through a coordination mechanism in flotation. The pH value is the key factor influencing the flotation recovery of Ti 4+ , whereas the dosage of precipitating reagent is that for Al 3+ recovery. The maximum flotation recovery of Ti 4+ is 92.7%, whereas the maximum Al 3+ recovery is 93.5%. The total recovery rate for extracting and recovering titanium is 85.5%. The liquor with Ti 4+ of 15.5 g/L, Al 3+ of 30.4 g/L and Fe 3+ of 0.48 g/L was obtained for the following hydrolysis step in the integrated process for red mud utilisation.

Removal of palladium precipitate from a simulated high-level radioactive liquid waste by reduction by ascorbic acid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Eung Ho; Yoo, Jae Hyung; Choi, Cheong Song

1998-01-01

A study of the selective removal of Palladium from a simulated solution of high-level radioactive liquid waste (HLLW) was carried out. The simulated solution contained 7 representative elements (Pd 2+ , Cs + , Sr 2+ , Fe 3+ , MoO 2 2+ , Ru 4+ , and Nd 3+ ) typical of HLLW, ascorbic acid was added to the solution at room temperature. Pd 2+ in the simulated solution was easily reduced to Pd metal by the ascorbic acid and then the metal precipitate could be removed from the solution, whereas other elements remained mainly in solution. When the resulting Pd metal was left in solution, it was reoxidized to Pb 2+ ion and redissolved in a nitric acid medium. The oxidation rate of Pd 2+ depended on the presence of a transition metal such as ferric ion, and was also in proportion to the concentration of nitric acid and in inverse proportion to the concentration of ascrobic acid. (orig.)

[Current situation and impact factors of acid deposition in main cites of Shandong Province].

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Hong-yu; Zhang, Qiao-xian; Deng, Hong-bing; Zhao, Jing-zhu; Mu, Jin-bo; Zhang, De-zhi

2006-12-01

Based on the monitoring data for years in Shandong Province, current situation of acid rain in every city was assessed, and the temporal distribution of the dry, wet and total sulfur deposition in Jinan and Qingdao were studied. The results showed that Qingdao which had the largest precipitation acidity was the single city whose annul average precipitation pH was below 5. 60. The precipitation acidities in the main cities of Shandong Province were in a descent tendency. The total sulfur desposition in Jinan and Qingdao was basically stable or in a descent tendency, but also reached 10 t/(km(2)x a) or so. Among the total sulfur deposition flux, the dry deposition of sulfur had the greater contribution, and the contribution of SO2 dry deposition was higher than that of SO42- dry deposition. By analyzing the relation between the precipitation acidity and the SO2 discharge intensity, soil acidity and meteorological condition, the impact factors of acid precipitation in the cities of Shandong Province were revealed.

Behaviour of the pH adjustment, Ion exchange and concentrate precipitation stages in the acid leaching of uranium phosphate ores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Estrada Aguilar, J.; Uriarte Hueda, A.

1962-01-01

The uranium recovery from acid leach solutions of uranium-phosphate ores has been studied. Relations have been found between the solution characteristics and the results obtained at different stages of the process. The following data can thus be predicted: solids to remove and uranium recovery in the pH adjustment stage, uranium capacity of the resin, more suitable eluating agent, elution velocity and uranium concentration in the eluate in the ion exchange stage, and composition of the concentrate produced by direct precipitation of the eluate in the concentrate precipitation stage. (Author) 8 refs

Application of citric acid in acid stimulation treatments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alkhaldi, M.H.; Sarma, H.K. [Adelaide Univ., Adelaide (Australia); Nasr-el-Din, H.A. [Texas A and M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)

2009-07-01

A rotating disk apparatus was used to investigate mass transfer during the reaction of citric acid with calcite. The study evaluated the effects of initial acid concentrations, temperature, and disk rotational speed on the effective diffusion coefficient of citric acid. The diffusion coefficient was calculated at 25, 40, and 50 degrees C using various citric acid concentrations. The study indicated that the coefficient was a function of the interactions between calcium citrate precipitation and counter calcium ions. At high acid concentrations, the effects of calcium citrate precipitation and counter calcium ions were significant. The calculated citric acid diffusion coefficients were not comparable with measured effective diffusion coefficients using the rotating disk. At lower initial citric acid concentrations, the effects of both calcium citrate precipitation and counter calcium ions on citric acid diffusivity were minimal. It was concluded that temperature effects on the diffusion coefficient followed Arrhenius law. Activation energy was equal to 37.9 kJ/mol. 34 refs., 4 tabs., 13 figs.

Boronic Acid functionalized core-shell polymer nanoparticles prepared by distillation precipitation polymerization for glycopeptide enrichment.

Science.gov (United States)

Qu, Yanyan; Liu, Jianxi; Yang, Kaiguang; Liang, Zhen; Zhang, Lihua; Zhang, Yukui

2012-07-16

The boronic acid-functionalized core-shell polymer nanoparticles, poly(N,N-methylenebisacrylamide-co-methacrylic acid)@4-vinylphenylboronic acid (poly(MBA-co-MAA)@VPBA), were successfully synthesized for enriching glycosylated peptides. Such nanoparticles were composed of a hydrophilic polymer core prepared by distillation precipitation polymerization (DPP) and a boronic acid-functionalized shell designed for capturing glycopeptides. Owing to the relatively large amount of residual vinyl groups introduced by DPP on the core surface, the VPBA monomer was coated with high efficiency, working as the shell. Moreover, the overall polymerization route, especially the use of DPP, made the synthesis of nanoparticles facile and time-saving. With the poly(MBA-co-MAA)@VPBA nanoparticles, 18 glycopeptides from horseradish peroxidase (HRP) digest were captured and identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometric analysis, relative to eight glycopeptides enriched by using commercially available meta-aminophenylboronic acid agarose under the same conditions. When the concentration of the HRP digest was decreased to as low as 5 nmol, glycopeptides could still be selectively isolated by the prepared nanoparticles. Our results demonstrated that the synthetic poly(MBA-co-MAA)@VPBA nanoparticles might be a promising selective enrichment material for glycoproteome analysis. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A perspective of stepwise utilisation of Bayer red mud: Step two—Extracting and recovering Ti from Ti-enriched tailing with acid leaching and precipitate flotation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Yanfang; Chai, Wencui; Han, Guihong, E-mail: guihong-han@hotmail.com; Wang, Wenjuan; Yang, Shuzhen; Liu, Jiongtian

2016-04-15

Highlights: • An integrated process for the stepwise disposal of red mud was proposed. • Extracting and recovering Ti from Ti-enriched tailing was the second step. • The factors influencing acid leaching and precipitate flotation were examined. • The extracting of metals in concentrated H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} was controlled by diffusion reactions. • [Hbet][Tf{sub 2}N] was an effective precipitating reagent with its coordination mechanism. - Abstract: The extraction and recovery of Ti from Ti-enriched tailing with acid leaching and precipitate flotation, as one of the critical steps, was proposed for the stepwise utilization of red mud. The factors influencing acid leaching and precipitate flotation were examined by factorial design. The leaching thermodynamics, kinetics of Ti{sup 4+}, Al{sup 3+} and Fe{sup 3+}, and the mechanism of selectively Fe{sup 3+} removal using [Hbet][Tf{sub 2}N] as precipitating reagent were discussed. The extracting of Ti{sup 4+}, Al{sup 3+} and Fe{sup 3+} in concentrated H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} is controlled by diffusion reactions, depending mainly upon leaching time and temperature. The maximum extracting efficiency of Ti{sup 4+} is approximately 92.3%, whereas Al{sup 3+} and Fe{sup 3+} leaching are respectively 75.8% and 84.2%. [Hbet][Tf{sub 2}N], as a precipitating reagent, operates through a coordination mechanism in flotation. The pH value is the key factor influencing the flotation recovery of Ti{sup 4+}, whereas the dosage of precipitating reagent is that for Al{sup 3+} recovery. The maximum flotation recovery of Ti{sup 4+} is 92.7%, whereas the maximum Al{sup 3+} recovery is 93.5%. The total recovery rate for extracting and recovering titanium is 85.5%. The liquor with Ti{sup 4+} of 15.5 g/L, Al{sup 3+} of 30.4 g/L and Fe{sup 3+} of 0.48 g/L was obtained for the following hydrolysis step in the integrated process for red mud utilisation.

Antisolvent Precipitation for the Synthesis of Monodisperse Mesoporous Niobium Oxide Spheres as Highly Effective Solid Acid Catalysts

KAUST Repository

Li, Cheng Chao; Dou, Jian; Chen, Luwei; Lin, Jianyi; Zeng, Hua Chun

2012-01-01

We have developed a low-cost reaction protocol to synthesize mesoporous Nb 2O 5-based solid acid catalysts with external shape control. In the synthesis, monodisperse glycolated niobium oxide spheres (GNOS) were prepared by means of a simple antisolvent precipitation approach and subsequently converted to mesoporous niobium oxide spheres (MNOS) with a large surface area of 312m 2g -1 by means of the hydrothermal treatment. The antisolvent acetone used to obtain GNOS was recovered through distillation at high purity. The obtained mesoporous MNOS were functionalized further with sulfate anions at different temperatures or incorporated with tungstophosphoric acid to obtain recyclable solid acid catalysts. These MNOS-based catalysts showed excellent performance in a wide range of acid-catalyzed reactions, such as Friedel-Crafts alkylation, esterification, and hydrolysis of acetates. As they are monodisperse spheres with diameters in the submicrometer range, the catalysts can be easily separated and reused. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Antisolvent Precipitation for the Synthesis of Monodisperse Mesoporous Niobium Oxide Spheres as Highly Effective Solid Acid Catalysts

KAUST Repository

Li, Cheng Chao

2012-03-20

We have developed a low-cost reaction protocol to synthesize mesoporous Nb 2O 5-based solid acid catalysts with external shape control. In the synthesis, monodisperse glycolated niobium oxide spheres (GNOS) were prepared by means of a simple antisolvent precipitation approach and subsequently converted to mesoporous niobium oxide spheres (MNOS) with a large surface area of 312m 2g -1 by means of the hydrothermal treatment. The antisolvent acetone used to obtain GNOS was recovered through distillation at high purity. The obtained mesoporous MNOS were functionalized further with sulfate anions at different temperatures or incorporated with tungstophosphoric acid to obtain recyclable solid acid catalysts. These MNOS-based catalysts showed excellent performance in a wide range of acid-catalyzed reactions, such as Friedel-Crafts alkylation, esterification, and hydrolysis of acetates. As they are monodisperse spheres with diameters in the submicrometer range, the catalysts can be easily separated and reused. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Influence of chemical composition of precipitation on migration of radioactive caesium in natural soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thørring, H.; Skuterud, L.; Steinnes, E.

2014-01-01

The aim of the present work was to study the impact of the chemical composition of precipitation on radiocaesium mobility in natural soil. This was done through column studies. Three types of precipitation regimes were studied, representing a natural range found in Norway: Acidic precipitation (southernmost part of the country); precipitation rich in marine cations (highly oceanic coastal areas); and low concentrations of sea salts (slightly continental inland areas). After 50 weeks and a total precipitation supply of ∼10 000 L m −2 per column, results indicate that acidic precipitation increased the mobility of 134 Cs added during the experiment. However, depth distribution of already present Chernobyl fallout 137 Cs was not significantly affected by the chemical composition of precipitation. - Highlights: • Mobility of freshly added Cs-134 was higher in soil receiving acidic precipitation. • Depth penetration of Cs-134 was higher in soil profiles with a thicker humus layer. • Depth distribution of Chernobyl Cs-137 was not affected by precipitation type

Prediction and mastering of wine acidity and tartaric precipitations: the Mextar® software tool

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Audrey Devatine

2002-06-01

The article describes the theoretical background upon which MEXTAR® has been developed and details the computation procedures associated to the simulation of the operations described above. Iterative processes are used to determine the various parameters enounced above. They aim in particular at the verification of the electroneutrality of the sample. However, at first electroneutrality is rarely verified because the wine chemical analytical determination is never exhaustive. Therefore, we introduce the concept of «vinic acid» to compensate the negative ion deficit of usual wine chemical analytical determination. This «vinic acid» is describe as a diacid with a fixed second dissociation constant (pK2 = 5 and a first dissociation constant determined automatically by MEXTAR®. This enables MEXTAR® to simulate accurately experimental tartaric precipitations for several samples. Thanks to the predicting capacity of MEXTAR®, the correlation between the total polyphenol content (IPT in red wines and the difficulty to stabilise high IPT wine with respect to tartaric salts is confirmed. Finally, malolactic fermentations are also well simulated. A validation of MEXTAR® for the acid addition or removal has yet to be done when reliable experimental data are available.

Study on uranium loss during 'Iron-Gypsum Cake' precipitation from acid leach liquor of Jaduguda ore using factorially designed experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, Amrita; Yadav, Manoj; Chatterjee, Ankur; Singh, A.K.; Hubli, R.C.

2012-01-01

Acid leaching process for uranium recovery from ore often generates considerable amounts of impurities into the solution. It is a challenge to separate the non-valuable impurities as manageable and stable waste products for final disposal, without losing the valuable constituents. The main impurities that come with the leach liquor are iron and sulfate. Their removal is essential for meeting the iron requirement in leaching circuit and also for making the effluent suitable for recycle. Factorial design analysis was applied to study of process variables for precipitation of iron and sulphate from leach liquor with composition using CaO as precipitation reagent

Study of molybdenum (VI) complexation and precipitation by zirconium (IV) in strongly acid medium. Application to nuclear spent fuel dissolution; Etude de la complexation et de la precipitation du molybdene (VI) par le zirconium (IV) en milieu tres acide. Application a la dissolution du combustible nucleaire irradie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Esbelin, E

1999-07-01

These last years the formation of solid deposits has been observed in the dissolution workshops of the La Hague plant. A sample of the solid was withdrawn for expertise: molybdenum and zirconium are the two major components of the solid, identified as zirconium molybdate. This thesis consisted in the approach of the mechanisms in solution liable to induce precipitate formation. After a bibliographical overview on the chemistry of Mo(VI) in highly acidic solution, this system was studied by absorption spectrophotometry in perchloric medium. The implication of two major forms of Mo(VI) in a dimerization equilibrium was confirmed by this way and by {sup 95}Mo NMR. The principal parameters governing this equilibrium were identified. It is thus shown that the molybdenum dimerization reaction is exothermic. Disturbance of the Mo(VI) system in highly acidic solution by Zr(IV) was also studied. In a restricted experimental field, for which 'conventional' exploitation methodologies had to be adapted to the system, a main complex of stoichiometry 1:1 between Mo(VI) and Zr(IV) was found. The precipitation study of Mo(VI) by Zr(IV) under conditions close to those of the dissolution medium of nuclear spent fuel was undertaken. The main parameters which control precipitation kinetics were identified. The results obtained reveal that precipitation is controlled by a single macroscopic process and therefore can be described by a single equation. The solid obtained is composed of only one phase presenting a Mo:Zr non-stoichiometry when compared to the theoretical formula ZrMo{sub 2}O{sub 7}(OH){sub 2},2H{sub 2}O. At last, on the basis of the research results, a descriptive mechanism of the system is proposed in which intervenes a 1:1 intermediate complex, much more soluble than a probable 2:1 precipitation precursor. (author)

Assessment and Comparison of TMPA Satellite Precipitation Products in Varying Climatic and Topographic Regimes in Morocco

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Adam Milewski

2015-05-01

Full Text Available TRMM Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA satellite precipitation products have been utilized to quantify, forecast, or understand precipitation patterns, climate change, hydrologic models, and drought in numerous scientific investigations. The TMPA products recently went through a series of algorithm developments to enhance the accuracy and reliability of high-quality precipitation measurements, particularly in low rainfall environments and complex terrain. In this study, we evaluated four TMPA products (3B42: V6, V7temp, V7, RTV7 against 125 rain gauges in Northern Morocco to assess the accuracy of TMPA products in various regimes, examine the performance metrics of new algorithm developments, and assess the impact of the processing error in 2012. Results show that the research products outperform the real-time products in all environments within Morocco, and the newest algorithm development (3B42 V7 outperforms the previous version (V6, particularly in low rainfall and high-elevation environments. TMPA products continue to overestimate precipitation in arid environments and underestimate it in high-elevation areas. Lastly, the temporary processing error resulted in little bias except in arid environments. These results corroborate findings from previous studies, provide scientific data for the Middle East, highlight the difficulty of using TMPA products in varying conditions, and present preliminary research for future algorithm development for the GPM mission.

An Observation-based Assessment of Instrument Requirements for a Future Precipitation Process Observing System

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, E.; L'Ecuyer, T. S.; Wood, N.; Smalley, M.; Kulie, M.; Hahn, W.

2017-12-01

Global models exhibit substantial biases in the frequency, intensity, duration, and spatial scales of precipitation systems. Much of this uncertainty stems from an inadequate representation of the processes by which water is cycled between the surface and atmosphere and, in particular, those that govern the formation and maintenance of cloud systems and their propensity to form the precipitation. Progress toward improving precipitation process models requires observing systems capable of quantifying the coupling between the ice content, vertical mass fluxes, and precipitation yield of precipitating cloud systems. Spaceborne multi-frequency, Doppler radar offers a unique opportunity to address this need but the effectiveness of such a mission is heavily dependent on its ability to actually observe the processes of interest in the widest possible range of systems. Planning for a next generation precipitation process observing system should, therefore, start with a fundamental evaluation of the trade-offs between sensitivity, resolution, sampling, cost, and the overall potential scientific yield of the mission. Here we provide an initial assessment of the scientific and economic trade-space by evaluating hypothetical spaceborne multi-frequency radars using a combination of current real-world and model-derived synthetic observations. Specifically, we alter the field of view, vertical resolution, and sensitivity of a hypothetical Ka- and W-band radar system and propagate those changes through precipitation detection and intensity retrievals. The results suggest that sampling biases introduced by reducing sensitivity disproportionately affect the light rainfall and frozen precipitation regimes that are critical for warm cloud feedbacks and ice sheet mass balance, respectively. Coarser spatial resolution observations introduce regime-dependent biases in both precipitation occurrence and intensity that depend on cloud regime, with even the sign of the bias varying within a

Metal and acidity fluxes controlled by precipitation/dissolution cycles of sulfate salts in an anthropogenic mine aquifer.

Science.gov (United States)

Cánovas, C R; Macías, F; Pérez-López, R

2016-05-01

Underground mine drainages are extremely difficult to study due to the lack of information about the flow path and source proximity in relation to the outflow adit. Geochemical processes controlling metals and acidity fluxes in a complex anthropogenic mine aquifer in SW Spain during the dry and rainy season were investigated by geochemical and statistical tools. High concentrations of acidity, sulfate, metals and metalloids (e.g. Fe, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Ni, Co) were observed due to intense sulfide oxidation processes. The high residence time inside the anthropogenic aquifer, around 40days, caused the release of significant quantities of metals linked to host rocks (e.g. Al, Ca, Ge, Li, Mg, REE). The most outstanding characteristic of the acid mine drainage (AMD) outflows is the existence of higher Fe/SO4 molar ratios than those theoretical of pyrite (0.50) during most of the monitored period, due to a fire which occurred in 1949 and remained active for decades. Permanent and temporal retention mechanisms of acidity and metals were observed in the galleries. Once released from sulfide oxidation, Pb and As are sorbed on Fe oxyhydroxysulfate or precipitated as low solubility minerals (i.e. anglesite) inside the galleries. The precipitation of evaporitic sulfate salts during the dry season and the subsequent re-dissolution after rainfall control the fluxes of acidity and main metals (i.e. Fe, Mg, Al) from this anthropogenic aquifer. Some elements, such as Cd, Cu, Ni, REE and Zn, are retained in highly soluble sulfate salts while other elements, such as Ge, Pb and Sc, have a lower response to washout processes due to its incorporation in less soluble sulfate salts. In this way, metal concentration during the washout processes would be controlled by the proportion and solubility of each type of evaporitic sulfate salt stored during the dry season. The recovery of metals of economic interest contained in the AMD could help to self-finance the remediation of these waters in

Preventing Precipitation in the ISS Urine Processor

Science.gov (United States)

Muirhead, Dean; Carter, Layne; Williamson, Jill; Chambers, Antja

2017-01-01

The ISS Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) was initially designed to achieve 85% recovery of water from pretreated urine on ISS. Pretreated urine is comprised of crew urine treated with flush water, an oxidant (chromium trioxide), and an inorganic acid (sulfuric acid) to control microbial growth and inhibit precipitation. Unfortunately, initial operation of the UPA on ISS resulted in the precipitation of calcium sulfate at 85% recovery. This occurred because the calcium concentration in the crew urine was elevated in microgravity due to bone loss. The higher calcium concentration precipitated with sulfate from the pretreatment acid, resulting in a failure of the UPA due to the accumulation of solids in the Distillation Assembly. Since this failure, the UPA has been limited to a reduced recovery of water from urine to prevent calcium sulfate from reaching the solubility limit. NASA personnel have worked to identify a solution that would allow the UPA to return to a nominal recovery rate of 85%. This effort has culminated with the development of a pretreatment based on phosphoric acid instead of sulfuric acid. By eliminating the sulfate associated with the pretreatment, the brine can be concentrated to a much higher concentration before calcium sulfate reach the solubility limit. This paper summarizes the development of this pretreatment and the testing performed to verify its implementation on ISS.

The production of rare earth elements group via tributyl phosphate extraction and precipitation stripping using oxalic acid

OpenAIRE

Jorjani, Esmaeil; Shahbazi, Malek

2016-01-01

In this study, solvent extraction and precipitation stripping were used to produce rare earth elements (REEs). Tributyl phosphate (TBP) was used to extract yttrium, lanthanum, cerium, and neodymium from an aqueous solution produced by nitric acid leaching of apatite concentrate. In the extraction stage, the effects of TBP concentration, pH, contact time, temperature, and phase ratio were investigated. The results show that about 95%, 90%, 87% and 80% of neodymium, cerium, lanthanum, and yttri...

Determination of trifluoroacetic acid in 1996--1997 precipitation and surface waters in California and Nevada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wujcik, C.E.; Cahill, T.M.; Seiber, J.N. [Univ. of Nevada, Reno, NV (United States)

1999-05-15

The atmospheric degradation of three chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) replacement compounds, namely HFC-134a, HCFC-123, and HCFC-124, results in the formation of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). Concentrations of TFA were determined in precipitation and surface water samples collected in California and Nevada during 1996--1997. Terminal lake systems were found to have concentrations 4--13 times higher than their calculated yearly inputs, providing evidence for accumulation. The results support dry deposition as the primary contributor of TFA to surface waters in arid and semiarid environments. Precipitation samples obtained from three different locations contained 20.7--1530 ng/L with significantly higher concentrations in fogwater over rainwater. Elevated levels of TFA were observed for rainwater collected in Nevada over those collected in California, indicating continual uptake and concentration as clouds move from a semiarid to arid climate. Thus several mechanisms exist, including evaporative concentration, vapor-liquid phase partitioning, lowered washout volumes of atmospheric deposition water, and dry deposition, which may lead to elevated concentrations of TFA in atmospheric and surface waters above levels expected from usual rainfall washout.

An Assessment of Mean Areal Precipitation Methods on Simulated Stream Flow: A SWAT Model Performance Assessment

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Sean Zeiger

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Accurate mean areal precipitation (MAP estimates are essential input forcings for hydrologic models. However, the selection of the most accurate method to estimate MAP can be daunting because there are numerous methods to choose from (e.g., proximate gauge, direct weighted average, surface-fitting, and remotely sensed methods. Multiple methods (n = 19 were used to estimate MAP with precipitation data from 11 distributed monitoring sites, and 4 remotely sensed data sets. Each method was validated against the hydrologic model simulated stream flow using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT. SWAT was validated using a split-site method and the observed stream flow data from five nested-scale gauging sites in a mixed-land-use watershed of the central USA. Cross-validation results showed the error associated with surface-fitting and remotely sensed methods ranging from −4.5 to −5.1%, and −9.8 to −14.7%, respectively. Split-site validation results showed the percent bias (PBIAS values that ranged from −4.5 to −160%. Second order polynomial functions especially overestimated precipitation and subsequent stream flow simulations (PBIAS = −160 in the headwaters. The results indicated that using an inverse-distance weighted, linear polynomial interpolation or multiquadric function method to estimate MAP may improve SWAT model simulations. Collectively, the results highlight the importance of spatially distributed observed hydroclimate data for precipitation and subsequent steam flow estimations. The MAP methods demonstrated in the current work can be used to reduce hydrologic model uncertainty caused by watershed physiographic differences.

Synthesis of WO3 nanoparticles by citric acid-assisted precipitation and evaluation of their photocatalytic properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sánchez-Martínez, D.; Martínez-de la Cruz, A.; López-Cuéllar, E.

2013-01-01

Graphical abstract: Display Omitted Highlights: ► WO 3 nanoparticles were synthesized by a simple citric acid-assisted precipitation. ► WO 3 photocatalyst was able to the partial mineralization of rhB, IC and MO. ► WO 3 can be considered as a photocatalyst active under visible light irradiation. -- Abstract: WO 3 nanoparticles were synthesized by citric acid-assisted precipitation method using a 1:1.5 molar ratio of ammonium paratungstate hydrate (H 42 N 10 O 42 W 12 ·xH 2 O):citric acid (C 6 H 8 O 7 ). The formation of monoclinic crystal structure of WO 3 at different temperatures was confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). The characterization of the samples synthesized was complemented by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer–Emmitt–Teller surface area (BET) and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). According to the thermal treatment followed during the synthesis of WO 3 , the morphology of the nanoparticles formed was characterized by rectangular and ovoid shapes. The photocatalytic activity of WO 3 obtained under different experimental conditions was evaluated in the degradation of rhodamine B (rhB), indigo carmine (IC), methyl orange (MO), and Congo red (CR) in aqueous solution under UV and UV–vis radiation. The highest photocatalytic activity was observed in the sample obtained by thermal treatment at 700 °C. In general, the sequence of degradation of the organic dyes was: indigo carmine (IC) > rhodamine B (rhB) > methyl orange (MO) > Congo red (CR). The mineralization degree of organic dyes by WO 3 photocatalysts was determined by total organic carbon analysis (TOC) reaching percentages of mineralization of 82% (rhB), 85% (IC), 28% (MO), and 7% (CR) for 96 h of lamp irradiation.

ASSESSMENT OF SATELLITE PRECIPITATION PRODUCTS IN THE PHILIPPINE ARCHIPELAGO

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M. D. Ramos

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Precipitation is the most important weather parameter in the Philippines. Made up of more than 7100 islands, the Philippine archipelago is an agricultural country that depends on rain-fed crops. Located in the western rim of the North West Pacific Ocean, this tropical island country is very vulnerable to tropical cyclones that lead to severe flooding events. Recently, satellite-based precipitation estimates have improved significantly and can serve as alternatives to ground-based observations. These data can be used to fill data gaps not only for climatic studies, but can also be utilized for disaster risk reduction and management activities. This study characterized the statistical errors of daily precipitation from four satellite-based rainfall products from (1 the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM, (2 the CPC Morphing technique (CMORPH of NOAA and (3 the Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation (GSMAP and (4 Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed information using Artificial Neural Networks (PERSIANN. Precipitation data were compared to 52 synoptic weather stations located all over the Philippines. Results show GSMAP to have over all lower bias and CMORPH with lowest Mean Absolute Error (MAE and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE. In addition, a dichotomous rainfall test reveals GSMAP and CMORPH have low Proportion Correct (PC for convective and stratiform rainclouds, respectively. TRMM consistently showed high PC for almost all raincloud types. Moreover, all four satellite precipitation showed high Correct Negatives (CN values for the north-western part of the country during the North-East monsoon and spring monsoonal transition periods.

Assessment of Satellite Precipitation Products in the Philippine Archipelago

Science.gov (United States)

Ramos, M. D.; Tendencia, E.; Espana, K.; Sabido, J.; Bagtasa, G.

2016-06-01

Precipitation is the most important weather parameter in the Philippines. Made up of more than 7100 islands, the Philippine archipelago is an agricultural country that depends on rain-fed crops. Located in the western rim of the North West Pacific Ocean, this tropical island country is very vulnerable to tropical cyclones that lead to severe flooding events. Recently, satellite-based precipitation estimates have improved significantly and can serve as alternatives to ground-based observations. These data can be used to fill data gaps not only for climatic studies, but can also be utilized for disaster risk reduction and management activities. This study characterized the statistical errors of daily precipitation from four satellite-based rainfall products from (1) the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), (2) the CPC Morphing technique (CMORPH) of NOAA and (3) the Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation (GSMAP) and (4) Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed information using Artificial Neural Networks (PERSIANN). Precipitation data were compared to 52 synoptic weather stations located all over the Philippines. Results show GSMAP to have over all lower bias and CMORPH with lowest Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). In addition, a dichotomous rainfall test reveals GSMAP and CMORPH have low Proportion Correct (PC) for convective and stratiform rainclouds, respectively. TRMM consistently showed high PC for almost all raincloud types. Moreover, all four satellite precipitation showed high Correct Negatives (CN) values for the north-western part of the country during the North-East monsoon and spring monsoonal transition periods.

Inducing mineral precipitation in groundwater by addition of phosphate

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Hartmann Thomas

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Induced precipitation of phosphate minerals to scavenge trace elements from groundwater is a potential remediation approach for contaminated aquifers. The success of engineered precipitation schemes depends on the particular phases generated, their rates of formation, and their long term stability. The purpose of this study was to examine the precipitation of calcium phosphate minerals under conditions representative of a natural groundwater. Because microorganisms are present in groundwater, and because some proposed schemes for phosphate mineral precipitation rely on stimulation of native microbial populations, we also tested the effect of bacterial cells (initial densities of 105 and 107 mL-1 added to the precipitation medium. In addition, we tested the effect of a trace mixture of propionic, isovaleric, formic and butyric acids (total concentration 0.035 mM. Results The general progression of mineral precipitation was similar under all of the study conditions, with initial formation of amorphous calcium phosphate, and transformation to poorly crystalline hydroxylapatite (HAP within one week. The presence of the bacterial cells appeared to delay precipitation, although by the end of the experiments the overall extent of precipitation was similar for all treatments. The stoichiometry of the final precipitates as well as Rietveld structure refinement using x-ray diffraction data indicated that the presence of organic acids and bacterial cells resulted in an increasing a and decreasing c lattice parameter, with the higher concentration of cells resulting in the greatest distortion. Uptake of Sr into the solids was decreased in the treatments with cells and organic acids, compared to the control. Conclusions Our results suggest that the minerals formed initially during an engineered precipitation application for trace element sequestration may not be the ones that control long-term immobilization of the contaminants. In

Studies on gadolinium precipitation in moderator system of nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joshi, Akhilesh C.; Rajesh, Puspalata; Rufus, A.L.; Velmurugan, S.

2015-01-01

Gadolinium is used in the moderator system of many Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) for start-up, shut-down and reactivity control during operation. It is very much essential to maintain gadolinium concentration in the system as desired. It has been reported that gadolinium gets precipitated in as oxalate in carbonated water under the influence of γ-radiation. Hence, studies were carried out to investigate the effect of dose, presence of other metal ions and metal surfaces on the precipitation of gadolinium. The results showed that the amount of carboxylic acids viz., formic acid and oxalic acid, formed due to radiolysis is dependent on the dose and that the curve passes though a maxima. Gadolinium is added in higher concentration in Advanced Heavy Water Reactor. So, experiments with high concentration of gadolinium were also carried out. Ultra pure water saturated with high purity CO 2 containing gadolinium and desired ion/surface was irradiated with γ-radiation from 60 Co source at 25°C to doses ranging from 2.5-16.6 Mrad. At lower doses, formation of carboxylic acids takes place but as the dose increases, decomposition of these acids starts and hence the concentration Vs dose passes through a maximum. It was found that precipitation of gadolinium as oxalate occurred at lower doses. At higher doses, it was seen that pH of the solution decreases and hence solubility of gadolinium oxalate increases. It was also observed that the amount of gadolinium precipitated varied linearly with the initial concentration of gadolinium varying from 2 ppm to 20 ppm. While for gadolinium concentration from 20 ppm to 400 ppm, gadolinium in particulate form was observed. The amount of carboxylic acids formed depends on the nature of cations present in solution. It was found that the amount of oxalic acid formed in the case of gadolinium was more than that formed in the case of sodium. Presence of metal oxides such as ZrO 2 formed over zircoloy surfaces was found to

Assessment of CORDEX-South Asia experiments for monsoonal precipitation over Himalayan region for future climate

Science.gov (United States)

Choudhary, A.; Dimri, A. P.

2018-04-01

Precipitation is one of the important climatic indicators in the global climate system. Probable changes in monsoonal (June, July, August and September; hereafter JJAS) mean precipitation in the Himalayan region for three different greenhouse gas emission scenarios (i.e. representative concentration pathways or RCPs) and two future time slices (near and far) are estimated from a set of regional climate simulations performed under Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment-South Asia (CORDEX-SA) project. For each of the CORDEX-SA simulations and their ensemble, projections of near future (2020-2049) and far future (2070-2099) precipitation climatology with respect to corresponding present climate (1970-2005) over Himalayan region are presented. The variability existing over each of the future time slices is compared with the present climate variability to determine the future changes in inter annual fluctuations of monsoonal mean precipitation. The long-term (1970-2099) trend (mm/day/year) of monsoonal mean precipitation spatially distributed as well as averaged over Himalayan region is analyzed to detect any change across twenty-first century as well as to assess model uncertainty in simulating the precipitation changes over this period. The altitudinal distribution of difference in trend of future precipitation from present climate existing over each of the time slices is also studied to understand any elevation dependency of change in precipitation pattern. Except for a part of the Hindu-Kush area in western Himalayan region which shows drier condition, the CORDEX-SA experiments project in general wetter/drier conditions in near future for western/eastern Himalayan region, a scenario which gets further intensified in far future. Although, a gradually increasing precipitation trend is seen throughout the twenty-first century in carbon intensive scenarios, the distribution of trend with elevation presents a very complex picture with lower elevations

Bioavailability of zinc to rats from defatted soy flour, acid-precipitated soy concentrate and neutralized soy concentrate as determined by intrinsic and extrinsic labeling techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ketelsen, S.M.; Stuart, M.A.; Weaver, C.M.; Forbes, R.M.; Erdman, J.W. Jr.

1984-01-01

The bioavailability of 65Zn from intrinsically and extrinsically labeled soy flour, acid-precipitated soy concentrate and neutralized soy concentrate was evaluated in rats. Weanling rats were fed marginally zinc-deficient diets, providing 8 ppm zinc from one of these three soy products, for 7 days. The rats then received a radioactively labeled test meal, identical in composition to the previous diet except that the soy product was either intrinsically or extrinsically labeled with 65Zn. After the test meal the rats were again fed diets the same as those consumed prior to the test meal. Whole-body retention of 65Zn at 24 hours and 12 days as well as 65Zn retained in tibias of rats given meals containing neutralized concentrate-based meals was significantly lower than for rats given meals containing the soy flour or acid-precipitated concentrate. In addition, retention of 65Zn from the extrinsically labeled acid-precipitated concentrate-based meal was significantly higher than from the same product intrinsically labeled. These findings confirm the results of previous feeding studies from which it was suggested that neutralization of soy protein concentrates reduces zinc bioavailability to the rat. In addition, the results are taken to suggest that experimental conditions may influence the validity of the extrinsic labeling technique for zinc

Trends of two decadal precipitation chemistry in a subtropical rainforest in East Asia.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Chung-Te; Wang, Chiao-Ping; Huang, Jr-Chuan; Wang, Lih-Jih; Liu, Chiung-Pin; Lin, Teng-Chiu

2017-12-15

Long-term monitoring of precipitation chemistry provides a great opportunity to examine the evolution of air pollutant emissions and effectiveness of air pollution control measures. We evaluated the characteristics and trends of precipitation chemistry at both annual and seasonal scales based on the records of 1994-2013 at Fushan Experimental Forest (FEF) of northeastern Taiwan. The results showed that 77% of the weekly precipitation had pHprecipitation pH and the difference between [SO 4 2 - +NO 3 - ] and [Ca 2+ +NH 4 + ], not just [SO 4 2 - +NO 3 - ], suggesting that precipitation acidity was not solely determined by acidic pollutants but by the balance between acidic pollutants and base cations. We also found temporal decreases of Ca 2+ and NH 4 + concentrations in precipitation which contributed to the low acid neutralization capacity of precipitation. Annual deposition of NO 3 - and SO 4 2- was 23 and 55kgha -1 yr -1 , which is much higher than most forest sites in the industrialized countries suggesting that acid deposition is still a major environmental issue in Taiwan. Annual deposition of NH 4 + , Ca 2+ and NO 3 - showed significant decreasing trends during the 20-year period, which was mostly due to the decreases in the summer deposition associated with air pollution mitigation strategies. Winter deposition showed no decreasing patterns for the same period. The high contribution to annual acid deposition from autumn-winter and spring rains (50%) associated with northeast monsoon implies that long-range transport of anthropogenic emissions from East Asia played a key role on acid depositions at FEF and possibly many areas in the region. Therefore, intergovernmental cooperation is urgently needed to effectively mitigate the threat of acid deposition in East Asia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

New composite materials prepared by calcium phosphate precipitation in chitosan/collagen/hyaluronic acid sponge cross-linked by EDC/NHS.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaczmarek, B; Sionkowska, A; Kozlowska, J; Osyczka, A M

2018-02-01

Nowadays, fabrication of composite materials based on biopolymers is a rising field due to potential for bone repair and tissue engineering application. Blending of different biopolymers and incorporation of inorganic particles in the blend can lead to new materials with improved physicochemical properties and biocompatibility. In this work 3D porous structures called scaffolds based on chitosan, collagen and hyaluronic acid were obtained through the lyophilization process. Scaffolds were cross-linked by EDC/NHS. Infrared spectra for the materials were made, the percentage of swelling, scaffolds porosity and density, mechanical parameters, thermal stability were studied. Moreover, the scaffolds were used as matrixes for the calcium phosphate in situ precipitation. SEM images were taken and EDX analysis was carried out for calcium and phosphorous content determination in the scaffold. In addition, the adhesion and proliferation of human osteosarcoma SaOS-2 cells was examined on obtained scaffolds. The results showed that the properties of 3D composites cross-linked by EDC/NHS were altered after the addition of 1, 2 and 5% hyaluronic acid. Mechanical parameters, thermal stability and porosity of scaffolds were improved. Moreover, calcium and phosphorous were found in each kind of scaffold. SEM images showed that the precipitation was homogeneously carried in the whole volume of samples. Attachment of SaOS-2 cells to all modified materials was better compared to unmodified control and proliferation of these cells was markedly increased on scaffolds with precipitated calcium phosphate. Obtained materials can provide the support useful in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization of Lignin Precipitated From The Soda Black Liquor of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fibers by Various Mineral Acids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.N Mohamad Ibrahim

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Soda lignin from oil palm empty fruit bunch was directly isolated by various mineral acids i.e. sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid and nitric acid at three levels of concentration (20% v/v, 60%v/v and concentrated. A comparison study was performed through physicochemical properties and structural features using FT-IR, UV, 13C-NMR and nitrobenzene oxidation. The FT-IR results showed that there is no significant difference between the main structures of the lignin isolated by various acids. However, low concentration of phosphoric acid is preferable because of its highest yield. The S: V: H ratio of 7-15:6-11:1 as evaluated by the nitrobenzene oxidation procedure suggests that soda lignin can be classified as belonging to either the cereal straw on grass type. The UV results indicate that phosphoric acid consistently gave the highest absorbance value among the four acids tested in this study regardless of its concentration level. The C13-FTNMR spectra, suggest that the lignin structure is independent of the type of acid used for precipitation.

Well acidizing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Street, E H

1980-01-23

The apparatus relates in particular to a well-treating process in which an aqueous acid solution having a pH of < 2 is injected into a subterranean reservoir in a manner such that materials that contain ferric ions are present in the acid and, as the acid reacts within the reservoir and attains a pH exceeding 3, tend to be precipitated as ferric ion-containing solid materials that may plug the pores of the reservoir. Such a precipitation is prevented by dissolving in the acid solution an amount of 5-sulfosalicylic acid which is at least sufficient to sequester significant proportions of ferric ions when the pH of the acid is from 0.5 to 3 but is less than enough to cause a significant salting-out of solid materials, and an amount of citric acid which is at least sufficient to sequester significant proportions of ferric ions when the pH of the acid is from 3 to 6 but is less than enough to precipitate a significant amount of calcium citrate. The amount of the 5-sulfosalicylic acid may be from 0.01 to 0.05 moles/l and the amount of citric acid is from 0.001 to 0.009 moles/l. 11 claims.

Biochemical process for the removal of uranium from acid mine drainages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roig, M.G.; Manzano, T.; Diaz, M.

1997-01-01

A biochemical process has been assessed with a view to removing heavy metals from acid mine drainages in which the metal cation removed is accumulated in situ as insoluble metal phosphate on the surface of Citrobacter N 14 cells (Roig et al., 1995). The localized presence of inorganic phosphate (P i ) is brought about via the hydrolysis of a ''donor'' organic phosphate added to the solution of metals with precipitation as MHPO 4 bound to the cells. The present work explores the potential of immobilized Citrobacter biomass for the recovery of uranium from the acid drainage waters of the ''Faith'' mine exploited by ENUSA (Ciudad Rodrigo, Salamanca). A physicochemical characterization of the acid waste-water from ENUSA was carried out and flow injection analysis methods for the determination of uranium and P i in such water were developed and improved. The efficiencies of chemical precipitation (by the addition of P i to the acid water) with regard to bioinsolubilization (supplementing the water with an organic phosphate that is (later) hydrolysed to P i ) were investigated and compared. Additionally, the efficiency of chemical and biochemical precipitation as phosphates of uranium present in ENUSA acid drainage water were assessed. Furthermore, the relative importance of chemical precipitation (by the addition of P i to the acid water) with regard to bioinsolubilization (supplementing the water with an organic phosphate that is (later) hydrolysed to P i plus alcohol) was established. To do so, a series of mass balances for chemical precipitation and for bioinsolubilization of the metal phosphate was performed. Once the efficiency of the bioprocess as regards the removal of uranium when glycerol-2-phosphate is used as a substrate had been determined, a major question was forthcoming: the search for an efficient and much more economical substrate for the process. In this sense, sodium tripolyphosphate, one of the main components of many formulations of commercial

Global observed long-term changes in temperature and precipitation extremes: A review of progress and limitations in IPCC assessments and beyond

OpenAIRE

Lisa V. Alexander

2016-01-01

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) first attempted a global assessment of long-term changes in temperature and precipitation extremes in its Third Assessment Report in 2001. While data quality and coverage were limited, the report still concluded that heavy precipitation events had increased and that there had been, very likely, a reduction in the frequency of extreme low temperatures and increases in the frequency of extreme high temperatures. That overall assessment had ch...

Synthesis of WO{sub 3} nanoparticles by citric acid-assisted precipitation and evaluation of their photocatalytic properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sánchez-Martínez, D. [Departamento de Ecomateriales y Energía, Facultad de Ingeniería Civil (UANL), Ciudad Universitaria, C.P. 66451, San Nicolás de los Garza, N.L. (Mexico); Martínez-de la Cruz, A., E-mail: azael70@yahoo.com.mx [Facultad de Ingeniería Mecánica y Eléctrica, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Ciudad Universitaria, C.P. 66451, San Nicolás de los Garza, N.L. (Mexico); López-Cuéllar, E. [Facultad de Ingeniería Mecánica y Eléctrica, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Ciudad Universitaria, C.P. 66451, San Nicolás de los Garza, N.L. (Mexico)

2013-02-15

Graphical abstract: Display Omitted Highlights: ► WO{sub 3} nanoparticles were synthesized by a simple citric acid-assisted precipitation. ► WO{sub 3} photocatalyst was able to the partial mineralization of rhB, IC and MO. ► WO{sub 3} can be considered as a photocatalyst active under visible light irradiation. -- Abstract: WO{sub 3} nanoparticles were synthesized by citric acid-assisted precipitation method using a 1:1.5 molar ratio of ammonium paratungstate hydrate (H{sub 42}N{sub 10}O{sub 42}W{sub 12}·xH{sub 2}O):citric acid (C{sub 6}H{sub 8}O{sub 7}). The formation of monoclinic crystal structure of WO{sub 3} at different temperatures was confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). The characterization of the samples synthesized was complemented by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer–Emmitt–Teller surface area (BET) and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). According to the thermal treatment followed during the synthesis of WO{sub 3}, the morphology of the nanoparticles formed was characterized by rectangular and ovoid shapes. The photocatalytic activity of WO{sub 3} obtained under different experimental conditions was evaluated in the degradation of rhodamine B (rhB), indigo carmine (IC), methyl orange (MO), and Congo red (CR) in aqueous solution under UV and UV–vis radiation. The highest photocatalytic activity was observed in the sample obtained by thermal treatment at 700 °C. In general, the sequence of degradation of the organic dyes was: indigo carmine (IC) > rhodamine B (rhB) > methyl orange (MO) > Congo red (CR). The mineralization degree of organic dyes by WO{sub 3} photocatalysts was determined by total organic carbon analysis (TOC) reaching percentages of mineralization of 82% (rhB), 85% (IC), 28% (MO), and 7% (CR) for 96 h of lamp irradiation.

[Characteristics of precipitation pH and conductivity at Mt. Huang].

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Chun-e; Deng, Xue-liang; Wu, Bi-wen; Hong, Jie; Zhang, Su; Yang, Yuan-jian

2013-05-01

To understand the general characteristics of pH distribution and pollution in precipitation at Mt. Huang, statistical analyses were conducted for the routine measurements of pH and conductivity (K) at Mt. Huang during 2006-2011. The results showed that: (1) Over the period of study, the annual volume weighted mean (VWM) precipitation pH varied from 4.81 to 5.57, with precipitation acidity strengthening before 2009 and weakening thereafter. The precipitation acidity showed evident seasonal variations, with the VWM pH lowest in winter (4.78), and highest in summer (5.33). The occurrence frequency of acid rain was 46% , accounting for 45% of total rainfalls and with the most frequent pH falling into weak acid to neutral rain. (2) The annual VWM K varied from 16.91 to 27.84 microS x cm(-1), with no evident trend. As for ions pollution, the precipitation was relatively clean at Mt. Huang, with the most frequent K range being below 15 microS x cm(-1), followed by 15-25 microS x cm(-1). From February 2010 to December 2011, precipitation samples were collected on daily basis for ions analysis, as well as pH and K measurement in lab. Detailed comparisons were conducted between the two sets of pH and K, one set from field measurement and the other from lab measurement. The results indicated: (1) The lab measured pH (K) was highly correlated with the field pH (K); however, the lab pH tended to move towards neutral comparing with the corresponding field pH, and the shift range was closely correlated with the field pH and rainfall. The shift range of K from field to lab was highly correlated with the total ion concentration of precipitation. The field K showed evident negative correlation with the field pH with a correlation coefficient of -0.51. (2) When sampling with nylon-polyethylene bags, the statistics showed smaller bias between two sets of pH, with higher correlation coefficient between two sets of K. Furthermore, the lab K also showed evident negative correlation with

Three-decade changes in chemical composition of precipitation in Guangzhou city, southern China: has precipitation recovered from acidification following sulphur dioxide emission control?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yunting Fang

2013-09-01

Full Text Available We examined if precipitation had recovered from acidification in Guangzhou, the third biggest city in China, and if sulphur deposition in precipitation had decreased, and to what extent if yes, following abatement strategies in sulphur dioxide (SO2 emission and energy use implemented since 2001. SO2 emissions were decreasing steadily since 2001, but a marked recovery of precipitation acidity occurred only since 2005; precipitation pH values decreased from 4.65 in 2001 to 4.34 in 2005 and then increased to 5.08 in 2010, while in the same period acid rain (pH<5.6 frequency increased from 70% to 81% and then decreased to 48%. During this period, the change in pH value and sulphate concentration more reflected the patterns of SO2 emission at provincial and national scales than at the local scale, suggesting that precipitation chemical composition was largely controlled by the emissions of pollutants from surrounding areas of the study city. Since 2001, sulphate deposition in precipitation decreased significantly (by 40% but nitrogen deposition remained unaltered. More importantly, the current sulphur (43 kg S ha−1 yr−1 as sulphate and nitrogen depositions (35 kg N ha−1 yr−1 as ammonium plus nitrate in 2010 were still among the highest in China. These results highlight the fact that ambient sulphur and nitrogen deposition still pose a threat to the health of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Precipitation may become more acidified in the future because the deposition of alkaline dusts containing calcium is also likely to decrease with stricter SO2 emission control policy and reduced construction activities. Additionally, we recommend that a reduction of emissions of nitrogen and chlorine bearing pollutants is urgently required for complete control on acid deposition.

Evaluating IPCC AR4 cool-season precipitation simulations and projections for impacts assessment over North America

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McAfee, Stephanie A. [The University of Arizona, Department of Geosciences, Tucson, AZ (United States); The Wilderness Society, Anchorage, AK (United States); Russell, Joellen L.; Goodman, Paul J. [The University of Arizona, Department of Geosciences, Tucson, AZ (United States)

2011-12-15

General circulation models (GCMs) have demonstrated success in simulating global climate, and they are critical tools for producing regional climate projections consistent with global changes in radiative forcing. GCM output is currently being used in a variety of ways for regional impacts projection. However, more work is required to assess model bias and evaluate whether assumptions about the independence of model projections and error are valid. This is particularly important where models do not display offsetting errors. Comparing simulated 300-hPa zonal winds and precipitation for the late 20th century with reanalysis and gridded precipitation data shows statistically significant and physically plausible associations between positive precipitation biases across all models and a marked increase in zonal wind speed around 30 N, as well as distortions in rain shadow patterns. Over the western United States, GCMs project drier conditions to the south and increasing precipitation to the north. There is a high degree of agreement between models, and many studies have made strong statements about implications for water resources and about ecosystem change on that basis. However, since one of the mechanisms driving changes in winter precipitation patterns appears to be associated with a source of error in simulating mean precipitation in the present, it suggests that greater caution should be used in interpreting impacts related to precipitation projections in this region and that standard assumptions underlying bias correction methods should be scrutinized. (orig.)

Pretreating dogwood seedlings with simulated acidic precipitation increases dogwood anthracnose symptoms in greenhouse-laboratory trials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anderson, R.L.; Knighten, J. (USDA Forest Service, Resistance Screening Center, Asheville, NC (United States)); Berrange, P.; Lawton, K.A. (USDA Forest Service, Center for Forest Environmental Studies, Dry Branch, GA (United States)); Britton, K.O. (USDA Forest Service, Southeastern Forest Experiment Station, Athens, GA (United States))

1993-01-01

Dogwood anthracnose is the most damaging disease of flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.) in a large part of the tree's natural range. It is caused by Discula destructiva infection. Previous attempts to inoculate C. florida to produce anthracnose symptoms have met with limited success except when the leaves were pretreated with acidic water, suggesting that acidic precipitation may predispose dogwoods to the disease. This hypothesis was tested in two greenhouse-laboratory studies in which year-old C. florida seedlings were randomly assigned to four treatments of simulated rain (pH 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, and 5.5) in 1989 and 1990. After 10 applications over a 42-d period, the seedlings were moved to a temperature-controlled laboratory, placed in plastic bags, humidified, and sprayed with a spore suspension of five D. destructiva isolates. About 30 d layter, the seedlings were examined for the percentage of leaves exhibiting anthracnose symptoms and disease severity on affected leaves. Both trials showed that as the acidity of the simulated rain increased, the incidence and severity of anthracnose leaf symptoms increased. The 1989 study included a soil lime treatment that showed the same trend but the overall occurrence and severity of symptoms was higher. 17 refs., 5 tabs.

Human plasma-derived immunoglobulin G fractionated by an aqueous two-phase system, caprylic acid precipitation, and membrane chromatography has a high purity level and is free of detectable in vitro thrombogenic activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Vargas, M; Segura, Á; Wu, Y-W; Herrera, M; Chou, M-L; Villalta, M; León, G; Burnouf, T

2015-02-01

Instituto Clodomiro Picado has developed an immunoglobulin G (IgG) plasma fractionation process combining a polyethylene glycol/phosphate aqueous two-phase system (ATPS), caprylic acid precipitation and anion-exchange membrane chromatography. We evaluated the purity and in vitro thrombogenicity of such IgG, in line with current international requirements. Contributions of the different production steps to reduce thrombogenicity were assessed at 0·2 l-scale, and then the methodology was scaled-up to a 10 l-scale and final products (n = 3) were analysed. Purity, immunoglobulin composition, and subclass distribution were determined by electrophoretic and immunochemical methods. The in vitro thrombogenic potential was determined by a thrombin generation assay (TGA) using a Technothrombin fluorogenic substrate. Prekallikrein activator (PKA), plasmin, factor Xa, thrombin and thrombin-like activities were assessed using S-2302, S-2251, S-2222, S-2238 and S-2288 chromogenic substrates, respectively, and FXI by an ELISA. The thrombogenicity markers were reduced mostly during the ATPS step and were found to segregate mostly into the discarded liquid upper phase. The caprylic acid precipitation eliminated the residual procoagulant activity. The IgG preparations made from the 10 l-batches contained 100% gamma proteins, low residual IgA and undetectable IgM. The IgG subclass distribution was not substantially affected by the process. TGA and amidolytic activities revealed an undetectable in vitro thrombogenic risk and the absence of proteolytic enzymes in the final product. Fractionating human plasma by an ATPS combined with caprylic acid and membrane chromatography resulted in an IgG preparation of high purity and free of a detectable in vitro thrombogenic risk. © 2014 International Society of Blood Transfusion.

A perspective of stepwise utilisation of Bayer red mud: Step two--Extracting and recovering Ti from Ti-enriched tailing with acid leaching and precipitate flotation.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yanfang; Chai, Wencui; Han, Guihong; Wang, Wenjuan; Yang, Shuzhen; Liu, Jiongtian

2016-04-15

The extraction and recovery of Ti from Ti-enriched tailing with acid leaching and precipitate flotation, as one of the critical steps, was proposed for the stepwise utilization of red mud. The factors influencing acid leaching and precipitate flotation were examined by factorial design. The leaching thermodynamics, kinetics of Ti(4+), Al(3+) and Fe(3+), and the mechanism of selectively Fe(3+) removal using [Hbet][Tf2N] as precipitating reagent were discussed. The extracting of Ti(4+), Al(3+) and Fe(3+) in concentrated H2SO4 is controlled by diffusion reactions, depending mainly upon leaching time and temperature. The maximum extracting efficiency of Ti(4+) is approximately 92.3%, whereas Al(3+) and Fe(3+) leaching are respectively 75.8% and 84.2%. [Hbet][Tf2N], as a precipitating reagent, operates through a coordination mechanism in flotation. The pH value is the key factor influencing the flotation recovery of Ti(4+), whereas the dosage of precipitating reagent is that for Al(3+) recovery. The maximum flotation recovery of Ti(4+) is 92.7%, whereas the maximum Al(3+) recovery is 93.5%. The total recovery rate for extracting and recovering titanium is 85.5%. The liquor with Ti(4+) of 15.5g/L, Al(3+) of 30.4g/L and Fe(3+) of 0.48g/L was obtained for the following hydrolysis step in the integrated process for red mud utilisation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Uranium peroxide precipitate drying temperature relationships

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rodgers, C.; Dyck, B., E-mail: chick_rodgers@cameco.com [Cameco Corp., Saskatoon, SK (Canada)

2010-07-01

Cameco Corporation is in the process of revitalizing the mill at its Key Lake operation in northern Saskatchewan. The current Key Lake process employs ammonia stripping and ammonia precipitation. As part of the revitalization, the company is considering installing strong acid stripping in solvent extraction as used at its Rabbit Lake operation. This change would lead to using hydrogen peroxide for uranium precipitation. As part of the process evaluation, tests were carried out to study how changes in the temperature of an indirect fired dryer affected the properties of uranium peroxide [yellowcake] precipitate. This paper discusses the results of the test work, including the relationships between drying temperature and the following: (author)

Precipitation of plutonium (III) oxalate and calcination to plutonium oxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Esteban, A.; Orosco, E.H.; Cassaniti, P.; Greco, L.; Adelfang, P.

1989-01-01

The plutonium based fuel fabrication requires the conversion of the plutonium nitrate solution from nuclear fuel reprocessing into pure PuO2. The conversion method based on the precipitation of plutonium (III) oxalate and subsequent calcination has been studied in detail. In this procedure, plutonium (III) oxalate is precipitated, at room temperature, by the slow addition of 1M oxalic acid to the feed solution, containing from 5-100 g/l of plutonium in 1M nitric acid. Before precipitation, the plutonium is adjusted to trivalent state by addition of 1M ascorbic acid in the presence of an oxidation inhibitor such as hydrazine. Finally, the precipitate is calcinated at 700 deg C to obtain PuO2. A flowsheet is proposed in this paper including: a) A study about the conditions to adjust the plutonium valence. b) Solubility data of plutonium (III) oxalate and measurements of plutonium losses to the filtrate and wash solution. c) Characterization of the obtained products. Plutonium (III) oxalate has several potential advantages over similar conversion processes. These include: 1) Formation of small particle sizes powder with good pellets fabrication characteristics. 2) The process is rather insensitive to most process variables, except nitric acid concentration. 3) Ambient temperature operations. 4) The losses of plutonium to the filtrate are less than in other conversion processes. (Author) [es

Comparative study on precipitation methods of yellow-cake from acid leachate of rock phosphate and Its purification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abow Slama, E. H. Y.

2009-05-01

This study was carried-out to leach uranium from rock phosphate using sulphuric acid in presences of potassium chlorate as an oxidant and to investigate the relative purity of different forms of yellow cakes produced with ammonia ((NH 4 ) 2 U 2 O 7 ), magnesia (UO 3 .xH 2 O) and sodium hydroxide (Na 2 U 2 O 7 ) as precipitants, as well as purification of the products with TBP extraction and matching its impurity levels with specification of the commercial products. Alpha-particle spectrometry was for used for determination of activity concentration of uranium isotopes (''2''3''4U and ''2''3''8U) in rock phosphate, resulting green phosphoric acid solution, and in different forms of the yellow cake from which the equivalent mass concentration of uranium was deduced. Likewise, AAS was used for determination of impurities (Pb, Ni, Cd, Fe, Zn, Mn, and Cu). On the average, the activity concentration of uranium in the rock phosphate was 1468±979 Bq/Kg (119.38±79.66 ppm), and 711±252 Bq/L (57.85±20.46 ppm) in the resulting green solution with corresponding percent of dissolution amounting to 48% which is considered low indicating that the experimental conditions (i.e. dissolution container, temperature, PH, retention time) were not optimal. However, the isotopic ratio (''2''3''4U, ''2''3''8U) in all stages of hydrometallurgical process was not much different from unity indicating lack of fractionation. Crude yellow cakes (hydrate uranium trioxide, ammonium diuranate and sodium diuranate) were precipitated from the green solutions prior to separation of iron and once after iron separation. Although, iron was tested using bipyridine and SCN, it was found in all types of crude samples analyzed this might be attributed to either the quality of the reagent used or inhibition of Fe present in the solution by stronger complexing agent. Uranium mass concentration in crude yellow cakes precipitated before iron separation was found following the order: UO 3 .xH 2 O

An assessment of differences in gridded precipitation datasets in complex terrain

Science.gov (United States)

Henn, Brian; Newman, Andrew J.; Livneh, Ben; Daly, Christopher; Lundquist, Jessica D.

2018-01-01

Hydrologic modeling and other geophysical applications are sensitive to precipitation forcing data quality, and there are known challenges in spatially distributing gauge-based precipitation over complex terrain. We conduct a comparison of six high-resolution, daily and monthly gridded precipitation datasets over the Western United States. We compare the long-term average spatial patterns, and interannual variability of water-year total precipitation, as well as multi-year trends in precipitation across the datasets. We find that the greatest absolute differences among datasets occur in high-elevation areas and in the maritime mountain ranges of the Western United States, while the greatest percent differences among datasets relative to annual total precipitation occur in arid and rain-shadowed areas. Differences between datasets in some high-elevation areas exceed 200 mm yr-1 on average, and relative differences range from 5 to 60% across the Western United States. In areas of high topographic relief, true uncertainties and biases are likely higher than the differences among the datasets; we present evidence of this based on streamflow observations. Precipitation trends in the datasets differ in magnitude and sign at smaller scales, and are sensitive to how temporal inhomogeneities in the underlying precipitation gauge data are handled.

The precipitation and effect of nano nitrides in HSLC steel

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2008-01-01

The existing forms of N and Al in HSLC (high strength low carbon) steel produced by TSCR (thin slab casting and rolling process), the precipitation thermodynamics and kinetics of AlN, and its effects on structure and mechanical property are studied. The experimental results show that only a small quantity of nitrogen is com- bined into AlN in HSLC steel produced by TSCR and most of the nitrogen in steel is still free nitrogen. Aluminum-nitride is mainly precipitated during the period of slow air cooling after coiling, but not during rolling and water cooling. The acid-soluble aluminum has no obvious effect on the grain size and mechanical property of HSLC steel produced by TSCR whose acid-soluble aluminum content is 0.005%―0.043%. The precipitation of AlN is not the main cause of grain refinement of HSLC steel produced by TSCR, nor is AlN the dominating precipitate that has precipitation strengthening effect. The nano nitrides are not pure AlN, but have complex compositions.

Assessment of WRF microphysics schemes to simulate extreme precipitation events from the perspective of GMI radiative signatures

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Y.; Shin, D. B.; Joh, M.

2015-12-01

Numerical simulations of precipitation depend to a large degree on the assumed cloud microphysics schemes representing the formation, growth and fallout of cloud droplets and ice crystals. Recent studies show that assumed cloud microphysics play a major role not only in forecasting precipitation, especially in cases of extreme precipitation events, but also in the quality of the passive microwave rainfall estimation. Evaluations of the various Weather Research Forecasting (WRF) model microphysics schemes in this study are based on a method that was originally developed to construct the a-priori databases of precipitation profiles and associated brightness temperatures (TBs) for precipitation retrievals. This methodology generates three-dimensional (3D) precipitation fields by matching the GPM dual frequency radar (DPR) reflectivity profiles with those calculated from cloud resolving model (CRM)-derived hydrometeor profiles. The method eventually provides 3D simulated precipitation fields over the DPR scan swaths. That is, atmospheric and hydrometeor profiles can be generated at each DPR pixel based on CRM and DPR reflectivity profiles. The generated raining systems over DPR observation fields can be applied to any radiometers that are unaccompanied with a radar for microwave radiative calculation with consideration of each sensor's channel and field of view. Assessment of the WRF model microphysics schemes for several typhoon cases in terms of emission and scattering signals of GMI will be discussed.

A simple procedure for preparing chitin oligomers through acetone precipitation after hydrolysis in concentrated hydrochloric acid.

Science.gov (United States)

Kazami, Nao; Sakaguchi, Masayoshi; Mizutani, Daisuke; Masuda, Tatsuhiko; Wakita, Satoshi; Oyama, Fumitaka; Kawakita, Masao; Sugahara, Yasusato

2015-11-05

Chitin oligomers are of interest because of their numerous biologically relevant properties. To prepare chitin oligomers containing 4-6 GlcNAc units [(GlcNAc)4-6], α- and β-chitin were hydrolyzed with concentrated hydrochloric acid at 40 °C. The reactant was mixed with acetone to recover the acetone-insoluble material, and (GlcNAc)4-6 was efficiently recovered after subsequent water extraction. Composition analysis using gel permeation chromatography and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry indicated that (GlcNAc)4-6 could be isolated from the acetone-insoluble material with recoveries of approximately 17% and 21% from the starting α-chitin and β-chitin, respectively. The acetone precipitation method is highly useful for recovering chitin oligomers from the acid hydrolysate of chitin. The changes in the molecular size and higher-order structure of chitin during the course of hydrolysis were also analyzed, and a model that explains the process of oligomer accumulation is proposed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Physical method to assess a probable maximum precipitation, using CRCM datas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beauchamp, J.

2009-01-01

'Full text:' For Nordic hydropower facilities, spillways are designed with a peak discharge based on extreme conditions. This peak discharge is generally derived using the concept of a probable maximum flood (PMF), which results from the combined effect of abundant downpours (probable maximum precipitation - PMP) and rapid snowmelt. On a gauged basin, the weather data record allows for the computation of the PMF. However, uncertainty in the future climate raises questions as to the accuracy of current PMP estimates for existing and future hydropower facilities. This project looks at the potential use of the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM) data to compute the PMF in ungauged basins and to assess potential changes to the PMF in a changing climate. Several steps will be needed to accomplish this task. This paper presents the first step that aims at applying/adapting to CRCM data the in situ moisture maximization technique developed by the World Meteorological Organization, in order to compute the PMP at the watershed scale. The CRCM provides output data on a 45km grid at a six hour time step. All of the needed atmospheric data is available at sixteen different pressure levels. The methodology consists in first identifying extreme precipitation events under current climate conditions. Then, a maximum persisting twelve hours dew point is determined at each grid point and pressure level for the storm duration. Afterwards, the maximization ratio is approximated by merging the effective temperature with dew point and relative humidity values. The variables and maximization ratio are four-dimensional (x, y, z, t) values. Consequently, two different approaches are explored: a partial ratio at each step and a global ratio for the storm duration. For every identified extreme precipitation event, a maximized hyetograph is computed from the application of this ratio, either partial or global, on CRCM precipitation rates. Ultimately, the PMP is the depth of the

Physical method to assess a probable maximum precipitation, using CRCM datas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beauchamp, J. [Univ. de Quebec, Ecole de technologie superior, Quebec (Canada)

2009-07-01

'Full text:' For Nordic hydropower facilities, spillways are designed with a peak discharge based on extreme conditions. This peak discharge is generally derived using the concept of a probable maximum flood (PMF), which results from the combined effect of abundant downpours (probable maximum precipitation - PMP) and rapid snowmelt. On a gauged basin, the weather data record allows for the computation of the PMF. However, uncertainty in the future climate raises questions as to the accuracy of current PMP estimates for existing and future hydropower facilities. This project looks at the potential use of the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM) data to compute the PMF in ungauged basins and to assess potential changes to the PMF in a changing climate. Several steps will be needed to accomplish this task. This paper presents the first step that aims at applying/adapting to CRCM data the in situ moisture maximization technique developed by the World Meteorological Organization, in order to compute the PMP at the watershed scale. The CRCM provides output data on a 45km grid at a six hour time step. All of the needed atmospheric data is available at sixteen different pressure levels. The methodology consists in first identifying extreme precipitation events under current climate conditions. Then, a maximum persisting twelve hours dew point is determined at each grid point and pressure level for the storm duration. Afterwards, the maximization ratio is approximated by merging the effective temperature with dew point and relative humidity values. The variables and maximization ratio are four-dimensional (x, y, z, t) values. Consequently, two different approaches are explored: a partial ratio at each step and a global ratio for the storm duration. For every identified extreme precipitation event, a maximized hyetograph is computed from the application of this ratio, either partial or global, on CRCM precipitation rates. Ultimately, the PMP is the depth of the

Optimization of the conditions for the precipitation of thorium oxalate. II. Minimization of the product losses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pazukhin, E.M.; Smirnova, E.A.; Krivokhatskii, A.S.; Pazukhina, Yu.L.; Kiselev, P.P.

1987-01-01

The precipitation of thorium as a poorly soluble oxalate was investigated. An equation relating the concentrations of the metal and nitric acid in the initial solution and the amount of precipitant required to minimize the product losses was derived. A graphical solution of the equation is presented for the case where the precipitant is oxalic acid at a concentration of 0.78 M

Seasonal variations of ochreous precipitates in mine effluents in Finland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumpulainen, Sirpa; Carlson, Liisa; Raeisaenen, Marja-Liisa

2007-01-01

Ochreous precipitate and water samples were collected from the surroundings of seven closed sulphide mines in Finland. In the Hammaslahti Zn-Cu-Au mine, Otravaara pyrite mine and Paroistenjaervi Cu-W-As mine, the collection was repeated in different seasons to study mineralogical and geochemical variations of precipitates. The sampling was done in 1999-2002 from the ditches and drainage ponds of the tailings and waste rock piles that are susceptible to seasonal changes. Mineralogy of the precipitates was evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and infrared spectroscopy (IR), and precipitate geochemistry was examined by selective extractions. Schwertmannite (Fe 8 O 8 (OH) 6 SO 4 ) was the most typical Fe hydroxide mineral found. Goethite was almost as common as schwertmannite, was often poorly ordered, and contained up to 10 wt.% of SO 4 . Goethite and schwertmannite were commonly found as mixtures, and they occurred in similar pH and SO 4 concentrations. Ferrihydrite (nominally Fe 5 HO 8 . 4H 2 O) was typically found in areas not influenced by acid mine drainage, and also in acid mine waters with high organic matter or As content. Jarosite (KFe 3 (SO 4 ) 2 (OH) 6 ) was found only in one site. In addition, some gypsum (CaSO 4 . 2H 2 O) and aluminous sulphate precipitates (presumably basaluminite, Al 4 (SO 4 )(OH) 10 . 5H 2 O) were identified. Selective extractions showed that acid extracts Fe tot /S tot -ratios of schwertmannite and goethite samples were similar, but the ratio of oxalate-extractable to total Fe, Fe ox /Fe tot , of goethite samples were lower than those of the schwertmannite samples. Only Al, Si and As were bound to precipitates in substantial amounts, up to several wt.%. In schwertmannites and goethites, Al, Cu, Co, Mn and Zn were mostly structural, substituting for Fe in an Fe oxyhydroxide structure or bound to surface adsorption sites in pores limited by diffusion. In ferrihydrites, heavy metals were also partly bound in adsorbed form dissolving in

Study on the Key Technology of High Purity Strontium Titanate Powder Synthesized from Oxalic Acid Co-sediment Precipitation

Science.gov (United States)

Bi, Xiaoguo; Dong, Yingnan; Li, Yingjie; Niu, Wei; Tang, Jian; Ding, Shuang; Li, Meiyang

2017-09-01

Oxalate coprecipitation is applied in this paper, high purity titanium tetrachloride, and after the purification of strontium chloride, match with a certain concentration of solution, oxalate and strontium chloride and titanium tetrachloride in 1.005:1.000 make strontium titanium mixture ratio, slowly under 60°C to join in oxalic acid solution, aging around 4 h, get oxygen titanium strontium oxalate (SrTiO(C2O4)2 • 4H2 ) precipitation, after washing, drying and other process made oxygen titanium strontium oxalate powder.

An assessment of historical Antarctic precipitation and temperature trend using CMIP5 models and reanalysis datasets

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Malcolm S. Y.; Chenoli, Sheeba Nettukandy; Samah, Azizan Abu; Hai, Ooi See

2018-03-01

The study of Antarctic precipitation has attracted a lot of attention recently. The reliability of climate models in simulating Antarctic precipitation, however, is still debatable. This work assess the precipitation and surface air temperature (SAT) of Antarctica (90 oS to 60 oS) using 49 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) global climate models and the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts "Interim" reanalysis (ERA-Interim); the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR); the Japan Meteorological Agency 55-year Reanalysis (JRA-55); and the Modern Era Retrospective-analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) datasets for 1979-2005 (27 years). For precipitation, the time series show that the MERRA and JRA-55 have significantly increased from 1979 to 2005, while the ERA-Int and CFSR have insignificant changes. The reanalyses also have low correlation with one another (generally less than +0.69). 37 CMIP5 models show increasing trend, 18 of which are significant. The resulting CMIP5 MMM also has a significant increasing trend of 0.29 ± 0.06 mm year-1. For SAT, the reanalyses show insignificant changes and have high correlation with one another, while the CMIP5 MMM shows a significant increasing trend. Nonetheless, the variability of precipitation and SAT of MMM could affect the significance of its trend. One of the many reasons for the large differences of precipitation is the CMIP5 models' resolution.

Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea Are More Resistant Than Denitrifiers to Seasonal Precipitation Changes in an Acidic Subtropical Forest Soil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jie Chen

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Seasonal precipitation changes are increasingly severe in subtropical areas. However, the responses of soil nitrogen (N cycle and its associated functional microorganisms to such precipitation changes remain unclear. In this study, two projected precipitation patterns were manipulated: intensifying the dry-season drought (DD and extending the dry-season duration (ED but increasing the wet-season storms following the DD and ED treatment period. The effects of these two contrasting precipitation patterns on soil net N transformation rates and functional gene abundances were quantitatively assessed through a resistance index. Results showed that the resistance index of functional microbial abundance (-0.03 ± 0.08 was much lower than that of the net N transformation rate (0.55 ± 0.02 throughout the experiment, indicating that microbial abundance was more responsive to precipitation changes compared with the N transformation rate. Spring drought under the ED treatment significantly increased the abundances of both nitrifying (amoA and denitrifying genes (nirK, nirS, and nosZ, while changes in these gene abundances overlapped largely with control treatment during droughts in the dry season. Interestingly, the resistance index of the ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA amoA abundance was significantly higher than that of the denitrifying gene abundances, suggesting that AOA were more resistant to the precipitation changes. This was attributed to the stronger environmental adaptability and higher resource utilization efficiency of the AOA community, as indicated by the lack of correlations between AOA gene abundance and environmental factors [i.e., soil water content, ammonium (NH4+ and dissolved organic carbon concentrations] during the experiment.

Uric acid nephrolithiasis: An update.

Science.gov (United States)

Cicerello, Elisa

2018-04-01

Uric acid nephrolithiasis appears to increase in prevalence. While a relationship between uric acid stones and low urinary pH has been for long known, additional association with various metabolic conditions and pathophysiological basis has recently been elucidated. Some conditions such as diabetes and metabolic syndrome disease, excessive dietary intake, and increased endogenous uric acid production and/or defect in ammoniagenesis are associated with low urinary pH. In addition, the phenomenon of global warming could result in an increase in areas with greater climate risk for uric acid stone formation. There are three therapeutic steps to be taken for management of uric acid stones: identification of urinary pH profiles, assessment of urinary volume status, and identification of disorders leading to excessive uric acid production. However, the most important factor for uric acid stone formation is acid urinary pH, which is a prerequisite for uric acid precipitation. This article reviews recent insights into the pathophysiology of uric acid stones and their management.

Assessment of 7Be content in precipitation in a South American semi-arid environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Juri Ayub, J.; Lohaiza, F.; Velasco, H.; Rizzotto, M.; Di Gregorio, D.; Huck, H.

2012-01-01

There are two naturally occurring radiogenic isotopes of beryllium, 7 Be and 10 Be. These are produced when cosmic radiation interacts with oxygen and nitrogen in the atmosphere. After production, these radionuclides are input to ecosystems through wet and dry deposition. In recent years 7 Be and 10 Be have proved to be powerful tools for studying dynamic processes that occur on the surface of the earth. We measured the 7 Be content in precipitation at a semiarid location in central Argentina. From November 2006 to March 2009, 68 precipitation events were collected. Measured 7 Be content ranged from 0.7 ± 0.4 Bq L −1 to 3.2 ± 0.7 Bq L −1 , with a mean of 1.7 Bq L −1 ± 0.6 Bq L −1 . Beryllium-7 content of rainfall did not show clear relationships with amount of rainfall (mm), mean intensity (mm h −1 ) or duration (h −1 ), or elapsed time between events (day). The general results indicate that for the typical range of precipitation there was no atmospheric washout and that the reload of the atmosphere is not a relevant factor, but when the amount of precipitation is very high washout may occur. On the other hand, when the 7 Be content was measured during single rain events, a high content of this radionuclide was found to be associated with very low rainfall intensity (≈ 3 mm h −1 ), this suggests that rain intensity could affect the 7 Be content. Using all data, a good linear relationship between 7 Be deposition and rain magnitude was obtained (r 2 = 0.82, p 7 Be or by estimating the input of 10 Be in the environment with the aim to evaluate land degradation phenomena. -- Highlights: ► 7 Be in precipitation was measured at a semiarid location in central Argentina. ► No atmospheric washout was observed except for one high precipitation event. ► Wet deposition of 7 Be was linearly correlated with precipitation. ► This relationship may be applied as a tool for assessing environmental processes. ► The latter includes natural processes as

Study of fallout by precipitation around an oil-fired power plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Granat, L; Rodhe, H

1973-01-01

An investigation into the distribution of deposition by precipitation around an oil-fired power plant on the west coast of Sweden is presented. The measurements cover seven precipitation events during late fall. The samples have been analyzed for sulfur, pH, alkalinity, and sodium. In most precipitation events an additional deposition (above the regional background level) of sulfur and acid has been identified on the leeward side of the source. Compared with the background values, the observed increase was generally less than about 100 percent. As a long-term average the additional deposition of acid by precipitation, due to the power plant, is estimated to be not larger than 10-15 percent within 15 km of the plant. A comparison with emitted quantities shows that 1-6 percent of the sulfur emittted during the precipitation has been deposited within the first 15 km, corresponding to a travel time of 20-60 min. If the comparison is made using the total emission, including the dry periods, this fraction is only a few per mille.

Effect of Aqueous Media on the Recovery of Scandium by Selective Precipitation

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Bengi Yagmurlu

2018-05-01

Full Text Available This research presents a novel precipitation method for scandium (Sc concentrate refining from bauxite residue leachates and the effect of aqueous media on this triple-stage successive precipitation process. The precipitation pattern and the precipitation behavior of the constituent elements was investigated using different precipitation agents in three major mineral acid media, namely, H2SO4, HNO3, and HCl in a comparative manner. Experimental investigations showed behavioral similarities between HNO3 and HCl media, while H2SO4 media was different from them because of the nature of the formed complexes. NH4OH was found to be the best precipitation agent in every leaching media to remove Fe(III with low Sc co-precipitation. To limit Sc loss from the system, Fe(III removal was divided into two steps, leading to more than 90% of Fe(III removal at the end of the process. Phosphate concentrates were produced in the final step of the precipitation process with dibasic phosphates which have a strong affinity towards Sc. Concentrates containing more than 50% of ScPO4 were produced in each case from the solutions after Fe(III removal, as described. A flow diagram of the selective precipitation process is proposed for these three mineral acid media with their characteristic parameters.

Microbially Induced Precipitation of Gold(0) Nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Roh, Yu; Kang, Serku; Park, Bitna; Kim, Yumi

2015-01-01

The objectives of this study were to synthesize gold nanoparticles by biomineralization using metal-reducing bacteria and to characterize their mineralogical properties. The metal-reducing bacteria were able to reduce Au(III) to Au(0) with organic fatty acids as electron donors, as indicated by the color change of the culture solution from colorless gold ions to black precipitates at 25 degrees C. XRD, SEM- and TEM-EDS analyses of the precipitates showed that Au(0) was precipitated and formed at either the cell membrane or extracellularly. The Au(0) nanoparticles were about 200 nm in size and ball-shaped. Biomineralization for elemental Au(0) nanoparticle synthesis may be useful for the recovery of natural gold in natural environments.

Uncertainty Assessment: Reservoir Inflow Forecasting with Ensemble Precipitation Forecasts and HEC-HMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sheng-Chi Yang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available During an extreme event, having accurate inflow forecasting with enough lead time helps reservoir operators decrease the impact of floods downstream. Furthermore, being able to efficiently operate reservoirs could help maximize flood protection while saving water for drier times of the year. This study combines ensemble quantitative precipitation forecasts and a hydrological model to provide a 3-day reservoir inflow in the Shihmen Reservoir, Taiwan. A total of six historical typhoons were used for model calibration, validation, and application. An understanding of cascaded uncertainties from the numerical weather model through the hydrological model is necessary for a better use for forecasting. This study thus conducted an assessment of forecast uncertainty on magnitude and timing of peak and cumulative inflows. It found that using the ensemble-mean had less uncertainty than randomly selecting individual member. The inflow forecasts with shorter length of cumulative time had a higher uncertainty. The results showed that using the ensemble precipitation forecasts with the hydrological model would have the advantage of extra lead time and serve as a valuable reference for operating reservoirs.

Global observed long-term changes in temperature and precipitation extremes: A review of progress and limitations in IPCC assessments and beyond

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Lisa V. Alexander

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC first attempted a global assessment of long-term changes in temperature and precipitation extremes in its Third Assessment Report in 2001. While data quality and coverage were limited, the report still concluded that heavy precipitation events had increased and that there had been, very likely, a reduction in the frequency of extreme low temperatures and increases in the frequency of extreme high temperatures. That overall assessment had changed little by the time of the IPCC Special Report on Extremes (SREX in 2012 and the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5 in 2013, but firmer statements could be added and more regional detail was possible. Despite some substantial progress throughout the IPCC Assessments in terms of temperature and precipitation extremes analyses, there remain major gaps particularly regarding data quality and availability, our ability to monitor these events consistently and our ability to apply the complex statistical methods required. Therefore this article focuses on the substantial progress that has taken place in the last decade, in addition to reviewing the new progress since IPCC AR5 while also addressing the challenges that still lie ahead.

Polyfluorinated and perfluorinated chemicals in precipitation and runoff from cities across eastern and central China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Lijie; Zhou, Meng; Zhang, Tao; Sun, Hongwen

2013-02-01

Twenty-three polychlorinated and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) were investigated in water phase and particulate matters of 19 precipitation samples (18 snow samples and 1 rain sample) from different cities across eastern and central China collected in February 2010. The PFCs in samples of 9e precipitation events during more than half a year at 1 site in Tianjin and 6 successive samples during 1 precipitation event were measured to elucidate the change of PFC in precipitation. In addition, PFCs in 3 runoffs at different kinds of sites in Tianjin were compared with those in the corresponding precipitation. The results showed that the particulate matters separated from the precipitation contained undetectable PFCs. The total PFC concentration ranged between 4.7 and 152 ng L(-1) in water phase of the precipitation samples, with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) being detected at all of the sampling sites and the dominant PFC at most of the sampling sites. Some potential precursors of environmentally concerned PFCs and their degradation intermediates were measured simultaneously, among which 6:2 fluorotelomer unsaturated carboxylic acid (6:2 FTUCA), 8:2 FTUCA, and  × (3, 4, 5, 7):3 acid [F(CF(2))xCH(2)CH(2)COOH] were measured for the first time in Chinese precipitations; however, their concentrations were all lower than the limits of detection except that 6:2 FTUCA and 8:2 FTUCA could be detected in 3 and 8 precipitation samples, respectively. No clear seasonal variation in PFC concentrations in precipitation was observed during half a year; however, a relatively greater average concentration of total PFCs was observed during winter and summer compared with spring. The concentration of individual PFCs showed an obvious descending trend in the successive samples of the precipitation event. PFOA and perfluorononanoic acid in runoffs collected from different sites showed the following similar pattern-gas station > highway > university campus-whereas the other

Zinc and nickel removal in limestone based treatment of acid mine drainage: The relative role of adsorption and co-precipitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, Andrew; Wildeman, Thomas; Figueroa, Linda

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Limestone treatment of mining impacted water was simulated in batch reactors. • Zinc and nickel removals were quantified/characterized with a sequential extraction. • Removals were described with a surface complexation and a surface precipitation model. • Extraction/modeling results imply mechanisms beyond adsorption dominate metal removal. - Abstract: Mining influenced water may contain high metal and sulfate loads, and have low pH (acid mine drainage). Removal of these metals prior to environmental discharge is critical to maintain ecosystem vitality. Limestone based passive treatment systems are commonly used for pH neutralization. The same conditions that lead to pH neutralization may also remove a substantial amount of metals from solution, but the connection between treatment conditions and metal removal are not well understood. In this study, zinc and nickel removals are quantified in batch reactor simulated limestone treatment of acid mine drainage. The resulting solid phase is characterized with a sequential extraction procedure, and the removals are interpreted using surface complexation and surface precipitation models. Zinc and nickel removals are closely linked to the initial iron concentration in the mine water, but are also affected by pH, alkalinity, calcium and sulfate concentrations. The surface complexation model was based on literature descriptions of hydrous ferric oxide. In order to obtain a sufficient fit to the data, the surface site density was increased to an unrealistically high value. Uptake data was also fit to an existing surface precipitation model. The values used are similar to those found in previous studies. Both models indicate that adsorption is not the dominant removal process in the treatment system. Using adsorption only models will generally underpredict metal removals within limestone based treatment systems

Performance Assessment of Spatial Interpolation of Precipitation for Hydrological Process Simulation in the Three Gorges Basin

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Meiling Cheng

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Accurate assessment of spatial and temporal precipitation is crucial for simulating hydrological processes in basins, but is challenging due to insufficient rain gauges. Our study aims to analyze different precipitation interpolation schemes and their performances in runoff simulation during light and heavy rain periods. In particular, combinations of different interpolation estimates are explored and their performances in runoff simulation are discussed. The study was carried out in the Pengxi River basin of the Three Gorges Basin. Precipitation data from 16 rain gauges were interpolated using the Thiessen Polygon (TP, Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW, and Co-Kriging (CK methods. Results showed that streamflow predictions employing CK inputs demonstrated the best performance in the whole process, in terms of the Nash–Sutcliffe Coefficient (NSE, the coefficient of determination (R2, and the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE indices. The TP, IDW, and CK methods showed good performance in the heavy rain period but poor performance in the light rain period compared with the default method (least sophisticated nearest neighbor technique in Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT. Furthermore, the correlation between the dynamic weight of one method and its performance during runoff simulation followed a parabolic function. The combination of CK and TP achieved a better performance in decreasing the largest and lowest absolute errors compared to any single method, but the IDW method outperformed all methods in terms of the median absolute error. However, it is clear from our findings that interpolation methods should be chosen depending on the amount of precipitation, adaptability of the method, and accuracy of the estimate in different rain periods.

Decomposition of oxalate precipitates by photochemical reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoo, J.H.; Kim, E.H.

1998-01-01

A photo-radiation method was applied to decompose oxalate precipitates so that it can be dissolved into dilute nitric acid. This work has been studied as a part of partitioning of minor actinides. Minor actinides can be recovered from high-level wastes as oxalate precipitates, but they tend to be coprecipitated together with lanthanide oxalates. This requires another partitioning step for mutual separation of actinide and lanthanide groups. In this study, therefore, the photochemical decomposition mechanism of oxalates in the presence of nitric acid was elucidated by experimental work. The decomposition of oxalates was proved to be dominated by the reaction with hydroxyl radical generated from the nitric acid, rather than with nitrite ion also formed from nitrate ion. The decomposition rate of neodymium oxalate, which was chosen as a stand-in compound representing minor actinide and lanthanide oxalates, was found to be 0.003 M/hr at the conditions of 0.5 M HNO 3 and room temperature when a mercury lamp was used as a light source. (author)

Decomposition of oxalate precipitates by photochemical reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jae-Hyung Yoo; Eung-Ho Kim

1999-01-01

A photo-radiation method was applied to decompose oxalate precipitates so that it can be dissolved into dilute nitric acid. This work has been studied as a part of partitioning of minor actinides. Minor actinides can be recovered from high-level wastes as oxalate precipitates, but they tend to be coprecipitated together with lanthanide oxalates. This requires another partitioning step for mutual separation of actinide and lanthanide groups. In this study, therefore, some experimental work of photochemical decomposition of oxalate was carried out to prove its feasibility as a step of partitioning process. The decomposition of oxalic acid in the presence of nitric acid was performed in advance in order to understand the mechanistic behaviour of oxalate destruction, and then the decomposition of neodymium oxalate, which was chosen as a stand-in compound representing minor actinide and lanthanide oxalates, was examined. The decomposition rate of neodymium oxalate was found as 0.003 mole/hr at the conditions of 0.5 M HNO 3 and room temperature when a mercury lamp was used as a light source. (author)

Organic acids as analytical reagent: Part 1. Estimation of zirconium by gallic acid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pande, C.S.; Singh, A.K.; Kumar, Ashok

1975-01-01

Gallic acid has been found to be a selective reagent for the estimation of zirconium. The acid gives crystalline precipitate at pH of 4.8. The precipitate is ignited and weighed as ZrO 2 . Cations like Ca +2 , Ba +2 , Sr +2 , Mn +2 , Co +2 , Ni +2 , Fe +3 do not interfere in the estimation. (author)

Acid Rain. LC Science Tracer Bullet.

Science.gov (United States)

Hollmann, Pauline, Comp.

The term "acid rain," also called "acid precipitation," generally refers to any precipitation having a pH value of less than 5.6. This guide to the literature on acid rain in the collections of the Library of Congress is not necessarily intended to be a comprehensive bibliography. It is designed to provide the reader with a set…

Precipitation variability assessment of northeast China: Songhua

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Variability in precipitation is critical for the management of water resources. In this study, the researchentropy base concept was applied to investigate spatial and temporal variability of the precipitationduring 1964–2013 in the Songhua River basin of Heilongjiang Province in China. Sample entropy wasapplied on ...

Wet milling versus co-precipitation in magnetite ferrofluid preparation

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Almásy László

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Various uses of ferrofluids for technical applications continuously raise the interest in improvement and optimization of preparation methods. This paper deals with preparation of finely granulated magnetite particles coated with oleic acid in hydrocarbon suspensions following either chemical co-precipitation from iron salt precursors or wet milling of micron size magnetite powder with the goal to compare the benefits and disadvantages of each method. Microstructural measurements showed that both methods gave similar magnetite particle size of 10-15 nm. Higher saturation magnetization was achieved for the wet-milled magnetite suspension compared to relatively rapid co-precipitation synthesis. Different efficacies of ferrophase incorporation into kerosene could be related to the different mechanisms of oleic acid bonding to nanoparticle surface. The comparative data show that wet milling represents a practicable alternative to the traditional co-precipitation since despite of longer processing time, chemicals impact on environment can be avoided as well as the remnant water in the final product.

Recovery Ce from Ce - TBP Used Oxalic Acid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Purwani, MV; Subagiono, R.; Suyanti

2007-01-01

Recovery or stripping Ce from Ce - TBP product of monazite sand used oxalic acid. Ce - TBP as organic phase and oxalic acid as aqueous phase and as strong precipitant compound to precipitate metal element. The stripping product as Ce - oxalic precipitate. The influence parameter were percentage of oxalic acid, volume ratio of Ce-TBP with oxalic acid, time and rate of stripping. At stripping of 25 ml Ce - TBP used oxalic acid, the optimum condition were achieve at using 5% oxalic acid, volume ratio of Ce - TBP : 5% oxalic acid = 1 : 1, time of stripping 7.5 minute and rate of stripping 150 rpm. At the optimum condition was obtained the recovery efficiency was 100%. (author)

Interpolation of Missing Precipitation Data Using Kernel Estimations for Hydrologic Modeling

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Hyojin Lee

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Precipitation is the main factor that drives hydrologic modeling; therefore, missing precipitation data can cause malfunctions in hydrologic modeling. Although interpolation of missing precipitation data is recognized as an important research topic, only a few methods follow a regression approach. In this study, daily precipitation data were interpolated using five different kernel functions, namely, Epanechnikov, Quartic, Triweight, Tricube, and Cosine, to estimate missing precipitation data. This study also presents an assessment that compares estimation of missing precipitation data through Kth nearest neighborhood (KNN regression to the five different kernel estimations and their performance in simulating streamflow using the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT hydrologic model. The results show that the kernel approaches provide higher quality interpolation of precipitation data compared with the KNN regression approach, in terms of both statistical data assessment and hydrologic modeling performance.

Online Assessment of Satellite-Derived Global Precipitation Products

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zhong; Ostrenga, D.; Teng, W.; Kempler, S.

2012-01-01

Precipitation is difficult to measure and predict. Each year droughts and floods cause severe property damages and human casualties around the world. Accurate measurement and forecast are important for mitigation and preparedness efforts. Significant progress has been made over the past decade in satellite precipitation product development. In particular, products' spatial and temporal resolutions as well as timely availability have been improved by blended techniques. Their resulting products are widely used in various research and applications. However biases and uncertainties are common among precipitation products and an obstacle exists in quickly gaining knowledge of product quality, biases and behavior at a local or regional scale, namely user defined areas or points of interest. Current online inter-comparison and validation services have not addressed this issue adequately. To address this issue, we have developed a prototype to inter-compare satellite derived daily products in the TRMM Online Visualization and Analysis System (TOVAS). Despite its limited functionality and datasets, users can use this tool to generate customized plots within the United States for 2005. In addition, users can download customized data for further analysis, e.g. comparing their gauge data. To meet increasing demands, we plan to increase the temporal coverage and expanded the spatial coverage from the United States to the globe. More products have been added as well. In this poster, we present two new tools: Inter-comparison of 3B42RT and 3B42 Inter-comparison of V6 and V7 TRMM L-3 monthly products The future plans include integrating IPWG (International Precipitation Working Group) Validation Algorithms/statistics, allowing users to generate customized plots and data. In addition, we will expand the current daily products to monthly and their climatology products. Whenever the TRMM science team changes their product version number, users would like to know the differences by

Development of atmospheric acid deposition in China from the 1990s to the 2010s

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Haili; He, Nianpeng; Wang, Qiufeng; Zhu, Jianxing; Gao, Yang; Zhang, Yunhai; Jia, Yanlong; Yu, Guirui

2017-01-01

Atmospheric acid deposition is a global environmental issue. China has been experiencing serious acid deposition, which is anticipated to become more severe with the country's economic development and increasing consumption of fossil fuels in recent decades. We explored the spatiotemporal variations of acid deposition (wet acid deposition) and its influencing factors by collecting nationwide data on pH and concentrations of sulfate (SO 4 2− ) and nitrate (NO 3 − ) in precipitation between 1980 and 2014 in China. Our results showed that average precipitation pH values were 4.59 and 4.70 in the 1990s and 2010s, respectively, suggesting that precipitation acid deposition in China has not seriously worsened. Average SO 4 2− deposition declined from 40.54 to 34.87 kg S ha −1 yr −1 but average NO 3 − deposition increased from 4.44 to 7.73 kg N ha −1 yr −1 . Specifically, the area of severe precipitation acid deposition in southern China has shrunk to some extent as a result of controlling the pollutant emissions; but the area of moderate precipitation acid deposition has expanded in northern China, associated with rapid industrial and transportation development. Furthermore, we found significant positive correlations between precipitation acid deposition, energy consumption, and rainfall. Our findings provide a relatively comprehensive evaluation of the spatiotemporal dynamics of precipitation acid deposition in China over past three decades, and confirm the idea that strategies implemented to save energy and control pollutant emissions in China have been effective in alleviating precipitation acid deposition. These findings might be used to demonstrate how developing countries could achieve economic development and environmental protection through the implementation of advanced technologies to reduce pollutant emissions. - Highlights: • Explore spatial and temporal dynamics of wet acid deposition during three decades in China. • Acid

Precipitation of uranium concentrates by hydrogen peroxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbosa Filho, O.; Teixeira, L.A.C.

1987-01-01

An experimental study on the precipitation of uranyl peroxide (UO 4 x H 2 O) has been carried out in a laboratory scale. The objective was to assess the possibility of the peroxide route as an alternative to a conventional ammonium diuranate process. A factorial design was used to evaluate the effects of the initial pH, precipitation pH and H 2 O 2 /UO 2 2+ ratio upon the process. The responses were measured in terms of: efficiency of U precipitation, content of U in the precipitates, and distribution of impurities in the precipitates. (Author) [pt

Correlation between precipitation and geographical location of the δ2H values of the fatty acids in milk and bulk milk powder

Science.gov (United States)

Ehtesham, E.; Baisden, W. T.; Keller, E. D.; Hayman, A. R.; Van Hale, R.; Frew, R. D.

2013-06-01

Hydrogen isotope ratios (δ2H) have become a tool for food traceability and authentication of agricultural products. The principle is that the isotopic composition of the produce is influenced by environmental and biological factors and hence exhibits a spatial differentiation of δ2H. This study investigates the variation in δ2H values of New Zealand milk, both in the bulk powder and individual fatty acids extracted from milk samples from dairy factories across New Zealand. Multivariate statistical analyses were used to test for relationships between δ2H of bulk milk powder, milk fatty acid and geographical location. Milk powder samples from different regions of New Zealand were found to exhibit patterns in isotopic composition similar to the corresponding regional precipitation associated with their origin. A model of δ2H in precipitation was developed based on measurements between 2007 and 2010 at 51 stations across New Zealand (Frew and Van Hale, 2011). The model uses multiple linear regressions to predict daily δ2H from 2 geographic and 5 rain-weighted climate variables from the 5 × 5 km New Zealand Virtual Climate Station Network (VCSN). To approximate collection radius for a drying facility the modelled values were aggregated within a 50 km radius of each dairy factory and compared to observed δ2H values of precipitation and bulk milk powder. Daily δ2H predictions for the period from August to December for the area surrounding the sample collection sites were highly correlated with the δ2H values of bulk milk powder. Therefore the δ2H value of milk fatty acids demonstrates promise as a tool for determining the provenance of milk powders and products where milk powder is an ingredient. Separation of milk powder origin to geographic sub-regions within New Zealand was achieved. Hydrogen isotope measurements could be used to complement traditional tracking systems in verifying point of origin.

Assessing Acid-Base Status: Physiologic Versus Physicochemical Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Adrogué, Horacio J; Madias, Nicolaos E

2016-11-01

The physiologic approach has long been used in assessing acid-base status. This approach considers acids as hydrogen ion donors and bases as hydrogen ion acceptors and the acid-base status of the organism as reflecting the interaction of net hydrogen ion balance with body buffers. In the physiologic approach, the carbonic acid/bicarbonate buffer pair is used for assessing acid-base status and blood pH is determined by carbonic acid (ie, Paco 2 ) and serum bicarbonate levels. More recently, the physicochemical approach was introduced, which has gained popularity, particularly among intensivists and anesthesiologists. This approach posits that the acid-base status of body fluids is determined by changes in the dissociation of water that are driven by the interplay of 3 independent variables: the sum of strong (fully dissociated) cation concentrations minus the sum of strong anion concentrations (strong ion difference); the total concentration of weak acids; and Paco 2 . These 3 independent variables mechanistically determine both hydrogen ion concentration and bicarbonate concentration of body fluids, which are considered as dependent variables. Our experience indicates that the average practitioner is familiar with only one of these approaches and knows very little, if any, about the other approach. In the present Acid-Base and Electrolyte Teaching Case, we attempt to bridge this knowledge gap by contrasting the physiologic and physicochemical approaches to assessing acid-base status. We first outline the essential features, advantages, and limitations of each of the 2 approaches and then apply each approach to the same patient presentation. We conclude with our view about the optimal approach. Copyright © 2016 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved.

Assessing the Roles of Fire Frequency and Precipitation in Determining Woody Plant Expansion in Central U.S. Grasslands

Science.gov (United States)

Brunsell, N. A.; Van Vleck, E. S.; Nosshi, M.; Ratajczak, Z.; Nippert, J. B.

2017-10-01

Woody plant expansion into grasslands and savannas is occurring and accelerating worldwide and often impacts ecosystem processes. Understanding and predicting the environmental and ecological impacts of encroachment has led to a variety of methodologies for assessing its onset, transition, and stability, generally relying on dynamical systems approaches. Here we continue this general line of investigation to facilitate the understanding of the roles of precipitation frequency and intensity and fire frequency on the conversion of grasslands to woody-dominated systems focusing on the central United States. A low-dimensional model with stochastic precipitation and fire disturbance is introduced to examine the complex interactions between precipitation and fire as mechanisms that may suppress or facilitate increases in woody cover. By using Lyapunov exponents, we are able to ascertain the relative control exerted on woody encroachment through these mechanisms. Our results indicate that precipitation frequency is a more important control on woody encroachment than the intensity of individual precipitation events. Fire, however, exerts a much more dominant impact on the limitation of encroachment over the range of precipitation variability considered here. These results indicate that fire management may be an effective strategy to slow the onset of woody species into grasslands. While climate change might predict a reduced potential for woody encroachment in the near future, these results indicate a reduction in woody fraction may be unlikely when considering anthropogenic fire suppression.

Geological and hydrochemical sensitivity of the eastern United States to acid precipitation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hendrey, G.R.; Galloway, J.N.; Norton, S.A.; Schofield, C.L.; Shaffer, P.W.; Burns, D.A.

1980-03-01

A new analysis of bedrock geology maps of the eastern US constitutes a simple model for predicting areas which might be impacted by acid precipitation and it allows much greater resolution for detecting sensitivity than has previously been available for the region. Map accuracy has been verified by examining current alkalinities and pH's of waters in several test states, including Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Virginia and North Carolina. In regions predicted to be highly sensitive, alkalinities in upstream sites were generally low. Many areas of the eastern US are pinpointed in which some of the surface waters, especially upstream reaches, may be sensitive to acidification. Pre-1970 data were compared to post-1975 data, revealing marked declines in both alkalinity and pH of sensitive waters of two states tested, North Carolina, where pH and alkalinity have decreased in 80% of 38 streams and New Hampshire, where pH in 90% of 49 streams and lakes has decreased since 1949. These sites are predicted to be sensitive by the geological map on the basis of their earlier alkalinity values. The map is to be improved by the addition of a soils component.

Statistical and dynamical downscaling assessments of precipitation extremes in the Mediterranean area

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hertig, Elke; Seubert, Stefanie; Jacobeit, Jucundus [Augsburg Univ. (Germany). Inst. of Geography; Paxian, Andreas; Vogt, Gernot; Paeth, Heiko [Wuerzburg Univ. (Germany). Inst. of Geography and Geology

2012-02-15

Extreme precipitation events in the Mediterranean area have been defined by different percentile-based indices of extreme precipitation for autumn and winter: the number of events exceeding the 95{sup th} percentile of daily precipitation, percentage, total amount, and mean daily intensity of precipitation from these events. Results from statistical downscaling applying canonical correlation analysis as well as from dynamical downscaling using the regional climate model REMO are mapped for the 1961-1990 baseline period as well as for the magnitude of change for the future time slice 2021-2050 in relation to the former period. Direct output of the coupled global circulation model ECHAM5 is used as an additional source of information. A qualitative comparison of the two different downscaling techniques indicates that under the present climate both the dynamical and the statistical techniques have skill to reproduce extreme precipitation in the Mediterranean area. A good representation of the frequency of extreme precipitation events arises from the statistical downscaling approach, whereas the intensity of such events is adequately modelled by the dynamical downscaling. Concerning the change of extreme precipitation in the Mediterranean area until the mid-21{sup st} century, it is projected that the frequency of extreme precipitation events will decrease in most parts of the Mediterranean area in autumn and winter. The change of the mean intensity of such events shows a rather heterogeneous pattern with intensity increases in winter most likely at topographical elevations exposed to the West, where the uplift of humid air profits by the increase of atmospheric moisture under climate change conditions. For the precipitation total from events exceeding the 95{sup th} percentile of daily precipitation, widespread decreases are indicated in autumn, whereas in winter increases occur over the western part of the Iberian Peninsula and southern France, and reductions over

Effectiveness of Arsenic Co-Precipitation with Fe-Al Hydroxides for Treatment of Contaminated Water

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaime Wilson Vargas de Mello

2018-03-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Wastewater treatment is a challenging problem faced by the mining industry, especially when mine effluents include acid mine drainage with elevated arsenic levels. Iron (hydroxides are known to be effective in removal of As from wastewater, and although the resulting compounds are relatively unstable, the presence of structural Al enhances their stability, particularly under reducing conditions. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of Al-Fe (hydroxide co-precipitates for the removal of As from wastewater and to assess the chemical stability of the products. Different Al-Fe (hydroxides were synthesized at room temperature from ferrous and aluminum salts using three different Fe:Al molar ratios (1:0.0, 1:0.3, and 1:0.7 and aged for 90 days (sulfate experiments or 120 days (chloride experiments in the presence of arsenic. At the end of the aging periods, the precipitated sludges were dried and characterized in order to evaluate their stability and therefore potential As mobility. All treatments were effective in reducing As levels in the water to below 10 µg L-1, but the presence of Al impaired the effectiveness of the treatment. Aluminum decreased the chemical stability of the precipitated sludge and hence its ability to retain As under natural environmental conditions.

Review and assessment of technologies for the separation of cesium from acidic media

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Orth, R.J.; Brooks, K.P.; Kurath, D.E.

1994-09-01

A preliminary literature survey has been conducted to identify and evaluate methods for the separation of cesium from acidic waste. The most promising solvent extraction, precipitation, and ion exchange methods, along with some of the attributes for each method, are listed. The main criteria used in evaluating the separation methods were as follows: (1) good potential for cesium separation must be demonstrated (i.e., cesium decontamination factors on the order of 50 to 100). (2) Good selectivity for cesium over bulk components must be demonstrated. (3) The method must show promise for evolving into a practical and fairly simple process. (4) The process should be safe to operate. (5) The method must be robust (i.e., capable of separating cesium from various acidic waste types). (6) Secondary waste generation must be minimized. (7) The method must show resistance to radiation damage. The most promising separation methods did not necessarily satisfy all of the above criteria, thus key areas requiring further development are suggested for each method. The report discusses in detail these and other areas requiring further development, as well as alternative solvent extraction, precipitation, ion exchange, and {open_quote}other{close_quote} technologies that, based on current information, show less promise for the separation of cesium from acidic wastes because of significant process limitations. When appropriate, the report recommends areas of future development.

Selective Precipitation of Thorium lodate from a Tartaric Acid-Hydrogen Peroxide Medium Application to Rapid Spectrophotometric Determination of Thorium in Silicate Rocks and in Ores

Science.gov (United States)

Grimaldi, F.S.

1957-01-01

This paper presents a selective iodate separation of thorium from nitric acid medium containing d-tartaric acid and hydrogen peroxide. The catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide is prevented by the use of 8quinolinol. A few micrograms of thorium are separated sufficiently clean from 30 mg. of such oxides as cerium, zirconium, titanium, niobium, tantalum, scandium, or iron with one iodate precipitation to allow an accurate determination of thorium with the thoronmesotartaric acid spectrophotometric method. The method is successful for the determination of 0.001% or more of thorium dioxide in silicate rocks and for 0.01% or more in black sand, monazite, thorite, thorianite, eschynite, euxenite, and zircon.

Establishment and assessment of an integrated citric acid-methane production process.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Jian; Chen, Yang-Qiu; Zhang, Hong-Jian; Bao, Jia-Wei; Tang, Lei; Wang, Ke; Zhang, Jian-Hua; Chen, Xu-Sheng; Mao, Zhong-Gui

2015-01-01

To solve the problem of extraction wastewater in citric acid industrial production, an improved integrated citric acid-methane production process was established in this study. Extraction wastewater was treated by anaerobic digestion and then the anaerobic digestion effluent (ADE) was stripped by air to remove ammonia. Followed by solid-liquid separation to remove metal ion precipitation, the supernatant was recycled for the next batch of citric acid fermentation, thus eliminating wastewater discharge and reducing water consumption. 130U/g glucoamylase was added to medium after inoculation and the recycling process performed for 10 batches. Fermentation time decreased by 20% in recycling and the average citric acid production (2nd-10th) was 145.9±3.4g/L, only 2.5% lower than that with tap water (149.6g/L). The average methane production was 292.3±25.1mL/g CODremoved and stable in operation. Excessive Na(+) concentration in ADE was confirmed to be the major challenge for the proposed process. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing the spatial variability of mountain precipitation in California's Sierra Nevada using the Airborne Snow Observatory

Science.gov (United States)

Brandt, T.; Deems, J. S.; Painter, T. H.; Dozier, J.

2016-12-01

In California's Sierra Nevada, 10 or fewer winter storms are responsible for most of the annual precipitation, which falls mostly as snow. Presently, surface stations are used to measure the dynamics of mountain precipitation. However, even in places like the Sierra Nevada—one of the most gauged regions in the world—the paucity of surface stations can lead to large errors in precipitation thereby biasing both total water year and short-term streamflow forecasts. Remotely sensed snow depth and water equivalent, at a time scale that resolves storms, might provide a novel solution to the problems of: (1) quantifying the spatial variability of mountain precipitation; and (2) assessing gridded precipitation products that are mostly based on surface station interpolation. NASA's Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO), an imaging spectrometer and LiDAR system, has measured snow in the Tuolumne River Basin in California's Sierra Nevada for the past four years, 2013-2016; and, measurements will continue. Principally, ASO monitors the progression of melt for water supply forecasting, nonetheless, a number of flights bracketed storms allowing for estimates of snow accumulation. In this study we examine a few of the ASO recorded storms to determine both the basin and subbasin orographic effect as well as the spatial patterns in total precipitation. We then compare these results to a number of gridded climate products and weather models including: Daymet, the Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM), the North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS-2), and the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Finally, to put each ASO recorded storm into context, we use a climatology produced from snow pillows and the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) for 2014-2016 to examine key accumulation events, and classify storms based on their integrated water vapor flux.

Assessing mine drainage pH from the color and spectral reflectance of chemical precipitates

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, D.J.; Bigham, J.M.; Cravotta, C.A.; Traina, S.J.; Anderson, J.E.; Lyon, J.G.

2002-01-01

The pH of mine impacted waters was estimated from the spectral reflectance of resident sediments composed mostly of chemical precipitates. Mine drainage sediments were collected from sites in the Anthracite Region of eastern Pennsylvania, representing acid to near neutral pH. Sediments occurring in acidic waters contained primarily schwertmannite and goethite while near neutral waters produced ferrihydrite. The minerals comprising the sediments occurring at each pH mode were spectrally separable. Spectral angle difference mapping was used to correlate sediment color with stream water pH (r2=0.76). Band-center and band-depth analysis of spectral absorption features were also used to discriminate ferrihydrite and goethite and/or schwertmannite by analyzing the 4T1??? 6A1 crystal field transition (900-1000 nm). The presence of these minerals accurately predicted stream water pH (r2=0.87) and provided a qualitative estimate of dissolved SO4 concentrations. Spectral analysis results were used to analyze airborne digital multispectral video (DMSV) imagery for several sites in the region. The high spatial resolution of the DMSV sensor allowed for precise mapping of the mine drainage sediments. The results from this study indicate that airborne and space-borne imaging spectrometers may be used to accurately classify streams impacted by acid vs. neutral-to-alkaline mine drainage after appropriate spectral libraries are developed.

Novel method for concentrating and drying polymeric nanoparticles: hydrogen bonding coacervate precipitation.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Addio, Suzanne M; Kafka, Concepcion; Akbulut, Mustafa; Beattie, Patrick; Saad, Walid; Herrera, Margarita; Kennedy, Michael T; Prud'homme, Robert K

2010-04-05

Nanoparticles have significant potential in therapeutic applications to improve the bioavailability and efficacy of active drug compounds. However, the retention of nanometer sizes during concentrating or drying steps presents a significant problem. We report on a new concentrating and drying process for poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) stabilized nanoparticles, which relies upon the unique pH sensitive hydrogen bonding interaction between PEG and polyacid species. In the hydrogen bonding coacervate precipitation (HBCP) process, PEG protected nanoparticles rapidly aggregate into an easily filterable precipitate upon the addition various polyacids. When the resulting solid is neutralized, the ionization of the acid groups eliminates the hydrogen bonded structure and the approximately 100 nm particles redisperse back to within 10% of their original size when poly(acrylic acid) and citric acid are used and 45% when poly(aspartic acid) is used. While polyacid concentrations of 1-5 wt % were used to form the precipitates, the incorporation of the acid into the PEG layer is approximately 1:1 (acid residue):(ethylene oxide unit) in the final dried precipitate. The redispersion of dried beta-carotene nanoparticles protected with PEG-b-poly(lactide-co-glycolide) polymers dried by HBCP was compared with the redispersion of particles dried by freeze-drying with sucrose as a cryprotectant, spray freeze-drying, and normal drying. Freeze-drying with 0, 2, and 12 wt % sucrose solutions resulted in size increases of 350%, 50%, and 6%, respectively. Spray freeze-drying resulted in particles with increased sizes of 50%, but no cryoprotectant and only moderate redispersion energy was required. Conventional drying resulted in solids that could not be redispersed back to nanometer size. The new HBCP process offers a promising and efficient way to concentrate or convert nanoparticle dispersions into a stable dry powder form.

Relationships between precipitation and surface water chemistry in three Carolina bays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monegue, R.L.; Jagoe, C.H.

1995-01-01

Carolina Bays are shallow freshwater wetlands, the only naturally occurring lentic systems on the southeastern coastal plain. Bays are breeding sites for many amphibian species, but data on precipitation/surface water relationships and long-term chemical trends are lacking. Such data are essential to interpret major fluctuations in amphibian populations. Surface water and bulk precipitation were sampled bi-weekly for over two years at three bays along a 25 km transect on the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. Precipitation chemistry was similar at all sites; average pH was 4.56, and the major ions were H + (30.8 % of total), and SO 4 (50.3% of total). H + was positively correlated with SO 4 , suggesting the importance of anthropogenic acids to precipitation chemistry. All three bays, Rainbow Bay (RB), Thunder Bay (TB), and Ellenton Bay (EB), contained soft (specific conductivity 5--90 microS/cm), acidic water (pH 4.0--5.9) with DOM from 4--40 mg/L. The major cation for RB, TB, and EB, respectively, was: Mg (30.8 % of total); Na (27% of total); and Ca (34.2% of total). DOM was the major anion for all bays, and SO 4 represented 13 to 28 % of total anions. H + was not correlated to DOM or SO, in RB; H + was positively correlated to DOM and SO 4 in TB, and negatively correlated to DOM and SO 4 in EB. Different biogeochemical processes probably control pH and other chemical variables in each bay. While surface water H + was not directly correlated with precipitation H + , NO 3 , or SO 4 , precipitation and shallow groundwater are dominant water sources for these bays. Atmospheric inputs of anthropogenic acids and other chemicals are important factors influencing bay chemistry

Thermal behaviour of natural and synthetic iron precipitates from mine drainage

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Pulišová, Petra; Máša, B.; Michalková, E.; Večerníková, Eva; Maříková, Monika; Bezdička, Petr; Murafa, Nataliya; Šubrt, Jan

2014-01-01

Roč. 116, č. 2 (2014), s. 625-632 ISSN 1388-6150 R&D Projects: GA MŠk 7AMB12SK155 Institutional support: RVO:61388980 Keywords : Thermogravimetry * Differential thermal analysis * X-ray diffraction analysis * Acid mine drainage * Iron precipitates * Precipitation with urea Subject RIV: CA - Inorganic Chemistry Impact factor: 2.042, year: 2014

Understanding Acid Rain

Science.gov (United States)

Damonte, Kathleen

2004-01-01

The term acid rain describes rain, snow, or fog that is more acidic than normal precipitation. To understand what acid rain is, it is first necessary to know what an acid is. Acids can be defined as substances that produce hydrogen ions (H+), when dissolved in water. Scientists indicate how acidic a substance is by a set of numbers called the pH…

Recovery of yttrium from fluorescent powder of cathode ray tube, CRT: Zn removal by sulphide precipitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Innocenzi, Valentina; De Michelis, Ida; Ferella, Francesco; Beolchini, Francesca; Kopacek, Bernd; Vegliò, Francesco

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Treatment of fluorescent powder of CRT waste. • Factorial experimental designs to study acid leaching of fluorescent powder and the purification of leach liquors. • Recover of yttrium by precipitation using oxalic acid. • Suitable flowsheet to recover yttrium from fluorescent powder. - Abstract: This work is focused on the recovery of yttrium and zinc from fluorescent powder of cathode ray tube (CRT). Metals are extracted by sulphuric acid in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Leaching tests are carried out according to a 2 2 full factorial plan and the highest extraction yields for yttrium and zinc equal to 100% are observed under the following conditions: 3 M of sulphuric acid, 10% v/v of H 2 O 2 concentrated solution at 30% v/v, 10% w/w pulp density, 70 °C and 3 h of reaction. Two series of precipitation tests for zinc are carried out: a 2 2 full factorial design and a completely randomized factorial design. In these series the factors investigated are pH of solution during the precipitation and the amount of sodium sulphide added to precipitate zinc sulphide. The data of these tests are used to describe two empirical mathematical models for zinc and yttrium precipitation yields by regression analysis. The highest precipitation yields for zinc are obtained under the following conditions: pH equal to 2–2.5% and 10–12% v/v of Na 2 S concentrated solution at 10% w/v. In these conditions the coprecipitation of yttrium is of 15–20%. Finally further yttrium precipitation experiments by oxalic acid on the residual solutions, after removing of zinc, show that yttrium could be recovered and calcined to obtain the final product as yttrium oxide. The achieved results allow to propose a CRT recycling process based on leaching of fluorescent powder from cathode ray tube and recovery of yttrium oxide after removing of zinc by precipitation. The final recovery of yttrium is 75–80%

Recovery of yttrium from fluorescent powder of cathode ray tube, CRT: Zn removal by sulphide precipitation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Innocenzi, Valentina, E-mail: valentina.innocenzi1@univaq.it [Department of Industrial Engineering and Information and Economy, University of L’Aquila, Via Giovanni Gronchi n.18, Nucleo Ind.le di Pile, 67100 L’Aquila (Italy); De Michelis, Ida; Ferella, Francesco [Department of Industrial Engineering and Information and Economy, University of L’Aquila, Via Giovanni Gronchi n.18, Nucleo Ind.le di Pile, 67100 L’Aquila (Italy); Beolchini, Francesca [Department of Marine Sciences, Polytechnic Institute of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona (Italy); Kopacek, Bernd [SAT, Austrian Society for Systems Engineering and Automation, Gurkasse 43/2, A-1140 Vienna (Austria); Vegliò, Francesco [Department of Industrial Engineering and Information and Economy, University of L’Aquila, Via Giovanni Gronchi n.18, Nucleo Ind.le di Pile, 67100 L’Aquila (Italy)

2013-11-15

Highlights: • Treatment of fluorescent powder of CRT waste. • Factorial experimental designs to study acid leaching of fluorescent powder and the purification of leach liquors. • Recover of yttrium by precipitation using oxalic acid. • Suitable flowsheet to recover yttrium from fluorescent powder. - Abstract: This work is focused on the recovery of yttrium and zinc from fluorescent powder of cathode ray tube (CRT). Metals are extracted by sulphuric acid in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Leaching tests are carried out according to a 2{sup 2} full factorial plan and the highest extraction yields for yttrium and zinc equal to 100% are observed under the following conditions: 3 M of sulphuric acid, 10% v/v of H{sub 2}O{sub 2} concentrated solution at 30% v/v, 10% w/w pulp density, 70 °C and 3 h of reaction. Two series of precipitation tests for zinc are carried out: a 2{sup 2} full factorial design and a completely randomized factorial design. In these series the factors investigated are pH of solution during the precipitation and the amount of sodium sulphide added to precipitate zinc sulphide. The data of these tests are used to describe two empirical mathematical models for zinc and yttrium precipitation yields by regression analysis. The highest precipitation yields for zinc are obtained under the following conditions: pH equal to 2–2.5% and 10–12% v/v of Na{sub 2}S concentrated solution at 10% w/v. In these conditions the coprecipitation of yttrium is of 15–20%. Finally further yttrium precipitation experiments by oxalic acid on the residual solutions, after removing of zinc, show that yttrium could be recovered and calcined to obtain the final product as yttrium oxide. The achieved results allow to propose a CRT recycling process based on leaching of fluorescent powder from cathode ray tube and recovery of yttrium oxide after removing of zinc by precipitation. The final recovery of yttrium is 75–80%.

IDF-curves for precipitation In Belgium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohymont, Bernard; Demarde, Gaston R.

2004-01-01

The Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) curves for precipitation constitute a relationship between the intensity, the duration and the frequency of rainfall amounts. The intensity of precipitation is expressed in mm/h, the duration or aggregation time is the length of the interval considered while the frequency stands for the probability of occurrence of the event. IDF-curves constitute a classical and useful tool that is primarily used to dimension hydraulic structures in general, as e.g., sewer systems and which are consequently used to assess the risk of inundation. In this presentation, the IDF relation for precipitation is studied for different locations in Belgium. These locations correspond to two long-term, high-quality precipitation networks of the RMIB: (a) the daily precipitation depths of the climatological network (more than 200 stations, 1951-2001 baseline period); (b) the high-frequency 10-minutes precipitation depths of the hydro meteorological network (more than 30 stations, 15 to 33 years baseline period). For the station of Uccle, an uninterrupted time-series of more than one hundred years of 10-minutes rainfall data is available. The proposed technique for assessing the curves is based on maximum annual values of precipitation. A new analytical formula for the IDF-curves was developed such that these curves stay valid for aggregation times ranging from 10 minutes to 30 days (when fitted with appropriate data). Moreover, all parameters of this formula have physical dimensions. Finally, adequate spatial interpolation techniques are used to provide nationwide extreme values precipitation depths for short- to long-term durations With a given return period. These values are estimated on the grid points of the Belgian ALADIN-domain used in the operational weather forecasts at the RMIB.(Author)

Precipitation of iron (III) using magnesium oxide in fluidized bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Esteban-Bocardo, P. A.; Ferreira-Rocha, S. D.

2006-01-01

A process for iron (III) removal by hydroxide precipitation from and acid synthetic inorganic effluent using magnesium oxide as an alternative precipitant agent in a fluidized bed was developed. An acid synthetic inorganic effluent containing 100 and 200 mg/l of ferric ions (pH=1.0) was continuously fed up to the acrylic column (30 cm high and 2 cm diameter) during 180 minutes. Magnesium oxide pulp (3% v/v) was injected at the beginning of the experiment in order to allow the iron hydroxides precipitation. The concentration and pH profiles agreed in their curves, while the pH profile rose,the concentration profile decreased and a high percentage of iron removal /higher to 99%) was reached. Extremely low iron concentrations have been reached, thus permitting to attend to the environmental standard of 10.0 mg/l for discharge of effluent containing ferric ions established by the law DN 10/86 of COPAM (Conselho de Politica Ambiental do Estado de Minas Gerais-Brazil). (Author)

Lanthanide-alkali double sulfate precipitation from strong sulfuric acid NiMH battery waste leachate.

Science.gov (United States)

Porvali, Antti; Wilson, Benjamin P; Lundström, Mari

2018-01-01

In NiMH battery leaching, rare earth element (REE) precipitation from sulfate media is often reported as being a result of increasing pH of the pregnant leach solution (PLS). Here we demonstrate that this precipitation is a phenomenon that depends on both Na + and SO 4 2- concentrations and not solely on pH. A two-stage leaching for industrially crushed NiMH waste is performed: The first stage consists of H 2 SO 4 leaching (2 M H 2 SO 4 , L/S = 10.4, V = 104 ml, T = 30 °C) and the second stage of H 2 O leaching (V = 100 ml, T = 25 °C). Moreover, precipitation experiments are separately performed as a function of added Na 2 SO 4 and H 2 SO 4 . During the precipitation, higher than stoichiometric quantities of Na to REE are utilized and this increase in both precipitation reagent concentrations results in an improved double sulfate precipitation efficiency. The best REE precipitation efficiencies (98-99%) - achieved by increasing concentrations of H 2 SO 4 and Na 2 SO 4 by 1.59 M and 0.35 M, respectively - results in a 21.8 times Na (as Na 2 SO 4 ) and 58.3 times SO 4 change in stoichiometric ratio to REE. Results strongly indicate a straightforward approach for REE recovery from NiMH battery waste without the need to increase the pH of PLS. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Adsorption of arsenic by iron rich precipitates from two coal mine drainage sites on the West Coast of New Zealand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rait, R.; Trumm, D.; Pope, J.; Craw, D.; Newman, N.; MacKenzie, H.

2010-01-01

Dissolved As can be strongly adsorbed to fine grained Fe(III) minerals such as hydroxides, oxyhydroxides and hydroxysulphates. Therefore precipitates that form during neutralisation or treatment of acid mine drainage have potential to be useful for treatment of As-contaminated water because acid mine drainage is often Fe rich. We tested the adsorption properties of Fe(III) rich precipitates from two West Coast coal mines with As-contaminated water from an historic gold ore processing site near Reefton. Precipitates were collected from distinctly different settings, an active acid mine drainage treatment plant at Stockton mine and the neutralisation/oxidation zone of acid mine drainage discharge at the abandoned Blackball Coal Mine. The two mine sites produce precipitates with different compositions and mineralogy. Arsenic adsorption onto precipitates from each site was determined in batch and column tests under laboratory conditions. Batch experiments indicate As adsorption occurs rapidly during the first 5 h and reaches equilibrium after 24 h. At equilibrium, and for a dosing ratio of 50 g of precipitate per litre of water, As concentrations decreased from 99 mg/L to 0.0080 mg/L with precipitates from Stockton and to 0.0017 mg/L with precipitates from Blackball. Arsenic adsorption capacity is up to 12 mg/g on precipitates from Stockton sludge and 74 mg/g on precipitates from Blackball. The Blackball precipitate adsorbs more As than precipitates from Stockton which is probably due to the higher Fe oxide content but pH and surface structure could also play a role. The column experiment confirmed that adsorption of As from a continuous waste stream onto these precipitates is possible, and that passive remediation using this waste product mixed with gravel to enhance permeability could be a viable approach at As-contaminated mine sites. (author). 56 refs., 10 figs., 6 tabs.

Global precipitations and climate change. Proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Desbois, M.; Desalmand, F.

1994-01-01

The workshop reviewed the present status of knowledge concerning the past and present evolution of the distribution of precipitations at global scale, related to climate evolution at different time scales. This review was intended to assess the availability and quality of data which could help, through validation and initialization of model studies, to improve our understanding of the processes determining these precipitation changes. On another hand, the modelling specialists presented their actual use of precipitation data. Exchanges of views between the modelling and observing communities were thus made possible, leading to a set of recommendations for future studies. Sessions were then devoted to specific themes: 1) Paleoclimatology, 2) data collection, history and statistics, programmes, 3) methodologies and accuracy of large scale estimation of precipitation from conventional data, 4) estimation of precipitation from satellite data, 5) modelling studies. (orig.)

Mathematical modeling of the formation of sedimentary acid precipitation in the atmosphere in view of the evaporation of moisture from their surface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gvozdyakov Dmitry

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article presents the results of numeric simulation of the formation of sedimentary acid precipitation in the atmosphere taking into account the evaporation of moisture from their surfaces. It is established that the joint condensation of vapors of sulfuric anhydride and water vapor, given the flow of solar energy and the evaporation process significantly slows the growth of drops. The possibility of achieving the underlying surface by the formed sediments is analyzed.

Revisiting Pocos de Caldas. Application of the co-precipitation approach to establish realistic solubility limits for performance assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruno, J.; Duro, L.; Jordana, S.; Cera, E.

1996-02-01

Solubility limits constitute a critical parameter for the determination of the mobility of radionuclides in the near field and the geosphere, and consequently for the performance assessment of nuclear waste repositories. Mounting evidence from natural system studies indicate that trace elements, and consequently radionuclides, are associated to the dynamic cycling of major geochemical components. We have recently developed a thermodynamic approach to take into consideration the co-precipitation and co-dissolution processes that mainly control this linkage. The approach has been tested in various natural system studies with encouraging results. The Pocos de Caldas natural analogue was one of the sites where a full testing of our predictive geochemical modelling capabilities were done during the analogue project. We have revisited the Pocos de Caldas data and expanded the trace element solubility calculations by considering the documented trace metal/major ion interactions. This has been done by using the co-precipitation/co-dissolution approach. The outcome is as follows: A satisfactory modelling of the behaviour of U, Zn and REEs is achieved by assuming co-precipitation with ferrihydrite. Strontium concentrations are apparently controlled by its co-dissolution from Sr-rich fluorites. From the performance assessment point of view, the present work indicates that calculated solubility limits using the co-precipitation approach are in close agreement with the actual trace element concentrations. Furthermore, the calculated radionuclide concentrations are 2-4 orders of magnitude lower than conservative solubility limits calculated by assuming equilibrium with individual trace element phases. 34 refs, 18 figs, 13 tabs

Revisiting Pocos de Caldas. Application of the co-precipitation approach to establish realistic solubility limits for performance assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bruno, J.; Duro, L.; Jordana, S.; Cera, E. [QuantiSci, Barcelona (Spain)

1996-02-01

Solubility limits constitute a critical parameter for the determination of the mobility of radionuclides in the near field and the geosphere, and consequently for the performance assessment of nuclear waste repositories. Mounting evidence from natural system studies indicate that trace elements, and consequently radionuclides, are associated to the dynamic cycling of major geochemical components. We have recently developed a thermodynamic approach to take into consideration the co-precipitation and co-dissolution processes that mainly control this linkage. The approach has been tested in various natural system studies with encouraging results. The Pocos de Caldas natural analogue was one of the sites where a full testing of our predictive geochemical modelling capabilities were done during the analogue project. We have revisited the Pocos de Caldas data and expanded the trace element solubility calculations by considering the documented trace metal/major ion interactions. This has been done by using the co-precipitation/co-dissolution approach. The outcome is as follows: A satisfactory modelling of the behaviour of U, Zn and REEs is achieved by assuming co-precipitation with ferrihydrite. Strontium concentrations are apparently controlled by its co-dissolution from Sr-rich fluorites. From the performance assessment point of view, the present work indicates that calculated solubility limits using the co-precipitation approach are in close agreement with the actual trace element concentrations. Furthermore, the calculated radionuclide concentrations are 2-4 orders of magnitude lower than conservative solubility limits calculated by assuming equilibrium with individual trace element phases. 34 refs, 18 figs, 13 tabs.

A new technique for production of yellow cake with double precipitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Jianhua; Zeng Yijun; Li Shangyuan; Kong Guiying

1997-01-01

The author presents a new technique for production of yellow cake with double precipitation, thus solving a series of problems for precipitating uranium with traditional double precipitation. The new technique can not only remove ferric ions and sulfate radicals but also make solid-liquid separation easy, utilize effectively the sulfuric acid produced in ferric ions precipitation process, and increase uranium concentration of leaching liquor. To take it as producing yellow cake will save investment, simplify operation, and cut down the consumption of raw materials and energies. It is more competitive than ion-exchange or solvent extraction in the process of extracting-purifying and preparing yellow cake

Synchrotron X-ray induced solution precipitation of nanoparticles

CERN Document Server

Lee, H J; Hwu, Y; Tsai, W L

2003-01-01

By irradiating a solution in electroless Ni deposition using synchrotron X-rays, Ni composite was found to nucleate homogeneously and eventually precipitate in the form of nanoparticles. The size of the nanoparticles precipitated is rather uniform (100-300 nm depending on the applied temperature). By the addition of an organic acid, well-dispersed nanoparticles could be effectively deposited on glass substrate. The hydrated electrons (e sub a sub q sup -), products of radiolysis of water molecules by synchrotron X-rays, may be responsible for the effective reduction of the metal ions, resulting in homogeneous nucleation and nanoparticle formation. Our results suggest that synchrotron X-ray can be used to induce solution precipitation of nanoparticles and therefore lead to a new method of producing nanostructured particles and coating.

Preparation of porous carboxymethyl chitosan grafted poly (acrylic acid) superabsorbent by solvent precipitation and its application as a hemostatic wound dressing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Yu, E-mail: cylsy@163.com [School of Material Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081 (China); Zhang, Yong [School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081 (China); Wang, Fengju [School of Material Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081 (China); Meng, Weiwei; Yang, Xinlin [School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081 (China); Li, Peng [School of Material Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081 (China); Jiang, Jianxin [State Key Laboratory of Trauma Burns and Combined Injury, The Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400042 (China); Tan, Huimin [School of Material Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081 (China); Zheng, Yongfa [Guangdong Fuyang Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Heyuan, Guangdong 517000 (China)

2016-06-01

The volume phase transition of a hydrogel initiated by shrinking may result in complex patterns on its surface. Based on this unique property of hydrogel, we have developed a novel solvent precipitation method to prepare a kind of novel superabsorbent polymers with excellent hemostatic properties. A porous carboxymethyl chitosan grafted poly (acrylic acid) (CMCTS-g-PAA) superabsorbent polymer was prepared by precipitating CMCTS-g-PAA hydrogel with ethanol. Its potential application in hemostatic wound dressing was investigated. The results indicate that the modified superabsorbent polymer is non-cytotoxic. It showed a high swelling capacity and better hemostatic performance in the treatments of hemorrhage model of ear artery, arteria cruralis and spleen of the New Zealand white rabbit than the unmodified polymer and other commonly used clinic wound dressings. The hemostatic mechanism of the porous CMCTS-g-PAA polymer was also discussed. - Highlights: • The novel solvent precipitation method was developed to prepare the porous superabsorbent polymer. • The swelling rate was promoted and the harmful residual monomer was leached after modification. • The modified polymer showed good biological safety. • It showed good hemostasis to arterial hemorrhage model of the animal. • The hemostatic mechanism of the modified superabsorbent polymer was discussed.

Long-term stability of earthen materials in contact with acidic tailings solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peterson, S.R.; Erikson, R.L.; Gee, G.W.

1982-11-01

The objectives of the studies documented in this report were to use experimental and geochemical computer modeling tools to assess the long-term environmental impact of leachate movement from acidic uranium mill tailings. Liner failure (i.e., an increase in the permeability of the liner material) was not found to be a problem when various acidic tailings solutions leached through liner materials for periods up to 3 years. On the contrary, materials that contained over 30% clay showed a decrease in permeability with time in the laboratory columns. The high clay materials tested appear suitable for lining tailings impoundment ponds. The decreases in permeability are attributed to pore plugging resulting from the precipitation of minerals and solids. This precipitation takes place due to the increase in pH of the tailings solution brought about by the buffering capacity of the soil. Geochemical modeling predicts, and x-ray characterization confirms, that precipitation of solids from solution is occurring in the acidic tailings solution/liner interactions studied. In conclusion the same mineralogical changes and contaminant reactions predicted by geochemical modeling and observed in laboratory studies were found at a drained evaporation pond (Lucky Mc in Wyoming) with a 4 year history of acid attack

Modeling winter precipitation over the Juneau Icefield, Alaska, using a linear model of orographic precipitation

Science.gov (United States)

Roth, Aurora; Hock, Regine; Schuler, Thomas V.; Bieniek, Peter A.; Pelto, Mauri; Aschwanden, Andy

2018-03-01

Assessing and modeling precipitation in mountainous areas remains a major challenge in glacier mass balance modeling. Observations are typically scarce and reanalysis data and similar climate products are too coarse to accurately capture orographic effects. Here we use the linear theory of orographic precipitation model (LT model) to downscale winter precipitation from a regional climate model over the Juneau Icefield, one of the largest ice masses in North America (>4000 km2), for the period 1979-2013. The LT model is physically-based yet computationally efficient, combining airflow dynamics and simple cloud microphysics. The resulting 1 km resolution precipitation fields show substantially reduced precipitation on the northeastern portion of the icefield compared to the southwestern side, a pattern that is not well captured in the coarse resolution (20 km) WRF data. Net snow accumulation derived from the LT model precipitation agrees well with point observations across the icefield. To investigate the robustness of the LT model results, we perform a series of sensitivity experiments varying hydrometeor fall speeds, the horizontal resolution of the underlying grid, and the source of the meteorological forcing data. The resulting normalized spatial precipitation pattern is similar for all sensitivity experiments, but local precipitation amounts vary strongly, with greatest sensitivity to variations in snow fall speed. Results indicate that the LT model has great potential to provide improved spatial patterns of winter precipitation for glacier mass balance modeling purposes in complex terrain, but ground observations are necessary to constrain model parameters to match total amounts.

Cs separation from nitric acid solutions of radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heckmann, K.; Pieronczyk, W.; Strnad, J.; Feldmaier, F.

1989-01-01

It was the objective of this study to selectively separate active caesium (Cs-134 and Cs-137) from acid radioactive waste solutions (especially MAW and HAWC). The following 'strategy' was designed for a separation process: synthesis of reagents which are acid-resistant and selective for caesium; precipitation of Cs + and separation of the precipitates by filtration or centrifugation or precipitation of Cs + and separation of the precipitates by flotation; caesium separation by liquid-liquid extraction. As precipitating agents, sodium tetraphenylborate (kalignost) and several of its fluorine derivatives were examined. (orig./RB) [de

Research and performance evaluation on an HA integrated acid system for sandstone acidizing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liqiang Zhao

2018-03-01

Full Text Available When the conventional sandstone acidizing technologies are adopted, many slugs are needed in the injection of prepad fluid, treatment fluid and postpad fluid, and consequently the production and operation suffers inconveniences and difficulties. In view of this, a kind of HA integrated acid system which is mainly composed of organic polybasic acids (HA+HCl + HF and an efficient organic solvent was developed in this paper based on the idea of integrated acid replacing ''multiple steps'' and high efficiency and intensification. Via this HA integrated acid system, the complicated blockage in sandstone reservoirs can be removed effectively. Then, experiments were carried out on this system to evaluate its performance in terms of its retardance, organic blockage dissolution, chelating and precipitation inhibition. It is indicated that this new system can not only realize the acidizing of conventional integrated acid, but also present a good retarding performance by controlling H+ multi-stage ionization step by step and by forming silica acid-aluminum phosphonate film on the surface of clay minerals; that via this new HA integrated acid system, the organic blockage can be removed efficiently; and that it is wider in pH solution range than conventional APCs (aminopolycarboxyliates chelants, stronger in chelating capacity of Ca2+, Mg2+ and Fe3+ than conventional chelants (e.g. EDTA, NTA and DTPA, and better in precipitation inhibition on metal fluoride, fluosilicic acid alkali metal, fluoaluminic acid alkali metal and hydroxide than multi-hydrogen acid, fluoboric acid and mud acid systems. These research results provide a technical support for the plugging removal in high-temperature deep oil and gas reservoirs. Keywords: Organic polybasic acid, Integrated acid, Retardance, Chelating, Precipitation, Acidizing, Sandstone, Reservoir

The urban perspectives of acid rain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tonn, B.E.

1993-01-01

This report documents discussions held during a workshop an Urban Perspective of Acid Rain. The workshop was sponsored by the Office of the Director, National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP). NAPAP anticipates giving increased emphasis to the benefits in urban areas of emissions reductions. The goal of this informal, exploratory workshop was to serve as a first step towards identifying pollutant monitoring, and research and assessment needs to help answer, from an urban perspective, the two key questions posed to NAPAP by Congress: (1) what are the costs, benefits, and effectiveness of the acid rain control program, and (2) what reductions in deposition, rates are needed in order to prevent adverse effects? The workshop addressed research activities needed to respond to these questions. The discussions focused. sequentially, on data needs, data and model availability, and data and modeling gaps. The discussions concentrated on four areas of effects: human health, materials, urban forests, and visibility

Characterization of the precipitates formed during the denitration of simulated HRLW

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Music, S.; Ristic, M.; Popovic, S.

1989-01-01

The denitration of several chemical compositions of simulated highly radioactive liquid waste (HRLW) was performed using formic acid as reducing agent. Precipitates formed during the denitration of simulated HRLW were analyzed using x-ray diffraction and 57 Fe Moessbauer spectroscopy. Goethite and amorphous fractions were the principal phases in these precipitates. It was found that the chemical composition of HRLW and the experimental conditions of denitration had more influence on the crystal formation and the particle size than on the phase composition of the precipitates. (author) 27 refs.; 6 figs.; 6 tabs

Evaluation of the Potential of NASA Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis in Global Landslide Hazard Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Yang; Adler, Robert F.; Huffman, George J.

2007-01-01

Landslides are one of the most widespread natural hazards on Earth, responsible for thousands of deaths and billions of dollars in property damage every year. In the U.S. alone landslides occur in every state, causing an estimated $2 billion in damage and 25- 50 deaths each year. Annual average loss of life from landslide hazards in Japan is 170. The situation is much worse in developing countries and remote mountainous regions due to lack of financial resources and inadequate disaster management ability. Recently, a landslide buried an entire village on the Philippines Island of Leyte on Feb 17,2006, with at least 1800 reported deaths and only 3 houses left standing of the original 300. Intense storms with high-intensity , long-duration rainfall have great potential to trigger rapidly moving landslides, resulting in casualties and property damage across the world. In recent years, through the availability of remotely sensed datasets, it has become possible to conduct global-scale landslide hazard assessment. This paper evaluates the potential of the real-time NASA TRMM-based Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) system to advance our understanding of and predictive ability for rainfall-triggered landslides. Early results show that the landslide occurrences are closely associated with the spatial patterns and temporal distribution of rainfall characteristics. Particularly, the number of landslide occurrences and the relative importance of rainfall in triggering landslides rely on the influence of rainfall attributes [e.g. rainfall climatology, antecedent rainfall accumulation, and intensity-duration of rainstorms). TMPA precipitation data are available in both real-time and post-real-time versions, which are useful to assess the location and timing of rainfall-triggered landslide hazards by monitoring landslide-prone areas while receiving heavy rainfall. For the purpose of identifying rainfall-triggered landslides, an empirical global rainfall intensity

Whither Acid Rain?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Brimblecombe

2000-01-01

Full Text Available Acid rain, the environmental cause célèbre of the 1980s seems to have vanished from popular conscience. By contrast, scientific research, despite funding difficulties, has continued to produce hundreds of research papers each year. Studies of acid rain taught much about precipitation chemistry, the behaviour of snow packs, long-range transport of pollutants and new issues in the biology of fish and forested ecosystems. There is now evidence of a shift away from research in precipitation and sulfur chemistry, but an impressive theoretical base remains as a legacy.

Assessing the applicability of WRF optimal parameters under the different precipitation simulations in the Greater Beijing Area

Science.gov (United States)

Di, Zhenhua; Duan, Qingyun; Wang, Chen; Ye, Aizhong; Miao, Chiyuan; Gong, Wei

2018-03-01

Forecasting skills of the complex weather and climate models have been improved by tuning the sensitive parameters that exert the greatest impact on simulated results based on more effective optimization methods. However, whether the optimal parameter values are still work when the model simulation conditions vary, which is a scientific problem deserving of study. In this study, a highly-effective optimization method, adaptive surrogate model-based optimization (ASMO), was firstly used to tune nine sensitive parameters from four physical parameterization schemes of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to obtain better summer precipitation forecasting over the Greater Beijing Area in China. Then, to assess the applicability of the optimal parameter values, simulation results from the WRF model with default and optimal parameter values were compared across precipitation events, boundary conditions, spatial scales, and physical processes in the Greater Beijing Area. The summer precipitation events from 6 years were used to calibrate and evaluate the optimal parameter values of WRF model. Three boundary data and two spatial resolutions were adopted to evaluate the superiority of the calibrated optimal parameters to default parameters under the WRF simulations with different boundary conditions and spatial resolutions, respectively. Physical interpretations of the optimal parameters indicating how to improve precipitation simulation results were also examined. All the results showed that the optimal parameters obtained by ASMO are superior to the default parameters for WRF simulations for predicting summer precipitation in the Greater Beijing Area because the optimal parameters are not constrained by specific precipitation events, boundary conditions, and spatial resolutions. The optimal values of the nine parameters were determined from 127 parameter samples using the ASMO method, which showed that the ASMO method is very highly-efficient for optimizing WRF

Complete covalent structure of statherin, a tyrosine-rich acidic peptide which inhibits calcium phosphate precipitation from human parotid saliva.

Science.gov (United States)

Schlesinger, D H; Hay, D I

1977-03-10

The complete amino acid sequence of human salivary statherin, a peptide which strongly inhibits precipitation from supersaturated calcium phosphate solutions, and therefore stabilizes supersaturated saliva, has been determined. The NH2-terminal half of this Mr=5380 (43 amino acids) polypeptide was determined by automated Edman degradations (liquid phase) on native statherin. The peptide was digested separately with trypsin, chymotrypsin, and Staphylococcus aureus protease, and the resulting peptides were purified by gel filtration. Manual Edman degradations on purified peptide fragments yielded peptides that completed the amino acid sequence through the penultimate COOH-terminal residue. These analyses, together with carboxypeptidase digestion of native statherin and of peptide fragments of statherin, established the complete sequence of the molecule. The 2 serine residues (positions 2 and 3) in statherin were identified as phosphoserine. The amino acid sequence of human salivary statherin is striking in a number of ways. The NH2-terminal one-third is highly polar and includes three polar dipeptides: H2PO3-Ser-Ser-H2PO3-Arg-Arg-, and Glu-Glu-. The COOH-terminal two-thirds of the molecule is hydrophobic, containing several repeating dipeptides: four of -Gn-Pro-, three of -Tyr-Gln-, two of -Gly-Tyr-, two of-Gln-Tyr-, and two of the tetrapeptide sequence -Pro-Tyr-Gln-Pro-. Unusual cleavage sites in the statherin sequence obtained with chymotrypsin and S. aureus protease were also noted.

DEGREE OF ACIDIFICATION OF PRECIPITATION IN BIELSKO-BIAŁA REGION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Henryk Kasza

2014-10-01

Full Text Available In the paper results of long-term studies on acidification of water precipitation conducted in seven research points located near Bielsko-Biała were introduced. In each point period of study lasted ca. 1 year. The research was performed in the years 2002-2010. The range of pH of precipitation varied between 3.35 to 7.22. Majority of precipitation samples, because approximately 86% had pH < 5.6 i.e. lower than natural level, which indicated the presence of acidifying substances. Amongst samples of precipitation 47.6% were significantly and strongly acidic i.e. pH < 4.5. The rainwater with pH < 5.6 was more frequent than in more industrialized part of Silesian voivodship. In the investigated area pH of precipitation is mainly under influence of pollution flowing from west and southern-west and local sources of its emission.

Projections of precipitation, air temperature and potential ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

mabouelhaggag

Precipitation and air temperature records from 6 sites in Rwanda in the period from 1964 to 2010 are used for past/present climate assessment. Future climate projections (2010-2099) based on 3 general circulation models and 2 emission scenarios (A2 and B1) are used for climate projections. Precipitation, air temperature ...

The assessment of the existing measuring system for atmospheric precipitation control around Belchatow power plant and a concept of its changing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hryniewicz, R.

1993-01-01

The influence of fossil-fuel power plants on environment is also demonstrated by pollution of atmospheric precipitation with combustion products emitted to the atmosphere. Actual methods for the precipitation pollution control have been critically reviewed and their use fullness discussed. A new concept has been proposed for that purpose. The detailed analysis of chemical nature of effluents present in rain waters and their physical parameters will be used for environment state assessment in the future

Precipitation data in a mountainous catchment in Honduras: quality assessment and spatiotemporal characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Westerberg, I.; Walther, A.; Guerrero, J.-L.; Coello, Z.; Halldin, S.; Xu, C.-Y.; Chen, D.; Lundin, L.-C.

2010-08-01

An accurate description of temporal and spatial precipitation variability in Central America is important for local farming, water supply and flood management. Data quality problems and lack of consistent precipitation data impede hydrometeorological analysis in the 7,500 km2 Choluteca River basin in central Honduras, encompassing the capital Tegucigalpa. We used precipitation data from 60 daily and 13 monthly stations in 1913-2006 from five local authorities and NOAA's Global Historical Climatology Network. Quality control routines were developed to tackle the specific data quality problems. The quality-controlled data were characterised spatially and temporally, and compared with regional and larger-scale studies. Two gap-filling methods for daily data and three interpolation methods for monthly and mean annual precipitation were compared. The coefficient-of-correlation-weighting method provided the best results for gap-filling and the universal kriging method for spatial interpolation. In-homogeneity in the time series was the main quality problem, and 22% of the daily precipitation data were too poor to be used. Spatial autocorrelation for monthly precipitation was low during the dry season, and correlation increased markedly when data were temporally aggregated from a daily time scale to 4-5 days. The analysis manifested the high spatial and temporal variability caused by the diverse precipitation-generating mechanisms and the need for an improved monitoring network.

Assessment of {sup 7}Be content in precipitation in a South American semi-arid environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Juri Ayub, J., E-mail: jjuri@unsl.edu.ar [Grupo de Estudios Ambientales, Instituto de Matematica Aplicada San Luis, Universidad Nacional de San Luis/CCT-San Luis-CONICET, San Luis (Argentina); LARA, Laboratorio de Radioecologia, Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niteroi, RJ (Brazil); Lohaiza, F.; Velasco, H.; Rizzotto, M. [Grupo de Estudios Ambientales, Instituto de Matematica Aplicada San Luis, Universidad Nacional de San Luis/CCT-San Luis-CONICET, San Luis (Argentina); Di Gregorio, D.; Huck, H. [Departamento de Fisica, Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, Buenos Aires (Argentina); Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnologia, Universidad Nacional de San Martin, Buenos Aires (Argentina)

2012-12-15

-Right-Pointing-Pointer {sup 7}Be in precipitation was measured at a semiarid location in central Argentina. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer No atmospheric washout was observed except for one high precipitation event. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Wet deposition of {sup 7}Be was linearly correlated with precipitation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This relationship may be applied as a tool for assessing environmental processes. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The latter includes natural processes as well as the impacts of human disturbance.

Congo Basin precipitation: Assessing seasonality, regional interactions, and sources of moisture

Science.gov (United States)

Dyer, Ellen L. E.; Jones, Dylan B. A.; Nusbaumer, Jesse; Li, Harry; Collins, Owen; Vettoretti, Guido; Noone, David

2017-07-01

Precipitation in the Congo Basin was examined using a version of the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Earth System Model (CESM) with water tagging capability. Using regionally defined water tracers, or tags, the moisture contribution from different source regions to Congo Basin precipitation was investigated. We found that the Indian Ocean and evaporation from the Congo Basin were the dominant moisture sources and that the Atlantic Ocean was a comparatively small source of moisture. In both rainy seasons the southwestern Indian Ocean contributed about 21% of the moisture, while the recycling ratio for moisture from the Congo Basin was about 25%. Near the surface, a great deal of moisture is transported from the Atlantic into the Congo Basin, but much of this moisture is recirculated back over the Atlantic in the lower troposphere. Although the southwestern Indian Ocean is a major source of Indian Ocean moisture, it is not associated with the bulk of the variability in precipitation over the Congo Basin. In wet years, more of the precipitation in the Congo Basin is derived from Indian Ocean moisture, but the spatial distribution of the dominant sources is shifted, reflecting changes in the midtropospheric circulation over the Indian Ocean. During wet years there is increased transport of moisture from the equatorial and eastern Indian Ocean. Our results suggest that reliably capturing the linkages between the large-scale circulation patterns over the Indian Ocean and the local circulation over the Congo Basin is critical for future projections of Congo Basin precipitation.

Process for recovering yttrium and lanthanides from wet-process phosphoric acid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Janssen, J.A.; Weterings, C.A.

1983-06-28

Process for recovering yttrium and lanthanides from wet-process phosphoric acid by adding a flocculant to the phosphoric acid, separating out the resultant precipitate and then recovering yttrium and lanthanides from the precipitate. Uranium is recovered from the remaining phosphoric acid.

Speciation and precipitation of heavy metals in high-metal and high-acid mine waters from the Iberian Pyrite Belt (Portugal).

Science.gov (United States)

Durães, Nuno; Bobos, Iuliu; da Silva, Eduardo Ferreira

2017-02-01

Acid mine waters (AMW) collected during high- and low-flow water conditions from the Lousal, Aljustrel, and São Domingos mining areas (Iberian Pyrite Belt) were physicochemically analyzed. Speciation calculation using PHREEQC code confirms the predominance of Me n+ and Me-SO 4 species in AMW samples. Higher concentration of sulfate species (Me-SO 4 ) than free ion species (Me n+ , i.e., Al, Fe, and Pb) were found, whereas opposite behavior is verified for Mg, Cu, and Zn. A high mobility of Zn than Cu and Pb was identified. The sulfate species distribution shows that Fe 3+ -SO 4 2- , SO 4 2- , HSO 4 - , Al-SO 4 , MgSO 4 0 , and CaSO 4 0 are the dominant species, in agreement with the simple and mixed metal sulfates and oxy-hydroxysulphates precipitated from AMW. The saturation indices (SI) of melanterite and epsomite show a positive correlation with Cu and Zn concentrations in AMW, which are frequently retained in simple metal sulfates. Lead is well correlated with jarosite and alunite (at least in very acid conditions) than with simple metal sulfates. The Pb for K substitution in jarosite occurs as increasing Pb concentration in solution. Lead mobility is also controlled by anglesite precipitation (a fairly insoluble sulfate), where a positive correlation was ascertained when the SI approaches equilibrium. The zeta potential of AMW decreased as pH increased due to colloidal particles aggregation, where water species change from SO 4 2- to OH - species during acid to alkaline conditions, respectively. The AMW samples were supersaturated in schwertmannite and goethite, confirmed by the Me n+ -SO 4 , Me n+ -Fe-O-OH, or Me n+ -S-O-Fe-O complexes identified by attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR). The ATR-IR spectrum of an AMW sample with pH 3.5 (sample L1) shows well-defined vibration plans attributed to SO 4 tetrahedron bonded with Fe-(oxy)hydroxides and the Me n+ sorbed by either SO 4 or Fe-(oxy)hydroxides. For samples with lower pH values (p

Thermodynamic Assessment of Silica Precipitation in the Primary Coolant of PWR Plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Dooho; Kwon, Hyukchul; Sung, Kibang [Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. Ltd., Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-05-15

Increasing silica concentration has been observed in many plants' reactor coolant system (RCS) following a refueling outage as a result of the cross contamination between the refueling cavity and the spent fuel pool. To have a better understanding of the role of silica on the fuel crud deposition, MULTEQ (MULTiple Equilibrium) calculations were performed in this study to predict high-temperature aqueous and precipitated species such as aluminum, calcium, magnesium, zinc and silica. This thermodynamic study implies that all hardness cations such as aluminum, calcium and magnesium already have precipitates with boron under current normal plant operating conditions. However, In-core boiling can increase the amount of precipitates with silica, such as CaB{sub 2}O{sub 4} and CaMg(SiO{sub 3}){sub 2}. For all cases modeled, a 1 ppm silica concentration will not result in precipitation of SiO{sub 2}.

Chemical composition of precipitation in a forest area of Chongqing, southwest China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, F.; Zhang, J.; Zhang, H.; Ogura, N.; Ushikubo, A.

1996-01-01

Experiments were carried out in Chongqing - a city seriously damaged by acid precipitation in southwest China - to explore chemical compositions of open bulk precipitation, throughfall and stemflow in a Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) forest. The results showed that annual mean pH values of and annual ion depositions in the three types of rain water were 4.47 and 50.6 g m -2 , 3.82 and 69.7 g m -2 m and 2.92 and 0.215 g m -2 respectively. pH values demonstrated an obvious seasonal variation; they were lower in winter than in the rest of the year. Ca 2+ and NH 4 + together made up more than 80% of the total cation, while SO 4 2- alone contributed over 90% to the total anion. This high level of SO 4 2- in rain water in Congqing, which outran those found in other cities in China, was closely related to the combustion of locally produced coal that contains 3 to 5% sulphur. Thus, acid precipitation in Chongqing is of a typical sulphuric-acid type. 6 refs., 3 figs., 6 tabs

Amino acids and glycine ethyl ester as new crystallization reagents for lysozyme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, Len; Shiraki, Kentaro; Yamaguchi, Hiroshi

2010-01-01

During the past two decades, amino acids and amino-acid derivatives have been applied in various fields of protein chemistry. The potential use of amino acids and their derivatives as new precipitating agents is described. Several amino acids and their derivatives are prominent additives in the field of protein chemistry. This study reports the use of charged amino acids and glycine ethyl ester as precipitants in protein crystallization, using hen egg-white lysozyme (HEWL) as a model. A discussion of the crystallization of HEWL using these reagents as precipitating agents is given

Chemical Characteristics of Precipitation in a Typical Urban Site of the Hinterland in Three Gorges Reservoir, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liuyi Zhang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Major water-soluble ions were analyzed for two-year precipitation samples in Wanzhou, a typical urban site of the hinterland of Chinese Three Gorges Reservoir. The pH values of the precipitation were in the range of 4.0 to 8.3, and the volume-weighted mean (VWM value was 5.0. The concentration order of anions and cations was as follows: SO42->NO3->Cl->F- and NH4+>Ca2+>Na+>K+>Mg2+, respectively. Good correlations were found between SO42- and NH4+, SO42- and Ca2+, NO3- and NH4+, and NO3- and Ca2+, implying their co-occurrence in the precipitation, most likely as (NH42SO4, (NH4HSO4, NH4NO3, CaSO4, and Ca(NO32. The sum of all measured ions was 416.4 μeq L−1, indicating serious air pollution in Wanzhou. NH4+ and Ca2+ were the most important ions neutralizing the acidic compounds in the precipitation; their major sources included agricultural activity and crustal dust. Local anthropogenic activities, for example, coal burning and traffic related sources, contributed most of SO42- and NO3-. The equivalent concentration ratio of SO42-/NO3- was 4.5, indicating that excessive emission of sulfur was the main reason leading to the precipitation acidity in Wanzhou. However, this ratio was lower than the ratio (5.9 in 2000s in Wanzhou, indicating that the contribution of nitric acid to the acidity of precipitation was strengthening.

Expanding atmospheric acid deposition in China from the 1990s to the 2010s

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Haili; Wang, Qiufeng

2017-04-01

Atmospheric acid deposition is considered a global environmental issue. China has been experiencing serious acid deposition, which is anticipated to be more serious with the country's economic development and increasing consumption of fossil fuels in recent decades. By collecting nationwide data on pH and concentrations of sulfate (SO42-) and nitrate (NO3-) in precipitation between 1980 and 2014 in China, we explored the spatiotemporal variations of precipitation acid deposition (bulk deposition) and their influencing factors. Our results showed that average precipitation pH values were 4.86 and 4.84 in the 1990s and 2010s, respectively. This suggests that precipitation acid deposition in China has not seriously changes. Average SO42- deposition declined from 30.73 to 28.61 kg S ha-1 yr-1 but average NO3- deposition increased from 4.02 to 6.79 kg N ha-1 yr-1. Specifically, the area of severe precipitation acid deposition in southern China has shrunk to some extent as a result of decreasing pollutant emissions, whereas the area of moderate precipitation acid deposition has expanded in northern China, associated with rapid industrial and transportation development. Significant positive correlations have been found between precipitation acid deposition, energy consumption, and rainfall. Our findings provide a comprehensive evaluation of the spatiotemporal dynamics of precipitation acid deposition in China over past three decades, and confirm the idea that strategies implemented to save energy and reduce pollutant emissions in China have been effective in alleviating precipitation acid deposition. These findings might be used to demonstrate how developing countries could achieve economic development and environmental protection through the implementation of advanced technologies to reduce pollutant emissions.

Characterisation of Suspension Precipitated Nanocrystalline Hydroxyapatite Powders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mallik, P K; Swain, P.K.; Patnaik, S.C

2016-01-01

Hydroxyapatite (HA) is a well-known biomaterial for coating on femoral implants, filling of dental cavity and scaffold for tissue replacement. Hydroxyapatite possess limited load bearing capacity due to their brittleness. In this paper, the synthesis of nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite powders was prepared by dissolving calcium oxide in phosphoric acid, followed by addition of ammonia liquor in a beaker. The prepared solution was stirred by using magnetic stirrer operated at temperature of 80°C for an hour. This leads to the formation of hydroxyapatite precipitate. The precipitate was dried in oven for overnight at 100°C. The dried agglomerated precipitate was calcined at 800°C in conventional furnace for an hour. The influence of calcium oxide concentration and pH on the resulting precipitates was studied using BET, XRD and SEM. As result, a well-defined sub-rounded morphology of powders size of ∼41 nm was obtained with a salt concentration of 0.02 M. Finally, it can be concluded that small changes in the reaction conditions led to large changes in final size, shape and degree of aggregation of the hydroxyapatite particles. (paper)

Synthesis of amorphous acid iron phosphate nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palacios, E.; Leret, P.; Fernández, J. F.; Aza, A. H. De; Rodríguez, M. A.

2012-01-01

A simple method to precipitate nanoparticles of iron phosphate with acid character has been developed in which the control of pH allows to obtain amorphous nanoparticles. The acid aging of the precipitated amorphous nanoparticles favored the P–O bond strength that contributes to the surface reordering, the surface roughness and the increase of the phosphate acid character. The thermal behavior of the acid iron phosphate nanoparticles has been also studied and the phosphate polymerization at 400 °C produces strong compacts of amorphous nanoparticles with interconnected porosity.

A Global Assessment of Runoff Sensitivity to Changes in Precipitation, Potential Evaporation, and Other Factors

OpenAIRE

Berghuijs, Wouter; Larsen, Joshua; van Emmerik, Tim; Woods, Ross

2017-01-01

Precipitation (P) and potential evaporation (Ep) are commonly studied drivers of changing freshwater availability, as aridity (Ep/P) explains ∼90% of the spatial differences in mean runoff across the globe. However, it is unclear if changes in aridity over time are also the most important cause for temporal changes in mean runoff and how this degree of importance varies regionally. We show that previous global assessments that address these questions do not properly account for changes due to...

On the Relation between Natural and Enforced Syneresis of Acidic Precipitated Silica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sebastian Wilhelm

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Silica in industrial production processes is precipitated by mixing an acid and an inorganic precursor. In this aqueous solution, silica particles form due to a polymerization reaction and agglomeration and, finally, build a gel. Thereafter, the reaction continues, and the gel network shrinks with the expulsion of the enclosed pore liquid. This slow process is known as “natural syneresis” and strongly affects the product properties, such as the agglomerate size, specific surface or porosity of the silica produced. In order to investigate the influence of process parameters, such as temperature, pH or ionic strength, on the shrinkage in shorter time-scales, we propose an acceleration of this process and define it as “enforced syneresis”. The acceleration is performed by applying a mechanical external force to the gel by means of a plunger and measuring the shrinkage behavior under these conditions. Thereby, the conceptual idea is the prediction of the shrinkage due to natural syneresis based on the results of enforced syneresis. We are now able to predict the natural syneresis behavior from enforced syneresis data by the development of a correlative model. Using this prediction model, we can show the influence of temperature on the maximum shrinkage and on its rate in a significantly shorter time of about 12 h instead of several days.

Participation of the Pennsylvania State University in the MAP3S precipitation chemistry network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lamb, D.; de Pena, R.G.

1991-04-01

The Meteorology Department of the Pennsylvania State University collected precipitation in central Pennsylvania for more than 14 years on behalf of the Multistate Atmospheric Power Production Pollution Study (MAP3S). The MAP3S protocol, based on the sampling of precipitation from individual meteorological events over a long period of time, has allowed both for the development of a chemical climatology of precipitation in the eastern region of the United States and for a vastly improved understanding of the atmospheric processes responsible for wet acidic deposition. The precipitation chemistry data from the Penn State MAP3S site provide evidence of links to the anthropogenic emissions of sulfur dioxide and oxidant precursors. There is now little doubt that the free acidity in the precipitation of the region is due to the presence of unneutralized sulfate in the aqueous phase. In the absence of significant sources of this sulfur species and in view of supplemental enrichment studies, it is concluded that the sulfate enters cloud and rain water primarily through the aqueous-phase oxidation of sulfur dioxide emitted into the air within the geographical region of deposition. Within the source region the local abundances of sulfur dioxide often exceed those of the oxidants, so the depositions of sulfate and free acidity tend to be modulated by the availability of the strong oxidants. As a consequence, the deposition of sulfate exhibits a very strong seasonal dependence and little response to changes in the emissions of sulfur dioxide

End point control of an actinide precipitation reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muske, K.R.

1997-01-01

The actinide precipitation reactors in the nuclear materials processing facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory are used to remove actinides and other heavy metals from the effluent streams generated during the purification of plutonium. These effluent streams consist of hydrochloric acid solutions, ranging from one to five molar in concentration, in which actinides and other metals are dissolved. The actinides present are plutonium and americium. Typical actinide loadings range from one to five grams per liter. The most prevalent heavy metals are iron, chromium, and nickel that are due to stainless steel. Removal of these metals from solution is accomplished by hydroxide precipitation during the neutralization of the effluent. An end point control algorithm for the semi-batch actinide precipitation reactors at Los Alamos National Laboratory is described. The algorithm is based on an equilibrium solubility model of the chemical species in solution. This model is used to predict the amount of base hydroxide necessary to reach the end point of the actinide precipitation reaction. The model parameters are updated by on-line pH measurements

Geochemical processes assessed by Rare Earth Elements fractionation at “Laguna Verde” acidic-sulphate crater lake (Azufral volcano, Colombia)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inguaggiato, Claudio; Burbano, Viviana; Rouwet, Dmitri; Garzón, Gustavo

2017-01-01

The geochemical behaviour of major elements, Fe, Al, Mn, and Rare Earth Elements (REE) was investigated in the “Laguna Verde” acidic crater lake of Azufral volcano (Colombia). The cold lake water (T close to 10 °C) is sulphate-dominated, due to absorption and oxidation of H_2S (pH 2.1–2.7, Eh 196–260 mV), and Na-enriched (Total Dissolved Solids 0.79 g L"−"1). The total amount of REE dissolved in the lake ranges from 3.3 to 9.1 ppb. The REE patterns normalized to the local rocks show a Light Rare Earth Elements (LREE) depletion quite constant in the 15 samples. Similar patterns were already found in the acidic sulphate springs of Nevado del Ruiz volcano-hydrothermal system, caused by the precipitation of alunite and jarosite, absorbing LREE and hence removing them from solution. Alunite and jarosite minerals are not oversaturated at chemical-physical conditions within the lake itself, but alunite becomes oversaturated for temperatures above ≈100 °C, reigning in the underlying hydrothermal system. Water temperatures close to 75 °C were found in the northern part of the lake. Coupling the distribution of REE in lake water (LREE depleted) and the saturation indexes, we suggest that the distribution of REE in the lake water is the result of the alunite precipitation in the northern part of the lake and/or in the deeper hydrothermal system. The acidic hydrothermal fluids mobilize the REE with contents up to ≈5 orders of magnitude higher than seawater; acidic-hydrothermal systems, such as acidic crater lakes, can hence be considered potential REE “reservoirs”. - Highlights: • Acidic crater lakes can be considered potential Rare Earth Elements reservoirs. • Alunite precipitation removes Light Rare Earth Elements. • Rare Earth Elements identify geochemical processes in volcano-hydrothermal systems.

Landscape runoff, precipitation variation and reservoir limnology

OpenAIRE

Geraldes, Ana Maria

2010-01-01

Landscape runoff potential impact on reservoir limnology was indirectly evaluated by assessing the effect of precipitation variation on several water quality parameters, on Anabaena (Cyanophyta) and crustacean zooplankton abundances. The obtained results showed that total phosphorus increased with strong precipitation events whereas water transparency presented an opposite trend. Wet periods followed by long dry periods favored Anabaena dominance, which induced a...

Assessment of GPM and TRMM Multi-Satellite Precipitation Products in Streamflow Simulations in a Data-Sparse Mountainous Watershed in Myanmar

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fei Yuan

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Satellite precipitation products from the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM mission and its predecessor the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM are a critical data source for hydrological applications in ungauged basins. This study conducted an initial and early evaluation of the performance of the Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG final run and the TRMM Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis 3B42V7 precipitation products, and their feasibility in streamflow simulations in the Chindwin River basin, Myanmar, from April 2014 to December 2015 was also assessed. Results show that, although IMERG and 3B42V7 can potentially capture the spatiotemporal patterns of historical precipitation, the two products contain considerable errors. Compared with 3B42V7, no significant improvements were found in IMERG. Moreover, 3B42V7 outperformed IMERG at daily and monthly scales and in heavy rain detections at four out of five gauges. The large errors in IMERG and 3B42V7 distinctly propagated to streamflow simulations via the Xinanjiang hydrological model, with a significant underestimation of total runoff and high flows. The bias correction of the satellite precipitation effectively improved the streamflow simulations. The 3B42V7-based streamflow simulations performed better than the gauge-based simulations. In general, IMERG and 3B42V7 are feasible for use in streamflow simulations in the study area, although 3B42V7 is better suited than IMERG.

Precipitation and measurements of precipitation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schmidt, F.H.; Bruin, H.A.R. de; Attmannspacher, W.; Harrold, T.W.; Kraijenhoff van de Leur, D.A.

1977-01-01

In Western Europe, precipitation is normal phenomenon; it is of importance to all aspects of society, particularly to agriculture, in cattle breeding and, of course, it is a subject of hydrological research. Precipitation is an essential part in the hydrological cycle. How disastrous local

Forecasting gastrointestinal precipitation and oral pharmacokinetics of dantrolene in dogs using an in vitro precipitation testing coupled with in silico modeling and simulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kambayashi, Atsushi; Dressman, Jennifer B

2017-10-01

The aim of the current research was to determine the precipitation kinetics of dantrolene sodium using canine biorelevant in vitro testing and to model the precipitation kinetics by appropriately coupling the data with an in silico tool adapted for dogs. The precipitation profiles of dantrolene sodium solutions were obtained with the in vitro paddle apparatus at a revolution rate of 50rpm. The in silico prediction tool was designed using STELLA software and the predicted plasma concentration profiles of dantrolene using the in vitro precipitation data were compared with the observed in vivo pharmacokinetics in beagle dogs. The plasma profiles of dantrolene, which served as a model weakly acidic drug which precipitates in the upper gastrointestinal tract, was successfully predicted using the in vitro precipitation testing coupled with the in silico modeling and simulation approach. The approach was subsequently used to forecast the effect of pharmaceutical excipients (HPMC/PG) on the ability of the drug to supersaturate in the gut and the resulting pharmacokinetics. The agreement of the simulated pharmacokinetics with the observed values confirms the ability of canine biorelevant media to predict oral performance of enhanced dosage forms in dogs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Performance Assessment of Multi-Source Weighted-Ensemble Precipitation (MSWEP Product over India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akhilesh S. Nair

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Error characterization is vital for the advancement of precipitation algorithms, the evaluation of numerical model outputs, and their integration in various hydro-meteorological applications. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA has been a benchmark for successive Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM based products. This has given way to the evolution of many multi-satellite precipitation products. This study evaluates the performance of the newly released multi-satellite Multi-Source Weighted-Ensemble Precipitation (MSWEP product, whose temporal variability was determined based on several data products including TMPA 3B42 RT. The evaluation was conducted over India with respect to the IMD-gauge-based rainfall for pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post monsoon seasons at daily scale for a 35-year (1979–2013 period. The rainfall climatology is examined over India and over four geographical extents within India known to be subject to uniform rainfall. The performance evaluation of rainfall time series was carried out. In addition to this, the performance of the product over different rainfall classes was evaluated along with the contribution of each class to the total rainfall. Further, seasonal evaluation of the MSWEP products was based on the categorical and volumetric indices from the contingency table. Upon evaluation it was observed that the MSWEP products show large errors in detecting the higher quantiles of rainfall (>75th and > 95th quantiles. The MSWEP precipitation product available at a 0.25° × 0.25° spatial resolution and daily temporal resolution matched well with the daily IMD rainfall over India. Overall results suggest that a suitable region and season-dependent bias correction is essential before its integration in hydrological applications. While the MSWEP was observed to perform well for daily rainfall, it suffered from poor detection capabilities for higher quantiles, making

Growth response of four species of Eastern hardwood tree seedlings exposed to ozone, acidic precipitation, and sulfur dioxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, D.D. Skelly, J.M.

1992-01-01

In 1987 a study was conducted in controlled environment chambers to determine the foliar sensitivity of tree seedlings of eight species to ozone and acidic precipitation, and to determine the influence of leaf position on symptom severity. Jensen and Dochinger conducted concurrent similar studies in Continuously Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR) chambers with ten species of forest trees. Based on the results of these initial studies, four species representing a range in foliar sensitivity to ozone were chosen: black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.), red maple (Acer rubrum L.), northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) and yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.). These species were also chosen because of their ecological and/or commercial importance in Pennsylvania. Seedlings were exposed in growth chambers simulated acid rain. In addition acute exposures to sulfur dioxide were conducted in a regime based on unpublished monitoring data collected near coal-fired power plants. The objective of this study was to determine if the pollutant treatments influenced the growth and productivity of seedlings of these four species. This information will help researchers and foresters understand the role of air pollution in productivity of eastern forests

The precipitation of double fluoride salts of uranium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muir, C. W.A.

1963-02-15

Bench-scale kinetic tests were conducted to study the reduction and precipitation reactions involved in the preparation of ammonium uranous fluoride from high-purity uranyl nitrate solutions. Sulphur dioxide and formic acid were used to form the active reducing agent, nascent hyposulphite ion. The reduction was affected in the presence of ammonium fluoride, resulting in the precipitation of the highly insoluble double salt. It was found that uranium was precipituted at a constant rate throughout the progress of the reaction. It is postulated that the reducing agent was continuously regenerated, and that this reaction was rate controlling. As a result of this study, a reaction mechanism is proposed. (auth)

Composition of atmospheric precipitation. I. Nitrogen compounds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eriksson, E

1952-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to present a survey of published data on chemical analysis of atmospheric precipitation to discuss different cycles proposed for inorganic compounds in atmospheric precipitation and, finally, to assess the importance of these compounds from different points of view. Investigations of rainwater with a view to determine atmospheric pollution in industrial areas are mentioned incidentally but no results are detailed.

Precipitates/Salts Model Sensitivity Calculation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mariner, P.

2001-01-01

The objective and scope of this calculation is to assist Performance Assessment Operations and the Engineered Barrier System (EBS) Department in modeling the geochemical effects of evaporation on potential seepage waters within a potential repository drift. This work is developed and documented using procedure AP-3.12Q, ''Calculations'', in support of ''Technical Work Plan For Engineered Barrier System Department Modeling and Testing FY 02 Work Activities'' (BSC 2001a). The specific objective of this calculation is to examine the sensitivity and uncertainties of the Precipitates/Salts model. The Precipitates/Salts model is documented in an Analysis/Model Report (AMR), ''In-Drift Precipitates/Salts Analysis'' (BSC 2001b). The calculation in the current document examines the effects of starting water composition, mineral suppressions, and the fugacity of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) on the chemical evolution of water in the drift

Extraction of rare earth elements from low-grade Bauxite via precipitation reaction

Science.gov (United States)

Kusrini, E.; Nurani, Y.; Bahari, ZJ

2018-03-01

The aim of this research was to determine the optimum hydrometallurgical parameters to extract the rare earth elements (REE) from low-grade bauxite through acid leaching and precipitation reaction. REE or lanthanide recovery by a precipitation method with sodium sulphate and sodium phosphate as precipitation agents is reported where the effect of pH and recovery of REE are described. The metal composition of REE in low-grade bauxite after treatment were analyzed by ICP-OES. The total recovery values of REE elements at the first precipitation reaction using sodium sulphate as the precipitation agent at pH 3.5 showed ~68.2% of lanthanum, ~18.9% cerium, and ~7.8% yttrium. Lanthanum was the rare-earth element present at the highest concentration in the low-grade bauxite after the series treatments. An optimum pH of 3.5 for precipitation of rare-earth elements using sodium sulphate was demonstrated where this method is recommended for the extraction of REE elements from low-grade bauxite.

Geochemical mass balance for sulfur- and nitrogen-bearing acid components: Eastern United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bischoff, W.D.; Mackenzie, F.T.; Paterson, V.L.

1984-01-01

The impact on a geographical region of SO 2 and nitrogen oxides (NO /SUB x/ ) emissions to the atmosphere because of man's activities (e.g., burning of fossil fuels and smelting of sulfide ores) usually has not been considered in terms of a regional geochemical mass balance model. Mass balance models, however, have been employed extensively on a global scale. The models evaluate reservoir sizes, processes and fluxes associated with the transfer of a substance within a system of interest. The models may be steady- or transient-state, and include assessment of historical (geologic), present and future data and processes. In this chapter a geochemical mass balance model is applied to constituents of acid precipitation (H + , NO - 3 and SO 2- ) to evaluate the impact of acid precipitation on the eastern United States

Microbially-Mediated Precipitation of Calcium Carbonate Nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Ser Ku; Roh, Yul

2016-02-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the biomineralization of carbonate minerals using microorganisms (Wu Do-1) enriched from rhodoliths. A 16S rRNA sequence analysis showed that Wu Do-1 mainly contained Proteus mirabilis. The pH decreased from 6.5 to 5.3 over the first 4 days of incubation due to microbial oxidation of organic acids, after which it increased to 7.8 over the remaining incubation period. XRD analysis showed that the precipitates were Mg-rich cal- cite (MgxCa(1-x)CO3), whereas no precipitates were formed without the addition of Wu Do-1 in D-1 medium. SEM-EDS analyses showed that the Mg-rich calcite had a rhombohedron shape and consisted of Ca, Si and Mg with an extracelluar polymeric substance (EPS). In addition, TEM-EDS analyses revealed they were hexagon in shape, 500-700 nm in size, and composed of Ca, Mg, C, and O. These results indicated that Wu Do-1 induced precipitation of Mg-rich calcite on the cell walls and EPS via the accumulation of Ca and/or Mg ions. Therefore, microbial precipitation of carbonate nanoparticles may play an important role in metal and carbon biogeochemistry, as well as in carbon sequestration in natural environments.

Flow cytometric assessment of viability of lactic acid bacteria

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bunthof, C.J.; Bloemen, K.; Breeuwer, P.; Rombouts, F.M.; Abee, T.

2001-01-01

The viability of lactic acid bacteria is crucial for their applications as dairy starters and as probiotics. We investigated the usefulness of flow cytometry (FCM) for viability assessment of lactic acid bacteria. The esterase substrate carboxyfluorescein diacetate (cFDA) and the dye exclusion DNA

Effects of acidic deposition on the erosion of carbonate stone - experimental results from the U. S. National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baedecker, P.A.; Reddy, M.M.; Reimann, K.J.; Sciammarella, C.A. (US Geological Survey, Reston, VA (USA))

1992-06-01

Test briquettes and slabs of freshly quarried limestone and marble have been exposed to the environment to quantify the incremental effects of wet and dry deposition of hydrogen ion, sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides on stone erosion. Erosion due to grain loss did not seem to be influenced by rainfall acidity, but may be influenced by dry deposition of sulphur dioxide between rainfall events. Chemical analyses of the run-off solutions suggest that around 30% of erosion by dissolution can be attributed to the wet deposition of hydrogen ion and the dry deposition of sulphur dioxide and nitric acid between rain events. The remaining 70% of erosion by dissolution is accounted for by the solubility of carbonate stone in 'clean' rain. 17 refs., 4 figs., 7 tabs.

Precipitation of uranium concentrates by hydrogen peroxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbosa Filho, O.

1986-12-01

An experimental study on the (UO 4 .xH 2 ) uranyl peroxide precipitation from a uranium process strip solution is presented. The runs were performed in a batch reactor, in laboratory scale. The main objective was to assess the possibility of the peroxide route as an alternative to a conventional ammonium diuranate process. The chemical composition of process solution was obtained. The experiments were conducted according to a factorial design, aiming to evaluate the effects of initial pH, precipitation pH and H 2 O 2 /UO 2 2+ ratio upon the process. The responses were measured in terms of the efficiency of U precipitation, the content of U in the precipitates and the distribution of impurities in the precipitates. The results indicated that the process works is satisfactory on the studied conditions and depending on conditions, it is possible to achieve levels of U precipitation efficiency greater than 99.9% in reaction times of 2 hours. The precipitates reach grades around 99% U 3 O 8 after calcination (900 0 C) and impurities fall below the limit for penalties established by the ASTM and the Allied Chemical Standards. The precipitates are composed of large aggregates of crystals of 1-4 μm, are fast settling and filtering, and are free-flowing when dry. (Author) [pt

The Contribution of Extreme Precipitation to the Total Precipitation in China

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

SUN Jian-Qi

2012-01-01

Using daily precipitation data from weather stations in China, the variations in the contribution of extreme precipitation to the total precipitation are analyzed. It is found that extreme precipitation accounts for approximately one third of the total precipitation based on the overall mean for China. Over the past half century, extreme precipitation has played a dominant role in the year-to-year variability of the total precipitation. On the decadal time scale, the extreme precipitation makes different contributions to the wetting and drying regions of China. The wetting trends of particular regions are mainly attributed to increases in extreme precipitation; in contrast, the drying trends of other regions are mainly due to decreases in non-extreme precipitation.

Evaluation of satellite-retrieved extreme precipitation using gauge observations

Science.gov (United States)

Lockhoff, M.; Zolina, O.; Simmer, C.; Schulz, J.

2012-04-01

Precipitation extremes have already been intensively studied employing rain gauge datasets. Their main advantage is that they represent a direct measurement with a relatively high temporal coverage. Their main limitation however is their poor spatial coverage and thus a low representativeness in many parts of the world. In contrast, satellites can provide global coverage and there are meanwhile data sets available that are on one hand long enough to be used for extreme value analysis and that have on the other hand the necessary spatial and temporal resolution to capture extremes. However, satellite observations provide only an indirect mean to determine precipitation and there are many potential observational and methodological weaknesses in particular over land surfaces that may constitute doubts concerning their usability for the analysis of precipitation extremes. By comparing basic climatological metrics of precipitation (totals, intensities, number of wet days) as well as respective characteristics of PDFs, absolute and relative extremes of satellite and observational data this paper aims at assessing to which extent satellite products are suitable for analysing extreme precipitation events. In a first step the assessment focuses on Europe taking into consideration various satellite products available, e.g. data sets provided by the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP). First results indicate that satellite-based estimates do not only represent the monthly averaged precipitation very similar to rain gauge estimates but they also capture the day-to-day occurrence fairly well. Larger differences can be found though when looking at the corresponding intensities.

Precipitation Depth-Duration-Frequency Analysis for the Nevada National Security Site and Surrounding Areas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Li [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Las Vegas, NV (United States). Division of Hydrologic Sciences; Miller, Julianne J. [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Las Vegas, NV (United States). Division of Hydrologic Sciences

2016-08-01

Accurate precipitation frequency data are important for Environmental Management Soils Activities on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). These data are important for environmental assessments performed for regulatory closure of Soils Corrective Action Unit (CAU) Sites, as well as engineering mitigation designs and post-closure monitoring strategies to assess and minimize potential contaminant migration from Soils CAU Sites. Although the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Atlas 14 (Bonnin et al., 2011) provides precipitation frequency data for the NNSS area, the NNSS-specific observed precipitation data were not consistent with the NOAA Atlas 14 predicted data. This is primarily due to the NOAA Atlas 14 products being produced from analyses without including the approximately 30 NNSS precipitation gage records, several of which approach or exceed 50 year of record. Therefore, a study of precipitation frequency that incorporated the NNSS precipitation gage records into the NOAA Atlas 14 dataset, was performed specifically for the NNSS to derive more accurate site-specific precipitation data products. Precipitation frequency information, such as the depth-duration-frequency (DDF) relationships, are required to generate synthetic standard design storm hydrographs and assess actual precipitation events. In this study, the actual long-term NNSS precipitation gage records, some of which are the longest gage records in southern and central Nevada, were analyzed to allow for more accurate precipitation DDF estimates to be developed for the NNSS. Gridded maps of precipitation frequency for the NNSS and surrounding areas were then produced.

Modeling the degradation of Portland cement pastes by biogenic organic acids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Windt, Laurent; Devillers, Philippe

2010-01-01

Reactive transport models can be used to assess the long-term performance of cement-based materials subjected to biodegradation. A bioleaching test (with Aspergillus niger fungi) applied to ordinary Portland cement pastes during 15 months is modeled with HYTEC. Modeling indicates that the biogenic organic acids (acetic, butyric, lactic and oxalic) strongly accelerate hydrate dissolution by acidic hydrolysis whilst their complexation of aluminum has an effect on the secondary gel stability only. The deepest degradation front corresponds to portlandite dissolution and decalcification of calcium silicate hydrates. A complex pattern of sulfate phases dissolution and precipitation takes place in an intermediate zone. The outermost degraded zone consists of alumina and silica gels. The modeling accurateness of calcium leaching, pH evolution and degradation thickness is consistently enhanced whilst considering increase of diffusivity in the degraded zones. Precipitation of calcium oxalate is predicted by modeling but was hindered in the bioleaching reactor.

Projections of Future Precipitation Extremes Over Europe: A Multimodel Assessment of Climate Simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Rajczak, Jan; Schär, Christoph

2017-10-01

Projections of precipitation and its extremes over the European continent are analyzed in an extensive multimodel ensemble of 12 and 50 km resolution EURO-CORDEX Regional Climate Models (RCMs) forced by RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5 (Representative Concentration Pathway) aerosol and greenhouse gas emission scenarios. A systematic intercomparison with ENSEMBLES RCMs is carried out, such that in total information is provided for an unprecedentedly large data set of 100 RCM simulations. An evaluation finds very reasonable skill for the EURO-CORDEX models in simulating temporal and geographical variations of (mean and heavy) precipitation at both horizontal resolutions. Heavy and extreme precipitation events are projected to intensify across most of Europe throughout the whole year. All considered models agree on a distinct intensification of extremes by often more than +20% in winter and fall and over central and northern Europe. A reduction of rainy days and mean precipitation in summer is simulated by a large majority of models in the Mediterranean area, but intermodel spread between the simulations is large. In central Europe and France during summer, models project decreases in precipitation but more intense heavy and extreme rainfalls. Comparison to previous RCM projections from ENSEMBLES reveals consistency but slight differences in summer, where reductions in southern European precipitation are not as pronounced as previously projected. The projected changes of the European hydrological cycle may have substantial impact on environmental and anthropogenic systems. In particular, the simulations indicate a rising probability of summertime drought in southern Europe and more frequent and intense heavy rainfall across all of Europe.

FIA-FAAS method for tannin determination based on a precipitation reaction with hemoglobin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ferreira Edilene C.

2003-01-01

Full Text Available A flow system, coupled with flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FIA-FAAS, was developed for tannin determination in pigeon pea samples, exploring the precipitation reaction between tannins and proteins. Sample extracts obtained by sonication with a 50% (v/v methanol solution were introduced into the system and induced to react with a hemoglobin solution. The precipitate produced was retained on a filter located in the analytical flow. A reversed flow of 1% (w/v sodium dodecyl sulfate solution was used for solubilization of the precipitate from the filter and to conduct the tannin-hemoglobin complex to the FAAS, to quantify the iron ions present in the hemoglobin structure. A tannic acid solution was used to prepare the analytical curve. The proposed method allowed determination of 30 samples per hour, a standard deviation of 9.7% (n=10, and a quantification limit of 0.27 mg L-1 for tannic acid.

Assessing the uncertainty of soil moisture impacts on convective precipitation using a new ensemble approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Henneberg

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Soil moisture amount and distribution control evapotranspiration and thus impact the occurrence of convective precipitation. Many recent model studies demonstrate that changes in initial soil moisture content result in modified convective precipitation. However, to quantify the resulting precipitation changes, the chaotic behavior of the atmospheric system needs to be considered. Slight changes in the simulation setup, such as the chosen model domain, also result in modifications to the simulated precipitation field. This causes an uncertainty due to stochastic variability, which can be large compared to effects caused by soil moisture variations. By shifting the model domain, we estimate the uncertainty of the model results. Our novel uncertainty estimate includes 10 simulations with shifted model boundaries and is compared to the effects on precipitation caused by variations in soil moisture amount and local distribution. With this approach, the influence of soil moisture amount and distribution on convective precipitation is quantified. Deviations in simulated precipitation can only be attributed to soil moisture impacts if the systematic effects of soil moisture modifications are larger than the inherent simulation uncertainty at the convection-resolving scale.We performed seven experiments with modified soil moisture amount or distribution to address the effect of soil moisture on precipitation. Each of the experiments consists of 10 ensemble members using the deep convection-resolving COSMO model with a grid spacing of 2.8 km. Only in experiments with very strong modification in soil moisture do precipitation changes exceed the model spread in amplitude, location or structure. These changes are caused by a 50 % soil moisture increase in either the whole or part of the model domain or by drying the whole model domain. Increasing or decreasing soil moisture both predominantly results in reduced precipitation rates. Replacing the soil

Fundamental chemistry of precipitation and mineral scale formation

Science.gov (United States)

Alan W. Rudie; Peter W. Hart

2005-01-01

The mineral scale that deposits in digesters and bleach plants is formed by a chemical precipitation process. As such, it is accurately described or modeled using the solubility product equilibrium constant. Although solubility product identifies the primary conditions that need to be met for a scale problem to exist, the acid base equilibria of the scaling anions...

Extreme Precipitation in Poland in the Years 1951-2010

Science.gov (United States)

Malinowska, Miroslawa

2017-12-01

The characteristics of extreme precipitation, including the dominant trends, were analysed for eight stations located in different parts of Poland for the period 1951-2010. Five indices enabling the assessment of the intensity and frequency of both extremely dry and wet conditions were applied. The indices included the number of days with precipitation ≥10mm·d-1 (R10), maximum number of consecutive dry days (CDD), maximum 5-day precipitation total (R5d), simple daily intensity index (SDII), and the fraction of annual total precipitation due to events exceeding the 95th percentile calculated for the period 1961-1990. Annual trends were calculated using standard linear regression method, while the fit of the model was assessed with the F-test at the 95% confidence level. The analysed changes in extreme precipitation showed mixed patterns. A significant positive trend in the number of days with precipitation ≥10mm·d-1 (R10) was observed in central Poland, while a significant negative one, in south-eastern Poland. Based on the analysis of maximum 5-day precipitation totals (R5d), statistically significant positive trends in north-western, western and eastern parts of the country were detected, while the negative trends were found in the central and northeastern parts. Daily precipitation, expressed as single daily intensity index (SDII), increased over time in northern and central Poland. In southern Poland, the variation of SDII index showed non-significant negative tendencies. Finally, the fraction of annual total precipitation due to the events exceeding the 1961-1990 95th percentile increased at one station only, namely, in Warsaw. The indicator which refers to dry conditions, i.e. maximum number of consecutive dry days (CDD) displayed negative trends throughout the surveyed area, with the exception of Szczecin that is a representative of north-western Poland.

Acid rain publications by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1979-1989

Science.gov (United States)

Villella, Rita F.

1989-01-01

Pollution of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems has been a concern to society since the burning of fossil fuels began in the industrial revolution. In the past decade or so, this concern has been heightened by evidence that chemical transformation in the atmosphere of combustion by-products and subsequent long-range transport can cause environmental damage in remote areas. The extent of this damage and the rates of ecological recovery were largely unknown. "Acid rain" became the environmental issue of the 1980's. To address the increasing concerns of the public, in 1980 the Federal government initiated a 10-year interagency research program to develop information that could be used by the President and the Congress in making decisions for emission controls. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been an active participant in acid precipitation research. The Service provided support to a number of scientific conferences and forums, including the Action Seminar on Acid Precipitation held in Toronto, Canada, in 1979, an international symposium on Acidic Precipitation and Fishery Impacts in Northeastern North America in 1981, and a symposium on Acidic Precipitation and Atmospheric Deposition: A Western Perspective in 1982. These meetings as well as the growing involvement with the government's National Acidic Precipitation Assessment Program placed the Service in the lead in research on the biological effects of acidic deposition. Research projects have encompassed water chemistry, aquatic invertebrates, amphibians, fish, and waterfowl. Water quality surveys have been conducted to help determine the extent of acid precipitation effects in the northeast, Middle Atlantic, and Rocky Mountain regions. In addition to lake and stream studies, research in wetland and some terrestrial habitats has also been conducted. Specific projects have addressed important sport species such as brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), and striped bass (Morone

The role of intermetallic precipitates in Ti-62222S

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Evans, D J [US Air Force Mater. Directorate Wright Lab., Wright Patterson AFB, OH (United States); Broderick, T F [US Air Force Mater. Directorate Wright Lab., Wright Patterson AFB, OH (United States); Woodhouse, J B [UES Inc, Dayton, OH (United States); Hoenigman, J R [Wright State Univ., Dayton, OH (United States). Research Inst.

1996-08-15

Samples of Ti-62222-0.23wt.%Si were heat treated and aged at temperatures ranging from 1150 F to 1500 F with the view of effecting selective precipitation of {alpha}{sub 2} precipitates and silicides (i.e. Ti{sub x}Zr{sub 5-x}Si{sub 3}). The effect of these intermetallic precipitates on the mechanical properties and fracture morphology was assessed via three separate microstructural conditions: Ti-62222S with {alpha}{sub 2} precipitates, Ti-62222S with {alpha}{sub 2} and silicide precipitates, and Ti-62222S with silicide precipitates. Both types of intermetallic precipitate appear to lower the fracture toughness, however {alpha}{sub 2} promotes intergranular fracture while silicides lead to transgranular failure and dimpling. The combined presence of the {alpha}{sub 2} and silicides leads to mixed mode failure. Further, since {alpha}{sub 2} is present in the {alpha} phase and silicides precipitate out in the {beta} phase, it appears that the effect of each of these intermetallics in Ti-62222S is additive rather than synergistic. (orig.)

Comparison and trend study on acidity and acidic buffering capacity of particulate matter in China

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Lihong; Wang, Wei; Wang, Qingyue; Yang, XiaoYang; Tang, Dagang

2011-12-01

The acidity of about 2000 particulate matter samples from aircraft and ground-based monitoring is analyzed by the method similar to soil acidity determination. The ground-based samples were collected at about 50 urban or background sites in northern and southern China. Moreover, the acidic buffering capacity of those samples is also analyzed by the method of micro acid-base titration. Results indicate that the acidity level is lower in most northern areas than those in the south, and the acidic buffering capacity showed inverse tendency, correspondingly. This is the most important reason why the pollution of acidic-precipitation is much more serious in Southern China than that in Northern China. The acidity increases and the acidic buffering capacity drops with the decreasing of the particle sizes, indicating that fine particle is the main influencing factor of the acidification. The ionic results show that Ca salt is the main alkaline substance in particulate matter, whereas the acidification of particulate matter is due to the SO 2 and NO x emitted from the fossil fuel burning. And among of them, coal burning is the main contributor of SO 2, however the contribution of NO x that emitted from fuel burning of motor vehicles has increased in recent years. By comparison of the experimental results during the past 20 years, it can be concluded that the acid precipitation of particulate matter has not been well controlled, and it even shows an increasing tendency in China lately. The acid precipitation of particulate matter has begun to frequently attack in part of the northern areas. Multiple regression analysis indicates that coefficient value of the ions is the lowest at the urban sites and the highest at the regional sites, whereas the aircraft measurement results are intermediate between those two kinds of sites.

Acid rain information book. Second edition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-05-01

Potential consequences of widespread acid precipitation are reviewed through an extensive literature search. Major aspects of the acid rain phenomena are discussed, areas of uncertainty identified, and current research summarized

The Relationships Between Insoluble Precipitation Residues, Clouds, and Precipitation Over California's Southern Sierra Nevada During Winter Storms

Science.gov (United States)

Creamean, Jessie M.; White, Allen B.; Minnis, Patrick; Palikonda, Rabindra; Spangenberg, Douglas A.; Prather, Kimberly A.

2016-01-01

Ice formation in orographic mixed-phase clouds can enhance precipitation and depends on the type of aerosols that serve as ice nucleating particles (INP). The resulting precipitation from these clouds is a viable source of water, especially for regions such as the California Sierra Nevada. Thus, a better understanding of the sources of INP that impact orographic clouds is important for assessing water availability in California. This study presents a multi-site, multi-year analysis of single particle insoluble residues in precipitation samples that likely influenced cloud ice and precipitation formation above Yosemite National Park. Dust and biological particles represented the dominant fraction of the residues (64% on average). Cloud glaciation, determined using GOES satellite observations, not only depended on high cloud tops (greater than 6.2 km) and low temperatures (less than -26 C), but also on the composition of the dust and biological residues. The greatest prevalence of ice-phase clouds occurred in conjunction with biologically-rich residues and mineral dust rich in calcium, followed by iron and aluminosilicates. Dust and biological particles are known to be efficient INP, thus these residues are what likely influenced ice formation in clouds above the sites and subsequent precipitation quantities reaching the surface during events with similar meteorology. The goal of this study is to use precipitation chemistry information to gain a better understanding of the potential sources of INP in the south-central Sierra Nevada, where cloud-aerosol-precipitation interactions are under-studied and where mixed-phase orographic clouds represent a key element in the generation of precipitation and thus the water supply in California.

Salts-based size-selective precipitation: toward mass precipitation of aqueous nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chun-Lei; Fang, Min; Xu, Shu-Hong; Cui, Yi-Ping

2010-01-19

Purification is a necessary step before the application of nanocrystals (NCs), since the excess matter in nanoparticles solution usually causes a disadvantage to their subsequent coupling or assembling with other materials. In this work, a novel salts-based precipitation technique is originally developed for the precipitation and size-selective precipitation of aqueous NCs. Simply by addition of salts, NCs can be precipitated from the solution. After decantation of the supernatant solution, the precipitates can be dispersed in water again. By means of adjusting the addition amount of salt, size-selective precipitation of aqueous NCs can be achieved. Namely, the NCs with large size are precipitated preferentially, leaving small NCs in solution. Compared with the traditional nonsolvents-based precipitation technique, the current one is simpler and more rapid due to the avoidance of condensation and heating manipulations used in the traditional precipitation process. Moreover, the salts-based precipitation technique was generally available for the precipitation of aqueous nanoparticles, no matter if there were semiconductor NCs or metal nanoparticles. Simultaneously, the cost of the current method is also much lower than that of the traditional nonsolvents-based precipitation technique, making it applicable for mass purification of aqueous NCs.

From honeycomb- to microsphere-patterned surfaces of poly(lactic acid) and a starch-poly(lactic acid) blend via the breath figure method.

Science.gov (United States)

Duarte, Ana Rita C; Maniglio, Devid; Sousa, Nuno; Mano, João F; Reis, Rui L; Migliaresi, Claudio

2017-01-26

This study investigated the preparation of ordered patterned surfaces and/or microspheres from a natural-based polymer, using the breath figure and reverse breath figure methods. Poly(D,L-lactic acid) and starch poly(lactic acid) solutions were precipitated in different conditions - namely, polymer concentration, vapor atmosphere temperature and substrate - to evaluate the effect of these conditions on the morphology of the precipitates obtained. The possibility of fine-tuning the properties of the final patterns simply by changing the vapor atmosphere was also demonstrated here using a range of compositions of the vapor phase. Porous films or discrete particles are formed when the differences in surface tension determine the ability of polymer solution to surround water droplets or methanol to surround polymer droplets, respectively. In vitro cytotoxicity was assessed applying a simple standard protocol to evaluate the possibility to use these materials in biomedical applications. Moreover, fluorescent microscopy images showed a good interaction of cells with the material, which were able to adhere on the patterned surfaces after 24 hours in culture. The development of patterned surfaces using the breath figure method was tested in this work for the preparation of both poly(lactic acid) and a blend containing starch and poly(lactic acid). The potential of these films to be used in the biomedical area was confirmed by a preliminary cytotoxicity test and by morphological observation of cell adhesion.

Exploring standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index for drought assessment in Bangladesh.

Science.gov (United States)

Miah, Md Giashuddin; Abdullah, Hasan Muhammad; Jeong, Changyoon

2017-10-09

Drought is a critical issue, and it has a pressing, negative impact on agriculture, ecosystems, livelihoods, food security, and sustainability. The problem has been studied globally, but its regional or even local dimension is sometimes overlooked. Local-level drought assessment is necessary for developing adaptation and mitigation strategies for that particular region. Keeping this in understanding, an attempt was made to create a detailed assessment of drought characteristics at the local scale in Bangladesh. Standardized precipitation evapotranspiration (SPEI) is a new drought index that mainly considers the rainfall and evapotranspiration data set. Globally, SPEI has become a useful drought index, but its local scale application is not common. SPEI base (0.5° grid data) for 110 years (1901-2011) was utilized to overcome the lack of long-term climate data in Bangladesh. Available weather data (1955-2011) from Bangladesh Meteorology Department (BMD) were analyzed to calculate SPEI weather station using the SPEI calculator. The drivers for climate change-induced droughts were characterized by residual temperature and residual rainfall data from different BMD stations. Grid data (SPEI base ) of 26 stations of BMD were used for drought mapping. The findings revealed that the frequency and intensity of drought are higher in the northwestern part of the country which makes it vulnerable to both extreme and severe droughts. Based on the results, the SPEI-based drought intensity and frequency analyses were carried out, emphasizing Rangpur (northwest region) as a hot spot, to get an insight of drought assessment in Bangladesh. The findings of this study revealed that SPEI could be a valuable tool to understand the evolution and evaluation of the drought induced by climate change in the country. The study also justified the immediate need for drought risk reduction strategies that should lead to relevant policy formulations and agricultural innovations for developing

The Fractionation and Enrichment of La Content by Precipitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suyanti; Purwani, MV

2007-01-01

The fractionation and enrichment of La content by precipitation have been done. The feed was La hydroxide by product of monazite sand. La hydroxide was diluted in HNO 3 and was precipitated with ammonia. For to obtain La, diluent was precipitated at pH 8 and the filtrate was precipitated with oxalic acid. The precipitant of La concentrated was more rich than the feed. This process was done continue and fractionally. The best yield of enrichment of La was obtained at dilution of 25 gram La Hydroxide in 20 ml HNO 3 . The efficient degree of fractionation was XV. The average weight of La concentrate was obtained at every fraction was 1 gram. The total sum weight from fraction I until fraction XV 13.5 grams. The average of La content was 48%, average fractionation efficiency of La for every step of fractionation was 48 %. Total efficiency all process was 100%. The average ratio of La/Nd was 2 and the ratio of La/Ce almost infinite. Before processed La/Ce was 7.86, and after process increase to 26.92 - to approach ∞. Before processed ratio of La/Nd was 2.79, after processed increased to 4.4 - to approach ∞. (author)

Particle precipitation in connection with KOH etching of silicon

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Christian Bergenstof; Christensen, Carsten; Pedersen, Casper

2004-01-01

This paper considers the precipitation of iron oxide particles in connection with the KOH etching of cavities in silicon wafers. The findings presented in this paper suggest that the source to the particles is the KOH pellets used for making the etching solution. Experiments show that the precipi......This paper considers the precipitation of iron oxide particles in connection with the KOH etching of cavities in silicon wafers. The findings presented in this paper suggest that the source to the particles is the KOH pellets used for making the etching solution. Experiments show...... that the precipitation is independent of KOH etching time, but that the amount of deposited material varies with dopant type and dopant concentration. The experiments also suggest that the precipitation occurs when the silicon wafers are removed from the KOH etching solution and not during the etching procedure. When...... not removed, the iron oxide particles cause etch pits on the Si surface when later processed and exposed to phosphoric acid. It has been found that the particles can be removed in an HCl solution, but not completely in an H2SO4- H2O2 solution. The paper discusses the involved precipitation mechanism in terms...

The Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) Combined Precipitation Dataset

Science.gov (United States)

Huffman, George J.; Adler, Robert F.; Arkin, Philip; Chang, Alfred; Ferraro, Ralph; Gruber, Arnold; Janowiak, John; McNab, Alan; Rudolf, Bruno; Schneider, Udo

1997-01-01

The Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) has released the GPCP Version 1 Combined Precipitation Data Set, a global, monthly precipitation dataset covering the period July 1987 through December 1995. The primary product in the dataset is a merged analysis incorporating precipitation estimates from low-orbit-satellite microwave data, geosynchronous-orbit -satellite infrared data, and rain gauge observations. The dataset also contains the individual input fields, a combination of the microwave and infrared satellite estimates, and error estimates for each field. The data are provided on 2.5 deg x 2.5 deg latitude-longitude global grids. Preliminary analyses show general agreement with prior studies of global precipitation and extends prior studies of El Nino-Southern Oscillation precipitation patterns. At the regional scale there are systematic differences with standard climatologies.

Tundra water budget and implications of precipitation underestimation.

Science.gov (United States)

Liljedahl, Anna K; Hinzman, Larry D; Kane, Douglas L; Oechel, Walter C; Tweedie, Craig E; Zona, Donatella

2017-08-01

Difficulties in obtaining accurate precipitation measurements have limited meaningful hydrologic assessment for over a century due to performance challenges of conventional snowfall and rainfall gauges in windy environments. Here, we compare snowfall observations and bias adjusted snowfall to end-of-winter snow accumulation measurements on the ground for 16 years (1999-2014) and assess the implication of precipitation underestimation on the water balance for a low-gradient tundra wetland near Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska (2007-2009). In agreement with other studies, and not accounting for sublimation, conventional snowfall gauges captured 23-56% of end-of-winter snow accumulation. Once snowfall and rainfall are bias adjusted, long-term annual precipitation estimates more than double (from 123 to 274 mm), highlighting the risk of studies using conventional or unadjusted precipitation that dramatically under-represent water balance components. Applying conventional precipitation information to the water balance analysis produced consistent storage deficits (79 to 152 mm) that were all larger than the largest actual deficit (75 mm), which was observed in the unusually low rainfall summer of 2007. Year-to-year variability in adjusted rainfall (±33 mm) was larger than evapotranspiration (±13 mm). Measured interannual variability in partitioning of snow into runoff (29% in 2008 to 68% in 2009) in years with similar end-of-winter snow accumulation (180 and 164 mm, respectively) highlights the importance of the previous summer's rainfall (25 and 60 mm, respectively) on spring runoff production. Incorrect representation of precipitation can therefore have major implications for Arctic water budget descriptions that in turn can alter estimates of carbon and energy fluxes.

A simple and effective method for detecting precipitated proteins in MALDI-TOF MS.

Science.gov (United States)

Oshikane, Hiroyuki; Watabe, Masahiko; Nakaki, Toshio

2018-04-01

MALDI-TOF MS has developed rapidly into an essential analytical tool for the life sciences. Cinnamic acid derivatives are generally employed in routine molecular weight determinations of intact proteins using MALDI-TOF MS. However, a protein of interest may precipitate when mixed with matrix solution, perhaps preventing MS detection. We herein provide a simple approach to enable the MS detection of such precipitated protein species by means of a "direct deposition method" -- loading the precipitant directly onto the sample plate. It is thus expected to improve routine MS analysis of intact proteins. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Multiresolution comparison of precipitation datasets for large-scale models

Science.gov (United States)

Chun, K. P.; Sapriza Azuri, G.; Davison, B.; DeBeer, C. M.; Wheater, H. S.

2014-12-01

Gridded precipitation datasets are crucial for driving large-scale models which are related to weather forecast and climate research. However, the quality of precipitation products is usually validated individually. Comparisons between gridded precipitation products along with ground observations provide another avenue for investigating how the precipitation uncertainty would affect the performance of large-scale models. In this study, using data from a set of precipitation gauges over British Columbia and Alberta, we evaluate several widely used North America gridded products including the Canadian Gridded Precipitation Anomalies (CANGRD), the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis, the Water and Global Change (WATCH) project, the thin plate spline smoothing algorithms (ANUSPLIN) and Canadian Precipitation Analysis (CaPA). Based on verification criteria for various temporal and spatial scales, results provide an assessment of possible applications for various precipitation datasets. For long-term climate variation studies (~100 years), CANGRD, NCEP, WATCH and ANUSPLIN have different comparative advantages in terms of their resolution and accuracy. For synoptic and mesoscale precipitation patterns, CaPA provides appealing performance of spatial coherence. In addition to the products comparison, various downscaling methods are also surveyed to explore new verification and bias-reduction methods for improving gridded precipitation outputs for large-scale models.

2,3-Butanediol recovery from fermentation broth by alcohol precipitation and vacuum distillation.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, Sangjun; Kim, Duk-Ki; Song, Hyohak; Lee, Hee Jong; Park, Sunghoon; Seung, Doyoung; Chang, Yong Keun

2014-04-01

This study presents a new and effective downstream process to recover 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD) from fermentation broth which is produced by a recombinant Klebsiella pneumoniae strain. The ldhA-deficient K. pneumoniae strain yielded about 90 g/L of 2,3-BD, along with a number of by-products, such as organic acids and alcohols, in a 65 h fed-batch fermentation. The pH-adjusted cell-free fermentation broth was firstly concentrated until 2,3-BD reached around 500 g/L by vacuum evaporation at 50°C and 50 mbar vacuum pressure. The concentrated solution was further treated using light alcohols, including methanol, ethanol, and isopropanol, for the precipitation of organic acids and inorganic salts. Isopropanol showed the highest removal efficiency, in which 92.5% and 99.8% of organic acids and inorganic salts were precipitated, respectively. At a final step, a vacuum distillation process enabled the recovery of 76.2% of the treated 2,3-BD, with 96.1% purity, indicating that fermentatively produced 2,3-BD is effectively recovered by a simple alcohol precipitation and vacuum distillation. Copyright © 2013 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Precipitates/Salts Model Sensitivity Calculation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

P. Mariner

2001-12-20

The objective and scope of this calculation is to assist Performance Assessment Operations and the Engineered Barrier System (EBS) Department in modeling the geochemical effects of evaporation on potential seepage waters within a potential repository drift. This work is developed and documented using procedure AP-3.12Q, ''Calculations'', in support of ''Technical Work Plan For Engineered Barrier System Department Modeling and Testing FY 02 Work Activities'' (BSC 2001a). The specific objective of this calculation is to examine the sensitivity and uncertainties of the Precipitates/Salts model. The Precipitates/Salts model is documented in an Analysis/Model Report (AMR), ''In-Drift Precipitates/Salts Analysis'' (BSC 2001b). The calculation in the current document examines the effects of starting water composition, mineral suppressions, and the fugacity of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) on the chemical evolution of water in the drift.

Novel Stable Isotope Methods for Assessing Changes in Seasonality of Precipitation from Sediments of Ombrotrophic Peatlands

Science.gov (United States)

Nichols, J. E.; Booth, R. K.; Jackson, S. T.; Pendall, E. G.; Walcott, M.; Bradley, R.; Pilcher, J.; Huang, Y.

2007-12-01

The seasonality of precipitation is a key but often elusive climate parameter in paleoclimate reconstructions. Sediments from ombrotrophic peatlands are excellent archives of past changes in precipitation/evaporation balance. Here we show that these peatland sediments can also be used to assess changes in the seasonality of precipitation. We have recently determined that distributions of Sphagnum and vascular plant biomarkers sensitively record changes in hydrologic balance (Nichols et al., 2006, Org. Geochem. 37, 1505-1513), but biomarker distributions alone do not offer detailed information for the changes in seasonal precipitation. In this study, we combine biomarker and compound-specific H and C isotope ratios to create a more comprehensive picture of the changing climate affecting these sensitive ombrotrophic systems. We present here two sets of downcore data from sites in Arctic Europe as well as Eastern North America. Basic paleohydrology is established using a ratio of Sphagnum to vascular plant biomarkers (C23 and C29 n-alkanes, respectively. We further describe paleohydrology using novel stable isotope proxies based on δD and δ13C measurements of Sphagnum and vascular plant biomarkers. Because Sphagnum has no vascular system and loses water directly by evaporation, Sphagnum biomarkers enriched in deuterium indicate an evaporative growing season (summer). Vascular plants use their root systems to take up water stored within the peatland, so deuterium-depleted vascular plant biomarkers should indicate increased winter recharge of the peatland. A methanotrophic symbiont living inside the Sphagnum's hyaline (water-holding) cells is more active when the Sphagnum is wet and therefore provides more 13C depleted (methane- derived) carbon dioxide for biomass production when the growing season is less evaporative. Hence, 13C depleted Sphagnum biomarkers indicate increased methanotrophy and therefore a wetter summer. We corroborate our stable isotope proxies by

A study of selective precipitation techniques used to recover refined iron oxide pigments for the production of paint from a synthetic acid mine drainage solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryan, M.J.; Kney, A.D.; Carley, T.L.

2017-01-01

New resource recovery methods of acid mine drainage (AMD) treatment aim to reduce waste by extracting iron contaminants in usable forms, specifically iron oxides as industrial inorganic pigments, which can be marketed and sold to subsidize treatment costs. In this study, iron oxide pigments of varying colors and properties were recovered from a synthetic AMD solution through a stepwise selective precipitation process using oxidation, pH adjustment, and filtration. Chemical and physical design variables within the process, such as alkaline addition rate, reaction temperature, drying duration, and target pH, were altered and observed for their effects on iron oxide morphology as a means of reducing—or even eliminating—the need for refining after synthesis. Resulting iron oxide pigment powders were analyzed with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and visually evaluated for color and coating ability. Drying duration resulted in increased redness in paint streaks and enhanced crystallinity, as amorphous phases of iron oxide transformed into hematite. Alkaline addition rate showed no effect on the crystallinity of the powders and no consistent effect on color. Conversely, increasing reaction temperature darkened the color of pigments and increased surface area of pigment particles (thus improving coating ability) without changing the crystallinity of the samples. Iron oxides precipitated at pH 3 displayed the highest purity and possessed a distinct yellow color suggestive of jarosite, while other paint streaks darkened in color as trace metal impurities increased. The choice to use lower pH for higher quality iron oxides comes with the compromise of reduced iron recovery efficiency. Manganese and nickel did not begin to precipitate out of solution up to pH 7 and thus require increased pH neutralization in the field if natural AMD is found to contain those metals. All pigments developed in this study were found to be adequate for use as

Recovery of Am-Cm from high-activity waste concentrate by in-canyon-tank precipitation as oxalates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gray, L.W.; Burney, G.A.; Wilson, T.W.; McKibben, J.M.

1980-01-01

Savannah River Laboratory and Savannah River Plant have been separating actinides for more than 25 years. Work continues to upgrade processes and to initiate new processes. This report summarizes work on a precipitation process to separate kg amounts of Am and Cm from hundreds of kilograms of NaNO 3 and Al(NO 3 ) 3 . The developed process includes formic acid denitration of the Am-Cm bearing streams for acid adjustment; oxalate precipitation of the Am-Cm; and Mn +2 catalyzed oxidation of oxalate in both the decanted supernate and the precipitated actinides. The new process generates one fourth the radioactive waste as the solvent extraction process which it replaced, and produces a cleaner feed solution for downstream processing to separate the Am and Cm before conversion to their respective oxides

Calcite precipitates in Slovenian bottled waters.

Science.gov (United States)

Stanič, Tamara Ferjan; Miler, Miloš; Brenčič, Mihael; Gosar, Mateja

2017-06-01

Storage of bottled waters in varying ambient conditions affects its characteristics. Different storage conditions cause changes in the initial chemical composition of bottled water which lead to the occurrence of precipitates with various morphologies. In order to assess the relationship between water composition, storage conditions and precipitate morphology, a study of four brands of Slovenian bottled water stored in PET bottles was carried out. Chemical analyses of the main ions and measurements of the physical properties of water samples were performed before and after storage of water samples at different ambient conditions. SEM/EDS analysis of precipitates was performed after elapsed storage time. The results show that the presence of Mg 2+ , SO 4 2- , SiO 2 , Al, Mn and other impurities such as K + , Na + , Ba and Sr in the water controlled precipitate morphology by inhibiting crystal growth and leading to elongated rhombohedral calcite crystal forms which exhibit furrowed surfaces and calcite rosettes. Different storage conditions, however, affected the number of crystallization nuclei and size of calcite crystals. Hollow calcite spheres composed of cleavage rhombohedrons formed in the water with variable storage conditions by a combination of evaporation and precipitation of water droplets during high temperatures or by the bubble templating method.

Removal of ammonia from landfill leachate by struvite precipitation with the use of low-cost phosphate and magnesium sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Haiming; Xiao, Dean; Zhang, Qingrui; Ding, Li

2014-12-01

This paper presents a study concerning ammonia removal from landfill leachate by struvite precipitation with the use of waste phosphoric acid as the phosphate source. The results indicated that the Al(3+) ions present in the waste phosphoric acid significantly affected the struvite precipitation, and a removal ratio of ammonia close to that of pure phosphate salts could be achieved. Nevertheless, large amounts of NaOH were necessary to neutralize the H(+) present in the waste phosphoric acid. To overcome this problem, a low-cost magnesium source was proposed to be used as well as an alkali reagent in the struvite precipitation. The ammonia removal ratios were found to be 83%, with a remaining phosphate of 56 mg/L, by dosing the low-cost MgO in the Mg:N:P molar ratio of 3:1:1. An economic analysis showed that using waste phosphoric acid plus the low-cost MgO could save chemical costs by 68% compared with the use of pure chemicals. Post-treatment employment of a biological anaerobic filter process demonstrated that the high concentration of Mg(2+) remaining in the effluent of the struvite precipitation has no inhibitory effect on the performance of the biological treatment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of five gridded precipitation products at climatological scales over West Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Akinsanola, A. A.; Ogunjobi, K. O.; Ajayi, V. O.; Adefisan, E. A.; Omotosho, J. A.; Sanogo, S.

2017-12-01

The paper aimed at assessing the capabilities and limitations of five different precipitation products to describe rainfall over West Africa. Five gridded precipitation datasets of the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) Multi-Platform Analysis (TMPA 3B43v7); University of Delaware (UDEL version 3.01); Climatic Research Unit (CRU version 3.1); Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC version 7) and African Rainfall Climatology (ARC version 2) were compared and validated with reference ground observation data from 81 stations spanning a 19-year period, from January 1990 to December 2008. Spatial investigation of the precipitation datasets was performed, and their capability to replicate the inter-annual and intra-seasonal variability was also assessed. The ability of the products to capture the El Nino and La Nina events were also assessed. Results show that all the five datasets depicted similar spatial distribution of mean rainfall climatology, although differences exist in the total rainfall amount for each precipitation dataset. Further analysis shows that the three distinct phases of the mean annual cycle of the West Africa Monsoon precipitation were well captured by the datasets. However, CRU, GPCC and UDEL failed to capture the little dry season in the month of August while UDEL and GPCC underestimated rainfall amount in the Sahel region. Results of the inter-annual precipitation anomalies shows that ARC2 fail to capture about 46% of the observed variability while the other four datasets exhibits a greater performance ( r > 0.9). All the precipitation dataset except ARC2 were consistent with the ground observation in capturing the dry and wet conditions associated with El Nino and La Nina events, respectively. ARC2 tends to overestimate the El Nino event and failed to capture the La Nina event in all the years considered. In general GPCC, CRU and TRMM were found to be the most outstanding datasets and can, therefore, be used for precipitation

Sequential separation of cs, ca and ba for 90sr assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dianu, M.; Bucur, C.

2015-01-01

A two-steps chemical treatment technique for strontium assessment from aqueous samples is described in this paper. The method was applied to simulated samples containing stable elements of Ni, Cs, Ca, Ba, Mn, Fe, Co and Eu. The transition elements (Ni, Mn, Fe, Co, Eu) were precipitated as hydroxides, followed by alkaline-earth metals separation (Ca, Ba) as carbonates. Finally, the Sr was purified by extraction chromatography using Triskem International Sr resin. The strength of Sr sorption in nitric acid increases with increasing acid concentration, and the optimal bonding strength is achieved in 8 M HNO3. The combination of successive precipitations with extraction chromatography for complete removal of other interferences from Sr matrix leads to good recovery and decontamination factor values. (authors)

Climatic change of summer temperature and precipitation in the Alpine region - a statistical-dynamical assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heimann, D.; Sept, V.

1998-12-01

Climatic changes in the Alpine region due to increasing greenhouse gas concentrations are assessed by using statistical-dynamical downscaling. The downscaling procedure is applied to two 30-year periods (1971-2000 and 2071-2100, summer months only) of the output of a transient coupled ocean/atmosphere climate scenario simulation. The downscaling results for the present-day climate are in sufficient agreement with observations. The estimated regional climate change during the next 100 years shows a general warming. The mean summer temperatures increase by about 3 to more than 5 Kelvin. The most intense climatic warming is predicted in the western parts of the Alps. The amount of summer precipitation decreases in most parts of central Europe by more than 20 percent. Only over the Adriatic area and parts of eastern central Europe an increase in precipitation is simulated. The results are compared with observed trends and results of regional climate change simulations of other authors. The observed trends and the majority of the simulated trends agree with our results. However, there are also climate change estimates which completely contradict with ours. (orig.) 29 refs.

Haloacetic acids in the aquatic environment. Part II: ecological risk assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanson, Mark L.; Solomon, Keith R.

2004-01-01

Haloacetic acids (HAAs) are environmental contaminants found in aquatic ecosystems throughout the world as a result of both anthropogenic and natural production. The ecological risk posed by these compounds to organisms in freshwater environments, with a specific focus on aquatic macrophytes, was characterized. The plants evaluated were Lemna gibba, Myriophyllum spicatum and M. sibiricum and the HAAs screened were monochloroacetic acid (MCA), dichloroacetic acid (DCA), trichloroacetic acid (TCA), trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and chlorodifluoroacetic acid (CDFA). Laboratory toxicity data formed the basis of the risk assessment, but field studies were also utilized. The estimated risk was calculated using hazard quotients (HQ), as well as effect measure distributions (EMD) in a modified probabilistic ecological risk assessment. EMDs were used to estimate HAA thresholds of toxicity for use in HQ assessments. This threshold was found to be a more sensitive measure of low toxicity than the no observed effect concentrations (NOEC) or the effective concentration (EC 10 ). Using both deterministic and probabilistic methods, it was found that HAAs do not pose a significant risk to freshwater macrophytes at current environmental concentrations in Canada, Europe or Africa for both single compound and mixture exposures. Still, HAAs are generally found as mixtures and their potential interactions are not fully understood, rendering this phase of the assessment uncertain and justifying further effects characterization. TCA in some environments poses a slight risk to phytoplankton and future concentrations of TFA and CDFA are likely to increase due to their recalcitrant nature, warranting continued environmental surveillance of HAAs. - Current environmental concentrations of haloacetic acids do not pose a risk to aquatic macrophytes, but could impact plankton

How is climate change impacting precipitation?

Science.gov (United States)

Heidari, A.; Houser, P. R.

2015-12-01

Water is an integrating component of the climate, energy and geochemical cycles, regulating biological and ecological activities at all spatial and temporal scales. The most significant climate warming manifestation would be a change in the distribution of precipitation and evaporation, and the exacerbation of extreme hydrologic events. Due to this phenomenon and the fact that precipitation is the most important component of the water cycle, the assumption of its stationarity for water management and engineering design should be examined closely. The precipitation Annual Maximum Series (AMS) over some stations in Virginia based on in situ data were been used as a starting point to examine this important issue. We analyzed the AMS precipitation on NOAA data for the stations close to Fairfax VA, looked for trends in extreme values, and applied our new method of Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) theory based on quadratic forms to address changes in those extreme values and to quantify non-stationarities. It is very important to address the extreme values of precipitation based on several statistical tests to have better understanding of climate change impact on the extreme water cycle events. In our study we compared our results with the conclusion on NOAA atlas 14 Ap.3 which found no sign of precipitation non-stationarity. We then assessed the impact of this uncertainty in IDF curves on the flood map of Fairfax and compared the results with the classic IDF curves.

On the effects of wildfires on precipitation in Southern Africa

Science.gov (United States)

De Sales, Fernando; Okin, Gregory S.; Xue, Yongkang; Dintwe, Kebonye

2018-03-01

This study investigates the impact of wildfire on the climate of Southern Africa. Moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer derived burned area fraction data was implemented in a set of simulations to assess primarily the role of wildfire-induced surface changes on monthly precipitation. Two post-fire scenarios are examined namely non-recovering and recovering vegetation scenarios. In the former, burned vegetation fraction remains burned until the end of the simulations, whereas in the latter it is allowed to regrow following a recovery period. Control simulations revealed that the model can dependably capture the monthly precipitation and surface temperature averages in Southern Africa thus providing a reasonable basis against which to assess the impacts of wildfire. In general, both wildfire scenarios have a negative impact on springtime precipitation. September and October were the only months with statistically significant precipitation changes. During these months, precipitation in the region decreases by approximately 13 and 9% in the non-recovering vegetation scenario, and by about 10 and 6% in the recovering vegetation wildfire scenario, respectively. The primary cause of precipitation deficit is the decrease in evapotranspiration resulting from a reduction in surface net radiation. Areas impacted by the precipitation reduction includes the Luanda, Kinshasa, and Brazzaville metropolitan areas, The Angolan Highlands, which are the source of the Okavango Rive, and the Okavango Delta region. This study suggests that a probable intensification in wildfire frequency and extent resulting from projected population increase and global warming in Southern Africa could potentially exacerbate the impacts of wildfires in the region's seasonal precipitation.

PREPARATION OF METAL OXIDE POWDERS FROM METAL LOADED VERSATIC ACID

OpenAIRE

KAKIHATA, Takayuki; USAMI, Kensuke; YAMAMOTO, Hideki; SHIBATA, Junji

1998-01-01

A production process for metal oxide powders was developed using a solvent extraction method. Versatic Acid 10 and D2EHPA solutions containing copper, zinc and nickel were used for a precipitation-stripping process, where oxalic acid was added to the solution as a precipitation reagent.Copper, zinc and nickel oxalates were easily formed in an aqueous phase, and 99.9% of precipitation was obtained for each metal during this process. These metal oxalates were easily converted to metal oxides by...

Separation and purification of uranium product from thorium in thorex process by precipitation technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramanujam, A.; Dhami, P.S.; Gopalakrishnan, V.; Mukherjee, A.; Dhumwad, R.K.

1989-01-01

A sequential precipitation technique is reported for the separation of uranium and thorium present in the uranium product stream of a single cycle 5 per cent TBP Thorex Process. It involves the precipitation of thorium as oxalate in 1M HNO 3 medium at 60-70degC and after filtration, precipitation of uranium as ammonium diuranate at 80-90degC from the oxalate supernatant. This technique has several advantages over the ion-exchange process normally used for treating these products. In order to meet the varying feed conditions, this method has been tested for feeds containing 10 g/1 uranium and 1-50 g/1 thorium in 1-6M HNO 3 . Various parameters like feed acidities, uranium and thorium concentrations, excess oxalic acid concentrations in the oxalate supernatant, precipitation temperatures, precipitate wash volumes etc. have been optimised to obtain more than 99 per cent recovery of thorium and uranium as their oxides with less than 50 ppm uranium losses to ammonium diuranate filtrate. The distribution patterns of different fission products and stainless steel corrosion products during various steps of this procedure have also been studied. For simulating the actual Thorex plant scale operation, experiments have been conducted with 25g and 100g lots of uranium per batch. (author). 6 tabs., 8 figs., 22 refs

On the Precipitation and Precipitation Change in Alaska

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gerd Wendler

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Alaska observes very large differences in precipitation throughout the state; southeast Alaska experiences consistently wet conditions, while northern Arctic Alaska observes very dry conditions. The maximum mean annual precipitation of 5727 mm is observed in the southeastern panhandle at Little Port Arthur, while the minimum of 92 mm occurs on the North Slope at Kuparuk. Besides explaining these large differences due to geographic and orographic location, we discuss the changes in precipitation with time. Analyzing the 18 first-order National Weather Service stations, we found that the total average precipitation in the state increased by 17% over the last 67 years. The observed changes in precipitation are furthermore discussed as a function of the observed temperature increase of 2.1 °C, the mean temperature change of the 18 stations over the same period. This observed warming of Alaska is about three times the magnitude of the mean global warming and allows the air to hold more water vapor. Furthermore, we discuss the effect of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO, which has a strong influence on both the temperature and precipitation in Alaska.

The characteristics changes of pH and EC of atmospheric precipitation and analysis on the source of acid rain in the source area of the Yangtze River from 2010 to 2015

Science.gov (United States)

Zong-Jie, Li; Song, Ling-Ling; Jing-zhu, Ma; Li, Yong-ge

2017-05-01

Through the analysis of pH value, EC, precipitation and wind speed of 402 precipitation samples in the source region of the Yangtze River from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2015, especially for the analysis of the 14 acid rain events. The results showed that: the acid rain in the source region of the Yangtze River was mainly affected by the southwest monsoon and the westerly circulation. The occurrence of acid rain mainly controlled by industrial pollution and other pollutants coming from India and other surrounding areas. And the other cause was that because of the Qinghai Tibet highway and the Qinghai Tibet railway, there were a lot of cars coming and going. And there were people in the summer to plateau tourism increased year by year, and more for self-driving travelling. This added additional pollutants (automobile exhaust) for the source of the Yangtze River. During the period of sampling, the variation range of pH value was from 4.0 to 8.57, with the mean was 6.37. And the range of EC was from 5.2 to 124.4 μs/cm, the average was 27.59 μs/cm. The order of conductivity in the four seasons was Spring > Winter > Summer > Autumn. And the order of pH in four seasons was Summer > Spring = Winter > Autumn. The results are also helpful for further understanding the acid rain in the Tibetan Plateau and providing scientific basis for the effective prevention and control of acid rain.

230Th, 232Th and 238U determinations in phosphoric acid fertilizer and process products by ICP-MS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nascimento, Marcos R.L. do; Guerreiro, Luisa M.R.; Bonifacio, Rodrigo L.; Taddei, Maria H.T.

2015-01-01

Through processing of Santa Quiteria-CE mine phosphate rock, Brazil has established a project for production of phosphoric acid fertilizer and uranium as a by-product. Under leaching conditions of phosphate rock with sulfuric acid, which is the common route for preparing phosphoric acid fertilizer, a large part of uranium, thorium and their decay products naturally present in the rock are solubilized. In order to assess the contamination potential in phosphoric acid and others process products, this paper describes a previous precipitation and direct methods for routine analysis of thorium and uranium isotopes by ICP-MS. In all samples, 230 Th, 232 Th and 238 U were directly determined after dilution, except 230 Th in phosphoric acid loaded with uranium sample, which to overcome equipment contamination effect, was determined after its separation by oxalate precipitation using lanthanum as a carrier. The results obtained by the proposed method by ICP-MS, were in good agreement when compared to alpha spectrometry for 230 Th, and ICP-OES and spectrophotometry with arsenazo III for elementary uranium and thorium determinations. (author)

Method for the recovery of uranium from a concentrate using pure phosphoric acid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

Procedure for the recovery of an uranium bearing concentrate and pure phosphoric acid from a wet process phosphoric acid from the treatment fluid with a precipitation means in conjunction with an organic diluent, the thus formed precipitate to separate and from the remaining mixture of phosphoric acid and diluent the phosphoric acid to extract, characterised in that one applies an inorganic fluorine compound. (G.C.)

Biotic Iron Precipitation in Sand Filtration Systems by Gallionella ferruginea: Morphology and content of Exopolymers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søgaard, Erik Gydesen; Simonsen, Charlotte

conditions for principally biotic or abiotic iron precipitation is not well defined. An rH2 greater than 14 e.g. corresponding to an Eh a little above zero at slightly acidic pH is stated to be the best condition for biotic iron precipitation (Degremont, 1991). Abiotic iron precipitation is performed at a p...... are built with the purpose of biotic iron precipitation in order to reduce frequency of backwashing filtration systems. This is possibly due to the fact that biologically precipitated iron has a much denser structure than the corresponding abiotic precipitates (Søgaard et al. 2000). Both kinds of iron......-Peskir J. (2000) Conditions and rates of biotic and abiotic iron precipitation in selected Danish freshwater plants and microscopic analysis of precipitate morphology. Water Research, 34, 10, 2675-2682 Søgaard E.G., Aruna R., Abraham-Peskir, J. and Bender Koch, C. (2001) Conditions for iron precipitation...

Removal of arsenate by ferrihydrite via surface complexation and surface precipitation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Xiuli [Department of Environment Engineering, College of the Environment and Ecology, and The Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystem, Xiamen University, Xiamen (China); Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and The Key Laboratory for Synthetic Biotechnology of Xiamen City, Xiamen University, Xiamen (China); Peng, Changjun; Fu, Dun; Chen, Zheng [Department of Environment Engineering, College of the Environment and Ecology, and The Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystem, Xiamen University, Xiamen (China); Shen, Liang [Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and The Key Laboratory for Synthetic Biotechnology of Xiamen City, Xiamen University, Xiamen (China); Li, Qingbiao [Department of Environment Engineering, College of the Environment and Ecology, and The Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystem, Xiamen University, Xiamen (China); Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and The Key Laboratory for Synthetic Biotechnology of Xiamen City, Xiamen University, Xiamen (China); Ouyang, Tong, E-mail: yz3t@xmu.edu.cn [Department of Environment Engineering, College of the Environment and Ecology, and The Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystem, Xiamen University, Xiamen (China); Wang, Yuanpeng, E-mail: wypp@xmu.edu.cn [Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and The Key Laboratory for Synthetic Biotechnology of Xiamen City, Xiamen University, Xiamen (China)

2015-10-30

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Surface complexation and surface precipitation of As on ferrihydrite happen at pH 3–6. • The formation of surface precipitation enhanced As(V) adsorption. • The dissolved Fe{sup 3+} had a good linear relationship with the amount of arsenate re-adsorption. - Abstract: In this study, macroscopic and spectroscopic experimental methods accurately modeled the sorption process of arsenate on ferrihydrite. EXAFS, X-ray diffraction and infrared (IR) spectroscopy indicated that the behavior of As(V) adsorption onto ferrihydrite took place mainly via surface complexation and surface precipitation at acidic pH (3.0–6.0), while the surface precipitation was dominated at longer time intervals and higher Fe{sup 3+} concentration. The macroscopic competitive adsorption experiment between arsenate with phosphate indicated two types of adsorption sites existing on the surface of ferrihydrite, i.e., non-exchangeable sites, which are responsible for a rapid surface complex formation; and exchangeable sites for a slow build-up of surface precipitates. In the slow build-up precipitates, the As(V) surface coverage (mmol/g) exhibited a good linear relationship (R{sup 2} = 0.952) with the amount of dissolved Fe{sup 3+}. Three steps are involved during the process of surface precipitation, i.e., (1) an initial uptake of As(V) via surface complexation; (2) re-adsorption of Fe{sup 3+} leaching from ferrihydrite on the surface complex; and (3) As(V) adsorption via surface complexation again and finally forming the surface precipitate.

Application of the Alternative Traditional and Selective Precipitation Routes for Recovery of High Grade Thorium Concentrates from Egyptian Crude Monazite Sand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Helaly, O.S.

2017-01-01

Process flow sheet selection for thorium separation in relatively high grade concentrate from Egyptian crude monazite sand was carried out. Traditional selective leaching and precipitation routes were applied after sulfuric acid digestion upon Egyptian crude monazite for this purpose. The resultant hot grey sulfate paste from monazite digestion was firstly cooled to ambient temperature then leached by normal water into two successive stages. The first leach solution contained most of the thorium which represents about 88% of the present thorium and its concentration in the liquor reached 4.5 g Th/l. This liquor also contains most of the free acids and major of impurities especially iron (more than 6.3 g Fe/l). Different routes were tested to evaluate the suitable conditions that verify maximum recovery of thorium from such monazite sulfate solution and producing relatively high grade concentrate. Two different possible traditional and selective methods were involved, namely; thorium initial precipitation with rare earth elements as double sulfate or its precipitation as phosphate through acidity control at ph 1.1 which seems to be the simple, brief and convenient route to accomplish this purpose. Further separation and/or upgrading of thorium from these precipitates (after conversion to hydroxides or without) were conducted through re-dissolution in hydrochloric acid and re-precipitation with different selective reagents in the form of hydroxide, oxalate or fluoride was also included. The target was accomplished through thorium co-precipitation with light rare earth elements as double sulfate, followed by its recovery from this fraction, where a concentrate of grade 68.3% was produced

Ice nucleation active particles are efficiently removed by precipitating clouds

OpenAIRE

Emiliano Stopelli; Franz Conen; Cindy E. Morris; Erik Herrmann; Nicolas Bukowiecki; Christine Alewell

2015-01-01

Ice nucleation in cold clouds is a decisive step in the formation of rain and snow. Observations and modelling suggest that variations in the concentrations of ice nucleating particles (INPs) affect timing, location and amount of precipitation. A quantitative description of the abundance and variability of INPs is crucial to assess and predict their influence on precipitation. Here we used the hydrological indicator δ(18)O to derive the fraction of water vapour lost from precipitating clouds ...

Synthesis of xenotime(YPO4) by precipitation from aqueous solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hikichi, Yasuo; Hukuo, Ken-iti; Shiokawa, Jiro.

1978-01-01

Xenotime (tetragonal YPO 4 ) was synthesized by the precipitation from a mixed solution of yttrium chloride and orthophosphoric acid or orthophosphate above 50 0 C. At 50 0 C, the initial precipitate from the solutions in the pH range from 0.8 to 2.9 was crystalline weinschenkite (monoclinic YPO 4 .2H 2 O) and amorphous phosphate was formed at pH above 3, while precipitation did not take place at pH 0.5. Weinschenkite was stable at 50 0 C, but amorphous phosphate gradually crystallized by aging and became crystalline xenotime at pH 3.7 after 5 days and at pH 5.0 after 28 days. At 90 0 C, xenotime was detected in the precipitate from the solution of pH 0.5, and was also obtained by aging weinschenkite at pH between 0.8 and 2.9 or amorphous phosphate at pH above 3. The unit cell parameters of the synthesized xenotime were as follows: a=b=6.893A, c=6.026A. (auth.)

An alginate-antacid formulation localizes to the acid pocket to reduce acid reflux in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rohof, Wout O.; Bennink, Roel J.; Smout, Andre J. P. M.; Thomas, Edward; Boeckxstaens, Guy E.

2013-01-01

Alginate rafts (polysaccharide polymers that precipitate into a low-density viscous gel when they contact gastric acid) have been reported to form at the acid pocket, an unbuffered pool of acid that floats on top of ingested food and causes postprandial acid reflux. We studied the location of an

Land Use in LCA: Including Regionally Altered Precipitation to Quantify Ecosystem Damage.

Science.gov (United States)

Lathuillière, Michael J; Bulle, Cécile; Johnson, Mark S

2016-11-01

The incorporation of soil moisture regenerated by precipitation, or green water, into life cycle assessment has been of growing interest given the global importance of this resource for terrestrial ecosystems and food production. This paper proposes a new impact assessment model to relate land and water use in seasonally dry, semiarid, and arid regions where precipitation and evapotranspiration are closely coupled. We introduce the Precipitation Reduction Potential midpoint impact representing the change in downwind precipitation as a result of a land transformation and occupation activity. Then, our end-point impact model quantifies terrestrial ecosystem damage as a function of precipitation loss using a relationship between woody plant species richness, water and energy regimes. We then apply the midpoint and end-point models to the production of soybean in Southeastern Amazonia which has resulted from the expansion of cropland into tropical forest, with noted effects on local precipitation. Our proposed cause-effect chain represents a complementary approach to previous contributions which have focused on water consumption impacts and/or have represented evapotranspiration as a loss to the water cycle.

The effect of a local source on the composition of precipitation in south-central Maine

Science.gov (United States)

Scott D. Boyce; Samuel S. Butcher

1976-01-01

Bulk precipitation samples were collected from ten sites in south-central Maine during the period 18 June to 30 September 1974. Data from the chemical analyses of the precipitation were used to determine regional deposition patterns of the ionic constituents. Acidic pH values ranging from 3.8 to 5.0 are characteristic of the region, but relatively alkaline pH values of...

Study of Ca-ATMP precipitation in the presence of magnesium ion.

Science.gov (United States)

Tantayakom, V; Fogler, H Scott; de Moraes, F F; Bualuang, M; Chavadej, S; Malakul, P

2004-03-16

ATMP (aminotri(methylenephosphonic acid)), a phosphonate scale inhibitor used in the petroleum industry, was used as a model scale inhibitor in this study. One of the goals of this work was to determine the range of conditions under which Mg ions, which are formed in reservoir formations containing dolomite, modulate the formation of Ca-ATMP precipitate as a scale inhibitor. The results revealed that the amount of ATMP precipitated decreased with addition of Mg ions in solution at all values of the solution pH. Furthermore, an increase in both the solution pH and the concentration of the divalent cations in solution resulted in a change of the molar ratio of (Ca + Mg) to ATMP in the precipitates. At a low solution pH (pH 1.5), Mg ions had little effect on the composition of the Ca-ATMP precipitate. However, at higher values of the solution pH (pH 4 and 7), the Ca to ATMP molar ratio in the precipitates decreased with increasing concentration of the Mg. Here it was found that Mg ions replaced Ca ions on available reactive sites of ATMP molecules. These results determined the limits of the Mg ion concentration, which affects the precipitation of Ca-ATMP, Mg-ATMP, and (Ca + Mg)-ATMP. The dissolution of the scale inhibitors was studied using a rotating disk reactor. These experiments showed that the total divalent cation molar ratio (Ca + Mg) to ATMP in the precipitates is the primary factor that controls the rate of dissolution (release) of the phosphonate precipitates. The phosphonate precipitate dissolution rates decreased as the molar ratio of divalent cations to ATMP in the precipitates increased.

Behavior of arsenic impurity at antimony electric precipitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, G.N.; Rakhmanov, A.

2001-01-01

In the paper the arsenic impurity electrochemical behavior and it purification from antimony by electric precipitation out of fluoride solutions was studied. For this the arsenic sample with mass 0.003-0.006 g has been irradiated at the WWR-SM nuclear reactor during 3-5 hour in the thermal neutron flux 10 13 n/cm 2 s, after 24 h keeping the sample has being dissolved in the concentrated nitric acid, and then it has been evaporated several times with distillation water addition up to wet precipitation state. It is shown, that arsenic impurity behavior character in the antimony electric precipitation out to fluoride electrolyte depends on the electrolyte content, electrolysis conditions, arsenic valency state in arsenic impurity existence in the five-valency state its joint electric reduction with antimony is practically not observing. In the case the arsenic being in three-valency state, it joint electric reduction with antimony is taking place. In this time the electrolytic antimony contents arsenic impurities less in dozen time than initial material

Improvements on heap leaching process for a refractory uranium ore and yellow cake precipitation process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng Jianke

2013-01-01

Some problems such as formed harden matrix, ore heap compaction, poor permeability, and agglomeration of absorption resin occur during extracting uranium from a refractory uranium ore by heap leaching process. After some measures were taken, i.e. spraying a new ore heap by low concentration acid, two or more ore heaps in series leaching, turning ores in ore heap, the permeability was improved, acid consumption was reduced. Through precipitate circulation and aging, the yellow cake slurry in amorphous or microlite form was transformed to crystal precipitate, thus uranium content in yellow cake was improved, and water content in yellow cake was lowered with good economic benefits. (author)

Oak Forest Responses to Episodic-Seasonal-Drought, Chronic Multi-year Precipitation Change and Acute Drought Manipulations in a Region With Deep Soils and High Precipitation

Science.gov (United States)

Hanson, Paul J.; Wullschleger, Stan D.; Todd, Donald E.; Auge, Robert M.; Froberg, Mats; Johnson, Dale W.

2010-05-01

Implications of episodic-seasonal drought (extremely dry late summers), chronic multi-year precipitation manipulations (±33 percent over 12 years) and acute drought (-100 percent over 3 years) were evaluated for the response of vegetation and biogeochemical cycles for an upland-oak forest. The Quercus-Acer forest is located in eastern Tennessee on deep acidic soils with mean annual temperatures of 14.2 °C and abundant precipitation (1352 mm y-1). The multi-year observations and chronic manipulations were conducted from 1993 through 2005 using understory throughfall collection troughs and redistribution gutters and pipes. Acute manipulations of dominant canopy trees (Quercus prinus; Liriodendron tulipifera) were conducted from 2003 through 2005 using full understory tents. Regional and severe late-summer droughts were produced reduced stand water use and photosynthetic carbon gain as expected. Likewise, seedlings and saplings exhibited reduced survival and cumulative growth reductions. Conversely, multi-year chronic increases or decreases in precipitation and associated soil water deficits did not reduce large tree basal area growth for the tree species present. The resilience of canopy trees to chronic-change was the result of a disconnect between carbon allocation to tree growth (an early-season phenomenon) and late-season drought occurrence. Acute precipitation exclusion from the largest canopy trees also produced limited physiological responses and minimal cumulative growth reductions. Lateral root water sources were removed through trenching and could not explain the lack of response to extreme soil drying. Therefore, deep rooting the primary mechanism for large-tree resilience to severe drought. Extensive trench-based assessments of rooting depth suggested that ‘deep' water supplies were being obtained from limited numbers of deep fine roots. Observations of carbon stocks in organic horizons demonstrated accumulation with precipitation reductions and

Droughts in a warming climate: A global assessment of Standardized precipitation index (SPI) and Reconnaissance drought index (RDI)

Science.gov (United States)

Asadi Zarch, Mohammad Amin; Sivakumar, Bellie; Sharma, Ashish

2015-07-01

Both drought and aridity indicate imbalance in water availability. While drought is a natural temporal hazard, aridity is a constant climatic feature. This paper investigates the changes in drought characteristics across different aridity zones with and without consideration of potential evapotranspiration (PET), as a means to better assess drought in a warming climate. Two drought indexes are employed: (1) Standardized precipitation index (SPI), which is solely based on precipitation; and (2) Reconnaissance drought index (RDI), which, in addition to precipitation, takes PET into account. The two indexes are first employed to observed precipitation and PET data for the period 1960-2009 from the CRU (Climate Research Unit, University of East Anglia) TS 3.1 database. The results indicate that although all the aridity zones experience both downward and upward drought trends, no significant trend is found over large parts of the zones. However, the agreement between SPI and RDI reduces from the hyper-arid zone on one extreme toward the humid zone on the other. In the three more humid zones (i.e. semi-arid, sub-humid, and humid), the indexes exhibit different trends, with RDI showing more decreasing trends (i.e. becoming drier). While SPI generally shows more drought prone areas than RDI for the pre-1998 period, the opposite is observed for the post-1998 period. Given the known changes to PET in observed records, and also expected increases as global warming intensifies, these results suggest that RDI will be consistently different to the SPI as global warming intensifies. This hypothesis is further tested for historic and future climate projections from the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia) Mk3.6 global climate model (GCM), with use of the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) and RCP8.5 (Representative Concentration Pathways). In this case, PET is calculated using FAO56-PM model for assessment of

Chemical characteristics, deposition fluxes and source apportionment of precipitation components in the Jiaozhou Bay, North China

Science.gov (United States)

Xing, Jianwei; Song, Jinming; Yuan, Huamao; Li, Xuegang; Li, Ning; Duan, Liqin; Qu, Baoxiao; Wang, Qidong; Kang, Xuming

2017-07-01

To systematically illustrate the chemical characteristics, deposition fluxes and potential sources of the major components in precipitation, 49 rainwater and snow water samples were collected in the Jiaozhou Bay from June 2015 to May 2016. We determined the pH, electric conductivity (EC) and the concentrations of main ions (Na+, K+, Ca2 +, Mg2 +, NH4+, SO42 -, NO3-, Cl- and F-) as well as analyzed their source contributions and atmospheric transport. The results showed that the precipitation samples were severely acidified with an annual volume-weighted mean (VWM) pH of 4.77. The frequency of acid precipitation (pH pollution level over the Jiaozhou Bay. Surprisingly, NH4+ (40.4%), which is higher than Ca2 + (29.3%), is the dominant species of cations, which is different from that in most areas of China. SO42 - was the most abundant anions, and accounted for 41.6% of the total anions. The wet deposition fluxes of sulfur (S) was 12.98 kg ha- 1 yr- 1. Rainfall, emission intensity and long-range transport of natural and anthropogenic pollutants together control the concentrations and wet deposition fluxes of chemical components in the precipitation. Non-sea-salt SO42 - and NO3- were the primary acid components while NH4+ and non-sea-salt Ca2 + were the dominating neutralizing constituents. The comparatively lower rainwater concentration of Ca2 + in the Jiaozhou Bay than that in other regions in Northern China likely to be a cause for the strong acidity of precipitation. Based on the combined enrichment factor and correlation analysis, the integrated contributions of sea-salt, crustal and anthropogenic sources to the total ions of precipitation were estimated to be 28.7%, 14.5% and 56.8%, respectively. However, the marine source fraction of SO42 - may be underestimated as the contribution from marine phytoplankton was neglected. Therefore, the precipitation components in the Jiaozhou Bay present complex chemical characteristics under the combined effects of natural

Acidification of air and precipitation and its consequences on the natural environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oden, S

1968-01-01

Changes in the chemistry of the atmosphere were discussed using 15 years of data collected by a European sampling network, beginning in 1952. Sulfur content of air and precipitation were closely related to air pollution from cities and industry, as a result of increasing use of sulfurous fuels. A special study of the acidity of 600 lakes in western Scandinavia showed that between 1959 and 1967 pH values declined an average of 0.4 units. Acid precipitation will eventually acidify rivers. The change in pH will depend on the buffering capacity of the catchment area and other factors. Negative trends have already been noted. Acificiation threatens aquatic organisms as most cannot exist in water below pH 4.0. Certain valuable fish such as salmon are threatened at pH 5.5 and catches have begun to decline. Soils may also be affected if the supply of neutralizing substances declines. Decreased crop production and reduced forest growth rate may result. The balance of nature is disturbed by the present atmospheric pollution of sulfuric and other acids. (MDF)

Statistical assessment and hydrological utility of the latest multi-satellite precipitation analysis IMERG in Ganjiang River basin

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Na; Tang, Guoqiang; Zhao, Ping; Hong, Yang; Gou, Yabin; Yang, Kai

2017-01-01

This study aims to statistically and hydrologically assess the hydrological utility of the latest Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals from Global Precipitation Measurement (IMERG) multi-satellite constellation over the mid-latitude Ganjiang River basin in China. The investigations are conducted at hourly and 0.1° resolutions throughout the rainy season from March 12 to September 30, 2014. Two high-quality quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) datasets, i.e., a gauge-corrected radar mosaic QPE product (RQPE) and a highly dense network of 1200 rain gauges, are used as the reference. For the implementation of the study, first, we compare IMERG product and RQPE with rain gauge-interpolated data, respectively. The results indicate that both remote sensing products can estimate precipitation fairly well over the basin, while RQPE significantly outperforms IMERG product in almost all the studied cases. The correlation coefficients of RQPE (CC = 0.98 and CC = 0.67) are much higher than those of IMERG product (CC = 0.80 and CC = 0.33) at basin and grid scales, respectively. Then, the hydrological assessment is conducted with the Coupled Routing and Excess Storage (CREST) model under multiple parameterization scenarios, in which the model is calibrated using the rain gauge-interpolated data, RQPE, and IMERG products respectively. During the calibration period (from March 12 to May 31), the simulated streamflow based on rain gauge-interpolated data shows the highest Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient efficiency (NSCE) value (0.92), closely followed by the RQPE (NSCE = 0.84), while IMERG product performs barely acceptable (NSCE = 0.56). During the validation period (from June 1 to September 30), the three rainfall datasets are used to force the CREST model based on all the three calibrated parameter sets (i.e., nine combinations in total). RQPE outperforms rain gauge-interpolated data and IMERG product in all validation scenarios, possibly due to its advantageous capability

Analysis of precipitation teleconnections in CMIP models as a measure of model fidelity in simulating precipitation

Science.gov (United States)

Langenbrunner, B.; Neelin, J.; Meyerson, J.

2011-12-01

The accurate representation of precipitation is a recurring issue in global climate models, especially in the tropics. Poor skill in modeling the variability and climate teleconnections associated with El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) also persisted in the latest Climate Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) campaigns. Observed ENSO precipitation teleconnections provide a standard by which we can judge a given model's ability to reproduce precipitation and dynamic feedback processes originating in the tropical Pacific. Using CMIP3 Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) runs as a baseline, we compare precipitation teleconnections between models and observations, and we evaluate these results against available CMIP5 historical and AMIP runs. Using AMIP simulations restricts evaluation to the atmospheric response, as sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in AMIP are prescribed by observations. We use a rank correlation between ENSO SST indices and precipitation to define teleconnections, since this method is robust to outliers and appropriate for non-Gaussian data. Spatial correlations of the modeled and observed teleconnections are then evaluated. We look at these correlations in regions of strong precipitation teleconnections, including equatorial S. America, the "horseshoe" region in the western tropical Pacific, and southern N. America. For each region and season, we create a "normalized projection" of a given model's teleconnection pattern onto that of the observations, a metric that assesses the quality of regional pattern simulations while rewarding signals of correct sign over the region. Comparing this to an area-averaged (i.e., more generous) metric suggests models do better when restrictions on exact spatial dependence are loosened and conservation constraints apply. Model fidelity in regional measures remains far from perfect, suggesting intrinsic issues with the models' regional sensitivities in moist processes.

Evaluating the applicability of four recent satellite–gauge combined precipitation estimates for extreme precipitation and streamflow predictions over the upper Yellow river basin in China

Science.gov (United States)

This study aimed to statistically and hydrologically assess the performance of four latest and widely used satellite–gauge combined precipitation estimates (SGPEs), namely CRT, BLD, 3B42CDR, and 3B42 for the extreme precipitation and stream'ow scenarios over the upper Yellow river basin (UYRB) in ch...

Air pollution or global warming: Attribution of extreme precipitation changes in eastern China—Comments on "Trends of extreme precipitation in Eastern China and their possible causes"

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yuan

2015-10-01

The recent study "Trends of Extreme Precipitation in Eastern China and Their Possible Causes" attributed the observed decrease/increase of light/heavy precipitation in eastern China to global warming rather than the regional aerosol effects. However, there exist compelling evidence from previous long-term observations and numerical modeling studies, suggesting that anthropogenic pollution is closely linked to the recent changes in precipitation intensity because of considerably modulated cloud physical properties by aerosols in eastern China. Clearly, a quantitative assessment of the aerosol and greenhouse effects on the regional scale is required to identify the primary cause for the extreme precipitation changes.

Validation of Satellite Precipitation Products Using Local Rain Gauges to Support Water Assessment in Cochabamba, Bolivia

Science.gov (United States)

Saavedra, O.

2017-12-01

The metropolitan region of Cochabamba has been struggling for a consistent water supply master plan for years. The limited precipitation intensities and growing water demand have led to severe water conflicts since 2000 when the fight for water had international visibility. A new dam has just placed into operation, located at the mountain range north of the city, which is the hope to fulfill partially water demand in the region. Looking for feasible water sources and projects are essential to fulfill demand. However, the limited monitoring network composed by conventional rain gauges are not enough to come up with the proper aerial precipitation patterns. This study explores the capabilities of GSMaP-GPM satellite products combined with local rain gauge network to obtain an enhanced product with spatial and temporal resolution. A simple methodology based on penalty factors is proposed to adjust GSMaP-GPM intensities on grid-by-grid basis. The distance of an evaluated grid to the surrounding rain gauges was taken into account. The final correcting factors were obtained by iteration, at this particular case of study four iterations were enough to reduce the relative error. A distributed hydrological model was forced with the enhanced precipitation product to simulate the inflow to the new operating dam. Once the model parameters were calibrated and validated, forecast simulations were run. For the short term, the precipitation trend was projected using exponential equation. As for the long term projection, precipitation and temperature from the hadGEM2 and MIROC global circulation model outputs were used where the last one was found in closer agreement of predictions in the past. Overall, we found out that the amount of 1000 l/s for water supply to the region should be possible to fulfill till 2030. Beyond this year, the intake of two neighboring basins should be constructed to increase the stored volume. This is study was found particularly useful to forecast river

Precipitation in a warming world: Assessing projected hydro-climate changes in California and other Mediterranean climate regions.

Science.gov (United States)

Polade, Suraj D; Gershunov, Alexander; Cayan, Daniel R; Dettinger, Michael D; Pierce, David W

2017-09-07

In most Mediterranean climate (MedClim) regions around the world, global climate models (GCMs) consistently project drier futures. In California, however, projections of changes in annual precipitation are inconsistent. Analysis of daily precipitation in 30 GCMs reveals patterns in projected hydrometeorology over each of the five MedClm regions globally and helps disentangle their causes. MedClim regions, except California, are expected to dry via decreased frequency of winter precipitation. Frequencies of extreme precipitation, however, are projected to increase over the two MedClim regions of the Northern Hemisphere where projected warming is strongest. The increase in heavy and extreme precipitation is particularly robust over California, where it is only partially offset by projected decreases in low-medium intensity precipitation. Over the Mediterranean Basin, however, losses from decreasing frequency of low-medium-intensity precipitation are projected to dominate gains from intensifying projected extreme precipitation. MedClim regions are projected to become more sub-tropical, i.e. made dryer via pole-ward expanding subtropical subsidence. California's more nuanced hydrological future reflects a precarious balance between the expanding subtropical high from the south and the south-eastward extending Aleutian low from the north-west. These dynamical mechanisms and thermodynamic moistening of the warming atmosphere result in increased horizontal water vapor transport, bolstering extreme precipitation events.

Incorporating Satellite Precipitation Estimates into a Radar-Gauge Multi-Sensor Precipitation Estimation Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuxiang He

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a new and enhanced fusion module for the Multi-Sensor Precipitation Estimator (MPE that would objectively blend real-time satellite quantitative precipitation estimates (SQPE with radar and gauge estimates. This module consists of a preprocessor that mitigates systematic bias in SQPE, and a two-way blending routine that statistically fuses adjusted SQPE with radar estimates. The preprocessor not only corrects systematic bias in SQPE, but also improves the spatial distribution of precipitation based on SQPE and makes it closely resemble that of radar-based observations. It uses a more sophisticated radar-satellite merging technique to blend preprocessed datasets, and provides a better overall QPE product. The performance of the new satellite-radar-gauge blending module is assessed using independent rain gauge data over a five-year period between 2003–2007, and the assessment evaluates the accuracy of newly developed satellite-radar-gauge (SRG blended products versus that of radar-gauge products (which represents MPE algorithm currently used in the NWS (National Weather Service operations over two regions: (I Inside radar effective coverage and (II immediately outside radar coverage. The outcomes of the evaluation indicate (a ingest of SQPE over areas within effective radar coverage improve the quality of QPE by mitigating the errors in radar estimates in region I; and (b blending of radar, gauge, and satellite estimates over region II leads to reduction of errors relative to bias-corrected SQPE. In addition, the new module alleviates the discontinuities along the boundaries of radar effective coverage otherwise seen when SQPE is used directly to fill the areas outside of effective radar coverage.

Influence of phosphates when uranium in solutions obtained by attacking Forez with sulfuric acid is precipitated by the action of lime; Influence des phosphates, lors de la precipitation par la chaux, de l'uranium contenu dans les solutions d'attaque sulfurique du Forez

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brebec, G

1959-03-01

Influence of phosphates when uranium in solutions obtained by attacking Forez with sulfuric acid is precipitated by the action of lime was studied. Most of the phosphates were eliminated in the form of ferric phosphates without noticeable losses of uranium: for this it is only necessary to add sufficient ferric sulfate to the solution to be treated so that [Po{sub 4}{sup 3-}]/[Fe{sup 3+}] {approx} 0,4. In these conditions, the preparation of a calcium concentrate rich in uranium takes place in two stages. The first is neutralization at pH 2,7 to 2,8 with elimination of phosphates, sulfates and iron; the second is precipitation of the concentrate at pH 6,5. (author) [French] Nous avons reussi a eliminer la majeure partie des phosphates sous forme de phosphates ferriques, sans pertes sensibles d'uranium. Pour cela, il suffit d'ajouter a la solution a traiter, du sulfate ferrique en quantite telle que: (Po{sub 4}{sup 3-}]/[Fe{sup 3+}] {approx} 0,4. Dans ces conditions, la preparation du concentre calcique, riche en uranium, s'effectue normalement en deux temps: 1) preneutralisation a pH 2,7-2,8: elimination des sulfates, phosphates et fer; 2) precipitation du concentre a pH 6,5. (auteur)

Process for recovering a uranium containing concentrate and purified phosphoric acid from a wet process phosphoric acid containing uranium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weterings, C.A.M.; Janssen, J.A.

1985-01-01

A process is claimed for recovering from a wet process phosphoric acid which contains uranium, a uranium containing concentrate and a purified phosphoric acid. The wet process phosphoric acid is treated with a precipitant in the presence of a reducing agent and an aliphatic ketone

Process for recovering a uranium containing concentrate and purified phosphoric acid from a wet process phosphoric acid containing uranium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weterings, C.A.M.; Janssen, J.A.

1985-04-30

A process is claimed for recovering from a wet process phosphoric acid which contains uranium, a uranium containing concentrate and a purified phosphoric acid. The wet process phosphoric acid is treated with a precipitant in the presence of a reducing agent and an aliphatic ketone.

Future changes of precipitation characteristics in China

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, S.; Wu, Y.; Wen, J.

2017-12-01

Global warming has the potential to alter the hydrological cycle, with significant impacts on the human society, the environment and ecosystems. This study provides a detailed assessment of potential changes in precipitation characteristics in China using a suite of 12 high-resolution CMIP5 climate models under a medium and a high Representative Concentration Pathways: RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. We examine future changes over the entire distribution of precipitation, and identify any shift in the shape and/or scale of the distribution. In addition, we use extreme-value theory to evaluate the change in probability and magnitude for extreme precipitation events. Overall, China is going to experience an increase in total precipitation (by 8% under RCP4.5 and 12% under RCP8.5). This increase is uneven spatially, with more increase in the west and less increase in the east. Precipitation frequency is projected to increase in the west and decrease in the east. Under RCP4.5, the overall precipitation frequency for the entire China remains largely unchanged (0.08%). However, RCP8.5 projects a more significant decrease in frequency for large part of China, resulting in an overall decrease of 2.08%. Precipitation intensity is likely increase more uniformly, with an overall increase of 11% for RCP4.5 and 19% for RCP8.5. Precipitation increases for all parts of the distribution, but the increase is more for higher quantiles, i.e. strong events. The relative contribution of small quantiles is likely to decrease, whereas contribution from heavy events is likely to increase. Extreme precipitation increase at much higher rates than average precipitation, and high rates of increase are expected for more extreme events. 1-year events are likely to increase by 15%, but 20-year events are going to increase by 21% under RCP4.5, 26% and 40% respectively under RCP8.5. The increase of extreme events is likely to be more spatially uniform.

Effects of acidic deposition on the erosion of carbonate stone - experimental results from the U.S. National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP)

Science.gov (United States)

Baedecker, P.A.; Reddy, M.M.; Reimann, K.J.; Sciammarella, C.A.

1992-01-01

One of the goals of NAPAP-sponsored research on the effects of acidic deposition on carbonate stone has been to quantify the incremental effects of wet and dry deposition of hydrogen ion, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides on stone erosion. Test briquettes and slabs of freshly quarried Indiana limestone and Vermont marble have been exposed to ambient environmental conditions in a long-term exposure program. Physical measurements of the recession of test stones exposed to ambient conditions at an angle of 30?? to horizontal at the five NAPAP materials exposure sites range from ~15 to ~30?? ??m yr-1 for marble, and from ~25 to ~45 ??m yr -1 for limestone, and are approximately double the recession estimates based on the observed calcium content of run-off solutions from test slabs. The difference between the physical and chemical recession measurements is attributed to the loss of mineral grains from the stone surfaces that are not measured in the run-off experiments. The erosion due to grain loss does not appear to be influenced by rainfall acidity, however, preliminary evidence suggests that grain loss may be influenced by dry deposition of sulfur dioxide between rainfall events. Chemical analyses of the run-off solutions and associated rainfall blanks suggest that ~30% of erosion by dissolution can be attributed to the wet deposition of hydrogen ion and the dry deposition of sulfur dioxide and nitric acid between rain events. The remaining ~70% of erosion by dissolution is accounted for by the solubility of carbonate stone in rain that is in equilibrium with atmospheric carbon dioxide ('clean rain'). These results are for marble and limestone slabs exposed at an angle of 30?? from horizontal. The relative contribution of sulfur dioxide to chemical erosion is significantly enhanced for stone slabs having an inclination of 60?? or 85??. The dry deposition of alkaline particulate material has a mitigating effect at the two urban field exposure sites at Washington, DC

The Role of Poly(Aspartic Acid) in the Precipitation of Calcium Phosphate in Confinement.

Science.gov (United States)

Cantaert, Bram; Beniash, Elia; Meldrum, Fiona C

2013-12-28

Many questions remain regarding the formation of ultrathin hydroxapatite (HAP) crystals within the confines of collagen fibrils of bones. These structures form through the interplay of the collagen matrix and non-collagenous proteins, and in vitro mineralization studies employing poly(aspartic acid) (PAsp) as a mimic of the non-collagenous proteins have generated mineralized fibrils with structures comparable to their biogenic counterparts. In this article, we employ the nanoscale cylindrical pores perforating track-etch filtration membranes to investigate the role of PAsp in controlling the infiltration and crystallization of calcium phosphate (CaP) within confined volumes. Oriented polycrystalline HAP and non-oriented octacalcium phosphate (OCP) rods precipitated within the membrane pores via an amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) precursor, where PAsp increased the proportion of OCP rods. Further, ACP crystallized faster within the membranes than in bulk solution when PAsp was present, suggesting that PAsp inhibits crystallization in solution, but promotes it when bound to a substrate. Finally, in contrast to the collagen system, PAsp reduced the yield of intra-membrane mineral and failed to enhance infiltration. This suggests that a specific interaction between the collagen matrix and ACP/PAsp precursor particles drives effective infiltration. Thus, while orientation of HAP crystals can be achieved by confinement alone, the chemistry of the collagen matrix is necessary for efficient mineralisation with CaP.

Two case studies on NARCCAP precipitation extremes

Science.gov (United States)

Weller, Grant B.; Cooley, Daniel; Sain, Stephan R.; Bukovsky, Melissa S.; Mearns, Linda O.

2013-09-01

We introduce novel methodology to examine the ability of six regional climate models (RCMs) in the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP) ensemble to simulate past extreme precipitation events seen in the observational record over two different regions and seasons. Our primary objective is to examine the strength of daily correspondence of extreme precipitation events between observations and the output of both the RCMs and the driving reanalysis product. To explore this correspondence, we employ methods from multivariate extreme value theory. These methods require that we account for marginal behavior, and we first model and compare climatological quantities which describe tail behavior of daily precipitation for both the observations and model output before turning attention to quantifying the correspondence of the extreme events. Daily precipitation in a West Coast region of North America is analyzed in two seasons, and it is found that the simulated extreme events from the reanalysis-driven NARCCAP models exhibit strong daily correspondence to extreme events in the observational record. Precipitation over a central region of the United States is examined, and we find some daily correspondence between winter extremes simulated by reanalysis-driven NARCCAP models and those seen in observations, but no such correspondence is found for summer extremes. Furthermore, we find greater discrepancies among the NARCCAP models in the tail characteristics of the distribution of daily summer precipitation over this region than seen in precipitation over the West Coast region. We find that the models which employ spectral nudging exhibit stronger tail dependence to observations in the central region.

Aerosol and precipitation chemistry in the southwestern United States: spatiotemporal trends and interrelationships

Science.gov (United States)

Sorooshian, A.; Shingler, T.; Harpold, A.; Feagles, C. W.; Meixner, T.; Brooks, P. D.

2013-08-01

This study characterizes the spatial and temporal patterns of aerosol and precipitation composition at six sites across the United States Southwest between 1995 and 2010. Precipitation accumulation occurs mostly during the wintertime (December-February) and during the monsoon season (July-September). Rain and snow pH levels are usually between 5-6, with crustal-derived species playing a major role in acid neutralization. These species (Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+) exhibit their highest concentrations between March and June in both PM2.5 and precipitation due mostly to dust. Crustal-derived species concentrations in precipitation exhibit positive relationships with SO42-, NO3-, and Cl-, suggesting that acidic gases likely react with and partition to either crustal particles or hydrometeors enriched with crustal constituents. Concentrations of particulate SO42- show a statistically significant correlation with rain SO42- unlike snow SO42-, which may be related to some combination of the vertical distribution of SO42- (and precursors) and the varying degree to which SO42--enriched particles act as cloud condensation nuclei versus ice nuclei in the region. The coarse : fine aerosol mass ratio was correlated with crustal species concentrations in snow unlike rain, suggestive of a preferential role of coarse particles (mainly dust) as ice nuclei in the region. Precipitation NO3- : SO42- ratios exhibit the following features with potential explanations discussed: (i) they are higher in precipitation as compared to PM2.5; (ii) they exhibit the opposite annual cycle compared to particulate NO3- : SO42- ratios; and (iii) they are higher in snow relative to rain during the wintertime. Long-term trend analysis for the monsoon season shows that the NO3- : SO42- ratio in rain increased at the majority of sites due mostly to air pollution regulations of SO42- precursors.

The geochemistry during management of lake acidification caused by the rewetting of sulfuric (pH < 4) acid sulfate soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mosley, Luke M.; Shand, Paul; Self, Peter; Fitzpatrick, Rob

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The dynamic geochemistry of a lake acidification event and its management was assessed. • Sulfate complexes dominated the aqueous metal speciation at low pH. • Iron oxydroxysulfate minerals (schwertmannite, jarosite) were identified. • Aerial additions of limestone to the acidic water slowly returned the pH to near neutral. • Coating of the limestone with gypsum and metal precipitates limited its neutralisation efficiency. - Abstract: Understanding the geochemistry and kinetics of acidification events arising from acid sulfate soils is important to enable effective management and risk assessment. Large-scale exposure and oxidation of acid sulfate soils occurred during a drought in the Lower Lakes (Murray–Darling Basin) of South Australia. We examined the geochemical changes that occurred in one region (Boggy Lake) that experienced surface water acidification and was subsequently neutralised via aerial limestone (CaCO 3 ) dosing and dilution via natural lake refill. Very low pH (< 3) and high concentrations (≈10–1000 mg/L Fe, Al, Mn) of dissolved metals were initially found in surface water. The water chemistry exhibited pH-dependent enhancement of constituents typically associated with acid sulfate soils (SO 4 , Al and Fe). Geochemical speciation calculations indicated that most (60–80%) of the acidity was present as dissolved metal-sulfate complexes at low pH. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses showed that the orange-brown precipitates present after an initial limestone dosing were secondary oxyhydroxysulfate minerals (schwertmannite, jarosite). Further limestone dosing resulted in neutralisation of the pH, reduction in dissolved metal concentrations, dissolution of jarosite and schwertmannite precipitates, and formation of other metal oxyhydroxide phases. The results were consistent with a pE-pH diagram constructed for metal-sulfur geochemistry. Assessment of the measured and simulated (using PHREEQC) pH and Ca/Cl ratio during

Assessment of the performance of CORDEX-South Asia experiments for monsoonal precipitation over the Himalayan region during present climate: part I

Science.gov (United States)

Ghimire, S.; Choudhary, A.; Dimri, A. P.

2018-04-01

Analysis of regional climate simulations to evaluate the ability of 11 Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment in South Asia experiments (CORDEX-South Asia) along with their ensemble to produce precipitation from June to September (JJAS) over the Himalayan region have been carried out. These suite of 11 combinations come from 6 regional climate models (RCMs) driven with 10 initial and boundary conditions from different global climate models and are collectively referred here as 11 CORDEX South Asia experiments. All the RCMs use a similar domain and are having similar spatial resolution of 0.44° ( 50 km). The set of experiments are considered to study precipitation sensitivity associated with the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) over the study region. This effort is made as ISM plays a vital role in summertime precipitation over the Himalayan region which acts as driver for the sustenance of habitat, population, crop, glacier, hydrology etc. In addition, so far the summer monsoon precipitation climatology over the Himalayan region has not been studied with the help of CORDEX data. Thus this study is initiated to evaluate the ability of the experiments and their ensemble in reproducing the characteristics of summer monsoon precipitation over Himalayan region, for the present climate (1970-2005). The precipitation climatology, annual precipitation cycles and interannual variabilities from each simulation have been assessed against the gridded observational dataset: Asian Precipitation-Highly Resolved Observational Data Integration Towards the Evaluation of Water Resources for the given time period. Further, after the selection of the better performing experiment the frequency distribution of precipitation was also studied. In this study, an approach has also been made to study the degree of agreement among individual experiments as a way to quantify the uncertainty among them. The experiments though show a wide variation among themselves and individually over

Assessment of GPM-IMERG and Other Precipitation Products against Gauge Data under Different Topographic and Climatic Conditions in Iran: Preliminary Results

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ehsan Sharifi

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The new generation of weather observatory satellites, namely Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM constellation satellites, is the lead observatory of the 10 highly advanced earth orbiting weather research satellites. Indeed, GPM is the first satellite that has been designed to measure light rain and snowfall, in addition to heavy tropical rainfall. This work compares the final run of the Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG product, the post real time of TRMM and Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA-3B42 and the Era-Interim product from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF against the Iran Meteorological Organization (IMO daily precipitation measured by the synoptic rain-gauges over four regions with different topography and climate conditions in Iran. Assessment is implemented for a one-year period from March 2014 to February 2015. Overall, in daily scale the results reveal that all three products lead to underestimation but IMERG performs better than other products and underestimates precipitation slightly in all four regions. Based on monthly and seasonal scale, in Guilan all products, in Bushehr and Kermanshah ERA-Interim and in Tehran IMERG and ERA-Interim tend to underestimate. The correlation coefficient between IMERG and the rain-gauge data in daily scale is far superior to that of Era-Interim and TMPA-3B42. On the basis of daily timescale of bias in comparison with the ground data, the IMERG product far outperforms ERA-Interim and 3B42 products. According to the categorical verification technique in this study, IMERG yields better results for detection of precipitation events on the basis of Probability of Detection (POD, Critical Success Index (CSI and False Alarm Ratio (FAR in those areas with stratiform and orographic precipitation, such as Tehran and Kermanshah, compared with other satellite/model data sets. In particular, for heavy precipitation (>15 mm/day, IMERG is superior to

Bio-precipitation of uranium by two bacterial isolates recovered from extreme environments as estimated by potentiometric titration, TEM and X-ray absorption spectroscopic analyses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Merroun, Mohamed L., E-mail: merroun@ugr.es [Institute of Radiochemistry, Helmholtz Centre Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden (Germany); Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidad de Granada, Campus Fuentenueva s/n 18071, Granada (Spain); Nedelkova, Marta [Institute of Radiochemistry, Helmholtz Centre Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden (Germany); Ojeda, Jesus J. [Cell-Mineral Interface Research Programme, Kroto Research Institute, University of Sheffield, Broad Lane, Sheffield S3 7HQ (United Kingdom); Experimental Techniques Centre, Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 3PH (United Kingdom); Reitz, Thomas [Institute of Radiochemistry, Helmholtz Centre Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden (Germany); Fernandez, Margarita Lopez; Arias, Jose M. [Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidad de Granada, Campus Fuentenueva s/n 18071, Granada (Spain); Romero-Gonzalez, Maria [Cell-Mineral Interface Research Programme, Kroto Research Institute, University of Sheffield, Broad Lane, Sheffield S3 7HQ (United Kingdom); Selenska-Pobell, Sonja [Institute of Radiochemistry, Helmholtz Centre Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden (Germany)

2011-12-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Precipitation of uranium as U phosphates by natural bacterial isolates. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The uranium biomineralization involves the activity of acidic phosphatase. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Uranium bioremediation could be achieved via the biomineralization of U(VI) in phosphate minerals. - Abstract: This work describes the mechanisms of uranium biomineralization at acidic conditions by Bacillus sphaericus JG-7B and Sphingomonas sp. S15-S1 both recovered from extreme environments. The U-bacterial interaction experiments were performed at low pH values (2.0-4.5) where the uranium aqueous speciation is dominated by highly mobile uranyl ions. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) showed that the cells of the studied strains precipitated uranium at pH 3.0 and 4.5 as a uranium phosphate mineral phase belonging to the meta-autunite group. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analyses showed strain-specific localization of the uranium precipitates. In the case of B. sphaericus JG-7B, the U(VI) precipitate was bound to the cell wall. Whereas for Sphingomonas sp. S15-S1, the U(VI) precipitates were observed both on the cell surface and intracellularly. The observed U(VI) biomineralization was associated with the activity of indigenous acid phosphatase detected at these pH values in the absence of an organic phosphate substrate. The biomineralization of uranium was not observed at pH 2.0, and U(VI) formed complexes with organophosphate ligands from the cells. This study increases the number of bacterial strains that have been demonstrated to precipitate uranium phosphates at acidic conditions via the activity of acid phosphatase.

Properties of Extreme Precipitation and Their Uncertainties in 3-year GPM Precipitation Radar Data

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, N.; Liu, C.

2017-12-01

Extreme high precipitation rates are often related to flash floods and have devastating impacts on human society and the environments. To better understand these rare events, 3-year Precipitation Features (PFs) are defined by grouping the contiguous areas with nonzero near-surface precipitation derived using Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Ku band Precipitation Radar (KuPR). The properties of PFs with extreme precipitation rates greater than 20, 50, 100 mm/hr, such as the geographical distribution, volumetric precipitation contribution, seasonal and diurnal variations, are examined. In addition to the large seasonal and regional variations, the rare extreme precipitation rates often have a larger contribution to the local total precipitation. Extreme precipitation rates occur more often over land than over ocean. The challenges in the retrieval of extreme precipitation might be from the attenuation correction and large uncertainties in the Z-R relationships from near-surface radar reflectivity to precipitation rates. These potential uncertainties are examined by using collocated ground based radar reflectivity and precipitation retrievals.

Dissolution and secondary mineral precipitation in basalts due to reactions with carbonic acid

Science.gov (United States)

Kanakiya, Shreya; Adam, Ludmila; Esteban, Lionel; Rowe, Michael C.; Shane, Phil

2017-06-01

One of the leading hydrothermal alteration processes in volcanic environments is when rock-forming minerals with high concentrations of iron, magnesium, and calcium react with CO2 and water to form carbonate minerals. This is used to the advantage of geologic sequestration of anthropogenic CO2. Here we experimentally investigate how mineral carbonation processes alter the rock microstructure due to CO2-water-rock interactions. In order to characterize these changes, CO2-water-rock alteration in Auckland Volcanic Field young basalts (less than 0.3 Ma) is studied before and after a 140 day reaction period. We investigate how whole core basalts with similar geochemistry but different porosity, permeability, pore geometry, and volcanic glass content alter due to CO2-water-rock reactions. Ankerite and aluminosilicate minerals precipitate as secondary phases in the pore space. However, rock dissolution mechanisms are found to dominate this secondary mineral precipitation resulting in an increase in porosity and decrease in rigidity of all samples. The basalt with the highest initial porosity and volcanic glass volume shows the most secondary mineral precipitation. At the same time, this sample exhibits the greatest increase in porosity and permeability, and a decrease in rock rigidity post reaction. For the measured samples, we observe a correlation between volcanic glass volume and rock porosity increase due to rock-fluid reactions. We believe this study can help understand the dynamic rock-fluid interactions when monitoring field scale CO2 sequestration projects in basalts.

Metal transport and remobilisation in a basin affected by acid mine drainage

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Consani, Sirio; Carbone, Cristina; Dinelli, Enrico

2017-01-01

Metal-polluted mine waters represent a major threat to the quality of waters and sediments in a downstream basin. At the confluence between acidic mine waters and the unpolluted waters of the Gromolo Torrent (Liguria, North-West Italy), the massive formation of an ochreous amorphous precipitate...... takes place. This precipitate forms a soft blanket that covers the torrent bed and can be observed down to its mouth in the sea. The aim of this work is to evaluate the dispersion of metals in the Gromolo Torrent basin from the abandoned Cu-Fe sulphide mine of Libiola to the Ligurian Sea and to assess...... the metal remobilisation from the amorphous precipitates. The mineralogy of the superficial sediments collected in the torrent bed and the concentrations of different elements of environmental concern (Cu, Zn, Cd, Co, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb, As, and Sb) were therefore analysed. The results showed...

Processes for working-up an aqueous fluosilicic acid solution

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Alpha O. Toure

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Aqueous fluosilicic acid solutions were once considered to be only adverse by-products of phosphoric acid production, which required treatment to prevent ecosystem destruction when discharged into the sea. However, a range of chemicals can be generated by the transformation of this industrial waste product. Through experiments undertaken in the laboratory, we have shown the possibility of caustic soda production. Volumetric analysis showed caustic soda to be present as a 6%– 7%solution with yields of about 70% – 80%by weight. Two processes were investigated for the caustification of sodium fluoride, using different precipitates: sodium chloride and ethanol and are described by modelling caustification curves. The activation energies of precipitation determined by semi-empirical correlations showed that precipitation by ethanol (EA = 933.536 J/mol was more successful than precipitation by sodium chloride (EA = 7452.405 J/mol. Analyses performed on the precipitates highlighted compositions that are essential and useful constituents in the cement industry.

Biologically-induced precipitation of sphalerite-wurtzite nanoparticles by sulfate-reducing bacteria: implications for acid mine drainage treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Castillo, Julio; Pérez-López, Rafael; Caraballo, Manuel A; Nieto, José M; Martins, Mónica; Costa, M Clara; Olías, Manuel; Cerón, Juan C; Tucoulou, Rémi

2012-04-15

Several experiments were conducted to evaluate zinc-tolerance of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) obtained from three environmental samples, two inocula from sulfide-mining districts and another inoculum from a wastewater treatment plant. The populations of SRB resisted zinc concentrations of 260 mg/L for 42 days in a sulfate-rich medium. During the experiments, sulfate was reduced to sulfide and concentrations in solution decreased. Zinc concentrations also decreased from 260 mg/L to values below detection limit. Both decreases were consistent with the precipitation of newly-formed sphalerite and wurtzite, two polymorphs of ZnS, forming <2.5-μm-diameter spherical aggregates identified by microscopy and synchrotron-μ-XRD. Sulfate and zinc are present in high concentrations in acid mine drainage (AMD) even after passive treatments based on limestone dissolution. The implementation of a SRB-based zinc removal step in these systems could completely reduce the mobility of all metals, which would improve the quality of stream sediments, water and soils in AMD-affected landscapes. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Precipitation kinetics of a continuous precipitator, with application to the precipitation of ammonium polyuranate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoyt, R.C.

1978-04-01

A mathematical model describing the kinetics of continuous precipitation was developed which accounts for crystal nucleation, crystal growth, primary coagulation, and secondary coagulation. Population density distributions, average particle sizes, dominant particle sizes, and suspension density fractions of the crystallites, primary agglomerates, and secondary agglomerates leaving the continuous precipitator can be determined. This kinetic model was applied to the continuous precipitation of ammonium polyuranate, which consists of: (1) elementary crystals, (2) clusters or primary coagulated particles, and (3) agglomerates or secondary coagulated particles. The crystallites are thin, submicron, hexagonal platelets. The clusters had an upper size limit of about 7 μ in diameter and contained numerous small voids (less than 0.3 μm) due to the packing of the crystallites. The agglomerates had an upper size limit of about 40 μm in diameter and contained large voids (approximately 1 μm). The particle size distribution and particle structure of the ammonium polyuranate precipitate can be controlled through proper regulation of the precipitation conditions. The ratio of clusters to agglomerates can be best controlled through the uranium concentration, and the cohesiveness or internal bonding strength of the particles can be controlled with the ammonium to uranium reacting feed mole ratio. These two conditions, in conjunction with the residence time, will determine the nucleation rates, growth rates, and size distributions of the particles leaving the continuous precipitator. With proper control of these physical particle characteristics, the use of pore formers, ball-milling, and powder blending can probably be eliminated from the nuclear fuel fabrication process, substantially reducing the cost

Precipitation kinetics of a continuous precipitator, with application to the precipitation of ammonium polyuranate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoyt, R.C.

1978-04-01

A mathematical model describing the kinetics of continuous precipitation was developed which accounts for crystal nucleation, crystal growth, primary coagulation, and secondary coagulation. Population density distributions, average particle sizes, dominant particle sizes, and suspension density fractions of the crystallites, primary agglomerates, and secondary agglomerates leaving the continuous precipitator can be determined. This kinetic model was applied to the continuous precipitation of ammonium polyuranate, which consists of: (1) elementary crystals, (2) clusters or primary coagulated particles, and (3) agglomerates or secondary coagulated particles. The crystallites are thin, submicron, hexagonal platelets. The clusters had an upper size limit of about 7 ..mu.. in diameter and contained numerous small voids (less than 0.3 ..mu..m) due to the packing of the crystallites. The agglomerates had an upper size limit of about 40 ..mu..m in diameter and contained large voids (approximately 1 ..mu..m). The particle size distribution and particle structure of the ammonium polyuranate precipitate can be controlled through proper regulation of the precipitation conditions. The ratio of clusters to agglomerates can be best controlled through the uranium concentration, and the cohesiveness or internal bonding strength of the particles can be controlled with the ammonium to uranium reacting feed mole ratio. These two conditions, in conjunction with the residence time, will determine the nucleation rates, growth rates, and size distributions of the particles leaving the continuous precipitator. With proper control of these physical particle characteristics, the use of pore formers, ball-milling, and powder blending can probably be eliminated from the nuclear fuel fabrication process, substantially reducing the cost.

Review and assessment of technologies for the separation of strontium from alkaline and acidic media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orth, R.J.; Kurath, D.E.

1994-01-01

A literature survey has been conducted to identify and evaluate methods for the separation of strontium from acidic and alkaline media as applied to Hanford tank waste. The most promising methods of solvent extraction, precipitation, and ion exchange are described. The following criteria were used for evaluating the separation methods: Appreciable strontium removal must be demonstrated; Strontium selectivity over bulk components must be demonstrated; The method must show promise for evolving into a practical and fairly simple process; The process should be safe to operate; The method must be robust (i.e., capable of separating strontium from various waste types); Secondary waste generation must be minimized; and The method must show resistance to radiation damage. The methods discussed did not necessarily satisfy all of the above criteria; thus, key areas requiring further development are also given for each method. Less promising solvent extraction, precipitation, and ion exchange methods were also identified; areas for potential development are included in this report

Precipitation and purification of uranium from rock phosphate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

AbowSlama, E.H.Y.; Sam, A.K.; Etemad Ebraheem

2014-01-01

This study was carried-out to leach uranium from rock phosphate using sulphuric acid in the presence of potassium chlorate as an oxidant and to investigate the relative purity of different forms of yellow cakes produced with ammonia, magnesia and sodium hydroxide as precipitants, as well as purification of the products with TBP and matching its impurity levels with specifications of the commercial products. Alpha-particle spectrometry was used for determination of activity concentration of uranium isotopes in rock phosphate, resulting phosphoric acid, and in different forms of the yellow cake. Likewise, atomic absorption spectroscopy was used for determination of impurities. On the average, the equivalent mass concentration of uranium was 119.38 ± 79.66 ppm (rock phosphate) and 57.85 ± 20.46 ppm (phosphoric acid) with corresponding low percent of dissolution (48 %) which is considered low. The isotopic ratio ( 234 U: 238 U) in all stages of hydrometallurgical process was not much different from unity indicating lack of fractionation. Upon comparing the levels of impurities in different form of crude yellow cakes, it was found that the lowest levels were measured in hydrated trioxide (UO 3 ·xH 2 O). This implies that saturated magnesia is least aggressive relative to other precipitants and gives relatively pure crude cake. Therefore, it was used as an index to judge the relative purity of other forms of yellow cakes by taking the respective elemental ratios. The levels of impurities (Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Ni, Cd and Pb) in the purified yellow cake were found comparable with those specified for commercial products. (author)

Assessment of Folic Acid Supplementation in Pregnant Women by Estimation of Serum Levels of Tetrahydrofolic Acid, Dihydrofolate Reductase, and Homocysteine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manisha Naithani

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Status of folic acid use in pregnant women of the hilly regions in North India was little known. This study was carried out to assess the folic acid use and estimate folate metabolites in pregnant women of this region. Materials and Methods. This cross-sectional study is comprised of 76 pregnant women, whose folic acid supplementation was assessed by a questionnaire and serum levels of homocysteine, tetrahydrofolic acid (THFA, and dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR were estimated using Enzyme Linked Immunoassays. Results. The study data revealed awareness of folic acid use during pregnancy was present in 46.1% and 23.7% were taking folic acid supplements. The study depicted that there was no statistically significant difference between serum levels of THFA and DHFR in pregnant women with and without folic acid supplements (p=0.790. Hyperhomocysteinemia was present in 15.78% of the participants. Conclusion. Less awareness about folic acid supplementation and low use of folic acid by pregnant women were observed in this region. Sufficient dietary ingestion may suffice for the escalated requirements in pregnancy, but since this cannot be ensured, hence folic acid supplementation should be made as an integral part of education and reproductive health programs for its better metabolic use, growth, and development of fetus.

Sintesa Precipitated Calcium Carbonate (PCC) dari Cangkang Kerang Darah (Anadara Granosa) dengan Variasi Ukuran Partikel dan Waktu Karbonasi

OpenAIRE

Rahmawati, Lucy; Amri, Amun; Zultiniar, Zultiniar; Yelmida, Yelmida

2015-01-01

Precipitated Calcium Carbonate (PCC) is a product of the processing of natural materials containing calcium carbonate resulting from the precipitation process with high purity. Bloodcockle shell can be used as a source of calcium for precipitated Calcium Carbonate. The purpose of this study to produce PCC of waste shells blood with carbonation method and determine the particle size of the PCC and the best carbonation time. Synthesis performed using carbonation method by adding nitric acid to ...

On basicity and composition of molybdogermanium heteropoly acid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mirzoyan, F.V.; Tarayan, V.M.; Petrosyam, A.A.

1984-01-01

The data on the number of single-charged cations of the basic dye (BD) associated by anion of molybdogermanium heteropoly acid equal to effective acid basicity, as well as the data on chemical analysis of formed solid-phase BD-MGA compounds were used to establish that composition and basicity of MGA depend on the nature of dye-precipitator. The use of acridine orange results in stabilization and precipitation of octasubstituted 12MGA salt, and acriflavine-tetrasubstituted 8MGA salt. Formation of the last ones is independent of medium acidity in its wide range: pH 0.45-4.80 and pH 0-3.8 respectively

Micro-precipitation of Americium by Cerium Hydroxide for alpha spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wankhede, Sonal M.; Kumar, Suja A.; Sawant, Pramilla D.

2018-01-01

Estimation of trace amount of actinides in any biological and/or environmental sample is done by radiochemical separation followed by alpha spectrometry. Alpha-spectrometric determination of actinides requires thin, homogeneous and nearly weightless sample sources. The most widely used method for preparation of actinides for alpha spectrometry involves electro deposition of the alpha emitters using stainless steel planchetts (cathode) and platinum rod (anode). This procedure is time consuming, requires relatively elaborate equipment, and is expensive. Micro-precipitation technique using hydrofluoric acid (HF) is also reliable and already standardized at Bioassay Laboratory (Wankhede, 2016). However, it uses hazardous chemical such as HF, hence, in the present study, cerium hydroxide micro-precipitation technique was standardized

Precipitation from Space: Advancing Earth System Science

Science.gov (United States)

Kucera, Paul A.; Ebert, Elizabeth E.; Turk, F. Joseph; Levizzani, Vicenzo; Kirschbaum, Dalia; Tapiador, Francisco J.; Loew, Alexander; Borsche, M.

2012-01-01

Of the three primary sources of spatially contiguous precipitation observations (surface networks, ground-based radar, and satellite-based radar/radiometers), only the last is a viable source over ocean and much of the Earth's land. As recently as 15 years ago, users needing quantitative detail of precipitation on anything under a monthly time scale relied upon products derived from geostationary satellite thermal infrared (IR) indices. The Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSMI) passive microwave (PMW) imagers originated in 1987 and continue today with the SSMI sounder (SSMIS) sensor. The fortunate longevity of the joint National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) is providing the environmental science community a nearly unbroken data record (as of April 2012, over 14 years) of tropical and sub-tropical precipitation processes. TRMM was originally conceived in the mid-1980s as a climate mission with relatively modest goals, including monthly averaged precipitation. TRMM data were quickly exploited for model data assimilation and, beginning in 1999 with the availability of near real time data, for tropical cyclone warnings. To overcome the intermittently spaced revisit from these and other low Earth-orbiting satellites, many methods to merge PMW-based precipitation data and geostationary satellite observations have been developed, such as the TRMM Multisatellite Precipitation Product and the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) morphing method (CMORPH. The purpose of this article is not to provide a survey or assessment of these and other satellite-based precipitation datasets, which are well summarized in several recent articles. Rather, the intent is to demonstrate how the availability and continuity of satellite-based precipitation data records is transforming the ways that scientific and societal issues related to precipitation are addressed, in ways that would not be

The Effect of Double Crosslinker on Precipitation Polymerization of Poly(acrylic acid

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hajar Es-haghi

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Cross-linked poly(acrylic acids were prepared by dual cross-linkers via precipitation polymerization method in a binary organic solvent. Polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA-400 as a long-chain cross-linker and di(trimethylol propane tetraacrylate (DTMPTA as multifunctional cross-linker were used. PEGDA-400 was utilized to increase thickening properties and DTMPTA was used to improve the gel strength. The dual cross-linkers effect on the sample features (i.e., equilibrium swelling, thickening properties and rheological properties was investigated. Maximum amount of swelling was obtained by a high percentage of long-chain cross-linker. The apparent viscosity of the microgels was measured to determine their thickening properties for aqueous media. Maximum viscosity occurred at DT25-PE75 which was dependent on the type of cross-linkers in the polymer structure. The Flory-Rehner equation (from swelling ratio data and rubber elasticity theory (from rheometry data were used to discuss the network structure of the polymer. Increasing density of the network was shown by a sample containing high percentage of a four-functional cross-linker. The rheological properties of the cross-linked polymers were measured to determine storage modulus (strength network. The rheological behaviors demonstrated that the synthesized polymer containing a high amount of four-functional cross-linker had higher storage modulus (G′ than other samples. In addition the consistency coefficient (m and flow behavior index (n parameters of Ostwald equation were investigated as well. As a result, n values in each sample were found to be smaller than 1 and these results were fitted clearly with the pseudoplastic model. Apparent and rotational viscosities were used to determine the optimal cross-linker type (synthesized sample contained a high percentage of long-chain cross-linker.

A rapid phospholipase D assay using zirconium precipitation of anionic substrate phospholipids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, G.; Hansen, Harald S.; Chapman, K.D.

2000-01-01

-acylphosphatidylethanolamine (NAPE)-hydrolyzing PLD activity, which produces two lipophilic products, N-acylethanolamine (NAE) and phosphatidic acid. Therefore, we developed a rapid assay for the routine detection of NAPE-hydrolyzing PLD activity. This assay is based on precipitation of radiolabeled substrate (NAPE) in the presence...

Disentangling Seasonality and Mean Annual Precipitation in the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool: Insights from Coupled Plant Wax C and H Isotope Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Galy, V.; Oppo, D.; Dubois, N.; Arbuszewski, J. A.; Mohtadi, M.; Schefuss, E.; Rosenthal, Y.; Linsley, B. K.

2016-12-01

There is ample evidence suggesting that rainfall distribution across the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool (IPWP) - a key component of the global climate system - has substantially varied over the last deglaciation. Yet, the precise nature of these hydroclimate changes remains to be elucidated. In particular, the relative importance of variations in precipitation seasonality versus annual precipitation amount is essentially unknown. Here we use a set of surface sediments from the IPWP covering a wide range of modern hydroclimate conditions to evaluate how plant wax stable isotope composition records rainfall distribution in the area. We focus on long chain fatty acids, which are exclusively produced by vascular plants living on nearby land and delivered to the ocean by rivers. We relate the C (δ13C) and H (δD) isotope composition of long chain fatty acids preserved in surface sediments to modern precipitation distribution and stable isotope composition in their respective source area. We show that: 1) δ13C values reflect vegetation distribution (in particular the relative abundance of C3 and C4 plants) and are primarily recording precipitation seasonality (Dubois et al., 2014) and, 2) once corrected for plant fractionation effects, δD values reflect the amount-weighted average stable isotope composition of precipitation and are primarily recording annual precipitation amounts. We propose that combining the C and H isotope composition of long chain fatty acids thus allows independent reconstructions of precipitation seasonality and annual amounts in the IPWP. The practical implications for reconstructing past hydroclimate in the IPWP will be discussed.

Trends in precipitation and streamwater chemistry in East Creek watershed in southwestern British Columbia, 1971–2008

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael C. FELLER

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Bulk precipitation and streamwater in a small, undisturbed, forested watershed in southwestern British Columbia were sampled regularly and analyzed for dissolved chemical constituents from 1971 to 2008. Concentrations and fluxes of most chemicals in precipitation and streamwater have exhibited considerable yearly variation. Temporal trends, when they have occurred, have rarely been consistent for the entire 1972–2008 time period. Precipitation has exhibited a decline in electrical conductivity, a decline in NH4, inorganic-N, and total-N concentrations and fluxes since the 1980s, an increase in pH, a decline in acid H fluxes since ~1990, and a decrease in SO4 concentrations and fluxes from 1980 until the late 1990s. Streamwater has exhibited an increase in NO3 concentrations and fluxes until the late 1990s, an increase in pH and decrease in acid H fluxes since the early 1990s, a decrease in SO4 concentrations and fluxes from ~1980 until ~2000, and increases in Na and Cl concentrations and fluxes until ~2000. Critical precipitation SO4 and inorganic-N loads have probably been exceeded for most years. East Ck. watershed has continuously experienced net inflows of all forms of N and acid H, and net outflows of dissolved Si, Na, Mg, and Ca. Net inflows of inorganic forms of N and total-N have decreased since the early 1980s. Net acid H inflows have decreased since the early 1990s, while net Na and Cl outflows increased until ~2000. The contribution of nutrient cycling processes within the watershed to the changes is currently unknown.

Optimization Recovery of Yttrium Oxide in Precipitation, Extraction, and Stripping Process

Science.gov (United States)

Perwira, N. I.; Basuki, K. T.; Biyantoro, D.; Effendy, N.

2018-04-01

Yttrium oxide can be used as a dopant control rod of nuclear reactors in YSH material and superconductors. Yttrium oxide is obtained in the Xenotime mineral derived from byproduct of tin mining PT Timah Bangka which contain rare earth elements (REE) dominant Y, Dy, and Gd whose content respectively about 29.53%, 7.76%, and 2.58%. Both usage in the field of nuclear and non-nuclear science and technology is need to pure from the impurities. The presence of impurities in the yttrium oxide may affect the characteristic of the material and the efficiency of its use. Thus it needs to be separated by precipitation and extraction-stripping and calcination in the making of the oxide. However, to obtain higher levels of Yttrium oxide, it is necessary to determine the optimum conditions for its separation. The purpose of this research was to determine the optimum pH of precipitation, determine acid media and concentration optimum in extraction and stripping process and determine the efficiency of the separation of Y from REE concentrate. This research was conducted with pH variation in the precipitation process that pHs were 4 - 8, the difference of acid media for the extraction process, i.e., HNO3, HCl and H2SO4 with each concentration of 0,5 M; 1 M; 1,5 M; and 2 M and for stripping process were HNO3, HCl, and H2SO4 with each concentration of 1 M; 2M; and 3 M. Based on the result, the optimum pH of precipitation process was 6,5, the optimumacid media was HNO3 0,5 M, and for stripping process media was HNO3 3 M. The efficiency of precipitation process at pH 6,5 was 69,53 %, extraction process was 96.39% and stripping process was 4,50%. The separation process from precipitation to extraction had increased the purity and the highest efficiency recovery of Y was in the extraction process and obtained Y2O3 purer compared to the feed with the Y2O3 content of 92.87%.

Bio-precipitation of uranium by two bacterial isolates recovered from extreme environments as estimated by potentiometric titration, TEM and X-ray absorption spectroscopic analyses.

Science.gov (United States)

Merroun, Mohamed L; Nedelkova, Marta; Ojeda, Jesus J; Reitz, Thomas; Fernández, Margarita López; Arias, José M; Romero-González, María; Selenska-Pobell, Sonja

2011-12-15

This work describes the mechanisms of uranium biomineralization at acidic conditions by Bacillus sphaericus JG-7B and Sphingomonas sp. S15-S1 both recovered from extreme environments. The U-bacterial interaction experiments were performed at low pH values (2.0-4.5) where the uranium aqueous speciation is dominated by highly mobile uranyl ions. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) showed that the cells of the studied strains precipitated uranium at pH 3.0 and 4.5 as a uranium phosphate mineral phase belonging to the meta-autunite group. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analyses showed strain-specific localization of the uranium precipitates. In the case of B. sphaericus JG-7B, the U(VI) precipitate was bound to the cell wall. Whereas for Sphingomonas sp. S15-S1, the U(VI) precipitates were observed both on the cell surface and intracellularly. The observed U(VI) biomineralization was associated with the activity of indigenous acid phosphatase detected at these pH values in the absence of an organic phosphate substrate. The biomineralization of uranium was not observed at pH 2.0, and U(VI) formed complexes with organophosphate ligands from the cells. This study increases the number of bacterial strains that have been demonstrated to precipitate uranium phosphates at acidic conditions via the activity of acid phosphatase. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Precipitation and growth of zinc sulfide nanoparticles in the presence of thiol-containing natural organic ligands.

Science.gov (United States)

Lau, Boris L T; Hsu-Kim, Heileen

2008-10-01

In sulfidic aquatic systems, metal sulfides can control the mobility and bioavailability of trace metal pollutants such as zinc, mercury, and silver. Nanoparticles of ZnS and other metal sulfides are known to exist in oxic and anoxic waters. However, the processes that lead to their persistence in the aquatic environment are relatively unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the importance of dissolved natural organics in stabilizing nanoparticulate ZnS that precipitates under environmentally relevant conditions. Precipitation and growth of ZnS particles were investigated in the presence of dissolved humic acid and low-molecular weight organic acids that are prevalent in sediment porewater. Dynamic light scattering was used to monitor the hydrodynamic diameter of particles precipitating in laboratory solutions. Zn speciation was also measured by filtering the ZnS solutions (precipitation experiments and not to the dissolved organic ligands. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electron microscopy were used to confirm that amorphous particles containing Zn and S were precipitating in the suspensions. Observed growth rates of ZnS particles varied by orders of magnitude, depending on the type and concentration of organic ligand in solution. In the presence of humic acid and thiol-containing ligands (cysteine, glutathione, and thioglycolate), observed growth rates decreased by 1-3 orders of magnitude relative to controls without the ligands. In contrast, growth rates of the particles were consistently within 1 order of magnitude of the ligand-free control when oxygen- and amine-containing ligands (oxalate, serine, and glycolate) were present Furthermore, particle growth rates decreased with an increase in thiol concentration and increased with NaNO3 electrolyte concentration. These studies suggest that specific surface interactions with thiol-containing organics may be one factor that contributes to the persistence of naturally occurring and anthropogenic

Study on the effect of free acidity and entrained TBP in UNPS on the quality of ADU powder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prudhvi Raju, P.V.S.N.; Mandal, D.

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: From the experimental study it was found that mean particle size of precipitated Ammonium Di-Uranate (ADU) depends on the free acidity content and entrained TBP in Uranyl Nitrate Pure Solution (UNPS). It was found that as the free acidity as well as the entrained TBP content in UNPS increases, mean particle size of precipitated ADU decreases. Based on the experimental results two correlations were developed as shown in below figures. - Highlights: • The mean particle size of precipitated ADU depends on the free acidity in UNPS. • The mean particle size of precipitated ADU also depends on the entrained TBP in UNPS. • As free acidity in UNPS increases, mean particle size of precipitated ADU decreases. • As entrained TBP in UNPS increases, particle size of precipitated ADU decreases. • Based on the experimental results two correlations were developed to find d p of ADU. - Abstract: The mean particle size and size distribution of Ammonium Di-Uranate (ADU) particles, precipitated during the precipitation reaction of Uranyl Nitrate Pure Solution (UNPS) with ammonia play an important role on the sintered density of UO 2 pellets. The quality of precipitated ADU depends on number of process parameters viz., pH of UNPS, concentration of uranium in UNPS, flow rate of ammonium hydroxide, temperature etc. However, the effects of the presence of free acid and entrained Tri-Butyl-Phosphate (TBP) in UNPS on the quality of ADU powder were not studied till date. Experiments were conducted to study the effect of free acidity and the presence of entrained TBP on the quality of precipitated ADU particles. It was found that as the concentration of free acid as well as the concentration of entrained TBP in UNPS increases, the particle size of precipitated ADU decreases. Based on the experimental results two correlations were developed to determine the mean particle size of ADU; one is based on the free acid content of UNPS and the other is based on the

Study on the effect of free acidity and entrained TBP in UNPS on the quality of ADU powder

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prudhvi Raju, P.V.S.N. [Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad 500 062 (India); Mandal, D., E-mail: dmandal@barc.gov.in [Chemical Engineering Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai 400 085 (India)

2015-09-15

Graphical abstract: From the experimental study it was found that mean particle size of precipitated Ammonium Di-Uranate (ADU) depends on the free acidity content and entrained TBP in Uranyl Nitrate Pure Solution (UNPS). It was found that as the free acidity as well as the entrained TBP content in UNPS increases, mean particle size of precipitated ADU decreases. Based on the experimental results two correlations were developed as shown in below figures. - Highlights: • The mean particle size of precipitated ADU depends on the free acidity in UNPS. • The mean particle size of precipitated ADU also depends on the entrained TBP in UNPS. • As free acidity in UNPS increases, mean particle size of precipitated ADU decreases. • As entrained TBP in UNPS increases, particle size of precipitated ADU decreases. • Based on the experimental results two correlations were developed to find d{sub p} of ADU. - Abstract: The mean particle size and size distribution of Ammonium Di-Uranate (ADU) particles, precipitated during the precipitation reaction of Uranyl Nitrate Pure Solution (UNPS) with ammonia play an important role on the sintered density of UO{sub 2} pellets. The quality of precipitated ADU depends on number of process parameters viz., pH of UNPS, concentration of uranium in UNPS, flow rate of ammonium hydroxide, temperature etc. However, the effects of the presence of free acid and entrained Tri-Butyl-Phosphate (TBP) in UNPS on the quality of ADU powder were not studied till date. Experiments were conducted to study the effect of free acidity and the presence of entrained TBP on the quality of precipitated ADU particles. It was found that as the concentration of free acid as well as the concentration of entrained TBP in UNPS increases, the particle size of precipitated ADU decreases. Based on the experimental results two correlations were developed to determine the mean particle size of ADU; one is based on the free acid content of UNPS and the other is based on

Urban acid deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Conlan, D.E.; Longhurst, J.W.S.; Gee, D.R.; Hare, S.E.

1991-07-01

In this document results from the Greater Manchester Acid Deposition Survey (GMADS), an urban precipitation chemistry network, for 1990 are presented. Full analytical methods are described along with the precision and accuracy of the methods used. The spatial variability of precipitation chemistry and deposition over this urban region was investigated using a network of twenty collectors. Concentrations of non marine sulphate, ammonium, calcium and hydrogen, and nitrogen dioxide gas concentrations all show significant spatial variability. The spatial variability of the deposition rates of non marine sulphate, nitrate, ammonium, hydrogen and calcium were significant. (Author).

Estimating mountain basin-mean precipitation from streamflow using Bayesian inference

Science.gov (United States)

Henn, Brian; Clark, Martyn P.; Kavetski, Dmitri; Lundquist, Jessica D.

2015-10-01

Estimating basin-mean precipitation in complex terrain is difficult due to uncertainty in the topographical representativeness of precipitation gauges relative to the basin. To address this issue, we use Bayesian methodology coupled with a multimodel framework to infer basin-mean precipitation from streamflow observations, and we apply this approach to snow-dominated basins in the Sierra Nevada of California. Using streamflow observations, forcing data from lower-elevation stations, the Bayesian Total Error Analysis (BATEA) methodology and the Framework for Understanding Structural Errors (FUSE), we infer basin-mean precipitation, and compare it to basin-mean precipitation estimated using topographically informed interpolation from gauges (PRISM, the Parameter-elevation Regression on Independent Slopes Model). The BATEA-inferred spatial patterns of precipitation show agreement with PRISM in terms of the rank of basins from wet to dry but differ in absolute values. In some of the basins, these differences may reflect biases in PRISM, because some implied PRISM runoff ratios may be inconsistent with the regional climate. We also infer annual time series of basin precipitation using a two-step calibration approach. Assessment of the precision and robustness of the BATEA approach suggests that uncertainty in the BATEA-inferred precipitation is primarily related to uncertainties in hydrologic model structure. Despite these limitations, time series of inferred annual precipitation under different model and parameter assumptions are strongly correlated with one another, suggesting that this approach is capable of resolving year-to-year variability in basin-mean precipitation.

Ionic flotation of uranium contained in industrial phosphoric acid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jdid; Blazy; Bessiere

1983-01-01

A new process for uranium recovery from industrial phosphoric acid at 30% of P 2 O 5 is applied by the ionic flotation process. Research is carried out on determination of the nature of ionic species of U in H 3 PO 4 5.5 M and the behavior of reagents from CECA Co. in very acid media. Reagents able to form complexes directly with uranium and stable in phosphoric acid selected are: potassium ethylene diamine tetra (methylene phosphonate) (INIPOL AD32) and sodium dialkyldiphosphonate (34S). Uranium IV, obtained by reduction of uranium VI with iron powder, is precipitated by these reagents. Flotation of the precipitate obtained with INIPOL AD 32 is realized by addition of hexylamino bis (methylene phosphonic acid). A recovery of 80 wt% is obtained. Flotation of the coprecipitate 34S-U(IV) is obtained without any other additions because 34S is a surfactant. Metal recovery is better than 90% and the coprecipitate contains more than 10% U. The process is fast precipitation 10 minutes and flotation 5 minutes and is efficient even at 60 0 C [fr

UV-vis Imaging of Piroxicam Supersaturation, Precipitation, and Dissolution in a Flow-Through Setup.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Yu; Chapman, Alex; Larsen, Susan W; Jensen, Henrik; Petersen, Nickolaj J; Goodall, David M; Østergaard, Jesper

2018-06-05

Evaluation of drug precipitation is important in order to address challenges regarding low and variable bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs, to assess potential risk of patient safety with infusion therapy, and to explore injectable in situ suspension-forming drug delivery systems. Generally, drug precipitation is assessed in vitro through solution concentration analysis methods. Dual-wavelength UV-vis imaging is a novel imaging technique that may provide an opportunity for simultaneously monitoring changes in both solution and solid phases during precipitation. In the present study, a multimodal approach integrating UV-vis imaging, light microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy was developed for characterization of piroxicam supersaturation, precipitation, and dissolution in a flow-through setup. A solution of piroxicam dissolved in 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone was injected into a flowing aqueous environment (pH 7.4), causing piroxicam to precipitate. Imaging at 405 and 280 nm monitored piroxicam concentration distributions during precipitation and revealed different supersaturation levels dependent on the initial concentration of the piroxicam solution. The combination with imaging at 525 nm, light microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy measurements demonstrated concentration-dependent precipitation and the formation, growth, and dissolution of individual particles. Results emphasize the importance of the specific hydrodynamic conditions on the piroxicam precipitation. The approach used may facilitate comprehensive understanding of drug precipitation and dissolution processes and may be developed further into a basic tool for formulation screening and development.

Changes of chemistry of precipitation on the area affected by imissions from hard coal power plant in the years 1977-1994

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zablocki, Z.

1996-01-01

The changes of precipitation chemistry was studied on 9 sites in the distance 0.2-13.5 km from Dolna Odra power plant during the years 1977-1994. The results of long-term studies of changes of precipitation reaction and amounts of sulfur in precipitation on the area were shown as chronotoposequences. The results indicated on some positive changes in chemistry of precipitation in 1991-1994 years as compared to the period of 1986-1990 which manifested as decrease as yearly averages of amounts of sulfur and nitrate-nitrogen in precipitation and decrease of percentage of monthly measurements of precipitation with very acid reaction. (author). 11 refs, 2 figs, 1 tab

Improved Hourly and Sub-Hourly Gauge Data for Assessing Precipitation Extremes in the U.S.

Science.gov (United States)

Lawrimore, J. H.; Wuertz, D.; Palecki, M. A.; Kim, D.; Stevens, S. E.; Leeper, R.; Korzeniewski, B.

2017-12-01

The NOAA/National Weather Service (NWS) Fischer-Porter (F&P) weighing bucket precipitation gauge network consists of approximately 2000 stations that comprise a subset of the NWS Cooperative Observers Program network. This network has operated since the mid-20th century, providing one of the longest records of hourly and 15-minute precipitation observations in the U.S. The lengthy record of this dataset combined with its relatively high spatial density, provides an important source of data for many hydrological applications including understanding trends and variability in the frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation events. In recent years NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information initiated an upgrade of its end-to-end processing and quality control system for these data. This involved a change from a largely manual review and edit process to a fully automated system that removes the subjectivity that was previously a necessary part of dataset quality control and processing. An overview of improvements to this dataset is provided along with the results of an analysis of observed variability and trends in U.S. precipitation extremes since the mid-20th century. Multi-decadal trends in many parts of the nation are consistent with model projections of an increase in the frequency and intensity of heavy precipitation in a warming world.

Optimisation of parameters for co-precipitation of uranium and plutonium - results of simulation studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pandey, N.K.; Velvandan, P.V.; Murugesan, S.; Ahmed, M.K.; Koganti, S.B.

1999-01-01

Preparation of plutonium oxide from plutonium nitrate solution generally proceeds via oxalate precipitation route. In a nuclear fuel reprocessing scheme this step succeeds the partitioning step (separation of uranium and plutonium). Results of present studies confirm that it is possible to avoid partitioning step and recover plutonium and uranium as co-precipitated product. This also helps in minimising the risk of proliferation of fissile material. In this procedure, the solubility of uranium oxalate in nitric acid is effectively used. Co-precipitation parameters are optimised with simulated solutions of uranium nitrate and thorium nitrate (in place of plutonium). On the basis of obtained results a reconversion flow-sheet is designed and reported here. (author)

Climate change and precipitation: Detecting changes Climate change and precipitation: Detecting changes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Boxel, John H

2001-01-01

Precipitation is one of the most, if not the most important climate parameter In most studies on climate change the emphasis is on temperature and sea level rise. Often too little attention is given to precipitation. For a large part this is due to the large spatial en temporal variability of precipitation, which makes the detection of changes difficult. This paper describes methods to detect changes in precipitation. In order to arrive at statistically significant changes one must use long time series and spatial averages containing the information from several stations. In the Netherlands the average yearly precipitation increased by 11% during the 20th century .In the temperate latitudes on the Northern Hemisphere (40-60QN) the average increase was about 7% over the 20th century and the globally averaged precipitation increased by about 3%. During the 20th century 38% of the land surface of the earth became wetter, 42% experienced little change (less than 5% change) and 20% became dryer. More important than the average precipitation is the occurrence of extremes. In the Netherlands there is a tendency to more extreme precipitations, whereas the occurrence of relatively dry months has not changed. Also in many other countries increases in heavy precipitation events are observed. All climate models predict a further increase of mean global precipitation if the carbon dioxide concentration doubles. Nevertheless some areas get dryer, others have little change and consequently there are also areas where the increase is much more than the global average. On a regional scale however there are large differences between the models. Climate models do not yet provide adequate information on changes in extreme precipitations

Mesocosm studies to assess acidity removal from acidic mine lakes through controlled eutrophication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fyson, A.; Nixdorf, B.; Kalin, M.; Steinberg, C.E.W.

1998-01-01

Flooded lignite pits (Tagebaurestseen) in Lusatia, Germany, are acidic (pH 2.5-4) with high concentrations of iron. Mesocosms (total volume 20 l) were set up with water and sediment from a Tagebaurestsee to assess the effects of phosphate and organic amendments under natural light and low temperature. Chemical and biological parameters were observed over a 9-month period. Phosphate rock addition resulted in sustained reduction in acidity in the water column and induced the growth of Chlamydomonas spp. (Chlorophyceae) near the water surface and Lepocinclis teres (Euglenophyceae) in a band above the sediment. Addition of potatoes to mesocosms resulted in the generation of near-anoxic conditions above the sediment, and phosphorus, ammonium and carbon (organic and inorganic) were released as the potatoes decomposed. A pH > 6 was attained with 5.1 g (dry weight) of potatoes and pH > 8 with 34 g (dry weight). In both mesocosms, more than 90% of total acidity was removed

Lake Baikal isotope records of Holocene Central Asian precipitation

Science.gov (United States)

Swann, George E. A.; Mackay, Anson W.; Vologina, Elena; Jones, Matthew D.; Panizzo, Virginia N.; Leng, Melanie J.; Sloane, Hilary J.; Snelling, Andrea M.; Sturm, Michael

2018-06-01

Climate models currently provide conflicting predictions of future climate change across Central Asia. With concern over the potential for a change in water availability to impact communities and ecosystems across the region, an understanding of historical trends in precipitation is required to aid model development and assess the vulnerability of the region to future changes in the hydroclimate. Here we present a record from Lake Baikal, located in the southern Siberian region of central Asia close to the Mongolian border, which demonstrates a relationship between the oxygen isotope composition of diatom silica (δ18Odiatom) and precipitation to the region over the 20th and 21st Century. From this, we suggest that annual rates of precipitation in recent times are at their lowest for the past 10,000 years and identify significant long-term variations in precipitation throughout the early to late Holocene interval. Based on comparisons to other regional records, these trends are suggested to reflect conditions across the wider Central Asian region around Lake Baikal and highlight the potential for further changes in precipitation with future climate change.

Magnesium hydroxide as the neutralizing agent for radioactive hydrochloric acid solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmer, M.J.; Fife, K.W.

1995-10-01

The current technology at Los Alamos for removing actinides from acidic chloride waste streams is precipitation with approximately 10 M potassium hydroxide. Although successful, there are many inherent drawbacks to this precipitation technique which will be detailed in this paper. Magnesium hydroxide (K sp = 1.3 x 10 -11 ) has limited solubility in water and as a result of the common ion effect, cannot generate a filtrate with a pH greater than 9. At a pH of 9, calcium (K sp = 5.5 x 10 -6 ) will not coprecipitate as the hydroxide. This is an important factor since many acidic chloride feeds to hydroxide precipitation contain significant amounts of calcium. In addition, neutralization with Mg(OH) 2 produces a more filterable precipitate because neutralization occurs as the Mg(OH) 2 is dissolved by the acid rather than as a result of the much faster liquid/liquid reaction of KOH with the waste acid. This slower solid/liquid reaction allows time for crystal growth to occur and produces more easily filterable precipitates. On the other hand, neutralization of spent acid with strong KOH that yields numerous hydroxide ions in solution almost instantaneously forming a much larger volume of small crystallites that result in gelatinous, slow-filtering precipitates. Magnesium hydroxide also offers a safety advantage. Although mildly irritating, it is a weak base and safe and easy to handle. From a waste minimization perspective, Mg(OH) 2 offers many advantages. First, the magnesium hydroxide is added as a solid. This step eliminates the diluent water used in KOH neutralizations. Secondly, because the particle size of the precipitate is larger, more actinides are caught on the filter paper resulting in a smaller amount of actinide being transferred to the TA-50 Liquid Waste Treatment Facility. Third, the amount of solids that must be reprocessed is significantly smaller resulting in less waste generation from the downstream processes

Precipitation isoscapes for New Zealand: enhanced temporal detail using precipitation-weighted daily climatology.

Science.gov (United States)

Baisden, W Troy; Keller, Elizabeth D; Van Hale, Robert; Frew, Russell D; Wassenaar, Leonard I

2016-01-01

Predictive understanding of precipitation δ(2)H and δ(18)O in New Zealand faces unique challenges, including high spatial variability in precipitation amounts, alternation between subtropical and sub-Antarctic precipitation sources, and a compressed latitudinal range of 34 to 47 °S. To map the precipitation isotope ratios across New Zealand, three years of integrated monthly precipitation samples were acquired from >50 stations. Conventional mean-annual precipitation δ(2)H and δ(18)O maps were produced by regressions using geographic and annual climate variables. Incomplete data and short-term variation in climate and precipitation sources limited the utility of this approach. We overcome these difficulties by calculating precipitation-weighted monthly climate parameters using national 5-km-gridded daily climate data. This data plus geographic variables were regressed to predict δ(2)H, δ(18)O, and d-excess at all sites. The procedure yields statistically-valid predictions of the isotope composition of precipitation (long-term average root mean square error (RMSE) for δ(18)O = 0.6 ‰; δ(2)H = 5.5 ‰); and monthly RMSE δ(18)O = 1.9 ‰, δ(2)H = 16 ‰. This approach has substantial benefits for studies that require the isotope composition of precipitation during specific time intervals, and may be further improved by comparison to daily and event-based precipitation samples as well as the use of back-trajectory calculations.

Cerium oxalate precipitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, T.P.

1987-02-01

Cerium, a nonradioactive, common stand-in for plutonium in development work, has been used to simulate several plutonium precipitation processes at the Savannah River Laboratory. There are similarities between the plutonium trifluoride and the cerium oxalate precipitations in particle size and extent of plating, but not particle morphology. The equilibrium solubility, precipitation kinetics, particle size, extent of plating, and dissolution characteristics of cerium oxalate have been investigated. Interpretations of particle size and plating based on precipitation kinetics (i.e., nucleation and crystal growth) are presented. 16 refs., 7 figs., 6 tabs

Cintichem modified process - {sup 99}Mo precipitation step: application of statistical analysis tools over the reaction parameters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teodoro, Rodrigo; Dias, Carla R.B.R.; Osso Junior, Joao A., E-mail: jaosso@ipen.b [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Fernandez Nunez, Eutimio Gustavo [Universidade de Sao Paulo (EP/USP), SP (Brazil). Escola Politecnica. Dept. de Engenharia Quimica

2011-07-01

Precipitation of {sup 99}Mo by {alpha}-benzoin oxime ({alpha}-Bz) is a standard precipitation method for molybdenum due the high selectivity of this agent. Nowadays, statistical analysis tools have been employed in analytical systems to prove its efficiency and feasibility. IPEN has a project aiming the production of {sup 99}Mo by the fission of {sup 235}U route. The processing uses as the first step the precipitation of {sup 99}Mo with {alpha}-Bz. This precipitation step involves many key reaction parameters. The aim of this work is based on the development of the already known acidic route to produce {sup 99}Mo as well as the optimization of the reactional parameters applying statistical tools. In order to simulate {sup 99}Mo precipitation, the study was conducted in acidic media using HNO{sub 3}, {alpha}Bz as precipitant agent and NaOH /1%H{sub 2}O{sub 2} as dissolver solution. Then, a Mo carrier, KMnO{sub 4} solutions and {sup 99}Mo tracer were added to the reaction flask. The reactional parameters ({alpha}-Bz/Mo ratio, Mo carrier, reaction time and temperature, and cooling reaction time before filtration) were evaluated under a fractional factorial design of resolution V. The best values of each reactional parameter were determined by a response surface statistical planning. The precipitation and recovery yields of {sup 99}Mo were measured using HPGe detector. Statistical analysis from experimental data suggested that the reactional parameters {alpha}-Bz/Mo ratio, reaction time and temperature have a significant impact on {sup 99}Mo precipitation. Optimization statistical planning showed that higher {alpha}Bz/Mo ratios, room temperature, and lower reaction time lead to higher {sup 99}Mo yields. (author)

Effects of acidic deposition on the erosion of carbonate stone — experimental results from the U.S. National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP)

Science.gov (United States)

Baedecker, Philip A.; Reddy, Michael M.; Reimann, Karl J.; Sciammarella, Cesar A.

One of the goals of NAPAP-sponsored research on the effects of acidic deposition on carbonate stone has been to quantify the incremental effects of wet and dry deposition of hydrogen ion, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides on stone erosion. Test briquettes and slabs of freshly quarried Indiana limestone and Vermont marble have been exposed to ambient environmental conditions in a long-term exposure program. Physical measurements of the recession of test stones exposed to ambient conditions at an angle of 30° to horizontal at the five NAPAP materials exposure sites range from ˜ 15 to ˜ 30 μm yr -1 for marble, and from ˜ 25 to ˜ 45 μm yr -1 for limestone, and are approximately double the recession estimates based on the observed calcium content of run-off solutions from test slabs. The difference between the physical and chemical recession measurements is attributed to the loss of mineral grains from the stone surfaces that are not measured in the run-off experiments. The erosion due to grain loss does not appear to be influenced by rainfall acidity, however, preliminary evidence suggests that grain loss may be influenced by dry deposition of sulfur dioxide between rainfall events. Chemical analyses of the run-off solutions and associated rainfall blanks suggest that ˜ 30% of erosion by dissolution can be attributed to the wet deposition of hydrogen ion and the dry deposition of sulfur dioxide and nitric acid between rain events. The remaining ˜ 70% of erosion by dissolution is accounted for by the solubility of carbonate stone in rain that is in equilibrium with atmospheric carbon dioxide ("clean rain"). These results are for marble and limestone slabs exposed at an angle of 30° from horizontal. The relative contribution of sulfur dioxide to chemical erosion is significantly enhanced for stone slabs having an inclination of 60° or 85°. The dry deposition of alkaline particulate material has a mitigating effect at the two urban field exposure sites at

Amino acid salt solutions as solvents in CO2 capture from flue gas

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lerche, Benedicte Mai; Thomsen, Kaj; Stenby, Erling Halfdan

New solvents based on the salts of amino acids have emerged as an alternative to the alkanolamine solutions, for the chemical absorption of CO2 from flue gas. But only few studies on amino acids as CO2 capturing agents have been performed so far. One of the interesting features of amino acid salt...... solutions is their ability to form solid precipitates upon the absorption of CO2. The occurrence of crystallization offers the possibility of increasing the CO2 loading capacity of the solvent. However, precipitation can also have negative effect on the CO2 capture process. The chemical nature of the solid...... of glycine, taurine, and lysine, while in the case of proline, and glutamic acid, the precipitate was found to be bicarbonate. These results give an important contribution to further understanding the potential of amino acid salt solutions in CO2 capture from flue gas....

Assessing the impacts of climate change on future precipitation trends based on downscaled cmip5 simulations data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mentgal, A.; Harijan, K.; Uqaili, M.A.

2017-01-01

This study investigates future changes in precipitation over the CRB (Columbia River Basin) in both wet (DJF) and dry (JJA) seasons under RCP85 GHG emission scenario. The simulations from four climate models which participated in CMIP5 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase-5) were downscaled using the BCSD (Bias Correction and Spatial Disaggregation) method. After downscaling, extreme value analysis and MME (Multi Model Ensemble) averaging is performed. This study focuses on computing 2, 5, 10 and 25 years return levels for both winter (DJF) and summer (JJA) seasons. The maximum winter precipitation values for 2, 5, 10 and 25 years return periods have been estimated to be about 112, 127, 148 and 171 mm/day respectively whereas the maximum summer precipitation values for 2, 5, 10 and 25 years return periods are observed to be about 56, 81, 96 and 126 mm/day respectively. The MME average outperformed the individual models in simulating the historical precipitation in both seasons. The MME results showed a consistent and significant increase in the extreme precipitation and decrease in mean precipitation in both future wet and dry seasons. Largest increase in precipitation occurs over the higher elevations of the Cascades Range, Coast Range and the Mountainous Range. (author)

Urban acid deposition in Greater Manchester

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, D.S.; Longhurst, J.W.S.; Gee, D.R.; Hare, S.E. (Manchester Polytechnic, Manchester (UK). Acid Rain Information Centre)

1989-08-01

Data are presented from a monitoring network of 18 bulk precipitation collectors and one wet-only collector in the urban area of Greater Manchester, in the north west of England. Weekly samples were analysed for all the major ions in precipitation along with gaseous nitrogen dioxide concentrations from diffusion tubes. Statistical analysis of the data shows significant spatial variation of non marine sulphate, nitrate, ammonium, acidity and calcium concentrations, and nitrogen dioxide concentrations. Calcium is thought to be responsible for the buffering of acidity and is of local origin. Wet deposition is the likely removal process for calcium in the atmosphere and probably by below cloud scavenging. Nitrate and ammonium concentrations and depositions show close spatial, temporal and statistical association. Examination of high simultaneous episodes of nitrate and ammonium deposition shows that these depositions cannot be explained in terms of trajectories and it is suggested that UK emissions of ammonia may be important. Statistical analysis of the relationships between nitrate and ammonium depositions, concentrations and precipitation amount suggest that ammonia from mesoscale sources reacts reversibly with nitric acid aerosol and is removed by below cloud scavenging. High episodes of the deposition of non marine sulphate are difficult to explain by trajectory analysis alone, perhaps suggesting local sources. In a comparison between wet deposition and bulk deposition, it was shown that only 15.2% of the non marine sulphur was dry deposited to the bulk precipitation collector. 63 refs., 86 figs., 31 tabs.

Nucleic acid-binding glycoproteins which solubilize nucleic acids in dilute acid: re-examination of the Ustilago maydis glycoproteins

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Unrau, P.; Champ, D.R.; Young, J.L.; Grant, C.E.

1980-01-01

Holloman reported the isolation from Ustilago maydis of a glycoprotein which prevented the precipitation of nucleic acids in cold 5% trichloroacetic acid. Two glycoprotein fractions from U. maydis with this nucleic acid-solubilizing activity were isolated in our laboratory using improved purification procedures. The activity was not due to nuclease contamination. The glycoproteins are distinguished by: their ability to bind to concanavalin A-Sepharose; their differential binding to double- and single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid, and to ribonucleic acid; their molecular weights (46,000 and 69,000); and the relative amounts present in growing versus nongrowing cells. Both fractions required sulfhydryl-reducing conditions for optimal yields, specific activity, and stability. Nucleic acid binding was cooperative, the minimum number of glycoproteins required to make a native T7 DNA molecule soluble in dilute acid being estimated at 2 and 15, respectively.

Citric acid fermentation medium from sugar waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Asai, S.; Yarita, K.; Uchio, R.; Kikuchi, K.

1977-11-02

Wastes from a sugar refinery are hydrolyzed to yield fructose and glucose; a part of the fructose is removed from the hydrolyzate by treating with lime and the remaining hydrolyzate is used as a C source for citric acid fermentation. Thus, 1 kg beet molasses was dissolved in 2.5 L water, adjusted to pH 1.5, hydrolyzed at 60/sup 0/ for 4 h, neutralized with Ca(OH)/sub 2/, and the precipitate was removed. The hydrolyzate was cooled to 0/sup 0/, mixed with a solution containing 205 g Ca(OH)/sub 2/, seeded with fructose, and allowed to stand. The precipitate was suspended in cold water, neutralized with H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/, and filtered to obtain a solution containing 169 g fructose and 6.3 g glucose. The filtrate from the Ca(OH)/sub 2/ precipitation was neutralized with H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ and removal of precipitate yielded a solution containing 87 g fructose and 220 g glucose, which was used as a C source for citric acid fermentation with Aspergillus niger AJ7015.

Precipitation of flaky moolooite and its thermal decomposition

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jin-yu; Huang, Kai

2016-08-01

Moolooite particles with flaky morphology were synthesized by mixing dilute solutions of copper nitrate and sodium oxalate in the presence of citric acid. Solution pH value, citric acid concentration, and stirring were found to have large effect on the shape of the precipitated particles. Under the stirring, the radial area of flaky moolooite particles was enlarged and extended to become a thinner and larger flake. This is ascribed to growth promotion caused by the selective absorption of citric ligands onto a particular crystalline surface of the moolooite particles. Flaky shape of the moolooite particles tended to become spherical and disappeared completely when decomposed under an Ar atmosphere, leading to the formation of large porous aggregated particles composed of many tiny nanosized copper crystals.

Photodegradation of Acid Black 1 and Removing Heavy Metals from the Water by an Inorganic Nanocomposite Synthesized via Simple Co-Precipitation Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marziyeh Mohammadi

2016-07-01

Full Text Available In this experimental work, PbS/ZnS/ZnO nanocomposite was synthesized via a simple co-precipitation method. The effect of Zn2+/Pb2+ mole ratio was investigated on the product size and morphology. The products were characterized via scanning electron microscopy to obtain product size and morphology. The optical properties of the nanocomposites were studied by ultra violet-visible spectroscopy. Photocatalytic activity of the product was examine by decomposition of acid black 1 as dye. To investigation of the effect of as synthesized nanocomposite on the water treatment, the influences of the nanocomposite to remove heavy ions was studied by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The results showed that the synthesized nanocomposite has well optical properties, photocatalytic and water treatment activities.

The Mediterranean Moisture Contribution to Climatological and Extreme Monthly Continental Precipitation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danica Ciric

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Moisture transport from its sources to surrounding continents is one of the most relevant topics in hydrology, and its role in extreme events is crucial for understanding several processes such as intense precipitation and flooding. In this study, we considered the Mediterranean Sea as the main water source and estimated its contribution to the monthly climatological and extreme precipitation events over the surrounding continental areas. To assess the effect of the Mediterranean Sea on precipitation, we used the Multi-Source Weighted-Ensemble Precipitation (MSWEP database to characterize precipitation. The Lagrangian dispersion model known as FLEXPART was used to estimate the moisture contribution of this source. This contribution was estimated by tracking particles that leave the Mediterranean basin monthly and then calculating water loss (E − P < 0 over the continental region, which was modelled by FLEXPART. The analysis was conducted using data from 1980 to 2015 with a spatial resolution of 0.25°. The results showed that, in general, the spatial pattern of the Mediterranean source’s contribution to precipitation, unlike climatology, is similar during extreme precipitation years in the regions under study. However, while the Mediterranean Sea is usually not an important source of climatological precipitation for some European regions, it is a significant source during extreme precipitation years.

Effects of different oxyanions in solution on the precipitation of jarosite at room temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeongkyoo, Kim

2018-04-09

The effects of five different oxyanions, AsO 4 , SeO 3 , SeO 4 , MoO 4 , and CrO 4 , on the precipitation of jarosite at room temperature were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and chemical analysis. Different amounts (2, 5, and 10 mol%) of oxyanions in the starting solution and different aging times (1 h-40 days) were used for the experiment. In the initial stage, only the amorphous phase appears for all samples. With increasing aging time, jarosite and jarosite with oxyanions start precipitating at room temperature with different precipitation rates and crystallinities. Jarosite with AsO 4 shows the lowest precipitation rate and lowest crystallinity. With increasing amounts of oxyanions, the crystallization rate decreases, especially for jarosite with AsO 4 . The jarosite samples with CrO 4 and SeO 4 show the fastest precipitation and highest crystallinities. For the jarosite samples with a low precipitation rate and low crystallinity, the amorphous phase contains high concentrations of oxyanions, probably because of the fast precipitation of the amorphous iron oxyanion phase; however, the phase with fast jarosite precipitation contains fewer oxyanions. The results show that coprecipitation of jarosite can play a more important role in controlling the behavior of CrO 4 than AsO 4 in acid mine drainage. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The role of amino acids in hydroxyapatite mineralization

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-01

Polar and charged amino acids (AAs) are heavily expressed in non-collagenous proteins (NCPs), and are involved in hydroxyapatite (HA) mineralization in bone. Here, we review what is known on the effect of single AAs on HA precipitation. Negatively charged AAs, such as aspartic acid, glutamic acid (Glu) and phosphoserine are largely expressed in NCPs and play a critical role in controlling HA nucleation and growth. Positively charged ones such as arginine (Arg) or lysine (Lys) are heavily involved in HA nucleation within extracellular matrix proteins such as collagen. Glu, Arg and Lys intake can also increase bone mineral density by stimulating growth hormone production. In vitro studies suggest that the role of AAs in controlling HA precipitation is affected by their mobility. While dissolved AAs are able to inhibit HA precipitation and growth by chelating Ca2+ and PO43− ions or binding to nuclei of calcium phosphate and preventing their further growth, AAs bound to surfaces can promote HA precipitation by attracting Ca2+ and PO43− ions and increasing the local supersaturation. Overall, the effect of AAs on HA precipitation is worth being investigated more, especially under conditions closer to the physiological ones, where the presence of other factors such as collagen, mineralization inhibitors, and cells heavily influences HA precipitation. A deeper understanding of the role of AAs in HA mineralization will increase our fundamental knowledge related to bone formation, and could lead to new therapies to improve bone regeneration in damaged tissues or cure pathological diseases caused by excessive mineralization in tissues such as cartilage, blood vessels and cardiac valves. PMID:27707904

Organic acids as analytical reagent: Part 1. Estimation of zirconium by gallic acid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pande, C S; Singh, A K; Kumar, Ashok [Lucknow Univ. (India). Dept. of Chemistry

1975-07-01

Gallic acid has been found to be a selective reagent for the estimation of zirconium. The acid gives a crystalline precipitate at pH of 4.8 which is ignited and weighed as ZrO/sub 2/. Cations like Ca/sup +2/, Ba/sup +2/, Sr/sup +2/, Mn/sup +2/, Co/sup +2/, Ni/sup +2/, Fe/sup +3/ do not interfere in the estimation.

Assessment of realistic nowcasting lead-times based on predictability analysis of Mediterranean Heavy Precipitation Events

Science.gov (United States)

Bech, Joan; Berenguer, Marc

2014-05-01

Operational quantitative precipitation forecasts (QPF) are provided routinely by weather services or hydrological authorities, particularly those responsible for densely populated regions of small catchments, such as those typically found in Mediterranean areas prone to flash-floods. Specific rainfall values are used as thresholds for issuing warning levels considering different time frameworks (mid-range, short-range, 24h, 1h, etc.), for example 100 mm in 24h or 60 mm in 1h. There is a clear need to determine how feasible is a specific rainfall value for a given lead-time, in particular for very short range forecasts or nowcasts typically obtained from weather radar observations (Pierce et al 2012). In this study we assess which specific nowcast lead-times can be provided for a number of heavy precipitation events (HPE) that affected Catalonia (NE Spain). The nowcasting system we employed generates QPFs through the extrapolation of rainfall fields observed with weather radar following a Lagrangian approach developed and tested successfully in previous studies (Berenguer et al. 2005, 2011).Then QPFs up to 3h are compared with two quality controlled observational data sets: weather radar quantitative precipitation estimates (QPE) and raingauge data. Several high-impact weather HPE were selected including the 7 September 2005 Llobregat Delta river tornado outbreak (Bech et al. 2007) or the 2 November 2008 supercell tornadic thunderstorms (Bech et al. 2011) both producing, among other effects, local flash floods. In these two events there were torrential rainfall rates (30' amounts exceeding 38.2 and 12.3 mm respectively) and 24h accumulation values above 100 mm. A number of verification scores are used to characterize the evolution of precipitation forecast quality with time, which typically presents a decreasing trend but showing an strong dependence on the selected rainfall threshold and integration period. For example considering correlation factors, 30

Aerosol and precipitation chemistry in the southwestern United States: spatiotemporal trends and interrelationships

Science.gov (United States)

Sorooshian, A.; Shingler, T.; Harpold, A.; Feagles, C. W.; Meixner, T.; Brooks, P. D.

2013-01-01

This study characterizes the spatial and temporal patterns of aerosol and precipitation composition at six sites across the United States Southwest between 1995 and 2010. Precipitation accumulation occurs mostly during the wintertime (December–February) and during the monsoon season (July–September). Rain and snow pH levels are usually between 5–6, with crustal-derived species playing a major role in acid neutralization. These species (Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+) exhibit their highest concentrations between March and June in both PM2.5 and precipitation due mostly to dust. Crustal-derived species concentrations in precipitation exhibit positive relationships with SO42−, NO3−, and Cl–, suggesting that acidic gases likely react with and partition to either crustal particles or hydrometeors enriched with crustal constituents. Concentrations of particulate SO42− show a statistically significant correlation with rain SO42− unlike snow SO42−, which may be related to some combination of the vertical distribution of SO42− (and precursors) and the varying degree to which SO42−-enriched particles act as cloud condensation nuclei versus ice nuclei in the region. The coarse : fine aerosol mass ratio was correlated with crustal species concentrations in snow unlike rain, suggestive of a preferential role of coarse particles (mainly dust) as ice nuclei in the region. Precipitation NO3− : SO42− ratios exhibit the following features with potential explanations discussed: (i) they are higher in precipitation as compared to PM2.5; (ii) they exhibit the opposite annual cycle compared to particulate NO3− : SO42− ratios; and (iii) they are higher in snow relative to rain during the wintertime. Long-term trend analysis for the monsoon season shows that the NO3− : SO42− ratio in rain increased at the majority of sites due mostly to air pollution regulations of SO42− precursors. PMID:24432030

Aerosol and precipitation chemistry in the southwestern United States: spatiotemporal trends and interrelationships

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Sorooshian

2013-08-01

Full Text Available This study characterizes the spatial and temporal patterns of aerosol and precipitation composition at six sites across the United States Southwest between 1995 and 2010. Precipitation accumulation occurs mostly during the wintertime (December–February and during the monsoon season (July–September. Rain and snow pH levels are usually between 5–6, with crustal-derived species playing a major role in acid neutralization. These species (Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+ exhibit their highest concentrations between March and June in both PM2.5 and precipitation due mostly to dust. Crustal-derived species concentrations in precipitation exhibit positive relationships with SO42−, NO3−, and Cl−, suggesting that acidic gases likely react with and partition to either crustal particles or hydrometeors enriched with crustal constituents. Concentrations of particulate SO42− show a statistically significant correlation with rain SO42− unlike snow SO42−, which may be related to some combination of the vertical distribution of SO42− (and precursors and the varying degree to which SO42−-enriched particles act as cloud condensation nuclei versus ice nuclei in the region. The coarse : fine aerosol mass ratio was correlated with crustal species concentrations in snow unlike rain, suggestive of a preferential role of coarse particles (mainly dust as ice nuclei in the region. Precipitation NO3− : SO42− ratios exhibit the following features with potential explanations discussed: (i they are higher in precipitation as compared to PM2.5; (ii they exhibit the opposite annual cycle compared to particulate NO3− : SO42− ratios; and (iii they are higher in snow relative to rain during the wintertime. Long-term trend analysis for the monsoon season shows that the NO3− : SO42− ratio in rain increased at the majority of sites due mostly to air pollution regulations of SO42− precursors.

Raise of efficiency of flocculation-precipitation treatment of exuding water from reclaimed land by irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sawai, Teruko; Yamazaki, Masao; Sawai, Takeshi

1984-01-01

When rain falls on the coastal reclaimed land filled with home garbage in Tokyo, a large quantity of water containing much organic contaminant flows out. It is difficult to treat this water exuding from reclaimed land by conventional method. Because the water with low BOD which is difficult to treat by biological process flows out for long period after the stabilization of reclaimed land. When the water is treated by flocculation and precipitation, the substances with high molecular weight are easily removed, but the rate of removal of fulvic acid with low molecular weight, which accounts for more than 60% of the composition of the water, is very poor. Therefore, it was examined to change the fulvic acid to high molecular weight by irradiation, and to improve the efficiency of the flocculation-precipitation treatment of exuding water. Exuding water was sampled in Tokyo Bay No.15 reclaimed land, and it was separated into humic acid and fulvic acid. The Co-60 gamma ray of 5 kCi was irradiated to the samples. The experimental method and the results are reported. The change of fulvic acid to high molecular weight by irradiation was most efficient at pH 2.2. More than 90% of organic contaminants was able to be removed. (Kako, I.)

Investigating NARCCAP Precipitation Extremes via Bivariate Extreme Value Theory (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Weller, G. B.; Cooley, D. S.; Sain, S. R.; Bukovsky, M. S.; Mearns, L. O.

2013-12-01

We introduce methodology from statistical extreme value theory to examine the ability of reanalysis-drive regional climate models to simulate past daily precipitation extremes. Going beyond a comparison of summary statistics such as 20-year return values, we study whether the most extreme precipitation events produced by climate model simulations exhibit correspondence to the most extreme events seen in observational records. The extent of this correspondence is formulated via the statistical concept of tail dependence. We examine several case studies of extreme precipitation events simulated by the six models of the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP) driven by NCEP reanalysis. It is found that the NARCCAP models generally reproduce daily winter precipitation extremes along the Pacific coast quite well; in contrast, simulation of past daily summer precipitation extremes in a central US region is poor. Some differences in the strength of extremal correspondence are seen in the central region between models which employ spectral nudging and those which do not. We demonstrate how these techniques may be used to draw a link between extreme precipitation events and large-scale atmospheric drivers, as well as to downscale extreme precipitation simulated by a future run of a regional climate model. Specifically, we examine potential future changes in the nature of extreme precipitation along the Pacific coast produced by the pineapple express (PE) phenomenon. A link between extreme precipitation events and a "PE Index" derived from North Pacific sea-surface pressure fields is found. This link is used to study PE-influenced extreme precipitation produced by a future-scenario climate model run.

County-Level Climate Uncertainty for Risk Assessments: Volume 8 Appendix G - Historical Precipitation.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Backus, George A.; Lowry, Thomas Stephen; Jones, Shannon M; Walker, La Tonya Nicole; Roberts, Barry L; Malczynski, Leonard A.

2017-06-01

This report uses the CMIP5 series of climate model simulations to produce country- level uncertainty distributions for use in socioeconomic risk assessments of climate change impacts. It provides appropriate probability distributions, by month, for 169 countries and autonomous-areas on temperature, precipitation, maximum temperature, maximum wind speed, humidity, runoff, soil moisture and evaporation for the historical period (1976-2005), and for decadal time periods to 2100. It also provides historical and future distributions for the Arctic region on ice concentration, ice thickness, age of ice, and ice ridging in 15-degree longitude arc segments from the Arctic Circle to 80 degrees latitude, plus two polar semicircular regions from 80 to 90 degrees latitude. The uncertainty is meant to describe the lack of knowledge rather than imprecision in the physical simulation because the emphasis is on unfalsified risk and its use to determine potential socioeconomic impacts. The full report is contained in 27 volumes.

Comparative analysis of amino acids and amino-acid derivatives in protein crystallization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, Len; Shiraki, Kentaro; Yamaguchi, Hiroshi

2010-01-01

New types of aggregation suppressors, such as amino acids and their derivatives, were focused on as fourth-component additives. Data were obtained that indicated that the additives promote protein crystallization. Optimal conditions for protein crystallization are difficult to determine because proteins tend to aggregate in saturated solutions. This study comprehensively evaluates amino acids and amino-acid derivatives as additives for crystallization. This fourth component of the solution increases the probability of crystallization of hen egg-white lysozyme in various precipitants owing to a decrease in aggregation. These results suggest that the addition of certain types of amino acids and amino-acid derivatives, such as Arg, Lys and esterified and amidated amino acids, is a simple method of improving the success rate of protein crystallization

Precipitation of metal nitrides from chloride melts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slater, S.A.; Miller, W.E.; Willit, J.L.

1996-01-01

Precipitation of actinides, lanthanides, and fission products as nitrides from molten chloride melts is being investigated for use as a final cleanup step in treating radioactive salt wastes generated by electrometallurgical processing of spent nuclear fuel. The radioactive components (eg, fission products) need to be removed to reduce the volume of high-level waste that requires disposal. To extract the fission products from the salt, a nitride precipitation process is being developed. The salt waste is first contacted with a molten metal; after equilibrium is reached, a nitride is added to the metal phase. The insoluble nitrides can be recovered and converted to a borosilicate glass after air oxidation. For a bench-scale experimental setup, a crucible was designed to contact the salt and metal phases. Solubility tests were performed with candidate nitrides and metal nitrides for which there are no solubility data. Experiments were performed to assess feasibility of precipitation of metal nitrides from chloride melts

Effective removal of coordinated copper from wastewater using a new dithiocarbamate-type supramolecular heavy metal precipitant.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Fenglian; Zeng, Haiyan; Cai, Qinhong; Qiu, Rongliang; Yu, Jimmy; Xiong, Ya

2007-11-01

A new dithiocarbamate-type heavy metal precipitant, sodium 1,3,5-hexahydrotriazinedithiocarbamate (HTDC), was prepared and used to remove coordinated copper from wastewater. In the reported dithiocarbamate-type precipitants, HTDC possesses the highest percentage of the effective functional groups. It could effectively precipitate copper to less than 0.5mgl(-1) from both synthetic and actual industrial wastewater containing CuEDTA in the range of pH 3-9. UV-vis spectral investigation and elemental analysis suggested that the precipitate was a kind of coordination supramolecular compound, [Cu(3)(HTDC)(2)](n). The toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) and semi-dynamic leaching test (SDLT) indicated that the supramolecular precipitate was non-hazardous and stable in weak acid and alkaline conditions. Tests of an anion exchange resin D231 provided a clue to simultaneously remove excess HTDC and residual CuEDTA in practical process of wastewater treatment.

Precipitation behavior and effect of new precipitated β phase in AZ80 magnesium alloy

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

TANG Wei; HAN En-hou; XU Yong-bo; LIU Lu

2006-01-01

Granular precipitate that was a new kind of β-Mg17Al12 phase found in aged AZ80 wrought Mg alloy at all aging temperature was studied. The structure and precipitation behavior of this granular β-Mg17Al12 precipitate were studied by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effect of the granular precipitate on mechanical properties of AZ80 alloy was also studied. The new precipitate that was granular and nucleated both on grain boundaries (GBs) and twin boundaries, has the same crystal structure and lattice parameter as those of the continuous or discontinuous precipitated β-Mg17Al12. And the nucleation and growth of the granular precipitate are faster than those of the other two precipitates at higher temperatures (above 583 K), but are suppressed at lower temperatures (below 423 K). At lower temperatures, the discontinuous β-Mg17Al12 precipitates firstly and the granular β-Mg17Al12 precipitates after aged more than 40 h. The crack is easily nucleated on the phase boundaries of granular phase and matrix because of the weak binding force. As a result, the strength and ductility of AZ80 Mg alloy are decreased by the granular β-Mg17Al12 precipitate.

A review of acidity generation and consumption in acidic coal mine lakes and their watersheds.

Science.gov (United States)

Blodau, Christian

2006-10-01

Lakes developing in former coal mine pits are often characterized by high concentrations of sulfate and iron and low pH. The review focuses on the causes for and fate of acidity in these lakes and their watersheds. Acidification is primarily caused by the generation of ferrous iron bearing and mineralized groundwater, transport through the groundwater-surface water interface, and subsequent iron oxidation and precipitation. Rates of acidity generation in mine tailings and dumps, and surface water are often similar (1 to >10 mol m(-2) yr(-1)). Weathering processes, however, often suffice to buffer groundwaters to only moderately acidic or neutral pH, depending on the suite of minerals present. In mine lakes, the acidity balance is further influenced by proton release from transformation of metastable iron hydroxysulfate minerals to goethite, and proton and ferrous iron sequestration by burial of iron sulfides and carbonates in sediments. These processes mostly cannot compensate acidity loading from the watershed, though. A master variable for almost all processes is the pH: rates of pyrite oxidation, ferrous iron oxidation, mineral dissolution, iron precipitation, iron hydroxide transformation, and iron and sulfate reduction are strongly pH dependent. While the principle mechanism of acidity generation and consumption and several controls are mostly understood, this cannot be said about the fate of acidity on larger spatial and temporal scales. Little is also known about critical loads and the internal regulation of biogeochemical iron, sulfur, and carbon cycling in acidic mine lakes.

A review of acidity generation and consumption in acidic coal mine lakes and their watersheds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blodau, Christian

2006-01-01

Lakes developing in former coal mine pits are often characterized by high concentrations of sulfate and iron and low pH. The review focuses on the causes for and fate of acidity in these lakes and their watersheds. Acidification is primarily caused by the generation of ferrous iron bearing and mineralized groundwater, transport through the groundwater-surface water interface, and subsequent iron oxidation and precipitation. Rates of acidity generation in mine tailings and dumps, and surface water are often similar (1 to >10 mol m -2 yr -1 ). Weathering processes, however, often suffice to buffer groundwaters to only moderately acidic or neutral pH, depending on the suite of minerals present. In mine lakes, the acidity balance is further influenced by proton release from transformation of metastable iron hydroxysulfate minerals to goethite, and proton and ferrous iron sequestration by burial of iron sulfides and carbonates in sediments. These processes mostly cannot compensate acidity loading from the watershed, though. A master variable for almost all processes is the pH: rates of pyrite oxidation, ferrous iron oxidation, mineral dissolution, iron precipitation, iron hydroxide transformation, and iron and sulfate reduction are strongly pH dependent. While the principle mechanism of acidity generation and consumption and several controls are mostly understood, this cannot be said about the fate of acidity on larger spatial and temporal scales. Little is also known about critical loads and the internal regulation of biogeochemical iron, sulfur, and carbon cycling in acidic mine lakes. (author)

Dissolution of copper and iron from malachite ore and precipitation of copper sulfate pentahydrate by chemical process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Kokes

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The present work describes an investigation of a chemical process for the recovery of copper and iron from malachite ore. For the dissolution of copper and iron, H2SO4 was employed as well as H2O2 as an oxidizing agent. The effects of reaction temperature and time, acid concentration, liquid-to-solid ratio and agitation rate on the copper and iron percentage were investigated. Following the steps of dissolving the copper and iron sulfate and filtering, iron (III hydroxide was precipitated by adjusting the pH level of the solution. Subsequently, copper sulfate pentahydrate was obtained by using various precipitants (i.e. ethanol, methanol and sulfuric acid.

Comparison of Precipitated Calcium Carbonate/Polylactic Acid and Halloysite/Polylactic Acid Nanocomposites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xuetao Shi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available PLA nanocomposites with stearate coated precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC and halloysite natural nanotubes (HNT were prepared by melt extrusion. The crystallization behavior, mechanical properties, thermal dynamical mechanical analysis (DMTA, and the morphology of the PCC/PLA, HNT/PLA, and HNT/PCC/PLA composites were discussed. Compared to halloysite nanotubes, PCC nanoparticles showed a better nucleating effect, which decreased both the glass transition and cold crystallization temperatures. The tensile performance of PLA composites showed that the addition of inorganic nanofillers increased Young’s modulus but decreased tensile strength. More interestingly, PLA composites with PCC particles exhibited an effectively increased elongation at break with respect to pure PLA, while HNT/PLA showed a decreased ultimate deformation of composites. DMTA results indicated that PLA composites had a similar storage modulus at temperatures below the glass transition and the addition of nanofillers into PLA caused Tg to shift to lower temperatures by about 3°C. The morphological analysis of fractures surface of PLA nanocomposites showed good dispersion of nanofillers, formation of microvoids, and larger plastic deformation of the PLA matrix when the PCC particles were added, while a strong aggregation was noticed in composites with HNT nanofillers, which has been attributed to a nonoptimal surface coating.

Asymmetric responses of primary productivity to precipitation extremes: A synthesis of grassland precipitation manipulation experiments.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilcox, Kevin R; Shi, Zheng; Gherardi, Laureano A; Lemoine, Nathan P; Koerner, Sally E; Hoover, David L; Bork, Edward; Byrne, Kerry M; Cahill, James; Collins, Scott L; Evans, Sarah; Gilgen, Anna K; Holub, Petr; Jiang, Lifen; Knapp, Alan K; LeCain, Daniel; Liang, Junyi; Garcia-Palacios, Pablo; Peñuelas, Josep; Pockman, William T; Smith, Melinda D; Sun, Shanghua; White, Shannon R; Yahdjian, Laura; Zhu, Kai; Luo, Yiqi

2017-10-01

Climatic changes are altering Earth's hydrological cycle, resulting in altered precipitation amounts, increased interannual variability of precipitation, and more frequent extreme precipitation events. These trends will likely continue into the future, having substantial impacts on net primary productivity (NPP) and associated ecosystem services such as food production and carbon sequestration. Frequently, experimental manipulations of precipitation have linked altered precipitation regimes to changes in NPP. Yet, findings have been diverse and substantial uncertainty still surrounds generalities describing patterns of ecosystem sensitivity to altered precipitation. Additionally, we do not know whether previously observed correlations between NPP and precipitation remain accurate when precipitation changes become extreme. We synthesized results from 83 case studies of experimental precipitation manipulations in grasslands worldwide. We used meta-analytical techniques to search for generalities and asymmetries of aboveground NPP (ANPP) and belowground NPP (BNPP) responses to both the direction and magnitude of precipitation change. Sensitivity (i.e., productivity response standardized by the amount of precipitation change) of BNPP was similar under precipitation additions and reductions, but ANPP was more sensitive to precipitation additions than reductions; this was especially evident in drier ecosystems. Additionally, overall relationships between the magnitude of productivity responses and the magnitude of precipitation change were saturating in form. The saturating form of this relationship was likely driven by ANPP responses to very extreme precipitation increases, although there were limited studies imposing extreme precipitation change, and there was considerable variation among experiments. This highlights the importance of incorporating gradients of manipulations, ranging from extreme drought to extreme precipitation increases into future climate change