Production of magnesium metal

Science.gov (United States)

Blencoe, James G [Harriman, TN; Anovitz, Lawrence M [Knoxville, TN; Palmer, Donald A [Oliver Springs, TN; Beard, James S [Martinsville, VA

2010-02-23

A process of producing magnesium metal includes providing magnesium carbonate, and reacting the magnesium carbonate to produce a magnesium-containing compound and carbon dioxide. The magnesium-containing compound is reacted to produce magnesium metal. The carbon dioxide is used as a reactant in a second process. In another embodiment of the process, a magnesium silicate is reacted with a caustic material to produce magnesium hydroxide. The magnesium hydroxide is reacted with a source of carbon dioxide to produce magnesium carbonate. The magnesium carbonate is reacted to produce a magnesium-containing compound and carbon dioxide. The magnesium-containing compound is reacted to produce magnesium metal. The invention further relates to a process for production of magnesium metal or a magnesium compound where an external source of carbon dioxide is not used in any of the reactions of the process. The invention also relates to the magnesium metal produced by the processes described herein.

Role of configuration management in improving quality of metal products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, U.; Kalsoom, T.

2007-01-01

The Configuration Management (CM) is an imperative discipline which helps in producing quality metal products for the customers. CM implements a graded approach to Configuration Items whose failure poses human as well as product losses. Effective CM provides information to Project Management, Quality Control, and Quality Assurance in identifying schedules and processes related to metal component production. The CM is a supportive function, mostly working side by side with Quality Assurance and Quality Control in the development / production of metal parts. The CM provides tools and guidelines for managing a product while Quality Assurance verifies and validates the same outside the scope of Configuration Audits. Configuration Management raises productivity of metal product, makes-available design reuse, reduces service and support costs, enhances visibility and eliminates rework on metal products. The elements of CM i.e. Identification, Control, Status Accounting and Audits playa vital role to enhance the quality of metal products. Only established CM System can make it possible to swing initial development criteria to final user friendly metal products. The challenges of today in our metal industry are to design and develop state-of-the-art products, for which, CM ideas given in this paper, will help to achieve all the set goals. (author)

Advanced metal artifact reduction MRI of metal-on-metal hip resurfacing arthroplasty implants: compressed sensing acceleration enables the time-neutral use of SEMAC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fritz, Jan; Thawait, Gaurav K.; Fritz, Benjamin; Raithel, Esther; Nittka, Mathias; Gilson, Wesley D.; Mont, Michael A.

2016-01-01

Compressed sensing (CS) acceleration has been theorized for slice encoding for metal artifact correction (SEMAC), but has not been shown to be feasible. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that CS-SEMAC is feasible for MRI of metal-on-metal hip resurfacing implants. Following prospective institutional review board approval, 22 subjects with metal-on-metal hip resurfacing implants underwent 1.5 T MRI. We compared CS-SEMAC prototype, high-bandwidth TSE, and SEMAC sequences with acquisition times of 4-5, 4-5 and 10-12 min, respectively. Outcome measures included bone-implant interfaces, image quality, periprosthetic structures, artifact size, and signal- and contrast-to-noise ratios (SNR and CNR). Using Friedman, repeated measures analysis of variances, and Cohen's weighted kappa tests, Bonferroni-corrected p-values of 0.005 and less were considered statistically significant. There was no statistical difference of outcomes measures of SEMAC and CS-SEMAC images. Visibility of implant-bone interfaces and pseudocapsule as well as fat suppression and metal reduction were ''adequate'' to ''good'' on CS-SEMAC and ''non-diagnostic'' to ''adequate'' on high-BW TSE (p < 0.001, respectively). SEMAC and CS-SEMAC showed mild blur and ripple artifacts. The metal artifact size was 63 % larger for high-BW TSE as compared to SEMAC and CS-SEMAC (p < 0.0001, respectively). CNRs were sufficiently high and statistically similar, with the exception of CNR of fluid and muscle and CNR of fluid and tendon, which were higher on intermediate-weighted high-BW TSE (p < 0.005, respectively). Compressed sensing acceleration enables the time-neutral use of SEMAC for MRI of metal-on-metal hip resurfacing implants when compared to high-BW TSE and image quality similar to conventional SEMAC. (orig.)

Advanced metal artifact reduction MRI of metal-on-metal hip resurfacing arthroplasty implants: compressed sensing acceleration enables the time-neutral use of SEMAC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fritz, Jan; Thawait, Gaurav K. [Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Section of Musculoskeletal Radiology, Baltimore, MD (United States); Fritz, Benjamin [University of Freiburg, Department of Radiology, Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany); Raithel, Esther; Nittka, Mathias [Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Erlangen (Germany); Gilson, Wesley D. [Siemens Healthcare USA, Inc., Baltimore, MD (United States); Mont, Michael A. [Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Cleveland, OH (United States)

2016-10-15

Compressed sensing (CS) acceleration has been theorized for slice encoding for metal artifact correction (SEMAC), but has not been shown to be feasible. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that CS-SEMAC is feasible for MRI of metal-on-metal hip resurfacing implants. Following prospective institutional review board approval, 22 subjects with metal-on-metal hip resurfacing implants underwent 1.5 T MRI. We compared CS-SEMAC prototype, high-bandwidth TSE, and SEMAC sequences with acquisition times of 4-5, 4-5 and 10-12 min, respectively. Outcome measures included bone-implant interfaces, image quality, periprosthetic structures, artifact size, and signal- and contrast-to-noise ratios (SNR and CNR). Using Friedman, repeated measures analysis of variances, and Cohen's weighted kappa tests, Bonferroni-corrected p-values of 0.005 and less were considered statistically significant. There was no statistical difference of outcomes measures of SEMAC and CS-SEMAC images. Visibility of implant-bone interfaces and pseudocapsule as well as fat suppression and metal reduction were ''adequate'' to ''good'' on CS-SEMAC and ''non-diagnostic'' to ''adequate'' on high-BW TSE (p < 0.001, respectively). SEMAC and CS-SEMAC showed mild blur and ripple artifacts. The metal artifact size was 63 % larger for high-BW TSE as compared to SEMAC and CS-SEMAC (p < 0.0001, respectively). CNRs were sufficiently high and statistically similar, with the exception of CNR of fluid and muscle and CNR of fluid and tendon, which were higher on intermediate-weighted high-BW TSE (p < 0.005, respectively). Compressed sensing acceleration enables the time-neutral use of SEMAC for MRI of metal-on-metal hip resurfacing implants when compared to high-BW TSE and image quality similar to conventional SEMAC. (orig.)

Description of Latvian Metal Production and Processing Enterprises' Air Emissions

OpenAIRE

Pubule, J; Zahare, D; Blumberga, D

2010-01-01

The metal production and processing sector in Latvia has acquired a stable position in the national economy. Smelting of ferrous and nonferrous metals, production of metalware, galvanisation, etc. are developed in Latvia. The metal production and processing sector has an impact on air quality due to polluting substances which are released in the air from metal treatment processes. Therefore it is necessary to determine the total volume of emissions produced by the metal production and process...

Production of metal waste forms from spent fuel treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Westphal, B.R.; Keiser, D.D.; Rigg, R.H.; Laug, D.V.

1995-01-01

Treatment of spent nuclear fuel at Argonne National Laboratory consists of a pyroprocessing scheme in which the development of suitable waste forms is being advanced. Of the two waste forms being proposed, metal and mineral, the production of the metal waste form utilizes induction melting to stabilize the waste product. Alloying of metallic nuclear materials by induction melting has long been an Argonne strength and thus, the transition to metallic waste processing seems compatible. A test program is being initiated to coalesce the production of the metal waste forms with current induction melting capabilities

Product Line Enabled Intelligent Mobile Middleware

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Weishan; Kunz, Thomas; Hansen, Klaus Marius

2007-01-01

research project called PLIMM that focuses on user-centered application scenarios. PLIMM is designed based on software product line ideas which make it possible for specialized customization and optimization for different purposes and hardware/software platforms. To enable intelligence, the middleware...... needs access to a range of context models. We model these contexts with OWL, focusing on user-centered concepts. The basic building block of PLIMM is the enhanced BDI agent where OWL context ontology logic reasoning will add indirect beliefs to the belief sets. Our approach also addresses the handling...

Principles and practices of lean production applied in a metal structures production system

OpenAIRE

Carvalho, Rogério; Alves, Anabela Carvalho; Lopes, Isabel da Silva

2011-01-01

This paper presents a work undertaken in a metal structures production system in a company producing several assorted products for the civil construction. The work aim was to improve the production process, solving several productive problems encountered in the production system, such as: deliveries delays, long lead times, too many material handling, high stocks, errors and defects in metal structures assembly and production, and unnecessary motions. The identified problems were analyzed and...

Versatile Surface Functionalization of Metal-Organic Frameworks through Direct Metal Coordination with a Phenolic Lipid Enables Diverse Applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu, Wei [Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States); Xiang, Guolei [Univ. of Cambridge (United Kingdom); Shang, Jin [Univ. of Hong Kong (China); Guo, Jimin [Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States); Motevalli, Benyamin [Monash Univ., Clayton, VIC (Australia); Durfee, Paul [Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States); Agola, Jacob Ongudi [Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States); Coker, Eric N. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Brinker, C. Jeffrey [Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States); Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2018-02-22

Here, a novel strategy for the versatile functionalization of the external surface of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has been developed based on the direct coordination of a phenolic-inspired lipid molecule DPGG (1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-galloyl) with metal nodes/sites surrounding MOF surface. X-ray diffraction and Argon sorption analysis prove that the modified MOF particles retain their structural integrity and porosity after surface modification. Density functional theory calculations reveal that strong chelation strength between the metal sites and the galloyl head group of DPGG is the basic prerequisite for successful coating. Due to the pH-responsive nature of metal-phenol complexation, the modification process is reversible by simple washing in weak acidic water, showing an excellent regeneration ability for water-stable MOFs. Moreover, the colloidal stability of the modified MOFs in the nonpolar solvent allows them to be further organized into 2 dimensional MOF or MOF/polymer monolayers by evaporation-induced interfacial assembly conducted on an air/water interface. Lastly, the easy fusion of a second functional layer onto DPGG-modified MOF cores, enabled a series of MOF-based functional nanoarchitectures, such as MOFs encapsulated within hybrid supported lipid bilayers (so-called protocells), polyhedral core-shell structures, hybrid lipid-modified-plasmonic vesicles and multicomponent supraparticles with target functionalities, to be generated. for a wide range of applications.

Problems of zirconium metal production in Czechoslovakia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vareka, J.; Vaclavik, E.

1975-01-01

The problems are summed up of the production and quality control of zirconium sponge. A survey is given of industrial applications of zirconium in form of pure metal or alloys in nuclear power production, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, chemical engineering and electrical engineering. A survey is also presented of the manufacture of zirconium metal in advanced capitalist countries. (J.B.)

Commercial production of metal hafnium and hafnium-based products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Negodin, D.A.; Shtutsa, M.G.; Akhtonov, S.G.; Il'enko, E.V.; Kobyzev, A.M.

2012-01-01

Hafnium possesses a unique complex of physical and chemical properties which allow the application of products on its basis in various industries. Joint Stock Company 'Chepetsky Mechanical Plant' is the single enterprise which produces hafnium on the territory of Russia. The manufacture of metal hafnium with the total content of zirconium and hafnium, at least, 99,8 % of weights is developed at the present time at Joint Stock Company CHMZ. The weight of melted hafnium ingots is up to 1 ton. Manufacture of wide range of products from hafnium is implemented. The plates from a hafnium with thickness of 0.60 mm which are used for emergency control cartridges of VVER-440 reactors are the most critical product. It is shown that ingots and products obtained from metal hafnium correspond to the Russian and international standards for reactor materials in chemical composition, mechanical and corrosion properties.

THE MINING ACTIVITIES AND THE METAL PRODUCTION IN ARYCANDA IN LYCIA

OpenAIRE

B.S. Alptekin Oransay

2012-01-01

Arycanda lies in eastern Lycia, which is in 35.th km of the modern Elmalı – Finike highway. During the excavations since 1971, there were found so many metal artifacts and metal slags especially from the late Roman layers in the city. These finds revealed that there was a specific metal production in Arykanda. This production covers not only the tool production from pure metal, but also includes metal purification process around the city. This metal production industry of Arykanda adds so man...

Resource Efficient Metal and Material Recycling

Science.gov (United States)

Reuter, Markus A.; van Schaik, Antoinette

Metals enable sustainability through their use and their recyclability. However, various factors can affect the Resource Efficiency of Metal Processing and Recycling. Some typical factors that enable Resource Efficiency include and arranged under the drivers of sustainability: Environment (Maximize Resource Efficiency — Energy, Recyclates, Materials, Water, Sludges, Emissions, Land); Economic Feasibility (BAT & Recycling Systems Simulation / Digitalization, Product vis-à-vis Material Centric Recycling); and Social — Licence to Operate (Legislation, consumer, policy, theft, manual labour.). In order to realize this primary production has to be linked systemically with typical actors in the recycling chain such as Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Recyclers & Collection, Physical separation specialists as well as process metallurgical operations that produce high value metals, compounds and products that recycle back to products. This is best done with deep knowledge of multi-physics, technology, product & system design, process control, market, life cycle management, policy, to name a few. The combination of these will be discussed as Design for Sustainability (DfS) and Design for Recycling (DfR) applications.

Recovery of noble metals from fission products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jenson, G.A.; Platt, A.M.; Mellinger, G.B.; Bjorklund, W.J.

1982-11-01

Scoping studies were started in 1979 to develop a cost-effective, waste-management-compatible process to extract noble metals from fission products. The process, involving the reaction with glassmelting chemicals, a metal oxide (PbO), and a reducing agent (charcoal), was demonstrated for recovering noble metals from simulated high-level waste oxides. The process has now been demonstrated on a laboratory scale (100 g) using irradiated fuels. Recoveries in the recovered lead averaged 80% for Pd, 60% for Rh, and 14% Ru. The resulting glass product was homogeneous in appearance, and the chemical durability was comparable to other waste oxides

Production of Plutonium Metal from Aqueous Solutions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Orth, D.A.

2003-01-16

The primary separation of plutonium from irradiated uranium by the Purex solvent extraction process at the Savannah River Plant produces a dilute plutonium solution containing residual fission products and uranium. A cation exchange process is used for concentration and further decontamination of the plutonium, as the first step in the final preparation of metal. This paper discusses the production of plutonium metal from the aqueous solutions.

Market projections of cellulose nanomaterial-enabled products- Part 1: Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Jo Anne Shatkin; Theodore H. Wegner; E.M. (Ted) Bilek; John Cowie

2014-01-01

Nanocellulose provides a new materials platform for the sustainable production of high-performance nano-enabled products in an array of applications. In this paper, potential applications for cellulose nanomaterials are identified as the first step toward estimating market volume. The overall study, presented in two parts, estimates market volume on the basis of...

Nano-enabled environmental products and technologies - opportunities and drawbacks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Møller Christensen, Frans; Brinch, Anna; Kjølholt, Jesper

The project aims to investigate the benefits for health and environment that the use of nanomaterials in products and technologies may have. More specifically, the project provides an overview of the most relevant nano-enabled environmental technologies, different types of products and technologies...... on the (Danish) market, as well as products and technologies, which are still in R&D and it will provide a qualitative overview of health and environmental pros and cons of these technologies. The project has focused on technologies applied in: 1) purification of water and wastewater, 2) remediation of soil...

Trace metal contents in barbeque (BBQ) charcoal products

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kabir, Ehsanul [Department of Environment and Energy, Sejong University, 98 Goon Ja Dong, Seoul 143-747 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Ki-Hyun, E-mail: khkim@sejong.ac.kr [Department of Environment and Energy, Sejong University, 98 Goon Ja Dong, Seoul 143-747 (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, H.O. [Korea Basic Science Institute, Seoul Center, Seoul 136-701 (Korea, Republic of)

2011-01-30

In this study, the concentrations of trace elements contained in solid barbeque (BBQ) charcoal products have been investigated. Eleven brands of charcoal products were analyzed, consisting of both Korean (3 types) and imported products (eight types from three countries) commonly available in the Korean market places. The concentrations of trace metals in solid charcoal varied widely across metal types and between samples with the overall range of 5 {mu}g kg{sup -1} (As) to 118 mg kg{sup -1} (Zn). The patterns of metal distribution between different products appeared to be affected by the properties of raw materials and/or the processes involved in their production. Although concentrations of certain trace metals were significantly high in certain charcoal samples, their emission concentrations were below legislative guidelines (e.g., the permissible exposure limit (PEL) set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)). In light of the potential harm of grilling activities, proper regulation should be considered to control the use of BBQ charcoal from a toxicological viewpoint to help reduce the potential health risks associated with its use.

Trace metal contents in barbeque (BBQ) charcoal products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kabir, Ehsanul; Kim, Ki-Hyun; Yoon, H.O.

2011-01-01

In this study, the concentrations of trace elements contained in solid barbeque (BBQ) charcoal products have been investigated. Eleven brands of charcoal products were analyzed, consisting of both Korean (3 types) and imported products (eight types from three countries) commonly available in the Korean market places. The concentrations of trace metals in solid charcoal varied widely across metal types and between samples with the overall range of 5 μg kg -1 (As) to 118 mg kg -1 (Zn). The patterns of metal distribution between different products appeared to be affected by the properties of raw materials and/or the processes involved in their production. Although concentrations of certain trace metals were significantly high in certain charcoal samples, their emission concentrations were below legislative guidelines (e.g., the permissible exposure limit (PEL) set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)). In light of the potential harm of grilling activities, proper regulation should be considered to control the use of BBQ charcoal from a toxicological viewpoint to help reduce the potential health risks associated with its use.

Friction and lubrication modelling in sheet metal forming: Influence of lubrication amount, tool roughness and sheet coating on product quality

Science.gov (United States)

Hol, J.; Wiebenga, J. H.; Carleer, B.

2017-09-01

In the stamping of automotive parts, friction and lubrication play a key role in achieving high quality products. In the development process of new automotive parts, it is therefore crucial to accurately account for these effects in sheet metal forming simulations. This paper presents a selection of results considering friction and lubrication modelling in sheet metal forming simulations of a front fender product. For varying lubrication conditions, the front fender can either show wrinkling or fractures. The front fender is modelled using different lubrication amounts, tool roughness’s and sheet coatings to show the strong influence of friction on both part quality and the overall production stability. For this purpose, the TriboForm software is used in combination with the AutoForm software. The results demonstrate that the TriboForm software enables the simulation of friction behaviour for varying lubrication conditions, i.e. resulting in a generally applicable approach for friction characterization under industrial sheet metal forming process conditions.

Estimating product-to-product variations in metal forming using force measurements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Havinga, Gosse Tjipke; Van Den Boogaard, Ton

2017-01-01

The limits of production accuracy of metal forming processes can be stretched by the development of control systems for compensation of product-to-product variations. Such systems require the use of measurements from each semi-finished product. These measurements must be used to estimate the final

Process for improving metal production in steelmaking processes

Science.gov (United States)

Pal, Uday B.; Gazula, Gopala K. M.; Hasham, Ali

1996-01-01

A process and apparatus for improving metal production in ironmaking and steelmaking processes is disclosed. The use of an inert metallic conductor in the slag containing crucible and the addition of a transition metal oxide to the slag are the disclosed process improvements.

Production of pure metals

Science.gov (United States)

Philipp, W. H.; Marsik, S. J.; May, C. E. (Inventor)

1974-01-01

A process for depositing elements by irradiating liquids is reported. Ultra pure elements are precipitated from aqueous solutions or suspensions of compounds. A solution of a salt of a metal to be prepared is irradiated, and the insoluble reaction product settles out. Some chemical compounds may also be prepared in this manner.

Production and use of metals and oxygen for lunar propulsion

Science.gov (United States)

Hepp, Aloysius F.; Linne, Diane L.; Groth, Mary F.; Landis, Geoffrey A.; Colvin, James E.

1991-01-01

Production, power, and propulsion technologies for using oxygen and metals derived from lunar resources are discussed. The production process is described, and several of the more developed processes are discussed. Power requirements for chemical, thermal, and electrical production methods are compared. The discussion includes potential impact of ongoing power technology programs on lunar production requirements. The performance potential of several possible metal fuels including aluminum, silicon, iron, and titanium are compared. Space propulsion technology in the area of metal/oxygen rocket engines is discussed.

Aromatic plant production on metal contaminated soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheljazkov, Valtcho D.; Craker, Lyle E.; Xing Baoshan; Nielsen, Niels E.; Wilcox, Andrew

2008-01-01

Field and container experiments were conducted to assess the feasibility of growing aromatic crops in metal contaminated areas and the effect of metals on herbage and oil productivity. The field experiments were conducted in the vicinities of the Non-Ferrous Metals Combine (Zn-Cu smelter) near Plovdiv, Bulgaria using coriander, sage, dill, basil, hyssop, lemon balm, and chamomile grown at various distances from the smelter. Herbage essential oil yields of basil, chamomile, dill, and sage were reduced when they were grown closer to the smelter. Metal removal from the site with the harvestable plant parts was as high as 180 g ha -1 for Cd, 660 g ha -1 for Pb, 180 g ha -1 for Cu, 350 g ha -1 for Mn, and 205 g ha -1 for Zn. Sequential extraction of soil demonstrated that metal fractionation was affected by the distance to the smelter. With decreasing distance to the smelter, the transfer factor (TF) for Cu and Zn decreased but increased for Cd, while the bioavailability factor (BF) for Cd, Pb, Cu, Mn, and Zn decreased. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray microanalyses of contaminated soil verified that most of the Pb, Cd, Mn, Cu, and Zn were in the form of small (< 1 μm) particles, although there were larger particles (1-5 μm) with high concentrations of individual metals. This study demonstrated that high concentrations of heavy metals in soil or growth medium did not result in metal transfer into the essential oil. Of the tested metals, only Cu at high concentrations may reduce oil content. Our results demonstrated that aromatic crops may not have significant phytoremediation potential, but growth of these crops in metal contaminated agricultural soils is a feasible alternative. Aromatic crops can provide economic return and metal-free final product, the essential oil

Aromatic plant production on metal contaminated soils

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zheljazkov, Valtcho D. [Mississippi State, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and North Mississippi Research and Extension Center, 5421 Highway 145 South, Verona, MS 38879 (United States)], E-mail: vj40@pss.msstate.edu; Craker, Lyle E.; Xing Baoshan [Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, 12 Stockbridge Hall, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003 (United States); Nielsen, Niels E. [Plant Nutrition and Soil Fertility Lab, Department of Agricultural Sciences, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Thorvaldsensvej 40, DK1871, Copenhagen (Denmark); Wilcox, Andrew [Harper Adams University College, Newport, Shropshire, TF10 8NB (United Kingdom)

2008-06-01

Field and container experiments were conducted to assess the feasibility of growing aromatic crops in metal contaminated areas and the effect of metals on herbage and oil productivity. The field experiments were conducted in the vicinities of the Non-Ferrous Metals Combine (Zn-Cu smelter) near Plovdiv, Bulgaria using coriander, sage, dill, basil, hyssop, lemon balm, and chamomile grown at various distances from the smelter. Herbage essential oil yields of basil, chamomile, dill, and sage were reduced when they were grown closer to the smelter. Metal removal from the site with the harvestable plant parts was as high as 180 g ha{sup -1} for Cd, 660 g ha{sup -1} for Pb, 180 g ha{sup -1} for Cu, 350 g ha{sup -1} for Mn, and 205 g ha{sup -1} for Zn. Sequential extraction of soil demonstrated that metal fractionation was affected by the distance to the smelter. With decreasing distance to the smelter, the transfer factor (TF) for Cu and Zn decreased but increased for Cd, while the bioavailability factor (BF) for Cd, Pb, Cu, Mn, and Zn decreased. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray microanalyses of contaminated soil verified that most of the Pb, Cd, Mn, Cu, and Zn were in the form of small (< 1 {mu}m) particles, although there were larger particles (1-5 {mu}m) with high concentrations of individual metals. This study demonstrated that high concentrations of heavy metals in soil or growth medium did not result in metal transfer into the essential oil. Of the tested metals, only Cu at high concentrations may reduce oil content. Our results demonstrated that aromatic crops may not have significant phytoremediation potential, but growth of these crops in metal contaminated agricultural soils is a feasible alternative. Aromatic crops can provide economic return and metal-free final product, the essential oil.

Inert anode containing base metal and noble metal useful for the electrolytic production of aluminum

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, Siba P.; Liu, Xinghua

2000-01-01

An inert anode for production of metals such as aluminum is disclosed. The inert anode comprises a base metal selected from Cu and Ag, and at least one noble metal selected from Ag, Pd, Pt, Au, Rh, Ru, Ir and Os. The inert anode may optionally be formed of sintered particles having interior portions containing more base metal than noble metal and exterior portions containing more noble metal than base metal. In a preferred embodiment, the base metal comprises Cu, and the noble metal comprises Ag, Pd or a combination thereof.

Highly Stable Operation of Lithium Metal Batteries Enabled by the Formation of a Transient High Concentration Electrolyte Layer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zheng, Jianming; Yan, Pengfei; Mei, Donghai; Engelhard, Mark H.; Cartmell, Samuel S.; Polzin, Bryant; Wang, Chong M.; Zhang, Jiguang; Xu, Wu

2016-02-08

Lithium (Li) metal has been extensively investigated as an anode for rechargeable battery applications due to its ultrahigh specific capacity and the lowest redox potential. However, significant challenges including dendrite growth and low Coulombic efficiency are still hindering the practical applications of rechargeable Li metal batteries. Here, we demonstrate that long-term cycling of Li metal batteries can be realized by the formation of a transient high concentration electrolyte layer near the surface of Li metal anode during high rate discharge process. The highly concentrated Li+ ions in this transient layer will immediately solvate with the available solvent molecules and facilitate the formation of a stable and flexible SEI layer composed of a poly(ethylene carbonate) framework integrated with other organic/inorganic lithium salts. This SEI layer largely suppresses the corrosion of Li metal anode by free organic solvents and enables the long-term operation of Li metal batteries. The fundamental findings in this work provide a new direction for the development and operation of Li metal batteries that could be operated at high current densities for a wide range of applications.

Effect of Metals, Metalloids and Metallic Nanoparticles on Microalgae Growth and Industrial Product Biosynthesis: A Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Miazek, Krystian; Iwanek, Waldemar; Remacle, Claire; Richel, Aurore; Goffin, Dorothee

2015-10-09

Microalgae are a source of numerous compounds that can be used in many branches of industry. Synthesis of such compounds in microalgal cells can be amplified under stress conditions. Exposure to various metals can be one of methods applied to induce cell stress and synthesis of target products in microalgae cultures. In this review, the potential of producing diverse biocompounds (pigments, lipids, exopolymers, peptides, phytohormones, arsenoorganics, nanoparticles) from microalgae cultures upon exposure to various metals, is evaluated. Additionally, different methods to alter microalgae response towards metals and metal stress are described. Finally, possibilities to sustain high growth rates and productivity of microalgal cultures in the presence of metals are discussed.

40 CFR 415.110 - Applicability; description of the potassium metal production subcategory.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... potassium metal production subcategory. 415.110 Section 415.110 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... SOURCE CATEGORY Potassium Metal Production Subcategory § 415.110 Applicability; description of the potassium metal production subcategory. The provisions of this subpart are applicable to discharges...

Can Differentiated Production Planning and Control enable both Responsiveness and Efficiency in Food Production?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anita Romsdal

2014-07-01

Full Text Available This paper addresses the complex production planning and control (PPC challenges in food supply chains. The study illustrates how food producers' traditional make‐to‐stock (MTS approach is not well suited to meet the trends of increasing product variety, higher demand uncertainty, increasing sales of fresh food products and more demanding customers. The paper proposes a framework for differentiated PPC that combines MTS with make‐to‐order (MTO.The framework matches products with the most appropriate PPC approaches and buffering techniques depending on market and product characteristics. The core idea is to achieve more volume flexibility in the production system by exploiting favourable product and market characteristics (high demand predictability, long customer order leadtime allowances and low product perishability. A case study is used to demonstrate how the framework can enable food producers to achieve efficiency in production, inventory and PPC processes – and simultaneously be responsive to market requirements.

Effect of Metals, Metalloids and Metallic Nanoparticles on Microalgae Growth and Industrial Product Biosynthesis: A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Miazek, Krystian; Iwanek, Waldemar; Remacle, Claire; Richel, Aurore; Goffin, Dorothee

2015-01-01

Microalgae are a source of numerous compounds that can be used in many branches of industry. Synthesis of such compounds in microalgal cells can be amplified under stress conditions. Exposure to various metals can be one of methods applied to induce cell stress and synthesis of target products in microalgae cultures. In this review, the potential of producing diverse biocompounds (pigments, lipids, exopolymers, peptides, phytohormones, arsenoorganics, nanoparticles) from microalgae cultures upon exposure to various metals, is evaluated. Additionally, different methods to alter microalgae response towards metals and metal stress are described. Finally, possibilities to sustain high growth rates and productivity of microalgal cultures in the presence of metals are discussed. PMID:26473834

Effect of Metals, Metalloids and Metallic Nanoparticles on Microalgae Growth and Industrial Product Biosynthesis: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krystian Miazek

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Microalgae are a source of numerous compounds that can be used in many branches of industry. Synthesis of such compounds in microalgal cells can be amplified under stress conditions. Exposure to various metals can be one of methods applied to induce cell stress and synthesis of target products in microalgae cultures. In this review, the potential of producing diverse biocompounds (pigments, lipids, exopolymers, peptides, phytohormones, arsenoorganics, nanoparticles from microalgae cultures upon exposure to various metals, is evaluated. Additionally, different methods to alter microalgae response towards metals and metal stress are described. Finally, possibilities to sustain high growth rates and productivity of microalgal cultures in the presence of metals are discussed.

Determination of Toxic Metals in Indian Smokeless Tobacco Products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dhanashri Dhaware

2009-01-01

Full Text Available This study targets the lesser-known ingredients of smokeless tobacco products, i.e., the toxic metals, in Indian brands. The metals selected in the study included lead (Pb, cadmium (Cd, arsenic (As, copper (Cu, mercury (Hg, and selenium (Se. The differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV technique was used for estimating the metals Pb, Cd, and Cu; square wave voltammetry for As; and the cold vapor atomic absorption technique for Hg. The resulting levels of the metals were compared to the daily consumption of the smokeless tobacco products. It was observed that almost 30% of gutkha brand samples exceeded the permissible levels of metals Pb and Cu, when compared to the provisional tolerable intake limits determined by the FAO/WHO. The reliability of data was assured by analyzing standard reference materials.

Role of modern analytical techniques in the production of uranium metal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hareendran, K.N.; Roy, S.B.

2009-01-01

Production of nuclear grade uranium metal conforming to its stringent specification with respect to metallic and non metallic impurities necessitates implementation of a comprehensive quality control regime. Founding members of Uranium Metal Plant realised the importance of this aspect of metal production and a quality control laboratory was set up as part of the production plant. In the initial stages of its existence, the laboratory mainly catered to the process control analysis of the plant process samples and Spectroscopy Division and Analytical Division of BARC provided analysis of trace metallic impurities in the intermediates as well as in the product uranium metal. This laboratory also provided invaluable R and D support for the optimization of the process involving both calciothermy and magnesiothermy. Prior to 1985, analytical procedures used were limited to classical methods of analysis with minimal instrumental procedures. The first major analytical instrument, a Flame AAS was installed in 1985 and a beginning to the trace analysis was made. However during the last 15 years the Quality Control Section has modernized the analytical set up by acquiring appropriate instruments. Presently the facility has implemented a complete quality control and quality assurance program required to cover all aspects of uranium metal production viz analysis of raw materials, process samples, waste disposal samples and also determination of all the specification elements in uranium metal. The current analytical practices followed in QCS are presented here

Metal-organic framework templated synthesis of Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}/TiO{sub 2} nanocomposite for hydrogen production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krafft, Kathryn E. de; Wang, Cheng; Lin, Wenbin [University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States). Department of Chemistry

2012-04-17

A new metal-organic framework (MOF)-templated method has been developed for the synthesis of a metal oxide nanocomposite with interesting photophysical properties. Fe-containing nanoscale MOFs are coated with amorphous titania, then calcined to produce crystalline Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}/TiO{sub 2} composite nanoparticles. This material enables photocatalytic hydrogen production from water using visible light, which cannot be achieved by either Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} or TiO{sub 2} alone or a mixture of the two. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Innovation Barriers and Enablers that Affect Productivity in Uganda Building Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Henry Mwanaki Alinaitwe, , and

2007-06-01

Full Text Available The construction industry has of recent been blamed for lack of innovation. Lack of innovation in the industry is believed to be responsible for the decreasing or stagnant levels of productivity in comparison with other industries. This paper reviews the major barriers and enablers to innovation in general. Propositions were made about the factors that affect innovation in the construction industry which were then formulated into a questionnaire. A survey was made on building contractors in Uganda, a developing country, targeting those with financial strength, large in size, and with high capacity to carry out big projects. The identified factors were then ranked and correlated. The level of training in science, engineering and technical education, and the level of research and development at the industry level are looked at as the greatest innovation enablers in building that will drive forward labour productivity. The size of the domestic market and the level of security are the worst innovation barriers that lead to low productivity in the building industry in Uganda. Contractors, policy makers and the government should address the identified factors in order to improve productivity.

LIFE CYCLE INVENTORY ANALYSIS IN THE PRODUCTION OF METALS USED IN PHOTOVOLTAICS.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

FTHENAKIS,V.M.; KIM, H.C.; WANG, W.

2007-03-30

Material flows and emissions in all the stages of production of zinc, copper, aluminum, cadmium, indium, germanium, gallium, selenium, tellurium, and molybdenum were investigated. These metals are used selectively in the manufacture of solar cells, and emission and energy factors in their production are used in the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of photovoltaics. Significant changes have occurred in the production and associated emissions for these metals over the last 10 years, which are not described in the LCA databases. Furthermore, emission and energy factors for several of the by-products of the base metal production were lacking. This report aims in updating the life-cycle inventories associated with the production of the base metals (Zn, Cu, Al, Mo) and in defining the emission and energy allocations for the minor metals (Cd, In, Ge, Se, Te and Ga) used in photovoltaics.

State-of-art of modern technologies for metals production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holappa, L [Helsinki Univ. of Technology, Otaniemi (Finland). Lab. of Metallurgy

1996-12-31

The future raw materials are becoming lower in metal content and more complex, multimetal concentrates will be utilized. This will give challenges for metallurgists to develop new, efficient and energy saving processes. The main impacts for current and future production technologies come from energy need and environmental issues of the production processes themselves as well as the inevitable energy production for the metal making. Metals production consumes huge amount of energy, roughly 10 pct of the global energy consumption is caused by metallurgists. That is the necessity but it also means energy saving is one of the metallurgical industry have been enormous when looking back to the history. Since the 1960`s the efforts of the industry together with the strict legislation in the industrialized countries have conducted to greatly decreased emissions and improved pollution control. Breakthrough of new processes like copper flash smelting has aided this positive progress

State-of-art of modern technologies for metals production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holappa, L. [Helsinki Univ. of Technology, Otaniemi (Finland). Lab. of Metallurgy

1995-12-31

The future raw materials are becoming lower in metal content and more complex, multimetal concentrates will be utilized. This will give challenges for metallurgists to develop new, efficient and energy saving processes. The main impacts for current and future production technologies come from energy need and environmental issues of the production processes themselves as well as the inevitable energy production for the metal making. Metals production consumes huge amount of energy, roughly 10 pct of the global energy consumption is caused by metallurgists. That is the necessity but it also means energy saving is one of the metallurgical industry have been enormous when looking back to the history. Since the 1960`s the efforts of the industry together with the strict legislation in the industrialized countries have conducted to greatly decreased emissions and improved pollution control. Breakthrough of new processes like copper flash smelting has aided this positive progress

Automobile sheet metal part production with incremental sheet forming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

İsmail DURGUN

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, effect of global warming is increasing drastically so it leads to increased interest on energy efficiency and sustainable production methods. As a result of adverse conditions, national and international project platforms, OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers, SMEs (Small and Mid-size Manufacturers perform many studies or improve existing methodologies in scope of advanced manufacturing techniques. In this study, advanced manufacturing and sustainable production method "Incremental Sheet Metal Forming (ISF" was used for sheet metal forming process. A vehicle fender was manufactured with or without die by using different toolpath strategies and die sets. At the end of the study, Results have been investigated under the influence of method and parameters used.Keywords: Template incremental sheet metal, Metal forming

For cermet inert anode containing oxide and metal phases useful for the electrolytic production of metals

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, Siba P.; Liu, Xinghua; Weirauch, Douglas A.

2002-01-01

A cermet inert anode for the electrolytic production of metals such as aluminum is disclosed. The inert anode comprises a ceramic phase including an oxide of Ni, Fe and M, where M is at least one metal selected from Zn, Co, Al, Li, Cu, Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Ta, W, Mo, Hf and rare earths, preferably Zn and/or Co. Preferred ceramic compositions comprise Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3, NiO and ZnO or CoO. The cermet inert anode also comprises a metal phase such as Cu, Ag, Pd, Pt, Au, Rh, Ru, Ir and/or Os. A preferred metal phase comprises Cu and Ag. The cermet inert anodes may be used in electrolytic reduction cells for the production of commercial purity aluminum as well as other metals.

Impact of heavy metals on the oil products biodegradation process.

Science.gov (United States)

Zukauskaite, Audrone; Jakubauskaite, Viktorija; Belous, Olga; Ambrazaitiene, Dalia; Stasiskiene, Zaneta

2008-12-01

Oil products continue to be used as a principal source of energy. Wide-scale production, transport, global use and disposal of petroleum have made them major contaminants in prevalence and quantity in the environment. In accidental spills, actions are taken to remove or remediate or recover the contaminants immediately, especially if they occur in environmentally sensitive areas, for example, in coastal zones. Traditional methods to cope with oil spills are confined to physical containment. Biological methods can have an advantage over the physical-chemical treatment regimes in removing spills in situ as they offer biodegradation of oil fractions by the micro-organisms. Recently, biological methods have been known to play a significant role in bioremediation of oil-polluted coastal areas. Such systems are likely to be of significance in the effective management of sensitive coastal ecosystems chronically subjected to oil spillage. For this reason the aim of this paper is to present an impact of Mn, Cu, Co and Mo quantities on oil biodegradation effectiveness in coastal soil and to determine the relationship between metal concentrations and degradation of two oil products (black oil and diesel fuel). Soil was collected in the Baltic Sea coastal zone oil products degradation area (Klaipeda, Lithuania). The experiment consisted of two parts: study on the influence of micro-elements on the oil product biodegradation process; and analysis of the influence of metal concentration on the number of HDMs. The analysis performed and results obtained address the following areas: impact of metal on a population of hydrocarbon degrading micro-organisms, impact of metals on residual concentrations of oil products, influence of metals on the growth of micro-organisms, inter-relation of metal concentrations with degradation rates. Statistical analysis was made using ;Statgraphics plus' software. The influence of metals on the growth of micro-organisms, the biodegradation process

Production of aluminum metal by electrolysis of aluminum sulfide

Science.gov (United States)

Minh, Nguyen Q.; Loutfy, Raouf O.; Yao, Neng-Ping

1984-01-01

Production of metallic aluminum by the electrolysis of Al.sub.2 S.sub.3 at 700.degree.-800.degree. C. in a chloride melt composed of one or more alkali metal chlorides, and one or more alkaline earth metal chlorides and/or aluminum chloride to provide improved operating characteristics of the process.

Metal-doped single-walled carbon nanotubes and production thereof

Science.gov (United States)

Dillon, Anne C.; Heben, Michael J.; Gennett, Thomas; Parilla, Philip A.

2007-01-09

Metal-doped single-walled carbon nanotubes and production thereof. The metal-doped single-walled carbon nanotubes may be produced according to one embodiment of the invention by combining single-walled carbon nanotube precursor material and metal in a solution, and mixing the solution to incorporate at least a portion of the metal with the single-walled carbon nanotube precursor material. Other embodiments may comprise sputter deposition, evaporation, and other mixing techniques.

Sorption techniques for production of high purity refractory metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shatalov, V.V.; Peganov, V.A.; Logvinenko, I.A.; Molchanova, T.V.

2004-01-01

A consideration is given to potentialities of sorption processes tot provide a high quality of refractory metal and their alloys when using hydrometallurgical methods for raw material processing. The efficiency of application of ion exchange technology is shown for complex solutions reprocessing for various types of polymetallic raw materials, among them uranium ores, enriched concentrates of refractory metal ores, intermediate products, waste solutions. Based on investigation results on the behaviour of elements in process solutions and the mechanism of their sorption and elution, the process of pure chemical compounds production are developed which provide thereafter manufacturing compact metals. The flowsheets developed are mastered on a commercial scale [ru

Analysis of toxic metals in branded Pakistani herbal products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saeed, M.; Muhammad, N.; Khan, H.

2010-01-01

The present study was designed to estimate the concentration of heavy toxic metals in Pakistani herbal products frequently used for the treatment of various ailments. For this purpose, twenty five herbal products of well reputed herbal manufacturers were selected. The results of our investigation revealed that the concentrations of lead, cadmium, nickel and chromium were far beyond the permissible limits proposed by the International Regulatory Authorities for herbal drugs. Therefore, this study conveys a strong message to the ministry of health to establish proper rules and regulations for the validation of herbal products on scientific grounds in order to protect the general public from the harmful effects of these heavy metals in herbal products. (author)

Enabling sustainable uranium production: The Inter-regional Technical Cooperation experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tulsidas, H.; Zhang, J.

2014-01-01

Uranium production cycle activities are increasing worldwide, often in countries with little or no previous experience in such activities. Initial efforts in uranium exploration and mining were limited to a few countries, which progressed through a painful learning curve often associated with high socioeconomic costs. With time, good practices for the sustainable conduct of operations became well established, but new projects in different regional contexts continue to face challenges. Moreover, there have been highs and lows in the levels of activities and operations in the uranium industry, which has disrupted the stabilizing of the experiences and lessons learned, into a coherent body of knowledge. This collective experience, assimilated over time, has to be transferred to a new generation of experts, who have to be enabled to use this knowledge effectively in their local contexts in order to increase efficiency and reduce the footprint of the operations. This makes it sustainable and socially acceptable to local communities, as well as in the global context. IAEA has implemented several projects in the last five years to address gaps in transferring a coherent body of knowledge on sustainable uranium production from a well experienced generation of experts to a new generation facing similar challenges in different geographical, technological, economic and social contexts. These projects focused on enabling the new practitioners in the uranium production industry to avoid the mistakes of the past and to apply good practices established elsewhere, adapted to local needs. The approach was intended to bring considerable cost savings while attracting elevated levels of social acceptance. These projects were effective in introducing experts from different areas of the uranium production cycle and with different levels of experience to the availability of advanced tools that can make operations more efficient and productive, reduce footprint, increase competencies in

Production and properties of light-metal base amorphous alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inoue, Akihisa; Masumoto, Tsuyoshi

1993-01-01

Light-metal base alloys with high specific strength and good corrosion resistance were produced through amorphization of Al and Mg-based alloys. The amorphous phase is formed in rapidly solidified Al-TM-Ln and Mg-TM-Ln (TM=transition metal, Ln=lanthanide metal) alloys. The highest tensile strength (σ f ) reaches 1,330 MPa for the Al base and 830 MPa for the Mg base. Furthermore, the Mg-based alloys have a large glass-forming capacity which enables to produce an amorphous phase by a metallic mold casting method. The extrusion of the Al-based amorphous powders at temperatures above crystallization temperature caused the formation of high strength materials with finely mixed structure consisting of dispersed intermetallic compounds in an Al matrix. The highest values of σ f and fatigue limit are as high as 940 and 313 MPa, respectively, at room temperature and 520 and 165 MPa at 473 K. The extruded Al-Ni-Mm alloy has already been used as machine parts and subsequent further development as practical materials is expected by taking these advantages

Interactive influences of bioactive trace metals on biological production in oceanic waters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruland, K.W.; Donat, J.R.; Hutchins, D.A.

1991-01-01

The authors present an overview of the oceanic chemistries of the bioactive trace metals, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn; the authors combine field data with results from laboratory phytoplankton culture-trace metal studies and speculate on the potential influences of these trace metals on oceanic plankton production and species composition. Most field studies have focused on the effects of single metals. However, they propose that synergistic and antagonistic interactions between multiple trace metals could be very important in the oceans. Trace metal antagonisms that may prove particularly important are those between Cu and the potential biolimiting metals Fe, Mn, and Zn. These antagonistic interactions could have the greatest influence on biological productivity in areas of the open ocean isolated from terrestrial inputs, such as the remote high nutrient regions of the Pacific and Antarctic Oceans. The emerging picture of trace metal-biota interactions in these oceanic areas is one in which biology strongly influences distribution and chemical speciation of all these bioactive trace metals. It also seems likely that many of these bioactive trace metals and their speciation may influence levels of primary productivity, species composition, and trophic structure. Future investigations should give more complete consideration to the interactive effects of biologically important trace metals

APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF LITHIUM METAL

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, P.S.; Duncan, F.R.; Greene, H.B.

1961-08-22

Methods and apparatus for the production of high-purity lithium from lithium halides are described. The apparatus is provided for continuously contacting a molten lithium halide with molten barium, thereby forming lithium metal and a barium halide, establishing separate layers of these reaction products and unreacted barium and lithium halide, and continuously withdrawing lithium and barium halide from the reaction zone. (AEC)

Modernity Evaluation of the Machines Used During Production Process of Metal Products

OpenAIRE

Ingaldi, Manuela; Dziuba, Szymon T.

2015-01-01

Most manufacturing companies realize its technologies, implemented through concrete machinery parts. They differ in terms of importance, the relevance of their selection and the level of their modernity. Modernity and efficiency of the machine are also very important during production process of the metal products. They have an influence on the quality of these products. The purpose of this article is to analyse the chosen production machine (CNC machine AFE-3D8-T) used during pro...

A designerly approach to enable organizations to deliver product-service systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Lille, C.S.H.; Roscam Abbing, E.; Kleinsmann, M.S.

2012-01-01

Design is not only just for products, logo’s or websites anymore. More and more companies are embracing design as a way to enable their organization to adapt to changes in society. One of the challenges many organizations face at the moment is how to create value for their customers by delivering

ESTABLISHING SUSTAINABLE US HEV/PHEV MANUFACTURING BASE: STABILIZED LITHIUM METAL POWDER, ENABLING MATERIAL AND REVOLUTIONARY TECHNOLOGY FOR HIGH ENERGY LI-ION BATTERIES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yakovleva, Marina

2012-12-31

FMC Lithium Division has successfully completed the project “Establishing Sustainable US PHEV/EV Manufacturing Base: Stabilized Lithium Metal Powder, Enabling Material and Revolutionary Technology for High Energy Li-ion Batteries”. The project included design, acquisition and process development for the production scale units to 1) produce stabilized lithium dispersions in oil medium, 2) to produce dry stabilized lithium metal powders, 3) to evaluate, design and acquire pilot-scale unit for alternative production technology to further decrease the cost, and 4) to demonstrate concepts for integrating SLMP technology into the Li- ion batteries to increase energy density. It is very difficult to satisfy safety, cost and performance requirements for the PHEV and EV applications. As the initial step in SLMP Technology introduction, industry can use commercially available LiMn2O4 or LiFePO4, for example, that are the only proven safer and cheaper lithium providing cathodes available on the market. Unfortunately, these cathodes alone are inferior to the energy density of the conventional LiCoO2 cathode and, even when paired with the advanced anode materials, such as silicon composite material, the resulting cell will still not meet the energy density requirements. We have demonstrated, however, if SLMP Technology is used to compensate for the irreversible capacity in the anode, the efficiency of the cathode utilization will be improved and the cost of the cell, based on the materials, will decrease.

Effect of metal ions on the growth and metabolites production of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Effect of metal ions on the growth and metabolites production of Ganoderma lucidum in submerged culture. YH Cui, KC Zhang. Abstract. The effects of several metal ions on the cell growth, production of polysaccharides by Ganoderma lucidum in submerged fermentation were studied. The results showed that 50 ppm Se2+ ...

All-dielectric resonant cavity-enabled metals with broadband optical transparency

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zhengqi; Zhang, Houjiao; Liu, Xiaoshan; Pan, Pingping; Liu, Yi; Tang, Li; Liu, Guiqiang

2017-06-01

Metal films with broadband optical transparency are desirable in many optoelectronic devices, such as displays, smart windows, light-emitting diodes and infrared detectors. As bare metal is opaque to light, this issue of transparency attracts great scientific interest. In this work, we proposed and demonstrated a feasible and universal approach for achieving broadband optical transparent (BOT) metals by utilizing all-dielectric resonant cavities. Resonant dielectrics provide optical cavity modes and couple strongly with the surface plasmons of the metal film, and therefore produce a broadband near-unity optical transparent window. The relative enhancement factor (EF) of light transmission exceeds 3400% in comparison with that of pure metal film. Moreover, the transparent metal motif can be realized by other common metals including gold (Au), silver (Ag) and copper (Cu). These optical features together with the fully retained electric and mechanical properties of a natural metal suggest that it will have wide applications in optoelectronic devices.

Bioethanol production from recovered napier grass with heavy metals.

Science.gov (United States)

Ko, Chun-Han; Yu, Fan-Chun; Chang, Fang-Chih; Yang, Bing-Yuan; Chen, Wen-Hua; Hwang, Wen-Song; Tu, Ta-Chih

2017-12-01

Using plants to absorb and accumulate heavy metals from polluted soil, followed by the recycling of explants containing heavy metals, can help achieve the goal of reverting contaminated soil to low heavy-metal content soil. However, the re-use of recovered explants can also be problematic. Meanwhile, bioethanol has become a popular energy source. In this study, napier grass was used for the remediation of soil contaminated with heavy metals (artificially contaminated soil). The influence of bioethanol production from napier grass after phytoremediation was also investigated. The concentration of Zn, Cd, and Cr in the contaminated soil was 1000, 100, and 250 mg/kg, respectively. After napier grass phytoremediation, the concentration (dry biomass) of Zn, Cd, and Cr in the explants was 2701.97 ± 173.49, 6.1 ± 2.3, and 74.24 ± 1.42 mg/kg, respectively. Biomass production in the unpolluted soil was 861.13 ± 4.23 g. The biomass production ratio in high Zn-polluted soil was only 3.89%, while it was 4.68% for Cd and 21.4% for Cr. The biomass obtained after napier grass phytoremediation was pretreated using the steam explosion conditions of 180 °C, for 10 min, with 1.5% H 2 SO 2 , followed by enzymatic hydrolysis. The efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis for Zn-polluted biomass was 90% of the unpolluted biomass, while it was 77% for Cd, and approximately the same for Cr. The fermentation efficiency of the heavy-metal-containing biomass was higher than the control biomass. The fermentation ethanol concentration obtained was 8.69-12.68, 13.03-15.50, and 18.48-19.31 g/L in Zn, Cd, and Cr environments, respectively. Results show that the heavy metals had a positive effect on bacteria fermentation. However, the fermentation efficiency was lower for biomass with severe heavy metal pollution. Thus, the utilization of napier grass phytoremediation for bioethanol production has a positive effect on the sustainability of environmental resources. Copyright © 2017

Process for production of a metal hydride

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Nathan Tait; Butterick, III, Robert; Chin, Arthur Achhing; Millar, Dean Michael; Molzahn, David Craig

2014-08-12

A process for production of a metal hydride compound MH.sub.x, wherein x is one or two and M is an alkali metal, Be or Mg. The process comprises combining a compound of formula (R.sup.1O).sub.xM with aluminum, hydrogen and at least one metal selected from among titanium, zirconium, hafnium, niobium, vanadium, tantalum and iron to produce a compound of formula MH.sub.x. R.sup.1 is phenyl or phenyl substituted by at least one alkyl or alkoxy group. A mole ratio of aluminum to (R.sup.1O).sub.xM is from 0.1:1 to 1:1. The catalyst is present at a level of at least 200 ppm based on weight of aluminum.

Immobilizer-assisted management of metal-contaminated agricultural soils for safer food production.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Kwon-Rae; Kim, Jeong-Gyu; Park, Jeong-Sik; Kim, Min-Suk; Owens, Gary; Youn, Gyu-Hoon; Lee, Jin-Su

2012-07-15

Production of food crops on metal contaminated agricultural soils is of concern because consumers are potentially exposed to hazardous metals via dietary intake of such crops or crop derived products. Therefore, the current study was conducted to develop management protocols for crop cultivation to allow safer food production. Metal uptake, as influenced by pH change-induced immobilizing agents (dolomite, steel slag, and agricultural lime) and sorption agents (zeolite and compost), was monitored in three common plants representative of leafy (Chinese cabbage), root (spring onion) and fruit (red pepper) vegetables, in a field experiment. The efficiency of the immobilizing agents was assessed by their ability to decrease the phytoavailability of metals (Cd, Pb, and Zn). The fruit vegetable (red pepper) showed the least accumulation of Cd (0.16-0.29 mgkg(-1) DW) and Pb (0.2-0.9 mgkg(-1) DW) in edible parts regardless of treatment, indicating selection of low metal accumulating crops was a reasonable strategy for safer food production. However, safer food production was more likely to be achievable by combining crop selection with immobilizing agent amendment of soils. Among the immobilizing agents, pH change-induced immobilizers were more effective than sorption agents, showing decreases in Cd and Pb concentrations in each plant well below standard limits. The efficiency of pH change-induced immobilizers was also comparable to reductions obtained by 'clean soil cover' where the total metal concentrations of the plow layer was reduced via capping the surface with uncontaminated soil, implying that pH change-induced immobilizers can be practically applied to metal contaminated agricultural soils for safer food production. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical Separation of Fission Products in Uranium Metal Ingots from Electrolytic Reduction Process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Chang-Heon; Kim, Min-Jae; Choi, Kwang-Soon; Jee, Kwang-Yong; Kim, Won-Ho

2006-01-01

Chemical characterization of various process materials is required for the optimization of the electrolytic reduction process in which uranium dioxide, a matrix of spent PWR fuels, is electrolytically reduced to uranium metal in a medium of LiCl-Li 2 O molten at 650 .deg. C. In the uranium metal ingots of interest in this study, residual process materials and corrosion products as well as fission products are involved to some extent, which further adds difficulties to the determination of trace fission products. Besides it, direct inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometric (ICP-AES) analysis of uranium bearing materials such as the uranium metal ingots is not possible because a severe spectral interference is found in the intensely complex atomic emission spectra of uranium. Thus an adequate separation procedure for the fission products should be employed prior to their determinations. In present study ion exchange and extraction chromatographic methods were adopted for selective separation of the fission products from residual process materials, corrosion products and uranium matrix. The sorption behaviour of anion and tri-nbutylphosphate (TBP) extraction chromatographic resins for the metals in acidic solutions simulated for the uranium metal ingot solutions was investigated. Then the validity of the separation procedure for its reliability and applicability was evaluated by measuring recoveries of the metals added

A study on compound contents for plastic injection molding products of metallic resin pigment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Young Whan; Kwak, Jae Seob; Lee, Gyu Sang

2016-01-01

Injection molding process is widely used for producing most plastic products. In order to make a metal-colored plastic product especially in modern luxury home alliances, metallic pigments which are mixed to a basic resin material for injection molding are available. However, the process control for the metal-colored plastic product is extremely difficult due to non-uniform melt flow of the metallic resin pigments. To improve the process efficiency, a rapid mold cooling method by a compressed cryogenic fluid and electricity mold are also proposed to decrease undesired compound contents within a molded plastic product. In this study, a quality of the metal-colored plastic product is evaluated with process parameters; injection speed, injection pressure, and pigment contents, and an influence of the rapid cooling and heating system is demonstrated

A study on compound contents for plastic injection molding products of metallic resin pigment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Young Whan; Kwak, Jae Seob [Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Pukyong National University, Busan (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Gyu Sang [Alliance Molding Engineering TeamLG Electronics Inc., Osan (Korea, Republic of)

2016-12-15

Injection molding process is widely used for producing most plastic products. In order to make a metal-colored plastic product especially in modern luxury home alliances, metallic pigments which are mixed to a basic resin material for injection molding are available. However, the process control for the metal-colored plastic product is extremely difficult due to non-uniform melt flow of the metallic resin pigments. To improve the process efficiency, a rapid mold cooling method by a compressed cryogenic fluid and electricity mold are also proposed to decrease undesired compound contents within a molded plastic product. In this study, a quality of the metal-colored plastic product is evaluated with process parameters; injection speed, injection pressure, and pigment contents, and an influence of the rapid cooling and heating system is demonstrated.

The computer-aided design of rubber-metal products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavlo S. Shvets

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The important problem in design of rubber-metal products is the optimization of their mass without sacrificing of proportionality factor is in the limits of standard. Aim: The aim of this work is to improve the computer-aided systems by development and implementation of improved optimization method in rubber-metal CAD systems for designers based on the reverse optimization. Materials and Methods: The paper studies the matters of computer-aided structural design of technical composite products composed of anisotropic materials that are essentially different in properties. Results: The structure of CAD systems for designers solving the problems of such design is offered and the work principles of its subsystems are described. It is shown that complicated systems optimization in CAD systems must consider as restrictions the entitative connection between separate elements of these systems within the area of the optimizing arguments. Conclusions: The problem of the “reverse” optimization when objective functions are the connectivity area parameters is considered. In many cases, this allows receiving solutions that are more effective during the computer-aided design process. The developed CAD system for designers was used during the production of rubber-metal shock absorbers at the Odessa Rubber Technical Articles Plant. The positive technical and economic effect was obtained.

Investigation of cadmium pollution in the spruce saplings near the metal production factory.

Science.gov (United States)

Hashemi, Seyed Armin; Farajpour, Ghasem

2016-02-01

Toxic metals such as lead and cadmium are among the pollutants that are created by the metal production factories and disseminated in the nature. In order to study the quantity of cadmium pollution in the environment of the metal production factories, 50 saplings of the spruce species at the peripheries of the metal production factories were examined and the samples of the leaves, roots, and stems of saplings planted around the factory and the soil of the environment of the factory were studied to investigate pollution with cadmium. They were compared to the soil and saplings of the spruce trees planted outside the factory as observer region. The results showed that the quantity of pollution in the leaves, stems, and roots of the trees planted inside the factory environment were estimated at 1.1, 1.5, and 2.5 mg/kg, respectively, and this indicated a significant difference with the observer region (p metal production factory was estimated at 6.8 mg/kg in the depth of 0-10 cm beneath the level of the soil. The length of roots in the saplings planted around the factory of metal production stood at 11 and 14.5 cm in the observer region which had a significant difference with the observer region (p production processes in the factory. © The Author(s) 2013.

Biogas production as affected by heavy metals in the anaerobic digestion of sludge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hussein I. Abdel-Shafy

2014-12-01

The sewage sludge samples were separated from the sewage water of the pilot plant at the National Research Centre, TDC site. The effect of heavy metals on the biogas production of the anaerobic digester was studied. The inhibitory effect on the biogas production and toxic level of metals was determined in this study. The general ranking of heavy metal toxicity appears to be Hg > Cd > Cr (III. The present investigation reveals that heavy metals in addition to the anaerobic digester decreased the biogas production as an indication of efficiency of the process. A significant decrease in gas production and volatile organic matter removal was obtained. It was also noted that an accumulation of organic acid intermediates was obtained as a result of methanogenic bacterial inhibition. This accumulation was limited during the pulse feed of metals. This is due to the rapid poisoning of the active bacterial forms in the digester.

Microbial and heavy metal contamination of pineapple products ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

SAM

Quantitative determination of heavy metals: zinc, iron, lead, copper, cadmium and aluminium ...... consumption of dairy products, fish/seafood and meat from Ismailia ... Contamination in Green Leafy Vegetables Grown in Bangalore Urban.

Proposed industrial recovered materials utilization targets for the metals and metal products industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1979-05-01

Set targets for increased utilization of energy-saving recovered materials in the metals and metal products industries (ferrous, aluminium, copper, zinc, and lead) are discussed. Data preparation and methodology development and analysis of the technological and economic factors in order to prepare draft targets for the use of recovered materials are covered. Chapter 2 provides an introductory discussion of the factors that affect the recovery and reuse of secondary materials and the competition between the primary and secondary metals industries. Chapter 3 presents general profiles for the major industrial segments comprising SIC 33, including industry structure, process technology, materials and recycling flow, and future trends for the 5 industries: ferrous, aluminium, copper, zinc, and lead. Chapter 4 presents the evaluation of recycling targets for those industries. (MCW)

Production of Liquid Metal Spheres by Molding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammed G. Mohammed

2014-10-01

Full Text Available This paper demonstrates a molding technique for producing spheres composed of eutectic gallium-indium (EGaIn with diameters ranging from hundreds of microns to a couple millimeters. The technique starts by spreading EGaIn across an elastomeric sheet featuring cylindrical reservoirs defined by replica molding. The metal flows into these features during spreading. The spontaneous formation of a thin oxide layer on the liquid metal keeps the metal flush inside these reservoirs. Subsequent exposure to acid removes the oxide and causes the metal to bead up into a sphere with a size dictated by the volume of the reservoirs. This technique allows for the production and patterning of droplets with a wide range of volumes, from tens of nanoliters up to a few microliters. EGaIn spheres can be embedded or encased subsequently in polymer matrices using this technique. These spheres may be useful as solder bumps, electrodes, thermal contacts or components in microfluidic devices (valves, switches, pumps. The ease of parallel-processing and the ability to control the location of the droplets during their formation distinguishes this technique.

Development of the production of lead and precious metals in Central Asia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nikolić Branislav

2014-01-01

Full Text Available There were several rich deposits of polymetal ores of non-ferrous and precious metals in the region of Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union. Metallurgical production of these metals was developed even a thousand years ago and was in the top of the world at the beginning of the fourth quarter of the twentieth century. The disintegration of the Soviet Union and the change of government structures caused a reduction of metallurgical production, but there are all conditions to intensify and increase the production of non-ferrous and precious metals in Russia and other former Soviet republics, which are now middle-asian countries.

Catalytic cracking of vegetable oil with metal oxides for biofuel production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yigezu, Zerihun Demrew; Muthukumar, Karuppan

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Biofuel was synthesized from vegetable oil by catalytic cracking. • Performance of six different metal catalysts was studied. • Influence of temperature and reaction time on the process was evaluated. • Methyl and ethyl esters are the major components of the biofuel synthesized. - Abstract: This study presents the utilization of metal oxides for the biofuel production from vegetable oil. The physical and chemical properties of the diesel-like products obtained, and the influence of reaction variables on the product distribution were investigated. Six different metal oxides (Co 3 O 4 , KOH, MoO 3 , NiO, V 2 O 5 , and ZnO) were employed as catalysts and the results indicated that the metal oxides are suitable for catalyzing the conversion of oil into organic liquid products (OLPs). The maximum conversion (87.6%) was obtained with V 2 O 5 at 320 °C in 40 min whereas a minimum conversion (55.1%) was obtained with MoO 3 at 390 °C in 30 min. The physical characteristics of the product obtained (density, specific gravity, higher heat value, flash point and kinematic viscosity), were in line with ASTM D6751 (B100) standards. The hydrocarbons majorly present in the product were found to be methyl and ethyl esters. Furthermore, OLPs obtained were distilled and separated into four components. The amount of light hydrocarbons, gasoline, kerosene and heavy oil like components obtained were 18.73%, 33.62%, 24.91% and 90.93%, respectively

Surface area and chemical reactivity characteristics of uranium metal corrosion products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Totemeier, T. C.

1998-01-01

The results of an initial characterization of hydride-containing corrosion products from uranium metal Zero Power Physics Reactor (ZPPR) fuel plates are presented. Sorption analyses using the BET method with a Kr adsorbate were performed to measure the specific areas of corrosion product samples. The specific surface areas of the corrosion products varied from 0.66 to 1.01 m 2 /g. The reactivity of the products in Ar-9%O 2 and Ar-20%O 2 were measured at temperatures between 35 C and 150 C using a thermo-gravimetric analyzer. Ignition of the products occurred at temperatures of 150 C and above. The oxidation rates below ignition were comparable to rates observed for uranium metal

Math on the Job. Metal Product Assembler.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohio State Univ., Columbus. National Center for Research in Vocational Education.

This booklet is intended to help mainstreamed mentally retarded, emotionally disturbed, or learning disabled high school students acquire a basic understanding of the responsibilities and working conditions of metal product assemblers and to practice basic math skills necessary in the occupation. The first section provides a brief introduction to…

PRODUCTION OF PROTOTYPE PARTS USING DIRECT METAL LASER SINTERING TECHNOLOGY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Josef Sedlak

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Unconventional methods of modern materials preparation include additive technologies which involve the sintering of powders of different chemical composition, granularity, physical, chemical and other utility properties. The technology called Rapid Prototyping, which uses different technological principles of producing components, belongs to this type of material preparation. The Rapid Prototyping technology facilities use photopolymers, thermoplastics, specially treated paper or metal powders. The advantage is the direct production of metal parts from input data and the fact that there is no need for the production of special tools (moulds, press tools, etc.. Unused powder from sintering technologies is re-used for production 98% of the time, which means that the process is economical, as well as ecological.The present paper discusses the technology of Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS, which falls into the group of additive technologies of Rapid Prototyping (RP. The major objective is a detailed description of DMLS, pointing out the benefits it offers and its application in practice. The practical part describes the production and provides an economic comparison of several prototype parts that were designed for testing in the automotive industry.

Expert judgment based multi-criteria decision model to address uncertainties in risk assessment of nanotechnology-enabled food products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flari, Villie; Chaudhry, Qasim; Neslo, Rabin; Cooke, Roger

2011-01-01

Currently, risk assessment of nanotechnology-enabled food products is considered difficult due to the large number of uncertainties involved. We developed an approach which could address some of the main uncertainties through the use of expert judgment. Our approach employs a multi-criteria decision model, based on probabilistic inversion that enables capturing experts’ preferences in regard to safety of nanotechnology-enabled food products, and identifying their opinions in regard to the significance of key criteria that are important in determining the safety of such products. An advantage of these sample-based techniques is that they provide out-of-sample validation and therefore a robust scientific basis. This validation in turn adds predictive power to the model developed. We achieved out-of-sample validation in two ways: (1) a portion of the expert preference data was excluded from the model’s fitting and was then predicted by the model fitted on the remaining rankings and (2) a (partially) different set of experts generated new scenarios, using the same criteria employed in the model, and ranked them; their ranks were compared with ranks predicted by the model. The degree of validation in each method was less than perfect but reasonably substantial. The validated model we applied captured and modelled experts’ preferences regarding safety of hypothetical nanotechnology-enabled food products. It appears therefore that such an approach can provide a promising route to explore further for assessing the risk of nanotechnology-enabled food products.

Micro metal forming

CERN Document Server

2013-01-01

Micro Metal Forming, i. e. forming of parts and features with dimensions below 1 mm, is a young area of research in the wide field of metal forming technologies, expanding the limits for applying metal forming towards micro technology. The essential challenges arise from the reduced geometrical size and the increased lot size. In order to enable potential users to apply micro metal forming in production, information about the following topics are given: tribological behavior: friction between tool and work piece as well as tool wear mechanical behavior: strength and formability of the work piece material, durability of the work pieces size effects: basic description of effects occurring due to the fact, that the quantitative relation between different features changes with decreasing size process windows and limits for forming processes tool making methods numerical modeling of processes and process chains quality assurance and metrology All topics are discussed with respect to the questions relevant to micro...

Estimating product-to-product variations in metal forming using force measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Havinga, Jos; van den Boogaard, Ton

2017-10-01

The limits of production accuracy of metal forming processes can be stretched by the development of control systems for compensation of product-to-product variations. Such systems require the use of measurements from each semi-finished product. These measurements must be used to estimate the final quality of each product. We propose to predict part of the product-to-product variations in multi-stage forming processes based on force measurements from previous process stages. The reasoning is that final product properties as well as process forces are expected to be correlated since they are both affected by material and process variation. In this study, an approach to construct a moving window process model based on historical data from the process is presented. These regression models can be built and updated in real-time during production. The approach is tested with data from a demonstrator process with cutting, deep drawing and bending stages. It is shown that part of the product-to-product variations in the process can be predicted with the developed process model.

Roll-to-Roll Nanoforming of Metals Using Laser-Induced Superplasticity.

Science.gov (United States)

Goswami, Debkalpa; Munera, Juan C; Pal, Aniket; Sadri, Behnam; Scarpetti, Caio Lui P G; Martinez, Ramses V

2018-05-24

This Letter describes a low-cost, scalable nanomanufacturing process that enables the continuous forming of thin metallic layers with nanoscale accuracy using roll-to-roll, laser-induced superplasticity (R2RLIS). R2RLIS uses a laser shock to induce the ultrahigh-strain-rate deformation of metallic films at room temperature into low-cost polymeric nanomolds, independently of the original grain size of the metal. This simple and inexpensive nanoforming method does not require access to cleanrooms and associated facilities, and can be easily implemented on conventional CO 2 lasers, enabling laser systems commonly used for rapid prototyping or industrial cutting and engraving to fabricate uniform and three-dimensional crystalline metallic nanostructures over large areas. Tuning the laser power during the R2RLIS process enables the control of the aspect ratio and the mechanical and optical properties of the fabricated nanostructures. This roll-to-roll technique successfully fabricates mechanically strengthened gold plasmonic nanostructures with aspect ratios as high as 5 that exhibit high oxidation resistance and strong optical field enhancements. The CO 2 laser used in R2RLIS can also integrate the fabricated nanostructures on transparent flexible substrates with robust interfacial contact. The ability to fabricate ultrasmooth metallic nanostructures using roll-to-roll manufacturing enables the large scale production, at a relatively low-cost, of flexible plasmonic devices toward emerging applications.

Toward responsible development and effective risk management of nano-enabled products in the U.S. construction industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

West, Gavin H.; Lippy, Bruce E.; Cooper, Michael R.; Marsick, Daniel; Burrelli, Leonard G.; Griffin, Kelsey N.; Segrave, Alan M.

2016-01-01

The global construction sector is experiencing major improvements to building materials used in large quantities through commercial applications of nanotechnology. Nano-enabled construction products hold great promise for energy efficiency and resource conservation, but risk assessments lag as new products emerge. This paper presents results from an inventory, survey, and exposure assessment conducted by the authors and explores these findings in the broader context of evolving research trends and responsible development of nanotechnology. An inventory of 458 reportedly nano-enabled construction products provided insight into product availability, potential exposures, and deficiencies in risk communication that are barriers to adoption of proactive safety measures. Seasoned construction trainers surveyed were largely unaware of the availability of nano-enabled construction products. Exposure assessment demonstrated the effectiveness of ventilation to reduce exposures during mechanical abrasion of photocatalytic tiles containing titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ). Dissociated particles of TiO 2 just above the nanoscale (138 nm) were detected in the debris collected during cutting of the tiles, but measurements were below recommended exposure limits for TiO 2 . Exposure assessments remain scarce, and toxicological understanding primarily pertains to unincorporated nanomaterials; less is known about the occupational risks of nano-enabled construction products across their life cycle. Further research is needed to characterize and quantify exposure to debris released from nanocomposite materials for realistic risk assessment, and to ascertain how nanocomposite matrices, fillers, and degradation forces interact to affect release dynamics. Improving risk communication strategies and implementing safe work practices will cultivate responsible development of nanotechnology in construction, as will multidisciplinary research efforts

Toward responsible development and effective risk management of nano-enabled products in the U.S. construction industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

West, Gavin H.; Lippy, Bruce E., E-mail: blippy@cpwr.com; Cooper, Michael R. [CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training (United States); Marsick, Daniel [Marsick Consulting, LLC (United States); Burrelli, Leonard G.; Griffin, Kelsey N. [Environmental Profiles, Inc. (United States); Segrave, Alan M. [Bureau Veritas North America, Inc. (United States)

2016-02-15

The global construction sector is experiencing major improvements to building materials used in large quantities through commercial applications of nanotechnology. Nano-enabled construction products hold great promise for energy efficiency and resource conservation, but risk assessments lag as new products emerge. This paper presents results from an inventory, survey, and exposure assessment conducted by the authors and explores these findings in the broader context of evolving research trends and responsible development of nanotechnology. An inventory of 458 reportedly nano-enabled construction products provided insight into product availability, potential exposures, and deficiencies in risk communication that are barriers to adoption of proactive safety measures. Seasoned construction trainers surveyed were largely unaware of the availability of nano-enabled construction products. Exposure assessment demonstrated the effectiveness of ventilation to reduce exposures during mechanical abrasion of photocatalytic tiles containing titanium dioxide (TiO{sub 2}). Dissociated particles of TiO{sub 2} just above the nanoscale (138 nm) were detected in the debris collected during cutting of the tiles, but measurements were below recommended exposure limits for TiO{sub 2}. Exposure assessments remain scarce, and toxicological understanding primarily pertains to unincorporated nanomaterials; less is known about the occupational risks of nano-enabled construction products across their life cycle. Further research is needed to characterize and quantify exposure to debris released from nanocomposite materials for realistic risk assessment, and to ascertain how nanocomposite matrices, fillers, and degradation forces interact to affect release dynamics. Improving risk communication strategies and implementing safe work practices will cultivate responsible development of nanotechnology in construction, as will multidisciplinary research efforts.

Surface area and chemical reactivity characteristics of uranium metal corrosion products.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Totemeier, T. C.

1998-02-17

The results of an initial characterization of hydride-containing corrosion products from uranium metal Zero Power Physics Reactor (ZPPR) fuel plates are presented. Sorption analyses using the BET method with a Kr adsorbate were performed to measure the specific areas of corrosion product samples. The specific surface areas of the corrosion products varied from 0.66 to 1.01 m{sup 2}/g. The reactivity of the products in Ar-9%O{sub 2} and Ar-20%O{sub 2} were measured at temperatures between 35 C and 150 C using a thermo-gravimetric analyzer. Ignition of the products occurred at temperatures of 150 C and above. The oxidation rates below ignition were comparable to rates observed for uranium metal.

Implementation of Cyber-Physical Production Systems for Quality Prediction and Operation Control in Metal Casting.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, JuneHyuck; Noh, Sang Do; Kim, Hyun-Jung; Kang, Yong-Shin

2018-05-04

The prediction of internal defects of metal casting immediately after the casting process saves unnecessary time and money by reducing the amount of inputs into the next stage, such as the machining process, and enables flexible scheduling. Cyber-physical production systems (CPPS) perfectly fulfill the aforementioned requirements. This study deals with the implementation of CPPS in a real factory to predict the quality of metal casting and operation control. First, a CPPS architecture framework for quality prediction and operation control in metal-casting production was designed. The framework describes collaboration among internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence, simulations, manufacturing execution systems, and advanced planning and scheduling systems. Subsequently, the implementation of the CPPS in actual plants is described. Temperature is a major factor that affects casting quality, and thus, temperature sensors and IoT communication devices were attached to casting machines. The well-known NoSQL database, HBase and the high-speed processing/analysis tool, Spark, are used for IoT repository and data pre-processing, respectively. Many machine learning algorithms such as decision tree, random forest, artificial neural network, and support vector machine were used for quality prediction and compared with R software. Finally, the operation of the entire system is demonstrated through a CPPS dashboard. In an era in which most CPPS-related studies are conducted on high-level abstract models, this study describes more specific architectural frameworks, use cases, usable software, and analytical methodologies. In addition, this study verifies the usefulness of CPPS by estimating quantitative effects. This is expected to contribute to the proliferation of CPPS in the industry.

Implementation of Cyber-Physical Production Systems for Quality Prediction and Operation Control in Metal Casting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

JuneHyuck Lee

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The prediction of internal defects of metal casting immediately after the casting process saves unnecessary time and money by reducing the amount of inputs into the next stage, such as the machining process, and enables flexible scheduling. Cyber-physical production systems (CPPS perfectly fulfill the aforementioned requirements. This study deals with the implementation of CPPS in a real factory to predict the quality of metal casting and operation control. First, a CPPS architecture framework for quality prediction and operation control in metal-casting production was designed. The framework describes collaboration among internet of things (IoT, artificial intelligence, simulations, manufacturing execution systems, and advanced planning and scheduling systems. Subsequently, the implementation of the CPPS in actual plants is described. Temperature is a major factor that affects casting quality, and thus, temperature sensors and IoT communication devices were attached to casting machines. The well-known NoSQL database, HBase and the high-speed processing/analysis tool, Spark, are used for IoT repository and data pre-processing, respectively. Many machine learning algorithms such as decision tree, random forest, artificial neural network, and support vector machine were used for quality prediction and compared with R software. Finally, the operation of the entire system is demonstrated through a CPPS dashboard. In an era in which most CPPS-related studies are conducted on high-level abstract models, this study describes more specific architectural frameworks, use cases, usable software, and analytical methodologies. In addition, this study verifies the usefulness of CPPS by estimating quantitative effects. This is expected to contribute to the proliferation of CPPS in the industry.

Implementation of Cyber-Physical Production Systems for Quality Prediction and Operation Control in Metal Casting

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, JuneHyuck; Noh, Sang Do; Kim, Hyun-Jung; Kang, Yong-Shin

2018-01-01

The prediction of internal defects of metal casting immediately after the casting process saves unnecessary time and money by reducing the amount of inputs into the next stage, such as the machining process, and enables flexible scheduling. Cyber-physical production systems (CPPS) perfectly fulfill the aforementioned requirements. This study deals with the implementation of CPPS in a real factory to predict the quality of metal casting and operation control. First, a CPPS architecture framework for quality prediction and operation control in metal-casting production was designed. The framework describes collaboration among internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence, simulations, manufacturing execution systems, and advanced planning and scheduling systems. Subsequently, the implementation of the CPPS in actual plants is described. Temperature is a major factor that affects casting quality, and thus, temperature sensors and IoT communication devices were attached to casting machines. The well-known NoSQL database, HBase and the high-speed processing/analysis tool, Spark, are used for IoT repository and data pre-processing, respectively. Many machine learning algorithms such as decision tree, random forest, artificial neural network, and support vector machine were used for quality prediction and compared with R software. Finally, the operation of the entire system is demonstrated through a CPPS dashboard. In an era in which most CPPS-related studies are conducted on high-level abstract models, this study describes more specific architectural frameworks, use cases, usable software, and analytical methodologies. In addition, this study verifies the usefulness of CPPS by estimating quantitative effects. This is expected to contribute to the proliferation of CPPS in the industry. PMID:29734699

The method of the atomic-absorption analysis in a graphite furnace with the metallic collector-ballast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katskov, D.A.; Vasil'eva, L.A.; Grinshtejn, I.L.; Savel'eva, G.O.

1987-01-01

New method of atomic-absorption analysis in a graphite furnace with the metallic collector-ballast (tungsten were) is suggested. It enables to widen the number of analyzed objects of liquid products wetting readily graphite and metals. It is shown that application of metallic collector-ballast enables to improve sensitivity and reproducibility of analysis, increase the volume of dosed samples as well as to suppress effectively the influence of excess of mineral and organic substrate on results of atomic-absorption analysis of several elements, including Cd, Sr, In, Te

Development of a brazing process for the production of water- cooled bipolar plates made of chromium-coated metal foils for PEM fuel cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller, M; Hoehlich, D; Scharf, I; Lampke, T; Hollaender, U; Maier, H J

2016-01-01

Beside lithium batteries, PEM fuel cells are the most promising strategy as a power source to achieve the targets for introducing and increasing the usage of electric vehicles. Due to limited space and weight problems, water cooled, metallic bipolar plates in a fuel cell metal stack are preferred in motor vehicles. These plates are stamped metal sheets with a complex structure, interconnected media-tight. To meet the multiple tasks and requirements in use, complex and expensive combinations of materials are currently in use (carbon fiber composites, graphite, gold-plated nickel, stainless and acid resistant steel). The production of such plates is expensive as it is connected with considerable effort or the usage of precious metals. As an alternative, metalloid nitrides (CrN, VN, W 2 N, etc.) show a high chemical resistance, hardness and a good conductivity. So this material category meets the basic requirements of a top layer. However, the standard methods for their production (PVD, CVD) are expensive and have a slow deposition rate and a lower layer thicknesses. Because of these limitations, a full functionality over the life cycle of a bipolar plate is not guaranteed. The contribution shows the development and quantification of an alternative production process for bipolar plates. The expectation is to get significant advantages from the combination of chromium electrodeposition and thermochemical treatment to form chromium nitrides. Both processes are well researched and suitable for series production. The thermochemical treatment of the chromium layer also enables a process-integrated brazing. (paper)

Metals and cocoa products: a study on characterization of toxic and essential metals in chocolates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahman, S.; Husnain, S.M.

2012-01-01

Metals (Pb, Cd, Ni, Fe, Cu, Zn and Mn) were assessed in 32 commonly consumed cocoa products (chocolates) prepared by different national and multinational companies. Significant differences were observed between the micro element contents of these varieties (P < 0.01). Frequent consumption of chocolates can enhance the intake of toxic metals in children. The concentration of Pb and Cd in cocoa powder is found to be highest 492 and 197 mu g/L followed by cocoa based chocolates 306 and 46.8 mu g/L, sugar based chocolates 209.8 and 40.3 mu g/L whereas it is least in milk based chocolates samples 88.3 and 33 mu g/L respectively. Weekly intake of toxic metals Pb, Cd and Ni was also calculated. Mean concentration of Pb and Cd was found below the provisional tolerable weekly intake defined by FAO/WHO. All essential elements were assessed for their weekly intake with the dietary reference intakes (DRI). Results were validated through the analysis of certified reference materials and determined metals concentrations were quite in good agreement with certified levels. Data was interpreted through cluster analysis and pattern recognition as depicted. The concentrations of Pb, Cd, Ni and Fe were found to be highest in the cocoa-based followed by milk-based and sugar-based chocolates. The daily intake of cocoa-based chocolates must be reduced as lead and cadmium intake can otherwise cross the limits set by Codex Alimentarius (FAO/WHO 2006). Raw materials should be checked before use for metal contents in order to decrease the concentrations of these metals in final chocolate products. (Orig./A.B.)

Effective ways of decrease in the maintenance of heavy metals in soils and vegetative production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komarova, N.A.; Komarov, V.I.; Grishina, A.V.; Akanova, N.I.

2008-01-01

Receptions detoxication of heavy metals and reception vegetative production adequating to sanitary-and-hygienic norms are developed and scientifically proved. Correlation dependence between pH, concentration of heavy metals in vegetative production and level of productivity of agricultural crops is established. The most essential factor reducing till 8-10 of time receipt in plants Cu, Cd, Zn and Pb, level of reaction of environment in soil is. Dynamics of migration of heavy metals from the soil polluted water-soluble form of heavy metals is investigated

Precise control of lycopene production to enable a fast-responding, minimal-equipment biosensor.

Science.gov (United States)

McNerney, Monica P; Styczynski, Mark P

2017-09-01

Pigmented metabolites have great potential for use in biosensors that target low-resource areas, since sensor output can be interpreted without any equipment. However, full repression of pigment production when undesired is challenging, as even small amounts of enzyme can catalyze the production of large, visible amounts of pigment. The red pigment lycopene could be particularly useful because of its position in the multi-pigment carotenoid pathway, but commonly used inducible promoter systems cannot repress lycopene production. In this paper, we designed a system that could fully repress lycopene production in the absence of an inducer and produce visible lycopene within two hours of induction. We engineered Lac, Ara, and T7 systems to be up to 10 times more repressible, but these improved systems could still not fully repress lycopene. Translational modifications proved much more effective in controlling lycopene. By decreasing the strength of the ribosomal binding sites on the crtEBI genes, we enabled full repression of lycopene and production of visible lycopene in 3-4h of induction. Finally, we added the mevalonate pathway enzymes to increase the rate of lycopene production upon induction and demonstrated that supplementation of metabolic precursors could decrease the time to coloration to about 1.5h. In total, this represents over an order of magnitude reduction in response time compared to the previously reported strategy. The approaches used here demonstrate the disconnect between fluorescent and metabolite reporters, help enable the use of lycopene as a reporter, and are likely generalizable to other systems that require precise control of metabolite production. Copyright © 2017 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Precision production: enabling deterministic throughput for precision aspheres with MRF

Science.gov (United States)

Maloney, Chris; Entezarian, Navid; Dumas, Paul

2017-10-01

Aspherical lenses offer advantages over spherical optics by improving image quality or reducing the number of elements necessary in an optical system. Aspheres are no longer being used exclusively by high-end optical systems but are now replacing spherical optics in many applications. The need for a method of production-manufacturing of precision aspheres has emerged and is part of the reason that the optics industry is shifting away from artisan-based techniques towards more deterministic methods. Not only does Magnetorheological Finishing (MRF) empower deterministic figure correction for the most demanding aspheres but it also enables deterministic and efficient throughput for series production of aspheres. The Q-flex MRF platform is designed to support batch production in a simple and user friendly manner. Thorlabs routinely utilizes the advancements of this platform and has provided results from using MRF to finish a batch of aspheres as a case study. We have developed an analysis notebook to evaluate necessary specifications for implementing quality control metrics. MRF brings confidence to optical manufacturing by ensuring high throughput for batch processing of aspheres.

The prospect for recycle of radioactive scrap metals to products for restricted and unrestricted use

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liby, A.L.

1995-01-01

Large quantities of radioactive scrap metals will arise from decontamination and decommissioning of nuclear power plants and DOE facilities. Much of this metal can be easily decontaminated and released to the existing secondary metals industry for recycling. For metal that can not be readily released, recycle into restricted-use end products is an economically attractive alternative to burial as low level radioactive waste. This paper will examine sources and types of scrap metal, technical approaches, potential products, and economics of metals recycle. Construction, licensing, environmental compliance, and possible reuse of existing nuclear facilities for metals recycling will be discussed. (author)

Limitation of productivity by trace metals in the sea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morel, F.M.M.; Price, N.M.; Hudson, R.J.M.

1991-01-01

Some trace metals such as Fe, Ni, Cu, and Zn are essential for the growth of phytoplankton. The concentrations of these essential trace elements in seawater are so low as to limit their availability to aquatic microbiota. Trace element uptake is ultimately limited by kinetics of reaction with transport ligands or by diffusion to the cell. From what the authors know of the characteristics of the uptake systems of phytoplankton and their trace metal requirements they can estimate that Fe and Zn may at some times in some place limit phytoplankton productivity, which is in accord with available field data on trace metal enrichments

HEAVY METAL CONTENT OF AYURVEDIC HERBAL MEDICINE PRODUCTS

Science.gov (United States)

Case reports of individuals taking Ayurvedic herbal medicine products (HMPs) suggest that they may contain lead, mercury, and/or arsenic. We analyzed the heavy metal content of Ayurvedic HMPs manufactured in India and Pakistan, available in South Asian grocery stores in the Bost...

Innovation Barriers and Enablers that Affect Productivity in Uganda Building Industry

OpenAIRE

Henry Mwanaki Alinaitwe, , and; Kristian Widén; Jackson Mwakali; Bengt Hansson

2007-01-01

The construction industry has of recent been blamed for lack of innovation. Lack of innovation in the industry is believed to be responsible for the decreasing or stagnant levels of productivity in comparison with other industries. This paper reviews the major barriers and enablers to innovation in general. Propositions were made about the factors that affect innovation in the construction industry which were then formulated into a questionnaire. A survey was made on building contractors in U...

Hydrometallurgical Approach for Leaching of Metals from Copper Rich Side Stream Originating from Base Metal Production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Udit Surya Mohanty

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Pyrometallurgical metal production results in side streams, such as dusts and slags, which are carriers of metals, though commonly containing lower metal concentrations compared to the main process stream. In order to improve the circular economy of metals, selective leaching of copper from an intermediate raw material originating from primary base metal production plant was investigated. The raw material investigated was rich in Cu (12.5%, Ni (2.6%, Zn (1.6%, and Fe (23.6% with the particle size D80 of 124 µm. The main compounds present were nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4, fayalite (Fe2SiO4, cuprite (Cu2O, and metallic copper. Leaching was studied in 16 different solutions. The results revealed that copper phases could be dissolved with high yield (>90% and selectivity towards nickel (Cu/Ni > 7 already at room temperature with the following solutions: 0.5 M HCl, 1.5 M HCl, 4 M NaOH, and 2 M HNO3. A concentration of 4 M NaOH provided a superior selectivity between Cu/Ni (340 and Cu/Zn (51. In addition, 1–2 M HNO3 and 0.5 M HCl solutions were shown to result in high Pb dissolution (>98%. Consequently, 0.5 M HCl leaching is suggested to provide a low temperature, low chemical consumption method for selective copper removal from the investigated side stream, resulting in PLS (pregnant leach solution which is a rich in Cu and lead free residue, also rich in Ni and Fe.

Nonconsumable electrode assembly and use thereof for the electrolytic production of metals and silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Byrne, Stephen C.; Ray, Siba P.

1984-01-01

A nonconsumable electrode assembly suitable for use in the production of metal by electrolytic reduction of a metal compound dissolved in a molten salt, the assembly comprising a metal conductor attached to a ceramic electrode body by a metal bond on a portion of the body having a level of free metal or metal alloy sufficient to effect a metal bond.

METAL PRODUCTION AND CASTING

Science.gov (United States)

Magel, T.T.

1958-03-01

This patent covers a method and apparatus for collecting the molten metal produced by high temperature metal salt reduction. It consists essentially of subjecting the reaction vessel to centrifugal force in order to force the liberatcd molten metal into a coherent molten mass, and allowing it to solidify there. The apparatus is particularly suitable for use with small quantities of rare metals.

Process for continuous production of metallic uranium and uranium alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Hayden, Jr., Howard W.; Horton, James A.; Elliott, Guy R. B.

1995-01-01

A method is described for forming metallic uranium, or a uranium alloy, from uranium oxide in a manner which substantially eliminates the formation of uranium-containing wastes. A source of uranium dioxide is first provided, for example, by reducing uranium trioxide (UO.sub.3), or any other substantially stable uranium oxide, to form the uranium dioxide (UO.sub.2). This uranium dioxide is then chlorinated to form uranium tetrachloride (UCl.sub.4), and the uranium tetrachloride is then reduced to metallic uranium by reacting the uranium chloride with a metal which will form the chloride of the metal. This last step may be carried out in the presence of another metal capable of forming one or more alloys with metallic uranium to thereby lower the melting point of the reduced uranium product. The metal chloride formed during the uranium tetrachloride reduction step may then be reduced in an electrolysis cell to recover and recycle the metal back to the uranium tetrachloride reduction operation and the chlorine gas back to the uranium dioxide chlorination operation.

Process for continuous production of metallic uranium and uranium alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Hayden, H.W. Jr.; Horton, J.A.; Elliott, G.R.B.

1995-06-06

A method is described for forming metallic uranium, or a uranium alloy, from uranium oxide in a manner which substantially eliminates the formation of uranium-containing wastes. A source of uranium dioxide is first provided, for example, by reducing uranium trioxide (UO{sub 3}), or any other substantially stable uranium oxide, to form the uranium dioxide (UO{sub 2}). This uranium dioxide is then chlorinated to form uranium tetrachloride (UCl{sub 4}), and the uranium tetrachloride is then reduced to metallic uranium by reacting the uranium chloride with a metal which will form the chloride of the metal. This last step may be carried out in the presence of another metal capable of forming one or more alloys with metallic uranium to thereby lower the melting point of the reduced uranium product. The metal chloride formed during the uranium tetrachloride reduction step may then be reduced in an electrolysis cell to recover and recycle the metal back to the uranium tetrachloride reduction operation and the chlorine gas back to the uranium dioxide chlorination operation. 4 figs.

Contribution of metallic fission product inclusions to axial fuel motion potential

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasa, P.; Cronenberg, A.; Stevenson, M.

1979-01-01

In the analysis of postulated nuclear reactor accidents, axial fuel motion within the fuel pin prior to cladding failure can have an important mitigating effect. The question of primary importance is whether or not metallic inclusions have the potential to vaporize during an overheating event and thus contribute to fuel motion. To assess this potential, two limiting calculations were made: 1) The inclusion constituent assumed insoluble in one another and 2) The constituents assumed totally miscible in one another. Thermodynamic considerations indicate that the metallic fission products found within inclusions of fuel rods irradiated in a fast neutron spectrum, would form homogeneous solutions. Therefore, it is concluded that the metallic fission products would not enhance fuel swelling during an overheating event. 16 refs

Evaluation of a new optic-enabled portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry instrument for measuring toxic metals/metalloids in consumer goods and cultural products

Science.gov (United States)

Guimarães, Diana; Praamsma, Meredith L.; Parsons, Patrick J.

2016-08-01

X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) is a rapid, non-destructive multi-elemental analytical technique used for determining elemental contents ranging from percent down to the μg/g level. Although detection limits are much higher for XRF compared to other laboratory-based methods, such as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), ICP-optical emission spectrometry (OES) and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), its portability and ease of use make it a valuable tool, especially for field-based studies. A growing necessity to monitor human exposure to toxic metals and metalloids in consumer goods, cultural products, foods and other sample types while performing the analysis in situ has led to several important developments in portable XRF technology. In this study, a new portable XRF analyzer based on the use of doubly curved crystal optics (HD Mobile®) was evaluated for detecting toxic elements in foods, medicines, cosmetics and spices used in many Asian communities. Two models of the HD Mobile® (a pre-production and a final production unit) were investigated. Performance parameters including accuracy, precision and detection limits were characterized in a laboratory setting using certified reference materials (CRMs) and standard solutions. Bias estimates for key elements of public health significance such as As, Cd, Hg and Pb ranged from - 10% to 11% for the pre-production, and - 14% to 16% for the final production model. Five archived public health samples including herbal medicine products, ethnic spices and cosmetic products were analyzed using both XRF instruments. There was good agreement between the pre-production and final production models for the four key elements, such that the data were judged to be fit-for-purpose for the majority of samples analyzed. Detection of the four key elements of interest using the HD Mobile® was confirmed using archived samples for which ICP-OES data were available based on digested sample materials. The HD

Amorphous semiconducting and conducting transparent metal oxide thin films and production thereof

Science.gov (United States)

Perkins, John; Van Hest, Marinus Franciscus Antonius Maria; Ginley, David; Taylor, Matthew; Neuman, George A.; Luten, Henry A.; Forgette, Jeffrey A.; Anderson, John S.

2010-07-13

Metal oxide thin films and production thereof are disclosed. An exemplary method of producing a metal oxide thin film may comprise introducing at least two metallic elements and oxygen into a process chamber to form a metal oxide. The method may also comprise depositing the metal oxide on a substrate in the process chamber. The method may also comprise simultaneously controlling a ratio of the at least two metallic elements and a stoichiometry of the oxygen during deposition. Exemplary amorphous metal oxide thin films produced according to the methods herein may exhibit highly transparent properties, highly conductive properties, and/or other opto-electronic properties.

50 years of uranium metal production in Uranium Metal Plant, BARC, Trombay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

The Atomic Energy Programme in India, from the very beginning, has laid emphasis on indigenous capabilities in all aspects of nuclear technology. This meant keeping pace with developments abroad and recognizing the potentials of indigenous technologies. With the development of nuclear programme in India, the importance of uranium was growing at a rapid pace. The production of reactor grade uranium in India started in January 1959 when the first ingot of nuclear pure uranium was discharged using CTR process at Trombay. The decision to set up a uranium refinery to purify the crude uranium fluoride, obtained as a by-product of the DAE's Thorium Plant at Trombay, and to produce nuclear grade pure uranium metal was taken at the end of 1956. The task was assigned to the 'Project Fire Wood Group'. The main objective of the plant was to produce pure uranium metal for use in the Canada India Reactor and Zerlina. Besides this, it was to function as a pilot plant to collect operational data and to train personnel for larger plants to be set up in future. The plant designing and erection work was entrusted to Messrs. Indian Rare Earths Ltd.

The influence of heavy metals on the production of extracellular polymer substances in the processes of heavy metal ions elimination.

Science.gov (United States)

Mikes, J; Siglova, M; Cejkova, A; Masak, J; Jirku, V

2005-01-01

Wastewaters from a chemical industry polluted by heavy metal ions represent a hazard for all living organisms. It can mean danger for ecosystems and human health. New methods are sought alternative to traditional chemical and physical processes. Active elimination process of heavy metals ions provided by living cells, their components and extracellular products represents a potential way of separating toxic heavy metals from industrial wastewaters. While the abilities of bacteria to remove metal ions in solution are extensively used, fungi have been recognized as a promising kind of low-cost adsorbents for removal of heavy-metal ions from aqueous waste sources. Yeasts and fungi differ from each other in their constitution and in their abilities to produce variety of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) with different mechanisms of metal interactions. The accumulation of Cd(2+), Cr(6+), Pb(2+), Ni(2+) and Zn(2+) by yeasts and their EPS was screened at twelve different yeast species in microcultivation system Bioscreen C and in the shaking Erlenmayer's flasks. This results were compared with the production of yeast EPS and the composition of yeast cell walls. The EPS production was measured during the yeast growth and cell wall composition was studied during the cultivations in the shaking flasks. At the end of the process extracellular polymers and their chemical composition were isolated and amount of bound heavy metals was characterized. The variable composition and the amount of the EPS were found at various yeast strains. It was influenced by various compositions of growth medium and also by various concentrations of heavy metals. It is evident, that the amount of bound heavy metals was different. The work reviews the possibilities of usage of various yeast EPS and components of cell walls in the elimination processes of heavy metal ions. Further the structure and properties of yeasts cell wall and EPS were discussed. The finding of mechanisms mentioned

A mini-catalogue of metal corrosion products studied by Raman microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouchard, M.; Smith, D.C.

2000-01-01

Full text.The extensive development of physical methods of analysis since the beginning of this century has revolutionised the classical observation techniques most frequently used by the archaeologist. Raman Microscopy (RM) appears to be one of the most promising tools due to the many advantages that it offers: e.g. non-destructive, in situ, micro-analysis. RM is being applied to many archaeological fields as well as to industrial or environmental sectors. In relation with parallel studies made on the identification of corrosion products on archaeological materials, and according to the principal condition for the RM characterisation of an unknown product being the comparison of its Raman spectrum with known standard spectra, the essential aim of this study is to build a mini-catalogue of standard corrosion products susceptible to be found on metallic objects; these could be from archaeological as well as from modern contexts. However, it is noted that the identification of a corrosion product may suggest either an urgent intervention from the restoration team (in the case of active corrosion products), or a stabilisation of the corrosion layer if this is considered to be a protective layer. All the standard samples are natural minerals coming from the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris (France) and correspond to the corrosion products most frequently found on metals such copper, zinc, lead or tin. These samples have been analyzed by RM and also confirmed by powder x-ray diffraction analysis. This catalogue, including more than 30 standard species corresponding to the most common metal corrosion products, is very useful for the different studies in progress in collaboration with different archaeological metal restoration teams. The near future will probably see a mobile Raman Microprobe (MRM) equipped with many different mini-catalogues on the site of a corroded mettalic bridge, a corroded canalisation or under the sea to rapidly identify the different

Production of metal and metal-ceramic coatings on D-Gun Ob

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gavrilenko, T.P.; Nikolaev, Y.A.; Ulianitsky, V.Y.

1995-01-01

Optimization of the detonation spraying process has been made for the production of metal and metal-ceramics coatings with the D-Gun Ob. Owing to the ability of Ob to work with several fuels and an inert diluent simultaneously, variation of detonation regimes in a wide range is possible, and because of localized powder injection in the D-Gun barrel, high uniformity of parameters of powder particles is achieved. The best conditions for particle heating and acceleration were calculated with the help of mathematical simulation, and the corresponding regimes were realized on D-Gun Ob. High-quality aluminum, copper, nickel, and nickel-chromium-silicon-carbon-boron alloy coatings were produced by using only propane fuel. Chromium carbide with nickel and tungsten carbide with cobalt coatings were produced with addition of acetylene. Optimal efficiency and high bonding strength were achieved for all powders. Data on microhardness, bonding strength, and efficiency are presented

75 FR 49527 - Metaldyne Corporation, Metaldyne Tubular Products, Currently Known as Flexible Metal, Inc...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-13

..., Metaldyne Tubular Products, Currently Known as Flexible Metal, Inc., Powertrain Division, Hamburg, MI... certification for workers of the subject firm. The workers are engaged in the production of exhaust manifolds and turbo tubes for the automotive industry. Information shows that on June 10, 2010, Flexible Metals...

Heavy metals in intensive greenhouse vegetable production systems along Yellow Sea of China

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hu, Wenyou; Huang, Biao; Tian, Kang

2017-01-01

Recently, greenhouse vegetable production (GVP) has grown rapidly and counts a large proportion of vegetable production in China. In this study, the accumulation, health risk and threshold values of selected heavy metals were evaluated systematically. A total of 120 paired soil and vegetable...... relatively high concentrations and transfer factors of heavy metals. The accumulation of heavy metals in soils was affected by soil pH and soil organic matter. The calculated hazard quotients (HQ) of the heavy metals by vegetable consumption decreased in the order of leafy > rootstalk > fruit vegetables...... with hazard index (HI) values of 0.61, 0.33 and 0.26, respectively. The HI values were all below 1, which indicates that there is a low risk of greenhouse vegetable consumption. Soil threshold values (STVs) of heavy metals in GVP system were established according to the health risk assessment. The relatively...

Elaboration of the technology of forming a conical product of sheet metal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. Matysiak

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The work presents a general knowledge about spinning draw pieces of sheets, one of multi-operational processes of spinning a sheet metal conical product without machining. The objective of the work was to elaborate both the technology of forming conical products of sheet metal and execution of technological tests as well as to determine the technological parameters for the process of spinning a conical insert. As a result of the investigations, the products with improved mechanical properties, stricter execution tolerance and low roughness have been obtained. The series of 200 prototype conical inserts for the shipbuilding industry have been made.

Metal-ceramic alloys in dentistry: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Howard W; Berzins, David W; Moore, B Keith; Charlton, David G

2009-02-01

The purpose of this article is to review basic information about the alloys used for fabricating metal-ceramic restorations in dentistry. Their compositions, properties, advantages, and disadvantages are presented and compared. In addition to reviewing traditional noble-metal and base-metal metal-ceramic alloys, titanium and gold composite alloys are also discussed. A broad search of the published literature was performed using Medline to identify pertinent current articles on metal-ceramic alloys as well as articles providing a historical background about the development of these alloys. Textbooks, the internet, and manufacturers' literature were also used to supplement this information. The review discusses traditional as well as more recently-developed alloys and technologies used in dentistry for fabricating metal-ceramic restorations. Clear advantages and disadvantages for these alloy types are provided and discussed as well as the role that compositional variations have on the alloys' performance. This information should enable clinicians and technicians to easily identify the important physical properties of each type and their primary clinical indications. A number of alloys and metals are available for metal-ceramic use in dentistry. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, primarily based on its specific composition. Continuing research and development are resulting in the production of new technologies and products, giving clinicians even more choices in designing and fabricating metal-ceramic restorations.

Solutions to commercializing metal hydride hydrogen storage products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomlinson, J.J.; Belanger, R.

2004-01-01

'Full text:' Whilst the concept of a Hydrogen economy in the broad sense may for some analysts and Fuel Cell technology developers be an ever moving target the use of hydrogen exists and is growing in other markets today. The use of hydrogen is increasing. Who are the users? What are their unique needs? How can they better be served? As the use of hydrogen increases there are things we can do to improve the perception and handling of hydrogen as an industrial gas that will impact the future issues of hydrogen as a fuel thereby assisting the mainstream availability of hydrogen fuel a reality. Factors that will induce change in the way hydrogen is used, handled, transported and stored are the factors to concentrate development efforts on. Other factors include: cost; availability; safety; codes and standards; and regulatory authorities acceptance of new codes and standards. New methods of storage and new devices in which the hydrogen is stored will influence and bring about change and increased use. New innovative products based on Metal Hydride hydrogen storage will address some of the barriers to widely distributed hydrogen as a fuel or energy carrier to which successful fuel cell product commercialization is subject. Palcan has developed innovative products based on it's Rare Earth Metal Hydride alloy. Some of these innovations will aid the distribution of hydrogen as a fuel and offer alternatives to the existing hydrogen user and to the Fuel Cell product developer. An overview of the products and how these products will affect the distribution and use of hydrogen as an industrial gas and fuel is presented. (author)

Improvements in or relating to the production of metal-containing material in particulate form

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woodhead, J.L.; Scott, K.T.B.; Ball, P.W.

1977-01-01

The process described refers mainly to production of the material in the form of very small spheres. It comprises forming a metal compound-containing gel precipitate by mixing a solution or sol of the metal compound with a soluble organic polymer and contacting the mixture with a precipitating reagent to precipitate the metal as an insoluble compound bound with the polymer. The precipitate is then subjected in the liquid phase to a breaking down and dispersing process to produce an intermediate product suitable for spray drying, and the intermediate product is spray dried to form the particulate product. The breaking down and dispersing process may be performed by means of a colloid mill or vibratory stirrer. Examples of application of the process are described. (U.K.)

Typology of Options for Metal Recycling: Australia’s Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Artem Golev

2015-12-01

Full Text Available While Australia has traditionally relied on obtaining metals from primary sources (namely mined natural resources, there is significant potential to recover metals from end-of-life-products and industrial waste. Although any metals recycling value chain requires a feasible technology at its core, many other non-technical factors are key links in the chain, which can compromise the overall viability to recycle a commodity and/or product. The “Wealth from Waste” Cluster project funded by the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO Flagship Collaboration Fund and partner universities is focusing on identifying viable options to “mine” metals contained in discarded urban infrastructure, manufactured products and consumer goods. A key aspect of this research is to understand the critical non-technical barriers and system opportunities to enhance rates of metals recycling in Australia. Work to date has estimated the mass and current worth of metals in above ground resources. Using these outcomes as a basis, a typology for different options for (metal reuse and recycling has been developed to classify the common features, which is presented in this article. In addition, the authors investigate the barriers and enablers in the recycling value chain, and propose a set of requirements for a feasible pathway to close the material loop for metals in Australia.

Metal Triflates for the Production of Aromatics from Lignin.

Science.gov (United States)

Deuss, Peter J; Lahive, Ciaran W; Lancefield, Christopher S; Westwood, Nicholas J; Kamer, Paul C J; Barta, Katalin; de Vries, Johannes G

2016-10-20

The depolymerization of lignin into valuable aromatic chemicals is one of the key goals towards establishing economically viable biorefineries. In this contribution we present a simple approach for converting lignin to aromatic monomers in high yields under mild reaction conditions. The methodology relies on the use of catalytic amounts of easy-to-handle metal triflates (M(OTf) x ). Initially, we evaluated the reactivity of a broad range of metal triflates using simple lignin model compounds. More advanced lignin model compounds were also used to study the reactivity of different lignin linkages. The product aromatic monomers were either phenolic C2-acetals obtained by stabilization of the aldehyde cleavage products by reaction with ethylene glycol or methyl aromatics obtained by catalytic decarbonylation. Notably, when the method was ultimately tested on lignin, especially Fe(OTf) 3 proved very effective and the phenolic C2-acetal products were obtained in an excellent, 19.3±3.2 wt % yield. © 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Diffusion welded nonconsumable electrode assembly and use thereof for electrolytic production of metals and silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Byrne, Stephen C.; Vasudevan, Asuri K.

1984-01-01

A nonconsumable electrode assembly suitable for use in the production of metal by electrolytic reduction of a metal compound dissolved in a molten salt, the assembly comprising a metal conductor diffusion welded to a portion of a ceramic electrode body having a level of free metal or metal alloy sufficient to effect a metal bond.

Atomic scale modeling of defect production and microstructure evolution in irradiated metals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diaz de la Rubia, T.; Soneda, N.; Shimomura, Y. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)] [and others

1997-04-01

Irradiation effects in materials depend in a complex way on the form of the as-produced primary damage state and its spatial and temporal evolution. Thus, while collision cascades produce defects on a time scale of tens of picosecond, diffusion occurs over much longer time scales, of the order of seconds, and microstructure evolution over even longer time scales. In this report the authors present work aimed at describing damage production and evolution in metals across all the relevant time and length scales. They discuss results of molecular dynamics simulations of displacement cascades in Fe and V. They show that interstitial clusters are produced in cascades above 5 keV, but not vacancy clusters. Next, they discuss the development of a kinetic Monte Carlo model that enables calculations of damage evolution over much longer time scales (1000`s of s) than the picosecond lifetime of the cascade. They demonstrate the applicability of the method by presenting predictions on the fraction of freely migrating defects in {alpha}Fe during irradiation at 600 K.

Atomic scale modeling of defect production and microstructure evolution in irradiated metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diaz de la Rubia, T.; Soneda, N.; Shimomura, Y.

1997-01-01

Irradiation effects in materials depend in a complex way on the form of the as-produced primary damage state and its spatial and temporal evolution. Thus, while collision cascades produce defects on a time scale of tens of picosecond, diffusion occurs over much longer time scales, of the order of seconds, and microstructure evolution over even longer time scales. In this report the authors present work aimed at describing damage production and evolution in metals across all the relevant time and length scales. They discuss results of molecular dynamics simulations of displacement cascades in Fe and V. They show that interstitial clusters are produced in cascades above 5 keV, but not vacancy clusters. Next, they discuss the development of a kinetic Monte Carlo model that enables calculations of damage evolution over much longer time scales (1000's of s) than the picosecond lifetime of the cascade. They demonstrate the applicability of the method by presenting predictions on the fraction of freely migrating defects in αFe during irradiation at 600 K

Consumer exposures to laser printer-emitted engineered nanoparticles: A case study of life-cycle implications from nano-enabled products.

Science.gov (United States)

Pirela, Sandra V; Sotiriou, Georgios A; Bello, Dhimiter; Shafer, Martin; Bunker, Kristin Lee; Castranova, Vincent; Thomas, Treye; Demokritou, Philip

2015-01-01

It is well established that printers emit nanoparticles during their operation. To-date, however, the physicochemical and toxicological characterization of "real world" printer-emitted nanoparticles (PEPs) remains incomplete, hampering proper risk assessment efforts. Here, we investigate our earlier hypothesis that engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are used in toners and ENMs are released during printing (consumer use). Furthermore, we conduct a detailed physicochemical and morphological characterization of PEPs in support of ongoing toxicological assessment. A comprehensive suite of state of the art analytical methods and tools was employed for the physicochemical and morphological characterization of 11 toners widely utilized in printers from major printer manufacturers and their PEPs. We confirmed that a number of ENMs incorporated into toner formulations (e.g. silica, alumina, titania, iron oxide, zinc oxide, copper oxide, cerium oxide, carbon black among others) and released into the air during printing. All evaluated toners contained large amounts of organic carbon (OC, 42-89%), metals/metal oxides (1-33%), and some elemental carbon (EC, 0.33-12%). The PEPs possess a composition similar to that of toner and contained 50-90% OC, 0.001-0.5% EC and 1-3% metals. While the chemistry of the PEPs generally reflected that of their toners, considerable differences are documented indicative of potential transformations taking place during consumer use (printing). We conclude that: (i) Routine incorporation of ENMs in toners classifies them as nano-enabled products (NEPs); (ii) These ENMs become airborne during printing; (iii) The chemistry of PEPs is complex and it reflects that of the toner and paper. This work highlights the importance of understanding life-cycle (LC) nano-EHS implications of NEPs and assessing real world exposures and associated toxicological properties rather than focusing on "raw" materials used in the synthesis of an NEP.

Dual Carbon-Confined SnO2 Hollow Nanospheres Enabling High Performance for the Reversible Storage of Alkali Metal Ions.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Qiong; Shao, Qi; Li, Qiang; Duan, Qian; Li, Yanhui; Wang, Heng-Guo

2018-04-25

To explore a universal electrode material for the high-performance electrochemical storage of Li + , Na + , and K + ions remains a big challenge. Herein, we propose a "trinity" strategy to coat the SnO 2 hollow nanospheres using the dual carbon layer from the polydopamine-derived nitrogen-doped carbon and graphene. Thereinto, hollow structures with sufficient void space could buffer the volume expansion, whereas dual carbon-confined strategy could not only elastically prevent the aggregation of nanoparticle and ensure the structural integrity but also immensely improve the conductivity and endow high rate properties. Benefiting from the effective strategy and specific structure, the dual carbon-confined SnO 2 hollow nanosphere (denoted as G@C@SnO 2 ) can serve as the universal host material for alkali metal ions and enable their rapid and reversible storage. As expected, the resulting G@C@SnO 2 as a universal anode material shows reversible alkali-metal-ion storage with high performance. We believe this that strategy could pave the way for constructing other metal-oxide-based dual carbon-confined high-performance materials for the future energy storage applications.

Pumping liquid metal at high temperatures up to 1,673 kelvin

Science.gov (United States)

Amy, C.; Budenstein, D.; Bagepalli, M.; England, D.; Deangelis, F.; Wilk, G.; Jarrett, C.; Kelsall, C.; Hirschey, J.; Wen, H.; Chavan, A.; Gilleland, B.; Yuan, C.; Chueh, W. C.; Sandhage, K. H.; Kawajiri, Y.; Henry, A.

2017-10-01

Heat is fundamental to power generation and many industrial processes, and is most useful at high temperatures because it can be converted more efficiently to other types of energy. However, efficient transportation, storage and conversion of heat at extreme temperatures (more than about 1,300 kelvin) is impractical for many applications. Liquid metals can be very effective media for transferring heat at high temperatures, but liquid-metal pumping has been limited by the corrosion of metal infrastructures. Here we demonstrate a ceramic, mechanical pump that can be used to continuously circulate liquid tin at temperatures of around 1,473-1,673 kelvin. Our approach to liquid-metal pumping is enabled by the use of ceramics for the mechanical and sealing components, but owing to the brittle nature of ceramics their use requires careful engineering. Our set-up enables effective heat transfer using a liquid at previously unattainable temperatures, and could be used for thermal storage and transport, electric power production, and chemical or materials processing.

Supramolecular metal-organic frameworks that display high homogeneous and heterogeneous photocatalytic activity for H2 production

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Jia; Xu, Zi-Yue; Zhang, Dan-Wei; Wang, Hui; Xie, Song-Hai; Xu, Da-Wen; Ren, Yuan-Hang; Wang, Hao; Liu, Yi; Li, Zhan-Ting

2016-05-01

Self-assembly has a unique presence when it comes to creating complicated, ordered supramolecular architectures from simple components under mild conditions. Here, we describe a self-assembly strategy for the generation of the first homogeneous supramolecular metal-organic framework (SMOF-1) in water at room temperature from a hexaarmed [Ru(bpy)3]2+-based precursor and cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]). The solution-phase periodicity of this cubic transition metal-cored supramolecular organic framework (MSOF) is confirmed by small-angle X-ray scattering and diffraction experiments, which, as supported by TEM imaging, is commensurate with the periodicity in the solid state. We further demonstrate that SMOF-1 adsorbs anionic Wells-Dawson-type polyoxometalates (WD-POMs) in a one-cage-one-guest manner to give WD-POM@SMOF-1 hybrid assemblies. Upon visible-light (500 nm) irradiation, such hybrids enable fast multi-electron injection from photosensitive [Ru(bpy)3]2+ units to redox-active WD-POM units, leading to efficient hydrogen production in aqueous media and in organic media. The demonstrated strategy opens the door for the development of new classes of liquid-phase and solid-phase ordered porous materials.

Catalytic production of metal carbonyls from metal oxides

Science.gov (United States)

Sapienza, Richard S.; Slegeir, William A.; Foran, Michael T.

1984-01-01

This invention relates to the formation of metal carbonyls from metal oxides and specially the formation of molybdenum carbonyl and iron carbonyl from their respective oxides. Copper is used here in admixed form or used in chemically combined form as copper molybdate. The copper/metal oxide combination or combined copper is utilized with a solvent, such as toluene and subjected to carbon monoxide pressure of 25 atmospheres or greater at about 150.degree.-260.degree. C. The reducing metal copper is employed in catalytic concentrations or combined concentrations as CuMoO.sub.4 and both hydrogen and water present serve as promoters. It has been found that the yields by this process have been salutary and that additionally the catalytic metal may be reused in the process to good effect.

Metals of Deep Ocean Water Increase the Anti-Adipogenesis Effect of Monascus-Fermented Product via Modulating the Monascin and Ankaflavin Production.

Science.gov (United States)

Lung, Tzu-Ying; Liao, Li-Ya; Wang, Jyh-Jye; Wei, Bai-Luh; Huang, Ping-Yi; Lee, Chun-Lin

2016-05-27

Deep ocean water (DOW) obtained from a depth of more than 200 m includes abundant nutrients and minerals. DOW was proven to positively increase monascin (MS) and ankaflavin (AK) production and the anti-adipogenesis effect of Monascus-fermented red mold dioscorea (RMD). However, the influences that the major metals in DOW have on Monascus secondary metabolite biosynthesis and anti-adipogenesis remain unknown. Therefore, the major metals in DOW were used as the culture water to produce RMD. The secondary metabolites production and anti-adipogenesis effect of RMD cultured with various individual metal waters were investigated. In the results, the addition of water with Mg, Ca, Zn, and Fe increased MS and AK production and inhibited mycotoxin citrinin (CT). However, the positive influence may be contributed to the regulation of pigment biosynthesis. Furthermore, in the results of cell testing, higher lipogenesis inhibition was seen in the treatments of various ethanol extracts of RMD cultured with water containing Mg, K, Zn, and Fe than in those of RMD cultured with ultra-pure water. In conclusion, various individual metals resulted in different effects on MS and AK productions as well as the anti-adipogenesis effect of RMD, but the specific metals contained in DOW may cause synergistic or comprehensive effects that increase the significantly positive influence.

MULTI-CRITERIA PROGRAMMING METHODS AND PRODUCTION PLAN OPTIMIZATION PROBLEM SOLVING IN METAL INDUSTRY

OpenAIRE

Tunjo Perić; Željko Mandić

2017-01-01

This paper presents the production plan optimization in the metal industry considered as a multi-criteria programming problem. We first provided the definition of the multi-criteria programming problem and classification of the multicriteria programming methods. Then we applied two multi-criteria programming methods (the STEM method and the PROMETHEE method) in solving a problem of multi-criteria optimization production plan in a company from the metal industry. The obtained resul...

Y-12 product improvements expected to reduce metal production costs and decrease fabrication losses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hassler, Morris E.

2005-01-01

The Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) supplies uranium metal and uranium oxide feed material for fabrication into fuel for research reactors around the world. Over the past few years, Y-12 has continued to improve its Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) product. The LEU is produced by taking U.S. surplus Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) and blending it with depleted or natural uranium. The surplus HEU comes from dismantled U.S. weapons parts. Those research reactors that use LEU from Y-12 are making important contributions to international nuclear nonproliferation by using LEU rather than HEU, and helping to disposition former U.S. weapons material. It is clearly understood that the research reactor community must keep fuel costs as low as possible and Y-12 is making every effort to improve efficiencies in producing the uranium through standardizing the chemical specifications as well as the product mass and dimensional qualities. These production cost reductions allows for the U.S. to keep the LEU product price low even with the dramatic increase in the uranium enrichment and feed component market prices in the last few years. This paper will discuss a new standard specification that has been proposed to existing LEU metal customers and fuel fabricators. It will also cover Y-12's progress on a new mold-design that will result in a more uniform, higher quality product and eliminates two steps of the production process. This new product is expected to decrease fabrication losses by 5-10%, depending on the fabricator's process. The paper will include planned activities and the schedule associated with implementation of the new specification and product form. (author)

Leaching characteristics of the metal waste form from the electrometallurgical treatment process: Product consistency testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, S. G.; Keiser, D. D.; Frank, S. M.; DiSanto, T.; Noy, M.

1999-01-01

Argonne National Laboratory is developing an electrometallurgical treatment for spent fuel from the experimental breeder reactor II. A product of this treatment process is a metal waste form that incorporates the stainless steel cladding hulls, zirconium from the fuel and the fission products that are noble to the process, i.e., Tc, Ru, Nb, Pd, Rh, Ag. The nominal composition of this waste form is stainless steel/15 wt% zirconium/1--4 wt% noble metal fission products/1--2 wt % U. Leaching results are presented from several tests and sample types: (1) 2 week monolithic immersion tests on actual metal waste forms produced from irradiated cladding hulls, (2) long term (>2 years) pulsed flow tests on samples containing technetium and uranium and (3) crushed sample immersion tests on cold simulated metal waste form samples. The test results will be compared and their relevance for waste form product consistency testing discussed

Heavy metals content in plant-growing products as the results of agroecological monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuznetsov, A.V.; Lunev, M.I.; Pavlikhina, A.V.; Lobas, N.V.

2008-01-01

The generalised data on the heavy metals and arsenic contents in grain and vegetable cultures, green mass and hay of various grasses are presented. The dependence of heavy metal accumulation factors in plant-growing products on soil properties is shown. The estimation of levels of the heavy metals contents in accordance with the admissible content standards is given.

The release of fission products from uranium metal: a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minshall, P.C.

1989-03-01

The literature on the release of fission products as gaseous species from irradiated uranium metal in oxidising atmospheres has been reviewed. Release of actinides and of fission products as spalled particulate were not considered. Data is given on the release in air, carbon dioxide, steam and mixtures of steam and air. The majority of data discussed lie between 800 and 1200 0 C though some results for xenon, krypton and iodine releases below 800 0 C are given. Two measures of fission product release are discussed: the release fraction, F(tot), which is the ratio of the total release to the initial inventory, and the fractional release, F(ox), which is the fraction released from the oxidised metal. The effect of burn-up, atmosphere and temperature on F(tot) and F(ox) is examined and the conditions under which the release fraction, F(tot) is proportional to the extent of oxidation discussed. (author)

Procedure of Destructive Chemical Recovery of Precious Metals in Nitric Acid Production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ljubičić, M.

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The heart of the nitric acid production process is the chemical reactor containing a platinum-based catalyst pack and an associated catchment system, which allows the ammonia oxidation reaction to take place efficiently. Under the severe operating conditions imposed by the high-pressure ammonia oxidation process, the catalyst gauzes experience progressive deterioration, as shown by the restricted surface of the catalyst wires, the loss of catalytic activity and the loss of catalytic materials. The higher the pressure of gaseous ammonia oxidation, the greater the loss of platinum group metals from the surface of the applied selective heterogeneous catalysts. Total losses for one batch over the whole period of using selective heterogeneous catalysts may account in the range from 20 to 40 % of the total installed quantity of precious metals. An important part of the platinum removed from the platinum-rhodium alloy wires can be recovered at the outlet of the reactor by means of palladium catchment gauzes. However, this catchment process, which is based on the great ability of palladium to alloy with platinum, is not 100 % effective and a fraction of the platinum and practically all of the rhodium lost by the catalyst wires, evades the catchment package and is then deposited in other parts of the plant, especially heat exchangers. From the above mentioned operating equipment, the retained mass of precious metals can be recovered by the technical procedure of non-destructive and destructive chemical solid-liquid extraction.Shown is the technical procedure of destructive chemical recovery of preheater and boiler for preheating and production of steam by applying sulfuric acid (w = 20 % and subsequent procedure of raffination of derived sludge, to the final recovery of precious metals. The technical procedure of destructive chemical recovery of precious metals from preheater and boiler for preheating and production of steam in nitric acid production is

Size characterization of metal oxide nanoparticles in commercial sunscreen products

Science.gov (United States)

Bairi, Venu Gopal; Lim, Jin-Hee; Fong, Andrew; Linder, Sean W.

2017-07-01

There is an increase in the usage of engineered metal oxide (TiO2 and ZnO) nanoparticles in commercial sunscreens due to their pleasing esthetics and greater sun protection efficiency. A number of studies have been done concerning the safety of nanoparticles in sunscreen products. In order to do the safety assessment, it is pertinent to develop novel analytical techniques to analyze these nanoparticles in commercial sunscreens. This study is focused on developing analytical techniques that can efficiently determine particle size of metal oxides present in the commercial sunscreens. To isolate the mineral UV filters from the organic matrices, specific procedures such as solvent extraction were identified. In addition, several solvents (hexane, chloroform, dichloromethane, and tetrahydrofuran) have been investigated. The solvent extraction using tetrahydrofuran worked well for all the samples investigated. The isolated nanoparticles were characterized by using several different techniques such as transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, differential centrifugal sedimentation, and x-ray diffraction. Elemental analysis mapping studies were performed to obtain individual chemical and morphological identities of the nanoparticles. Results from the electron microscopy techniques were compared against the bulk particle sizing techniques. All of the sunscreen products tested in this study were found to contain nanosized (≤100 nm) metal oxide particles with varied shapes and aspect ratios, and four among the 11 products were showed to have anatase TiO2.

Waste processing system for product contaminated with radioactivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sotoyama, Koichi; Takaya, Jun-ichi; Takahashi, Suehiro.

1987-01-01

Purpose: To enable to processing contaminated products while separating them into metals at high contamination level and non-metals at low contamination level. Constitution: Pulverized radioactive wastes conveyed on a conveyor belt are uniformly irradiated by a ring-illumination device and then they are picked-up by a television camera or the like. The picked-up signals are sent to an image processing device, applied with appropriate binarization and metal objects are separated by utilizing the light absorbing property of non-metal and light reflection property of metals. The graviational center for the metal object is calculated from the binarized image, the positional information is provided to a robot controller and the metal object is transferred to another position by a robot. Since only the metal object at high radioactive contamination level can be taken out separately, it is no more necessary to process the entire wastes as the high level decontamination products, to thereby provide an economical advantage. (Sekiya, K.)

Oxidation kinetics of reaction products formed in uranium metal corrosion.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Totemeier, T. C.

1998-04-22

The oxidation behavior of uranium metal ZPPR fuel corrosion products in environments of Ar-4%O{sub 2} and Ar-20%O{sub 2} were studied using thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). These tests were performed to extend earlier work in this area specifically, to assess plate-to-plate variations in corrosion product properties and the effect of oxygen concentration on oxidation behavior. The corrosion products from two relatively severely corroded plates were similar, while the products from a relatively intact plate were not reactive. Oxygen concentration strongly affected the burning rate of reactive products, but had little effect on low-temperature oxidation rates.

Oxidation kinetics of reaction products formed in uranium metal corrosion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Totemeier, T. C.

1998-01-01

The oxidation behavior of uranium metal ZPPR fuel corrosion products in environments of Ar-4%O 2 and Ar-20%O 2 were studied using thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). These tests were performed to extend earlier work in this area specifically, to assess plate-to-plate variations in corrosion product properties and the effect of oxygen concentration on oxidation behavior. The corrosion products from two relatively severely corroded plates were similar, while the products from a relatively intact plate were not reactive. Oxygen concentration strongly affected the burning rate of reactive products, but had little effect on low-temperature oxidation rates

Role of metal mixtures (Ca, Cu and Pb) on Cd bioaccumulation and phytochelatin production by Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abboud, Pauline; Wilkinson, Kevin J.

2013-01-01

The goal of the study was to determine whether metal uptake and biological effects could be predicted by free ion concentrations when organisms were exposed to Cd and a second metal. Bioaccumulation and algal phytochelatin (PC) concentrations were determined for Chlamydomonas reinhardtii following a 6-h exposure. Bioaccumulation results, after six hours of exposure, showed that Cd uptake decreased in the presence of relatively high concentrations of Ca, Cu and Pb, however, Cd bioaccumulation increased in the presence of ca. equimolar concentrations of Cu. A good correlation was observed between the production of PCs and the amount of metals bioaccumulated for the binary mixtures of Cd–Pb and Cd–Cu, but not the Cd–Ca mixture. Overall, the results suggested that, in the case of mixtures, bioaccumulated metal rather than free ion concentrations would be a better predictor of biological effect. -- Highlights: •Cd bioaccumulation and phytochelatin production were evaluated for metal mixtures. •Bioaccumulated metal rather than free ion was a better predictor of biological effect. •Calcium additions decreased Cd bioaccumulation but increased phytochelatin production. •Copper additions increased Cd bioaccumulation and phytochelatin production. •Lead additions had little effect on either Cd bioaccumulation or phytochelatin production. -- In metal mixtures containing Cd and Ca, Pb or Cu, bioaccumulated metal rather than free ion was a better predictor of biological effect

RFID-enabled traceability system for consignment and high value products: a case study in the healthcare sector.

Science.gov (United States)

Bendavid, Ygal; Boeck, Harold; Philippe, Richard

2012-12-01

This paper presents a case study of a hospital operating room that evaluated a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID)-enabled traceability system for the management of consignment and high value products requiring item level traceability. Results indicate that the traceability system in conjunction with the redesign of replenishment processes facilitates item level traceability, improves financial controls and case costing, upgrades service levels and reduces inventory shrinkage. Other benefits include time saved from non-value-added activities that can be transferred to patient care activities. The solution can be considered (i) as an alternative to RFID-enabled cabinets used in the replenishment of consignment and high value supplies in certain operating rooms, cardiac catheterization laboratories and interventional radiology departments, or (ii) as a complementary solution facilitating the tracking of medical devices removed from RFID-enabled cabinets. In short, the end-to-end traceability of medical products in the healthcare supply chain can be significantly enhanced.

Development of electrolytic process in molten salt media for light rare-earth metals production. The metallic cerium electrodeposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Restivo, T.A.G.

1994-01-01

The development of molten salt process and the respective equipment aiming rare-earth metals recovery was described. In the present case, the liquid cerium metal electrodeposition in a molten electrolytes of cerium chloride and an equimolar mixture of sodium and potassium chlorides in temperatures near 800 C was studied. Due the high chemical reactivity of the rare-earth metals in the liquid state and their molten halides, an electrolytic cell was constructed with controlled atmosphere, graphite crucibles and anodes and a tungsten cathode. The electrolytic process variables and characteristics were evaluated upon the current efficiency and metallic product purity. Based on this evaluations, were suggested some alterations on the electrolytic reactor design and upon the process parameters. (author). 90 refs, 37 figs, 20 tabs

Enabling graphene nanoelectronics.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pan, Wei; Ohta, Taisuke; Biedermann, Laura Butler; Gutierrez, Carlos; Nolen, C. M.; Howell, Stephen Wayne; Beechem Iii, Thomas Edwin; McCarty, Kevin F.; Ross, Anthony Joseph, III

2011-09-01

Recent work has shown that graphene, a 2D electronic material amenable to the planar semiconductor fabrication processing, possesses tunable electronic material properties potentially far superior to metals and other standard semiconductors. Despite its phenomenal electronic properties, focused research is still required to develop techniques for depositing and synthesizing graphene over large areas, thereby enabling the reproducible mass-fabrication of graphene-based devices. To address these issues, we combined an array of growth approaches and characterization resources to investigate several innovative and synergistic approaches for the synthesis of high quality graphene films on technologically relevant substrate (SiC and metals). Our work focused on developing the fundamental scientific understanding necessary to generate large-area graphene films that exhibit highly uniform electronic properties and record carrier mobility, as well as developing techniques to transfer graphene onto other substrates.

Friction welded nonconsumable electrode assembly and use thereof for electrolytic production of metals and silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Byrne, Stephen C.; Ray, Siba P.; Rapp, Robert A.

1984-01-01

A nonconsumable electrode assembly suitable for use in the production of metal by electrolytic reduction of a metal compound dissolved in a molten salt, the assembly comprising a metal conductor and a ceramic electrode body connected by a friction weld between a portion of the body having a level of free metal or metal alloy sufficient to effect such a friction weld and a portion of the metal conductor.

40 CFR Appendix A to Part 438 - Typical Products in Metal Products and Machinery Sectors

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT Air & Gas Compressors Automatic Vending Machines Ball & Roller Bearings Blowers... Fields, & Services BUS & TRUCK Bus Terminal & Service Facilities Courier Services, Except by Air Freight... Work Bolts, Nuts, Screws, Rivets & Washers Crowns & Closures Cutlery Fabricated Metal Products...

Simple Methods for Production of Nanoscale Metal Oxide Films from Household Sources

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Dean J.; Baliss, Michelle S.; Hinman, Jordan J.; Ziegenhorn, John W.; Andrews, Mark J.; Stevenson, Keith J.

2013-01-01

Production of thin metal oxide films was recently explored as part of an outreach program with a goal of producing nanoscale structures with household items. Household items coated with various metals or titanium compounds can be heated to produce colorful films with nanoscale thicknesses. As part of a materials chemistry laboratory experiment…

Electrolyte additive enabled fast charging and stable cycling lithium metal batteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zheng, Jianming; Engelhard, Mark H.; Mei, Donghai; Jiao, Shuhong; Polzin, Bryant J.; Zhang, Ji-Guang; Xu, Wu

2017-03-01

Lithium (Li) metal battery is an attractive energy storage system owing to the ultrahigh specific capacity and the lowest redox potential of Li metal anode. However, safety concern associated with dendrite growth and limited cycle life especially at a high charge current density are two critical challenges hindering the practical applications of rechargeable Li metal batteries. Here, we report for the first time that an optimal amount (0.05 M) of LiPF6 as additive in the LiTFSI-LiBOB dual-salt/carbonate-based electrolyte can significantly enhance the charging capability and the long-term cycle life of Li metal batteries with a moderately high cathode loading of 1.75 mAh cm-2. Unprecedented stable-cycling (97.1% capacity retention after 500 cycles) along with very limited increase in electrode over-potential has been achieved at a high current density of 1.75 mA cm-2. This unparalleled fast charging and stable cycling performance is contributed from both the stabilized Al cathode current collector, and, more importantly, the robust and conductive SEI layer formed on Li metal anode in the presence of the LiPF6 additive.

System and process for production of magnesium metal and magnesium hydride from magnesium-containing salts and brines

Science.gov (United States)

McGrail, Peter B.; Nune, Satish K.; Motkuri, Radha K.; Glezakou, Vassiliki-Alexandra; Koech, Phillip K.; Adint, Tyler T.; Fifield, Leonard S.; Fernandez, Carlos A.; Liu, Jian

2016-11-22

A system and process are disclosed for production of consolidated magnesium metal products and alloys with selected densities from magnesium-containing salts and feedstocks. The system and process employ a dialkyl magnesium compound that decomposes to produce the Mg metal product. Energy requirements and production costs are lower than for conventional processing.

A review on robotic fish enabled by ionic polymer-metal composite artificial muscles.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zheng

2017-01-01

A novel actuating material, which is lightweight, soft, and capable of generating large flapping motion under electrical stimuli, is highly desirable to build energy-efficient and maneuverable bio-inspired underwater robots. Ionic polymer-metal composites are important category of electroactive polymers, since they can generate large bending motions under low actuation voltages. IPMCs are ideal artificial muscles for small-scale and bio-inspired robots. This paper takes a system perspective to review the recent work on IPMC-enabled underwater robots, from modeling, fabrication, and bio-inspired design perspectives. First, a physics-based and control-oriented model of IPMC actuator will be reviewed. Second, a bio-inspired robotic fish propelled by IPMC caudal fin will be presented and a steady-state speed model of the fish will be demonstrated. Third, a novel fabrication process for 3D actuating membrane will be introduced and a bio-inspired robotic manta ray propelled by two IPMC pectoral fins will be demonstrated. Fourth, a 2D maneuverable robotic fish propelled by multiple IPMC fin will be presented. Last, advantages and challenges of using IPMC artificial muscles in bio-inspired robots will be concluded.

Hybrid input-output approach to metal production and its application to the introduction of lead-free solders.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakamura, Shinichiro; Murakami, Shinsuke; Nakajima, Kenichi; Nagasaka, Tetsuya

2008-05-15

The production process of metals such as copper, lead, and zinc is characterized by mutual interconnections and interdependence, as well as by the occurrence of a large number of byproducts, which include precious or rare metals, such as gold, silver, bismuth, and indium. On the basis of the framework of waste input-output (WIO), we present a hybrid 10 model that takes full account of the mutual interdependence among the metal production processes and the interdependence between them and all the other production sectors of the economy as well. The combination of a comprehensive representation of the whole national economy and the introduction of process knowledge of metal production allows for a detailed analysis of different materials-use scenarios under the consideration of full supply chain effects. For illustration, a hypothetical case study of the introduction of lead-free solder involving the production of silver as a byproduct of copper and lead smelting processes was developed and implemented using Japanese data. To meet the increased demand for the recovery and recycling of silver resources from end-of-life products, the final destination of metal silver in terms of products and user categories was estimated, and the target components with the highest silver concentration were identified.

Y-12 product improvements expected to reduce metal production costs and decrease fabrication losses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parker, Elaine; Hassler, Morris

2004-01-01

Full text: The Y-12 National Security Complex supplies uranium metal and uranium oxide feed material that is then fabricated into fuel for research reactors around the world. Over the past two to three years, Y-12 has learned a great deal about its Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) product. The LEU is produced by taking U.S. surplus Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) and blending it with depleted or natural uranium. The surplus HEU comes from dismantled U.S. weapons parts that have been declared as surplus. Those research reactors that use LEU from Y-12 are making important contributions to international nuclear non-proliferation by using LEU rather than HEU, and by helping to disposition former weapons material. We clearly understand that our customers want to keep fuel costs as low as possible. We at Y-12 are making every effort to improve efficiencies in producing the uranium through standardizing the chemical specifications as well as the product mass and dimensional qualities. This paper will discuss the new standard specification that we have proposed to existing LEU metal customers and fuel fabricators. It will also cover Y-12's progress on a new mold-design that will result in a more uniform, higher quality product that is less expensive to produce. This new product is expected to decrease overall fabrication losses by 5-10%, depending on the fabricator's process. The paper will include planned activities and the schedule associated with implementation of the new specification and product form. (author)

Next-generation fiber lasers enabled by high-performance components

Science.gov (United States)

Kliner, D. A. V.; Victor, B.; Rivera, C.; Fanning, G.; Balsley, D.; Farrow, R. L.; Kennedy, K.; Hampton, S.; Hawke, R.; Soukup, E.; Reynolds, M.; Hodges, A.; Emery, J.; Brown, A.; Almonte, K.; Nelson, M.; Foley, B.; Dawson, D.; Hemenway, D. M.; Urbanek, W.; DeVito, M.; Bao, L.; Koponen, J.; Gross, K.

2018-02-01

Next-generation industrial fiber lasers enable challenging applications that cannot be addressed with legacy fiber lasers. Key features of next-generation fiber lasers include robust back-reflection protection, high power stability, wide power tunability, high-speed modulation and waveform generation, and facile field serviceability. These capabilities are enabled by high-performance components, particularly pump diodes and optical fibers, and by advanced fiber laser designs. We summarize the performance and reliability of nLIGHT diodes, fibers, and next-generation industrial fiber lasers at power levels of 500 W - 8 kW. We show back-reflection studies with up to 1 kW of back-reflected power, power-stability measurements in cw and modulated operation exhibiting sub-1% stability over a 5 - 100% power range, and high-speed modulation (100 kHz) and waveform generation with a bandwidth 20x higher than standard fiber lasers. We show results from representative applications, including cutting and welding of highly reflective metals (Cu and Al) for production of Li-ion battery modules and processing of carbon fiber reinforced polymers.

Determination of uranium and plutonium in metal conversion products from electrolytic reduction process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Chang Heon; Suh, Moo Yul; Joe, Kih Soo; Sohn, Se Chul; Jee, Kwang Young; Kim, Won Ho

2005-01-01

Chemical characterization of process materials is required for the optimization of an electrolytic reduction process in which uranium dioxide, a matrix of spent PWR fuels, is electrolytically reduced to uranium metal in a medium of LiCl-Li 2 O molten at 650 .deg. C. A study on the determination of fissile materials in the uranium metal products containing corrosion products, fission products and residual process materials has been performed by controlled-potential coulometric titration which is well known in the field of nuclear science and technology. Interference of Fe, Ni, Cr and Mg (corrosion products), Nd (fission product) and LiCl molten salt (residual process material) on the determination of uranium and plutonium, and the necessity of plutonium separation prior to the titration are discussed in detail. Under the analytical condition established already, their recovery yields are evaluated along with analytical reliability

In Situ Evaluation of Crop Productivity and Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals in Paddy Soils after Remediation of Metal-Contaminated Soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Shin Woong; Chae, Yooeun; Moon, Jongmin; Kim, Dokyung; Cui, Rongxue; An, Gyeonghyeon; Jeong, Seung-Woo; An, Youn-Joo

2017-02-15

Soils contaminated with heavy metals have been reused for agricultural, building, and industrial uses following remediation. This study assesses plant growth and bioaccumulation of heavy metals following remediation of industrially contaminated soil. The soil was collected from a field site near a nonferrous smelter and was subjected to laboratory- and field-scale studies. Soil from the contaminated site was remediated by washing with acid or mixed with soil taken from a distant uncontaminated site. The activities of various soil exoenzymes, the rate of plant growth, and the bioaccumulations of six heavy metals were measured to assess the efficacy of these bioremediation techniques. Growth of rice (Oryza sativa) was unaffected in acid-washed soil or the amended soil compared to untreated soil from the contaminated site. The levels of heavy metals in the rice kernels remained within safe limits in treated and untreated soils. Rice, sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), and wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivated in the same soils in the laboratory showed similar growth rates. Soil exoenzyme activities and crop productivity were not affected by soil treatment in field experiments. In conclusion, treatment of industrially contaminated soil by acid washing or amendment did not adversely affect plant productivity or lead to increased bioaccumulation of heavy metals in rice.

MULTI-CRITERIA PROGRAMMING METHODS AND PRODUCTION PLAN OPTIMIZATION PROBLEM SOLVING IN METAL INDUSTRY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tunjo Perić

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the production plan optimization in the metal industry considered as a multi-criteria programming problem. We first provided the definition of the multi-criteria programming problem and classification of the multicriteria programming methods. Then we applied two multi-criteria programming methods (the STEM method and the PROMETHEE method in solving a problem of multi-criteria optimization production plan in a company from the metal industry. The obtained results indicate a high efficiency of the applied methods in solving the problem.

Enabling Manufacturing Competitiveness and Economic Sustainability : Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Changeable, Agile, Reconfigurable and Virtual production

CERN Document Server

2012-01-01

The changing manufacturing environment requires more responsive and adaptable manufacturing systems. The theme of the 4th International Conference on Changeable, Agile, Reconfigurable and Virtual production (CARV2011) is “Enabling Manufacturing Competitiveness and Economic Sustainability”. Leading edge research and best implementation practices and experiences, which address these important issues and challenges, are presented. The proceedings include advances in manufacturing systems design, planning, evaluation, control and evolving paradigms such as mass customization, personalization, changeability, re-configurability and flexibility. New and important concepts such as the dynamic product families and platforms, co-evolution of products and systems, and methods for enhancing manufacturing systems’ economic sustainability and prolonging their life to produce more than one product generation are treated. Enablers of change in manufacturing systems, production volume and capability scalability and man...

THE RESEARCH OF THE AMOUNT OF HEAVY METALS AND NITROSO COMPOUNDS IN CONCENTRATED TOMATO PRODUCTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V.V. Shutyuk

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The constant selling race results in need for improving the quality of nutrition products among in-house food and pharmaceutical processing industries, which is an all-important key to success on the consumer market. This requires constant improvement of the product producing technologies. The topical problem of quality is the presence of heavy metals and nitroso compounds in the products. The research aimed at studying the changes in the heavy metal concentration levels (including Zn, Cu, Pb in tomato products at their thickening has been conducted at the national University of Food Technologies. On the basis of the received results the relationship between the lead, copper, zinc, nitrosocompounds and the solid substances’ amount has been established. The conducted research allowed us to ascertain the fact that the amount of heavy metals and nitroso compounds in raw materials for the concentrated tomato products to be ofhigh quality must not exceed the values of 18…35 % of the limiting concentration.

Release of airborne particles and Ag and Zn compounds from nanotechnology-enabled consumer sprays: Implications for inhalation exposure

Science.gov (United States)

Calderón, Leonardo; Han, Taewon T.; McGilvery, Catriona M.; Yang, Letao; Subramaniam, Prasad; Lee, Ki-Bum; Schwander, Stephan; Tetley, Teresa D.; Georgopoulos, Panos G.; Ryan, Mary; Porter, Alexandra E.; Smith, Rachel; Chung, Kian Fan; Lioy, Paul J.; Zhang, Junfeng; Mainelis, Gediminas

2017-04-01

The increasing prevalence and use of nanotechnology-enabled consumer products have increased potential consumer exposures to nanoparticles; however, there is still a lack of data characterizing such consumer exposure. The research reported here investigated near-field airborne exposures due to the use of 13 silver (Ag)-based and 5 zinc (Zn)-based consumer sprays. The products were sprayed into a specially designed glove box, and all products were applied with equal spraying duration and frequency. Size distribution and concentration of the released particles were assessed using a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer and an Aerodynamic Particle Sizer. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to investigate the presence of metals in all investigated products. Spray liquids and airborne particles from select products were examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS). We found that all sprays produced airborne particles ranging in size from nano-sized particles (2.5 μm); however, there was a substantial variation in the released particle concentration depending on a product. The total aerosol mass concentration was dominated by the presence of coarse particles, and it ranged from ∼30 μg/m3 to ∼30,000 μg/m3. The TEM verified the presence of nanoparticles and their agglomerates in liquid and airborne states. The products were found to contain not only Ag and Zn compounds - as advertised on the product labeling - but also a variety of other metals including lithium, strontium, barium, lead, manganese and others. The results presented here can be used as input to model population exposures as well as form a basis for human health effects studies due to the use nanotechnology-enabled products.

A review of the Technologies Enabling Agile Manufacturing program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gray, W.H.; Neal, R.E.; Cobb, C.K.

1996-10-01

Addressing a technical plan developed in consideration with major US manufacturers, software and hardware providers, and government representatives, the Technologies Enabling Agile Manufacturing (TEAM) program is leveraging the expertise and resources of industry, universities, and federal agencies to develop, integrate, and deploy leap-ahead manufacturing technologies. One of the TEAM program`s goals is to transition products from design to production faster, more efficiently, and at less cost. TEAM`s technology development strategy also provides all participants with early experience in establishing and working within an electronic enterprise that includes access to high-speed networks and high-performance computing and storage systems. The TEAM program uses the cross-cutting tools it collects, develops, and integrates to demonstrate and deploy agile manufacturing capabilities for three high-priority processes identified by industry: material removal, sheet metal forming, electro-mechanical assembly. This paper reviews the current status of the TEAM program with emphasis upon TEAM`s information infrastructure.

Electrolyte additive enabled fast charging and stable cycling lithium metal batteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zheng, Jianming; Engelhard, Mark H.; Mei, Donghai; Jiao, Shuhong; Polzin, Bryant J.; Zhang, Ji-Guang; Xu, Wu

2017-03-01

Batteries using lithium (Li) metal as anodes are considered promising energy storage systems because of their high energy densities. However, safety concerns associated with dendrite growth along with limited cycle life, especially at high charge current densities, hinder their practical uses. Here we report that an optimal amount (0.05 M) of LiPF6 as an additive in LiTFSI-LiBOB dual-salt/carbonate-solvent-based electrolytes significantly enhances the charging capability and cycling stability of Li metal batteries. In a Li metal battery using a 4-V Li-ion cathode at a moderately high loading of 1.75mAh cm(-2), a cyclability of 97.1% capacity retention after 500 cycles along with very limited increase in electrode overpotential is accomplished at a charge/discharge current density up to 1.75 mA cm(-2). The fast charging and stable cycling performances are ascribed to the generation of a robust and conductive solid electrolyte interphase at the Li metal surface and stabilization of the Al cathode current collector.

Investigation of possibilities for high heavy metal content sludges utilization by incorporating them in concrete products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simeonova A.

2006-01-01

Full Text Available The safe removal of sludge, obtained during the surface treatment of different metal products, is a serious environmental problem. These sludges are usually characterized by a high content of heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Ni, Zn, Cr, Cd, Mn, low quality and are obtained in many small industrial units in the whole country, which makes their centralized treatment difficult. In world practice, different methods are used for component fixation of such sludge, in the aim to prevent leaching of the metals causing pollution of the soil and underground water. The aim of the recent work is to prepare the sludge in a form of light (keramzit fillers by preliminary treatment with binding substances and to introduce them in non supporting concrete products - curbs, stakes and similar products. The investigation was made with two types of sludge - from a production line for thermal treatment and hardening of different parts used in machine building and from a production line for surface decoration treatment (nickel-plating and chromium-plating of consumer products. The sludge were dried and ground and then granulated with a solution of water glass. After their solidifying the air dried granules with a size of 5 to 15 mm were treated with cement milk and air dried again. With the obtained granules, standard percolation test for leaching metals like Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni and Cr was carried out. After a preliminary calculation of concrete mixtures, these granules were mixed with Portland cement and concrete sample products were made. These molded concrete samples were characterized by their density, water absorption, and mechanical strength for defined standard periods of time. The samples were subjected to a modified percolation test for leaching metals. The metal concentration in eluates was determined by Atomic Spectral Analysis.

PRODUCTION OF PLUTONIUM METAL

Science.gov (United States)

Lyon, W.L.; Moore, R.H.

1961-01-17

A process is given for producing plutonium metal by the reduction of plutonium chloride, dissolved in alkali metal chloride plus or minus aluminum chloride, with magnesium or a magnesium-aluminum alloy at between 700 and 800 deg C and separating the plutonium or plutonium-aluminum alloy formed from the salt.

Melt-drop technique for the production of high-purity metal powder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aldinger, F.; Linck, E.; Claussen, N.

1977-01-01

The production of high-purity powders of metals and alloys such as beryllium, titanium alloys, or superalloys is a problem. Oxidation of these materials cannot be avoided. Oxidation occurs in inert gases and even in reducing atmospheres when any gas impurities are present. Therefore, the powder production of these materials has to be performed either in high vacuum or at least in a static atmosphere of inert gas purified immediately before coming into contact with the disintegrating material. These requirements are very well met by the melt-drop technique presented in this paper, especially for coarse powders which must not necessarily be cold-workable. This is true, for example, for superalloys where high-temperature applications require large grain sizes; or in titanium alloys because the final microstructure will be achieved by a thermomechanical treatment. In the case of beryllium and beryllium alloys, where grain sizes <5 μm are desired, further milling is necessary. But the melt-drop technique offers a simple and clean method directly from the purifying process of vacuum melting. In melt-drop processes a liquid metal flows through a nozzle at the bottom of a crucible or the melt is just poured through a sieve. The theory of disintegration of a liquid jet into droplets, dates back to the 19th century. More recent investigations attempted to produce uniformly sized droplets by applying a capillary wave of given wave length to the jet. But this has been done only with non-metallic materials. Evidence is presented to prove the theory and show that this concept is applicable to the production of metal powders with controlled particle size

Additive manufacturing of metals the technology, materials, design and production

CERN Document Server

Yang, Li; Baughman, Brian; Godfrey, Donald; Medina, Francisco; Menon, Mamballykalathil; Wiener, Soeren

2017-01-01

This book offers a unique guide to the three-dimensional (3D) printing of metals. It covers various aspects of additive, subtractive, and joining processes used to form three-dimensional parts with applications ranging from prototyping to production. Examining a variety of manufacturing technologies and their ability to produce both prototypes and functional production-quality parts, the individual chapters address metal components and discuss some of the important research challenges associated with the use of these technologies. As well as exploring the latest technologies currently under development, the book features unique sections on electron beam melting technology, material lifting, and the importance this science has in the engineering context. Presenting unique real-life case studies from industry, this book is also the first to offer the perspective of engineers who work in the field of aerospace and transportation systems, and who design components and manufacturing networks. Written by the leadin...

Visible quality aluminum and nickel superpolish polishing technology enabling new missions

Science.gov (United States)

Carrigan, Keith G.

2011-06-01

It is now well understood that with US Department of Defense (DoD) budgets shrinking and the Services and Agencies demanding new systems which can be fielded more quickly, cost and schedule are being emphasized more and more. At the same time, the US has ever growing needs for advanced capabilities to support evolving Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance objectives. In response to this market demand for ever more cost-effective, faster to market, single-channel, athermal optical systems, we have developed new metal polishing technologies which allow for short-lead, low-cost metal substrates to replace more costly, longer-lead material options. In parallel, the commercial marketplace is being driven continually to release better, faster and cheaper electronics. Growth according to Moore's law, enabled by advancements in photolithography, has produced denser memory, higher resolution displays and faster processors. While the quality of these products continues to increase, their price is falling. This seeming paradox is driven by industry advancements in manufacturing technology. The next steps on this curve can be realized via polishing technology which allows low-cost metal substrates to replace costly Silicon based optics for use in ultra-short wavelength systems.

Determination of some heavy metals in selected cosmetic products sold in kano metropolis, Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Sani

Full Text Available The study was aimed at assessing the levels of some toxic metals in different cosmetic products sold at different shopping malls and markets in Kano Metropolis. The cosmetic items included ten face powder, ten skin lightening creams and ten lipsticks of various prices. The cosmetics were digested and analyzed for heavy metals (manganese, nickel, copper, cadmium, chromium and lead using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The range of the concentrations in skin lightening creams is 4.90–24.51, 3.68–11.03, 4.24–8.48, 0.14–1.32, 0–0.05 and 0.05–0.14 mg kg−1 for Mn, Ni, Cu, Cd, Cr and Pb respectively. The range in face powders are 4.90–44.12, 3.68–11.03, 4.24–8.48, 0.07–1.74, 0–0.03 and 0.08–0.33 mg kg−1 for Mn, Ni, Cu, Cd, Cr and Pb respectively. The concentration ranges in lipsticks are 2.45–22.06, 0–11.03, 4.24–12.71, 0.07–1.67, 0–0.05 and 0–0.19 mg kg−1 for Mn, Ni, Cu, Cd, Cr and Pb respectively. T test showed no statistical significant difference in concentrations of metals between the expensive and cheap cosmetic products. It is obvious from the present study that the use of these cosmetic products exposes users to low concentrations of toxic heavy metals which could constitute potential health risk to users since they are known to accumulate in biological systems over time. Similarly, regular monitoring of other heavy metals and chemicals used in the manufacture of cosmetics products which may cause health risks to users should be emphasized. Keywords: Heavy metals, Cosmetics, Concentration, Monitoring

Elution behavior of heavy metals from cement solidified products of incinerated ash waste - 59102

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meguro, Yoshihiro; Kawato, Yoshimi; Nakayama, Takuya; Tomioka, Osamu; Mitsuda, Motoyuki

2012-01-01

A method, in which incinerated ash is solidified with a cement material, has been developed to dispose radioactive incinerated ash waste. In order to bury the solidified product, it is required that elution of hazardous heavy metals included in the ash from the solidified products is inhibited. In this study, the elution behavior of the heavy metals from the synthetic solidified products, which included Pb(II), Cd(II), and Cr(VI) and were prepared using ordinary portland cement (OPC), blast furnace slag cement (BFS), or a cement material that showed low alkalinity (LA-Cement), was investigated. Several chemicals and materials were added as additive agents to prevent the elution of the heavy metals. When OPC was used, Cd elution was inhibited, but Pb and Cr were not enough even using the additive agent examined. FeSO 4 and Na 2 S additive agents worked effective to inhibit elution of Cr. When BFS was used, the elution of Pb, Cd and Cr was inhibited for the all products prepared. In the case of LA-Cement, the elution of Pb and Cd was inhibited for the all products, but only the product that was added FeSO 4 showed good result of the elution of Cr. (authors)

The Value of Product-enabled Services in Top R&D Spenders in Canada and Europe

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tanev, Stoyan; Liotta, Giacomo; Kleismantas, Andrius

This paper is based on an empirical study addressing the value of product-enabled services in top R&D spenders from Canada and Europe. The focus is on product-driven firms for which new service development is particularly challenging. Existing literature on the value attributes of hybrid value...... offers is mostly conceptual and needs to be further developed through empirical studies. The research sample used in this work consists of 83 product-driven firms that were selected from the list of the top 100 R&D spenders in 2011. Several combinations of keywords linked to different aspects of service....... The results show that the main service value attributes for Canadian firms are: better service effectiveness, higher market share, higher service quality, and customer satisfaction. The service value attributes for the European firms of the sample include, among others, product added-value, product...

Recent developments in high purity niobium metal production at CBMM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdo, Gustavo Giovanni Ribeiro; Sousa, Clovis Antonio de Faria; Guimarães, Rogério Contato; Ribas, Rogério Marques; Vieira, Alaércio Salvador Martins; Menezes, Andréia Duarte; Fridman, Daniel Pallos; Cruz, Edmundo Burgos

2015-01-01

CBMM is a global supplier of high quality niobium products including pure niobium, the focus of this paper. CBMM’s position has been consolidated over three decades of producing high purity niobium metal ingots. The company supplies, among other products, commercial and reactor grade niobium ingots. One of the main uses of CBMM’s ingots is for the manufacture of particle accelerators (superconducting radio frequency – SRF – cavities), where the purity and homogeneity of niobium metal is essentially important for good performance. CBMM constantly strives to improve process controls and product quality, and is currently implementing innovations in production, research and development to further improve ingot quality. The main aim is to reduce the content of interstitial elements, such as nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), carbon (C), and hydrogen (H), starting with the raw materials through the final step of ingot production. CBMM held the first trial to produce the world’s largest-diameter niobium ingot (as cast 535 mm). The results of this initial trial presented very low levels of interstitial impurities (N, O, C, H), allowing the achievement of residual resistivity ratio (RRR) values very close to 300 in a six-melt process in an electron beam furnace. These values were reached with 850 ppm of tantalum. SRF cavities will be produced with this material in order to study the effect of low impurities and high RRR on the Q factor and accelerating gradient

On-Chip Production of Size-Controllable Liquid Metal Microdroplets Using Acoustic Waves.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Shi-Yang; Ayan, Bugra; Nama, Nitesh; Bian, Yusheng; Lata, James P; Guo, Xiasheng; Huang, Tony Jun

2016-07-01

Micro- to nanosized droplets of liquid metals, such as eutectic gallium indium (EGaIn) and Galinstan, have been used for developing a variety of applications in flexible electronics, sensors, catalysts, and drug delivery systems. Currently used methods for producing micro- to nanosized droplets of such liquid metals possess one or several drawbacks, including the lack in ability to control the size of the produced droplets, mass produce droplets, produce smaller droplet sizes, and miniaturize the system. Here, a novel method is introduced using acoustic wave-induced forces for on-chip production of EGaIn liquid-metal microdroplets with controllable size. The size distribution of liquid metal microdroplets is tuned by controlling the interfacial tension of the metal using either electrochemistry or electrocapillarity in the acoustic field. The developed platform is then used for heavy metal ion detection utilizing the produced liquid metal microdroplets as the working electrode. It is also demonstrated that a significant enhancement of the sensing performance is achieved by introducing acoustic streaming during the electrochemical experiments. The demonstrated technique can be used for developing liquid-metal-based systems for a wide range of applications. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Productization and Commercialization of IT-Enabled Higher Education in Computer Science: A Systematic Literature Review

Science.gov (United States)

Kankaanpää, Irja; Isomäki, Hannakaisa

2013-01-01

This paper reviews research literature on the production and commercialization of IT-enabled higher education in computer science. Systematic literature review (SLR) was carried out in order to find out to what extent this area has been studied, more specifically how much it has been studied and to what detail. The results of this paper make a…

An Amorphous Noble-Metal-Free Electrocatalyst that Enables Nitrogen Fixation under Ambient Conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Lv, Chade; Yan, Chunshuang; Chen, Gang; Ding, Yu; Sun, Jingxue; Zhou, Yansong; Yu, Guihua

2018-02-23

N 2 fixation by the electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) under ambient conditions is regarded as a potential approach to achieve NH 3 production, which still heavily relies on the Haber-Bosch process at the cost of huge energy and massive production of CO 2 . A noble-metal-free Bi 4 V 2 O 11 /CeO 2 hybrid with an amorphous phase (BVC-A) is used as the cathode for electrocatalytic NRR. The amorphous Bi 4 V 2 O 11 contains significant defects, which play a role as active sites. The CeO 2 not only serves as a trigger to induce the amorphous structure, but also establishes band alignment with Bi 4 V 2 O 11 for rapid interfacial charge transfer. Remarkably, BVC-A shows outstanding electrocatalytic NRR performance with high average yield (NH 3 : 23.21 μg h -1  mg -1 cat. , Faradaic efficiency: 10.16 %) under ambient conditions, which is superior to the Bi 4 V 2 O 11 /CeO 2 hybrid with crystalline phase (BVC-C) counterpart. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Production of crystalline refractory metal oxides containing colloidal metal precipitates and useful as solar-effective absorbers

Science.gov (United States)

Narayan, Jagdish; Chen, Yok

1983-01-01

This invention is a new process for producing refractory crystalline oxides having improved or unusual properties. The process comprises the steps of forming a doped-metal crystal of the oxide; exposing the doped crystal in a bomb to a reducing atmosphere at superatmospheric pressure and a temperature effecting precipitation of the dopant metal in the crystal lattice of the oxide but insufficient to effect net diffusion of the metal out of the lattice; and then cooling the crystal. Preferably, the cooling step is effected by quenching. The process forms colloidal precipitates of the metal in the oxide lattice. The process may be used, for example, to produce thermally stable black MgO crystalline bodies containing magnetic colloidal precipitates consisting of about 99% Ni. The Ni-containing bodies are solar-selective absorbers, having a room-temperature absorptivity of about 0.96 over virtually all of the solar-energy spectrum and exhibiting an absorption edge in the region of 2 .mu.m. The process parameters can be varied to control the average size of the precipitates. The process can produce a black MgO crystalline body containing colloidal Ni precipitates, some of which have the face-centered-cubic structure and others of which have the body-centered cubic structure. The products of the process are metal-precipitate-containing refractory crystalline oxides which have improved or unique optical, mechanical, magnetic, and/or electronic properties.

Factors influencing production of lipase under metal supplementation by bacterial strain, Bacillus subtilis BDG-8.

Science.gov (United States)

Dhevahi, B; Gurusamy, R

2014-11-01

Lipases are biocatalyst having wide applications in industries due to their versatile properties. In the present study, a lipolytic bacterial strain, Bacillus subtilis BDG-8 was isolated from an oil based industrial soil. The effect of selenium and nickel as a media supplement on enhancement of lipase production, was studied individually with the isolated strain by varying the concentration of selected metal. 60 μg l(-1) selenium enhanced lipase production to an enzyme activity measuring 7.8 U ml(-1) while 40 μgI(-1) nickel gave the maximum enzyme activity equivalent to 7.5 U ml(-1). However, nickel and selenium together at a range of concentration with an equal w/v ratio, at 60 μg l(-1) each, showed the maximum lipase activity of 8.5 U ml(-1). The effect of pH and temperature on lipase production showed maximum enzyme activity in the presence of each of the metals at pH 7 and 35°C among the other tested ranges. After optimisation of the parameters such as metal concentration, pH and temperature lipase production by Bacillus subtilis BDG-8 had increased several folds. This preliminary investigation may consequently lead as to various industrial applications such as treatment of wastewater contaminated with metal or oil with simultaneous lipase production.

Solar Metal Sulfate-Ammonia Based Thermochemical Water Splitting Cycle for Hydrogen Production

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Cunping (Inventor); T-Raissi, Ali (Inventor); Muradov, Nazim (Inventor)

2014-01-01

Two classes of hybrid/thermochemical water splitting processes for the production of hydrogen and oxygen have been proposed based on (1) metal sulfate-ammonia cycles (2) metal pyrosulfate-ammonia cycles. Methods and systems for a metal sulfate MSO.sub.4--NH3 cycle for producing H2 and O2 from a closed system including feeding an aqueous (NH3)(4)SO3 solution into a photoctalytic reactor to oxidize the aqueous (NH3)(4)SO3 into aqueous (NH3)(2)SO4 and reduce water to hydrogen, mixing the resulting aqueous (NH3)(2)SO4 with metal oxide (e.g. ZnO) to form a slurry, heating the slurry of aqueous (NH4)(2)SO4 and ZnO(s) in the low temperature reactor to produce a gaseous mixture of NH3 and H2O and solid ZnSO4(s), heating solid ZnSO4 at a high temperature reactor to produce a gaseous mixture of SO2 and O2 and solid product ZnO, mixing the gaseous mixture of SO2 and O2 with an NH3 and H2O stream in an absorber to form aqueous (NH4)(2)SO3 solution and separate O2 for aqueous solution, recycling the resultant solution back to the photoreactor and sending ZnO to mix with aqueous (NH4)(2)SO4 solution to close the water splitting cycle wherein gaseous H2 and O2 are the only products output from the closed ZnSO4--NH3 cycle.

Iron Drinking Water Pipe Corrosion Products: Concentrators of Toxic Metals

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

health risk. In addition Pb corrosion products may be sinks for other metals such as chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn). These...Vanadium K-Edge X-ray Absorption Near-Edge Structure Interpretation: Application to the Speciation of Vanadium in Oxide Phases from Steel Slag ’, Journal

PRODUCTION OF HAFNIUM METAL

Science.gov (United States)

Elger, G.W.; Boubel, R.W.

1963-01-01

This patent deals with a process of producing pure Hf metal from oxygen- contaminated gaseous Hf chloride. The oxygen compounds in the chioride gas are halogenated by contacting the gas at elevated temperature with Cl/sub 2/ in the presence of C. The Hf chloride, still in gaseous form, is contacted with molten Mg whereby Hf metal is formed and condensed on the Mg. (AEC)

Utilization of grasses for potential biofuel production and phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Balsamo, Ronald A; Kelly, William J; Satrio, Justinus A; Ruiz-Felix, M Nydia; Fetterman, Marisa; Wynn, Rodd; Hagel, Kristen

2015-01-01

This research focuses on investigating the use of common biofuel grasses to assess their potential as agents of long-term remediation of contaminated soils using lead as a model heavy metal ion. We present evidence demonstrating that switch grass and Timothy grass may be potentially useful for long-term phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated soils and describe novel techniques to track and remove contaminants from inception to useful product. Enzymatic digestion and thermochemical approaches are being used to convert this lignocellulosic feedstock into useful product (sugars, ethanol, biocrude oil+biochar). Preliminary studies on enzymatic hydrolysis and fast pyrolysis of the Switchgrass materials that were grown in heavy metal contaminated soil and non-contaminated soils show that the presence of lead in the Switchgrass material feedstock does not adversely affect the outcomes of the conversion processes. These results indicate that the modest levels of contaminant uptake allow these grass species to serve as phytoremediation agents as well as feedstocks for biofuel production in areas degraded by industrial pollution.

Effects of different production technologies on mechanical and metallurgical properties of precious metal denture alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Ferro, Paolo; Battaglia, Eleonora; Capuzzi, Stefano; Berto, Filippo

2017-12-01

Precious metal alloys can be supplied in traditional plate form or innovative drop form with high degree of purity. The aim of the present work is to evaluate the influence of precious metal alloy form on metallurgical and mechanical properties of the final dental products with particular reference to metal-ceramic bond strength and casting defects. A widely used alloy for denture was selected; its nominal composition was close to 55 wt% Pd - 34 wt% Ag - 6 wt% In - 3 wt% Sn. Specimens were produced starting from the alloy in both plate and drop forms. A specific test method was developed to obtain results that could be representative of the real conditions of use. In order to achieve further information about the adhesion behaviour and resistance, the fracture surfaces of the samples were observed using `Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)'. Moreover, material defects caused by the moulding process were studied. The form of the alloy before casting does not significantly influence the shear bond strength between the metal and the ceramic material (p-value=0,976); however, according to SEM images, products from drop form alloy show less solidification defects compared to products obtained with plate form alloy. This was attributed to the absence of polluting additives used in the production of drop form alloy. This study shows that the use of precious metal denture alloys supplied in drop form does not affect the metal-ceramic bond strength compared to alloys supplied in the traditional plate form. However, compared to the plate form, the drop form is found free of solidification defects, less expensive to produce and characterized by minor environmental impacts.

Phytoremediation of Metal Contaminated Soil Using Willow: Exploiting Plant-Associated Bacteria to Improve Biomass Production and Metal Uptake.

Science.gov (United States)

Janssen, Jolien; Weyens, Nele; Croes, Sarah; Beckers, Bram; Meiresonne, Linda; Van Peteghem, Pierre; Carleer, Robert; Vangronsveld, Jaco

2015-01-01

Short rotation coppice (SRC) of willow and poplar is proposed for economic valorization and concurrently as remediation strategy for metal contaminated land in northeast-Belgium. However, metal phytoextraction appears insufficient to effectuate rapid reduction of soil metal contents. To increase both biomass production and metal accumulation of SRC, two strategies are proposed: (i) in situ selection of the best performing clones and (ii) bioaugmentation of these clones with beneficial plant-associated bacteria. Based on field data, two experimental willow clones, a Salix viminalis and a Salix alba x alba clone, were selected. Compared to the best performing commercial clones, considerable increases in stem metal extraction were achieved (up to 74% for Cd and 91% for Zn). From the selected clones, plant-associated bacteria were isolated and identified. All strains were subsequently screened for their plant growth-promoting and metal uptake enhancing traits. Five strains were selected for a greenhouse inoculation experiment with the selected clones planted in Cd-Zn-Pb contaminated soil. Extraction potential tended to increase after inoculation of S. viminalis plants with a Rahnella sp. strain due to a significantly increased twig biomass. However, although bacterial strains showing beneficial traits in vitro were used for inoculation, increments in extraction potential were not always observed.

Recycling of Metals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damgaard, Anders; Christensen, Thomas Højlund

2011-01-01

Metals like iron and aluminium are produced from mineral ore and used for a range of products, some of which have very short lifetimes and thus constitute a major fraction of municipal waste. Packaging in terms of cans, foils and containers are products with a short lifetime. Other products like...... appliances, vehicles and buildings, containing iron and aluminium metals, have long lifetimes before they end up in the waste stream. The recycling of production waste and postconsumer metals has a long history in the metal industry. Some metal smelters are today entirely based on scarp metals. This chapter...... describes briefly how iron and aluminium are produced and how scrap metal is recycled in the industry. Quality requirements and use of recycled products are discussed, as are the resource and environmental issues of metal recycling. Copper and other metals are also found in waste but in much smaller...

Catalytic activation of molecular hydrogen in alkyne hydrogenation reactions by lanthanide metal vapor reaction products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evans, W.J.; Bloom, I.; Engerer, S.C.

1983-01-01

A rotary metal vapor was used in the synthesis of Lu, Er, Nd, Sm, Yb, and La alkyne, diene, and phosphine complexes. A typical catalytic hydrogenation experiment is described. The lanthanide metal vapor product is dissolved in tetrahydrofuran or toluene and placed in a pressure reaction vessel 3-hexyne (or another substrate) is added, the chamber attached to a high vacuum line, cooled to -196 0 C, evacuated, warmed to ambient temperature and hydrogen is added. The solution is stirred magnetically while the pressure in monitored. The reaction products were analyzed by gas chromatography. Rates and products of various systems are listed. This preliminary survey indicates that catalytic reaction chemistry is available to these metals in a wide range of coordination environments. Attempts to characterize these compounds are hampered by their paramagnetic nature and their tendency to polymerize

Antimicrobial resistance and its association with tolerance to heavy metals in agriculture production.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Zhongyi; Gunn, Lynda; Wall, Patrick; Fanning, Séamus

2017-06-01

Antimicrobial resistance is a recognized public health challenge that since its emergence limits the therapeutic options available to veterinarians and clinicians alike, when treatment is warranted. This development is further compounded by the paucity of new antibiotics. The agri-food industry benefits from the availability of antimicrobial compounds for food-animal production and crop protection. Nonetheless, their improper use can result in the selection for bacteria that are phenotypically resistant to these compounds. Another class of agents used in agriculture includes various cationic metals that can be included in animal diets as nutritional supplements or spread on pastures to support crop growth and protection. Heavy metals, in particular, are giving rise to concerns among public health professionals, as they can persist in the environment remaining stable for prolonged periods. Moreover, bacteria can also exhibit resistance to these chemical elements and the genes encoding this phenotype can be physically localized to plasmids that may also contain one or more antimicrobial resistance-encoding gene(s). This paper reviews our current understanding of the role that bacteria play in expressing resistance to heavy metals. It will describe how heavy metals are used in agri-food production, and explore evidence available to link resistance to heavy metals and antimicrobial compounds. In addition, possible solutions to reduce the impact of heavy metal resistance are also discussed, including using organic minerals and reducing the level of trace minerals in animal feed rations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cumulative exergy losses associated with the production of lead metal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Szargut, J [Technical Univ. of Silesia, Gliwice (PL). Inst. of Thermal-Engineering; Morris, D R [New Brunswick Univ., Fredericton, NB (Canada). Dept. of Chemical Engineering

1990-08-01

Cumulative exergy losses result from the irreversibility of the links of a technological network leading from raw materials and fuels extracted from nature to the product under consideration. The sum of these losses can be apportioned into partial exergy losses (associated with particular links of the technological network) or into constituent exergy losses (associated with constituent subprocesses of the network). The methods of calculation of the partial and constituent exergy losses are presented, taking into account the useful byproducts substituting the major products of other processes. Analyses of partial and constituent exergy losses are made for the technological network of lead metal production. (author).

Interaction of noble-metal fission products with pyrolytic silicon carbide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lauf, R.J.; Braski, D.N.

1982-01-01

Fuel particles for the High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) contain layers of pyrolytic carbon and silicon carbide, which act as a miniature pressure vessel and form the primary fission product barrier. Of the many fission products formed during irradiation, the noble metals are of particular interest because they interact significantly with the SiC layer and their concentrations are somewhat higher in the low-enriched uranium fuels currently under consideration. To study fission product-SiC interactions, particles of UO 2 or UC 2 are doped with fission product elements before coating and are then held in a thermal gradient up to several thousand hours. Examination of the SiC coatings by TEM-AEM after annealing shows that silver behaves differently from the palladium group

Energy efficiency improvement target for SIC 34 - fabricated metal products

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Byrer, T. G.; Billhardt, C. F.; Farkas, M. S.

1977-03-15

A March 15, 1977 revision of a February 15, 1977 document on the energy improvement target for the Fabricated Metal Products industry (SIC 34) is presented. A net energy savings in 1980 of 24% as compared with 1972 energy consumption in SIC 34 is considered a realistic goal. (ERA citation 04:045008)

Off-Line Testing of Tribo-Systems for Sheet Metal Forming Production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bay, Niels; Ceron, Ermanno

2014-01-01

Off-line testing of new tribo-systems for sheet metal forming production is an important issue, when new, environmentally benign lubricants are to be introduced. To obtain useful results it is, however, vital to ensure similar conditions as in the production process regarding the main tribo...... leading to very high tool/workpiece interface pressure and temperature in the second re-draw. Under such conditions only the best lubricant systems work satisfactory, and the paper shows how the performance of different tribo-systems in production may be predicted by off-line testing combined...

Study of Wastewaters Contaminated with Heavy Metals in Bioethanol Production

Science.gov (United States)

Bartošová, Alica; Blinová, Lenka

2017-06-01

Bioethanol as a substitute for traditional sources of energy, especially oil transport, is currently one of the most researched alternative motor fuels. Normally, bioethanol is produced from agricultural crops such as sugar cane or corn. However, this is counter-productive, because agriculture is primarily serving to ensure enough food for the people. It is therefore necessary to look for new production of appropriate non-food crops or find an added value to this process. Utilisation of contaminated water from metal industry could be one of them. Based on the hypothesis of reduction of some toxic metals with higher oxidation number is opening the possibility of using this wastewater in alcohol fermentation of any kind of biomass. In this study, hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) was used as a model contaminant in the process of aerobic fermentation of corn to bioethanol. To determine the reduction potential of glucose to Cr(VI), and to quantitatively determinate the glucose content after saccharification, UV/VIS spectrophotometry was used. As a method of qualitative determination of fermentation product, gas chromatography with mass detection was used. Infrared spectrometry was used for qualitative analyses of produced ethanol. Based on the established results shown in this paper, we can conclude that the presence of hexavalent chromium in the fermentation process does not have a significant negative impact, while offering the opportunity of using the industrial wastewaters for the production of bioethanol fuel.

Study of Wastewaters Contaminated with Heavy Metals in Bioethanol Production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bartošová Alica

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Bioethanol as a substitute for traditional sources of energy, especially oil transport, is currently one of the most researched alternative motor fuels. Normally, bioethanol is produced from agricultural crops such as sugar cane or corn. However, this is counter-productive, because agriculture is primarily serving to ensure enough food for the people. It is therefore necessary to look for new production of appropriate non-food crops or find an added value to this process. Utilisation of contaminated water from metal industry could be one of them. Based on the hypothesis of reduction of some toxic metals with higher oxidation number is opening the possibility of using this wastewater in alcohol fermentation of any kind of biomass. In this study, hexavalent chromium Cr(VI was used as a model contaminant in the process of aerobic fermentation of corn to bioethanol. To determine the reduction potential of glucose to Cr(VI, and to quantitatively determinate the glucose content after saccharification, UV/VIS spectrophotometry was used. As a method of qualitative determination of fermentation product, gas chromatography with mass detection was used. Infrared spectrometry was used for qualitative analyses of produced ethanol. Based on the established results shown in this paper, we can conclude that the presence of hexavalent chromium in the fermentation process does not have a significant negative impact, while offering the opportunity of using the industrial wastewaters for the production of bioethanol fuel.

A Stable, Magnetic, and Metallic Li3O4 Compound as a Discharge Product in a Li-Air Battery.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Guochun; Wang, Yanchao; Ma, Yanming

2014-08-07

The Li-air battery with the specific energy exceeding that of a Li ion battery has been aimed as the next-generation battery. The improvement of the performance of the Li-air battery needs a full resolution of the actual discharge products. Li2O2 has been long recognized as the main discharge product, with which, however, there are obvious failures on the understanding of various experimental observations (e.g., magnetism, oxygen K-edge spectrum, etc.) on discharge products. There is a possibility of the existence of other Li-O compounds unknown thus far. Here, a hitherto unknown Li3O4 compound as a discharge product of the Li-air battery was predicted through first-principles swarm structure searching calculations. The new compound has a unique structure featuring the mixture of superoxide O2(-) and peroxide O2(2-), the first such example in the Li-O system. The existence of superoxide O2(-) creates magnetism and hole-doped metallicity. Findings of Li3O4 gave rise to direct explanations of the unresolved experimental magnetism, triple peaks of oxygen K-edge spectra, and the Raman peak at 1125 cm(-1) of the discharge products. Our work enables an opportunity for the performance of capacity, charge overpotential, and round-trip efficiency of the Li-air battery.

FREVAP-6, Metal Fission Products Release from HTGR Fuel Elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pierce, V.H.

2005-01-01

1 - Description of problem or function: The FREVAP type of code for estimating the release of longer-lived metallic fission products from HTGR fuel elements has been developed to take into account the combined effects of the retention of metallic fission products by fuel particles and the rather strong absorption of these fission products by the graphite of the fuel elements. Release calculations are made on the basis that the loss of fission product nuclides such as strontium, cesium, and barium is determined by their evaporation from the graphite surfaces and their transpiration induced by the flowing helium coolant. The code is devised so that changes of fission rate (fuel element power), fuel temperature, and graphite temperature may be incorporated into the calculation. Temperature is quite important in determining release because, in general, both release from fuel particles and loss by evaporation (transpiration) vary exponentially with the reciprocal of the absolute temperature. NESC0301/02: This version differs from the previous one in the following points: The source and output files were converted from BCD to ASCII coding. 2 - Method of solution: A problem is defined as having a one-dimensional segment made up of three parts - (1) the fission product source (fuel particles) in series with, (2) a non-source and absorption part (element graphite) and (3) a surface for evaporation to the coolant (graphite-helium interface). More than one segment may be connected (possibly segments stacked axially) by way of the coolant. At any given segment, a continuity equation is solved assuming equilibrium between the source term, absorption term, evaporation at coolant interface and the partial pressure of the fission product isotope in the coolant. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem - Maxima of: 5 isotopes; 10 time intervals for time-dependent variable; 49 segments (times number of isotopes); 5 different output print time-steps

Plasmon-enhanced Solar Fuel Production with Gold-metal Oxide Hybrid Nanomaterials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Engelbrekt, Christian; Law, Matt; Zhang, Jingdong

, provide new catalytic routes and expands the scope of solar photocatalysis. We prepare metal oxide SNPs, gold PNPs and their hybrids through mild aqueous syntheses to develop efficient photocatalyst for solar fuel production. Focus is placed on the synergetic interplay between SNPs and PNPs, understanding...

Study of conditions of production and characterization of noble metal micro-particles suspensions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malabre, Catherine

1983-01-01

As the production and identification of metal micro-particle suspensions are some aspects of issues related to nuclear fuel reprocessing, this research thesis reports the use of ruthenium, molybdenum, niobium, palladium and rhodium (fission metals) to generate such micro-particles. They are produced by erosion of two electrodes between which occurs an electric arc discharge in aqueous media. Different analytic methods are developed to determine the characteristics of so-produced colloidal solutions. A granulometry study is performed by transmission electronic microscopy, light quasi-elastic scattering, and turbidimetry associated to centrifugation. This has lead to the production of steady micro-particle suspensions which have been used in a first set of industrial trials [fr

Energy efficiency improvement target for SIC 34 - fabricated metal products. Revised target support document

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Byrer, T. G.; Billhardt, C. F.; Farkas, M. S.

1977-02-15

In accordance with section 374 of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), Pub. L. 94-163, the Federal Energy Administration (FEA) proposed industrial energy efficiency improvement targets for the ten most energy-consumptive manufacturing industries in the U.S. Following public hearings and a review of the comments made, the final targets for Fabricated Metal Products (SIC 34) were established and are described. Using 1972 data on the energy consumed to produce specific metal products, it was concluded that a 24% reduction in energy consumption for SIC 34 is a viable goal for achievement by 1980. (ERA citation 04:045006)

Towards zero waste production in the minerals and metals sector

Science.gov (United States)

Rankin, William J.

The production of mineral and metal commodities results in large quantities of wastes (solid, liquid and gaseous) at each stage of value-adding — from mining to manufacturing. Waste production (both consumer and non-consumer) is a major contributor to environmental degradation. Approaches to waste management in the minerals industry are largely `after the event'. These have moved progressively from foul-and-flee to dilute-and-disperse to end end-of-pipe treatments. There is now a need to move to approaches which aim to reduce or eliminate waste production at source. Modern waste management strategies include the application of cleaner production principles, the use of wastes as raw materials, the reengineering of process flowsheets to minimise waste production, and use of industrial symbioses through industrial ecology to convert wastes into useful by-products. This paper examines how these can be adopted by the minerals industry, with some recent examples. The financial, technical, systemic and regulatory drivers and barriers are also examined.

Transition Metal Chelator Induces Progesterone Production in Mouse Cumulus-Oocyte Complexes and Corpora Lutea.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, X; Anthony, K; Diaz, Francisco J

2017-04-01

Progesterone production is upregulated in granulosa cells (cumulus and mural) after the LH surge, but the intra-follicular mechanisms regulating this transition are not completely known. Recent findings show that the transition metal chelator, N,N,N',N'-tetrakis-(2-pyridylmethyl)-ethylenediamine (TPEN), impairs ovarian function. In this study, we provide evidence that chelating transition metals, including zinc, enhances progesterone production. The findings show that TPEN (transition metal chelator) increases abundance of Cyp11a1 and Star messenger RNA (mRNA) between 8- and 20-fold and progesterone production more than 3-fold in cultured cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC). Feeding a zinc-deficient diet for 10 days, but not 3 days, increased Star, Hsd3b, and prostaglandin F2 alpha receptor (Ptgfr) mRNA ~2.5-fold, suggesting that the effect of TPEN is through modulation of zinc availability. Progesterone from cumulus cells promotes oocyte developmental potential. Blocking progesterone production with epostane during maturation reduced subsequent blastocyst formation from 89 % in control to 18 % in epostane-treated complexes, but supplementation with progesterone restored blastocyst developmental potential to 94 %. Feeding a zinc-deficient diet for 5 days before ovulation did not affect the number of CL, STAR protein, or serum progesterone. However, incubating luteal tissue with TPEN increased abundance of Star, Hsd3b, and Ptgfr mRNA 2-3-fold and increased progesterone production 3-fold. TPEN is known to abolish SMAD2/3 signaling in cumulus cells. However, treatment of COC with the SMAD2/3 phosphorylation inhibitor, SB421542, did not by itself induce steroidogenic transcripts but did potentiate EGF-induced Star mRNA expression. Collectively, the results show that depletion of transition metals with TPEN acutely enhances progesterone biosynthesis in COC and luteal tissue.

Sodalite-type radioactive waste solidification product and method of synthesizing the same

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koyama, Masashi; Yoshida, Takumasa.

1995-01-01

Radioactive waste solidification products formed by solidifying radioactive wastes comprising halides such as chlorides of alkali metal elements, alkaline earth metal elements, rare earth elements, noble metal elements generated upon dry-type reprocessing of nuclear fuels and separation of dry-type high level liquid wastes, are solidified to stable products by incorporating radioactive wastes in the form of halides into a cavity of sodalite condensation cage of aluminosilicates having three dimensional skeleton structure. Alternatively, NaOH, Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 are mixed and heated to 600 to 900degC to form an intermediate reaction products, and then the reaction products are mixed with the halides and heated to form sodalite-type radioactive water solidification products. Thus, the halides in fission products can be held by the three dimensional skeleton structure similar with that of sodalite which is a sort of natural minerals containing chlorides, thereby enabling to solidify them stably. (N.H.)

A qualitative study of the challenges related to the development of product enabled services in technology driven start-ups

OpenAIRE

Pedersen, Søren; Tanev, Stoyan; Ma, Zheng; Lin, Chih-Cheng

2012-01-01

Product-enabled service development has been identified as one of the potential sources for sustainable growth and competitiveness of firms in advanced economies. Many firms are in the process of shifting their focus from offering standalone products or services towards integrated offerings of products and services to meet specific customer demands, thus generating additional value. This paper examines technology-based start-ups’ attitude towards the development of hybrid offerings as part of...

Emerging investigator series: the rise of nano-enabled photothermal materials for water evaporation and clean water production by sunlight

KAUST Repository

Wang, Peng

2018-04-05

Solar driven water evaporation and distillation is an ancient technology, but has been rejuvenated by nano-enabled photothermal materials in the past 4 years. The nano-enabled state-of-the-art photothermal materials are able to harvest a full solar spectrum and convert it to heat with extremely high efficiency. Moreover, photothermal structures with heat loss management have evolved in parallel. These together have led to the steadily and significantly improved energy efficiency of solar evaporation and distillation in the past 4 years. Some unprecedented clean water production rates have been reported in small-scale and fully solar-driven devices. This frontier presents a timely and systematic review of the impressive developments in photothermal nanomaterial discovery, selection, optimization, and photothermal structural designs along with their applications especially in clean water production. The current challenges and future perspectives are provided. This article helps inspire more research efforts from environmental nano communities to push forward practical solar-driven clean water production.

Hydrogen production and metal-dye bioremoval by a Nostoc linckia strain isolated from textile mill oxidation pond.

Science.gov (United States)

Mona, Sharma; Kaushik, Anubha; Kaushik, C P

2011-02-01

Biohydrogen production by Nostoc linckia HA-46, isolated from a textile-industry oxidation-pond was studied by varying light/dark period, pH, temperature and ratio of carbon-dioxide and argon in the gas-mixture. Hydrogen production rates were maximum under 18 h of light and 6 h of darkness, pH 8.0, 31°C, a CO(2):Ar ratio 2:10. Hydrogen production of the strain acclimatized to 20 mg/L of chromium/cobalt and 100 mg/L of Reactive red 198/crystal violet dye studied in N-supplemented/deficient medium was 6-10% higher in the presence of 1.5 g/L of NaNO(3). Rates of hydrogen production in the presence of dyes/metals by the strain (93-105 μmol/h/mg Chlorophyll) were significantly higher than in medium without metals/dyes serving as control (91.3 μmol/h/mg Chlorophyll). About 58-60% of the two metals and 35-73% of dyes were removed by cyanobacterium. Optimal conditions of temperature, pH and metals/dyes concentration for achieving high hydrogen production and wastewater treatment were found practically applicable as similar conditions are found in the effluent of regional textile-mills. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Removal of PCR error products and unincorporated primers by metal-chelate affinity chromatography.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Indhu Kanakaraj

Full Text Available Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography (IMAC has been used for decades to purify proteins on the basis of amino acid content, especially surface-exposed histidines and "histidine tags" genetically added to recombinant proteins. We and others have extended the use of IMAC to purification of nucleic acids via interactions with the nucleotide bases, especially purines, of single-stranded RNA and DNA. We also have demonstrated the purification of plasmid DNA from contaminating genomic DNA by IMAC capture of selectively-denatured genomic DNA. Here we describe an efficient method of purifying PCR products by specifically removing error products, excess primers, and unincorporated dNTPs from PCR product mixtures using flow-through metal-chelate affinity adsorption. By flowing a PCR product mixture through a Cu(2+-iminodiacetic acid (IDA agarose spin column, 94-99% of the dNTPs and nearly all the primers can be removed. Many of the error products commonly formed by Taq polymerase also are removed. Sequencing of the IMAC-processed PCR product gave base-calling accuracy comparable to that obtained with a commercial PCR product purification method. The results show that IMAC matrices (specifically Cu(2+-IDA agarose can be used for the purification of PCR products. Due to the generality of the base-specific mechanism of adsorption, IMAC matrices may also be used in the purification of oligonucleotides, cDNA, mRNA and micro RNAs.

Semi-quantitative analysis of solid waste flows from nano-enabled consumer products in Europe, Denmark and the United Kingdom - Abundance, distribution and management.

Science.gov (United States)

Heggelund, Laura; Hansen, Steffen Foss; Astrup, Thomas Fruergaard; Boldrin, Alessio

2016-10-01

Many nano-enabled consumer products are known to be in the global market. At the same, little is known about the quantity, type, location etc. of the engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) inside the products. This limits the scientific investigations of potential environmental effects of these materials, and especially the knowledge of ENM behaviour and potential effects at the end-of-life stage of the products is scarce. To gain a better understanding of the end-of-life waste treatment of nano-enabled consumer product, we provide an overview of the ENMs flowing into and throughout waste systems in Europe, Denmark and the United Kingdom. Using a nanoproduct inventory (nanodb.dk), we performed a four-step analysis to estimate the most abundant ENMs and in which waste fractions they are present. We found that in terms of number of products: (i) nano silver is the most used ENM in consumer products, and (ii) plastic from used product containers is the largest waste fraction also comprising a large variety of ENMs, though possibly in very small masses. Also, we showed that the local waste management system can influence the distribution of ENMs. It is recommended that future research focus on recycling and landfilling of nano-enabled products since these compartments represent hot spots for end-of-life nanoproducts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Food Safety of Livestock Products (Meatball, Corned Beef, Beef Burger and Sausage Studied from Heavy Metal Residues Contamination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E Harlia

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The aims of animal husbandry improvements are to increase both the quality and the quantity of livestock production and to ensure the safety of the product. It is necessarry for consumers to pay attention to the food safety of livestock product because it is related to human's health. The research was conducted to determine the food safety of livestock product condition by detecting heavy metal residues on several food products from livestock like meatball, corned beef, burger’s beef, and sausages. This research was explored by using survey's method and purposive technique sampling, then the resulted data were descriptively analyzed. The observed variables were heavy metal contents such as Plumbum (Pb and Cadmium (Cd in which being measured by using AAS (Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometri . The result showed that in general, heavy metal residue of Pb from several livestock products (meatball, corned beef, beef burger, and sausages were smaller than Maximum Residue Limit (MRL, while the Cd’s residue was partly over the MRL concentration, therefore further action has to be taken as it affects the human's health. (Animal Production 12(1: 50-54 (2010 Key words : food safety, MRL, heavy metal Pb, Cd.

Preliminary investigation of a technique to separate fission noble metals from fission-product mixtures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mellinger, G.B.; Jensen, G.A.

1982-08-01

A variation of the gold-ore fire assay technique was examined as a method for recovering Pd, Rh and Ru from fission products. The mixture of fission product oxides is combined with glass-forming chemicals, a metal oxide such as PbO (scavenging agent), and a reducing agent such as charcoal. When this mixture is melted, a metal button is formed which extracts the noble metals. The remainder cools to form a glass for nuclear waste storage. Recovery depended only on reduction of the scavenger oxide to metal. When such reduction was achieved, no difference in noble metal recovery efficiency was found among the scavengers studied (PbO, SnO, CuO, Bi 2 O 3 , Sb 2 O 3 ). Not all reducing agents studied, however, were able to reduce all scavenger oxides to metal. Only graphite would reduce SnO and CuO and allow noble metal recovery. The scavenger oxides Sb 2 O 3 , Bi 2 O 3 , and PbO, however, were reduced by all of the reducing agents tested. Similar noble metal recovery was found with each. Lead oxide was found to be the most promising of the potential scavengers. It was reduced by all of the reducing agents tested, and its higher density may facilitate the separation. Use of lead oxide also appeared to have no deterimental effect on the glass quality. Charcoal was identified as the preferred reducing agent. As long as a separable metal phase was formed in the melt, noble metal recovery was not dependent on the amount of reducing agent and scavenger oxide. High glass viscosities inhibited separation of the molten scavenger, while low viscosities allowed volatile loss of RuO 4 . A viscosity of approx. 20 poise at the processing temperature offered a good compromise between scavenger separation and Ru recovery. Glasses in which PbO was used as the scavenging agent were homogeneous in appearance. Resistance to leaching was close to that of certain waste glasses reported in the literature. 12 figures. 7 tables

Optimization of exopolysaccharide production from Pseudomonas stutzeri AS22 and examination of its metal-binding abilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Maalej, H; Hmidet, N; Boisset, C; Buon, L; Heyraud, A; Nasri, M

2015-02-01

To investigate the effect of culture conditions and medium components on exopolysaccharide (EPS) production by Pseudomonas stutzeri AS22 and to access the EPS performance as a metal-binding exopolysaccharide. The EPS production conditions of Ps. stutzeri AS22 in submerged culture were optimized using two approaches for EPS quantification, and its metal-binding capacity was evaluated using both single and mixed metal ions systems. Maximum EPS level was achieved after 24 h of incubation at 30°C with an initial pH of 8.0, 250 rev min(-1) stirring level and 10% inoculum size. 50 g l(-1) starch, 5 g l(-1) yeast extract, 0.5 g l(-1) NaCl, 1.4 g l(-1) K2 HPO4, 0.4 g l(-1) MgSO4, 0.4 g l(-1) CaCl2 and 1 g l(-1) mannose were found to be the most suitable carbon, nitrogen, mineral and additional carbohydrate sources, respectively. From metal-binding experiments, the crude EPS showed interesting metal adsorption capacity adopting the order Pb > Co > Fe > Cu > Cd. Lead was preferentially biosorbed with a maximal uptake of 460 mg g(-1) crude EPS. Under the optimal culture requirements, EPS level reached 10.2 g l(-1) after 24 h of fermentation, seven times more than the production under initial conditions. According to the metal-binding assay, the crude EPS has potential to be used as a novel biosorbent in the treatment of heavy metals-contaminated water. Our results are interesting in terms of yield as well as efficiency for the potential use of the Ps. stutzeri exopolysaccharide as a metal-absorbent polymer in the bioremediation field. © 2014 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Production and repair of metal supports as an indispensable activity of the Georgi Dimitrov mining and power combine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mladenov, O

1979-07-01

Georgi Dimitrov underground mines have favoured metal supports over concrete slabs and timber since 1972 because of their well known advantages and because metal supports lend themselves to easy handling by 4-PU combines and 1PNB-2 loading machines. To eliminate bottlenecks and high costs of procurement from a central base individual mines were charged with production of their own metal supports. This resulted in some new developments, for example, in the production of supports with a 3.16 times greater capacity in the Marshall Tolbukhin and Al. Milenov mines in 1978. Hydraulic presses are generally used to produce conventional arch and ring type supports, and the Polish make PHPG-100 press is used for repairs. Decentralization also caused problems: different length timber and metal supports often necessitate additional cutting operations, a multitude of machines cause increased manual handling, and equipment is too often adapted to special requirements of individual shifts. However, costs of metal supports have dropped about 15%. Further improvement would require that the production of metal supports be centralized for the entire combine, supports be used according to their strength, and screw joinings be replaced with cotter type fastenings.

Mass spectrometric production of heterogeneous metal clusters using Knudsen cell

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Veljković Filip M.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Knudsen effusion mass spectrometry or high-temperature method of mass spectrometry for decades gives new information about saturated vapor of hardly volatile compounds and it is an important method in the discovery of many new molecules, radicals, ions and clusters present in the gas phase. Since pioneering works until now, this method has been successfully applied to a large number of systems (ores, oxides, ceramics, glass materials, borides, carbides, sulfides, nitrates, metals, fullerenes, etc which led to the establishment of various research branches such as chemistry of clusters. This paper describes the basic principles of Knudsen cell use for both identification of chemical species created in the process of evaporation and determination of their ionization energies. Depending on detected ions intensities and the partial pressure of each gaseous component, as well as on changes in partial pressure with temperature, Knudsen cell mass spectrometry enables the determination of thermodynamic parameters of the tested system. A special attention is paid to its application in the field of small heterogeneous and homogeneous clusters of alkali metals. Furthermore, experimental results for thermodynamic parameters of some clusters, as well as capabilities of non-standard ways of using Knudsen cells in the process of synthesis of new clusters are presented herein. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 172019

Uptake and distribution of soil-applied labelled heavy metals in cereal plants and products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oberlaender, H.E.; Roth, K.

1983-01-01

In the present paper investigations are described on the uptake, distribution and translocation of mercury, cadmium, chromium and zinc by spring and winter varieties of wheat, rye and barley. Pot experiments were carried out at low concentrations of the heavy metals in order to avoid growth interference during the uptake. Using radioisotopes the pathway of the metals was traced through different organs into the milling products. An ion-exchanger was added to the soils and its efficiency of reducing the uptake of the metals by the plants was tested

Evaluation of human exposure to metals from some commonly used hair care products in Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chukwujindu M.A. Iwegbue

Full Text Available The concentrations of nine metals, namely, cadmium (Cd, lead (Pb, chromium (Cr, copper (Cu, cobalt (Co, nickel (Ni, manganese (Mn, zinc (Zn, and iron (Fe, were determined in 26 brands of hair care products including hair relaxers, conditioners and shampoos. The study was aimed at providing information on the possible risks arising from heavy metals associated with the use of these products. The concentrations of the metals were determined by means of atomic absorption spectrophotometry after digestion of the samples with a mixture of acids. The concentrations of the respective metals in hair relaxers, shampoos and conditioners were found to be 0.8–2.5, 0.6–3.0, metals were below their respective provisional tolerable daily intakes (PTDI/recommended daily intakes (RDI, while the margins of safety were greater than 100 which indicate that these products are safe to use. Keywords: Metals, Systemic exposure dosage, Margin of safety, Risk assessment, Hair care products, Nigeria

Impact of toxic heavy metals and pesticide residues in herbal products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nema S. Shaban

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Medicinal plants have a long history of use in therapy throughout the world and still make an important part of traditional medicine. The World Health Organization (WHO estimates that 65%–80% of the world's populations depend on the herbal products as their primary form of health care. This review is conducted to provide a general idea about chemical contaminants such as heavy metals and pesticide residues as major common contaminants of the herbal medicine, which impose serious health risks to human health. Additionally, we aim to provide different analytical methods for analysis of heavy metals and pesticide residues in the herbal medicine.

Mass production of multi-wall carbon nanotubes by metal dusting process with high yield

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghorbani, H. [School of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Narmak, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Rashidi, A.M., E-mail: Rashidiam@ripi.ir [Nanotechnology Research Center, Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI), West Blvd. Azadi Sport Complex, P.O. Box 14665-1998, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Rastegari, S.; Mirdamadi, S. [School of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Narmak, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Alaei, M. [Nanotechnology Research Center, Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI), West Blvd. Azadi Sport Complex, P.O. Box 14665-1998, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2011-05-15

Research highlights: {yields} Synthesis of carbon nanotubes over Fe-Ni nanoparticles supported alloy 304L. {yields} Production of carbon nanotubes with high yield (700-1000%) and low cost catalyst. {yields} Optimum growth condition is CO/H{sub 2} = 1/1, 100 cm{sup 3}/min, at 620 {sup o}C under long term repetitive thermal cycling. {yields} Possibility of the mass production by metal dusting process with low cost. -- Abstract: Carbon nanotube materials were synthesized over Fe-Ni nanoparticles generated during disintegration of the surface of alloy 304L under metal dusting environment. The metal dusting condition was simulated and optimized through exposing stainless steel samples during long term repetitive thermal cycling in CO/H{sub 2} = 1/1, total gas flow rate 100 cm{sup 3}/min, at 620 {sup o}C for 300 h. After reaction, surface morphology of the samples and also carbonaceous deposition which had grown on sample surfaces were examined by stereoscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results revealed that multi-wall carbon nanotubes could be formed over nanocatalyst generated on the alloy surface by exploiting metal dusting process. By optimization of reaction parameters the yields of carbon nanotube materials obtained were 700-1000%. Also it has been shown herein that the amount of carbon nanotube materials remarkably increases when the reaction time is extended up to 300 h, indicating a possibility of the mass production by this easy method.

Mass production of multi-wall carbon nanotubes by metal dusting process with high yield

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghorbani, H.; Rashidi, A.M.; Rastegari, S.; Mirdamadi, S.; Alaei, M.

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → Synthesis of carbon nanotubes over Fe-Ni nanoparticles supported alloy 304L. → Production of carbon nanotubes with high yield (700-1000%) and low cost catalyst. → Optimum growth condition is CO/H 2 = 1/1, 100 cm 3 /min, at 620 o C under long term repetitive thermal cycling. → Possibility of the mass production by metal dusting process with low cost. -- Abstract: Carbon nanotube materials were synthesized over Fe-Ni nanoparticles generated during disintegration of the surface of alloy 304L under metal dusting environment. The metal dusting condition was simulated and optimized through exposing stainless steel samples during long term repetitive thermal cycling in CO/H 2 = 1/1, total gas flow rate 100 cm 3 /min, at 620 o C for 300 h. After reaction, surface morphology of the samples and also carbonaceous deposition which had grown on sample surfaces were examined by stereoscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results revealed that multi-wall carbon nanotubes could be formed over nanocatalyst generated on the alloy surface by exploiting metal dusting process. By optimization of reaction parameters the yields of carbon nanotube materials obtained were 700-1000%. Also it has been shown herein that the amount of carbon nanotube materials remarkably increases when the reaction time is extended up to 300 h, indicating a possibility of the mass production by this easy method.

Engineering bacterial biopolymers for the biosorption of heavy metals; new products and novel formulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gutnick, D.L.; Bach, H.

2000-01-01

Bioremediation of heavy metal pollution remains a major challenge in environmental biotechnology. One of the approaches considered for application involves biosorption either to biomass or to isolated biopolymers. Many bacterial polysaccharides have been shown to bind heavy metals with varying degrees of specificity and affinity. While various approaches have been adopted to generate polysaccharide variants altered in both structure and activity, metal biosorption has not been examined. Polymer engineering has included structural modification through the introduction of heterologous genes of the biosynthetic pathway into specific mutants, leading either to alterations in polysaccharide backbone or side chains, or to sugar modification. In addition, novel formulations can be designed which enlarge the family of available bacterial biopolymers for metal-binding and subsequent recovery. An example discussed here is the use of amphipathic bioemulsifiers such as emulsan, produced by the oil-degrading Acinetobacter lwoffii RAG-1, that forms stable, concentrated (70%), oil-in-water emulsions (emulsanosols). In this system metal ions bind primarily at the oil/water interface, enabling their recovery and concentration from relatively dilute solutions. In addition to the genetic modifications described above, a new approach to the generation of amphipathic bioemulsifying formulations is based on the interaction of native or recombinant esterase and its derivatives with emulsan and other water-soluble biopolymers. Cation-binding emulsions are generated from a variety of hydrophobic substrates. The features of these and other systems will be discussed, together with a brief consideratiton of possible applications. (orig.)

Regional models of metal production in Western Asia in the Chalcolithic, Early and Middle Bronze Ages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Avilova, Liudmila

2008-06-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work is the reconstruction and comparative analysis of regional models of metal production in the Chalcolithic, Early and Middle Bronze Ages. The work is based on the statistical analysis of unique computer database on archaeological metal finds from four regions of the Near East: Anatolia, Mesopotamia, the Levant, and Iran. The materials are analysed by four indicators: distribution by the chronological periods, artefacts’ function, proportion of used metals and copper- based alloys. The author presents a series of conclusions concerning the preconditions for the beginnings of metal production in Western Asia and the pioneering role of Iran in its emergence, the important role the piedmont territories played in the development of metal production, the leap-like pattern of production dynamics shown by the periods, and its relation to the spread of a producing economy, long-distance exchange, and the emergence of the early civilizations.

El objetivo de este trabajo es la reconstrucción y análisis comparativo de modelos regionales de producción metalúrgica del Calcolítico y la Edad del Bronce Inicial y Media. Se basa en el análisis estadístico de una base de datos única sobre hallazgos metálicos de cuatro regiones del Próximo Oriente: Anatolia, Mesopotamia, el Levante e Irán. Los materiales se analizan atendiendo a cuatro variables: períodos cronológicos, función de los artefactos, proporción de los metales usados y las distintas aleaciones del cobre. La autora aporta una serie de conclusiones respecto a las precondiciones para los inicios de la producción metalúrgica en el Oeste Asiático; sobre el papel pionero de Irán en su aparición; la importancia de los piedemontes en su desarrollo; el patrón no continuo que se observa en las dinámicas de producción por periodos; y su relación con la expansión de la economía de producción, el intercambio a larga distancia y la aparición de las

Metallic lithium: state-of-art, production and perspectives for the Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogasawara, Tsuneharu; Almendra, Ericksson Rocha e; Silva, Flavio Teixeira da

1995-01-01

After consideration on the main lithium minerals, the metallic lithium production by lithium chloride in molten salts is reviewed. The perspective and the strategic relevance for the Brazil are examined, taking into consideration the various applications, specifically high energy density batteries with emphasis on thermal batteries, and batteries operating at ambient temperature

'Ethos' Enabling Organisational Knowledge Creation

Science.gov (United States)

Matsudaira, Yoshito

This paper examines knowledge creation in relation to improvements on the production line in the manufacturing department of Nissan Motor Company and aims to clarify embodied knowledge observed in the actions of organisational members who enable knowledge creation will be clarified. For that purpose, this study adopts an approach that adds a first, second, and third-person's viewpoint to the theory of knowledge creation. Embodied knowledge, observed in the actions of organisational members who enable knowledge creation, is the continued practice of 'ethos' (in Greek) founded in Nissan Production Way as an ethical basis. Ethos is knowledge (intangible) assets for knowledge creating companies. Substantiated analysis classifies ethos into three categories: the individual, team and organisation. This indicates the precise actions of the organisational members in each category during the knowledge creation process. This research will be successful in its role of showing the indispensability of ethos - the new concept of knowledge assets, which enables knowledge creation -for future knowledge-based management in the knowledge society.

Liquid metals: fundamentals and applications in chemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Daeneke, T; Khoshmanesh, K; Mahmood, N; de Castro, I A; Esrafilzadeh, D; Barrow, S J; Dickey, M D; Kalantar-Zadeh, K

2018-04-03

Post-transition elements, together with zinc-group metals and their alloys belong to an emerging class of materials with fascinating characteristics originating from their simultaneous metallic and liquid natures. These metals and alloys are characterised by having low melting points (i.e. between room temperature and 300 °C), making their liquid state accessible to practical applications in various fields of physical chemistry and synthesis. These materials can offer extraordinary capabilities in the synthesis of new materials, catalysis and can also enable novel applications including microfluidics, flexible electronics and drug delivery. However, surprisingly liquid metals have been somewhat neglected by the wider research community. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals underlying liquid metal research, including liquid metal synthesis, surface functionalisation and liquid metal enabled chemistry. Furthermore, we discuss phenomena that warrant further investigations in relevant fields and outline how liquid metals can contribute to exciting future applications.

Nonplanar Nanoscale Fin Field Effect Transistors on Textile, Paper, Wood, Stone, and Vinyl via Soft Material-Enabled Double-Transfer Printing.

Science.gov (United States)

Rojas, Jhonathan P; Torres Sevilla, Galo A; Alfaraj, Nasir; Ghoneim, Mohamed T; Kutbee, Arwa T; Sridharan, Ashvitha; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

2015-05-26

The ability to incorporate rigid but high-performance nanoscale nonplanar complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) electronics with curvilinear, irregular, or asymmetric shapes and surfaces is an arduous but timely challenge in enabling the production of wearable electronics with an in situ information-processing ability in the digital world. Therefore, we are demonstrating a soft-material enabled double-transfer-based process to integrate flexible, silicon-based, nanoscale, nonplanar, fin-shaped field effect transistors (FinFETs) and planar metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) on various asymmetric surfaces to study their compatibility and enhanced applicability in various emerging fields. FinFET devices feature sub-20 nm dimensions and state-of-the-art, high-κ/metal gate stacks, showing no performance alteration after the transfer process. A further analysis of the transferred MOSFET devices, featuring 1 μm gate length, exhibits an ION value of nearly 70 μA/μm (VDS = 2 V, VGS = 2 V) and a low subthreshold swing of around 90 mV/dec, proving that a soft interfacial material can act both as a strong adhesion/interposing layer between devices and final substrate as well as a means to reduce strain, which ultimately helps maintain the device's performance with insignificant deterioration even at a high bending state.

Inorganic-Organic Coating via Molecular Layer Deposition Enables Long Life Sodium Metal Anode.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yang; Goncharova, Lyudmila V; Zhang, Qian; Kaghazchi, Payam; Sun, Qian; Lushington, Andrew; Wang, Biqiong; Li, Ruying; Sun, Xueliang

2017-09-13

Metallic Na anode is considered as a promising alternative candidate for Na ion batteries (NIBs) and Na metal batteries (NMBs) due to its high specific capacity, and low potential. However, the unstable solid electrolyte interphase layer caused by serious corrosion and reaction in electrolyte will lead to big challenges, including dendrite growth, low Coulombic efficiency and even safety issues. In this paper, we first demonstrate the inorganic-organic coating via advanced molecular layer deposition (alucone) as a protective layer for metallic Na anode. By protecting Na anode with controllable alucone layer, the dendrites and mossy Na formation have been effectively suppressed and the lifetime has been significantly improved. Moreover, the molecular layer deposition alucone coating shows better performances than the atomic layer deposition Al 2 O 3 coating. The novel design of molecular layer deposition protected Na metal anode may bring in new opportunities to the realization of the next-generation high energy-density NIBs and NMBs.

Control of Orphan Sources and Other Radioactive Material in the Metal Recycling and Production Industries. Specific Safety Guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

Accidents involving orphan sources and other radioactive material in the metal recycling and production industries have resulted in serious radiological accidents as … well as in harmful environmental, social and economic impacts. This Safety Guide provides recommendations, the implementation of which should prevent such accidents and provide confidence that scrap metal and recycled products are safe. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Protection of people and the environment; 3. Responsibilities; 4. Monitoring for radioactive material; 5. Response to the discovery of radioactive material; 6. Remediation of contaminated areas; 7. Management of recovered radioactive material; Annex I: Review of events involving radioactive material in the metal recycling and production industries; Annex II: Categorization of radioactive sources; Annex III: Some examples of national and international initiatives

Control of Orphan Sources and Other Radioactive Material in the Metal Recycling and Production Industries. Specific Safety Guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-01-01

Accidents involving orphan sources and other radioactive material in the metal recycling and production industries have resulted in serious radiological accidents as well as in harmful environmental, social and economic impacts. This Safety Guide provides recommendations, the implementation of which should prevent such accidents and provide confidence that scrap metal and recycled products are safe. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Protection of people and the environment; 3. Responsibilities; 4. Monitoring for radioactive material; 5. Response to the discovery of radioactive material; 6. Remediation of contaminated areas; 7. Management of recovered radioactive material; Annex I: Review of events involving radioactive material in the metal recycling and production industries; Annex II: Categorization of radioactive sources; Annex III: Some examples of national and international initiatives.

Self-Healing Capacity of Asphalt Mixtures Including By-Products Both as Aggregates and Heating Inductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Vila-Cortavitarte, Marta; Jato-Espino, Daniel; Castro-Fresno, Daniel; Calzada-Pérez, Miguel Á

2018-05-15

Major advances have been achieved in the field of self-healing by magnetic induction in which the addition of metallic particles into asphalt mixtures enables repairing their own cracks. This technology has already been proven to increase the life expectancy of roads. Nevertheless, its higher costs in comparison with conventional maintenance caused by the price of virgin metallic particles still makes it unattractive for investment. This research aimed at making this process economically accessible as well as environmentally efficient. To this end, an intense search for suitable industrial by-products to substitute both the virgin metal particles and the natural aggregates forming asphalt mixtures was conducted. The set of by-products used included sand blasting wastes, stainless shot wastes, and polished wastes as metallic particles and other inert by-products as aggregates. The results demonstrated that the by-products were adequately heated, which leads to satisfactory healing ratios in comparison with the reference mixture.

Lithography for enabling advances in integrated circuits and devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Garner, C Michael

2012-08-28

Because the transistor was fabricated in volume, lithography has enabled the increase in density of devices and integrated circuits. With the invention of the integrated circuit, lithography enabled the integration of higher densities of field-effect transistors through evolutionary applications of optical lithography. In 1994, the semiconductor industry determined that continuing the increase in density transistors was increasingly difficult and required coordinated development of lithography and process capabilities. It established the US National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors and this was expanded in 1999 to the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors to align multiple industries to provide the complex capabilities to continue increasing the density of integrated circuits to nanometre scales. Since the 1960s, lithography has become increasingly complex with the evolution from contact printers, to steppers, pattern reduction technology at i-line, 248 nm and 193 nm wavelengths, which required dramatic improvements of mask-making technology, photolithography printing and alignment capabilities and photoresist capabilities. At the same time, pattern transfer has evolved from wet etching of features, to plasma etch and more complex etching capabilities to fabricate features that are currently 32 nm in high-volume production. To continue increasing the density of devices and interconnects, new pattern transfer technologies will be needed with options for the future including extreme ultraviolet lithography, imprint technology and directed self-assembly. While complementary metal oxide semiconductors will continue to be extended for many years, these advanced pattern transfer technologies may enable development of novel memory and logic technologies based on different physical phenomena in the future to enhance and extend information processing.

Comparative study of heavy metals content in cosmetic products of different countries marketed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hussain Ullah

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The study was undertaken in order to determine heavy metal content in fifteen (n = 15 cosmetics products both imported and locally manufactured by unauthorized company marketed at district Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. An analytical test was performed for eight metals in cosmetics products using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The overall mean (n = 15 concentration for each heavy metal was analyzed i.e. Pb, Cd, Cu, Co, Fe, Cr, Ni, Zn were 141.6 ± 0.016, 0.238 ± 0.001, 26.62 ± 0.012, 0.527 ± 0.002, 860.8 ± 0.061, 0.074 ± 0.002, 0.674 ± 0.002 and 268.6 ± 0.086 μg/g, respectively. The results of our study revealed that the concentrations of Fe, Zn, Pb and Cu in the samples within each class under investigation were higher. It also emphasize that the spurious nature of these products cannot be ignored because most of the developing and under developed countries are facing the problems to manufacture good cosmetics products. Hence, are selling these products under the brand name of well reputed national and international companies. Since no safe limit relating to cosmetic products is available in Pakistan, it is therefore difficult to ascertain if the values of metals obtained in this study are too high or low. Prolonged use of such products containing these elements may pose threat to human health and could curb the beauty of the environment.

Process model for carbothermic production of silicon metal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andresen, B.

1995-09-12

This thesis discusses an advanced dynamical two-dimensional cylinder symmetric model for the high temperature part of the carbothermic silicon metal process, and its computer encoding. The situation close to that which is believed to exist around one of three electrodes in full-scale industrial furnaces is modelled. This area comprises a gas filled cavity surrounding the lower tip of the electrode, the metal pool underneath and the lower parts of the materials above. The most important phenomena included are: Heterogeneous chemical reactions taking place in the high-temperature zone (above 1860 {sup o}C), Evaporation and condensation of silicon, Transport of materials by dripping, Turbulent or laminar fluid flow, DC electric arcs, Heat transport by convection, conduction and radiation. The results from the calculations, such as production rates, gas- and temperature distributions, furnace- and particle geometries, fluid flow fields etc, are presented graphically. In its present state the model is a prototype. The process is very complex, and the calculations are time consuming. The governing equations are coded into a Fortran 77 computer code applying the commercial 3D code FLUENT as a basis. 64 refs., 110 figs., 11 tabs.

Short-term effects of sugarcane waste products from ethanol production plant as soil amendments on sugarcane growth and metal stabilization.

Science.gov (United States)

Akkajit, Pensiri; DeSutter, Thomas; Tongcumpou, Chantra

2013-05-01

Numerous waste products have been widely studied and used as soil amendments and metal immobilizing agents. Waste utilization from ethanol production processes as soil amendments is one of the most promising and sustainable options to help utilize materials effectively, reduce waste disposal, and add value to byproducts. As a consequence, this present work carried out a four-month pot experiment of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) cultivation in Cd and Zn contaminated soil to determine the effect of three sugarcane waste products (boiler ash, filter cake and vinasse) as soil amendment on sugarcane growth, metal translocation and accumulation in sugarcane, and fractionation of Cd and Zn in soil by the BCR sequential extraction. Four treatments were tested: (1) non-amended soil; (2) 3% w/w boiler ash; (3) 3% w/w filter cake; and (4) a combination of 1.5% boiler ash and 1.5% vinasse (w/w). Our findings showed the improved biomass production of sugarcanes; 6 and 3-fold higher for the above ground parts (from 8.5 to 57.6 g per plant) and root (from 2.1 to 6.59 g per plant), respectively, as compared to non-amended soil. Although there was no significant difference in Cd and Zn uptake in sugarcane (mg kg(-1)) between the non-amended soil and the treated soils (0.44 to 0.52 mg Cd kg(-1) and 39.9 to 48.1 mg Zn kg(-1), respectively), the reduction of the most bioavailable Cd concentration (BCR1 + 2) in the treated soils (35.4-54.5%) and the transformation of metal into an insoluble fraction (BCR3) highlighted the beneficial effects of sugarcane waste-products in promoting the sugarcane growth and Cd stabilization in soil.

Heavy metal content of selected personal care products (PCPs available in Ibadan, Nigeria and their toxic effects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sunday Samuel Omenka

Full Text Available There is a growing concern on heavy metals in consumer products due to their potential human health risks and environmental effects. In this study, the levels of zinc, cadmium, lead and nickel were assessed in 3 different classes of personal care products commonly used in Ibadan, Nigeria. Samples were analysed for heavy metals using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS after acid digestion. Estimated daily intake (EDI of the metals and Health Risk Index (HRI were calculated to assess the human health risks associated with the use of these PCPs. The concentrations (mg/kg of zinc ranged from 3.75 to 19.3, 1.88 to 112,000 and 19.8 to 217 respectively in creams, powders and eyeliners. Cadmium ranged from ND—0.50, ND—36.3 and ND—0.50 mg/kg while lead ranged from ND—6.25, ND—468 and 3.73–27.5 mg/kg and nickel ranged from ND—6.25, 0.13–107 and 2.75–22.7 mg/kg respectively. There were high concentrations of Cd, Pb and Ni in some of the samples when compared with the available permissible limits in cosmetics (Cd: 0.3 ppm, Pb: 10 ppm and Ni: 0.6 ppm while there is no permissible limit for Zn in cosmetics currently available. Prolonged use of PCPs may pose human health and environmental risks due to toxic metal loading through dermal contact and accumulation over a period of time. Hence, the need for necessary government agencies to regulate and enforce toxic metals in consumer products including cosmetics produced and imported into Nigeria to safeguard public health and the environment, which is the final sink. Keywords: Heavy metals, Personal care products, Health effects, Dermal contact, Exposure

Rare-earth-metal nitridophosphates through high-pressure metathesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kloss, Simon David; Schnick, Wolfgang

2015-01-01

Developing a synthetic method to target an broad spectrum of unknown phases can lead to fascinating discoveries. The preparation of the first rare-earth-metal nitridophosphate LiNdP_4N_8 is reported. High-pressure solid-state metathesis between LiPN_2 and NdF_3 was employed to yield a highly crystalline product. The in situ formed LiF is believed to act both as the thermodynamic driving force and as a flux to aiding single-crystal formation in dimensions suitable for crystal structure analysis. Magnetic properties stemming from Nd"3"+ ions were measured by SQUID magnetometry. LiNdP_4N_8 serves as a model system for the exploration of rare-earth-metal nitridophosphates that may even be expanded to transition metals. High-pressure metathesis enables the systematic study of these uncharted regions of nitride-based materials with unprecedented properties. (copyright 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Recovery of fluorine, uranium, and rare earth metal values from phosphoric acid by-product brine raffinate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wamser, C.A.; Bruen, C.P.

1976-01-01

A method for recovering substantially all of the fluorine and uranium values and at least 90 percent of the rare earth metal values from brine raffinate obtained as by-product in the production of phosphoric acid by the hydrochloric acid decomposition of tricalcium phosphate minerals is described. A basically reacting compound is added to the brine raffinate to effect a pH 9 or greater, whereby fluorine, uranium and rare earth metal values are simultaneously precipitated. These values may then be separately recovered from the precipitate by known processes

Performance Testing of Molten Regolith Electrolysis with Transfer of Molten Material for the Production of Oxygen and Metals on the Moon

Science.gov (United States)

Sibille, Laurent; Sadoway, Donald; Tripathy, Prabhat; Standish, Evan; Sirk, Aislinn; Melendez, Orlando; Stefanescu, Doru

2010-01-01

Previously, we have demonstrated the production of oxygen by electrolysis of molten regolith simulants at temperatures near 1600 C. Using an inert anode and suitable cathode, direct electrolysis (no supporting electrolyte) of the molten silicate is carried out, resulting in the production of molten metallic products at the cathode and oxygen gas at the anode. Initial direct measurements of current efficiency have confirmed that the process offer potential advantages of high oxygen production rates in a smaller footprint facility landed on the moon, with a minimum of consumables brought from Earth. We now report the results of a scale-up effort toward the goal of achieving production rates equivalent to 1 metric ton O2/year, a benchmark established for the support of a lunar base. We previously reported on the electrochemical behavior of the molten electrolyte as dependent on anode material, sweep rate and electrolyte composition in batches of 20-200g and at currents of less than 0.5 A. In this paper, we present the results of experiments performed at currents up to 10 Amperes) and in larger volumes of regolith simulant (500 g - 1 kg) for longer durations of electrolysis. The technical development of critical design components is described, including: inert anodes capable of passing continuous currents of several Amperes, container materials selection, direct gas analysis capability to determine the gas components co-evolving with oxygen. To allow a continuous process, a system has been designed and tested to enable the withdrawal of cathodically-reduced molten metals and spent molten oxide electrolyte. The performance of the withdrawal system is presented and critiqued. The design of the electrolytic cell and the configuration of the furnace were supported by modeling the thermal environment of the system in an effort to realize a balance between external heating and internal joule heating. We will discuss the impact these simulations and experimental findings have

Environmental Benign Process for Production of Molybdenum Metal from Sulphide Based Minerals

Science.gov (United States)

Rajput, Priyanka; Janakiram, Vangada; Jayasankar, Kalidoss; Angadi, Shivakumar; Bhoi, Bhagyadhar; Mukherjee, Partha Sarathi

2017-10-01

Molybdenum is a strategic and high temperature refractory metal which is not found in nature in free state, it is predominantly found in earth's crust in the form of MoO3/MoS2. The main disadvantage of the industrial treatment of Mo concentrate is that the process contains many stages and requires very high temperature. Almost in every step many gaseous, liquid, solid chemical substances are formed which require further treatment. To overcome the above drawback, a new alternative one step novel process is developed for the treatment of sulphide and trioxide molybdenum concentrates. This paper presents the results of the investigations on molybdenite dissociation (MoS2) using microwave assisted plasma unit as well as transferred arc thermal plasma torch. It is a single step process for the preparation of pure molybdenum metal from MoS2 by hydrogen reduction in thermal plasma. Process variable such as H2 gas, Ar gas, input current, voltage and time have been examined to prepare molybdenum metal. Molybdenum recovery of the order of 95% was achieved. The XRD results confirm the phases of molybdenum metal and the chemical analysis of the end product indicate the formation of metallic molybdenum (Mo 98%).

Trace Metal Requirements for Microbial Enzymes Involved in the Production and Consumption of Methane and Nitrous Oxide

Science.gov (United States)

Glass, Jennifer B.; Orphan, Victoria J.

2011-01-01

Fluxes of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere are heavily influenced by microbiological activity. Microbial enzymes involved in the production and consumption of greenhouse gases often contain metal cofactors. While extensive research has examined the influence of Fe bioavailability on microbial CO2 cycling, fewer studies have explored metal requirements for microbial production and consumption of the second- and third-most abundant greenhouse gases, methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). Here we review the current state of biochemical, physiological, and environmental research on transition metal requirements for microbial CH4 and N2O cycling. Methanogenic archaea require large amounts of Fe, Ni, and Co (and some Mo/W and Zn). Low bioavailability of Fe, Ni, and Co limits methanogenesis in pure and mixed cultures and environmental studies. Anaerobic methane oxidation by anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME) likely occurs via reverse methanogenesis since ANME possess most of the enzymes in the methanogenic pathway. Aerobic CH4 oxidation uses Cu or Fe for the first step depending on Cu availability, and additional Fe, Cu, and Mo for later steps. N2O production via classical anaerobic denitrification is primarily Fe-based, whereas aerobic pathways (nitrifier denitrification and archaeal ammonia oxidation) require Cu in addition to, or possibly in place of, Fe. Genes encoding the Cu-containing N2O reductase, the only known enzyme capable of microbial N2O conversion to N2, have only been found in classical denitrifiers. Accumulation of N2O due to low Cu has been observed in pure cultures and a lake ecosystem, but not in marine systems. Future research is needed on metalloenzymes involved in the production of N2O by enrichment cultures of ammonia oxidizing archaea, biological mechanisms for scavenging scarce metals, and possible links between metal bioavailability and greenhouse gas fluxes in anaerobic environments where metals may be limiting due to sulfide-metal

Plant growth promotion, metabolite production and metal tolerance of dark septate endophytes isolated from metal-polluted poplar phytomanagement sites.

Science.gov (United States)

Berthelot, Charlotte; Leyval, Corinne; Foulon, Julie; Chalot, Michel; Blaudez, Damien

2016-10-01

Numerous studies address the distribution and the diversity of dark septate endophytes (DSEs) in the literature, but little is known about their ecological role and their effect on host plants, especially in metal-polluted soils. Seven DSE strains belonging to Cadophora, Leptodontidium, Phialophora and Phialocephala were isolated from roots of poplar trees from metal-polluted sites. All strains developed on a wide range of carbohydrates, including cell-wall-related compounds. The strains evenly colonized birch, eucalyptus and ryegrass roots in re-synthesis experiments. Root and shoot growth promotion was observed and was both plant and strain dependent. Two Phialophora and Leptodontidium strains particularly improved plant growth. However, there was no correlation between the level of root colonization by DSEs and the intensity of growth promotion. All strains produced auxin and six also stimulated plant growth through the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). SPME-GC/MS analyses revealed four major VOCs emitted by Cadophora and Leptodontidium The strains exhibited growth at high concentrations of several metals. The ability of metal-resistant DSE strains to produce both soluble and volatile compounds for plant growth promotion indicates interesting microbial resources with high potential to support sustainable production of bioenergy crops within the context of the phytomanagement of metal-contaminated sites. © FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

High charge state metal ion production in vacuum arc ion sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, I.G.; Anders, A.; Anders, S.

1994-01-01

The vacuum arc is a rich source of highly ionized metal plasma that can be used to make a high current metal ion source. Vacuum arc ion sources have been developed for a range of applications including ion implantation for materials surface modification, particle accelerator injection for fundamental nuclear physics research, and other fundamental and applied purposes. Typically the source is repetitively pulsed with pulse length of order a millisecond and duty cycle or order 1% and operation of a dc embodiment has been demonstrated also. Beams have been produced from over 50 of the solid metals of the periodic table, with mean ion energy up to several hundred keV and with peak (pulsed) beam current up to several amperes. The ion charge state distribution has been extensively studied. Ion spectra have been measured for a wide range of metallic cathode materials, including Li, C, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ge, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Pd, Ag, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Hf, Ta, W, Ir, Pt, Au, Pb, Bi, Th and U, as well as compound and alloy cathode materials such as TiC, SiC, UC, PbS, brass, and stainless steel. The ions generated are in general multiply-stripped with a mean charge state of from 1 to 3, depending on the particular metal species, and the charge state distribution can have components from Q = 1+ to 6+. Here the authors review the characteristics of vacuum arc ion sources from the perspective of their high charge state metal ion production

Electrolytic production of metals using a resistant anode

Science.gov (United States)

Tarcy, G.P.; Gavasto, T.M.; Ray, S.P.

1986-11-04

An electrolytic process is described comprising evolving oxygen on an anode in a molten salt, the anode comprising an alloy comprising a first metal and a second metal, both metals forming oxides, the oxide of the first metal being more resistant than the second metal to attack by the molten salt, the oxide of the second metal being more resistant than the first metal to the diffusion of oxygen. The electrode may also be formed of CuAlO[sub 2] and/or Cu[sub 2]O. 2 figs.

Nanomaterials derived from metal-organic frameworks

Science.gov (United States)

Dang, Song; Zhu, Qi-Long; Xu, Qiang

2018-01-01

The thermal transformation of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) generates a variety of nanostructured materials, including carbon-based materials, metal oxides, metal chalcogenides, metal phosphides and metal carbides. These derivatives of MOFs have characteristics such as high surface areas, permanent porosities and controllable functionalities that enable their good performance in sensing, gas storage, catalysis and energy-related applications. Although progress has been made to tune the morphologies of MOF-derived structures at the nanometre scale, it remains crucial to further our knowledge of the relationship between morphology and performance. In this Review, we summarize the synthetic strategies and optimized methods that enable control over the size, morphology, composition and structure of the derived nanomaterials. In addition, we compare the performance of materials prepared by the MOF-templated strategy and other synthetic methods. Our aim is to reveal the relationship between the morphology and the physico-chemical properties of MOF-derived nanostructures to optimize their performance for applications such as sensing, catalysis, and energy storage and conversion.

In-bed accountability of tritium in production scale metal hydride storage beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klein, J.E.

1995-01-01

An ''in-bed accountability'' (IBA) flowing gas calorimetric measurement method has been developed and implemented to eliminate the need to remove tritium from production scale metal hydride storage beds for inventory measurement purposes. Six-point tritium IBA calibration curves have been completed for two, 390 gram tritium metal hydride storage beds. The calibration curves for the two tritium beds are similar to those obtained from the ''cold'' test program. Tritium inventory errors at the 95 percent confidence level ranged from ± 7.3 to 8.6 grams for the cold test results compared to ± 4.2 to 7.5 grams obtained for the two tritium calibrated beds

Metals production

Science.gov (United States)

Beck, Theodore S.

1992-01-01

Existing procedures for design of electrochemical plants can be used for design of lunar processes taking into consideration the differences in environmental conditions. These differences include: 1/6 Earth gravity, high vacuum, solar electrical and heat source, space radiation heat sink, long days and nights, and different availability and economics of materials, energy, and labor. Techniques have already been developed for operation of relatively small scale hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell systems used in the U.S. lunar landing program. Design and operation of lunar aqueous electrolytic process plants appears to be within the state-of-the-art. Finding or developing compatible materials for construction and designing of fused-magma metal winning cells will present a real engineering challenge.

CMOS Enabled Microfluidic Systems for Healthcare Based Applications

KAUST Repository

Khan, Sherjeel M.; Gumus, Abdurrahman; Nassar, Joanna M.; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

2018-01-01

With the increased global population, it is more important than ever to expand accessibility to affordable personalized healthcare. In this context, a seamless integration of microfluidic technology for bioanalysis and drug delivery and complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology enabled data-management circuitry is critical. Therefore, here, the fundamentals, integration aspects, and applications of CMOS-enabled microfluidic systems for affordable personalized healthcare systems are presented. Critical components, like sensors, actuators, and their fabrication and packaging, are discussed and reviewed in detail. With the emergence of the Internet-of-Things and the upcoming Internet-of-Everything for a people-process-data-device connected world, now is the time to take CMOS-enabled microfluidics technology to as many people as possible. There is enormous potential for microfluidic technologies in affordable healthcare for everyone, and CMOS technology will play a major role in making that happen.

CMOS Enabled Microfluidic Systems for Healthcare Based Applications

KAUST Repository

Khan, Sherjeel M.

2018-02-27

With the increased global population, it is more important than ever to expand accessibility to affordable personalized healthcare. In this context, a seamless integration of microfluidic technology for bioanalysis and drug delivery and complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology enabled data-management circuitry is critical. Therefore, here, the fundamentals, integration aspects, and applications of CMOS-enabled microfluidic systems for affordable personalized healthcare systems are presented. Critical components, like sensors, actuators, and their fabrication and packaging, are discussed and reviewed in detail. With the emergence of the Internet-of-Things and the upcoming Internet-of-Everything for a people-process-data-device connected world, now is the time to take CMOS-enabled microfluidics technology to as many people as possible. There is enormous potential for microfluidic technologies in affordable healthcare for everyone, and CMOS technology will play a major role in making that happen.

Heavy Metals in the Vegetables Collected from Production Sites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hassan Taghipour

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Contamination of vegetable crops (as an important part of people's diet with heavy metals is a health concern. Therefore, monitoring levels of heavy metals in vegetables can provide useful information for promoting food safety. The present study was carried out in north-west of Iran (Tabriz on the content of heavy metals in vegetable crops. Methods: Samples of vegetables including kurrat (n=20 (Allium ampeloprasumssp. Persicum, onion (n=20 (Allium cepa and tomato (n=18 (Lycopersiconesculentum var. esculentum, were collected from production sites in west of Tabriz and analyzed for presence of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS after extraction by aqua regia method (drying, grounding and acid digestion. Results: Mean ± SD (mg/kg DW concentrations of Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni and Zn were 0.32 ± 0.58, 28.86 ± 28.79, 1.75 ± 2.05, 6.37± 5.61 and 58.01 ± 27.45, respectively. Cr, Cu and Zn were present in all the samples and the highest concentrations were observed in kurrat (leek. Levels of Cd, Cr and Cu were higher than the acceptable limits. There was significant difference in levels of Cr (P<0.05 and Zn (P<0.001 among the studied vegetables. Positive correlation was observed between Cd:Cu (R=0.659, P<0.001 Cr:Ni (R=0.326, P<0.05 and Cr:Zn (R=0.308, P<0.05. Conclusion: Level of heavy metals in some of the analyzed vegetables, especially kurrat samples, was higher than the standard levels. Considering the possible health outcomes due to the consumption of contaminated vegetables, it is required to take proper actions for avoiding people's chronic exposure.

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.

Food safety of milk and dairy product of dairy cattle from heavy metal contamination

Science.gov (United States)

Harlia, E.; Rahmah, KN; Suryanto, D.

2018-01-01

Food safety of milk and dairy products is a prerequisite for consumption, which must be free from physical, biological and chemical contamination. Chemical contamination of heavy metals Pb (Plumbum/Lead) and Cd (Cadmium) is generally derived from the environment such as from water, grass, feed additives, medicines and farm equipment. The contamination of milk and dairy products can affect quality and food safety for human consumption. The aim of this research is to investigate contamination of heavy metals Pb and Cd on fresh milk, pasteurized milk, and dodol milk compared with the Maximum Residue Limits (MRL). The methods of this researched was through case study and data obtained analyzed descriptively. Milk samples were obtained from Bandung and surrounding areas. The number of samples used was 30 samples for each product: 30 samples of fresh milk directly obtained from dairy farm, 30 samples of pasteurized milk obtained from street vendors and 30 samples of dodol milk obtained from home industry. Parameters observed were heavy metal residues of Pb and Cd. The results showed that: 1) approximately 83% of fresh milk samples were contaminated by Pb which 57% samples were above MRL and 90% samples were contaminated by Cd above MRL; 2) 67% of pasteurized milk samples were contaminated by Pb below MRL; 3) 60% of dodol milk samples were contaminated by Pb and Cd above MRL.

Separation of magnesium from magnesium chloride and zirconium and/or hafnium subchlorides in the production of zirconium and/or hafnium sponge metal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abodishish, H.A.M.; Adams, R.J.; Kearl, S.R.

1992-01-01

This patent describes the producing of a refractory metal wherein a sponge refractory metal is produced as an intermediate product by the use of magnesium with the incidental production of magnesium chloride, and wherein residual magnesium is separated from the magnesium chloride and from refractory metal to a vacuum distillation step which fractionally distills the magnesium, the magnesium chloride, and the metal sub-chlorides; the steps of: recovering fractionally distilled vapors of magnesium chloride and metal sub-chlorides from a sponge refractory metal; separately condensing the vapors as separately recovered; and recycling the separately recovered magnesium at a purity of at least about 96%

Cosmic Metal Production and the Contribution of QSO Absorption Systems to the Ionizing Background

Science.gov (United States)

Madau, Piero; Shull, J. Michael

1996-01-01

The recent discovery by Cowie et al. (1995) and Tytler et al. (1995) of metals in the Ly alpha clouds shows that the intergalactic medium (IGM) at high redshift is contaminated by the products of stars and suggests that ionizing photons from massive star formation may be a significant contributor to the UV background radiation at early epochs. We assess the validity of the stellar photoionization hypothesis. Based on recent computations of metal yields and 0-star Lyman continuum (Lyc) fluxes, we find that 0.2 percent of the rest-mass energy of the metals produced is radiated as Lyc. By modeling the transfer of ionizing radiation through the IGM and the rate of chemical enrichment, we demonstrate that the background intensity of photons at 1 ryd that accompanies the production of metals in the Ly alpha forest clouds may be significant, approaching 0.5 x 10(exp -21) ergs cm squared s(-1) Hz(-1) sr(-1) at z approximately equals 3 if the Lyc escape fraction is greater than of equal to 0.25. Together with quasars, massive stars could then, in principle, provide the hydrogen and helium Lyc photons required to ionize the universe at high redshifts. We propose that observations of the He2 Gunn-Peterson effect and of the metal ionization states of the Ly alpha forest and Lyman-limit absorbers should show the signature of a stellar spectrum. We also note that the stellar photoionization model fails if a large fraction of the UV radiation emitted from stars cannot escape into the IGM, as suggested by the recent Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope observations by Leitherer et al. (1995) of low-redshift starburst galaxies, or if most of the metals observed at z is approximately 3 were produced at much earlier epochs.

Non-Planar Nano-Scale Fin Field Effect Transistors on Textile, Paper, Wood, Stone, and Vinyl via Soft Material-Enabled Double-Transfer Printing

KAUST Repository

Rojas, Jhonathan Prieto; Sevilla, Galo T.; Alfaraj, Nasir; Ghoneim, Mohamed T.; Kutbee, Arwa T.; Sridharan, Ashvitha; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

2015-01-01

The ability to incorporate rigid but high-performance nano-scale non-planar complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) electronics with curvilinear, irregular, or asymmetric shapes and surfaces is an arduous but timely challenge in enabling the production of wearable electronics with an in-situ information-processing ability in the digital world. Therefore, we are demonstrating a soft-material enabled double-transfer-based process to integrate flexible, silicon-based, nano-scale, non-planar, fin-shaped field effect transistors (FinFETs) and planar metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) on various asymmetric surfaces to study their compatibility and enhanced applicability in various emerging fields. FinFET devices feature sub-20 nm dimensions and state-of-the-art, high-κ/metal gate stack, showing no performance alteration after the transfer process. A further analysis of the transferred MOSFET devices, featuring 1 μm gate length exhibits ION ~70 μA/μm (VDS = 2 V, VGS = 2 V) and a low sub-threshold swing of around 90 mV/dec, proving that a soft interfacial material can act both as a strong adhesion/interposing layer between devices and final substrate as well as a means to reduce strain, which ultimately helps maintain the device’s performance with insignificant deterioration even at a high bending state.

Non-Planar Nano-Scale Fin Field Effect Transistors on Textile, Paper, Wood, Stone, and Vinyl via Soft Material-Enabled Double-Transfer Printing

KAUST Repository

Rojas, Jhonathan Prieto

2015-05-01

The ability to incorporate rigid but high-performance nano-scale non-planar complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) electronics with curvilinear, irregular, or asymmetric shapes and surfaces is an arduous but timely challenge in enabling the production of wearable electronics with an in-situ information-processing ability in the digital world. Therefore, we are demonstrating a soft-material enabled double-transfer-based process to integrate flexible, silicon-based, nano-scale, non-planar, fin-shaped field effect transistors (FinFETs) and planar metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) on various asymmetric surfaces to study their compatibility and enhanced applicability in various emerging fields. FinFET devices feature sub-20 nm dimensions and state-of-the-art, high-κ/metal gate stack, showing no performance alteration after the transfer process. A further analysis of the transferred MOSFET devices, featuring 1 μm gate length exhibits ION ~70 μA/μm (VDS = 2 V, VGS = 2 V) and a low sub-threshold swing of around 90 mV/dec, proving that a soft interfacial material can act both as a strong adhesion/interposing layer between devices and final substrate as well as a means to reduce strain, which ultimately helps maintain the device’s performance with insignificant deterioration even at a high bending state.

Massive production of heavy metals in the Ganga (Hooghly) River estuary, India: Global importance of solute-particle interaction and enhanced metal fluxes to the oceans

Science.gov (United States)

Samanta, Saumik; Dalai, Tarun K.

2018-05-01

The Ganga River System is a major contributor to the global sediment and water discharge to the oceans. The estuary of Ganga (Hooghly) River in India is under increasing influence of anthropogenic contributions via discharge of the industrial and urban effluents. Here we document, based on the investigation of water and suspended sediment samples collected during six periods over two years, that there is extensive production of heavy metals (Co, Ni and Cu) in the estuary such that the annual dissolved fluxes of metals from the Hooghly River are enhanced by up to 230-1770%. Furthermore, the estuarine dissolved metal fluxes, when normalized with water fluxes, are the highest among estuaries of the major rivers in the world. Our simultaneous data on the dissolved, suspended particulate and exchangeable phases allow us to identify the ion-exchange process (coupled adsorption and desorption) as the dominant contributor to the generation of heavy metals in the middle and lower estuary where the estimated anthropogenic contribution is negligible. The estimated contributions from the groundwater are also insufficient to explain the measured metal concentrations in the estuary. A strong positive correlation that is observed between the dissolved heavy metal fluxes and the suspended particulate matter (SPM) fluxes, after normalizing them with the water fluxes, for estuaries of the major global rivers imply that the solute-particle interaction is a globally significant process in the estuarine production of metals. Based on this correlation that is observed for major estuaries around the world, we demonstrate that the South Asian Rivers which supply only ∼9% of the global river water discharge but carry elevated SPM load, contribute a far more significant proportion (∼40 ± 2% Ni and 15 ± 1% Cu) to the global supply of the dissolved metals from the rivers.

Enabling technologies for oil sands development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bailey, R.T.

1998-01-01

A review of oil sands production and expansion possibilities in Alberta were presented. The enabling technologies for oil sands projects include mining (bucketwheels, draglines, trucks, shovels conveyors, slurry hydrotransport); extraction (conditioning tumblers, pipelines, tanks, hot water, caustic, cold water, frothers); froth cleaning (centrifuges, solvent treatment); tailings (tailings ponds, consolidated tailings); and upgrading (coking, hydrotreating for SCO, hydrocracking and multiple products). The enabling technologies for in situ production include cyclic steam stimulation for vertical wells, steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) for dual horizontal wells, and cold production with wormholes. This paper described the recovery potentials of each of these processes. It also discussed the role of government and industry in research and cooperative research involving both the private and public sectors. Examples of each of these were described such as SAGD, the OSLO cold water extraction process, The consolidated tailings (CT) project, the low energy extraction process (slurry production, hydrotransport, pipeline conditioning and warm water extraction), and research in fine tailings, to demonstrate that although objectives may differ, government and industry research objectives are complementary

Development of processes for the production of solar grade silicon from halides and alkali metals

Science.gov (United States)

Dickson, C. R.; Gould, R. K.

1980-01-01

High temperature reactions of silicon halides with alkali metals for the production of solar grade silicon in volume at low cost were studied. Experiments were performed to evaluate product separation and collection processes, measure heat release parameters for scaling purposes, determine the effects of reactants and/or products on materials of reactor construction, and make preliminary engineering and economic analyses of a scaled-up process.

Chemical Engineering of Photoactivity in Heterometallic Titanium-Organic Frameworks by Metal Doping.

Science.gov (United States)

Castells-Gil, Javier; Padial, Natalia M; Almora-Barrios, Neyvis; Albero, Josep; Ruiz-Salvador, A Rabdel; González-Platas, Javier; García, Hermenegildo; Martí-Gastaldo, Carlos

2018-06-06

We report a new family of titanium-organic frameworks that enlarges the limited number of crystalline, porous materials available for this metal. They are chemically robust and can be prepared as single crystals at multi-gram scale from multiple precursors. Their heterometallic structure enables engineering of their photoactivity by metal doping rather than by linker functionalization. Compared to other methodologies based on the post-synthetic metallation of MOFs, our approach is well-fitted for controlling the positioning of dopants at an atomic level to gain more precise control over the band-gap and electronic properties of the porous solid. Changes in the band-gap are also rationalized with computational modelling and experimentally confirmed by photocatalytic H 2 production. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Uranium metal production by molten salt electrolysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takasawa, Yutaka

1999-01-01

Atomic vapor laser isotope separation (AVLIS) is a promising uranium enrichment technology in the next generation. Electrolytic reduction of uranium oxides into uranium metal is proposed for the preparation of uranium metal as a feed material for AVLIS plant. Considering economical performance, continuos process concept and minimizing the amount of radioactive waste, an electrolytic process for producing uranium metal directly from uranium oxides will offer potential advantages over the existing commercial process. Studies of uranium metal by electrolysis in fluoride salts (BaF 2 -LiF-UF 4 (74-11-15 w/o) at 1150-1200degC, using both a laboratory scale apparatus and an engineering scale one, and continuous casting of uranium metal were carried out in order to decide the optimum operating conditions and the design of the industrial electrolytic cells. (author)

Impact of heavy metals on hydrogen production from organic fraction of municipal solid waste using co-culture of Enterobacter aerogenes and E. Coli.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Preeti; Melkania, Uma

2018-05-01

In the present study, the effect of heavy metals (lead, mercury, copper, and chromium) on the hydrogen production from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) was investigated using co-culture of facultative anaerobes Enterobacter aerogenes and E. coli. Heavy metals were applied at concentration range of 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 mg/L. The results revealed that lead, mercury, and chromium negatively affected hydrogen production for the range of concentrations applied. Application of copper slightly enhanced hydrogen production at low concentration and resulted in the hydrogen yield of 36.0 mLH 2 /gCarbo initial with 10 mg/L copper supplementation as compared to 24.2 mLH 2 /gCarbo initial in control. However, the higher concentration of copper (>10 mg/L) declined hydrogen production. Hydrogen production inhibition potential of heavy metals can be arranged in the following increasing order: Cu 2+  metal addition. Thus, the present study reveals that the presence of heavy metals in the feedstock is detrimental for the hydrogen production. Therefore, it is essential to remove the toxic heavy metals prior to anaerobic digestion. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

All-solid-state lithium-ion and lithium metal batteries - paving the way to large-scale production

Science.gov (United States)

Schnell, Joscha; Günther, Till; Knoche, Thomas; Vieider, Christoph; Köhler, Larissa; Just, Alexander; Keller, Marlou; Passerini, Stefano; Reinhart, Gunther

2018-04-01

Challenges and requirements for the large-scale production of all-solid-state lithium-ion and lithium metal batteries are herein evaluated via workshops with experts from renowned research institutes, material suppliers, and automotive manufacturers. Aiming to bridge the gap between materials research and industrial mass production, possible solutions for the production chains of sulfide and oxide based all-solid-state batteries from electrode fabrication to cell assembly and quality control are presented. Based on these findings, a detailed comparison of the production processes for a sulfide based all-solid-state battery with conventional lithium-ion cell production is given, showing that processes for composite electrode fabrication can be adapted with some effort, while the fabrication of the solid electrolyte separator layer and the integration of a lithium metal anode will require completely new processes. This work identifies the major steps towards mass production of all-solid-state batteries, giving insight into promising manufacturing technologies and helping stakeholders, such as machine engineering, cell producers, and original equipment manufacturers, to plan the next steps towards safer batteries with increased storage capacity.

Defectoscopy of direct laser sintered metals by low transmission ultrasonic frequencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ebersold Zoran

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on the improvement of ultrasonic defectoscopy used for machine elements produced by direct laser metal sintering. The direct laser metal sintering process introduces the mixed metal powder and performs its subsequent laser consolidation in a single production step. Mechanical elements manufactured by laser sintering often contain many hollow cells due to weight reduction. The popular pulse echo defectoscopy method employing very high frequencies of several GHz is not successful on these samples. The aim of this paper is to present quadraphonic transmission ultrasound defectoscopy which uses low range frequencies of few tens of kHz. Therefore, the advantage of this method is that it enables defectoscopy for honeycombed materials manufactured by direct laser sintering. This paper presents the results of testing performed on AlSi12 sample. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. OI 172057

Metals and cocoa products: a study on characterization of toxic and essential metals in chocolates (abstract)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rehman, S.; Husnain, S.M.

2011-01-01

In this study, a sophisticated analytical technique, atomic absorption spectrometer (both with FAAS and GFAAS modes of atomization), was used for analyzing essential and toxic metal (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb and Cd) contents in 32 commonly consumed cocoa products (chocolates) prepared by different national and multinational companies. Significant differences were observed between the micro element contents of the 32 varieties (P < 0.01). The risk posed by the quantity of heavy metals lead, cadmium and nickel present in cocoa products (chocolates) is of serious apprehension and weekly intake was calculated. The Concentration of Pb and Cd in cocoa powder is found to be highest 492 and 197 mu g/L followed by cocoa based chocolates 306 and 46.8 mu g/L, sugar based chocolates 209.8 and 40.3 mu g/L whereas it is least in milk based chocolates samples 88.3 and 33 mu g/L respectively. The concentration of Pb and Cd was found below the provisional tolerable weekly intake defined by FAO/WHO. All essential elements were assessed for their weekly intake with the dietary reference intakes. In order to validate our results, certified reference material (Wheat flour 1589, Milk powder A-11 and Milk Powder A-8) were analyzed for Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb and Cd levels. Determined concentrations were quite in good agreement with certified levels. Data was interpreted through cluster analysis and pattern recognition. (author)

PRODUCTION OF URANIUM METAL BY CARBON REDUCTION

Science.gov (United States)

Holden, R.B.; Powers, R.M.; Blaber, O.J.

1959-09-22

The preparation of uranium metal by the carbon reduction of an oxide of uranium is described. In a preferred embodiment of the invention a charge composed of carbon and uranium oxide is heated to a solid mass after which it is further heated under vacuum to a temperature of about 2000 deg C to produce a fused uranium metal. Slowly ccoling the fused mass produces a dendritic structure of uranium carbide in uranium metal. Reacting the solidified charge with deionized water hydrolyzes the uranium carbide to finely divide uranium dioxide which can be separated from the coarser uranium metal by ordinary filtration methods.

Titanium Metal Powder Production by the Plasma Quench Process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

R. A. Cordes; A. Donaldson

2000-09-01

The goals of this project included the scale-up of the titanium hydride production process to a production rate of 50 kg/hr at a purity level of 99+%. This goal was to be achieved by incrementally increasing the production capability of a series of reactor systems. This methodic approach was designed to allow Idaho Titanium Technologies to systematically address the engineering issues associated with plasma system performance, and powder collection system design and performance. With quality powder available, actual fabrication with the titanium hydride was to be pursued. Finally, with a successful titanium production system in place, the production of titanium aluminide was to be pursued by the simultaneously injection of titanium and aluminum precursors into the reactor system. Some significant accomplishments of the project are: A unique and revolutionary torch/reactor capable of withstanding temperatures up to 5000 C with high thermal efficiency has been operated. The dissociation of titanium tetrachloride into titanium powder and HC1 has been demonstrated, and a one-megawatt reactor potentially capable of producing 100 pounds per hour has been built, but not yet operated at the powder level. The removal of residual subchlorides and adsorbed HC1 and the sintering of powder to form solid bodies have been demonstrated. The production system has been operated at production rates up to 40 pounds per hour. Subsequent to the end of the project, Idaho Titanium Technologies demonstrated that titanium hydride powder can indeed be sintered into solid titanium metal at 1500 C without sintering aids.

Heavy Metal Blood Test: MedlinePlus Lab Test Information

Science.gov (United States)

... this page: https://medlineplus.gov/labtests/heavymetalbloodtest.html Heavy Metal Blood Test To use the sharing features ... this page, please enable JavaScript. What is a Heavy Metal Blood Test? A heavy metal blood test ...

Technology programme SULA 2. Energy in steel and base metal production. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-07-01

SULA 2 is the energy research programme of the steel and metal producing industry. Central steel and metal producing companies are Outokumpu, Rautaruukki, Imatra Steel and Fundia Wire which is a subsidiary of Rautaruukki. The priorities of the SULA 2 programme are in process development. Worthwhile areas of concentration in energy research by Finland include the following: Iron and steel production; Zinc production; The production of ferrochromium and stainless steel; The pyrometallurgical production of copper and nickel and Rolling and heat treatment of steel In addition to the steel and metal producers the following companies participate in some projects: Kuusakoski, Kumera, Fiskars Tools and BETKER. Research work is performed in the following universities and research centers: Helsinki University of Technology, Oulu University, Aabo Akademi University, Tampere University of Technology, VTT Energy and VTT Building Technology. The total number of projects in SULA 2 programme is 51. Of these 20 are research institute projects, 21 are company R and D projects and 10 are energy conservation projects funded by Ministry of Trade and Industry. The total research costs are ca. 130 million FIM. The major part of costs is carried by the participating companies, 62 % and by public funding (Ministry of Trade and Industry, TEKES, The Academy of Finland) 36 %. In six projects the objective of research was studying and inventing new production processes or equipment. Results so far are a new production process for the Tornio stainless steel plant and a new design of ore concentrate rotary dryer, which has been commercialized. The electric energy consumption of the melting shop in Tornio has decreased by 25 %, and the production capacity has increased accordingly. Considerable savings in production process energy consumption, estimable from production reports have been achieved in several projects. The total amount of estimable saving in specific energy consumption is about 900

Technology programme SULA 2. Energy in steel and base metal production. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-07-01

SULA 2 is the energy research programme of the steel and metal producing industry. Central steel and metal producing companies are Outokumpu, Rautaruukki, Imatra Steel and Fundia Wire which is a subsidiary of Rautaruukki. The priorities of the SULA 2 programme are in process development. Worthwhile areas of concentration in energy research by Finland include the following: Iron and steel production; Zinc production; The production of ferrochromium and stainless steel; The pyrometallurgical production of copper and nickel and Rolling and heat treatment of steel In addition to the steel and metal producers the following companies participate in some projects: Kuusakoski, Kumera, Fiskars Tools and BETKER. Research work is performed in the following universities and research centers: Helsinki University of Technology, Oulu University, Aabo Akademi University, Tampere University of Technology, VTT Energy and VTT Building Technology. The total number of projects in SULA 2 programme is 51. Of these 20 are research institute projects, 21 are company R and D projects and 10 are energy conservation projects funded by Ministry of Trade and Industry. The total research costs are ca. 130 million FIM. The major part of costs is carried by the participating companies, 62 % and by public funding (Ministry of Trade and Industry, TEKES, The Academy of Finland) 36 %. In six projects the objective of research was studying and inventing new production processes or equipment. Results so far are a new production process for the Tornio stainless steel plant and a new design of ore concentrate rotary dryer, which has been commercialized. The electric energy consumption of the melting shop in Tornio has decreased by 25 %, and the production capacity has increased accordingly. Considerable savings in production process energy consumption, estimable from production reports have been achieved in several projects. The total amount of estimable saving in specific energy consumption is about 900

Design of a lunar oxygen production plant

Science.gov (United States)

Radhakrishnan, Ramalingam

1990-01-01

To achieve permanent human presence and activity on the moon, oxygen is required for both life support and propulsion. Lunar oxygen production using resources existing on the moon will reduce or eliminate the need to transport liquid oxygen from earth. In addition, the co-products of oxygen production will provide metals, structural ceramics, and other volatile compounds. This will enable development of even greater self-sufficiency as the lunar outpost evolves. Ilmenite is the most abundant metal-oxide mineral in the lunar regolith. A process involving the reaction of ilmenite with hydrogen at 1000 C to produce water, followed by the electrolysis of this water to provide oxygen and recycle the hydrogen has been explored. The objective of this 1990 Summer Faculty Project was to design a lunar oxygen-production plant to provide 5 metric tons of liquid oxygen per year from lunar soil. The results of this study describe the size and mass of the equipment, the power needs, feedstock quantity and the engineering details of the plant.

Slow and stopped light in active gain composite materials of metal nanoparticles. Ultralarge group index-bandwidth product predicted

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Kwang-Hyon; Choe, Song-Hyok [Institute of Lasers, State Academy of Sciences, Unjong District, Pyongyang (Korea, Democratic People' s Republic of)

2017-08-15

Chip-compatible slow light devices with large group index-bandwidth products and low losses are of great interest in the community of modern photonics. In this work, active gain materials containing metal nanoparticles are proposed as the slow and stopped light materials. Gain-assisted high field enhancement in metal nanoparticles and the resultant strong dispersion lead to such phenomena. From the Maxwell-Garnett model, it is revealed that the metal nanocomposite exhibits the infinitely large group index when the gain of the host medium and the filling factor of metal nanoparticles satisfy a critical condition. For the gain of the host above the critical value, one can observe slowing down effect with amplification of light pulses. Significantly large group index-bandwidth products, which vary from a few to several thousand or even infinity depending on the gain value of the host medium, have been numerically predicted in active silica glasses containing spheroidal metal nanoparticles, as examples. The proposed scheme inherently provides the widely varying operating spectral range by changing the aspect ratio of metal nanoparticles and chip-compatibility with low cost. (copyright 2017 by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Utilization of metal scrap for the production of waste drums for ultimate disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Janberg, K.; Rittscher, D.

1988-01-01

The contribution reviews the history of development of the techniques for treatment of decommissioning scrap from the beginning of the 1980's onwards (decommissioning of the Niederaichbach and Gundremmingen nuclear power stations), together with the radiological measuring methods required for regulatory purposes. The advantages of the recycling of the metal scrap by means of melting, and of materials utilization for production of waste containers for ultimate storage are discussed together with product quality assurance criteria. (RB) [de

Laser Processing Technology using Metal Powders

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jang, Jeong-Hwan; Moon, Young-Hoon [Pusan National University, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2012-03-15

The purpose of this paper is to review the state of laser processing technology using metal powders. In recent years, a series of research and development efforts have been undertaken worldwide to develop laser processing technologies to fabricate metal-based parts. Layered manufacturing by the laser melting process is gaining ground for use in manufacturing rapid prototypes (RP), tools (RT) and functional end products. Selective laser sintering / melting (SLS/SLM) is one of the most rapidly growing rapid prototyping techniques. This is mainly due to the processes's suitability for almost any materials, including polymers, metals, ceramics and many types of composites. The interaction between the laser beam and the powder material used in the laser melting process is one of the dominant phenomena defining feasibility and quality. In the case of SLS, the powder is not fully melted during laser scanning, therefore the SLS-processed parts are not fully dense and have relatively low strength. To overcome this disadvantage, SLM and laser cladding (LC) processes have been used to enable full melting of the powder. Further studies on the laser processing technology will be continued due to the many potential applications that the technology offers.

Assessment of Waste Production and Heavy Metal Emission from Energy Production Sector of Zahedan City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nayyere Poormollae

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Background and purpose: Due to the lack of accurate statistics on the amount of waste generated in the energy production sector in Zahedan, before any planning, one should identify all waste producing centers associated with the energy sector and also the quantity and quality of their waste in Zahedan. Materials and methods: This research is a cross-sectional descriptive study. It examined the produced wastes in the electrical energy generation sector. A questionnaire was prepared and completed for each unit that possibility produces these wastes. Moreover, in the studied units, the weigh percent per unit was determined by separating production waste, and collecting and weighing them. Results: In gas power plant of Zahedan, production of burned oil was approximately 480 liters and the annual consumption of turbine oil and compressor oil was 40 liters. In the diesel power plant, 2,200 liters of burned oil is produced for each generator after 1,500 hours of work. Concentration of heavy metals of Cr, Cd, Zn, Pb, Cu, and Ni in the burned oil sample of the gas power plant was 43.2, 0.01, 0.20, 1.3, 2.7, 0.2 mg/l, respectively and in the diesel power plant were 36.3, 0.08, 0.09, 0.9, 4.7, 1.1 mg/l. Conclusion: In the studied samples, several cases of heavy metal pollution were identified. Therefore, proper planning for appropriate management of these units is necessary for any possible leakage and environmental pollution transport. Furthermore, in order to minimize the adverse impacts of hazardous wastes on the environment and people in Zahedan, integrated hazardous wastes management should be practices in electrical energy generation plants. Moreover, one must consider the measures required to exposure, transport, and safe maintenance before managing or eliminating this type of waste.

Casting of metallic fuel containing minor actinide additions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trybus, C.L.; Henslee, S.P.; Sanecki, J.E.

1992-01-01

A significant attribute of the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) concept is the transmutation of long-lived minor actinide fission products. These isotopes require isolation for thousands of years, and if they could be removed from the waste, disposal problems would be reduced. The IFR utilizes pyroprocessing of metallic fuel to separate auranium, plutonium, and the minor actinides from nonfissionable constituents. These materials are reintroduced into the fuel and reirradiated. Spent IFR fuel is expected to contain low levels of americium, neptunium, and curium because the hard neutron spectrum should transmute these isotopes as they are produced. This opens the possibility of using an IFR to trnasmute minor actinide waste from conventional light water reactors (LWRs). A standard IFR fuel is based on the alloy U-20% Pu-10% Zr (in weight percent). A metallic fuel system eases the requirements for reprocessing methods and enables the minor actinide metals to be incorporated into the fuel with simple modifications to the basic fuel casting process. In this paper, the authors report the initial casting experience with minor actinide element addition to an IFR U-Pu-Zr metallic fuel

TREATMENT OF METAL-LADEN HAZARDOUS WASTES WITH ADVANCED CLEAN COAL TECHNOLOGY BY-PRODUCTS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

James T. Cobb, Jr.

2003-09-12

Metal-laden wastes can be stabilized and solidified using advanced clean coal technology by-products (CCTBs)--fluid bed combustor ash and spray drier solids. These utility-generated treatment chemicals are available for purchase through brokers, and commercial applications of this process are being practiced by treaters of metal-laden hazardous waste. A complex of regulations governs this industry, and sensitivities to this complex has discouraged public documentation of treatment of metal-laden hazardous wastes with CCTBs. This report provides a comprehensive public documentation of laboratory studies that show the efficacy of the stabilization and solidification of metal-laden hazardous wastes--such as lead-contaminated soils and sandblast residues--through treatment with CCTBs. It then describes the extensive efforts that were made to obtain the permits allowing a commercial hazardous waste treater to utilize CCTBs as treatment chemicals and to install the equipment required to do so. It concludes with the effect of this lengthy process on the ability of the treatment company to realize the practical, physical outcome of this effort, leading to premature termination of the project.

Lean production tools and decision latitude enable conditions for innovative learning in organizations: a multilevel analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Fagerlind Ståhl, Anna-Carin; Gustavsson, Maria; Karlsson, Nadine; Johansson, Gun; Ekberg, Kerstin

2015-03-01

The effect of lean production on conditions for learning is debated. This study aimed to investigate how tools inspired by lean production (standardization, resource reduction, visual monitoring, housekeeping, value flow analysis) were associated with an innovative learning climate and with collective dispersion of ideas in organizations, and whether decision latitude contributed to these associations. A questionnaire was sent out to employees in public, private, production and service organizations (n = 4442). Multilevel linear regression analyses were used. Use of lean tools and decision latitude were positively associated with an innovative learning climate and collective dispersion of ideas. A low degree of decision latitude was a modifier in the association to collective dispersion of ideas. Lean tools can enable shared understanding and collective spreading of ideas, needed for the development of work processes, especially when decision latitude is low. Value flow analysis played a pivotal role in the associations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Source term analysis for a criticality accident in metal production line glove boxes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, D.H.

1991-06-01

A recent development in criticality accident analysis is the deterministic calculations of the transport of fission products and actinides through the barriers of the physical facility. The knowledge of the redistribution of the materials inside the facility will help determine the reentry and clean-up procedures. The amount of radioactive materials released to the environment is the source term for dispersion calculations. We have used an integrated computer model to determine the release of fission products to the environment from a hypothetical criticality event in a glove box of the metal production line (MPL) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)

Some recent developments in sheet metal forming for production of lightweight automotive parts

Science.gov (United States)

Tisza, M.; Lukács, Zs; Kovács, P.; Budai, D.

2017-09-01

Low cost manufacturing in the automotive industry is one of the main targets due to the ever increasing global competition among car manufacturers all over the World. Sheet metal forming is one of the most important key technologies in the automotive industry; therefore the elaboration of new, innovative low cost manufacturing processes is one of the main objectives in sheet metal forming as well. In 2015 with the initiative of the Imperial College London a research consortium was established under the umbrella Low Cost Materials Processing Technologies for Mass Production of Lightweight Vehicles. The primary aim of this project is to provide affordable low cost weight reduction in mass production of vehicles considering the entire life-cycle. In this project, 19 European Institutions (Universities and Research Institutions) from 9 European countries are participating with the above targets. The University of Miskolc is one of the members of this research Consortium. In this paper, some preliminary results with the contributions of the University of Miskolc will be introduced.

Development of a production scale purification of Ge-68 from irradiated gallium metal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fitzsimmons, Jonathan M.; Mausner, Leonard [Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY (United States)

2015-05-01

Germanium-68 (Ge-68) is produced by proton irradiation of a gallium metal target and purified by organic extraction. The Ge-68 can be used in a medical isotope generator to produce Gallium-68 (Ga-68) which can be used to radiolabel PET imaging agents. The emerging use of Ge-68 in the Ga-68 medical isotope generator has caused us to develop a new purification method for Ge-68 that does not use toxic solvents. The purpose of this work was to develop a production scale separation of Ge-68 that utilizes a leaching step to remove a bulk of the gallium metal, followed by purification with Sephadex {sup copyright} G25. Production scale (300 mCi) purification was performed with the new method. The purified Ge-68 contained the highest radioactivity concentration of Ge-68 produced at BNL; the sample meet Department of Energy specifications and the method had an excellent recovery of Ge-68.

How GNSS Enables Precision Farming

Science.gov (United States)

2014-12-01

Precision farming: Feeding a Growing Population Enables Those Who Feed the World. Immediate and Ongoing Needs - population growth (more to feed) - urbanization (decrease in arable land) Double food production by 2050 to meet world demand. To meet thi...

Contamination of the soil along the river Zletovska by metals as by products of economic production of Pb-Zn

OpenAIRE

Boev, Blazo; Lepitkova, Sonja

1996-01-01

This paper shows the results constraining the degree of contamination of soil along the course of the River Zletovska by some mewls. These are by- products of economic production of lead-zinc ores which are common in this area. Contamination of soils by some metals, first of all by Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd, As, Fe, Al, Mn, Na, K is an important issue for the quality of the environment in which we live from several aspects: accumulation of waters under river alluvions; agricultural produ...

Voltage Controlled Hot Carrier Injection Enables Ohmic Contacts Using Au Island Metal Films on Ge.

Science.gov (United States)

Ganti, Srinivas; King, Peter J; Arac, Erhan; Dawson, Karl; Heikkilä, Mikko J; Quilter, John H; Murdoch, Billy; Cumpson, Peter; O'Neill, Anthony

2017-08-23

We introduce a new approach to creating low-resistance metal-semiconductor ohmic contacts, illustrated using high conductivity Au island metal films (IMFs) on Ge, with hot carrier injection initiated at low applied voltage. The same metallization process simultaneously allows ohmic contact to n-Ge and p-Ge, because hot carriers circumvent the Schottky barrier formed at metal/n-Ge interfaces. A 2.5× improvement in contact resistivity is reported over previous techniques to achieve ohmic contact to both n- and p- semiconductor. Ohmic contacts at 4.2 K confirm nonequilibrium current transport. Self-assembled Au IMFs are strongly orientated to Ge by annealing near the Au/Ge eutectic temperature. Au IMF nanostructures form, provided the Au layer is below a critical thickness. We anticipate that optimized IMF contacts may have applicability to many material systems. Optimizing this new paradigm for metal-semiconductor contacts offers the prospect of improved nanoelectronic systems and the study of voltage controlled hot holes and electrons.

Co-production of acetone and ethanol with molar ratio control enables production of improved gasoline or jet fuel blends.

Science.gov (United States)

Baer, Zachary C; Bormann, Sebastian; Sreekumar, Sanil; Grippo, Adam; Toste, F Dean; Blanch, Harvey W; Clark, Douglas S

2016-10-01

The fermentation of simple sugars to ethanol has been the most successful biofuel process to displace fossil fuel consumption worldwide thus far. However, the physical properties of ethanol and automotive components limit its application in most cases to 10-15 vol% blends with conventional gasoline. Fermentative co-production of ethanol and acetone coupled with a catalytic alkylation reaction could enable the production of gasoline blendstocks enriched in higher-chain oxygenates. Here we demonstrate a synthetic pathway for the production of acetone through the mevalonate precursor hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA. Expression of this pathway in various strains of Escherichia coli resulted in the co-production of acetone and ethanol. Metabolic engineering and control of the environmental conditions for microbial growth resulted in controllable acetone and ethanol production with ethanol:acetone molar ratios ranging from 0.7:1 to 10.0:1. Specifically, use of gluconic acid as a substrate increased production of acetone and balanced the redox state of the system, predictively reducing the molar ethanol:acetone ratio. Increases in ethanol production and the molar ethanol:acetone ratio were achieved by co-expression of the aldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase (AdhE) from E. coli MG1655 and by co-expression of pyruvate decarboxylase (Pdc) and alcohol dehydrogenase (AdhB) from Z. mobilis. Controlling the fermentation aeration rate and pH in a bioreactor raised the acetone titer to 5.1 g L(-1) , similar to that obtained with wild-type Clostridium acetobutylicum. Optimizing the metabolic pathway, the selection of host strain, and the physiological conditions employed for host growth together improved acetone titers over 35-fold (0.14-5.1 g/L). Finally, chemical catalysis was used to upgrade the co-produced ethanol and acetone at both low and high molar ratios to higher-chain oxygenates for gasoline and jet fuel applications. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 2079-2087. © 2016 Wiley

Formation and stability of Pb-, Zn- and Cu-PO4 phases at low temperatures: Implications for heavy metal fixation in polar environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, Duanne A.; Hafsteinsdóttir, Erla G.; Gore, Damian B.; Thorogood, Gordon; Stark, Scott C.

2012-01-01

Low temperatures and frequent soil freeze–thaw in polar environments present challenges for the immobilisation of metals. To address these challenges we investigated the chemical forms of Pb, Zn and Cu in an Antarctic landfill, examined in vitro reaction kinetics of these metals and orthophosphate at 2 and 22 °C for up to 185 days, and subjected the products to freeze–thaw. Reaction products at both temperatures were similar, but the rate of production varied, with Cu-PO 4 phases forming faster, and the Zn- and Pb-PO 4 phases slower at 2 °C. All metal-orthophosphate phases produced were stable during a 2.5 h freeze–thaw cycle to −30 °C. Metal immobilisation using orthophosphate can be successful in polar regions, but treatments will need to consider differing mineral stabilities and reaction rates at low temperatures. - Highlights: ► We identify Cu, Pb and Zn species in an Antarctic Landfill. ► We identify the products and rates of reactions between metals and PO 4 3− at 2 and 22 °C. ► We test the stability of metal-orthophosphate species during freeze–thaw. ► We conclude that orthophosphate may immobilize metals in freezing ground. - Pb, Cu and Zn react with PO 4 3− at low temperatures (2 °C) to form low solubility metal-PO 4 phases at rates that may enable the in-situ remediation of metal contaminated soils in polar areas.

Control of Orphan Sources and Other Radioactive Material in the Metal Recycling and Production Industries. Specific Safety Guide (Arabic Edition)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2014-09-01

Accidents involving orphan sources and other radioactive material in the metal recycling and production industries have resulted in serious radiological accidents as well as in harmful environmental, social and economic impacts. This Safety Guide provides recommendations, the implementation of which should prevent such accidents and provide confidence that scrap metal and recycled products are safe. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Protection of people and the environment; 3. Responsibilities; 4. Monitoring for radioactive material; 5. Response to the discovery of radioactive material; 6. Remediation of contaminated areas; 7. Management of recovered radioactive material; Annex I: Review of events involving radioactive material in the metal recycling and production industries; Annex II: Categorization of radioactive sources; Annex III: Some examples of national and international initiatives.

Control of Orphan Sources and Other Radioactive Material in the Metal Recycling and Production Industries. Specific Safety Guide (Arabic Edition)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

Accidents involving orphan sources and other radioactive material in the metal recycling and production industries have resulted in serious radiological accidents as well as in harmful environmental, social and economic impacts. This Safety Guide provides recommendations, the implementation of which should prevent such accidents and provide confidence that scrap metal and recycled products are safe. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Protection of people and the environment; 3. Responsibilities; 4. Monitoring for radioactive material; 5. Response to the discovery of radioactive material; 6. Remediation of contaminated areas; 7. Management of recovered radioactive material; Annex I: Review of events involving radioactive material in the metal recycling and production industries; Annex II: Categorization of radioactive sources; Annex III: Some examples of national and international initiatives

Control of Orphan Sources and Other Radioactive Material in the Metal Recycling and Production Industries. Specific Safety Guide (Spanish Edition)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

Accidents involving orphan sources and other radioactive material in the metal recycling and production industries have resulted in serious radiological accidents as well as in harmful environmental, social and economic impacts. This Safety Guide provides recommendations, the implementation of which should prevent such accidents and provide confidence that scrap metal and recycled products are safe. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Protection of people and the environment; 3. Responsibilities; 4. Monitoring for radioactive material; 5. Response to the discovery of radioactive material; 6. Remediation of contaminated areas; 7. Management of recovered radioactive material; Annex I: Review of events involving radioactive material in the metal recycling and production industries; Annex II: Categorization of radioactive sources; Annex III: Some examples of national and international initiatives

Towards Production of Additive Manufacturing Grade Metallic Powders on the Battlefield

Science.gov (United States)

2017-10-01

costs due to reduced transportation costs, especially for well-established industries and, support of local businesses and resource bases [1...reduce the burden of these hindrances. ARL submitted a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) entitled, “Production of AM-Grade Metallic Powder on...the melt chamber to increase the duty cycle to 50% and thus achieve a melt rate of 1 kg/hour with the current coil design. It is anticipated that

Development of uranium metal targets for 99Mo production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiencek, T.C.; Hofman, G.L.

1993-10-01

A substantial amount of high enriched uranium (HEU) is used for the production of medical-grade 99 Mo. Promising methods of producing irradiation targets are being developed and may lead to the reduction or elimination of this HEU use. To substitute low enriched uranium (LEU) for HEU in the production of 99 Mo, the target material may be changed to uranium metal foil. Methods of fabrication are being developed to simplify assembly and disassembly of the targets. Removal of the uranium foil after irradiation without dissolution of the cladding is a primary goal in order to reduce the amount of liquid radioactive waste material produced in the process. Proof-of-concept targets have been fabricated. Destructive testing indicates that acceptable contact between the uranium foil and the cladding can be achieved. Thermal annealing tests, which simulate the cladding/uranium diffusion conditions during irradiation, are underway. Plans are being made to irradiate test targets

Oxidation kinetics of hydride-bearing uranium metal corrosion products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Totemeier, T.C.; Pahl, R.G.; Frank, S.M.

1998-01-01

The oxidation behavior of hydride-bearing uranium metal corrosion products from zero power physics reactor (ZPPR) fuel plates was studied using thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) in environments of Ar-4%O 2 , Ar-9%O 2 , and Ar-20%O 2 . Ignition of corrosion product samples from two moderately corroded plates was observed between 125 C and 150 C in all environments. The rate of oxidation above the ignition temperature was found to be dependent only on the net flow rate of oxygen in the reacting gas. Due to the higher net oxygen flow rate, burning rates increased with increasing oxygen concentration. Oxidation rates below the ignition temperature were much slower and decreased with increasing test time. The hydride contents of the TGA samples from the two moderately corroded plates, determined from the total weight gain achieved during burning, were 47-61 wt% and 29-39 wt%. Samples from a lightly corroded plate were not reactive; X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed that they contained little hydride. (orig.)

Overexpression of afsR and Optimization of Metal Chloride to Improve Lomofungin Production in Streptomyces lomondensis S015.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wei; Wang, Huasheng; Hu, Hongbo; Peng, Huasong; Zhang, Xuehong

2015-05-01

As a global regulatory gene in Streptomyces, afsR can activate the biosynthesis of many secondary metabolites. The effect of afsR on the biosynthesis of a phenazine metabolite, lomofungin, was studied in Streptomyces lomondensis S015. There was a 2.5-fold increase of lomofungin production in the afsR-overexpressing strain of S. lomondensis S015 N1 compared with the wild-type strain. Meanwhile, the transcription levels of afsR and two important genes involved in the biosynthesis of lomofungin (i.e., phzC and phzE) were significantly upregulated in S. lomondensis S015 N1. The optimization of metal chlorides was investigated to further increase the production of lomofungin in the afsR-overexpressing strain. The addition of different metal chlorides to S. lomondensis S015 N1 cultivations showed that CaCl2, FeCl2, and MnCl2 led to an increase in lomofungin biosynthesis. The optimum concentrations of these metal chlorides were obtained using response surface methodology. CaCl2 (0.04 mM), FeCl2 (0.33 mM), and MnCl2 (0.38 mM) gave a maximum lomofungin production titer of 318.0 ± 10.7 mg/l, which was a 4.1-fold increase compared with that of S. lomondensis S015 N1 without the addition of a metal chloride. This work demonstrates that the biosynthesis of phenazine metabolites can be induced by afsR. The results also indicate that metal chlorides addition might be a simple and useful strategy for improving the production of other phenazine metabolites in Streptomyces.

Selective extraction of metals from products of mine acidic water treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andreeva, N.N.; Romanchuk, S.A.; Voronin, N.N.; Demidov, V.D.; Pasynkova, T.A.; Manuilova, O.A.; Ivanova, N.V.

1989-01-01

A study was made on possibility of processing of foam products prepared during flotation purification of mine acidic waters for the purpose of selective extraction of non-ferrous (Co, Ni) and rare earth elements (REE) and their separation from the basic macrocomponent of waters-iron. Optimal conditions of selective metal extraction from foam flotation products are the following: T=333 K, pH=3.0-3.5, ratio of solid and liquid phase - 1:4-1:7, duration of sulfuric acid leaching - 30 min. Rare earth extraction under such conditions equals 87.6-93.0%. The degree of valuable component concentration equals ∼ 10. Rare earths are separated from iron by extraction methods

Comparison of Nonprecious Metal Cathode Materials for Methane Production by Electromethanogenesis.

KAUST Repository

Siegert, Michael

2014-02-18

In methanogenic microbial electrolysis cells (MMCs), CO2 is reduced to methane using a methanogenic biofilm on the cathode by either direct electron transfer or evolved hydrogen. To optimize methane generation, we examined several cathode materials: plain graphite blocks, graphite blocks coated with carbon black or carbon black containing metals (platinum, stainless steel or nickel) or insoluble minerals (ferrihydrite, magnetite, iron sulfide, or molybdenum disulfide), and carbon fiber brushes. Assuming a stoichiometric ratio of hydrogen (abiotic):methane (biotic) of 4:1, methane production with platinum could be explained solely by hydrogen production. For most other materials, however, abiotic hydrogen production rates were insufficient to explain methane production. At -600 mV, platinum on carbon black had the highest abiotic hydrogen gas formation rate (1600 ± 200 nmol cm(-3) d(-1)) and the highest biotic methane production rate (250 ± 90 nmol cm(-3) d(-1)). At -550 mV, plain graphite (76 nmol cm(-3) d(-1)) performed similarly to platinum (73 nmol cm(-3) d(-1)). Coulombic recoveries, based on the measured current and evolved gas, were initially greater than 100% for all materials except platinum, suggesting that cathodic corrosion also contributed to electromethanogenic gas production.

Studies on the optimization of deformation processed metal metal matrix composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ellis, Tim W. [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

1994-01-04

A methodology for the production of deformation processed metal metal matrix composites from hyper-eutectic copper-chromium alloys was developed. This methodology was derived from a basic study of the precipitation phenomena in these alloys encompassing evaluation of microstructural, electrical, and mechanical properties. The methodology developed produces material with a superior combination of electrical and mechanical properties compared to those presently available in commercial alloys. New and novel alloying procedures were investigated to extend the range of production methods available for these material. These studies focused on the use of High Pressure Gas Atomization and the development of new containment technologies for the liquid alloy. This allowed the production of alloys with a much more refined starting microstructure and lower contamination than available by other methods. The knowledge gained in the previous studies was used to develop two completely new families of deformation processed metal metal matrix composites. These composites are based on immissible alloys with yttrium and magnesium matrices and refractory metal reinforcement. This work extends the physical property range available in deformation processed metal metal matrix composites. Additionally, it also represents new ways to apply these metals in engineering applications.

CMOS Enabled Microfluidic Systems for Healthcare Based Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Sherjeel M; Gumus, Abdurrahman; Nassar, Joanna M; Hussain, Muhammad M

2018-04-01

With the increased global population, it is more important than ever to expand accessibility to affordable personalized healthcare. In this context, a seamless integration of microfluidic technology for bioanalysis and drug delivery and complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology enabled data-management circuitry is critical. Therefore, here, the fundamentals, integration aspects, and applications of CMOS-enabled microfluidic systems for affordable personalized healthcare systems are presented. Critical components, like sensors, actuators, and their fabrication and packaging, are discussed and reviewed in detail. With the emergence of the Internet-of-Things and the upcoming Internet-of-Everything for a people-process-data-device connected world, now is the time to take CMOS-enabled microfluidics technology to as many people as possible. There is enormous potential for microfluidic technologies in affordable healthcare for everyone, and CMOS technology will play a major role in making that happen. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Assessment and source identification of trace metals in the soils of greenhouse vegetable production in eastern China.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Lanqin; Huang, Biao; Hu, Wenyou; Chen, Yong; Mao, Mingcui

2013-11-01

Worldwide concern about the occurrence of trace metals in greenhouse vegetable production soils (GVPS) is growing. In this study, a total of 385 surface GVPS samples were collected in Shouguang and four vegetable production bases in Nanjing, Eastern China, for the determination of As and Hg using atomic fluorescence spectrometry and Pb, Cu, Cd, and Zn using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Geo-accumulation indices and factor analysis were used to investigate the accumulation and sources of the trace metals in soils in Eastern China. The results revealed that greenhouse production practices increased accumulation of the trace metals, particularly Cd, Zn, and Cu in soils and their accumulation became significant with increasing years of cultivation. Accumulation of Cd and Zn was also found in soils from organic greenhouses. The GVPS was generally less polluted or moderately polluted by As, Cu, Zn, and Pb but heavily polluted by Cd and Hg in some locations. Overall, accumulation of Cd, Zn, and Cu in GVPS was primarily associated with anthropogenic activities, particularly, application of manure. The high level of Hg found in some sites was related to historical heavy application of Hg containing pesticides. However, further identification of Hg sources is needed. To reduce accumulation of the trace metals in GVPS, organic fertilizer application should be suggested through development and implementation of reasonable and sustainable strategies. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Personal exposure to metal fume, NO2, and O3 among production welders and non-welders.

Science.gov (United States)

Schoonover, Todd; Conroy, Lorraine; Lacey, Steven; Plavka, Julie

2011-01-01

The objective of this study was to characterize personal exposures to welding-related metals and gases for production welders and non-welders in a large manufacturing facility. Welding fume metals and irritant gases nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)) and ozone (O(3)) were sampled for thirty-eight workers. Personal exposure air samples for welding fume metals were collected on 37 mm open face cassettes and nitrogen dioxide and ozone exposure samples were collected with diffusive passive samplers. Samples were analyzed for metals using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and welding fume metal exposure concentrations were defined as the sum of welding-related metals mass per volume of air sampled. Welding fume metal exposures were highly variable among similar types of welding while NO(2) and O(3) exposure were less variable. Welding fume metal exposures were significantly higher 474 μg/m(3) for welders than non-welders 60 μg/m(3) (p=0.001). Welders were exposed to higher concentrations of NO(2) and O(3) than non-welders but the differences were not statistically significant. Welding fume metal exposure concentrations for welders performing gas metal arc welding (GMAW) and shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) were higher than welders performing gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). Non-welders experienced exposures similar to GTAW welders despite a curtain wall barrier separating welding and non-welding work areas.

Archaeological reconstruction of medieval lead production: Implications for ancient metal provenance studies and paleopollution tracing by Pb isotopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baron, Sandrine; Le-Carlier, Cecile; Carignan, Jean; Ploquin, Alain

2009-01-01

The identification of metal provenance is often based on chemical and Pb isotope analyses of materials from the operating chain, mainly ores and metallic artefacts. Such analyses, however, have their limits. Some studies are unable to trace metallic artefacts or ingots to their ore sources, even in well-constrained archaeological contexts. Possible reasons for this difficulty are to be found among a variety of limiting factors: (i) problems of ore signatures, (ii) mixing of different ores (alloys), (iii) the use of additives during the metallurgical process, (iv) metal recycling and (v) possible Pb isotopic fractionation during metal production. This paper focuses on the issue of Pb isotope fractionation during smelting to address the issue of metal provenance. Through an experimental reconstruction of argentiferous Pb production in the medieval period, an attempt was made to better understand and interpret the Pb isotopic composition of ore smelting products. It is shown that the measured differences (outside the total external uncertainties of 0.005 (2*sd) for 206 Pb/ 204 Pb ratios) in Pb signatures measured between ores, slag and smoke are not due to Pb mass fractionation processes, but to (1) ore heterogeneity (Δ 206 Pb/ 204 Pb slag-ores = 0.066) and (2) the use of additives during the metallurgical process (Δ 206 Pb/ 204 Pb slag-ores = 0.083). Even if these differences are due to causes (1) and/or (2), smoke from the ore reduction appears to reflect the ore mining area without a significant disturbance of its Pb signature for all the isotopic ratios (Δ 206 Pb/ 204 Pb smokes-ores = 0.026). Thus, because the isotopic heterogeneity of the mining district and additives is averaged in slags, slag appears as the most relevant product to identify ancient metal provenance. Whereas aiming at identifying a given mine seems beyond the possibilities provided by the method, searching for the mining district through analysis of the smelting workshop materials should

The problem of the involvement of the off-balance reserves of the metallic ores into the production process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. I. Golik

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The underground mining of the ore deposits by means of the intensive methods of the traditional technologies is characterized by the loss of the reserves, which are off-balance for the technologies applied. The experience, which was accumulated by the state-of-the-art enterprises before the economic reforms and the crisis indicates, that it is possible to decrease the loss of metals. This can be assumed by means of involving the off-balance reserves into the production process with the metal lixiviation during closed work. The purpose of the present-day research is the substantiation of the technical possibility and economic reasonability of the lixiviation of metals from the off-balance reserves and poorly balance ores. The correct estimation of the perspectives of those combined technology is still one of the purposes. It is a matter of fact that combining traditional technologies of the underground mining with new ones concerned with the creation of the effective lixiviation of metals from ores can be carried out with the two-stage processing. It happens when the excavation of some amount of the balance reserves creates the compensational space for crushing off-balance reserves. Involving off-balance ores into the production process solves a set of the mining production problems. For example, the fullness of mineral resources usage, the strengthening of the resource base, the reduction of load of the environment and the security of works. The involvement of the off-balance reserves into the development in the course of the revaluation of the resources and in the technological facilities of the development in the context of the growth of the scale of production reduces the production price to the competitive level. The field of application of these results is in the mining enterprises which extract solid metal-containing ores by means of the underground mining. These ores are mostly of the nonferrous, rare and precious metals, which are easily

METAL MATRIX COMPOSITE BRAKE ROTORS: HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.M. Rahman

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Metal matrix composites (MMCs have become attractive for engineering structural applications due to their excellent specific strength and are increasingly seen as an alternative to conventional materials, particularly in the automotive industry. In this study, a historical background on the development and application of metal matrix composites for automotive brake rotors is presented. The discussion also includes an analysis of the product life cycle with stir casting as a case study. The historical review analysis revealed that gradual development of material and processing techniques have led to lighter weight, lower cost and higher performance brake rotors as a result of a better understanding of the mechanics of metal matrix composites. It emerged from the study that the stir casting technique provides ease of operation, sustainability and, most significantly, very competitive costs without sacrificing quality relative to other techniques; as such, it is the most attractive manufacturing process in the industry. These findings can be used for future design and manufacture of an efficient and effective aluminium matrix composite brake rotor for automotive and other applications.

Demonstration of production of tungsten metal powder and its consolidation into shapes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Majumdar, S.; Kishor, J.; Paul, B.; Kain, V.; Dey, G.K.

2016-01-01

Tungsten is a strategically important metal used as plasma facing component in fusion reactors, radiation shields in cancer therapy machines, ammunition in defence applications, high speed cutting tools etc. The primary resources or minerals occurring in India contain a very low value (0.25-0.5 wt. %) of tungsten. Mineral beneficiation processes involving crushing, grinding, primary and secondary gravity separation, floatation are essential to produce the ore-concentrate suitable for further processing up to the preparation of the intermediate ammonium para-tungstate (APT). APT was further converted to tungsten tri-oxide (WO_3). Hydrogen reduction of WO_3 producing high purity W metal powder was demonstrated in large scale batches. Densification of W powder was further studied using vacuum hot pressing at 1950°C, and high density W metal plates of 5 mm thickness and 60 mm diameter were produced. The products obtained at every stage were systematically characterized using X-Ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) techniques. (author)

Accumulation status, sources and phytoavailability of metals in greenhouse vegetable production systems in Beijing, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Li; Lu, Anxiang; Wang, Jihua; Ma, Zhihong; Pan, Ligang; Feng, Xiaoyuan; Luan, Yunxia

2015-12-01

The accumulation status, sources and phytoavailability of selected metals in greenhouse vegetable production systems in peri-urban areas of Beijing were investigated. The mean concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Hg and Pb in greenhouse soils were 8.44, 0.25, 69.0, 0.09 and 22.0 mg kg(-1), dw, respectively. According to principal component analysis, As, Cd, Cr and Hg are mainly from anthropogenic source, but Pb is likely from natural source. Metal concentrations in all vegetable samples were decreased in the order of Cr>As>Pb>Cd>Hg. Compared with root and fruit vegetables, leaf vegetables had relatively high concentrations and transfer factors of heavy metals, except for Cd. By including soil pH, OM and greenhouse soil metals, 10 empirical models were derived using stepwise multiple linear regression analysis to predict heavy metal concentrations in the edible parts of different vegetables. Among the different vegetable groups, the highest intakes of metals occurred through consumption of leaf vegetables for the two age groups, except for Cd. The HI value of the studied metals were all below 1, indicating that consumption of vegetables grown in greenhouse soils was of low risk to consumers in our study area. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Control of Transboundary Movement of Radioactive Material Inadvertently Incorporated into Scrap Metal and Semi-finished Products of the Metal Recycling Industries. Results of the Meetings Conducted to Develop a Draft Code of Conduct

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-02-01

In 2010, the IAEA initiated the development of a code of conduct on the transboundary movement of radioactive material inadvertently incorporated into scrap metal and semi- finished products of the metal recycling industries (Metal Recycling Code of Conduct). The Metal Recycling Code of Conduct was intended to harmonize the approaches of Member States in relation to the discovery of radioactive material that may inadvertently be present in scrap metals and semi-finished products subject to transboundary movement, and their safe handling and management to facilitate regulatory control. The Metal Recycling Code of Conduct was envisaged as being complementary to the Safety Guide on Control of Orphan Sources and Other Radioactive Material in the Metal Recycling and Production Industries (IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SSG-17), which provides recommendations, principally within a national context, on the protection of workers, members of the public and the environment in relation to the control of radioactive material inadvertently incorporated in scrap metal. In February 2013, the third open-ended meeting of technical and legal experts to develop the Metal Recycling Code of Conduct was organized. The objective of this meeting was to address the comments received from Member States and to finalize the text of the draft Metal Recycling Code of Conduct. Representatives from 55 Member States, one non-Member State and the EU, together with seven observers from the metal recycling industry, reviewed the comments and revised the draft accordingly. In September 2013, in Resolution GC(57)/RES/9, the IAEA General Conference recorded that it 'Appreciates the intensive efforts undertaken by the Secretariat to develop a code of conduct on the transboundary movement of scrap metal, or materials produced from scrap metal, that may inadvertently contain radioactive material, and encourages the Secretariat to make the results of the discussion conducted on this issue available to

Production of metals and compounds by radiation chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Marsik, S. J.; Philipp, W. H.

1969-01-01

Preparation of metals and compounds by radiation induced chemical reactions involves irradiation of metal salt solutions with high energy electrons. This technique offers a method for the preparation of high purity metals with minimum contamination from the container material or the cover gas.

48 CFR 53.301-1427 - Standard Form 1427, Inventory Schedule A-Construction Sheet (Metals in Mill Product Form).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Standard Form 1427, Inventory Schedule A-Construction Sheet (Metals in Mill Product Form). 53.301-1427 Section 53.301-1427... Illustrations of Forms 53.301-1427 Standard Form 1427, Inventory Schedule A—Construction Sheet (Metals in Mill...

Impact of metal stress on the production of secondary metabolites in Pteris vittata L. and associated rhizosphere bacterial communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Pham, Hoang Nam; Michalet, Serge; Bodillis, Josselin; Nguyen, Tien Dat; Nguyen, Thi Kieu Oanh; Le, Thi Phuong Quynh; Haddad, Mohamed; Nazaret, Sylvie; Dijoux-Franca, Marie-Geneviève

2017-07-01

Plants adapt to metal stress by modifying their metabolism including the production of secondary metabolites in plant tissues. Such changes may impact the diversity and functions of plant associated microbial communities. Our study aimed to evaluate the influence of metals on the secondary metabolism of plants and the indirect impact on rhizosphere bacterial communities. We then compared the secondary metabolites of the hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata L. collected from a contaminated mining site to a non-contaminated site in Vietnam and identified the discriminant metabolites. Our data showed a significant increase in chlorogenic acid derivatives and A-type procyanidin in plant roots at the contaminated site. We hypothesized that the intensive production of these compounds could be part of the antioxidant defense mechanism in response to metals. In parallel, the structure and diversity of bulk soil and rhizosphere communities was studied using high-throughput sequencing. The results showed strong differences in bacterial composition, characterized by the dominance of Proteobacteria and Nitrospira in the contaminated bulk soil, and the enrichment of some potential human pathogens, i.e., Acinetobacter, Mycobacterium, and Cupriavidus in P. vittata's rhizosphere at the mining site. Overall, metal pollution modified the production of P. vittata secondary metabolites and altered the diversity and structure of bacterial communities. Further investigations are needed to understand whether the plant recruits specific bacteria to adapt to metal stress.

Enhanced resveratrol production in Vitis vinifera cell suspension cultures by heavy metals without loss of cell viability.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Zhenzhen; Kastell, Anja; Speiser, Claire; Smetanska, Iryna

2013-09-01

The effects of heavy metal ions (Co(2+), Ag(+), Cd(2+)) on cell viability and secondary metabolite production, particularly anthocyanins and phenolic acids in Vitis vinifera cell suspension cultures, were investigated. Of these, Co at all three used concentrations (5.0, 25, and 50 μM), Ag, and Cd at low concentration (5.0 μM) were most effective to stimulate the phenolic acid production, increasing the 3-O-glucosyl-resveratrol up to 1.6-fold of the control level (250.5 versus 152.4 μmol/g), 4 h after the treatments. Meanwhile, the elicitors at effective concentrations did not suppress cell growth, while the cell viability maintained. In contrast, Ag and Cd at high concentrations (25 and 50 μM) remarkably reduced the cell viability, decreasing the cell viability up to about 15 % of the control level, 24 h after the treatments. The heavy metal ions did not affect the anthocyanin production. These observations show how, in a single system, different groups of secondary products can show distinct differences in their responses to potential elicitors. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity, peroxidase activity, medium pH value, and conductivity were only slightly elevated by the heavy metal ions. The results suggest that some of the secondary metabolites production was stimulated by the used elicitors, but there was not a stress response of the cells.

Health risk assessment of heavy metals in vegetables grown around battery production area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ying Chen

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Battery production is one of the main sources of heavy metals that present great harm to human health even in low concentrations. Chromium (Cr, Cadmium (Cd and Lead (Pb were measured in edible portions of vegetables and soils around a battery production area in China, and the potential health risk of heavy metal contamination to the local population via vegetable consumption was evaluated. Their concentrations in edible portions of vegetables were 2.354 (0.078-14.878, 0.035 (0.003-0.230 and 0.039 (0.003-0.178 mg kg-1, respectively. Approximately 3 % of the Cd in the vegetable samples exceeded the maximum concentration allowable by national food safety criteria, although Pb content in all samples were within the criteria. Transfer factors (TF from soils to vegetables were dependent on vegetable species. Leguminous vegetables were more likely to accumulate Cr, while leaf vegetables tended to show higher levels of concentration of Cd and Pb. Melon vegetables demonstrated a relatively low capacity for accumulating the heavy metals studied. TF were positively correlated with soil organic matter and negatively correlated with soil pH. The mean estimated daily intake of Cr, Cd and Pb via dietary consumption of vegetables was 0.011, 1.65 × 10-4 and 1.84 × 10-4 mg kg-1 of body weight per day, respectively, levels that were much lower than the reference doses recommended by USEPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and JECFA (Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, indicating that the potential health risk of Cr, Cd and Pb exposure via vegetable consumption to the local population around this battery production area could be negligible.

Inhalation hazards from machining beryllium metal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoover, M.D.; Finch, G.L.; Mewhinney, J.A.; Eidson, A.F.

1987-01-01

Beryllium metal has special nuclear and structural properties that make it useful for applications in fission and fusion reactor designs. Unfortunately, concerns for its toxicity have made designers wary of using beryllium metal. The work being reported here was undertaken to characterize the aerosols produced by two very common operations performed during preparation or modification of components for use in reactor systems: sawing and milling of beryllium metal. The study also covered beryllium metal alloys to allow comparison. Information from this study is to enable better assessments of the risk of using beryllium metal in reactor designs

Effect of microscale ZVI/magnetite on methane production and bioavailability of heavy metals during anaerobic digestion of diluted pig manure.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Yue-Gan; Li, Xiu-Juan; Zhang, Jin; Zhang, Li-Gan; Cheng, Beijiu

2017-05-01

Low methane production and high levels of heavy metal in pig slurries limit the feasibility of anaerobic digestion of pig manure. In this study, changes in the methane production and bioavailability of heavy metals in the anaerobic digestion of diluted pig manure were evaluated using single and combined action of microscale zero-valence iron (ZVI) and magnetite. After 30 days of anaerobic digestion, the methane yield ranged from 246.9 to 334.5 mL/g VS added, which increased by 20-26% in the group added with microscale ZVI and/or magnetite relative to that in the control group. Results of the first-order kinetic model revealed that addition of microscale ZVI and/or magnetite increased the biogas production potential, rather than the biogas production rate constant. These treatments also changed the distribution of chemical fractions for heavy metal. The addition of ZVI decreased the bioavailability of Cu and Zn in the solid digested residues. Moreover, a better performance was observed in the combined action of microscale ZVI and magnetite, and the ZVI anaerobic corrosion end-product, magnetite, might help enhance methane production through direct interspecies electron transfer in ZVI-anaerobic digestion process.

Rhamnolipids production by multi-metal-resistant and plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Anil Kumar; Cameotra, Swaranjit Singh

2013-07-01

The biosurfactant-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa A11, with plant-growth-promoting (PGP) and multi-metal-resistant (MMR) features was isolated from the rhizosphere of a wild plant Parthenium hysterophorus. The strain A11 was able to utilize glycerol as a carbon source and produce 4,436.9 mg/L of biosurfactant after 120 h of incubation. The biosurfactants was characterized as rhamnolipids (RLs) by thin layer chromatography, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. Eight different RLs congeners were detected with RhaRhaC₁₀C₁₀ being most abundant. The purified rhamnolipid, dirhamnolipid, and monorhamnolipid reduced the surface tension of water to 29, 36, and 42 mN/m with critical micelle concentration of 83, 125, and 150 mg/L, respectively. The strain A11 demonstrated resistance against all the metals detected in rhizosphere except Hg and Ni. The strain A11 also possessed plant-growth-promoting features like siderophores, hydrogen cyanide, catalase, ammonia production, and phosphate solubilization. The dirhamnolipids formed crystals upon incubation at 4 °C, thus making separation of dirhamnolipids easy. Biosurfactant-producing ability along with MMR and PGP traits of the strain A11 makes it a potential candidate for application in the bacterial assisted enhancement of phytoremediation of heavy-metal-contaminated sites.

Study of heavy metals in the grass-milk product chain by means of neutron activation and atomic absorption

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bruant, C; Bruant, J P; Neuburger, M; Vassal, L; Disant, C; Bittel, R; Fourcy, A

1974-12-31

with the heavy metals Hg, Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd is studied. The first three metals were determined by neutron activation and tae last two by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The chemical rature of these metals and their biological effect leads to different results from those obtained for tae principal fission products. As a rule the heavy metal concentrations at harvest are much lower than taat of the foods ingested by lactating cows. The cow plays the role of filter. If the concentration of these elements is considered in mu g/g of fresh material there is a reconcentration of these heavy metals in cream and cheese, probably cornected with their physico-chemical affinity for proteins. (JSR)

Synthetic Biology as an Enabling Technology for Space Exploration

Science.gov (United States)

Rothschild, Lynn J.

2016-01-01

Human exploration off planet is severely limited by the cost of launching materials into space and by re-supply. Thus materials brought from Earth must be light, stable and reliable at destination. Using traditional approaches, a lunar or Mars base would require either transporting a hefty store of metals or heavy manufacturing equipment and construction materials for in situ extraction; both would severely limit any other mission objectives. Long-term human space presence requires periodic replenishment, adding a massive cost overhead. Even robotic missions often sacrifice science goals for heavy radiation and thermal protection. Biology has the potential to solve these problems because life can replicate and repair itself, and perform a wide variety of chemical reactions including making food, fuel and materials. Synthetic biology enhances and expands life's evolved repertoire. Using organisms as feedstock, additive manufacturing through bioprinting will make possible the dream of producing bespoke tools, food, smart fabrics and even replacement organs on demand. This new approach and the resulting novel products will enable human exploration and settlement on Mars, while providing new manufacturing approaches for life on Earth.

Production of an antibiotic enterocin from a marine actinobacteria strain H1003 by metal-stress technique with enhanced enrichment using response surface methodology.

Science.gov (United States)

Hassan, Syed Shamsul; Shah, Sayed Asmat Ali; Pan, Chengqian; Fu, Leilei; Cao, Xun; Shi, Yutong; Wu, Xiaodan; Wang, Kuiwu; Wu, Bin

2017-01-01

Elicitation by chemical means including heavy metals is one of a new technique for drug discoveries. In this research, the effect of heavy metals on marine actinobacteria Streptomyces sp. H-1003 for the production of enterocin, with a strong broad spectrum activity, along optimized fermented medium was firstly investigated. The optimum metal stress conditions consisted of culturing marine actinobacteria strain H-1003 with addition of cobalt ions at 2mM in optimized Gause's medium having starch at 20mg/L for 10 days at 180 revolution/min. Under these conditions, enterocin production was enhanced with a value of 5.33mg/L, which was totally absent at the normal culture of strain H-1003 and much higher than other tested metal-stress conditions. This work triumphantly announced a prodigious effect of heavy metals on marine actinobacteria with fringe benefits as a key tool of enterocin production.

Sequential separation of transuranic elements and fission products from uranium metal ingots in electrolytic reduction process of spent PWR fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang Heon Lee; Kih Soo Joe; Won Ho Kim; Euo Chang Jung; Kwang Yong Jee

2009-01-01

A sequential separation procedure has been developed for the determination of transuranic elements and fission products in uranium metal ingot samples from an electrolytic reduction process for a metallization of uranium dioxide to uranium metal in a medium of LiCl-Li 2 O molten salt at 650 deg C. Pu, Np and U were separated using anion-exchange and tri-n-butylphosphate (TBP) extraction chromatography. Cs, Sr, Ba, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Zr and Mo were separated in several groups from Am and Cm using TBP and di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (HDEHP) extraction chromatography. Effect of Fe, Ni, Cr and Mg, which were corrosion products formed through the process, on the separation of the analytes was investigated in detail. The validity of the separation procedure was evaluated by measuring the recovery of the stable metals and 239 Pu, 237 Np, 241 Am and 244 Cm added to a synthetic uranium metal ingot dissolved solution. (author)

Shape-Controlled Synthesis of Colloidal Metal Nanocrystals: Thermodynamic versus Kinetic Products.

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Younan; Xia, Xiaohu; Peng, Hsin-Chieh

2015-07-01

This Perspective provides a contemporary understanding of the shape evolution of colloidal metal nanocrystals under thermodynamically and kinetically controlled conditions. It has been extremely challenging to investigate this subject in the setting of one-pot synthesis because both the type and number of seeds involved would be changed whenever the experimental conditions are altered, making it essentially impossible to draw conclusions when comparing the outcomes of two syntheses conducted under different conditions. Because of the uncertainty about seeds, most of the mechanistic insights reported in literature for one-pot syntheses of metal nanocrystals with different shapes are either incomplete or ambiguous, and some of them might be misleading or even wrong. Recently, with the use of well-defined seeds for such syntheses, it became possible to separate growth from nucleation and therefore investigate the explicit role(s) played by a specific thermodynamic or kinetic parameter in directing the evolution of colloidal metal nanocrystals into a specific shape. Starting from single-crystal seeds enclosed by a mix of {100}, {111}, and {110} facets, for example, one can obtain colloidal nanocrystals with diversified shapes by adjusting various thermodynamic or kinetic parameters. The mechanistic insights learnt from these studies can also be extended to account for the products of conventional one-pot syntheses that involve self-nucleation only. The knowledge can be further applied to many other types of seeds with twin defects or stacking faults, making it an exciting time to design and synthesize colloidal metal nanocrystals with the shapes sought for a variety of fundamental studies and technologically important applications.

Ionic polymer-metal composite enabled robotic manta ray

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zheng; Um, Tae I.; Bart-Smith, Hilary

2011-04-01

The manta ray, Manta birostris, demonstrates excellent swimming capabilities; generating highly efficient thrust via flapping of dorsally flattened pectoral fins. In this paper, we present an underwater robot that mimics the swimming behavior of the manta ray. An assembly-based fabrication method is developed to create the artificial pectoral fins, which are capable of generating oscillatory with a large twisting angle between leading and trailing edges. Ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) actuators are used as artificial muscles in the fin. Each fin consists of four IPMC beams bonded with a compliant poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) membrane. By controlling each individual IPMC strips, we are able to generate complex flapping motions. The fin is characterized in terms of tip deflection, tip blocking force, twist angle, and power consumption. Based on the characteristics of the artificial pectoral fin, a small size and free-swimming robotic manta ray is developed. The robot consists of two artificial pectoral fins, a rigid body, and an on-board control unit with a lithium ion rechargeable battery. Experimental results show that the robot swam at a speed of up to 0.055 body length per second (BL/sec).

SINTERING, A PROCESS OF METAL FORMING AS AN ECONOMIC ALTERNATIVE WITH A LOW ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ángel Silvio Machado Rodríguez

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Sintering is a process of metal forming using metal powders, and it has a wide range of applications including for example, the manufacturing of parts for automotive components, home appliances, cutting tools, power tools, for the manufacturing of dental devices, among others. The process is characterized by the production of large-scale low cost parts and has a low environmental impact compared to other existing technologies, it requires less energy for processing and enables high utilization of raw materials. Also, it has the characteristic of obtaining, in most cases, the parts with final tolerances necessary for direct use by the customer, which ultimately reduces considerably the cost of production. The process is characterized by minimizing the loss of raw materials; facilitating precise control of the desired chemical composition; eliminating or reducing machining operations; providing a good surface finish; being an easy production process of automation; obtaining high purity; and ensuring exactly resistance characteristics required for each project.

Radioactive contamination of recycled metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lubenau, J.O.; Cool, D.A.; Yusko, J.G.

1996-01-01

Radioactive sources commingled with metal scrap have become a major problem for the metals recycling industry worldwide. Worldwide there have been 38 confirmed reports of radioactive sources accidentally smelted with recycled metal. In some instances, contaminated metal products were subsequently distributed. The metal mills, their products and byproducts from the metal making process such as slags, crosses and dusts from furnaces can become contaminated. In the U.S., imported ferrous metal products such as reinforcement bars, pipe flanges, table legs and fencing components have been found contaminated with taco. U.S. steel mills have unintentionally smelted radioactive sources on 16 occasions. The resulting cost for decontamination waste disposal and temporary closure of the steel mill is typically USD 10,000,000 and has been as much as USD 23,000,000. Other metal recycling industries that have been affected by this problem include aluminum, copper, zinc, gold, lead and vanadium. (author)

Solar Convective Furnace for Metals Processing

Science.gov (United States)

Patidar, Deepesh; Tiwari, Sheetanshu; Sharma, Piyush; Pardeshi, Ravindra; Chandra, Laltu; Shekhar, Rajiv

2015-11-01

Metals processing operations, primarily soaking, heat treatment, and melting of metals are energy-intensive processes using fossil fuels, either directly or indirectly as electricity, to operate furnaces at high temperatures. Use of concentrated solar energy as a source of heat could be a viable "green" option for industrial heat treatment furnaces. This paper introduces the concept of a solar convective furnace which utilizes hot air generated by an open volumetric air receiver (OVAR)-based solar tower technology. The potential for heating air above 1000°C exists. Air temperatures of 700°C have already been achieved in a 1.5-MWe volumetric air receiver demonstration plant. Efforts to retrofit an industrial aluminium soaking furnace for integration with a solar tower system are briefly described. The design and performance of an OVAR has been discussed. A strategy for designing a 1/15th-scale model of an industrial aluminium soaking furnace has been presented. Preliminary flow and thermal simulation results suggest the presence of recirculating flow in existing furnaces that could possibly result in non-uniform heating of the slabs. The multifarious uses of concentrated solar energy, for example in smelting, metals processing, and even fuel production, should enable it to overcome its cost disadvantage with respect to solar photovoltaics.

The attachment of metal-chelating groups to proteins: tagging of albumin by diazonium coupling and use of the products as radiopharmaceuticals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leung, C.S.H.; Meares, C.F.; Goodwin, D.A.

1978-01-01

The ability to attach firmly chelated metal ions or powerful chelating agents to sites on biological molecules can enhance the utility of a number of physical techniques now used in the study of biological systems. A 'bifunctional' chelating agent, containing both an EDTA group and a diazonium group, has been prepared and coupled to human serum albumin. The extent of labeling under various conditions and the amino-acid sidechains labeled have been investigated. The reaction of protein-bound chelating groups with added metal ions has been studied, with the finding that only about 40-50% of these groups are available to bind metal ions. Proteolysis of the products leads to recovery of full metal-binding capacity. Properties of the products in vivo are discussed. (author)

Stiffness management of sheet metal parts using laser metal deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Bambach, Markus; Sviridov, Alexander; Weisheit, Andreas

2017-10-01

Tailored blanks are established solutions for the production of load-adapted sheet metal components. In the course of the individualization of production, such semi-finished products are gaining importance. In addition to tailored welded blanks and tailored rolled blanks, patchwork blanks have been developed which allow a local increase in sheet thickness by welding, gluing or soldering patches onto sheet metal blanks. Patchwork blanks, however, have several limitations, on the one hand, the limited freedom of design in the production of patchwork blanks and, on the other hand, the fact that there is no optimum material bonding with the substrate. The increasing production of derivative and special vehicles on the basis of standard vehicles, prototype production and the functionalization of components require solutions with which semi-finished products and sheet metal components can be provided flexibly with local thickenings or functional elements with a firm metallurgical bond to the substrate. An alternative to tailored and patchwork blanks is, therefore, a free-form reinforcement applied by additive manufacturing via laser metal deposition (LMD). By combining metal forming and additive manufacturing, stiffness can be adapted to the loads based on standard components in a material-efficient manner and without the need to redesign the forming tools. This paper details a study of the potential of stiffness management by LMD using a demonstrator part. Sizing optimization is performed and part distortion is taken into account to find an optimal design for the cladding. A maximum stiffness increase of 167% is feasible with only 4.7% additional mass. Avoiding part distortion leads to a pareto-optimal design which achieves 95% more stiffness with 6% added mass.

Oxidation kinetics of hydride-bearing uranium metal corrosion products

Science.gov (United States)

Totemeier, Terry C.; Pahl, Robert G.; Frank, Steven M.

The oxidation behavior of hydride-bearing uranium metal corrosion products from Zero Power Physics Reactor (ZPPR) fuel plates was studied using thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) in environments of Ar-4%O 2, Ar-9%O 2, and Ar-20%O 2. Ignition of corrosion product samples from two moderately corroded plates was observed between 125°C and 150°C in all environments. The rate of oxidation above the ignition temperature was found to be dependent only on the net flow rate of oxygen in the reacting gas. Due to the higher net oxygen flow rate, burning rates increased with increasing oxygen concentration. Oxidation rates below the ignition temperature were much slower and decreased with increasing test time. The hydride contents of the TGA samples from the two moderately corroded plates, determined from the total weight gain achieved during burning, were 47-61 wt% and 29-39 wt%. Samples from a lightly corroded plate were not reactive; X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed that they contained little hydride.

Literature survey on metal waste form for metallic waste from electrorefiners for the electrometallurgical treatment of spent metallic fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishimura, Tomohiro

2003-01-01

This report summarizes the recent results of the metal waste form development activities at the Argonne National Laboratory in the USA for high-level radioactive metallic waste (stainless-steel (SS) cladding hulls, zirconium (Zr), noble-metal fission products (NMFPs), etc.) from electrorefiners for the electrometallurgical treatment of spent metallic fuels. Their main results are as follows: (1) SS- 15 wt.% Zr- ∼4 wt.% NMFPs alloy was selected as the metal waste form, (2) metallurgical data, properties, long-term corrosion data, etc. of the alloy have been collected, (3) 10-kg ingots have been produced in hot tests and a 60-kg production machine is under development. The following research should be made to show the feasibility of the metal waste form in Japan: (1) degradation assessment of the metal waste form in Japanese geological repository environments, and (2) clarification of the maximum allowable contents of NMFPs. (author)

Plasma-chemical production of metal-polypyrrole-catalysts for the reduction of oxygen in fuel cells. Precious-metal-free catalysts for fuel cells.; Plasmachemische Erzeugung von Metall-Polypyrrol-Katalysatoren fuer die Sauerstoffreduktion in Brennstoffzellen. Edelmetallfreie Katalysatoren fuer Brennstoffzellen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walter, Christian

2013-07-01

This thesis is about the production of non noble metal catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction in fuel cells. Therefore, a novel dual plasma process is developed, constructed and the so-produced films are analysed by various electrochemical (CV, RDE and RRDE) and structural methods (SEM, EDX, IR, XPS, conductivity, XRD, NEXAFS, EXAFS and TEM). It is shown, that by doing this, non noble metal catalysts could be produced without the need of a high temperature treatment. Furthermore, the catalytic activity obtained is superior to that of chemically produced metal-polypyrrole films.

Biogenic metallic nanoparticles as catalyst for bioelectricity production: A novel approach in microbial fuel cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saravanakumar, Kandasamy, E-mail: saravana732@gmail.com [School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai (China); State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai (China); Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (South), Ministry of Agriculture, Shanghai (China); MubarakAli, Davoodbasha [Microbial Genetic Engineering Laboratory, Division of Bioengineering, College of Life Science and Bioengineering, Incheon National University, Songdo 406772, Incheon (Korea, Republic of); Department of Microbiology, School of Lifesciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620024 (India); Kathiresan, Kandasamy [Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Sciences, Annamalai University, Parangipettai 608 502, Tamil Nadu (India); Thajuddin, Nooruddin [Department of Microbiology, School of Lifesciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620024 (India); Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451 (Saudi Arabia); Alharbi, Naiyf S. [Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451 (Saudi Arabia); Chen, Jie, E-mail: jiechen59@sjtu.edu.cn [School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai (China); State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai (China); Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (South), Ministry of Agriculture, Shanghai (China)

2016-01-15

Highlights: • Trichoderma sp., showed an abilities to synthesis of AgNPs and AuNPs with an excellent stability. • AuNPs significantly enhanced the bioelectricity production by MFC of anaerobic fermentation as catalyst. • Maximum bioelectricity production was optimized and obtained the voltage of 432.80 mA using RSM. - Abstract: The present work aimed to use the biogenic metallic nanoparticles as catalyst for bioelectricity production in microbial fuel cell (MFC) approach under anaerobic condition. Silver and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized using Trichoderma sp. Particle size and cystallinity were measured by X-ray diffraction revealed the crystalline structure with average size of 36.17 nm. Electron microscopic studies showed spherical shaped silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and cubical shaped AuNPs with size ranges from 50 to 150 nm. The concentration of biogenic metallic nanoparticles as catalyst for enhanced bioelectricity generations and estimated by response surface methodology (RSM) and found at the greatest of 342.80 mA under optimized conditions are time interval, temperature, nanoparticles used as 63 h, 28 ± 2.0 °C, 22.54 mg l{sup −1} (AgNPs) and 25.62 mg l{sup −1} (AuNPs) in a batch reactor. AuNPs acted as an excellent catalyst to enhance the bioelectricity production. This novel technique could be used for eco-friendly, economically feasible and facile electricity production.

Biogenic metallic nanoparticles as catalyst for bioelectricity production: A novel approach in microbial fuel cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saravanakumar, Kandasamy; MubarakAli, Davoodbasha; Kathiresan, Kandasamy; Thajuddin, Nooruddin; Alharbi, Naiyf S.; Chen, Jie

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Trichoderma sp., showed an abilities to synthesis of AgNPs and AuNPs with an excellent stability. • AuNPs significantly enhanced the bioelectricity production by MFC of anaerobic fermentation as catalyst. • Maximum bioelectricity production was optimized and obtained the voltage of 432.80 mA using RSM. - Abstract: The present work aimed to use the biogenic metallic nanoparticles as catalyst for bioelectricity production in microbial fuel cell (MFC) approach under anaerobic condition. Silver and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized using Trichoderma sp. Particle size and cystallinity were measured by X-ray diffraction revealed the crystalline structure with average size of 36.17 nm. Electron microscopic studies showed spherical shaped silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and cubical shaped AuNPs with size ranges from 50 to 150 nm. The concentration of biogenic metallic nanoparticles as catalyst for enhanced bioelectricity generations and estimated by response surface methodology (RSM) and found at the greatest of 342.80 mA under optimized conditions are time interval, temperature, nanoparticles used as 63 h, 28 ± 2.0 °C, 22.54 mg l"−"1 (AgNPs) and 25.62 mg l"−"1 (AuNPs) in a batch reactor. AuNPs acted as an excellent catalyst to enhance the bioelectricity production. This novel technique could be used for eco-friendly, economically feasible and facile electricity production.

Structure, production and properties of high-melting compounds and systems (hard materials and hard metals)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holleck, H.; Thuemmler, F.

1979-07-01

The report contains contributions by various authors to the research project on the production, structure, and physical properties of high-melting compounds and systems (hard metals and hard materials), in particular WC-, TaC-, and MoC-base materials. (GSCH) [de

Commodity profiles for selected metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Svoboda, O.; Wilson, B.M.

1985-01-01

This report describes the basic characteristics of 35 metals and gives the prices and production of these metals for the period 1979 to 1983/4. The description of each metal includes the ore grades and reserves, the major minerals in which the metal occurs, and the discovery, selected physical properties, sources, uses, substitutes, and effects on the environment of the metal. Graphs showing price and production cover the period 1950 to 1984, and possible future developments in these areas are forecast for each metal until the year 2000

Liquid metal steam generator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolowodiuk, W.

1975-01-01

A liquid metal heated steam generator is described which in the event of a tube failure quickly exhausts out of the steam generator the products of the reaction between the water and the liquid metal. The steam is generated in a plurality of bayonet tubes which are heated by liquid metal flowing over them between an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder. The inner cylinder extends above the level of liquid metal but below the main tube sheet. A central pipe extends down into the inner cylinder with a centrifugal separator between it and the inner cylinder at its lower end and an involute deflector plate above the separator so that the products of a reaction between the liquid metal and the water will be deflected downwardly by the deflector plate and through the separator so that the liquid metal will flow outwardly and away from the central pipe through which the steam and gaseous reaction products are exhausted. (U.S.)

Automation of a Nile red staining assay enables high throughput quantification of microalgal lipid production.

Science.gov (United States)

Morschett, Holger; Wiechert, Wolfgang; Oldiges, Marco

2016-02-09

Within the context of microalgal lipid production for biofuels and bulk chemical applications, specialized higher throughput devices for small scale parallelized cultivation are expected to boost the time efficiency of phototrophic bioprocess development. However, the increasing number of possible experiments is directly coupled to the demand for lipid quantification protocols that enable reliably measuring large sets of samples within short time and that can deal with the reduced sample volume typically generated at screening scale. To meet these demands, a dye based assay was established using a liquid handling robot to provide reproducible high throughput quantification of lipids with minimized hands-on-time. Lipid production was monitored using the fluorescent dye Nile red with dimethyl sulfoxide as solvent facilitating dye permeation. The staining kinetics of cells at different concentrations and physiological states were investigated to successfully down-scale the assay to 96 well microtiter plates. Gravimetric calibration against a well-established extractive protocol enabled absolute quantification of intracellular lipids improving precision from ±8 to ±2 % on average. Implementation into an automated liquid handling platform allows for measuring up to 48 samples within 6.5 h, reducing hands-on-time to a third compared to manual operation. Moreover, it was shown that automation enhances accuracy and precision compared to manual preparation. It was revealed that established protocols relying on optical density or cell number for biomass adjustion prior to staining may suffer from errors due to significant changes of the cells' optical and physiological properties during cultivation. Alternatively, the biovolume was used as a measure for biomass concentration so that errors from morphological changes can be excluded. The newly established assay proved to be applicable for absolute quantification of algal lipids avoiding limitations of currently established

PRODUCTION OF ACTINIDE METAL

Science.gov (United States)

Knighton, J.B.

1963-11-01

A process of reducing actinide oxide to the metal with magnesium-zinc alloy in a flux of 5 mole% of magnesium fluoride and 95 mole% of magnesium chloride plus lithium, sodium, potassium, calcium, strontium, or barium chloride is presented. The flux contains at least 14 mole% of magnesium cation at 600-- 900 deg C in air. The formed magnesium-zinc-actinide alloy is separated from the magnesium-oxide-containing flux. (AEC)

The use of coded PCR primers enables high-throughput sequencing of multiple homolog amplification products by 454 parallel sequencing.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonas Binladen

2007-02-01

Full Text Available The invention of the Genome Sequence 20 DNA Sequencing System (454 parallel sequencing platform has enabled the rapid and high-volume production of sequence data. Until now, however, individual emulsion PCR (emPCR reactions and subsequent sequencing runs have been unable to combine template DNA from multiple individuals, as homologous sequences cannot be subsequently assigned to their original sources.We use conventional PCR with 5'-nucleotide tagged primers to generate homologous DNA amplification products from multiple specimens, followed by sequencing through the high-throughput Genome Sequence 20 DNA Sequencing System (GS20, Roche/454 Life Sciences. Each DNA sequence is subsequently traced back to its individual source through 5'tag-analysis.We demonstrate that this new approach enables the assignment of virtually all the generated DNA sequences to the correct source once sequencing anomalies are accounted for (miss-assignment rate<0.4%. Therefore, the method enables accurate sequencing and assignment of homologous DNA sequences from multiple sources in single high-throughput GS20 run. We observe a bias in the distribution of the differently tagged primers that is dependent on the 5' nucleotide of the tag. In particular, primers 5' labelled with a cytosine are heavily overrepresented among the final sequences, while those 5' labelled with a thymine are strongly underrepresented. A weaker bias also exists with regards to the distribution of the sequences as sorted by the second nucleotide of the dinucleotide tags. As the results are based on a single GS20 run, the general applicability of the approach requires confirmation. However, our experiments demonstrate that 5'primer tagging is a useful method in which the sequencing power of the GS20 can be applied to PCR-based assays of multiple homologous PCR products. The new approach will be of value to a broad range of research areas, such as those of comparative genomics, complete mitochondrial

PRODUCTION OF CATHODES AND HIGH PURITY TARGETS OF CHEMICALLY ACTIVE METALS BY MEANS OF ELECTRONIC-RAY MELTING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. V. Alifanov

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The technical process of production and restoration of worn cathodes and targets of chemically active metals (Ti, Zr, V and others with the help of cathode ray in vacuum is developed. Regenerating of worn cathodes, targets is carried out by means of insertion in chill of worn base and successive cathode ray deposition on certain places of required quantity of metal (from 2 till 50mm.

Recycling of spent adsorbents for oxyanions and heavy metal ions in the production of ceramics.

Science.gov (United States)

Verbinnen, Bram; Block, Chantal; Van Caneghem, Jo; Vandecasteele, Carlo

2015-11-01

Spent adsorbents for oxyanion forming elements and heavy metals are classified as hazardous materials and they are typically treated by stabilization/solidification before landfilling. The use of lime or cement for stabilization/solidification entails a high environmental impact and landfilling costs are high. This paper shows that mixing spent adsorbents in the raw material for the production of ceramic materials is a valuable alternative to stabilize oxyanion forming elements and heavy metals. The produced ceramics can be used as construction material, avoiding the high economic and environmental impact of stabilization/solidification followed by landfilling. To study the stabilization of oxyanion forming elements and heavy metals during the production process, two series of experiments were performed. In the first series of experiments, the main pollutant, Mo was adsorbed onto iron-based adsorbents, which were then mixed with industrial sludge (3 w/w%) and heated at 1100°C for 30 min. Mo was chosen, as this element is easily adsorbed onto iron-based adsorbents and it is the element that is the most difficult to stabilize (i.e. the highest temperatures need to be reached before the concentrations in the leachate are reduced). Leaching concentration from the 97/3 sludge/adsorbent mixture before heating ranged between 85 and 154 mg/kg; after the heating process they were reduced to 0.42-1.48 mg/kg. Mo was actually stabilized, as the total Mo concentration after addition was not affected by the heat treatment. In the second series of experiments, the sludge was spiked with other heavy metals and oxyanion forming elements (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd and Pb) in concentrations 5 times higher than the initial concentrations; after heat treatment the leachate concentrations were below the regulatory limit values. The incorporation of spent adsorbents in ceramic materials is a valuable and sustainable alternative to the existing treatment methods, saving raw materials in the

Lunar Metal Oxide Electrolysis with Oxygen and Photovoltaic Array Production Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Curreri, P. A.; Ethridge, E.; Hudson, S.; Sen, S.

2006-01-01

This paper presents the results of a Marshall Space Flight Center funded effort to conduct an experimental demonstration of the processing of simulated lunar resources by the molten oxide electrolysis (MOE) process to produce oxygen and metal from lunar resources to support human exploration of space. Oxygen extracted from lunar materials can be used for life support and propellant, and silicon and metallic elements produced can be used for in situ fabrication of thin-film solar cells for power production. The Moon is rich in mineral resources, but it is almost devoid of chemical reducing agents, therefore, molten oxide electrolysis, MOE, is chosen for extraction, since the electron is the most practical reducing agent. MOE was also chosen for following reasons. First, electrolytic processing offers uncommon versatility in its insensitivity to feedstock composition. Secondly, oxide melts boast the twin key attributes of highest solubilizing capacity for regolith and lowest volatility of any candidate electrolytes. The former is critical in ensuring high productivity since cell current is limited by reactant solubility, while the latter simplifies cell design by obviating the need for a gas-tight reactor to contain evaporation losses as would be the case with a gas or liquid phase fluoride reagent operating at such high temperatures. In the experiments reported here, melts containing iron oxide were electrolyzed in a low temperature supporting oxide electrolyte (developed by D. Sadoway, MIT). The production of oxygen and reduced iron were observed. Electrolysis was also performed on the supporting electrolyte with JSC-1 Lunar Simulant. The cell current for the supporting electrolyte alone is negligible while the current for the electrolyte with JSC-1 shows significant current and a peak at about -0.6 V indicating reductive reaction in the simulant.

Mixing and settling in continuous metal production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richter, H.J.; Laaspere, J.T.; Fitzpatrick, J.M.

1993-01-01

Modern metallurgical processes produce metal from ore in a single converter operated in horizontal mode to permit staging of bath and oxygen potential by utilizing bottom-blowing of oxygen and fuel. The submerged injectors must create sufficient turbulence to provide excellent gas-liquid contact in order to maximize heat and mass transfer in the bath, but this turbulence must be selectively localized so as to provide adequate phase separation zones of metal and slag between the active turbulent zones. It is important to know the behavior of gas and liquids in the bubble plume, the nature and paths of liquids and entrainment into the plume, and separation phenomena including travel and behavior in the settling zones. Such knowledge is of fundamental value in designing reactors for continuous direct metal making. In this work the mixing caused by submerged injection of gas into a bath simulating a converter and subsequent phase separation of two immiscible liquids representing slag and metal respectively, are being studied experimentally and analytically. First results of experiments and of the numerical analysis are presented

Photoreactivity of Metal-Organic Frameworks in Aqueous Solutions: Metal Dependence of Reactive Oxygen Species Production.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Kai; Gao, Yanxin; Liu, Jing; Wen, Yifan; Zhao, Yingcan; Zhang, Kunyang; Yu, Gang

2016-04-05

Promising applications of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) in various fields have raised concern over their environmental fate and safety upon inevitable discharge into aqueous environments. Currently, no information regarding the transformation processes of MOFs is available. Due to the presence of repetitive π-bond structure and semiconductive property, photochemical transformations are an important fate process that affects the performance of MOFs in practical applications. In the current study, the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in isoreticular MIL-53s was studied. Scavengers were employed to probe the production of (1)O2, O2(•-), and •OH, respectively. In general, MIL-53(Cr) and MIL-53(Fe) are dominated by type I and II photosensitization reactions, respectively, and MIL-53(Al) appears to be less photoreactive. The generation of ROS in MIL-53(Fe) may be underestimated due to dismutation. Further investigation of MIL-53(Fe) encapsulated diclofenac transformation revealed that diclofenac can be easily transformed by MIL-53(Fe) generated ROS. However, the cytotoxicity results implied that the ROS generated from MIL-53s have little effect on the viability of the human hepatocyte (HepG2) cell line. These results suggest that the photogeneration of ROS by MOFs may be metal-node dependent, and the application of MIL-53s as drug carriers needs to be carefully considered due to their high photoreactivity.

Additive Manufacturing of Metal Structures at the Micrometer Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirt, Luca; Reiser, Alain; Spolenak, Ralph; Zambelli, Tomaso

2017-05-01

Currently, the focus of additive manufacturing (AM) is shifting from simple prototyping to actual production. One driving factor of this process is the ability of AM to build geometries that are not accessible by subtractive fabrication techniques. While these techniques often call for a geometry that is easiest to manufacture, AM enables the geometry required for best performance to be built by freeing the design process from restrictions imposed by traditional machining. At the micrometer scale, the design limitations of standard fabrication techniques are even more severe. Microscale AM thus holds great potential, as confirmed by the rapid success of commercial micro-stereolithography tools as an enabling technology for a broad range of scientific applications. For metals, however, there is still no established AM solution at small scales. To tackle the limited resolution of standard metal AM methods (a few tens of micrometers at best), various new techniques aimed at the micrometer scale and below are presently under development. Here, we review these recent efforts. Specifically, we feature the techniques of direct ink writing, electrohydrodynamic printing, laser-assisted electrophoretic deposition, laser-induced forward transfer, local electroplating methods, laser-induced photoreduction and focused electron or ion beam induced deposition. Although these methods have proven to facilitate the AM of metals with feature sizes in the range of 0.1-10 µm, they are still in a prototype stage and their potential is not fully explored yet. For instance, comprehensive studies of material availability and material properties are often lacking, yet compulsory for actual applications. We address these items while critically discussing and comparing the potential of current microscale metal AM techniques. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Contamination and Health Risks from Heavy Metals (Cd and Pb and Trace Elements (Cu and Zn in Dairy Products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamid Reza Ghafari

2017-08-01

Conclusion: Considering the serious contamination of some brands of butter and cheese by Cu and Pb, a control of heavy metals and trace elements levels during the whole production processing of dairy products must be applied.

Coupled Metal/Oxide Catalysts with Tunable Product Selectivity for Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Huo, Shengjuan; Weng, Zhe; Wu, Zishan; Zhong, Yiren; Wu, Yueshen; Fang, Jianhui; Wang, Hailiang

2017-08-30

One major challenge to the electrochemical conversion of CO 2 to useful fuels and chemical products is the lack of efficient catalysts that can selectively direct the reaction to one desirable product and avoid the other possible side products. Making use of strong metal/oxide interactions has recently been demonstrated to be effective in enhancing electrocatalysis in the liquid phase. Here, we report one of the first systematic studies on composition-dependent influences of metal/oxide interactions on electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction, utilizing Cu/SnO x heterostructured nanoparticles supported on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a model catalyst system. By adjusting the Cu/Sn ratio in the catalyst material structure, we can tune the products of the CO 2 electrocatalytic reduction reaction from hydrocarbon-favorable to CO-selective to formic acid-dominant. In the Cu-rich regime, SnO x dramatically alters the catalytic behavior of Cu. The Cu/SnO x -CNT catalyst containing 6.2% of SnO x converts CO 2 to CO with a high faradaic efficiency (FE) of 89% and a j CO of 11.3 mA·cm -2 at -0.99 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode, in stark contrast to the Cu-CNT catalyst on which ethylene and methane are the main products for CO 2 reduction. In the Sn-rich regime, Cu modifies the catalytic properties of SnO x . The Cu/SnO x -CNT catalyst containing 30.2% of SnO x reduces CO 2 to formic acid with an FE of 77% and a j HCOOH of 4.0 mA·cm -2 at -0.99 V, outperforming the SnO x -CNT catalyst which only converts CO 2 to formic acid in an FE of 48%.

Life Cycle Assessment and Release Studies for 15 Nanosilver-Enabled Consumer Products: Investigating Hotspots and Patterns of Contribution.

Science.gov (United States)

Pourzahedi, Leila; Vance, Marina; Eckelman, Matthew J

2017-06-20

Increasing use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in consumer products as antimicrobial agents has prompted extensive research toward the evaluation of their potential release to the environment and subsequent ecotoxicity to aquatic organisms. It has also been shown that AgNPs can pose significant burdens to the environment from life cycle emissions associated with their production, but these impacts must be considered in the context of actual products that contain nanosilver. Here, a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment for the production of 15 different AgNP-enabled consumer products was performed, coupled with release studies of those same products, thus providing a consistent analytical platform for investigation of potential nanosilver impacts across a range of product types and concentrations. Environmental burdens were assessed over multiple impact categories defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and Other Environmental Impacts (TRACI 2.1) method. Depending on the product composition and silver loading, the contribution of AgNP synthesis to the overall impacts was seen to vary over a wide range from 1% to 99%. Release studies found that solid polymeric samples lost more silver during wash compared to fibrous materials. Estimates of direct ecotoxicity impacts of AgNP releases from those products with the highest leaching rates resulted in lower impact levels compared to cradle-to-gate ecotoxicity from production for those products. Considering both cradle-to-gate production impacts and nanoparticle release studies, in conjunction with estimates of life cycle environmental and health benefits of nanoparticle incorporation, can inform sustainable nanoenabled product design.

Process development study on production of uranium metal from monazite sourced crude uranium tetra-fluoride

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chowdhury, S; Satpati, S.K.; Hareendran, K.N.; Roy, S.B.

2014-01-01

Development of an economic process for recovery, process flow sheet development, purification and further conversion to nuclear grade uranium metal from the crude UF 4 has been a technological challenge and the present paper, discusses the same.The developed flow-sheet is a combination of hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical processes. Crude UF 4 is converted to uranium di-oxide (UO 2 ) by chemical conversion route and UO 2 produced is made fluoride-free by repeated repulping, followed by solid liquid separation. Uranium di-oxide is then purified by two stages of dissolution and suitable solvent extraction methods to get uranium nitrate pure solution (UNPS). UNPS is then precipitated with air diluted ammonia in a leak tight stirred vessel under controlled operational conditions to obtain ammonium di-uranate (ADU). The ADU is then calcined and reduced to produce metal grade UO 2 followed by hydro-fluorination using anhydrous hydrofluoric acid to obtain metal grade UF 4 with ammonium oxalate insoluble (AOI) content of 4 is essential for critical upstream conversion process. Nuclear grade uranium metal ingot is finally produced by metallothermic reduction process at 650℃ in a closed vessel, called bomb reactor. In the process, metal-slag separation plays an important role for attaining metal purity as well as process yield. Technological as well economic feasibility of indigenously developed process for large scale production of uranium metal from the crude UF 4 has been established in Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), India

Model for H-, D- production by hydrogen backscattering from alkali and alkali/transition-metal surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hiskes, J.R.; Schneider, P.J.

1980-01-01

A model for H - , D - production by energetic particles reflecting from metal surfaces is discussed. The model employs the energy and angular distribution data derived from the Marlowe code. The model is applied to particles incident normally upon Cs, Ni, and Cs/Ni surfaces

The mineral base and productive capacities of metals and non-metals of Kosovo

Science.gov (United States)

Rizaj, M.; Beqiri, E.; McBow, I.; O'Brien, E. Z.; Kongoli, F.

2008-08-01

All historical periods of Kosovo—Ilirik, Roman, Medieval, Turkish, and former Yugoslavian—are linked with the intensive development of mining and metallurgy. This activity influenced and still is influencing the overall position of Kosovo as a country. For example, according to a 2006 World Bank report as well as other studies, Kosovo has potential lignite resources (geological reserves) of about 1.5 billion tonnes, which are ranked fifth in the world in importance. Other significant Kosovan mineral resources include lead, zinc, gold, silver, bauxite, and uranium, and rare metals accompanying those minerals, including indium, cadmium, thallium, gallium, and bismuth. These rare metals are of particular importance in developing advanced industrial technologies. Kosovo also has reserves of high-quality non-metals, including magnesite, quartz grit, bentonite, argil, talc, and asbestos. No database exists for these non-metal reserves, and further research and studies are needed.

Photoinitiated Electron Collection in Mixed-Metal Supramolecular Complexes: Development of Photocatalysts for Hydrogen Production. Final Report of Progress August 2017

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanko, James M. [Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry

2017-08-01

Mixed-metal supramolecular complexes containing one or two RuII light absorbing subunits coupled through polyazine bridging ligands to a RhIII reactive metal center were prepared for use as photocatalysts for the production of solar H₂ fuel from H₂O. The electrochemical, photophysical, and photochemical properties upon variation of the monodentate, labile ligands coordinated to the Rh reactive metal center were investigated.

A Semantically Enabled Metadata Repository for Solar Irradiance Data Products

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, A.; Cox, M.; Lindholm, D. M.; Nadiadi, I.; Traver, T.

2014-12-01

The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, LASP, has been conducting research in Atmospheric and Space science for over 60 years, and providing the associated data products to the public. LASP has a long history, in particular, of making space-based measurements of the solar irradiance, which serves as crucial input to several areas of scientific research, including solar-terrestrial interactions, atmospheric, and climate. LISIRD, the LASP Interactive Solar Irradiance Data Center, serves these datasets to the public, including solar spectral irradiance (SSI) and total solar irradiance (TSI) data. The LASP extended metadata repository, LEMR, is a database of information about the datasets served by LASP, such as parameters, uncertainties, temporal and spectral ranges, current version, alerts, etc. It serves as the definitive, single source of truth for that information. The database is populated with information garnered via web forms and automated processes. Dataset owners keep the information current and verified for datasets under their purview. This information can be pulled dynamically for many purposes. Web sites such as LISIRD can include this information in web page content as it is rendered, ensuring users get current, accurate information. It can also be pulled to create metadata records in various metadata formats, such as SPASE (for heliophysics) and ISO 19115. Once these records are be made available to the appropriate registries, our data will be discoverable by users coming in via those organizations. The database is implemented as a RDF triplestore, a collection of instances of subject-object-predicate data entities identifiable with a URI. This capability coupled with SPARQL over HTTP read access enables semantic queries over the repository contents. To create the repository we leveraged VIVO, an open source semantic web application, to manage and create new ontologies and populate repository content. A variety of ontologies were used in

Evaluating the incorporation of heavy metals to agroecosystem. Role of the productive practices executed by agricultural workers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia Cespedes, Damarys; Santana Romero, Jorge Luis; Olivares Rieumont, Susana

2012-01-01

Health risks associated to practical activities in farm and agriculture are increasing all over the world. These risks are depending from technology and chemicals substances abuse. Urban agriculture specifically constitutes a challenge for producers and researchers. Agricultural food production, held inside of the cities, looking for sustainable productions is developed in risky scenarios where it is possible to found environmental pollutants such as heavy metals. Environmental pollutants may to contaminate humans throughout different pathways. The analysis of factors related to agricultural working strategies of urban farm workers, the precedent knowledgement about production places and analytical data related to composition and properties of these sites, are significant criteria for proper management of ecosystems. Qualitative analysis research tool such as expert group criteria is a suitable method for field research in this area. It was determined that the precedent use of soil, the use of fertilizers and phytosanitary products are key elements to be taken into account for successful management of agroecosystems and for health risk prevention related to the possible influence of heavy metals in farm practice

TECHNOLOGY OF PRODUCTION OF METAL-CONTAINING SLAGS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. M. Djakonov

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Technological operations of mechanical squeezing of water-based final tailings from lubricoolants, washing of metal-abrasive final tailings on oil lubricoolants and their magnetic separation are offered and investigated. Advantages of technology washing and magnetic separation of final tailings are ecological cleanliness of the process, high degree of clearing of metal powder and qualitative division of mixture component.

Adsorption of endotoxins on Ca2+ -iminodiacetic acid by metal ion affinity chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Lopes, André Moreni; Romeu, Jorge Sánchez; Meireles, Rolando Páez; Perera, Gabriel Marquez; Morales, Rolando Perdomo; Pessoa, Adalberto; Cárdenas, Lourdes Zumalacárregui

2012-11-01

Endotoxins (also known as lipopolysaccharides (LPS)) are undesirable by-products of recombinant proteins, purified from Escherichia coli. LPS can be considered stable under a wide range of temperature and pH, making their removal one of the most difficult tasks in downstream processes during protein purification. The inherent toxicity of LPS makes their removal an important step for the application of these proteins in several biological assays and for a safe parenteral administration. Immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) enables the affinity interactions between the metal ions (immobilized on the support through the chelating compound) and the target molecules, thus enabling high-efficiency separation of the target molecules from other components present in a mixture. Affinity chromatography is applied with Ca2+ -iminodiacetic acid (IDA) to remove most of the LPS contaminants from the end product (more than 90%). In this study, the adsorption of LPS on an IDA-Ca2+ was investigated. The adsorption Freundlich isotherm of LPS-IDA-Ca2+ provides a theoretical basis for LPS removal. It was found that LPS is bound mainly by interactions between the phosphate group in LPS and Ca2+ ligands on the beads. The factors such as pH (4.0 or 5.5) and ionic strength (1.0 mol/L) are essential to obtain effective removal of LPS for contaminant levels between endotoxin' concentration values less than 100 EU/mL and 100 000 EU/mL. This new protocol represents a substantial advantage in time, effort, and production costs.

Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory Analysis of Triphenylamine-Functionalized Graphene Doped with Transition Metals for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production.

Science.gov (United States)

Mota, Elder A V; Neto, Abel F G; Marques, Francisco C; Mota, Gunar V S; Martins, Marcelo G; Costa, Fabio L P; Borges, Rosivaldo S; Neto, Antonio M J C

2018-07-01

The electronic structures and optical properties of triphenylamine-functionalized graphene (G-TPA) doped with transition metals, using water as a solvent, were theoretically investigated to verify the efficiency of photocatalytic hydrogen production with the use of transition metals. This study was performed by Density Functional Theory and Time-dependent Density Functional Theory through Gaussian 09W software, adopting the B3LYP functional for all structures. The 6-31g(d) basis set was used for H, C and N atoms, and the LANL2DZ basis set for transition metals using the Effective Core Potentials method. Two approaches were adopted: (1) using single metallic dopants (Ni, Pd, Fe, Os and Pt) and (2) using combinations of Ni with the other dopants (NiPd, NiPt, NiFe and NiOs). The DOS spectra reveal an increase of accessible states in the valence shell, in addition to a gap decrease for all dopants. This doping also increases the absorption in the visible region of solar radiation where sunlight is most intense (400 nm to 700 nm), with additional absorption peaks. The results lead us to propose the G-TPA structures doped with Ni, Pd, Pt, NiPt or NiPd to be novel catalysts for the conversion of solar energy for photocatalytic hydrogen production, since they improve the absorption of solar energy in the range of interest for solar radiation; and act as reaction centers, reducing the required overpotential for hydrogen production from water.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE REFERENCE MATERIALS PRODUCTION BRANCH IN THE JOINT STOCK COMPANY "THE GULIDOV KRASNOYARSK NON-FERROUS METALS PLANT"

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. A. Shatnykh

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the development of the branch for the reference materials production in the Joint Stock Company "The Gulidov Krasnoyarsk Non-Ferrous Metals Plant" (JSC "Krastsvetmet". Here the most important workings for reference materials including the work for the London precious metal exchange, current and future works are stated.

Bulk forming of industrial micro components in conventional metals and bulk metallic glasses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arentoft, Mogens; Paldan, Nikolas Aulin; Eriksen, Rasmus Solmer

2007-01-01

For production of micro components in large numbers, forging is an interesting and challenging process. The conventional metals like silver, steel and aluminum often require multi-step processes, but high productivity and increased strength justify the investment. As an alternative, bulk metallic...

DEFENSE PRODUCTION ACT: Agencies Lack Policies and Guidance for Use of Key Authorities

Science.gov (United States)

2008-06-01

and its allies $67.10 Titanium Metal Matrix Composites for Aircraft Supplies material properties that enable aircraft designers to engineer...Flexible Aerogel Material Supplier Initiative Provides nanoporous solids with up to 99 percent open porosity often called “frozen smoke” $14.62...lightweight explosive detector device $1.06 Continuous Filament Boron Fiber Production Provides boron fiber needed for aircraft structure reinforcement and

Noble metal-free RGO/TiO2 composite nanofiber with enhanced photocatalytic H2-production performance

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Difa; Li, Lingling; He, Rongan; Qi, Lifang; Zhang, Liuyang; Cheng, Bei

2018-03-01

1D reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/TiO2 nanocomposite fibers were fabricated by a facile two-step method. These samples demonstrated high photocatalytic H2-production activity from methanol aqueous solution, even without the aid of noble metal. When the ratio of RGO is 0.25 wt%, the highest H2-production rate was achieved. It increased by 10 fold than bare TiO2, reaching 149 μmol h-1 g-1 with quantum efficiency (QE) of 0.75%. The reasons were as follows. Firstly, the RGO nanosheets acted as electron acceptors. Secondly, some shallow trap states at the surface or interface of TiO2 were created by the reduction of GO during calcination. Thirdly, the redox potential position of graphene/graphene- was suitable. Fourthly, RGO could efficiently promote the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and significantly enhance the photocatalytic H2-production activity. This interpretation was corroborated by transient photocurrent response. The aforementioned marvelous results provided a probable solution to replace noble metals (such as Pt) by graphene as an effective cocatalyst.

Preparation of Lime by Roasting the Limestone Deposits of Strezovci (Republic of Kosovo and Its Use for the Aluminothermic Production of Calcium Metal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hoda, S.

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The goal of producing and processing limestone ore (mostly CaCO3 is to obtain high-quality refractory materials based on lime (CaO. Lime is the raw material for obtaining calcium metal as a strategic and fundamental component in lead metallurgy (production of refined lead, Pb-Ca alloys in the battery and cable industry, ferroalloys production with the addition of silicon and calcium, production of alloy steel and high-quality steel. This paper explores the preparation of lime by roasting the limestone deposits of Strezovci (Republic of Kosovo and its use for obtaining calcium through the aluminothermic process. Through research and analysis of the chemical composition of certain types of lime, its suitabi- lity for obtaining calcium metal was determined, and by analyzing the samples of the slag, determined was the possibility of its use in the production of fire-resistant cement for which the evaluation is needed. Based on previous research, the following was chosen: optimal composition of the cast, volume of added reducing agents, and conditions of the reduction process performance: temperature-time and initial vacuum. According to the authors’ knowledge, not one Southeast European country has applied this method, and it includes the use of by-products (slag, which can cause environmental pollution. The goal of this research was to prepare lime by roasting limestone of domestic origin in order to obtain calcium metal through the aluminothermic process. The procedure of calcium metal production includes the following operations: decarbonatization of limestone ore (CaCO3 , grinding of the obtained lime (CaO, homogenization of CaO and alumina, agglomeration, and aluminothermic reduction in vacuum furnaces. For the efficiency of the process, the most important technological operations are decarbonatization and reduction, provided the other operations are performed correctly. The estimated total world capacity for production of calcium metal is 25

Defense by-products production and utilization program: noble metal recovery screening experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hazelton, R.F.; Jensen, G.A.; Raney, P.J.

1986-03-01

Isotopes of the platinum metals (rutheium, rhodium, and palladium) are produced during uranium fuel fission in nuclear reactors. The strategic values of these noble metals warrant considering their recovery from spent fuel should the spent fuel be processed after reactor discharge. A program to evaluate methods for ruthenium, rhodium, and palladium recovery from spent fuel reprocessing liquids was conducted at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL). The purpose of the work reported in this docuent was to evaluate several recovery processes revealed in the patent and technical literature. Beaker-scale screening tests were initiated for three potential recovery processes: precipitation during sugar denitration of nitric acid reprocessing solutions after plutonium-uranium solvent extraction, adsorption using nobe metal selective chelates on active carbon, and reduction forming solid noble metal deposits on an amine-borane reductive resin. Simulated reprocessing plant solutions representing typical nitric acid liquids from defense (PUREX) or commercial fuel reprocessing facilities were formulated and used for evaluation of the three processes. 9 refs., 3 figs., 9 tabs

Heavy metals in intensive greenhouse vegetable production systems along Yellow Sea of China: Levels, transfer and health risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Wenyou; Huang, Biao; Tian, Kang; Holm, Peter E; Zhang, Yanxia

2017-01-01

Recently, greenhouse vegetable production (GVP) has grown rapidly and counts a large proportion of vegetable production in China. In this study, the accumulation, health risk and threshold values of selected heavy metals were evaluated systematically. A total of 120 paired soil and vegetable samples were collected from three typical intensive GVP systems along the Yellow Sea of China. Mean concentrations of Cd, As, Hg, Pb, Cu and Zn in greenhouse soils were 0.21, 7.12, 0.05, 19.81, 24.95 and 94.11 mg kg -1 , respectively. Compared to rootstalk and fruit vegetables, leafy vegetables had relatively high concentrations and transfer factors of heavy metals. The accumulation of heavy metals in soils was affected by soil pH and soil organic matter. The calculated hazard quotients (HQ) of the heavy metals by vegetable consumption decreased in the order of leafy > rootstalk > fruit vegetables with hazard index (HI) values of 0.61, 0.33 and 0.26, respectively. The HI values were all below 1, which indicates that there is a low risk of greenhouse vegetable consumption. Soil threshold values (STVs) of heavy metals in GVP system were established according to the health risk assessment. The relatively lower transfer factors of rootstalk and fruit vegetables and higher STVs suggest that these types of vegetables are more suitable for cultivation in greenhouse soils. This study will provide an useful reference for controlling heavy metals and developing sustainable GVP. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Temperature-dependence of Threshold Current Density-Length Product in Metallization Lines: A Revisit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duryat, Rahmat Saptono; Kim, Choong-Un

2016-01-01

One of the important phenomena in Electromigration (EM) is Blech Effect. The existence of Threshold Current Density-Length Product or EM Threshold has such fundamental and technological consequences in the design, manufacture, and testing of electronics. Temperature-dependence of Blech Product had been thermodynamically established and the real behavior of such interconnect materials have been extensively studied. The present paper reviewed the temperature-dependence of EM threshold in metallization lines of different materials and structure as found in relevant published articles. It is expected that the reader can see a big picture from the compiled data, which might be overlooked when it was examined in pieces. (paper)

Deep Eutectic Solvents Enable More Robust Chemoenzymatic Epoxidation Reactions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhou, Pengfei; Wang, Xuping; Zeng, Chaoxi; Wang, Weifei; Yang, Bo; Hollmann, F.; Wang, Yonghua

2017-01-01

A chemoenzymatic method for the production of epoxidized vegetable oils was developed. The unique combination of the commercial lipase G from Penicillieum camembertii with certain deep eutectic solvents enabled the efficient production of epoxidized vegetable oils.

Plasmonic modulator based on thin metal-semiconductor-metal waveguide with gain core

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Babicheva, Viktoriia; Malureanu, Radu; Lavrinenko, Andrei

2013-01-01

We focus on plasmonic modulators with a gain core to be implemented as active nanodevices in photonic integrated circuits. In particular, we analyze metal–semiconductor–metal (MSM) waveguides with InGaAsP-based active material layers. A MSM waveguide enables high field localization and therefore...

Fernald scrap metal recycling and beneficial reuse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Motl, G.P.; Burns, D.D.

1993-10-01

The Fernald site, formerly the Feed Materials Production Facility, produced uranium metal products to meet defense production requirements for the Department of Energy from 1953 to 1989. In this report is is described how the Fernald scrap metal project has demonstrated that contractor capabilities can be used successfully to recycle large quantities of Department of Energy scrap metal. The project has proven that the open-quotes beneficial reuseclose quotes concept makes excellent economic sense when a market for recycled products can be identified. Topics covered in this report include the scrap metal pile history, the procurement strategy, scrap metal processing, and a discussion of lessons learned

Ferrous and common nonferrous metals industries and associated scrap metals: a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mautz, E.W.

1975-11-01

Literature on the common metals industries, scrap metal relationships, and transportation aspects has been reviewed as background information in a study to determine the feasibility of a portable melting facility for radioactively contaminated metals. This report draws substantially on government-sponsored studies. Aluminum, copper, iron and steel, and nickel metal industries are discussed from the viewpoints of the general industry characteristics, primary metal production processes, and secondary metal processing aspects. 46 references, 10 tables

Effects of metal ions on biomass and 5-aminolevulinic acid production in Rhodopseudomonas palustris wastewater treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Shuli; Zhang, Guangming; Li, Jianzheng; Li, Xiangkun; Zhang, Jie

2016-01-01

This work investigated the effects of eight metal ions on Rhodopseudomonas palustris growth and 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) yield in wastewater treatment. Results show that metal ions (Mg(2+) of 15 mmol/L, Fe(2+) of 400 μmol/L, Co(2+) of 4 μmol/L, Ni(2+) of 8 μmol/L and Zn(2+) of 4 μmol/L) could effectively improve the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal, Rp. palustris biomass and ALA yield. The highest ALA yield of 13.1 mg/g-biomass was achieved with Fe(2+) of 400 μmol/L. ALA yields were differentially increased under different metal ions in the following order: Fe(2+) group > Mg(2+) group > Co(2+) group = Ni(2+) group > Zn(2+) group = Mo(2+) group > control. Cu(2+) and Mn(2+) inhibited Rp. palustris growth and ALA production. Mechanism analysis revealed that metal ions changed ALA yields by influencing the activities of ALA synthetase and ALA dehydratase.

SIZE DISTRIBUTION AND RATE OF PRODUCTION OF AIRBORNE PARTICULATE MATTER GENERATED DURING METAL CUTTING

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ebadian, M.A.; Dua, S.K.; Hillol Guha

2001-01-01

During deactivation and decommissioning activities, thermal cutting tools, such as plasma torch, laser, and gasoline torch, are used to cut metals. These activities generate fumes, smoke and particulates. These airborne species of matter, called aerosols, may be inhaled if suitable respiratory protection is not used. Inhalation of the airborne metallic aerosols has been reported to cause ill health effects, such as acute respiratory syndrome and chromosome damage in lymphocytes. In the nuclear industry, metals may be contaminated with radioactive materials. Cutting these metals, as in size reduction of gloveboxes and tanks, produces high concentrations of airborne transuranic particles. Particles of the respirable size range (size < 10 microm) deposit in various compartments of the respiratory tract, the fraction and the site in the respiratory tract depending on the size of the particles. The dose delivered to the respiratory tract depends on the size distribution of the airborne particulates (aerosols) and their concentration and radioactivity/toxicity. The concentration of airborne particulate matter in an environment is dependent upon the rate of their production and the ventilation rate. Thus, measuring aerosol size distribution and generation rate is important for (1) the assessment of inhalation exposures of workers, (2) the selection of respiratory protection equipment, and (3) the design of appropriate filtration systems. Size distribution of the aerosols generated during cutting of different metals by plasma torch was measured. Cutting rates of different metals, rate of generation of respirable mass, as well as the fraction of the released kerf that become respirable were determined. This report presents results of these studies. Measurements of the particles generated during cutting of metal plates with a plasma arc torch revealed the presence of particles with mass median aerodynamic diameters of particles close to 0.2 micro

Gene expression influences on metal immunomodulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lynes, Michael A.; Fontenot, Andrew P.; Lawrence, David A.; Rosenspire, Allen J.; Pollard, K. Michael

2006-01-01

Heavy metals in the environment originate from both human activities and natural processes. Exposure to these metals can result in important changes to immune activity. Depending on the metal and dose, these changes can result in enhanced immune function, diminished immune responses, or altered responses that produce autoimmune disease. One of the intriguing aspects of these various phenomena are the multiple points of interaction with cellular machinery at which metals elicit these changes. The individual sections of this review serve to underscore the variety of targets that can be altered by exposure to heavy metals, and provide some comparisons between the effects of specific heavy metals on the immune system. These observations may ultimately lead us to a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms by which metals alter the immune system, and may enable the development of countermeasures to offset these effects

Fundamentals of displacement production in irradiated metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doran, D.G.

1975-09-01

Radioinduced displacement damage in metals is described. Discussions are included on the displacement event itself, calculation of displacement rates in general, the manner in which different types of radiation interact with metals to produce displacements, the similarities and differences in the types of damage produced, the current status of computer simulations of displacement cascades, experimental evidence regarding cascades, and aspects of correlating damage produced by different types of radiation

KF-loaded mesoporous Mg-Fe bi-metal oxides: high performance transesterification catalysts for biodiesel production.

Science.gov (United States)

Tao, Guiju; Hua, Zile; Gao, Zhe; Zhu, Yan; Zhu, Yan; Chen, Yu; Shu, Zhu; Zhang, Lingxia; Shi, Jianlin

2013-09-21

Using newly developed mesoporous Mg-Fe bi-metal oxides as supports, a novel kind of high performance transesterification catalysts for biodiesel production has been synthesized. More importantly, the impregnation solvent was for the first time found to substantially affect the structures and catalytic performances of the resultant transesterification catalysts.

The influence of production routes on the metal dusting behavior of UNS N06025 plate, strip and tube

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hattendorf, H.; Hermse, C.G.M.; Hannig, W.

2012-01-01

It is generally known that the production route influences the sensitivity of a material to metal dusting. In this study the different production states of UNS N06025 are compared as there are: plate deeply ground and 600 grit laboratory ground, strip as-delivered and 600 grit laboratory ground, and

Protection of metal artefacts with the formation of metal-oxalates complexes by Beauveria bassiana.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edith eJoseph

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Several fungi present high tolerance to toxic metals and some are able to transform metals into metal-oxalate complexes. In this study, the ability of Beauveria bassiana to produce copper oxalates was evaluated in vitro. Growth performance was tested on various copper-containing media. B. bassiana proved highly resistant to copper, tolerating concentrations of up to 20 g.L-1, and precipitating copper oxalates on all media tested. Chromatographic analyses showed that this species produced oxalic acid as sole metal chelator. The production of metal-oxalates can be used in the restoration and conservation of archaeological and modern metal artefacts. The production of copper-oxalates was confirmed directly using metallic pieces (both archaeological and modern. The conversion of corrosion products into copper oxalates was demonstrated as well. In order to assess whether the capability of B. bassiana to produce metal-oxalates could be applied to other metals, iron and silver were tested as well. Iron appears to be directly sequestered in the wall of the fungal hyphae forming oxalates and probably goethite. However, the formation of a homogeneous layer on the object is not yet optimal. Silver nitrate was extracellularly reduced into nanoparticles of elemental silver by an unknown mechanism. The production of copper oxalates is immediately applicable for the conservation of copper-based artefacts. For iron and silver this is not yet the case. However, the vast ability of B. bassiana to transform toxic metals using different immobilization mechanisms seems to offer considerable possibilities for industrial applications, such as the bioremediation of contaminated soils or the green synthesis of chemicals.

Learning and improvement in product innovation processes: Enabling behaviors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gieskes, J.F.B.; Langenberg, Ilse

2001-01-01

Product Innovation is described as a continuous and cross-functional process involving all stages in the product life cycle. This approach gives way to study product innovation processes from a continuous improvement and learning viewpoint. The Continuous Improvement in the global product MAnagement

Evaluation of harmful heavy metal (Hg, Pb and Cd reduction using Halomonas elongata and Tetragenococcus halophilusfor protein hydrolysate product

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruttiya Asksonthon

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Many health claims surrounding antioxidative, antihypertensive and anti-inflammatory properties have been addressed in natural protein hydrolysates, including fermented fish. Besides being sold as animal feed, tuna viscera is used for the production of fermented products like fish sauce and Tai pla, fermented viscera. However, toxic heavy metals including Hg, Pb and Cd have been found in various food items, particularly within the internal organs of tuna. Therefore, the consumption of fermented tuna viscera containing heavy metal involves health risks. Consequently, the detoxification and reduction of these toxic elements are relevant and important issues, particularly with the use of their bacterial cells and metabolic products. Halomonas elongatais a moderately halophilic bacterium which has the ability to remove heavy metal, and is normally found in hypersaline environments. Tetragenococcus halophilusis a moderately halophilic lactic acid bacterium and probiotic which is found in fermented food products, such as fish sauce, shrimp paste, and fermented fish. Some scientific studies have reported using T. halophilus improves amino acid profiles and desirable volatile compounds, in addition to reducing biogenic amine content in fish sauce product. Therefore, it was hypothesized that using H.elongata and T. halophilus could reduce heavy metal content and improve the organoleptic quality of fermented fish viscera product (Tai pla. Objective: This present work attempted to determine the growth characteristic of H. elongataand T. halophilus reared at various NaCl concentrations:10, 15, 20 and 25%. Consequently, heavy metal reduction using these microorganisms reared at optimum NaCl concentration was evaluated. Methods: H. elongate and T. halophilus were reared in saline nutrient broth (SNB and de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS-broth added with NaCl at concentration 10, 15, 20 and 25%, respectively. Cultures at each NaCl content were added

Upgrading platform using alkali metals

Science.gov (United States)

Gordon, John Howard

2014-09-09

A process for removing sulfur, nitrogen or metals from an oil feedstock (such as heavy oil, bitumen, shale oil, etc.) The method involves reacting the oil feedstock with an alkali metal and a radical capping substance. The alkali metal reacts with the metal, sulfur or nitrogen content to form one or more inorganic products and the radical capping substance reacts with the carbon and hydrogen content to form a hydrocarbon phase. The inorganic products may then be separated out from the hydrocarbon phase.

Biofunctionalized conductive polymers enable efficient CO2 electroreduction

Science.gov (United States)

Coskun, Halime; Aljabour, Abdalaziz; De Luna, Phil; Farka, Dominik; Greunz, Theresia; Stifter, David; Kus, Mahmut; Zheng, Xueli; Liu, Min; Hassel, Achim W.; Schöfberger, Wolfgang; Sargent, Edward H.; Sariciftci, Niyazi Serdar; Stadler, Philipp

2017-01-01

Selective electrocatalysts are urgently needed for carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction to replace fossil fuels with renewable fuels, thereby closing the carbon cycle. To date, noble metals have achieved the best performance in energy yield and faradaic efficiency and have recently reached impressive electrical-to-chemical power conversion efficiencies. However, the scarcity of precious metals makes the search for scalable, metal-free, CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) catalysts all the more important. We report an all-organic, that is, metal-free, electrocatalyst that achieves impressive performance comparable to that of best-in-class Ag electrocatalysts. We hypothesized that polydopamine—a conjugated polymer whose structure incorporates hydrogen-bonded motifs found in enzymes—could offer the combination of efficient electrical conduction, together with rendered active catalytic sites, and potentially thereby enable CO2RR. Only by developing a vapor-phase polymerization of polydopamine were we able to combine the needed excellent conductivity with thin film–based processing. We achieve catalytic performance with geometric current densities of 18 mA cm−2 at 0.21 V overpotential (−0.86 V versus normal hydrogen electrode) for the electrosynthesis of C1 species (carbon monoxide and formate) with continuous 16-hour operation at >80% faradaic efficiency. Our catalyst exhibits lower overpotentials than state-of-the-art formate-selective metal electrocatalysts (for example, 0.5 V for Ag at 18 mA cm−1). The results confirm the value of exploiting hydrogen-bonded sequences as effective catalytic centers for renewable and cost-efficient industrial CO2RR applications. PMID:28798958

Future materials requirements for the high-energy-intensity production of aluminum

Science.gov (United States)

Welch, B. J.; Hyland, M. M.; James, B. J.

2001-02-01

Like all metallurgical industries, aluminum smelting has been under pressure from two fronts—to give maximum return on investment to the shareholders and to comply with environmental regulations by reducing greenhouse emissions. The smelting process has advanced by improving efficiency and productivity while continuing to seek new ways to extend the cell life. Materials selection (particularly the use of more graphitized cathodic electrodes) has enabled lower energy consumption, while optimization of the process and controlling in a narrow band has enabled increases in productivity and operations at higher current densities. These changes have, in turn, severely stressed the materials used for cell construction, and new problems are emerging that are resulting in a reduction of cell life. The target for aluminum electro-winning has been to develop an oxygen-evolving electrode, rather than one that evolves substantial amounts of carbon dioxide. Such an electrode, when combined with suitable wettable cathode material developments, would reduce operating costs by eliminating the need for frequent electrode change and would enable more productive cell designs and reduce plant size. The materials specifications for developing these are, however, an extreme challenge. Those specifications include minimized corrosion rate of any electrode into the electrolyte, maintaining an electronically conducting oxidized surface that is of low electrical resistance, meeting the metal purity targets, and enabling variable operating current densities. Although the materials specifications can readily be written, the processing and production of the materials is the challenge.

Actinide metal processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sauer, N.N.; Watkin, J.G.

1992-01-01

A process for converting an actinide metal such as thorium, uranium, or plutonium to an actinide oxide material by admixing the actinide metal in an aqueous medium with a hypochlorite as an oxidizing agent for sufficient time to form the actinide oxide material and recovering the actinide oxide material is described together with a low temperature process for preparing an actinide oxide nitrate such as uranyl nitrate. Additionally, a composition of matter comprising the reaction product of uranium metal and sodium hypochlorite is provided, the reaction product being an essentially insoluble uranium oxide material suitable for disposal or long term storage

Improvements in process technology for uranium metal production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meghal, A.M.; Singh, H.; Koppiker, K.S.

1991-01-01

The research reactors in Trombay use uranium metal as a fuel. The plant to produce nuclear grade uranium metal ingots has been in operation at Trombay since 1959. Recently, the capacity of the plant has been expanded to meet the additional demand of the uranium metal. The operation of the expanded plant, has brought to the surface various shortcomings. This paper identifies various problems and describes the measures to be taken to upgrade the technology. Some comments are made on the necessity for development of technology for future requirement. (author). 6 refs., 1 fig

Metal adsorption process in activated carbon fiber from textile PAN fiber aim electrode production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodrigues, Aline Castilho; Goncalves, Emerson Sarmento; Silva, Elen Leal da; Marcuzzo, Jossano Saldanha; Baldan, Mauricio Ribeiro; Cuna, Andres

2016-01-01

Full text: Carbon fibers have a variety of applications in industry and have been increasingly studied to explore their various characteristics. Studies show that the activated carbon fiber has been effective in removing small contaminants as well as activated carbon, because of its characteristic porosity. Other studies relate carbonaceous materials to the electrical conductivity devices application. This work is based on the use of an activated carbon fiber from textile polyacrylonitrile (PAN) for metallic ion adsorption from aqueous solution. Consequently, it improves the electrical characteristics and this fact show the possibility to use this material as electrode. The work was performed by adsorption process in saline solution (NO 3 Ag and ClPd) and activated carbon fiber in felt form as adsorbent. The metal adsorption on activated carbon fiber was characterized by textural analysis, x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive x-ray (SEM-EDX), Raman spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was observed that activated carbon fiber showed good adsorption capacity for the metals used. At the end of the process, the activated carbon fiber samples gained about 15% by weight, related to metallic fraction incorporated into the fiber and the process of adsorption does not changed the structural, morphological and chemistry inertness of the samples. The results indicate the feasibility of this metal incorporation techniques activated carbon fiber for the production of electrodes facing the electrochemical area. (author)

Metal adsorption process in activated carbon fiber from textile PAN fiber aim electrode production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rodrigues, Aline Castilho; Goncalves, Emerson Sarmento, E-mail: alinerodrigues_1@msn.com [Instituto Tecnologico Aeroespacial (ITA), Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil); Silva, Elen Leal da; Marcuzzo, Jossano Saldanha; Baldan, Mauricio Ribeiro [Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil); Cuna, Andres [Faculdade de Quimica, Universidad de la Republica (Uruguay)

2016-07-01

Full text: Carbon fibers have a variety of applications in industry and have been increasingly studied to explore their various characteristics. Studies show that the activated carbon fiber has been effective in removing small contaminants as well as activated carbon, because of its characteristic porosity. Other studies relate carbonaceous materials to the electrical conductivity devices application. This work is based on the use of an activated carbon fiber from textile polyacrylonitrile (PAN) for metallic ion adsorption from aqueous solution. Consequently, it improves the electrical characteristics and this fact show the possibility to use this material as electrode. The work was performed by adsorption process in saline solution (NO{sub 3}Ag and ClPd) and activated carbon fiber in felt form as adsorbent. The metal adsorption on activated carbon fiber was characterized by textural analysis, x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive x-ray (SEM-EDX), Raman spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was observed that activated carbon fiber showed good adsorption capacity for the metals used. At the end of the process, the activated carbon fiber samples gained about 15% by weight, related to metallic fraction incorporated into the fiber and the process of adsorption does not changed the structural, morphological and chemistry inertness of the samples. The results indicate the feasibility of this metal incorporation techniques activated carbon fiber for the production of electrodes facing the electrochemical area. (author)

Simulating the production of free defects in irradiated metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heinisch, H.L.

1995-01-01

Under cascade-producing irradiation by high energy neutrons or charged particles, only a small fraction of the initially displaced atoms contribute to the population of free defects that are available to migrate throughout the metal and cause microstructural changes. Although, in principle, computer simulations of free defect production could best be done using molecular dynamics, in practice, the wide ranges of time and distance scales involved can be done only by a combination of atomistic models that employ various levels of approximation. An atomic-scale, multi-model approach has been developed that combines molecular dynamics, binary collision models and stochastic annealing simulation. The annealing simulation is utilized in calibrating binary collision simulations to the results of molecular dynamics calculations, as well as to model the subsequent migration of the defects on more macroscopic time and size scales. The annealing simulation and the method of calibrating the multi-model approach are discussed, and the results of simulations of cascades in copper are presented. The temperature dependence of free defect production following simulated annealing of isolated cascades in copper shows a differential in the fractions of free vacancies and interstitial defects escaping from the cascade above stage V. This differential, a consequence of the direct formation of interstitial clusters in cascades and the relative thermal stability of vacancy and interstitial clusters during subsequent annealing, is the basis for the production bias mechanism of void swelling. (orig.)

Catalyst and processing effects on metal-assisted chemical etching for the production of highly porous GaN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geng, Xuewen; Grismer, Dane A; Bohn, Paul W; Duan, Barrett K; Zhao, Liancheng

2013-01-01

Metal-assisted chemical etching is a facile method to produce micro-/nanostructures in the near-surface region of gallium nitride (GaN) and other semiconductors. Detailed studies of the production of porous GaN (PGaN) using different metal catalysts and GaN doping conditions have been performed in order to understand the mechanism by which metal-assisted chemical etching is accomplished in GaN. Patterned catalysts show increasing metal-assisted chemical etching activity to n-GaN in the order Ag < Au < Ir < Pt. In addition, the catalytic behavior of continuous films is compared to discontinuous island films. Continuous metal films strongly shield the surface, hindering metal-assisted chemical etching, an effect which can be overcome by using discontinuous films or increasing the irradiance of the light source. With increasing etch time or irradiance, PGaN morphologies change from uniform porous structures to ridge and valley structures. The doping type plays an important role, with metal-assisted chemical etching activity increasing in the order p-GaN < intrinsic GaN < n-GaN. Both the catalyst identity and the doping type effects are explained by the work functions and the related band offsets that affect the metal-assisted chemical etching process through a combination of different barriers to hole injection and the formation of hole accumulation/depletion layers at the metal–semiconductor interface. (paper)

Fluorescent bioassays for toxic metals in milk and yoghurt

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background From a human health viewpoint, contaminated milk and its products could be a source of long-term exposure to toxic metals. Simple, inexpensive, and on-site assays would enable constant monitoring of their contents. Bioassays that can measure toxic metals in milk or yoghurt might reduce the risk. For this purpose, the green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged trans factors, ArsR-GFP and CadC-GFP, together with their cis elements were used to develop such bioassays. Results ArsR-GFP or CadC-GFP, which binds either toxic metal or DNA fragment including cis element, was directly mixed with cow’s milk or yoghurt within a neutral pH range. The fluorescence of GFP, which is reflected by the association/dissociation ratio between cis element and trans factor, significantly changed with increasing externally added As (III) or Cd (II) whereas smaller responses to externally added Pb (II) and Zn (II) were found. Preparation and dilution of whey fraction at low pH were essential to intrinsic zinc quantification using CadC-GFP. Using the extraction procedure and bioassay, intrinsic Zn (II) concentrations ranging from 1.4 to 4.8 mg/l for milk brands and from 1.2 to 2.9 mg/kg for yoghurt brands were determined, which correlated to those determined using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. Conclusions GFP-tagged bacterial trans factors and cis elements can work in the neutralized whole composition and diluted whey fraction of milk and yoghurt. The feature of regulatory elements is advantageous for establishment of simple and rapid assays of toxic metals in dairy products. PMID:23098077

Fluorescent bioassays for toxic metals in milk and yoghurt

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siddiki Mohammad Shohel

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background From a human health viewpoint, contaminated milk and its products could be a source of long-term exposure to toxic metals. Simple, inexpensive, and on-site assays would enable constant monitoring of their contents. Bioassays that can measure toxic metals in milk or yoghurt might reduce the risk. For this purpose, the green fluorescent protein (GFP-tagged trans factors, ArsR-GFP and CadC-GFP, together with their cis elements were used to develop such bioassays. Results ArsR-GFP or CadC-GFP, which binds either toxic metal or DNA fragment including cis element, was directly mixed with cow’s milk or yoghurt within a neutral pH range. The fluorescence of GFP, which is reflected by the association/dissociation ratio between cis element and trans factor, significantly changed with increasing externally added As (III or Cd (II whereas smaller responses to externally added Pb (II and Zn (II were found. Preparation and dilution of whey fraction at low pH were essential to intrinsic zinc quantification using CadC-GFP. Using the extraction procedure and bioassay, intrinsic Zn (II concentrations ranging from 1.4 to 4.8 mg/l for milk brands and from 1.2 to 2.9 mg/kg for yoghurt brands were determined, which correlated to those determined using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. Conclusions GFP-tagged bacterial trans factors and cis elements can work in the neutralized whole composition and diluted whey fraction of milk and yoghurt. The feature of regulatory elements is advantageous for establishment of simple and rapid assays of toxic metals in dairy products.

Heavy metals in vegetables collected from production and market sites of a tropical urban area of India.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Rajesh Kumar; Agrawal, Madhoolika; Marshall, Fiona M

2009-03-01

Vegetables (Beta vulgaris L., Abelmoschus esculentus L. and Brassica oleracea L.) from the production and market sites of India were tested for Cu, Cd, Zn and Pb. At market sites, the mean concentration of Cu in cauliflower, and of Zn and Cd in both palak and cauliflower had exceeded the PFA standard. Zn at the production sites also exceeded the PFA standard in cauliflower. Cd concentration in vegetables tested from both production and market sites was many folds higher than the EU standard. In contrast, Pb in vegetables tested from both production and market sites was below the PFA limit, but was considerably higher than the current EU and WHO standards. Heavy metals accumulation in vegetables tested are higher at market sites than those at the crop production sites. The contributions of these vegetables to dietary intake of Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb were 13%, 1%, 47% and 9% of provisional tolerable daily intake, respectively. The study concludes that the transportation and marketing systems of vegetables play a significant role in elevating the contaminant levels of heavy metals which may pose a threat to the quality of the vegetables with consequences for the health of the consumers of locally produced foodstuffs.

Rigid multipodal platforms for metal surfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michal Valášek

2016-03-01

Full Text Available In this review the recent progress in molecular platforms that form rigid and well-defined contact to a metal surface are discussed. Most of the presented examples have at least three anchoring units in order to control the spatial arrangement of the protruding molecular subunit. Another interesting feature is the lateral orientation of these foot structures which, depending on the particular application, is equally important as the spatial arrangement of the molecules. The numerous approaches towards assembling and organizing functional molecules into specific architectures on metal substrates are reviewed here. Particular attention is paid to variations of both, the core structures and the anchoring groups. Furthermore, the analytical methods enabling the investigation of individual molecules as well as monomolecular layers of ordered platform structures are summarized. The presented multipodal platforms bearing several anchoring groups form considerably more stable molecule–metal contacts than corresponding monopodal analogues and exhibit an enlarged separation of the functional molecules due to the increased footprint, as well as restrict tilting of the functional termini with respect to the metal surface. These platforms are thus ideally suited to tune important properties of the molecule–metal interface. On a single-molecule level, several of these platforms enable the control over the arrangement of the protruding rod-type molecular structures (e.g., molecular wires, switches, rotors, sensors with respect to the surface of the substrate.

Superior metallic alloys through rapid solidification processing (RSP) by design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flinn, J.E. [Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

1995-05-01

Rapid solidification processing using powder atomization methods and the control of minor elements such as oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon can provide metallic alloys with superior properties and performance compared to conventionally processing alloys. Previous studies on nickel- and iron-base superalloys have provided the baseline information to properly couple RSP with alloy composition, and, therefore, enable alloys to be designed for performance improvements. The RSP approach produces powders, which need to be consolidated into suitable monolithic forms. This normally involves canning, consolidation, and decanning of the powders. Canning/decanning is expensive and raises the fabrication cost significantly above that of conventional, ingot metallurgy production methods. The cost differential can be offset by the superior performance of the RSP metallic alloys. However, without the performance database, it is difficult to convince potential users to adopt the RSP approach. Spray casting of the atomized molten droplets into suitable preforms for subsequent fabrication can be cost competitive with conventional processing. If the fine and stable microstructural features observed for the RSP approach are preserved during spray casing, a cost competitive product can be obtained that has superior properties and performance that cannot be obtained by conventional methods.

Production of biogenic manganese oxides coupled with methane oxidation in a bioreactor for removing metals from wastewater.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsushita, Shuji; Komizo, Daisuke; Cao, Linh Thi Thuy; Aoi, Yoshiteru; Kindaichi, Tomonori; Ozaki, Noriatsu; Imachi, Hiroyuki; Ohashi, Akiyoshi

2018-03-01

Biogenic manganese oxide (BioMnO x ) can efficiently adsorb various minor metals. The production of BioMnO x in reactors to remove metals during wastewater treatment processes is a promising biotechnological method. However, it is difficult to preferentially enrich manganese-oxidizing bacteria (MnOB) to produce BioMnO x during wastewater treatment processes. A unique method of cultivating MnOB using methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) to produce soluble microbial products is proposed here. MnOB were successfully enriched in a methane-fed reactor containing MOB. BioMnO x production during the wastewater treatment process was confirmed. Long-term continual operation of the reactor allowed simultaneous removal of Mn(II), Co(II), and Ni(II). The Co(II)/Mn(II) and Ni(II)/Mn(II) removal ratios were 53% and 19%, respectively. The degree to which Mn(II) was removed indicated that the enriched MnOB used utilization-associated products and/or biomass-associated products. Microbial community analysis revealed that methanol-oxidizing bacteria belonging to the Hyphomicrobiaceae family played important roles in the oxidation of Mn(II) by using utilization-associated products. Methane-oxidizing bacteria were found to be inhibited by MnO 2 , but the maximum Mn(II) removal rate was 0.49 kg m -3  d -1 . Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Refining of crude uranium by solvent extraction for production of nuclear pure uranium metal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, S.K.; Manna, S.; Singha, M.; Hareendran, K.N.; Chowdhury, S.; Satpati, S.K.; Kumar, K.

2007-01-01

Uranium is the primary fuel material for any nuclear fission energy program. Natural uranium contains only 0.712% of 235 U as fissile constituent. This low concentration of fissile isotope in natural uranium calls for a very high level of purity, especially with respect to neutron poisons like B, Cd, Gd etc. before it can be used as nuclear fuel. Solvent extraction is a widely used technique by which crude uranium is purified for reactor use. Uranium metal plant (UMP), BARC, Trombay is engaged in refining of uranium concentrate for production of nuclear pure uranium metal for fabrication of fuel for research reactors. This paper reviews some of the fundamental aspects of this refining process with some special references to UMP, BARC. (author)

Melting metal waste for volume reduction and decontamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Copeland, G.L.; Heshmatpour, B.; Heestand, R.L.

1980-01-01

Melt-slagging was investigated as a technique for volume reduction and decontamination of radioactively contaminated scrap metals. Experiments were conducted using several metals and slags in which the partitioning of the contaminant U or Pu to the slag was measured. Concentrations of U or Pu in the metal product of about 1 ppM were achieved for many metals. A volume reduction of 30:1 was achieved for a typical batch of mixed metal scrap. Additionally, the production of granular products was demonstrated with metal shot and crushed slag

Role of metal mixtures (Ca, Cu and Pb) on Cd bioaccumulation and phytochelatin production by Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Science.gov (United States)

Abboud, Pauline; Wilkinson, Kevin J

2013-08-01

The goal of the study was to determine whether metal uptake and biological effects could be predicted by free ion concentrations when organisms were exposed to Cd and a second metal. Bioaccumulation and algal phytochelatin (PC) concentrations were determined for Chlamydomonas reinhardtii following a 6-h exposure. Bioaccumulation results, after six hours of exposure, showed that Cd uptake decreased in the presence of relatively high concentrations of Ca, Cu and Pb, however, Cd bioaccumulation increased in the presence of ca. equimolar concentrations of Cu. A good correlation was observed between the production of PCs and the amount of metals bioaccumulated for the binary mixtures of Cd-Pb and Cd-Cu, but not the Cd-Ca mixture. Overall, the results suggested that, in the case of mixtures, bioaccumulated metal rather than free ion concentrations would be a better predictor of biological effect. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Product architecture development enabling integrated re-design of mechanical products

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Begelinger, R.E.; Post, E.; van Houten, F.J.A.M.; Kals, H.J.J.

1999-01-01

Global competition forces companies to increase their competitive advantage. The design process represents an interesting area to improve the overall business performance. There are two topics involved in improving the design process. The first one is the integration of constraints from the product

Highly Stable Lithium Metal Batteries Enabled by Regulating the Solvation of Lithium Ions in Nonaqueous Electrolytes.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xue-Qiang; Chen, Xiang; Cheng, Xin-Bing; Li, Bo-Quan; Shen, Xin; Yan, Chong; Huang, Jia-Qi; Zhang, Qiang

2018-05-04

Safe and rechargeable lithium metal batteries have been difficult to achieve because of the formation of lithium dendrites. Herein an emerging electrolyte based on a simple solvation strategy is proposed for highly stable lithium metal anodes in both coin and pouch cells. Fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) and lithium nitrate (LiNO 3 ) were concurrently introduced into an electrolyte, thus altering the solvation sheath of lithium ions, and forming a uniform solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), with an abundance of LiF and LiN x O y on a working lithium metal anode with dendrite-free lithium deposition. Ultrahigh Coulombic efficiency (99.96 %) and long lifespans (1000 cycles) were achieved when the FEC/LiNO 3 electrolyte was applied in working batteries. The solvation chemistry of electrolyte was further explored by molecular dynamics simulations and first-principles calculations. This work provides insight into understanding the critical role of the solvation of lithium ions in forming the SEI and delivering an effective route to optimize electrolytes for safe lithium metal batteries. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Sources of heavy metal contamination in Swedish wood waste used for combustion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krook, J.; Martensson, A.; Eklund, M.

2006-01-01

In this paper, wood waste (RWW) recovered for heat production in Sweden was studied. Previous research has concluded that RWW contains elevated amounts of heavy metals, causing environmental problems during waste management. This study extends previous work on RWW by analysing which pollution sources cause this contamination. Using existing data on the metal contents in various materials, and the amounts of these materials in RWW, the share of the elevated amounts of metals in RWW that these materials explain was quantified. Six different materials occurring in RWW were studied and the results show that they explain from 70% to 100% of the amounts of arsenic, chromium, lead, copper and zinc in RWW. The most important materials contributing to contamination of RWW are surface-treated wood, industrial preservative-treated wood, plastic and galvanised fastening systems. These findings enable the development and evaluation of strategies aiming to decrease pollution and resource loss from handling RWW. It is argued that source separation and measures taken further downstream from the generation site, such as treatment, need to be combined to substantially decrease the amount of heavy metals in RWW

Fingerprinting Marcellus Shale waste products from Pb isotope and trace metal perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, Jason D.; Graney, Joseph R.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Dry drilled, uncontaminated cuttings from Marcellus Shale and surrounding units. • Unoxidized and oxidized samples leached short and long term with H 2 O or dilute HCl. • Pb isotope ratios have distinctly different values from Marcellus Shale samples. • Mo and other trace metals can be used as Marcellus Shale environmental tracers. • Marcellus Shale leachate concentrations can exceed EPA contaminant screening levels. - Abstract: Drill cuttings generated during unconventional natural gas extraction from the Marcellus Shale, Appalachian Basin, U.S.A., generally contain a very large component of organic-rich black shale because of extensive lateral drilling into this target unit. In this study, element concentrations and Pb isotope ratios obtained from leached drill cuttings spanning 600 m of stratigraphic section were used to assess the potential for short and long term environmental impacts from Marcellus Shale waste materials, in comparison with material from surrounding formations. Leachates of the units above, below and within the Marcellus Shale yielded Cl/Br ratios of 100–150, similar to produced water values. Leachates from oxidized and unoxidized drill cuttings from the Marcellus Shale contain distinct suites of elevated trace metal concentrations, including Cd, Cu, Mo, Ni, Sb, U, V and Zn. The most elevated Mo, Ni, Sb, U, and V concentrations are found in leachates from the lower portion of the Marcellus Shale, the section typically exploited for natural gas production. In addition, lower 207 Pb/ 206 Pb ratios within the lower Marcellus Shale (0.661–0.733) provide a distinctive fingerprint from formations above (0.822–0.846) and below (0.796–0.810), reflecting 206 Pb produced as a result of in situ 238 U decay within this organic rich black shale. Trace metal concentrations from the Marcellus Shale leachates are similar to total metal concentrations from other black shales. These metal concentrations can exceed screening

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...

Reversible CO binding enables tunable CO/H₂ and CO/N₂ separations in metal-organic frameworks with exposed divalent metal cations.

Science.gov (United States)

Bloch, Eric D; Hudson, Matthew R; Mason, Jarad A; Chavan, Sachin; Crocellà, Valentina; Howe, Joshua D; Lee, Kyuho; Dzubak, Allison L; Queen, Wendy L; Zadrozny, Joseph M; Geier, Stephen J; Lin, Li-Chiang; Gagliardi, Laura; Smit, Berend; Neaton, Jeffrey B; Bordiga, Silvia; Brown, Craig M; Long, Jeffrey R

2014-07-30

Six metal-organic frameworks of the M2(dobdc) (M = Mg, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn; dobdc(4-) = 2,5-dioxido-1,4-benzenedicarboxylate) structure type are demonstrated to bind carbon monoxide reversibly and at high capacity. Infrared spectra indicate that, upon coordination of CO to the divalent metal cations lining the pores within these frameworks, the C-O stretching frequency is blue-shifted, consistent with nonclassical metal-CO interactions. Structure determinations reveal M-CO distances ranging from 2.09(2) Å for M = Ni to 2.49(1) Å for M = Zn and M-C-O angles ranging from 161.2(7)° for M = Mg to 176.9(6)° for M = Fe. Electronic structure calculations employing density functional theory (DFT) resulted in good agreement with the trends apparent in the infrared spectra and crystal structures. These results represent the first crystallographically characterized magnesium and zinc carbonyl compounds and the first high-spin manganese(II), iron(II), cobalt(II), and nickel(II) carbonyl species. Adsorption isotherms indicate reversible adsorption, with capacities for the Fe, Co, and Ni frameworks approaching one CO per metal cation site at 1 bar, corresponding to loadings as high as 6.0 mmol/g and 157 cm(3)/cm(3). The six frameworks display (negative) isosteric heats of CO adsorption ranging from 52.7 to 27.2 kJ/mol along the series Ni > Co > Fe > Mg > Mn > Zn, following the Irving-Williams stability order. The reversible CO binding suggests that these frameworks may be of utility for the separation of CO from various industrial gas mixtures, including CO/H2 and CO/N2. Selectivities determined from gas adsorption isotherm data using ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST) over a range of gas compositions at 1 bar and 298 K indicate that all six M2(dobdc) frameworks could potentially be used as solid adsorbents to replace current cryogenic distillation technologies, with the choice of M dictating adsorbent regeneration energy and the level of purity of the resulting gases.

The metal-organic framework MIL-53(Al) constructed from multiple metal sources: alumina, aluminum hydroxide, and boehmite.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zehua; Wu, Yi-nan; Li, Jie; Zhang, Yiming; Zou, Xin; Li, Fengting

2015-04-27

Three aluminum compounds, namely alumina, aluminum hydroxide, and boehmite, are probed as the metal sources for the hydrothermal synthesis of a typical metal-organic framework MIL-53(Al). The process exhibits enhanced synthetic efficiency without the generation of strongly acidic byproducts. The time-course monitoring of conversion from different aluminum sources into MIL-53(Al) is achieved by multiple characterization that reveals a similar but differentiated crystallinity, porosity, and morphology relative to typical MIL-53(Al) prepared from water-soluble aluminum salts. Moreover, the prepared MIL-53(Al) constructed with the three insoluble aluminum sources exhibit an improved thermal stability of up to nearly 600 °C and enhanced yields. Alumina and boehmite are more preferable than aluminum hydroxide in terms of product porosity, yield, and reaction time. The adsorption performances of a typical environmental endocrine disruptor, dimethyl phthalate, on the prepared MIL-53(Al) samples are also investigated. The improved structural stability of MIL-53(Al) prepared from these alternative aluminum sources enables double-enhanced adsorption performance (up to 206 mg g(-1)) relative to the conventionally obtained MIL-53(Al). © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A low aspect ratio electrothermal gun for metal plasma vapor discharge and ceramic nanopowder production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Kyoung Jin; Peterson, Dennis R.

2008-01-01

Traditionally, the electrothermal gun design has the bore of a large aspect ratio: however, a low aspect ratio design with a shorter bore length has been employed for efficient production of metal plasma vapors and synthesis of nanomaterials. In a comparison of the arc resistance-current relationship, a low aspect ratio design is found to exhibit distinctively different characteristics compared to a high aspect ratio design, and this trend is explained by the scaling law of plasma properties including theory of plasma electrical conductivity. A one-dimensional isothermal model has been applied to the present experiments to confirm the scaling laws, and it was found that the present modification of the electrothermal gun is able to produce fully ionized metal plasma vapor, while the plasma vapor produced in a conventional design is partially ionized. Also, by reacting metal plasma vapors with the controlled gases in the reaction chamber, nanoscale materials such as aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, and titanium oxide were synthesized successfully

Method and apparatus for the production of metal oxide powder

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Michael T.; Scott, Timothy C.; Byers, Charles H.

1992-01-01

The present invention provides a method for preparing metal oxide powder. A first solution, which is substantially organic, is prepared. A second solution, which is an aqueous solution substantially immiscible in the first solution, is prepared and delivered as drops to the first solution. The drops of the second solution are atomized by a pulsed electric field forming micro-drops of the second solution. Reagents in the first solution diffuse into and react with reactants in the micro-drops of the second solution forming metal hydroxide or oxalate particles. The metal hydroxide or metal oxalate particles are then recovered and dried to produce the metal oxide powder. An apparatus for preparing a metal oxide powder is also disclosed.

MATERIALS FOR PRODUCTION OF METAL MOLDS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Ju. Jakovlev

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The influence of alloying with manganese, chromium, nickel, copper and molybdenum on mechanical characteristics and thermocyclic endurance of grayed steel and possibility of its application for metal casting molds is investigated.

Versatile, High Quality and Scalable Continuous Flow Production of Metal-Organic Frameworks

Science.gov (United States)

Rubio-Martinez, Marta; Batten, Michael P.; Polyzos, Anastasios; Carey, Keri-Constanti; Mardel, James I.; Lim, Kok-Seng; Hill, Matthew R.

2014-01-01

Further deployment of Metal-Organic Frameworks in applied settings requires their ready preparation at scale. Expansion of typical batch processes can lead to unsuccessful or low quality synthesis for some systems. Here we report how continuous flow chemistry can be adapted as a versatile route to a range of MOFs, by emulating conditions of lab-scale batch synthesis. This delivers ready synthesis of three different MOFs, with surface areas that closely match theoretical maxima, with production rates of 60 g/h at extremely high space-time yields. PMID:24962145

Technique for production of calibrated metal hydride films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langley, R.A.; Browning, J.F.; Balsley, S.D.; Banks, J.C.; Doyle, B.L.; Wampler, W.R.; Beavis, L.C.

1999-01-01

A technique has been developed for producing calibrated metal hydride films for use in the measurement of high-energy (5--15 MeV) particle reaction cross sections for hydrogen and helium isotopes on hydrogen isotopes. Absolute concentrations of various hydrogen isotopes in the film is expected to be determined to better than ±2% leading to the capacity of accurately measuring various reaction cross sections. Hydrogen isotope concentrations from near 100% to 5% can be made accurately and reproducibly. This is accomplished with the use of high accuracy pressure measurements coupled with high accuracy mass spectrometric measurements of each constituent partial pressure of the gas mixture during loading of the metal occluder films. Various techniques are used to verify the amount of metal present as well as the amount of hydrogen isotopes; high energy ion scattering analysis, PV measurements before, during and after loading, and thermal desorption/mass spectrometry measurements. The most appropriate metal to use for the occluder film appears to be titanium but other occluder metals are also being considered. Calibrated gas ratio samples, previously prepared, are used for the loading gas. Deviations from this calibrated gas ratio are measured using mass spectrometry during and after the loading process thereby determining the loading of the various hydrogen isotopes. These techniques are discussed and pertinent issues presented

1/f noise in metallic and semiconducting carbon nanotubes

Science.gov (United States)

Reza, Shahed; Huynh, Quyen T.; Bosman, Gijs; Sippel-Oakley, Jennifer; Rinzler, Andrew G.

2006-11-01

The charge transport and noise properties of three terminal, gated devices containing multiple single-wall metallic and semiconducting carbon nanotubes were measured at room temperature. Applying a high voltage pulsed bias at the drain terminal the metallic tubes were ablated sequentially, enabling the separation of measured conductance and 1/f noise into metallic and semiconducting nanotube contributions. The relative low frequency excess noise of the metallic tubes was observed to be two orders of magnitude lower than that of the semiconductor tubes.

Smart Grid Enabled EVSE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None, None

2015-01-12

The combined team of GE Global Research, Federal Express, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Consolidated Edison has successfully achieved the established goals contained within the Department of Energy’s Smart Grid Capable Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment funding opportunity. The final program product, shown charging two vehicles in Figure 1, reduces by nearly 50% the total installed system cost of the electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) as well as enabling a host of new Smart Grid enabled features. These include bi-directional communications, load control, utility message exchange and transaction management information. Using the new charging system, Utilities or energy service providers will now be able to monitor transportation related electrical loads on their distribution networks, send load control commands or preferences to individual systems, and then see measured responses. Installation owners will be able to authorize usage of the stations, monitor operations, and optimally control their electricity consumption. These features and cost reductions have been developed through a total system design solution.

Solar hydrogen production with semiconductor metal oxides: new directions in experiment and theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Valdes, Alvaro; Brillet, Jeremie; Graetzel, Michael

2012-01-01

An overview of a collaborative experimental and theoretical effort toward efficient hydrogen production via photoelectrochemical splitting of water into di-hydrogen and di-oxygen is presented here. We present state-of-the-art experimental studies using hematite and TiO2 functionalized with gold n...... nanoparticles as photoanode materials, and theoretical studies on electro and photo-catalysis of water on a range of metal oxide semiconductor materials, including recently developed implementation of self-interaction corrected energy functionals....

Metal-enhanced galactic winds. I

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vader, J.P.

1986-01-01

Supernova-driven gas loss during the early evolution of elliptical galaxies is considered as a possible explanation for the correlations among the observed chemical and structural properties of these systems. Mass loss from systems with a chemically homogeneous interstellar medium does not work. It is pointed out that supernova-driven winds are in fact metal-enhanced with respect to the star-forming gas because the metal production of any supernova that drives the wind is directly flushed out of the galaxy. The fraction of the total metal production lost in the wind is thus at least as large as the fraction epsilon(z) of supernovae that power the wind, independent of the total mass loss. As a corollary, the yield of heavy elements that are recycled in the galaxy is reduced by a factor 1 - epsilon(z). Metal-enhanced galactic winds, which can carry away a large fraction of the metal production in spite of a moderate total mass loss, offer a promising explanation for the low metallicities of dwarf elliptical galaxies. 62 references