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Sample records for microwave digestion method

  1. Closed vessels microwave digestion method for uranium analysis of soils using alpha-spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salar Amoli, H.; Barker, J.; Flowers, A.

    2007-01-01

    This paper describes our development of an accurate determination of uranium by alpha spectrometry using various kinds of sample digestion methods. The sample preparation techniques employed an acid digestion with HNO 3 , and microwave oven digestion either by HNO 3 or by combination of HNO 3 and HF. The samples were obtained from surface and in depth(40 cm) soils from residential area. An extraction chromatography column has been used to separate the uranium from interference matrix and elements. Results show that the microwave method significantly speeds up the analysis time, reduces the volume of acids used and eliminates a large fraction of acid vapour emission. Compared with the uranium recoveries it was shown that microwave HNO 3 +HF achieved greater recovery (83%) than microwave HNO 3 (78%), while less obtained by HNO 3 digestion using hot plate (75%). Various kind of digestion methods have been applied (24 times) for two kind of soil sample . The reproducibility was acceptable and the average precision (coefficient of variation) was between 4 to 5. No significant differences between the precision of the methods have been observed. Acid volume required for the microwave procedures are a fraction of 5 times lower and the analysis time 6 times lower than traditional digestion by hot plate technique. (author)

  2. Acid digestion of geological and environmental samples using open-vessel focused microwave digestion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Vivien F; Toms, Andrew; Longerich, Henry P

    2002-01-01

    The application of open vessel focused microwave acid digestion is described for the preparation of geological and environmental samples for analysis using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The method is compared to conventional closed-vessel high pressure methods which are limited in the use of HF to break down silicates. Open-vessel acid digestion more conveniently enables the use of HF to remove Si from geological and plant samples as volatile SiF4, as well as evaporation-to-dryness and sequential acid addition during the procedure. Rock reference materials (G-2 granite, MRG-1 gabbros, SY-2 syenite, JA-1 andesite, and JB-2 and SRM-688 basalts) and plant reference materials (BCR and IAEA lichens, peach leaves, apple leaves, Durham wheat flour, and pine needles) were digested with results comparable to conventional hotplate digestion. The microwave digestion method gave poor results for granitic samples containing refractory minerals, however fusion was the preferred method of preparation for these samples. Sample preparation time was reduced from several days, using conventional hotplate digestion method, to one hour per sample using our microwave method.

  3. Comparison of three optimized digestion methods for rapid determination of chemical oxygen demand: Closed microwaves, open microwaves and ultrasound irradiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Domini, Claudia E. [Departamento de Quimica, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Av. Alem 1253, 8000 Bahia Blanca (Argentina); Hidalgo, Montserrat [Departamento de Quimica Analitica, Nutricion y Bromatologia, Universidad de Alicante, Apdo. 99, 03080 Alicante (Spain); Marken, Frank [Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY (United Kingdom); Canals, Antonio [Departamento de Quimica Analitica, Nutricion y Bromatologia, Universidad de Alicante, Apdo. 99, 03080 Alicante (Spain)]. E-mail: a.canals@ua.es

    2006-03-02

    In the present work, experimental design was used for the fast optimization of three kinds of sample digestion procedures with the final aim of obtaining the COD value of wastewater samples. The digestion methods evaluated were 'closed microwave-assisted' (CMWD), 'open microwave-assisted' (OMWD) and 'ultrasound-assisted' (USD). Classical digestion was used as reference method. The optimum values for the different variables studied in each method were: 90 psi pressure, 475 W power and 4 min irradiation time (CMWD); 150 deg. C temperature and 4 min irradiation time (OMWD); 90% of maximum nominal power (180 W), 0.9 s (s{sup -1}) cycles and 1 min irradiation time (USD). In all cases, interference concentration that produces a deviation of 10% in COD values is 13.4, 23.4, 21.1 and 2819 mg/L for S{sup 2-}, Fe{sup 2+}, NO{sub 2} {sup -} and Cl{sup -}, respectively. Under optimum conditions, the proposed digestion methods have been successfully applied, with the exception of pyridine, to several pure organic compounds and COD recoveries for 10 real wastewater samples were ranged between 88 and 104% of the values obtained with the classical (open reflux) method used as reference, with R.S.D. lower than 4% in most cases. Thus, the use of ultrasound energy for COD determination seems to be an interesting and promising alternative to conventional open reflux and microwave-assisted digestion methods used for the same purpose since the instrumentation is simpler, cheaper and safer and the digestion step faster than the ones used for the same purpose.

  4. Soil sample preparation using microwave digestion for uranium analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohagheghi, Amir H.; Preston, Rose; Akbarzadeh, Mansoor; Bakthiar, Steven

    2000-01-01

    A new sample preparation procedure has been developed for digestion of soil samples for uranium analysis. The technique employs a microwave oven digestion system to digest the sample and to prepare it for separation chemistry and analysis. The method significantly reduces the volume of acids used, eliminates a large fraction of acid vapor emissions, and speeds up the analysis time. The samples are analyzed by four separate techniques: Gamma Spectrometry, Alpha Spectroscopy using the open digestion method, Kinetic Phosphorescence Analysis (KPA) using open digestion, and KPA by Microwave digestion technique. The results for various analytical methods are compared and used to confirm the validity of the new procedure. The details of the preparation technique along with its benefits are discussed

  5. An evaluation of microwave-assisted fusion and microwave-assisted acid digestion methods for determining elemental impurities in carbon nanostructures using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

    KAUST Repository

    Patole, Shashikant P.; Simõ es, Filipa; Yapici, Tahir; Warsama, Bashir H.; Anjum, Dalaver H.; Da Costa, Pedro M. F. J.

    2015-01-01

    A method for the complete digestion of carbon nanostructures has been demonstrated. Photographs (on the left side) show zirconium crucibles containing SWCNTs with flux of Na2CO3 and K2CO3, before and after microwave fusion; (on the right side) the appearance of the final solutions containing dissolved samples, from microwave-assisted fusion and microwave-assisted acid digestion. These solutions were used for determining the trace elemental impurities by ICP‒OES.

  6. Open vessel microwave digestion of food matrices (T6)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rhodes, L.; LeBlanc, G.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: Advancements in the field of open vessel microwave digestion continue to provide solutions for industries requiring acid digestion of large sample sizes. Those interesting in digesting food matrices are particularly interested in working with large amounts of sample and then diluting small final volumes. This paper will show the advantages of instantaneous regent addition and post-digestion evaporation when performing an open vessel digestion and evaporation methods for various food matrices will be presented along with analyte recovery data. (author)

  7. Comparison of dry, wet and microwave digestion methods for the determination of Pb in commercially available poultry feed samples in Pakistan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iqbal, S.; Hussain, A.; Hussain, I.; Sher, M.

    2012-01-01

    Summary: The poultry feed ingredients, contaminated by Lead (Pb) from different sources, may pose serious threats towards health of bird as well as consumers. Toxicity of Pb requires accurate quantification from poultry samples, which in turn is dependent on efficiency of digestion procedure. Therefore, aim of this study was to compare three main digestion methods; microwave-assisted wet digestion, wet-acid digestion on hot plate and dry ashing mineralization in muffle furnace for the maximum recovery of Pb from 28 poultry feed samples of 7 commercial brands from Pakistan. Novelty in wet-acid digestion on hot plate lies in applying 6 different compositions of nitric acid with oxidants and other mineral acids i.e. hydrogen peroxide (H/sub 2/O/sub 2/ ), perchloric (HClO/sub 4/), hydrochloric (HCl), and hydrofluoric (HF) acids. The concentration of Pb in samples was found to be in the range of 43-58.5, 26-35.5, 17- 30, 11-18.5, 22-30.5, 27-37 .5, 36-48 and 2- 6.5 mg/kg by 1 MW (microwave-assisted wet digestion), 2 AW (wet digestion with HNO/sub 3/ and H/sub 2/O/sub 2/ mixture), 2 BW (wet digestion with mixture of HNO/sub 3/ and HClO/sub 4/), 2 CW (wet digestion with aqua regia), 2 DW (wet digestion with reverse aqua regia), 2 EW (wet digestion with mixture of HNO/sub 3/ and H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/), 2 FW (wet digestion with mixture of HNO/sub 3/ and HF) and 3 DD (Dry digestion in Muffle furnace), respectively. The results were subjected to statistical analysis i.e. ANOVA, which showed significant differences among all the digestion methods and cluster analysis, which confirmed the similarity between 2 FW (wet digestion with mixture of nitric acid and hydrofluoric acid) and microwave-assisted digestion method. (author)

  8. Determination of 90Sr in environmental samples by microwave assisted digestion - chromatographic separation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Torres, J.M.; Llaurado, M.; Rauret, G.

    1998-01-01

    The stages involved in the determination of 90 Sr in environmental samples are: sample attack, radiochemical separation (of both 90 Sr and its progeny 90 Y) and measurement. For the determination of 90 Sr, the introduction of microwave-assisted digestion methods has improved acid attack by drastically decreasing both digestion time and the volume of acidic reagents. Recent studies describe many applications of microwave-assisted methods for the determination of inorganic and organometallic compounds in several matrices. We have recently studied the microwave-assisted digestion of soils for the 90 Sr determination. The presented work extends the application of microwaves for the 90 Sr determination to other environmental samples such as sediments, vegetation and milk. An open-focused microwave system, which accepts large samples intakes usually required for radioanalytical chemistry due to the low level content of radionuclides in environmental samples, was used. This system can handle up to 10 g of sample intake which, in many cases, is enough to have acceptable limits of detection. Different digestion procedures are optimised for each matrix studied, paying special attention to the microwave power, the time of digestion and the volume of acidic reagents. Once the sample is in solution a new separation procedure using a specific resin -Sr.Spec- is applied and the measurement is performed by liquid scintillation. The results obtained are compared with a previously optimised method based on liquid-liquid extraction of 90 Y and Cerenkov radiation measurement

  9. An evaluation of microwave-assisted fusion and microwave-assisted acid digestion methods for determining elemental impurities in carbon nanostructures using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

    KAUST Repository

    Patole, Shashikant P.

    2015-10-21

    It is common for as-prepared carbon nanotube (CNT) and graphene samples to contain remnants of the transition metals used to catalyze their growth; contamination may also leave other trace elemental impurities in the samples. Although a full quantification of impurities in as-prepared samples of carbon nanostructures is difficult, particularly when trace elements are intercalated or encapsulated within a protective layer of graphitic carbon, reliable information is essential for reasons such as quantifying the adulteration of physico-chemical properties of the materials and for evaluating environmental issues. Here, we introduce a microwave-based fusion method to degrade single- and double-walled CNTs and graphene nanoplatelets into a fusion flux thereby thoroughly leaching all metallic impurities. Subsequent dissolution of the fusion product in diluted hydrochloric and nitric acid allowed us to identify their trace elemental impurities using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Comparisons of the results from the proposed microwave-assisted fusion method against those of a more classical microwave-assisted acid digestion approach suggest complementarity between the two that ultimately could lead to a more reliable and less costly determination of trace elemental impurities in carbon nanostructured materials. Graphical abstract A method for the complete digestion of carbon nanostructures has been demonstrated. Photographs (on the left side) show zirconium crucibles containing SWCNTs with flux of Na2CO3 and K2CO3, before and after microwave fusion; (on the right side) the appearance of the final solutions containing dissolved samples, from microwave-assisted fusion and microwave-assisted acid digestion. These solutions were used for determining the trace elemental impurities by ICP‒OES.

  10. Comparison of Microwave Assisted Acid Digestion Methods for ICP-MS Determination of Total Arsenic in Fish Tissue

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghanthimathi, S.; Aminah Abdullah; Salmijah, S.; Ujang, T.; Nurul, I.A.

    2012-01-01

    Fish is one of the most important sources of arsenic exposure in human diet and the Food Safety and Quality Division, Ministry of Health since 2007 has required routine monitoring of total arsenic in sea foods such as fish. This study describes an improved extraction method of total arsenic in fish using microwave assisted acid digestion procedure before being analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The parameters studied were pre-treatment of sample, digestion temperature, time programme and the chemicals (HNO 3 / H 2 O 2 ) used. Arsenic contents in fish samples under these conditions were compared using the standards additions technique. Microwave assisted acid digestion method with a combination of ultrapure concentrated nitric acid (HNO 3 ) to concentrated hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) at a ratio of 7 mL: 1 mL, run time of 25 min and digestion temperature of 200 degree Celsius with no pre-treatment was found to have recovery of 100.7 % as compared to other digestion procedure where the recovery were 115.5, 111.6 and 101.8 %. Validation using certified reference material (CRM) of fish tissue (DORM-3) showed a recovery of 101.4 ± 2.5 % for total arsenic from the CRM. (author)

  11. Waste minimization through high-pressure microwave digestion of soils for gross α/β analyses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yaeger, J.S.; Smith, L.L.

    1995-04-01

    As a result of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) environmental restoration and waste management activities, laboratories receive numerous analytical requests for gross α/β analyses. Traditional sample preparation methods for gross α/β analysis of environmental and mixed waste samples require repetitive leaching, which is time consuming and generates large volumes of secondary wastes. An alternative to leaching is microwave digestion. In the past. microwave technology has had limited application in the radiochemical laboratory because of restrictions on sample size resulting from vessel pressure limitations. However, new microwave vessel designs allow for pressures on the order of 11 MPa (1500 psi). A procedure is described in which microwave digestion is used to prepare environmental soil samples for gross α/β analysis. Results indicate that the described procedure meets performance requirements for several soil types and is equivalent to traditional digestion techniques. No statistical differences at the 95% confidence interval exist between the measurement on samples prepared from the hot plate and microwave digestion procedures for those soils tested. Moreover, microwave digestion allows samples to be prepared in a fraction of the time with significantly less acid and with lower potential of cross-contamination. In comparison to the traditional hot plate method, the waste volumes required for the microwave procedure are a factor of 10 lower, while the analyst time for sample processing is at least a factor of three lower

  12. Application of microwave assisted digestion in industrial hygiene

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paudyn, A.M.; Smith, R.G.; Gawlowski, E.

    1990-01-01

    Microwave assisted digestion plays an important role in speeding up acquisition of analytical data for industrial hygiene purposes. This paper will compare hot plate and microwave assisted digestion for the determination of elements in industrial samples (air sampling filters, dusts, ashes, paints) by the ICPAES technique. Also, the determination of radionuclides in environmental samples (soils, sediments, rocks) by alpha, beta and gamma spectroscopy after the dissolution in a microwave oven will be presented. The results on the determination of elements in NIST standard reference materials and radionuclides in IAEA standards will be included. QC/QA protocols used in an occupational health laboratory setting will be discussed. Sample preparation using microwave assisted digestion proved not only to speed-up extraction of acid soluble elements, but also to achieve better recovery of some elements (Pb in paints) and give better reproducibility of determinations

  13. Study on microwave digestion technique of granite with high pressure vessel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiao Chengjian; Luo Yangming; Fu Zhonghua

    2008-06-01

    The digestion relation of heating time, temperature and pressure for acids is discussed in closed container under microwave field. Some granite samples were digested by microwave in 100 ml closed container. The results show that the best acid to digest granite samples is a combination of HNO 3 and HF, 0.5 g sample powder can be digested completely in 21 minutes, and that the maximum sample mass is 2.0 g using 100 ml closed container. (authors)

  14. Rapid Microwave Digestion Procedures for the Elemental Analysis of Alloy and Slag Samples of Smelted Ocean Bed Polymetallic Nodules

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kumari Smita

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The use of microwave digester for digestion of alloy and slag samples of smelted ocean bed polymetallic nodules has permitted the complete digestion of samples, thereby replacing the tedious classical methods of digestion of samples. The digestion procedure includes two acid-closed digestions of samples in a microwave oven. Owing to the hazardous nature of perchloric acid, it was not used in developed digestion procedure. Digested sample solutions were analyzed for concentrations of various radicals and the effectiveness of the developed digestion methodology was tested using certified reference materials. It was found that the developed method is giving results comparable with that obtained from conventionally digested samples. In this digestion procedure, time required for digestion of samples was reduced to about 1 hour only from 8-9 hours of conventional digestion.

  15. Microwave digestion for determination content of iron and zinc total in food

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva Trejos, Paulina

    2012-01-01

    The food digestion procedure was optimized by means of a microwave oven, to quantify the iron and total zinc in different matrices by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The optimum amount of concentrated HNO 3 was analyzed at 65% to digest sample mass determined by assessment of the percentage of recovery obtained with different amount of HNO 3 . The results have not differed from those obtained by officially recommended methods of acid digestion in open systems and calcination. (author) [es

  16. Accurate quantification of tio2 nanoparticles collected on air filters using a microwave-assisted acid digestion method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mudunkotuwa, Imali A.; Anthony, T. Renée; Grassian, Vicki H.; Peters, Thomas M.

    2016-01-01

    Titanium dioxide (TiO2) particles, including nanoparticles with diameters smaller than 100 nm, are used extensively in consumer products. In a 2011 current intelligence bulletin, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommended methods to assess worker exposures to fine and ultrafine TiO2 particles and associated occupational exposure limits for these particles. However, there are several challenges and problems encountered with these recommended exposure assessment methods involving the accurate quantitation of titanium dioxide collected on air filters using acid digestion followed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Specifically, recommended digestion methods include the use of chemicals, such as perchloric acid, which are typically unavailable in most accredited industrial hygiene laboratories due to highly corrosive and oxidizing properties. Other alternative methods that are used typically involve the use of nitric acid or combination of nitric acid and sulfuric acid, which yield very poor recoveries for titanium dioxide. Therefore, given the current state of the science, it is clear that a new method is needed for exposure assessment. In this current study, a microwave-assisted acid digestion method has been specifically designed to improve the recovery of titanium in TiO2 nanoparticles for quantitative analysis using ICP-OES. The optimum digestion conditions were determined by changing several variables including the acids used, digestion time, and temperature. Consequently, the optimized digestion temperature of 210°C with concentrated sulfuric and nitric acid (2:1 v/v) resulted in a recovery of >90% for TiO2. The method is expected to provide for a more accurate quantification of airborne TiO2 particles in the workplace environment. PMID:26181824

  17. Microwave acid-digestion method for determination of nickel, pro-oxidants and other heavy metals in different brands of banaspati ghee

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Latif, A.; Khan, F.; Noor, S.; Amin-ur-Rehman

    2009-01-01

    Samples of different brands of banaspati ghee (Hydrogenated vegetable oil) were procured from local market in Peshawar. Nickel, Pro-oxidants and other heavy metals in these samples were determined by microwave acid digestion method and were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry to evaluate the value of different brands of banaspati ghee found in the local Peshawar market. Microwave acid digestion program was developed to give reliable estimates for metals in small sample (0.5g) of banaspati ghee. It reduced the external contamination and required small quantities of acid, improving the detection-limits and overall accuracy of the analytical method. Iron and copper concentrations were found in ranges of (0.44-4.64 ppm), (0.072 - 0.38 ppm), respectively. Nickel ranged (0.098 - 0.24 ppm), while the concentrations of chromium, cadmium, lead, manganese and zinc ranged (0. 035 - 0. 15ppm), (0.022 - 0. 16ppm), (0.025 - 0.095ppm), (0.029 - 0.12 ppm) and (0.019 - 0.13 ppm), respectively.(author)

  18. A simple optimized microwave digestion method for multielement monitoring in mussel samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saavedra, Y.; Gonzalez, A.; Fernandez, P.; Blanco, J.

    2004-01-01

    With the aim of obtaining a set of common decomposition conditions allowing the determination of several metals in mussel tissue (Hg by cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry; Cu and Zn by flame atomic absorption spectrometry; and Cd, PbCr, Ni, As and Ag by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry), a factorial experiment was carried out using as factors the sample weight, digestion time and acid addition. It was found that the optimal conditions were 0.5 g of freeze-dried and triturated samples with 6 ml of nitric acid and subjected to microwave heating for 20 min at 180 psi. This pre-treatment, using only one step and one oxidative reagent, was suitable to determine the nine metals studied with no subsequent handling of the digest. It was possible to carry out the determination of atomic absorption using calibrations with aqueous standards and matrix modifiers for cadmium, lead, chromium, arsenic and silver. The accuracy of the procedure was checked using oyster tissue (SRM 1566b) and mussel tissue (CRM 278R) certified reference materials. The method is now used routinely to monitor these metals in wild and cultivated mussels, and found to be good

  19. Destruction of organic materials by pressurized microwave digestion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schramel, P. (GSF - Research Center for Environment and Health, Inst. of Ecological Chemistry, Neuherberg (Germany)); Hasse, S. (GSF - Research Center for Environment and Health, Inst. of Ecological Chemistry, Neuherberg (Germany))

    This paper describes the utility of pressurized microwave digestion (up to 85 bar) for a broad spectrum of organic materials (blood, urine, milk powder, tissues). The 'quality' of the sample solution was tested by the determination of Pb, Cd and Cu (additionally Ni and Co in some of the matrices) by anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) and Hydride Generation AAS (HAAS) for As. It is clearly shown that no universal 'cooking recipe' can be given. The necessary oxidation potential is very dependent on the type of organic matrix and therefore the use of acid combinations (HNO[sub 3]/HClO[sub 4]/H[sub 2]SO[sub 4]) is generally necessary to obtain adequate solution of the sample. In some cases the power of the microwave oven was not high enough to digest two samples simultaneoulsy. (Significant differences in the ease of solution are shown in the digestion of one or two samples). Some important improvements for sample preparation, such as moistening the powdered material with water and mixing well with the acid used before closing the digestion vessel etc., are also given. (orig.)

  20. Analysis of biological slurry samples by total x-ray fluorescence after in situ microwave digestion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lue-Meru, M.P.; Capote, T.; Greaves, E.

    2000-01-01

    Biological slurry samples were analyzed by total reflection x-ray fluorescence (TXRF) after an in situ microwave digestion procedure on the quartz reflector. This method lead to the removal of the matrix by the digestion and permits the enrichment of the analites by using sample amounts higher than those normally used in TXRF for the thin layer requirement since the organic matrix is removed. In consequence, the pre-concentration of sample is performed and the detection capability is increased by a quasi direct method. The samples analyzed were the international IAEA blood standard, the SRM bovine liver 1577-a standard and fresh onion tissues. Slurries were prepared in three ways: a.- weighing a sample amount on the reflector and adding suprapure nitric acid and internal standard followed by microwave digestion, b.-weighing a sample amount and water with an appropriate concentration of the internal standard in an Eppendorf vial, taking then an aliquot to the quartz reflector for microwave digestion with suprapure nitric acid, c.- weighing a sample amount of fresh tissue, homogenising with high speed homegenator to obtain a slurry sample which can be diluted in an ependorf vial with water an the internal standard. Then an aliquot is taken to the reflector for microwave digestion with suprapure nitric acid. Further details of sample preparation procedures will be discussed during presentation. The analysis was carried out in a Canberra spectrometer using the Kalpha lines of the Ag and Mo tubes. The elements Ca, K, Fe, Cu, Zn, Se, Mn, Rb, Br, Sr were determined. The effect of the preparation procedure was evaluated by the accuracy and precision of the results for each element and the percent of recovery. (author)

  1. Impacts of microwave pretreatments on the semi-continuous anaerobic digestion of dairy waste activated sludge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uma Rani, R.; Adish Kumar, S.; Kaliappan, S.; Yeom, IckTae; Rajesh Banu, J.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Microwave pretreatment of dairy WAS was studied. ► MW pretreatment at 70% intensity for 12 min, COD solubilization was 18.6%. ► Biogas production and SS reduction was 35% and 14% higher than control. ► In digester at 15 days SRT with medium OLR, SS and VS reduction was 67% and 64%. ► Biogas and methane production was 57% and 49% higher than control, in digesters. - Abstract: Microwave (MW) irradiation is one of the new and possible methods used for pretreating the sludge. Following its use in different fields, this MW irradiation method has proved to be more appropriate in the field of environmental research. In this paper, we focused on the effects of MW irradiation at different intensities on solubilization, biodegradation and anaerobic digestion of sludge from the dairy sludge. The changes in the soluble fractions of the organic matter, the biogas yield, the methane content in the biogas were used as control parameters for evaluating the efficiency of the MW pretreatment. Additionally, the energetic efficiency was also examined. In terms of an energetic aspect, the most economical pretreatment of sludge was at 70% intensity for 12 min irradiation time. At this, COD solubilization, SS reduction and biogas production were found to be 18.6%, 14% and 35% higher than the control, respectively. Not only the increase in biogas production was investigated, excluding protein and carbohydrate hydrolysis was also performed successfully by this microwave pretreatment even at low irradiation energy input. Also, experiments were carried out in semi continuous anaerobic digesters, with 3.5 L working volume. Combining microwave pretreatment with anaerobic digestion led to 67%, 64% and 57% of SS reduction, VS reduction and biogas production higher than the control, respectively

  2. Analysis of Protein Amino Acids in Tobacco Using Microwave Digestion of Plant Material

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moldoveanu SC

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes a technique using microwave digestion and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS, which makes possible the analysis of protein amino acids in tobacco. The technique involves first the measurement of free amino acids, a hydrolysis using microwave digestion, and a measurement of total resulting amino acids. The content of protein amino acids is determined from the difference of total and free amino acids. The digestion is performed with aqueous 6 N HCl (with 1% phenol for two hours in a microwave at 120°C in sealed vials. The GC-MS analysis is performed after the amino acids are derivatized with N-methyl-N-(t-butyldimethylsilyltrifluoroacetamide (MTBSTFA. The technique provides reliable results with less than 10% relative standard deviation (RSD for most amino acids. Only the determination of very low level amino acids is affected by larger errors. The method provides results for free amino acids that are in very good agreement with those obtained by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC, and also results for protein levels in tobacco in agreement with data previously reported in the literature. Results are given for several single grade tobaccos and for tobacco blends from four Kentucky reference cigarettes.

  3. Processed Meat Protein and Heat-Stable Peptide Marker Identification Using Microwave-Assisted Tryptic Digestion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Magdalena Montowska

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available New approaches to rapid examination of proteins and peptides in complex food matrices are of great interest to the community of food scientists. The aim of the study is to examine the influence of microwave irradiation on the acceleration of enzymatic cleavage and enzymatic digestion of denatured proteins in cooked meat of five species (cattle, horse, pig, chicken and turkey and processed meat products (coarsely minced, smoked, cooked and semi-dried sausages. Severe protein aggregation occurred not only in heated meat under harsh treatment at 190 °C but also in processed meat products. All the protein aggregates were thoroughly hydrolyzed aft er 1 h of trypsin treatment with short exposure times of 40 and 20 s to microwave irradiation at 138 and 303 W. There were much more missed cleavage sites observed in all microwave-assisted digestions. Despite the incompleteness of microwave-assisted digestion, six unique peptide markers were detected, which allowed unambiguous identification of processed meat derived from the examined species. Although the microwave-assisted tryptic digestion can serve as a tool for rapid and high-throughput protein identification, great caution and pre-evaluation of individual samples is recommended in protein quantitation.

  4. Critical evaluation of pressurized microwave-assisted digestion efficiency using nitric acid oxidizing systems (M7)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matusiewicz, H.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: The possibilities of enhancement of a medium-pressure microwave-assisted digestion system for sample preparation in trace element analysis of biological material was investigated. Based on optimal digestion conditions for oxidizing systems with nitric acid, different digestion procedures were examined to minimize residual carbon. The substitution of nitric acid and the addition of hydrogen peroxide and ozone to nitric acid was evaluated. The residual carbon content of the digestate was determined coulometrically. Addition of hydrogen peroxide during organic oxidation reactions does not lower the resolved carbon in the solution. Ozone was tested as an additional, potentially non-contaminating, digestion/oxidation system to the nitric acid used in the sample preparation method. (author)

  5. Determination of mercury in microwave-digested soil by laser-excited atomic fluorescence spectrometry with electrothermal atomization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pagano, S T; Smith, B W; Winefordner, J D

    1994-12-01

    A sample digestion procedure was developed which employs microwave heating of soil and sediment in concentrated nitric acid in a high-pressure closed vessel. Complete dissolution of mercury into the sample solution occurs within 5 min at 59 W/vessel without loss of analyte through overpressurization. Laser-excited atomic fluorescence spectrometry with electrothermal atomization (LEAFS-ETA) was used as the detection method. The scheme uses a two-step excitation, with lambda(1) = 253.7 nm and lambda(2) = 435.8 nm. Direct line fluorescence was measured at 546.2 nm. The absolute instrumental limit of detection was 14 fg; 1.4 pg/ml with a 10 mul sample injection. The recoveries of mercury in two spiked samples were 94 and 98%. The SRM 8406 (Mercury in River Sediment) was digested and analyzed for mercury, and the results (58.4 +/- 1.8 ng/g) agreed well with the reference value of 60 ng/g. The results obtained by LEAFS-ETA with microwave sample digestion are in good agreement with those found by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry with EPA Series Method 245.5 sample digestion, which is one of the most commonly used methods for the determination of mercury in soil.

  6. Comparison of Dilution, Filtration, and Microwave Digestion Sample Pretreatments in Elemental Profiling of Wine by ICP-MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Godshaw, Joshua; Hopfer, Helene; Nelson, Jenny; Ebeler, Susan E

    2017-09-25

    Wine elemental composition varies by cultivar, geographic origin, viticultural and enological practices, and is often used for authenticity validation. Elemental analysis of wine by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) is challenging due to the potential for non-spectral interferences and plasma instability arising from organic matrix components. Sample preparation mitigates these interferences, however, conflicting recommendations of best practices in ICP-MS analysis of wine have been reported. This study compared direct dilution, microwave-assisted acid digestion, and two filtration sample pretreatments, acidification prior to filtration and filtration followed by acidification, in elemental profiling of one white and three red table wines by ICP-MS. Of 43 monitored isotopes, 37 varied by sample preparation method, with significantly higher results of 17 isotopes in the microwave-digested samples. Both filtration treatments resulted in lower results for 11 isotopes compared to the other methods. Finally, isotope dilution determination of copper based on natural abundances and the 63 Cu: 65 Cu instrument response ratio agreed with external calibration and confirmed a significant sample preparation effect. Overall, microwave digestion did not compare favorably, and direct dilution was found to provide the best compromise between ease of use and result accuracy and precision, although all preparation strategies were able to differentiate the wines.

  7. A Research on Determination of Lecithin in Eggs by Applying Microwave Digestion Techniques and Spectrophotometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, M.; Ge, Q.L.; Gao, Y. Sh.; Chen, K. W.

    2012-01-01

    A method to quick detect concentration of lecithin in eggs, namely microwave digestion spectrophotometry, was established in this research. The homogenate of eggs was treated with absolute ethanol to eliminate phosphate protein in eggs which could possibly affect concentration of lecithin examined. A sample then received a new way of pre-treatment, called microwave digestion, before UV-Vis spectrometry was applied to examine the concentration of phosphate at 400 nm. The linear equation was A = 0.08628X (μg), the corresponding coefficient of correlation was 0.9998, the detection limit of phosphorous was 0.2μg (n=11). The content of lecithin in eggs was then obtained. According to the result, the recovery of 90% was secured; therefore the conclusion of high degree of accuracy was reached.

  8. Methods of ammonia removal in anaerobic digestion: a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krakat, Niclas; Demirel, Burak; Anjum, Reshma; Dietz, Donna

    2017-10-01

    The anaerobic digestion of substrates with high ammonia content has always been a bottleneck in the methanisation process of biomasses. Since microbial communities in anaerobic digesters are sensitive to free ammonia at certain conditions, the digestion of nitrogen-rich substrates such as livestock wastes may result in inhibition/toxicity eventually leading to process failures, unless appropriate engineering precautions are taken. There are many different options reported in literature to remove ammonia from anaerobic digesters to achieve a safe and stable process so that along with high methane yields, a good quality of effluents can also be obtained. Conventional techniques to remove ammonia include physical/chemical methods, immobilization and adaptation of microorganisms, while novel methods include ultrasonication, microwave, hollow fiber membranes and microbial fuel cell applications. This paper discusses conventional and novel methods of ammonia removal from anaerobic digesters using nitrogen-rich substrates, with particular focus on recent literature available about this topic.

  9. [Determination of 27 elements in Maca nationality's medicine by microwave digestion ICP-MS].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Gui-fang; Zhong, Hai-jie; Hu, Jun-hua; Wang, Jing; Huang, Wen-zhe; Wang, Zhen-zhong; Xiao, Wei

    2015-12-01

    An analysis method has been established to test 27 elements (Li, Be, B, Mg, Al, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Sr, Mo, Cd, Sn, Sb, Ba, La, Hg, Pb, Bi) in Maca nationality's medicine with microwave digestion-ICP-MS. Sample solutions were analyzed by ICP-MS after microwave digestion, and the contents of elements were calculated according to their calibration curves, and internal standard method was adopted to reduce matrix effect and other interference effects. The experimental results showed that the linear relations of all the elements were very good; the correlation coefficient (r) was 0.9994-1.0000 (Hg was 0.9982) ; the limits of detection were 0.003-2.662 microg x L(-1); the relative standard deviations for all elements of reproducibility were lower than 5% (except the individual elements); the recovery rate were 78.5%-123.7% with RSD lower than 5% ( except the individual elements). The analytical results of standard material showed acceptable agreement with the certified values. This method was applicable to determinate the contents of multi-elements in Maca which had a high sensitivity, good specificity and good repeatability, and provide basis for the quality control of Maca.

  10. Ultrasound assisted biogas production from co-digestion of wastewater sludges and agricultural wastes: Comparison with microwave pre-treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aylin Alagöz, B; Yenigün, Orhan; Erdinçler, Ayşen

    2018-01-01

    This study investigates the effect of ultrasonication and microwave sludge disintegration/pre-treatment techniques on the anaerobic co-digestion efficiency of wastewater sludges with olive and grape pomaces. The effects of both co-digestion and sludge pre-treatment techniques were evaluated in terms of the organic removal efficiency and the biogas production. The "co-digestion" of wastewater sludge with both types of pomaces was revealed to be a much more efficient way for the biogas production compared to the single (mono) sludge digestion. The ultrasonication and microwave pre-treatments applied to the sludge samples caused to a further increase in biogas and methane yields. Based on applied specific energies, ultrasonication pre-treatment was found much more effective than microwave irradiation. The specific energy applied in microwave pre-treatment (87,000kj/kgTS) was almost 9 times higher than that of used in ultrasonication (10,000kj/kgTS), resulting only 10-15% increases in biogas/methane yield. Co-digestion of winery and olive industry residues with pre-treated wastewater sludges appears to be a suitable technique for waste management and energy production. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Synergistic pretreatment of waste activated sludge using CaO_2 in combination with microwave irradiation to enhance methane production during anaerobic digestion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Jie; Li, Yongmei

    2016-01-01

    methanogen (Methanospirillum sp.) abundance improved greatly following CaO_2 (0.1 g/gVSS)/microwave (480 W, 2 min) pretreatment. The percentage of CH_4 in biogas with CaO_2/microwave pretreatment increased by 25.4% relative to the control. The dewaterability of the waste activated sludge also improved considerably after anaerobic digestion with combined CaO_2/microwave treatment. Therefore, CaO_2/microwave pretreatment can be used as an effective method to recover energy from waste activated sludge.

  12. Evaluation of the effects of low energetic microwave irradiation on anaerobic digestion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bastiaens, Bert; Van den Broeck, Rob; Appels, Lise; Dewil, Raf

    2017-11-01

    The present study investigates the effects of microwave irradiation on the performance of anaerobic digestion processes. A first set of experiments is performed to distinguish the upper limit of the applied energy levels. Secondly, the effects of these treatments on the performance of the digestion process are evaluated in 3 experimental setups: (i) monitoring the acetic acid degradation, (ii) performing a biological methane potential (BMP) assay and (iii) conducting a specific methanogenic activity (SMA) test. The solubilisation experiment reveals a limited degree of disintegration of anaerobic biomass up to a microwave treatment of 10000 kJ/kg TS. Above this threshold value the soluble COD level started to rise, with up to 350% at 30000 kJ/kg TS regardless of the microwave output power. Because solubilisation of the biomass increases the easily degradable content, this would lead to false observations regarding increased activity. Therefore, solubilisation is minimized by limiting the microwave treatment to a maximum of 6000 kJ/kg TS during the second part of the experiments. Monitoring the degradation of acetic acid after a low intensity microwave treatment, reveals that microwave irradiation shortens the lag phase, e.g., from 21 to 3 h after a microwave treatment of 1000 kJ/kg TS at 100 W. However most treatments also result in a decrease of the maximum degradation and of the degradation rate of acetic acid. BMP assays are performed to evaluate the activity and performance of the entire anaerobic community. Every treatment results in a decreased biogas production potential and decreased biogas production rate. Moreover, each treatment induced an increase of the lag phase. The SMA experiments show no influence of the microwave irradiation in terms of biogas or methane production. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Evaluation of Wet Digestion Methods for Quantification of Metal Content in Electronic Scrap Material

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Subhabrata Das

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Recent advances in the electronics sector and the short life-span of electronic products have triggered an exponential increase in the generation of electronic waste (E-waste. Effective recycling of E-waste has thus become a serious solid waste management challenge. E-waste management technologies include pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy, and bioleaching. Determining the metal content of an E-waste sample is critical in evaluating the efficiency of a metal recovery method in E-waste recycling. However, E-waste is complex and of diverse origins. The lack of a standard digestion method for E-waste has resulted in difficulty in comparing the efficiencies of different metal recovery processes. In this study, several solid digestion protocols including American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM-D6357-11, United States Environment Protection Agency Solid Waste (US EPA SW 846 Method 3050b, ultrasound-assisted, and microwave digestion methods were compared to determine the metal content (Ag, Al, Au, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Pd, Sn, and Zn of electronic scrap materials (ESM obtained from two different sources. The highest metal recovery (mg/g of ESM was obtained using ASTM D6357-11 for most of the metals, which remained mainly bound to silicate fractions, while a microwave-assisted digestion protocol (MWD-2 was more effective in solubilizing Al, Pb, and Sn. The study highlights the need for a judicious selection of digestion protocol, and proposes steps for selecting an effective acid digestion method for ESM.

  14. A qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the peptide characteristics of microwave- and ultrasound-assisted digestion in discovery and targeted proteomic analyses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Zhengguang; Cheng, Jie; Sun, Haidan; Sun, Wei

    2017-08-30

    Fast digestion methods can dramatically accelerate enzyme digestion and increase the throughput of proteomic analysis. However, the peptide characteristics of fast digestion methods and their performance in discovery and targeted proteomic analysis must be systematically evaluated. Three digestion methods, including overnight digestion, microwave-assisted protein enzymatic digestion (MAPED), and high-intensity focused ultrasonic-assisted enzymatic digestion (HIFUSAED), in trypsin or in trypsin/Lys-C were comprehensively compared in both discovery and targeted proteomics analysis using the HeLa cell proteome. In discovery proteomic analysis, the highest numbers of peptides and proteins were identified when the sample was digested via the MAPED method with trypsin/Lys-C. The fast digestion methods showed a higher mis-cleavage rate and a lower semi-tryptic rate than the overnight digestion method. In both label-free quantitative analysis and targeted proteomic analysis, both fully cleaved peptides (FCPs) and mis-cleaved peptides (MCPs) from the fast digestion methods and the overnight digestion method showed good reproducibility if they showed good abundance. When both the FCPs and MCPs were included in the analysis, the MAPED with trypsin/Lys-C method showed the best results for both discovery proteomic analysis and relative quantitative targeted proteomic analysis. These results will be beneficial for the application of fast digestion methods to proteomics. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  15. Improvement of AOAC Official Method 984.27 for the determination of nine nutritional elements in food products by Inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy after microwave digestion: single-laboratory validation and ring trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poitevin, Eric; Nicolas, Marine; Graveleau, Laetitia; Richoz, Janique; Andrey, Daniel; Monard, Florence

    2009-01-01

    A single-laboratory validation (SLV) and a ring trial (RT) were undertaken to determine nine nutritional elements in food products by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy in order to improve and update AOAC Official Method 984.27. The improvements involved optimized microwave digestion, selected analytical lines, internal standardization, and ion buffering. Simultaneous determination of nine elements (calcium, copper, iron, potassium, magnesium, manganese, sodium, phosphorus, and zinc) was made in food products. Sample digestion was performed through wet digestion of food samples by microwave technology with either closed or open vessel systems. Validation was performed to characterize the method for selectivity, sensitivity, linearity, accuracy, precision, recovery, ruggedness, and uncertainty. The robustness and efficiency of this method was proved through a successful internal RT using experienced food industry laboratories. Performance characteristics are reported for 13 certified and in-house reference materials, populating the AOAC triangle food sectors, which fulfilled AOAC criteria and recommendations for accuracy (trueness, recovery, and z-scores) and precision (repeatability and reproducibility RSD and HorRat values) regarding SLV and RT. This multielemental method is cost-efficient, time-saving, accurate, and fit-for-purpose according to ISO 17025 Norm and AOAC acceptability criteria, and is proposed as an improved version of AOAC Official Method 984.27 for fortified food products, including infant formula.

  16. Changes on antioxidant activity of microwave-treated protein hydrolysates after simulated gastrointestinal digestion: Purification and identification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ketnawa, Sunantha; Wickramathilaka, Malithi; Liceaga, Andrea M

    2018-07-15

    Two samples of trout frame protein hydrolysates were prepared by Microwave Pretreatment followed by Conventional Enzymatic hydrolysis (MPCE) and Non-Pretreated followed by Microwave-assisted Enzymatic hydrolysis (NPME), respectively, were subjected to simulated gastrointestinal digestion. Changes on degree of hydrolysis, antioxidant activity, molecular weight, and amino acid composition between undigested and after gastrointestinal digestion of peptides were investigated. Comparing to undigested peptides, a breakdown of MPCE and NPME into smaller molecules was observed. Degree of hydrolysis, ABTS + radical scavenging activity and reducing power increased (P digestion. A purified peptide from GI-MPCE had two possible sequences, NGRLGYSEGVM or GNRLGYSWDD (1182.65 Da). Whereas GI-NPME had two peptides IRGPEEHMHR or RVAPEEHMHR (1261.77 Da) and SAGVPRHK or SARPRHK (962.63 Da). These results indicate that digested hydrolysates can be a rich source of antioxidants. Isolated peptides extracted from trout frame by-products could be new food ingredients used as natural antioxidants. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. [Determination of metals in waste bag filter of steel works by microwave digestion-flame atomic absorption spectrometry].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ning, Xun-An; Zhou, Yun; Liu, Jing-Yong; Wang, Jiang-Hui; Li, Lei; Ma, Xiao-Guo

    2011-09-01

    A method of microwave digestion technique-flame atomic absorption spectrometry was proposed to determine the total contents of Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr and Ni in five different kinds of waste bag filters from a steel plant. The digestion effects of the six acid systems on the heavy metals digestion were studied for the first time. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of the method was between 1.02% and 9.35%, and the recovery rates obtained by standard addition method ranged from 87.7% to 105.6%. The results indicated that the proposed method exhibited the advantages of simplicity, speediness, accuracy and repeatability, and it was suitable for determining the metal elements of the waste bag filter. The results also showed that different digestion systems should be used according to different waste bag filters. The waste bag filter samples from different production processes had different metal elements content. The Pb and Zn were the highest in the waste bag filters, while the Cu, Ni, Cd and Cr were relatively lower. These determination results provided the scientific data for further treatment and disposal of the waste bag filter.

  18. Comparison of two microwave-assisted sample digestions of sediment and soils for trace metals using ICP-MS. HNO3 and HNO3/HF (P2)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Howard, C.; Vandervort, A.; Bloom, N.S.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: Our goal was to develop an accurate and dependable digestion method for extracting trace metals from soil and sediment samples. This method would be applied to analytes at low concentrations in various sediments, including soil, contaminated soil, and marine sediment. Analysis was performed for a wide spectrum of trace metals (Ag, Al, As, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cu, Eu, Fe, Hf, Ho, La, Mg, Mn, Mo, Nd, Ni, Pb, Th, Ti, Tl, Sb, Se, Sm, Sn, Yb, and Zn) using an Elan 6000 ICP-MS (Perkin-Elmer). Two sample preparation procedures were adjusted and applied to three certified reference materials (CRM); NIST2709, NIST2710, and MESS-3. The first procedure involved digestion with 10 ml nitric acid (HNO3) at 180 o C for 25 min in a microwave (Milestone-ETHOS plus). The process included four acid blanks, one blank spike, three replicates of each CRM, and one matrix spike on each of the CRM. The second procedure involved digestion with 8 ml HNO3, and 4 ml hydrofluoric acid (HF) at 180 o C for 25 min in the microwave. Digestion included four acid blanks, one blank spike, three reps of each CRM, and one matrix spike on each of the CRM. Each method proved to be robust and accurate for different analytes. Rare earth elements worked particularly well using the HNO 3 digest. By utilizing both digestions, all trace metals examined were successfully and completely extracted. (author)

  19. Effect of alkaline microwaving pretreatment on anaerobic digestion and biogas production of swine manure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Tao; Deng, Yihuan; Liu, Hongyu; Yang, Chunping; Wu, Bingwen; Zeng, Guangming; Lu, Li; Nishimura, Fumitake

    2017-05-10

    Microwave assisted with alkaline (MW-A) condition was applied in the pretreatment of swine manure, and the effect of the pretreatment on anaerobic treatment and biogas production was evaluated in this study. The two main microwaving (MW) parameters, microwaving power and reaction time, were optimized for the pretreatment. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to investigate the effect of alkaline microwaving process for manure pretreatment at various values of pH and energy input. Results showed that the manure disintegration degree was maximized of 63.91% at energy input of 54 J/g and pH of 12.0, and variance analysis indicated that pH value played a more important role in the pretreatment than in energy input. Anaerobic digestion results demonstrated that MW-A pretreatment not only significantly increased cumulative biogas production, but also shortened the duration for a stable biogas production rate. Therefore, the alkaline microwaving pretreatment could become an alternative process for effective treatment of swine manure.

  20. Experimental continuous sludge microwave system to enhance dehydration ability and hydrogen production from anaerobic digestion of sludge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Cuihong; Huang, Xintong; Zeng, Meng

    2018-05-01

    Dehydrating large amounts of sludge produced by sewage treatment plants is difficult. Microwave pretreatment can effectively and significantly improve the dewaterability and hydrogen production of sludge subjected to anaerobic digestion. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different microwave conditions on hydrogen production from anaerobic digestion and dewaterability of sludge. Based on an analysis of the electric field distribution, a spiral reactor was designed and a continuous microwave system was built to conduct intermittent and continuous experiments under different conditions. Settling Volume, Capillary Suction Time, particle size, and moisture content of the sludge were measured. The results show that sludge pretreatment in continuous experiments has equally remarkable dehydration performance as in intermittent experiments; the minimum moisture content was 77.29% in the intermittent experiment under a microwave power of 300W and an exposure time of 60sec, and that in the continuous experiment was 77.56% under a microwave power of 400W and an exposure time of 60sec. The peak measured by Differential Scanning Calorimeter appeared earliest under a microwave power of 600W and an exposure time of 180sec. The heat flux at the peak was 4.343W/g, which is relatively small. This indicates that microwave pretreatment induced desirable effects. The maximum yield of hydrogen production was 7.967% under the conditions of microwave power of 500W, exposure time of 120sec, and water bath at 55°C. This research provides a theoretical and experimental basis for the development of a continuous microwave sludge-conditioning system. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  1. Rapid determination of gross alpha and beta activity in seafood utilizing microwave digestion and liquid scintillation counting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Daniel Sas; Jiri Janda; Alena Tokarova

    2015-01-01

    This paper describes a method for rapid determination of gross alpha and beta activity in seafood using liquid scintillation counting and microwave digestion for fast sample decomposition. The general group of seafood was divided into two groups based on its structure, whether it has shell or not. The selected group of radionuclides was chosen with respect to military significance, radiotoxicity, and possibility of potential misuse. 90 Sr and 239 Pu were selected as model radionuclides. (author)

  2. Determination of metal concentrations in certified plastic reference materials after small-size autoclave and microwave-assisted digestion followed with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lehtimäki, Esa; Väisänen, Ari

    2017-01-01

    The digestion methods for the determination of As, Cd, Cr, Pb, Sb, Sn and Zn concentrations in plastic samples using microwave-assisted digestion (MW-AD) and small-size autoclave digestion was developed. The certified polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene certified reference materials were used in order to find digestion method working properly for several sample matrices. Efficiency of the digestion methods was evaluated by analyzing the residual carbon in digests by TOC analyzer. MW-AD using a mixture of 7 mL of HNO3 and 3 mL of H2O2 as a digestion solution resulted in excellent recoveries for As, Cd, Pb, Sb and Zn, and were in the range of 92-107% for all the analytes except Pb in polyethylene material. Autoclave digestion using 5 mL of concentrated HNO3 as a digestion solution resulted in similar recoveries with the exception of a higher As recovery (98%). Tin recovery resulted in low level after both MW-AD and autoclave digestion. Autoclave digestion was further developed resulting in a partially open two-step digestion process especially for the determination of Sn and Cr. The method resulted in higher recoveries of Sn and Cr (87 and 76%) but with the lower concentration of easily volatile As, Cd and Sb.

  3. Simultaneous determination of bromine and iodine in milk powder for adult and infant nutrition by plasma based techniques after digestion using microwave-induced combustion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Picoloto, Rochele S. [Núcleo de Química, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, 85884-000 Medianeira, PR (Brazil); Doneda, Morgana [Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, 97105-900 Santa Maria, RS (Brazil); Flores, Eder L.M. [Núcleo de Química, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, 85884-000 Medianeira, PR (Brazil); Mesko, Marcia F. [Centro de Ciências Químicas, Farmacêuticas e de Alimentos, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, 96010-610 Pelotas, RS (Brazil); Flores, Erico M.M. [Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, 97105-900 Santa Maria, RS (Brazil); Mello, Paola A., E-mail: paola.mello@ufsm.br [Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, 97105-900 Santa Maria, RS (Brazil)

    2015-05-01

    In this work, bromine and iodine determination in milk powder for adult and infant nutrition was performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) after digestion by microwave-induced combustion (MIC). Contrarily to previous works using MIC, a higher sample mass was digested (700 mg). Water and ammonium hydroxide (10 to 100 mmol L{sup −1}) were investigated as absorbing solutions and accurate results were achieved using a 25 mmol L{sup −1} NH{sub 4}OH solution. Moreover, the high stability of analytes after digestion (up to 30 days) using this solution was observed. The accuracy of the proposed MIC method was evaluated using certified and reference materials of milk powder (NIST 1549 and NIST 8435). No statistical difference was observed between results obtained by MIC-ICP-MS and reference values. Results for samples were also compared with those obtained by ICP-OES and no statistical difference was observed. Microwave-assisted alkaline extraction (MW-AE) was also evaluated for milk powder using NH{sub 4}OH and tetramethylammonium hydroxide solutions. Solutions obtained after digestion by MIC (whole milk powder) presented low carbon content in digests (< 25 mg L{sup −1}) while solutions obtained after alkaline extraction presented up to 10,000 mg L{sup −1} of C. MIC method was preferable in view of the possibility of obtaining solutions with low carbon content even using a relatively high sample mass (up to 700 mg) avoiding additional dilution prior to ICP-MS analysis, thus allowing better detection limits. Limits of detection obtained by MIC-ICP-MS were 0.007 and 0.003 μg g{sup −1} for Br and I, respectively, while for MW-AE were 0.1 and 0.05 μg g{sup −1} respectively for Br and I. Among the main advantages of the proposed method are the use of diluted alkaline solutions that is in agreement with green analytical chemistry recommendations, the high stability of

  4. Simultaneous determination of bromine and iodine in milk powder for adult and infant nutrition by plasma based techniques after digestion using microwave-induced combustion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Picoloto, Rochele S.; Doneda, Morgana; Flores, Eder L.M.; Mesko, Marcia F.; Flores, Erico M.M.; Mello, Paola A.

    2015-01-01

    In this work, bromine and iodine determination in milk powder for adult and infant nutrition was performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) after digestion by microwave-induced combustion (MIC). Contrarily to previous works using MIC, a higher sample mass was digested (700 mg). Water and ammonium hydroxide (10 to 100 mmol L −1 ) were investigated as absorbing solutions and accurate results were achieved using a 25 mmol L −1 NH 4 OH solution. Moreover, the high stability of analytes after digestion (up to 30 days) using this solution was observed. The accuracy of the proposed MIC method was evaluated using certified and reference materials of milk powder (NIST 1549 and NIST 8435). No statistical difference was observed between results obtained by MIC-ICP-MS and reference values. Results for samples were also compared with those obtained by ICP-OES and no statistical difference was observed. Microwave-assisted alkaline extraction (MW-AE) was also evaluated for milk powder using NH 4 OH and tetramethylammonium hydroxide solutions. Solutions obtained after digestion by MIC (whole milk powder) presented low carbon content in digests (< 25 mg L −1 ) while solutions obtained after alkaline extraction presented up to 10,000 mg L −1 of C. MIC method was preferable in view of the possibility of obtaining solutions with low carbon content even using a relatively high sample mass (up to 700 mg) avoiding additional dilution prior to ICP-MS analysis, thus allowing better detection limits. Limits of detection obtained by MIC-ICP-MS were 0.007 and 0.003 μg g −1 for Br and I, respectively, while for MW-AE were 0.1 and 0.05 μg g −1 respectively for Br and I. Among the main advantages of the proposed method are the use of diluted alkaline solutions that is in agreement with green analytical chemistry recommendations, the high stability of analytes in solution and the

  5. An ultrasound-assisted digestion method for the determination of toxic element concentrations in ash samples by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ilander, Aki; Vaeisaenen, Ari

    2007-01-01

    A method of ultrasound-assisted digestion followed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) used for the determination of toxic element concentrations (arsenic, barium, cobalt, copper, lead, nickel, strontium, vanadium and zinc) in ash samples was developed. All the measurements were performed in robust plasma conditions which were tested by measuring the Mg(II) 280.270 nm/Mg(I) 285.213 nm line intensity ratios. The highest line intensity ratios were observed when a nebulizer gas flow of 0.6 L min -1 , auxiliary gas flow of 0.2 L min -1 and plasma power of 1400 W were used for radially viewed plasma. The analysis of SRM 1633b showed that the ultrasound-assisted method developed is highly comparable with the microwave digestion method standardized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA-3052). The ultrasound-assisted digestion with a digestion solution of aqua regia and hydrofluoric acid (HF) resulted in recovery rates of over 81%. One exception is arsenic which resulted in recoveries of about 60% only; however, it could be digested with good recovery (>90%) using a digestion solution of 5 mL of water and 5 mL of aqua regia. The major advantage of the ultrasound-assisted digestion over microwave digestion is the high treatment rate (30 samples simultaneously with a sonication time of 18 min)

  6. Influence of digestion methods on the recovery of Iron, Zinc, Nickel, Chromium, Cadmium and Lead contents in 11 organic residues

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thalita Fernanda Abbruzzini

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available There are currently many devices and techniques to quantify trace elements (TEs in various matrices, but their efficacy is dependent on the digestion methods (DMs employed in the opening of such matrices which, although "organic", present inorganic components which are difficult to solubilize. This study was carried out to evaluate the recovery of Fe, Zn, Cr, Ni, Cd and Pb contents in samples of composts and cattle, horse, chicken, quail, and swine manures, as well as in sewage sludges and peat. The DMs employed were acid digestion in microwaves with HNO3 (EPA 3051A; nitric-perchloric digestion with HNO3 + HClO4 in a digestion block (NP; dry ashing in a muffle furnace and solubilization of residual ash in nitric acid (MDA; digestion by using aqua regia solution (HCl:HNO3 in the digestion block (AR; and acid digestion with HCl and HNO3 + H2O2 (EPA 3050. The dry ashing method led to the greatest recovery of Cd in organic residues, but the EPA 3050 protocol can be an alternative method for the same purpose. The dry ashing should not be employed to determine the concentration of Cr, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn in the residues. Higher Cr and Fe contents are recovered when NP and EPA 3050 are employed in the opening of organic matrices. For most of the residues analyzed, AR is the most effective method for recovering Ni. Microwave-assisted digestion methods (EPA3051 and 3050 led to the highest recovery of Pb. The choice of the DM that provides maximum recovery of Zn depends on the organic residue and trace element analyzed.

  7. In vitro starch digestibility and expected glycemic index of pound cakes baked in two-cycle microwave-toaster and conventional oven.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-zaragoza, Francisco J; Sánchez-Pardo, María E; Ortiz-Moreno, Alicia; Bello-Pérez, Luis A

    2010-11-01

    Bread baking technology has an important effect on starch digestibility measured as its predicted glycemic index tested in vitro. The aim of this work was to evaluate the changes in predicted glycemic index of pound cake baked in a two-cycle microwave toaster and a conventional oven. The glycemic index was calculated from hydrolysis index values by the Granfeldt method. Non-significant differences (P > 0.05) were found in hydrolysis index (60.67 ± 3.96 for the product baked in microwave oven and 65.94 ± 4.09 for the product baked in conventional oven) and predicted glycemic index content (60.5 for product baked in microwave oven and 65 for the product baked in conventional oven) in freshly-baked samples. Results clearly demonstrate that the baking pound cake conventional process could be replicated using a two-cycle multifunction microwave oven, reducing the traditional baking time. Further research is required in order to achieve pound cake crumb uniformity.

  8. Preparation of shrimp waste as aqua feedstuff: a study of physicochemical properties and in vitro digestibility

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karun Thongprajukeaw

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The effects of different preparation methods (boiling, microwave irradiation, oven-drying, soaking, and sun-drying for improving the protein quality of shrimp waste (SW when used as aqua feedstuff were observed. The findings from this study indicate that microwave irradiation maintained both the chemical composition and total carotenoid concentration of the SW. This method controlled the appropriate physicochemical characteristics thus promoting proteolytic digestion, as indicated by measurement of changes in pH, water solubility, microstructures, and thermal transition. The protein digestibility based on the use of digestive enzymes from Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus also increased after preparation with microwave irradiation. Based on this study, improvement in the protein quality in SW may be achieved by microwave irradiation and this method may be used as an alternative method for preparing aqua feedstuff.

  9. Effects of dehulling, steam-cooking and microwave-irradiation on digestive value of white lupin (Lupinus albus) seed meal for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saez, Patricio; Borquez, Aliro; Dantagnan, Patricio; Hernández, Adrián

    2015-01-01

    A digestibility trial was conducted to assess the effect of dehulling, steam-cooking and microwave-irradiation on the apparent digestibility of nutrients in white lupin (Lupinus albus) seed meal when fed to rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Six ingredients, whole lupin seed meal (LSM), dehulled LSM, dehulled LSM steam-cooked for 15 or 45 min (SC15 and SC45, respectively) and LSM microwave-irradiated at 375 or 750 W (MW375 and MW750, respectively), were evaluated for digestibility of dry matter, crude protein (CP), lipids, nitrogen-free extractives (NFE) and gross energy (GE). The diet-substitution approach was used (70% reference diet + 30% test ingredient). Faeces from each tank were collected using a settlement column. Dehulled LSM showed higher levels of proximate components (except for NFE and crude fibre), GE and phosphorus in comparison to whole LSM. Furthermore, SC15, SC45, MW375 and MW750 showed slight variations of chemical composition in comparison to dehulled LSM. Results from the digestibility trial indicated that dehulled LSM, SC15, SC45 and MW375 are suitable processing methods for the improvement of nutrients' apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC) in whole LSM. MW750 showed a lower ADC of nutrients (except for CP and lipids for rainbow trout) in comparison with MW350 for rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon, suggesting a heat damage of the ingredient when microwave-irradiation exceeded 350 W.

  10. Determination of the mineral compositions of in six beans by microwave digestion with inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan, Q.; Yang, L.; Chen, S.; Liu, X.; Ma, X.

    2012-01-01

    In the study, microwave digestion procedure optimized was applied for digesting beans. Nineteen mineral element concentrations were determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES). The result indicated detection limits for the 19 elements were less than 0.0998, and relative standard deviations were 1.01% - 5.02% for all the elements, and recoveries were 90.89% - 104.55% by adding standard recovery experiment. The study showed the beans selected were abundant in mineral element contents in human nutrition, determination mineral element contents by ICP-AES with microwave digestion technology were a lot of merits of small environmental pollution, fast and accurate determination result, which could satisfy the examination request of bean samples. The results provided evidence that the six beans were a good source of K, P, Mg and Ca. This study is to give important reference value to people due to individual differences by adjusting the dietary to complement the different mineral elements. (author)

  11. Determination of calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium in foodstuffs by using a microsampling flame atomic absorption spectrometric method after closed-vessel microwave digestion: method validation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chekri, Rachida; Noël, Laurent; Vastel, Christelle; Millour, Sandrine; Kadar, Ali; Guérin, Thierry

    2010-01-01

    This paper describes a validation process in compliance with the NFIEN ISO/IEC 17025 standard for the determination of the macrominerals calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium in foodstuffs by microsampling with flame atomic absorption spectrometry after closed-vessel microwave digestion. The French Standards Commission (Agence Francaise de Normalisation) standards NF V03-110, NF EN V03-115, and XP T-90-210 were used to evaluate this method. The method was validated in the context of an analysis of the 1322 food samples of the second French Total Diet Study (TDS). Several performance criteria (linearity, LOQ, specificity, trueness, precision under repeatability conditions, and intermediate precision reproducibility) were evaluated. Furthermore, the method was monitored by several internal quality controls. The LOQ values obtained (25, 5, 8.3, and 8.3 mg/kg for Ca, Mg, Na, and K, respectively) were in compliance with the needs of the TDS. The method provided accurate results as demonstrated by a repeatability CV (CVr) of < 7% and a reproducibility CV (CVR) of < 12% for all the elements. Therefore, the results indicated that this method could be used in the laboratory for the routine determination of these four elements in foodstuffs with acceptable analytical performance.

  12. Microstructural characteristics and gastro-small intestinal digestion in vitro of potato starch: Effects of refrigerated storage and reheating in microwave.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colussi, Rosana; Singh, Jaspreet; Kaur, Lovedeep; Zavareze, Elessandra da Rosa; Dias, Alvaro Renato Guerra; Stewart, Robert B; Singh, Harjinder

    2017-07-01

    The objective of our study was to evaluate paste clarity, retrogradation (syneresis %), thermal characteristics and kinetics of glucose release during in vitro gastro-small intestinal digestion of freshly cooked and refrigerated potato starch. Freshly cooked starch pastes had a paste clarity of 71%, which decreased to 35.4% whereas syneresis (%) increased after 7days of refrigerated storage. The X-ray and thermal characteristics of native, retrograded and microwave reheated starch samples differed significantly from each other. For the freshly cooked starch pastes, ∼88% starch hydrolysis was observed at the end (150min) of digestion under simulated gastro-small intestinal conditions that decreased to ∼70% for the 7day stored pastes. The hydrolysis (%) of refrigerated pastes increased to 86% and 92% after one and two cycles of microwave reheating, respectively. These results contribute to the understanding of starch retrogradation in relation to starch digestion. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Partial microwave-assisted wet digestion of animal tissue using a baby-bottle sterilizer for analyte determination by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matos, Wladiana O.; Menezes, Eveline A.; Gonzalez, Mario H.; Costa, Leticia M.; Trevizan, Lilian C.; Nogueira, Ana Rita A.

    2009-01-01

    A procedure for partial digestion of bovine tissue is proposed using polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) micro-vessels inside a baby-bottle sterilizer under microwave radiation for multi-element determination by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). Samples were directly weighed in laboratory-made polytetrafluoroethylene vessels. Nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide were added to the uncovered vessels, which were positioned inside the baby-bottle sterilizer, containing 500 mL of water. The hydrogen peroxide volume was fixed at 100 μL. The system was placed in a domestic microwave oven and partial digestion was carried out for the determination of Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn and Zn by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The single-vessel approach was used in the entire procedure, to minimize contamination in trace analysis. Better recoveries and lower residual carbon content (RCC) levels were obtained under the conditions established through a 2 4-1 fractional factorial design: 650 W microwave power, 7 min digestion time, 50 μL nitric acid and 50 mg sample mass. The digestion efficiency was ascertained according to the residual carbon content determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The accuracy of the proposed procedure was checked against two certified reference materials.

  14. Microwave digestion and mass spectrometry – useful tools in heavy metals determination

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    BURADA Adrian

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available The quality indicators of Danube Delta lakes are established according with the Romanian Normative 161 / 2006. The sampling points are: Somova, Fortuna, Nebunu, Merhei, Miazazi, Erenciuc, Uzlina, Isac. The selected heavy metals are: arsenic, cadmium, nickel, lead. First the samples were digested at the microwave oven, and then there were analyzed at the ICPMS. The arsenic concentrations are under the limit in all selected lakes in 2007 and2008, except for Uzlina, in 2008. In general, the cadmium, nickel and lead concentrations exceed the values for the secondquality boundary.

  15. Accurate determination of sulfur in gasoline and related fuel samples using isotope dilution ICP-MS with direct sample injection and microwave-assisted digestion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heilmann, Jens; Boulyga, Sergei F; Heumann, Klaus G

    2004-09-01

    Inductively coupled plasma isotope-dilution mass spectrometry (ICP-IDMS) with direct injection of isotope-diluted samples into the plasma, using a direct injection high-efficiency nebulizer (DIHEN), was applied for accurate sulfur determinations in sulfur-free premium gasoline, gas oil, diesel fuel, and heating oil. For direct injection a micro-emulsion consisting of the corresponding organic sample and an aqueous 34S-enriched spike solution with additions of tetrahydronaphthalene and Triton X-100, was prepared. The ICP-MS parameters were optimized with respect to high sulfur ion intensities, low mass-bias values, and high precision of 32S/34S ratio measurements. For validation of the DIHEN-ICP-IDMS method two certified gas oil reference materials (BCR 107 and BCR 672) were analyzed. For comparison a wet-chemical ICP-IDMS method was applied with microwave-assisted digestion using decomposition of samples in a closed quartz vessel inserted into a normal microwave system. The results from both ICP-IDMS methods agree well with the certified values of the reference materials and also with each other for analyses of other samples. However, the standard deviation of DIHEN-ICP-IDMS was about a factor of two higher (5-6% RSD at concentration levels above 100 mircog g(-1)) compared with those of wet-chemical ICP-IDMS, mainly due to inhomogeneities of the micro-emulsion, which causes additional plasma instabilities. Detection limits of 4 and 18 microg g(-1) were obtained for ICP-IDMS in connection with microwave-assisted digestion and DIHEN-ICP-IDMS, respectively, with a sulfur background of the used Milli-Q water as the main limiting factor for both methods.

  16. Accurate determination of sulfur in gasoline and related fuel samples using isotope dilution ICP-MS with direct sample injection and microwave-assisted digestion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heilmann, Jens; Boulyga, Sergei F.; Heumann, Klaus G. [Johannes Gutenberg-University, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Mainz (Germany)

    2004-09-01

    Inductively coupled plasma isotope-dilution mass spectrometry (ICP-IDMS) with direct injection of isotope-diluted samples into the plasma, using a direct injection high-efficiency nebulizer (DIHEN), was applied for accurate sulfur determinations in sulfur-free premium gasoline, gas oil, diesel fuel, and heating oil. For direct injection a micro-emulsion consisting of the corresponding organic sample and an aqueous {sup 34}S-enriched spike solution with additions of tetrahydronaphthalene and Triton X-100, was prepared. The ICP-MS parameters were optimized with respect to high sulfur ion intensities, low mass-bias values, and high precision of {sup 32}S/{sup 34}S ratio measurements. For validation of the DIHEN-ICP-IDMS method two certified gas oil reference materials (BCR 107 and BCR 672) were analyzed. For comparison a wet-chemical ICP-IDMS method was applied with microwave-assisted digestion using decomposition of samples in a closed quartz vessel inserted into a normal microwave system. The results from both ICP-IDMS methods agree well with the certified values of the reference materials and also with each other for analyses of other samples. However, the standard deviation of DIHEN-ICP-IDMS was about a factor of two higher (5-6% RSD at concentration levels above 100 {mu}g g{sup -1}) compared with those of wet-chemical ICP-IDMS, mainly due to inhomogeneities of the micro-emulsion, which causes additional plasma instabilities. Detection limits of 4 and 18 {mu}g g{sup -1} were obtained for ICP-IDMS in connection with microwave-assisted digestion and DIHEN-ICP-IDMS, respectively, with a sulfur background of the used Milli-Q water as the main limiting factor for both methods. (orig.)

  17. Optimal acid digestion for multi-element analysis of different waste matrices

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Götze, Ramona; Astrup, Thomas Fruergaard

    of the distinct waste materials and recyclables. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of different standardized microwave assisted acid digestion methods on waste samples and subsequent multi-element analysis. Six acid digestion methods were applied on a Paper & Cardboard and Composite waste...

  18. Determination of mercury in rice by cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry after microwave-assisted digestion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Silva, Maria Jose da [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Edificio de Investigacion, University of Valencia, 50 Dr. Moliner Street, E-46100 Burjassot, Valencia (Spain); Departamento de Quimica Fundamental, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Cidade Universitaria, 50740-550 Recife, PE (Brazil); Paim, Ana Paula S. [Departamento de Quimica Fundamental, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Cidade Universitaria, 50740-550 Recife, PE (Brazil); Pimentel, Maria Fernanda [Departamento de Engenharia Quimica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE (Brazil); Cervera, M. Luisa, E-mail: m.luisa.cervera@uv.es [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Edificio de Investigacion, University of Valencia, 50 Dr. Moliner Street, E-46100 Burjassot, Valencia (Spain); Guardia, Miguel de la [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Edificio de Investigacion, University of Valencia, 50 Dr. Moliner Street, E-46100 Burjassot, Valencia (Spain)

    2010-05-14

    A cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry method (CV-AFS) has been developed for the determination of Hg in rice samples at a few ng g{sup -1} concentration level. The method is based on the previous digestion of samples in a microwave oven with HNO{sub 3} and H{sub 2}O{sub 2} followed by dilution with water containing KBr/KBrO{sub 3} and hydroxylamine and reduction with SnCl{sub 2} in HCl using external calibration. The matrix interferences and the effect of nitrogen oxide vapors have been evaluated and the method validated using a certified reference material. The limit of detection of the method was 0.9 ng g{sup -1} with a recovery percentage of 95 {+-} 4% at an added concentration of 5 ng g{sup -1}. The concentration level of Hg found in 24 natural rice samples from different origin ranged between 1.3 and 7.8 ng g{sup -1}.

  19. On-line digestion in a focused microwave-assisted oven for elements determination in orange juice by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fili Sabrina P.

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available A flow injection system coupled to focused microwave-assisted oven was used for on-line orange juice sample digestion for determination of Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, and Zn by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The reactor coil was a PTFE tube (4.0 m long and 1.6 mm i.d. positioned into the commercial glass tube of the focused microwave oven. Aliquots of 500 muL of sample and 1000 muL of reagent (80% v/v HNO3 were mixed in a confluence and carried out to the reactor coil by air carrier. The relative standard deviation for five replicates of sample was lower than 5.0%. Good recoveries varying from 91 to 111% were obtained for added concentrations of the interest elements. The results obtained using the proposed digestion system are in agreement with those obtained for total digestion at the 95% confidence level. With this on-line digestion system was possible to carry out 12 samples h-1, minimizing contamination, saving consumption of samples and reagent and low residue generation.

  20. Optimization and microbial community analysis of anaerobic co-digestion of food waste and sewage sludge based on microwave pretreatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Junya; Lv, Chen; Tong, Juan; Liu, Jianwei; Liu, Jibao; Yu, Dawei; Wang, Yawei; Chen, Meixue; Wei, Yuansong

    2016-01-01

    The effects of microwave pretreatment (MW) on co-digestion of food waste (FW) and sewage sludge (SS) have never been investigated. In this study, a series of mesophilic biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests were conducted to determine the optimized ratio of FW and SS based on MW, and the evolution of bacterial and archaeal community was investigated through high-throughput sequencing method. Results showed that the optimized ratio was 3:2 for co-digestion of FW and SS based on MW, and the methane production was 316.24 and 338.44mLCH4/gVSadded for MW-FW and MW-SS, respectively. The MW-SS was superior for methane production compared to MW-FW, in which accumulation of propionic acid led to the inhibition of methanogenesis. Proteiniborus and Parabacteroides were responsible for proteins and polysaccharides degradation for all, respectively, while Bacteroides only dominated in co-digestion. Methanosphaera dominated in MW-FW at the active methane production phase, while it was Methanosarcina in MW-SS and mono-SS. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. [Determination of 24 minerals in human milk by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with microwave digestion].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Zhongqing; Yue, Bing; Yang, Zhenyu; Li, Xiaowei; Wu, Yongning; Yin, Shian

    2013-05-01

    To determine the levels of 24 minerals in human milk by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with microwave digestion. The samples were digested by microwave. The contents of minerals were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The standard reference minerals of 1849a and 1568a from National Institute of Science and Technology were used for quality control. The accuracy and reproduability for this method were evaluated with mix standards and 1849a and 1568a standard reference materials. The ranges of the levels of sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, aluminum, chromium, arsenic, selenium, iron, zinc, manganese, copper, molybdenum, vanadium, cobalt, nickel, gallium, cadmium, silver, strontium, cesium, barium, lead in human milk was 34.97-415.83 mg/kg, 19.00-39.52 mg/kg, 102.13-274.53 mg/kg, 351.19-713.99 mg/kg, 180.08-349.64 mg/kg, 0.06-0.44 mg/kg, 0.9-7.37 microg/kg, 0.92-2.72 microg/kg, 0.20-21.15 microg/kg, 0.10-0.70 mg/kg, 0.56-3.25 mg/kg, 3.00-16.12 micro.g/kg, 62.16-591.69 microg/kg, 0.02-6.91 microg/kg, 5.99-13.70 microg/kg, 0.07-2.11 microg/kg, 0.77-209.26 microg/kg, 0.005-0.28 microg/kg, 0.02-0.23 microg/kg, 0.02-0.71 microg/kg, 36.89-132.26 microg/kg, 0.01-4.72 microg/kg, 0.83-28.16 microg/kg, 2.5-5.3 microg/kg, respectively. The levels of minerals in human milk in present study were consisted with other similar studies. The experiment examined the levels of minerals in human milk satisfactorily. The method has high accuracy and good reproducibility, which could be used for understanding the levels of minerals in human milk.

  2. imFASP: An integrated approach combining in-situ filter-aided sample pretreatment with microwave-assisted protein digestion for fast and efficient proteome sample preparation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Qun; Fang, Fei; Wu, Ci; Wu, Qi; Liang, Yu; Liang, Zhen; Zhang, Lihua; Zhang, Yukui

    2016-03-17

    An integrated sample preparation method, termed "imFASP", which combined in-situ filter-aided sample pretreatment and microwave-assisted trypsin digestion, was developed for preparation of microgram and even nanogram amounts of complex protein samples with high efficiency in 1 h. For imFASP method, proteins dissolved in 8 M urea were loaded onto a filter device with molecular weight cut off (MWCO) as 10 kDa, followed by in-situ protein preconcentration, denaturation, reduction, alkylation, and microwave-assisted tryptic digestion. Compared with traditional in-solution sample preparation method, imFASP method generated more protein and peptide identifications (IDs) from preparation of 45 μg Escherichia coli protein sample due to the higher efficiency, and the sample preparation throughput was significantly improved by 14 times (1 h vs. 15 h). More importantly, when the starting amounts of E. coli cell lysate decreased to nanogram level (50-500 ng), the protein and peptide identified by imFASP method were improved at least 30% and 44%, compared with traditional in-solution preparation method, suggesting dramatically higher peptide recovery of imFASP method for trace amounts of complex proteome samples. All these results demonstrate that the imFASP method developed here is of high potential for high efficient and high throughput preparation of trace amounts of complex proteome samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Determination of selenium in red blood cells by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after microwave digestion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tinggi, U.; Francis, R.; Shanin, M.; Scheelings, P.; Gianduzzo, T.; Nicol, D.

    2004-01-01

    Selenium is an essential trace element and its levels in blood have been widely used for assessing Se status in humans. A suitable method for the determination of Se in red blood cells (RBC) using ICP-MS after microwave digestion was developed. The blood samples were obtained from patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), who attended urology clinics at the Princess Alexandra hospital, Brisbane, Australia. No apparent polyatomic and matrix interferences were encountered when 82 Se isotope was used for the analysis of Se levels in RBC. Whole Blood Seronorm Trace Elements (SERO, Norway) and dogfish muscle (DORM-1, NRCC) were used as reference materials for method validation. The method was rapid and accurate, and ideal for routine analysis of Se in RBC, and in particular for assessing of Se status in humans. (author)

  4. Three Birds with One Fe3O4 Nanoparticle: Integration of Microwave Digestion, Solid Phase Extraction, and Magnetic Separation for Sensitive Determination of Arsenic and Antimony in Fish.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, Yun; Yu, Huimin; Wu, Li; Hou, Xiandeng; Yang, Lu; Zheng, Chengbin

    2015-06-16

    An environmentally friendly and fast sample treatment approach that integrates accelerated microwave digestion (MWD), solid phase extraction, and magnetic separation into a single step was developed for the determination of arsenic and antimony in fish samples by using Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). Compared to conventional microwave digestion, the consumption of HNO3 was reduced significantly to 12.5%, and the digestion time and temperature were substantially decreased to 6 min and 80 °C, respectively. This is largely attributed to Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles being a highly effective catalyst for rapid generation of oxidative radicals from H2O2, as well as an excellent absorber of microwave irradiation. Moreover, potential interferences from sample matrices were eliminated because the As and Sb species adsorbed on the nanoparticles were efficiently separated from the digests with a hand-held magnet prior to analysis. Limits of detection for arsenic and antimony were in the range of 0.01-0.06 μg g(-1) and 0.03-0.08 μg g(-1) by using hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry, respectively, and further improved to 0.002-0.005 μg g(-1) and 0.005-0.01 μg g(-1) when inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used as a detector. The precision of replicate measurements (n = 9) was better than 6% by analyzing 0.1 g test sample spiked with 1 μg g(-1) arsenic and antimony. The proposed method was validated by analysis of two certified reference materials (DORM-3 and DORM-4) with good recoveries (90%-106%).

  5. Effect of simultaneous cooling on microwave-assisted wet digestion of biological samples with diluted nitric acid and O{sub 2} pressure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bizzi, Cezar A. [Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul 97105-900 (Brazil); Nóbrega, Joaquim A. [Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos, São Paulo 13565-905 (Brazil); Barin, Juliano S. [Departamento de Tecnologia e Ciência dos Alimentos, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul 97105-900 (Brazil); Oliveira, Jussiane S.S.; Schmidt, Lucas; Mello, Paola A. [Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul 97105-900 (Brazil); Flores, Erico M.M., E-mail: ericommf@gmail.br [Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul 97105-900 (Brazil)

    2014-07-21

    Highlights: • Simultaneously cooling during microwave heating for improving digestion efficiency. • Maximum MW power delivered into cavity, improving the temperature in liquid phase. • Temperature gradient increases regeneration reaction of HNO{sub 3} in O{sub 2} rich atmosphere. • Digestion of several matrices using diluted HNO{sub 3} combined with O{sub 2} pressure. - Abstract: The present work evaluates the influence of vessel cooling simultaneously to microwave-assisted digestion performed in a closed system with diluted HNO{sub 3} under O{sub 2} pressure. The effect of outside air flow-rates (60–190 m{sup 3} h{sup −1}) used for cooling of digestion vessels was evaluated. An improvement in digestion efficiency caused by the reduction of HNO{sub 3} partial pressure was observed when using higher air flow-rate (190 m{sup 3} h{sup −1}), decreasing the residual carbon content for whole milk powder from 21.7 to 9.3% (lowest and highest air flow-rate, respectively). The use of high air flow-rate outside the digestion vessel resulted in a higher temperature gradient between liquid and gas phases inside the digestion vessel and improved the efficiency of sample digestion. Since a more pronounced temperature gradient was obtained, it contributed for increasing the condensation rate and thus allowed a reduction in the HNO{sub 3} partial pressure of the digestion vessel, which improved the regeneration of HNO{sub 3}. An air flow-rate of 190 m{sup 3} h{sup −1} was selected for digestion of animal fat, bovine liver, ground soybean, non fat milk powder, oregano leaves, potato starch and whole milk powder samples, and a standard reference material of apple leaves (NIST 1515), bovine liver (NIST 1577) and whole milk powder (NIST 8435) for further metals determination by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Results were in agreement with certified values and no interferences caused by matrix effects during the determination step

  6. Fate of antibiotic resistance bacteria and genes during enhanced anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge by microwave pretreatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, Juan; Liu, Jibao; Zheng, Xiang; Zhang, Junya; Ni, Xiaotang; Chen, Meixue; Wei, Yuansong

    2016-10-01

    The fate of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were investigated during the sludge anaerobic digestion (AD) with microwave-acid (MW-H), microwave (MW) and microwave-H2O2-alkaline (MW-H2O2) pretreatments. Results showed that combined MW pretreatment especially for the MW-H pretreatment could efficiently reduce the ARB concentration, and most ARG concentrations tended to attenuate during the pretreatment. The subsequent AD showed evident removal of the ARB, but most ARGs were enriched after AD. Only the concentration of tetX kept continuous declination during the whole sludge treatment. The total ARGs concentration showed significant correlation with 16S rRNA during the pretreatment and AD. Compared with unpretreated sludge, the AD of MW and MW-H2O2 pretreated sludge presented slightly better ARB and ARGs reduction efficiency. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Determination of metal traces in lubricating oils by Aas and Icp-SFMS after microwave digestion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perez B, M. A.; Acosta L, C. E.; Hernandez M, H.; Romero G, E. T.; Lara A, N.; Kuri C, A.

    2016-09-01

    The analysis of lubricating oils allows to monitor the operating conditions of the machines and equipment, their pollution levels, degradation and finally their wear and useful life, as well as to establish a preventive lubrication program as a technical diagnostic maintenance tool. The useful life of oil is the period of functional time has in the machine until the antioxidants are consumed, producing large changes in the physical (density and viscosity) and chemical properties of the base oil, resulting in a wear of the components that make up the machine. The present work includes a theoretical as well as analytical basis for determining the content of metallic elements (Ag, Al, Cu, Fe, Mg, Sn and Zn) at trace level in used lubricating oils. A simple and rapid method of analysis is proposed, consisting mainly of the pretreatment of the sample by acidic digestion with a microwave oven. Subsequently an open digestion in a heating plate is carried out to dryness and recovered with concentrated HNO 3 . For the quantitative analysis two analytical techniques were used: flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (Aas) and magnetic sector mass spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma source (Icp-SFMS). In both cases, the proposed method offers a good linearity and sensitivity for each of the trace elements under study. The accuracy of the method expressed as relative standard deviation ranges from 1.4 to 2.3%. In relation to the accuracy measurement, an oil was also analyzed as a certified reference material (Conostan 500 mg/L), with the concentration of certified Mg, obtaining satisfactory results. (Author)

  8. Focused-microwave-assisted sample preparation (M8)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nobrega, J.A.; Santos, D.M.; Trevizan, L.C.; Costa, L.M.; Nogueira, A.R.A.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: Focused-microwave-assisted sample preparation is a suitable strategy when dealing with high masses of organic samples. However, the final acid concentration of the digestate can difficult routine analytical measurements using spectroscopic techniques. Acids could be evaporated, but this step could be slow even when using microwave-assisted heating and requires a scrubber system for acid vapor collection and neutralization. We are investigating two procedures to decrease the acid concentration of digestates. The first one is based on acid vapor phase digestion of samples contained in PTFE devices' inserted into the microwave flask. The acid solution is heated by absorption of microwave radiation, then the acid vapor partially condenses in the upper part of the reaction flask and it is partially collected in each sample container. Calcium, Fe, Mg, Mn, and Zn were quantitatively recovered in samples of animal and vegetable tissues. Better recoveries were attained when adding a small volume of sodium hypochlorite to the sample. This effect is probably related to the generation of chlorine in the sample container after collecting condensed acid. The second procedure developed is based on the gradual addition of liquid samples to a previously heated acid digestion mixture. This procedure was successfully applied for digestion of milk, fruit juices, and red wine. The main advantage is the possibility of digesting up to four-fold more sample using up to ten-fold lower amounts of concentrated acids. Results obtained using both digestion procedures and measurements by ICP-OES with axial view will be presented. (author)

  9. Remote operation of microwave systems for solids content analysis and chemical dissolution in highly radioactive environments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sturcken, E.F.; Floyd, T.S.; Manchester, D.P.

    1986-10-01

    Microwave systems provide quick and easy determination of solids content of samples in high-level radioactive cells. In addition, dissolution of samples is much faster when employing microwave techniques. These are great advantages because work in cells,using master-slave manipulators through leaded glass walls, is normally slower by an order of magnitude than direct contact methods. This paper describes the modifiction of a moisture/solids analyzer microwave system and a drying/digestion microwave system for remote operation in radiation environments. The moisture/solids analyzer has operated satisfactorily for over a year in a gamma radiation field of 1000 roentgens per hour and the drying/digestion system is ready for installation in a cell

  10. Coupled microwave/photoassisted methods for environmental remediation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horikoshi, Satoshi; Serpone, Nick

    2014-11-05

    The microwave-induced acceleration of photocatalytic reactions was discovered serendipitously in the late 1990s. The activity of photocatalysts is enhanced significantly by both microwave radiation and UV light. Particularly relevant, other than as a heat source, was the enigmatic phenomenon of the non-thermal effect(s) of the microwave radiation that facilitated photocatalyzed reactions, as evidenced when examining various model contaminants in aqueous media. Results led to an examination of the possible mechanism(s) of the microwave effect(s). In the present article we contend that the microwaves' non-thermal effect(s) is an important factor in the enhancement of TiO2-photoassisted reactions involving the decomposition of organic pollutants in model wastewaters by an integrated (coupled) microwave-/UV-illumination method (UV/MW). Moreover, such coupling of no less than two irradiation methods led to the fabrication and ultimate investigation of microwave discharged electrodeless lamps (MDELs) as optimal light sources; their use is also described. The review focuses on the enhanced activity of photocatalytic reactions when subjected to microwave radiation and concentrates on the authors' research of the past few years.

  11. Rapid preparation of functional polysaccharides from Pyropia yezoensis by microwave-assistant rapid enzyme digest system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Ji-Hyeok; Kim, Hyung-Ho; Ko, Ju-Young; Jang, Jun-Ho; Kim, Gwang-Hoon; Lee, Jung-Suck; Nah, Jae-Woon; Jeon, You-Jin

    2016-11-20

    This study describes a simple preparation of functional polysaccharides from Pyropia yezoensis using a microwave-assistant rapid enzyme digest system (MAREDS) with various carbohydrases, and evaluates their antioxidative effects. Polysaccharide hydrolysates were prepared using MAREDS under different hydrolytic conditions of the carbohydrases and microwave powers. Polysaccharides less than 10kDa (Low molecular weight polysaccharides, LMWP, ≤10kDa) were efficiently obtained using an ultrafiltration (molecular weight cut-off of 10kDa). MAREDS increases AMG activation via an increased degree of hydrolysis; the best AMG hydrolysate was prepared using a 10:1 ratio of substrate to enzyme for 2h in MAREDS with 400W. LMWP consisted of galactose (27.3%), glucose (64.5%), and mannose (8.3%) from the AMG hydrolysate had stronger antioxidant effects than the high molecular weight polysaccharides (>10kDa). We rapidly prepared functional LMWPs by using MAREDS with carbohydrases, and suggest that LMWP might be potentially a valuable algal polysaccharide antioxidant. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Calibration methods for ECE systems with microwave sources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tubbing, B.J.D.; Kissel, S.E.

    1987-01-01

    The authors investigated the feasibility of two methods for calibration of electron cyclotron emission (ECE) systems, both based on the use of a microwave source. In the first method -called the Antenna Pattern Integration (API) method - the microwave source is scanned in space, so as to simulate a large - area - blackbody -source. In the second method -called the Untuned Cavity (UC) method -an untuned cavity, fed by the microwave source, is used to simulate a blackbody. For both methods, the hardware required to perform partly automated calibrations was developed. The microwave based methods were compared with a large area blackbody calibration on two different ECE systems, a Michelson interferometer and a grating polychromator. The API method was found to be more successful than the UC method. (author)

  13. Optimization of microwave assisted digestion procedure for the determination of zinc, copper and nickel in tea samples employing flame atomic absorption spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soylak, Mustafa; Tuzen, Mustafa; Souza, Anderson Santos; Korn, Maria das Gracas Andrade; Ferreira, Sergio Luis Costa

    2007-01-01

    The present paper describes the development of a microwave assisted digestion procedure for the determination of zinc, copper and nickel in tea samples employing flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The optimization step was performed using a full factorial design (2 3 ) involving the factors: composition of the acid mixture (CMA), microwave power (MP) and radiation time (RT). The experiments of this factorial were carried out using a certified reference material of tea GBW 07605 furnished by National Research Centre for Certified Reference Materials, China, being the metal recoveries considered as response. The relative standard deviations of the method were found below 8% for the three elements. The procedure proposed was used for the determination of copper, zinc and nickel in several samples of tea from Turkey. For 10 tea samples analyzed, the concentration achieved for copper, zinc and nickel varied at 6.4-13.1, 7.0-16.5 and 3.1-5.7 (μg g -1 ), respectively

  14. In vitro digestibility of field pea as influenced by processing methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giorgia Astorri

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Field pea meals exposed to different treatments (flaking, extrusion, expansion, dry heating at 150°C/15’ or 30’, dry heating at 150°C/30’ after addition of 1% of xylose, 4% NaOH addition, microwave irradiation at 800 W for 6’ or 9’ were controlled for their 6 and 24 hours in vitro fermentability by the gas production (GP technique. Flaking and extrusion accelerated initial fermentation but tended to reduce 24h GP, whereas dry heating and microwaves mainly improved final gas volume, but NaOH had the opposite effect. Apparent dry matter digestion at 6h was lowered by dry heating, NaOH addition and the shorter microwave irradiation. Xylose addition did not substantially change the effects of dry heating, but lowered the initial disappearance. Ammonia concentration was in general lowered by the treatments, suggesting a reduction in protein degradability but also a possible higher microbial uptake for protein synthesis. Microwave irradiation had limited effects on all the parameters. Dry heating, with or without xylose addition, seems interesting to increase rumen escaping protein fraction without accelerating starch fermentation that could expose to higher risks of rumen acidosis.

  15. Evaluation of Kjeldahl digestion method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amin, M.; Flowers, T.H.

    2004-01-01

    The evaluation of the Kjeldahl digestion method was investigated by comparing measured values of total nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium using three salt and catalyst mixture in Standard Kjeldahl digestion method and Salicyclic acid Modification method with certified values of plant material as well as comparison was made for determination of total nitrogen from steam distillation method verses the Technicon Auto-analyzer, and phosphorus Ascorbic acid/Molybdate method verses Molybdate/ Metavanadate method on the Technicon Auto-Analyzer. The 1 g salt/catalyst mixture recovered less nitrogen than the 2.5 g in the standard Kjeldahl method due to the lower temperature and incomplete digestion in both plant and soil samples. The 2.5 g catalyst mixture partially recovered nitrate in the standard Kjeldahl method and the salicylic acid modification fail to recover all over nitrate in plant material. Use of 2.5 g salt catalyst mixture and selenium appears to promote nitrogen losses in salicylic acid modification method but not in the standard Kjeldahl method of digestion for soil samples. No interference of selenium or copper was observed in Nitrogen and Phosphorus on calorimetric determination. The standard Kjeldahl method with 2.5 g of salt/catalyst mixture of sodium sulphate copper sulphate (10:1) in 5 ml sulfuric acid were found suitable for determination of total Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The steam distillation and the Technicon Auto-Analyzer technique measure similar amounts of ammonium nitrogen. However, the Technicon Auto analyzer technique is easier, rapid, higher degree of reproducibility, precise, accurate, reliable and free from human error. The amount of phosphorus measured by the Ascorbic acid/Molybdate method was more accurate than by the Molybdate/Metavanadate method on Technicon Auto-Analyzer. (author)

  16. Comparative study on conventional, ultrasonication and microwave assisted extraction of γ-oryzanol from rice bran.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Pramod; Yadav, Devbrat; Kumar, Pradyuman; Panesar, Paramjeet Singh; Bunkar, Durga Shankar; Mishra, Diwaker; Chopra, H K

    2016-04-01

    In present study, conventional, ultrasonic and microwave assisted extraction methods were compared with the aim of optimizing best fitting solvent and method, solvent concentration and digestion time for high yield of γ-oryzanol from rice bran. Petroleum ether, hexane and methanol were used to prepare extracts. Extraction yield were evaluated for giving high crude oil yield, total phenolic content (TPC) and γ-oryzanol content. Gas chromatography-mass spectrophotometry was used for the determination of γ-oryzanol concentration. The highest concentration of γ-oryzanol was detected in methanolic extracts of microwave treatment (85.0 ppm) followed by ultrasonication (82.0 ppm) and conventional extraction method (73.5 ppm). Concentration of γ-oryzanol present in the extracts was found to be directly proportional to the total phenolic content. A combination of 80 % methanolic concentration and 55 minutes digestion time of microwave treatment yielded the best extraction method for TPC and thus γ-oryzanol (105 ppm).

  17. Coupled Microwave/Photoassisted Methods for Environmental Remediation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Satoshi Horikoshi

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The microwave-induced acceleration of photocatalytic reactions was discovered serendipitously in the late 1990s. The activity of photocatalysts is enhanced significantly by both microwave radiation and UV light. Particularly relevant, other than as a heat source, was the enigmatic phenomenon of the non-thermal effect(s of the microwave radiation that facilitated photocatalyzed reactions, as evidenced when examining various model contaminants in aqueous media. Results led to an examination of the possible mechanism(s of the microwave effect(s. In the present article we contend that the microwaves’ non-thermal effect(s is an important factor in the enhancement of TiO2-photoassisted reactions involving the decomposition of organic pollutants in model wastewaters by an integrated (coupled microwave-/UV-illumination method (UV/MW. Moreover, such coupling of no less than two irradiation methods led to the fabrication and ultimate investigation of microwave discharged electrodeless lamps (MDELs as optimal light sources; their use is also described. The review focuses on the enhanced activity of photocatalytic reactions when subjected to microwave radiation and concentrates on the authors’ research of the past few years.

  18. The harmonized INFOGEST in vitro digestion method

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Egger, Lotti; Ménard, Olivia; Delgado-Andrade, Cristina; Alvito, Paula; Assunção, Ricardo; Balance, Simon; Barberá, Reyes; Brodkorb, Andre; Cattenoz, Thomas; Clemente, Alfonso; Comi, Irene; Dupont, Didier; Garcia-Llatas, Guadalupe; Lagarda, María Jesús; Feunteun, Le Steven; Janssen Duijghuijsen, Lonneke; Karakaya, Sibel; Lesmes, Uri; Mackie, Alan R.; Martins, Carla; Meynier, Anne; Miralles, Beatriz; Murray, B.S.; Pihlanto, Anne; Picariello, Gianluca; Santos, C.N.; Simsek, Sebnem; Recio, Isidra; Rigby, Neil; Rioux, Laurie Eve; Stoffers, Helena; Tavares, Ana; Tavares, Lucelia; Turgeon, Sylvie; Ulleberg, E.K.; Vegarud, G.E.; Vergères, Guy; Portmann, Reto

    2016-01-01

    Within the active field of in vitro digestion in food research, the COST Action INFOGEST aimed to harmonize in vitro protocols simulating human digestion on the basis of physiologically inferred conditions. A harmonized static in vitro digestion (IVD) method was recently published as a primary

  19. The extraction of essential oil from patchouli leaves (Pogostemon cablin Benth) using microwave hydrodistillation and solvent-free microwave extraction methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Putri, D. K. Y.; Kusuma, H. S.; Syahputra, M. E.; Parasandi, D.; Mahfud, M.

    2017-12-01

    Patchouli plant (Pogostemon cablin Benth) is one of the important essential oil-producing plant, contributes more than 50% of total exports of Indonesia’s essential oil. However, the extraction of patchouli oil that has been done in Indonesia is generally still used conventional methods that require enormous amount of energy, high solvent usage, and long time of extraction. Therefore, in this study, patchouli oil extraction was carried out by using microwave hydrodistillation and solvent-free microwave extraction methods. Based on this research, it is known that the extraction of patchouli oil using microwave hydrodistillation method with longer extraction time (240 min) only produced patchouli oil’s yield 1.2 times greater than solvent-free microwave extraction method which require faster extraction time (120 min). Otherwise the analysis of electric consumption and the environmental impact, the solvent-free microwave extraction method showed a smaller amount when compared with microwave hydrodistillation method. It is conclude that the use of solvent-free microwave extraction method for patchouli oil extraction is suitably method as a new green technique.

  20. C -14 analysis in radioactive waste by combustion and digestion techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Venescu, R. E.; Valeca, M.; Bujoreanu, L.; Bujoreanu, D.; Venescu, B.

    2016-01-01

    Carbon-14 is a long lived radionuclide (half life of 5730 years) present in almost all radioactive waste streams generated by a CANDU nuclear power plant. It is a pure beta emitter that decays to 14N by emitting low energy beta-radiation with an average energy of 49.5keV and a maximum energy of 156keV. Before the beta radiation of 14C can be measured from radioactive waste liquid scintillation counting (LSC), the samples must be transformed in a stable, clear and homogeneous solution. Two methods were tested for carbon-14 recovery and analysis in radioactive wastes from nuclear power plants. The combustion process is a simple automatic method of sample preparation, in which all carbon isotopes, including 14C are oxidized to gaseous carbon dioxide that is subsequently trapped in form of carbonate in a column filled with a carbon dioxide absorbent. The microwave digestion is the method wherein the samples are transformed totally or partially in liquid phase depending on the sample matrix using adequate digestion reagents. The samples were counted with a normal and low level count mode liquid scintillation counter Tri-Carb3110TR. The tests performed on the simulated radwaste showed a 14C recovery of 90% by combustion and higher than 75% by microwave digestion method. (authors)

  1. Wet-digestion of environmental sample using silver-mediated electrochemical method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuwabara, Jun

    2010-01-01

    An application of silver-mediated electrochemical method to environmental samples as the effective digestion method for iodine analysis was tried. Usual digestion method for 129 I in many type of environmental sample is combustion method using quartz glass tube. Chemical yield of iodine on the combustion method reduce depending on the type of sample. The silver-mediated electrochemical method is expected to achieve very low loss of iodine. In this study, dried kombu (Laminaria) sample was tried to digest with electrochemical cell. At the case of 1g of sample, digestion was completed for about 24 hours under the electric condition of <10V and <2A. After the digestion, oxidized species of iodine was reduced to iodide by adding sodium sulfite. And then the precipitate of silver iodide was obtained. (author)

  2. Characterisation of water hyacinth with microwave-heated alkali pretreatment for enhanced enzymatic digestibility and hydrogen/methane fermentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Richen; Cheng, Jun; Song, Wenlu; Ding, Lingkan; Xie, Binfei; Zhou, Junhu; Cen, Kefa

    2015-04-01

    Microwave-heated alkali pretreatment (MAP) was investigated to improve enzymatic digestibility and H2/CH4 production from water hyacinth. SEM revealed that MAP deconstructed the lignocellulose matrix and swelled the surfaces of water hyacinth. XRD indicated that MAP decreased the crystallinity index from 16.0 to 13.0 because of cellulose amorphisation. FTIR indicated that MAP effectively destroyed the lignin structure and disrupted the crystalline cellulose to reduce crystallinity. The reducing sugar yield of 0.296 g/gTVS was achieved at optimal hydrolysis conditions (microwave temperature = 190°C, time = 10 min, and cellulase dosage = 5 wt%). The sequentially fermentative hydrogen and methane yields from water hyacinth with MAP and enzymatic hydrolysis were increased to 63.9 and 172.5 mL/gTVS, respectively. The energy conversion efficiency (40.0%) in the two-stage hydrogen and methane cogeneration was lower than that (49.5%) in the one-stage methane production (237.4 mL/gTVS) from water hyacinth with MAP and enzymatic hydrolysis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Evaluation of various digestion procedures for trace element contents of some food materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Demirel, Sule; Tuzen, Mustafa; Saracoglu, Sibel; Soylak, Mustafa

    2008-01-01

    The levels of trace elements in different types of food material consumed in Turkey were determined by flame and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Food samples were digested with dry ashing, wet ashing and microwave digestion procedures in this study. The microwave digestion procedure was chosen for the digestion of all the food samples because it required shorter time and made higher recovery (specially for Se). Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, Al and Se were determined by flame and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry, respectively. Relative standard deviations (RSD) were found below 10%. The accuracy of the procedure was confirmed by certified reference materials. Moreover, this procedure was easier to use when compared with dry and wet digestions

  4. Micro-scaled high-throughput digestion of plant tissue samples for multi-elemental analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Husted Søren

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Quantitative multi-elemental analysis by inductively coupled plasma (ICP spectrometry depends on a complete digestion of solid samples. However, fast and thorough sample digestion is a challenging analytical task which constitutes a bottleneck in modern multi-elemental analysis. Additional obstacles may be that sample quantities are limited and elemental concentrations low. In such cases, digestion in small volumes with minimum dilution and contamination is required in order to obtain high accuracy data. Results We have developed a micro-scaled microwave digestion procedure and optimized it for accurate elemental profiling of plant materials (1-20 mg dry weight. A commercially available 64-position rotor with 5 ml disposable glass vials, originally designed for microwave-based parallel organic synthesis, was used as a platform for the digestion. The novel micro-scaled method was successfully validated by the use of various certified reference materials (CRM with matrices rich in starch, lipid or protein. When the micro-scaled digestion procedure was applied on single rice grains or small batches of Arabidopsis seeds (1 mg, corresponding to approximately 50 seeds, the obtained elemental profiles closely matched those obtained by conventional analysis using digestion in large volume vessels. Accumulated elemental contents derived from separate analyses of rice grain fractions (aleurone, embryo and endosperm closely matched the total content obtained by analysis of the whole rice grain. Conclusion A high-throughput micro-scaled method has been developed which enables digestion of small quantities of plant samples for subsequent elemental profiling by ICP-spectrometry. The method constitutes a valuable tool for screening of mutants and transformants. In addition, the method facilitates studies of the distribution of essential trace elements between and within plant organs which is relevant for, e.g., breeding programmes aiming at

  5. The Successful Diagnosis and Typing of Systemic Amyloidosis Using A Microwave-Assisted Filter-Aided Fast Sample Preparation Method and LC/MS/MS Analysis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weiyi Sun

    Full Text Available Laser microdissection followed by mass spectrometry has been successfully used for amyloid typing. However, sample contamination can interfere with proteomic analysis, and overnight digestion limits the analytical throughput. Moreover, current quantitative analysis methods are based on the spectrum count, which ignores differences in protein length and may lead to misdiagnoses. Here, we developed a microwave-assisted filter-aided sample preparation (maFASP method that can efficiently remove contaminants with a 10-kDa cutoff ultrafiltration unit and can accelerate the digestion process with the assistance of a microwave. Additionally, two parameters (P- and D-scores based on the exponentially modified protein abundance index were developed to define the existence of amyloid deposits and those causative proteins with the greatest abundance. Using our protocol, twenty cases of systemic amyloidosis that were well-typed according to clinical diagnostic standards (training group and another twenty-four cases without subtype diagnoses (validation group were analyzed. Using this approach, sample preparation could be completed within four hours. We successfully subtyped 100% of the cases in the training group, and the diagnostic success rate in the validation group was 91.7%. This maFASP-aided proteomic protocol represents an efficient approach for amyloid diagnosis and subtyping, particularly for serum-contaminated samples.

  6. The Successful Diagnosis and Typing of Systemic Amyloidosis Using A Microwave-Assisted Filter-Aided Fast Sample Preparation Method and LC/MS/MS Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Weiyi; Sun, Jian; Zou, Lili; Shen, Kaini; Zhong, Dingrong; Zhou, Daobin; Sun, Wei; Li, Jian

    2015-01-01

    Laser microdissection followed by mass spectrometry has been successfully used for amyloid typing. However, sample contamination can interfere with proteomic analysis, and overnight digestion limits the analytical throughput. Moreover, current quantitative analysis methods are based on the spectrum count, which ignores differences in protein length and may lead to misdiagnoses. Here, we developed a microwave-assisted filter-aided sample preparation (maFASP) method that can efficiently remove contaminants with a 10-kDa cutoff ultrafiltration unit and can accelerate the digestion process with the assistance of a microwave. Additionally, two parameters (P- and D-scores) based on the exponentially modified protein abundance index were developed to define the existence of amyloid deposits and those causative proteins with the greatest abundance. Using our protocol, twenty cases of systemic amyloidosis that were well-typed according to clinical diagnostic standards (training group) and another twenty-four cases without subtype diagnoses (validation group) were analyzed. Using this approach, sample preparation could be completed within four hours. We successfully subtyped 100% of the cases in the training group, and the diagnostic success rate in the validation group was 91.7%. This maFASP-aided proteomic protocol represents an efficient approach for amyloid diagnosis and subtyping, particularly for serum-contaminated samples.

  7. Systems and methods for remote long standoff biometric identification using microwave cardiac signals

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGrath, William R. (Inventor); Talukder, Ashit (Inventor)

    2012-01-01

    Systems and methods for remote, long standoff biometric identification using microwave cardiac signals are provided. In one embodiment, the invention relates to a method for remote biometric identification using microwave cardiac signals, the method including generating and directing first microwave energy in a direction of a person, receiving microwave energy reflected from the person, the reflected microwave energy indicative of cardiac characteristics of the person, segmenting a signal indicative of the reflected microwave energy into a waveform including a plurality of heart beats, identifying patterns in the microwave heart beats waveform, and identifying the person based on the identified patterns and a stored microwave heart beats waveform.

  8. Microwave assisted digestion of atmospheric aerosol samples followed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry determination of trace elements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Swami, K.; Judd, C.D.; Orsini, J.; Yang, K.X. [New York State Dept. of Health, Albany, NY (United States). Wadsworth Center for Labs. and Research; Husain, L. [New York State Dept. of Health, Albany, NY (United States). Wadsworth Center for Labs. and Research; Dept. of Environmental Health and Toxicology, State Univ. of New York, Albany (United States)

    2001-01-01

    A microwave digestion method in a closed vessel was developed for the determination of trace metals in atmospheric aerosols using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). A recovery study for the elements V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Cd, Sb, and Pb was conducted using multi-elemental standard solutions, NIST 1633b Trace Elements in Coal Fly Ash, and NIST 1648 Urban Particulate Matter. A simple digestion method using only HNO{sub 3}/H{sub 2}O{sub 2}gave good recoveries (90%-108%) for all elements except Cr in SRM 1648, but yielded low recoveries for SRM 1633b. A more robust method using HNO {sub 3}/H {sub 2}O {sub 2}/HF/H {sub 3}BO {sub 3} yielded higher recoveries (82%-103%) for the lighter elements (V - Zn) in SRM 1633b, and improved the Cr recovery in SRM 1648, but decreased the Se recovery in both SRMs. A comparative analysis of aerosol samples obtained at a remote mountain location Nathiagali, Pakistan (2.5 km above mean sea level), and Mayville, New York, downwind from the highly industrialized Midwestern United States, was carried out using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) for the elements Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Zn, As, Se, and Sb. The simple digestion method yielded excellent agreement for Cr, Fe, Zn, As, Se, and Sb, with slopes of the ICP-MS vs. INAA regressions of 0.90-1.00 and R {sup 2} values of 0.96-1.00. The regressions for Mn and Co had slopes of 0.82 and 0.84 with R {sup 2} values of 0.83 and 0.82, respectively. Addition of HF/H {sub 3}BO {sub 3} did not improve the correlation for any of the elements and degraded the precision somewhat. The technique provides sensitivity and accuracy for trace elements in relatively small aerosol samples used in atmospheric chemistry studies related to SO {sub 2} oxidation in cloud droplets. The ability to determine concentrations of a very large number of elements from a single analysis will permit source apportionment of various trace pollutants and hence strategies to control the

  9. Synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene via solid microwave method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Li, E-mail: zhangli379@sohu.com [School of Electrical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning 116024 (China); Ji, Bingcheng, E-mail: debbo.jee@outlook.com [School of Electrical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning 116024 (China); Wang, Kai [School of Electrical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning 116024 (China); Song, Jinyan [School of Information Engineering, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, Liaoning 116024 (China)

    2014-07-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • A direct solid microwave method is developed to prepare nitrogen-doped graphene. • The method consists of two steps, namely the functionalization and microwave irradiation. • Melamine can serve as not only functionalizing agent but also nitrogen source. - Abstract: In this paper, we propose a solid microwave-mediated method for scalable production of nitrogen-doped graphene sheets (NGS) using low-cost industrial material melamine as functionalizing agent and nitrogen source. The strong interaction of microwaves with graphene oxide has been fully utilized to generate in situ heating that induces the decompose melamine and nitrogen doping of graphene. The morphology, structure, and components of the as-produced nitrogen-doped graphene are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), pore-size distribution (PSD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy. The results show NGS can be successfully synthesized via this strategy.

  10. Synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene via solid microwave method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Li; Ji, Bingcheng; Wang, Kai; Song, Jinyan

    2014-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • A direct solid microwave method is developed to prepare nitrogen-doped graphene. • The method consists of two steps, namely the functionalization and microwave irradiation. • Melamine can serve as not only functionalizing agent but also nitrogen source. - Abstract: In this paper, we propose a solid microwave-mediated method for scalable production of nitrogen-doped graphene sheets (NGS) using low-cost industrial material melamine as functionalizing agent and nitrogen source. The strong interaction of microwaves with graphene oxide has been fully utilized to generate in situ heating that induces the decompose melamine and nitrogen doping of graphene. The morphology, structure, and components of the as-produced nitrogen-doped graphene are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), pore-size distribution (PSD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy. The results show NGS can be successfully synthesized via this strategy

  11. Incineration of alpha-active solid waste by microwaves

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mallik, G K; Bhargava, V K; Kamath, H S; Purushotham, D S.C. [Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Tarapur (India). Advanced Fuel Fabrication Facility

    1996-12-31

    The conventional techniques for treatment of alpha-active compressible solid waste involve incineration using electrically heated incinerators and subsequent recovery of special nuclear materials (SNM) from the ash by acid leaching. A microwave incineration followed by microwave digestion and SNM recovery from ash has specific advantages from maintenance and productivity consideration. The paper describes a preliminary work carried out with simulated uranium containing compressible solid waste using microwave heating technique. (author). 3 refs., 1 tab.

  12. A simple digestion method with a Lefort aqua regia solution for diatom extraction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Huipin; Liu, Yan; Zhao, Jian; Hu, Sunlin; Wang, Yuzhong; Liu, Chao; Zhang, Yanji

    2015-01-01

    Presence of diatoms in tissues has been considered as a significant sign of drowning. However, there are limitations in the present extraction methods. We developed a new digestion method using the Lefort aqua regia solution (3:1 nitric acid to hydrochloric acid) for diatom extraction and evaluated the digestive capability, diatom destruction, and diatoms' recovery of this new method. The kidney tissues from rabbit mixed with water rich in diatoms were treated by the Lefort aqua regia digestion method (n = 10) and the conventional acid digestion method (n = 10). The results showed that the digestive capability of Lefort aqua regia digestion method was superior to conventional acid digestion method (p 0.05). The Lefort aqua regia reagent is an improvement over the conventional acid digestion for recovery of diatoms from tissue samples. © 2014 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

  13. Determination of metal traces in lubricating oils by Aas and Icp-SFMS after microwave digestion; Determinacion de trazas metalicas en aceites lubricantes mediante EAA e ICP-SFMS despues de la digestion por microondas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perez B, M. A.; Acosta L, C. E.; Hernandez M, H.; Romero G, E. T.; Lara A, N.; Kuri C, A., E-mail: manuel.perez@inin.gob.mx [ININ, Carretera Mexico-Toluca s/n, 52750 Ocoyoacac, Estado de Mexico (Mexico)

    2016-09-15

    The analysis of lubricating oils allows to monitor the operating conditions of the machines and equipment, their pollution levels, degradation and finally their wear and useful life, as well as to establish a preventive lubrication program as a technical diagnostic maintenance tool. The useful life of oil is the period of functional time has in the machine until the antioxidants are consumed, producing large changes in the physical (density and viscosity) and chemical properties of the base oil, resulting in a wear of the components that make up the machine. The present work includes a theoretical as well as analytical basis for determining the content of metallic elements (Ag, Al, Cu, Fe, Mg, Sn and Zn) at trace level in used lubricating oils. A simple and rapid method of analysis is proposed, consisting mainly of the pretreatment of the sample by acidic digestion with a microwave oven. Subsequently an open digestion in a heating plate is carried out to dryness and recovered with concentrated HNO{sub 3}. For the quantitative analysis two analytical techniques were used: flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (Aas) and magnetic sector mass spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma source (Icp-SFMS). In both cases, the proposed method offers a good linearity and sensitivity for each of the trace elements under study. The accuracy of the method expressed as relative standard deviation ranges from 1.4 to 2.3%. In relation to the accuracy measurement, an oil was also analyzed as a certified reference material (Conostan 500 mg/L), with the concentration of certified Mg, obtaining satisfactory results. (Author)

  14. Standard test method for determination of "microwave safe for reheating" for ceramicware

    CERN Document Server

    American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

    2006-01-01

    1.1 This test method determines the suitability of ceramicware for use in microwave re-heating applications. Microwave ovens are mainly used for reheating and defrosting frozen foods. Severe thermal conditions can occur while reheating foods. Typical reheating of foods requires one to five min. in the microwave at the highest power settings. Longer periods than five minutes are considered cooking. Cooking test methods and standards are not addressed in this test method. Most ceramicware is minimally absorbing of the microwave energy and will not heat up significantly. Unfortunately there are some products that absorb microwave energy to a greater extent and can become very hot in the microwave and pose a serious hazard. Additionally, the nature of microwave heating introduces radiation in a non-uniform manner producing temperature differentials in the food being cooked as well as the ceramic container holding it. The differential may become great enough to thermal shock the ware and create dangerous condition...

  15. Investigation of microwave assisted drying of samples and evaporation of aqueous solutions in trace element analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maichin, B.; Knapp, G. [Technische Univ., Graz (Austria). Inst. fuer Analytische Chemie, Mikro- und Radiochemie; Kettisch, P. [Anton Paar GmbH, Graz (Austria)

    2000-01-01

    Investigations of microwave assisted drying of sample materials and microwave assisted evaporation of aqueous sample solutions and acidic digestion residues were accomplished by means of special rotors for the microwave digestion system MULTIWAVE. To check the results obtained by microwave assisted drying, the samples were also conventionally dried at 105 C in an oven. The following samples have been dried: 10 g each of meat, fish, apple, cucumber, potato, mustard, yogurt, clay and marl; 1 g each of certified reference material TORT 2 (lobster hepatopancreas), BCR 278 (mussel tissue) and BCR 422 (cod muscle); 500 g garden mould. Microwave assisted drying takes 40 min for organic samples and 30 min for inorganic material. Important is a slow increase of microwave power during the first 20 min. The results agree well with conventional drying at 105 C. Losses of As, Se and Hg have been investigated for 3 CRMs. Only Se shows losses in the range of 20%. Losses of As, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sr, Ti, Tl, V and Zn after evaporation of aqueous samples and acidic solutions after wet digestion, respectively, have been investigated. 50 mL aqueous solution was evaporated almost to dryness within 25 min. The recovery of Hg is 40-50%, of Se 90-95% and of the other elements 97-102%. 0.2 g each of TORT 2, BCR 278 and BCR 422 have been digested with 4 mL nitric acid and 1 mL hydrochloric acid by means of the microwave digestion system MULTIWAVE. The digestion residue was evaporated almost to dryness and dissolved again in 10 mL diluted nitric acid. In this case no element losses have been observed. The measured concentration of As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Hg, Pb, Mo, Ni, Se, Sr, V and Zn agree very well with the certified values. An important prerequisite for good recoveries is not to evaporate the solutions to complete dryness. (orig.)

  16. Soft Computing Methods for Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Design Problems

    CERN Document Server

    Chauhan, Narendra; Mittal, Ankush

    2012-01-01

    The growing commercial market of Microwave/ Millimeter wave industry over the past decade has led to the explosion of interests and opportunities for the design and development of microwave components.The design of most microwave components requires the use of commercially available electromagnetic (EM) simulation tools for their analysis. In the design process, the simulations are carried out by varying the design parameters until the desired response is obtained. The optimization of design parameters by manual searching is a cumbersome and time consuming process. Soft computing methods such as Genetic Algorithm (GA), Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Fuzzy Logic (FL) have been widely used by EM researchers for microwave design since last decade. The aim of these methods is to tolerate imprecision, uncertainty, and approximation to achieve robust and low cost solution in a small time frame.  Modeling and optimization are essential parts and powerful tools for the microwave/millimeter wave design. This boo...

  17. Pressurized wet digestion in open vessels (T11)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kettisch, P.; Maichin, P.; Zischka, M.; Knapp, G.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: Pressurized wet digestion in closed vessels, microwave assisted or with conventional conductive heating, is the most important sample preparation technique for digestion or leaching procedures in element analysis. In comparison to open vessel digestion closed vessel digestion methods have many advantages, but there is one disadvantage - complex and expensive vessel designs. A new technique - pressurized wet digestion in open vessels - combine the advantages of closed vessel sample digestion with the application of simple and cheap open vessels made of quartz or PFA. The vessels are placed in a high pressure Asher HPA, which is adapted with a Teflon liner and filled partly with water. The analytical results with 30 ml quartz vessels, 22 ml PFA vessels and 1.5 ml PIA auto sampler cups will be shown. In principle every dimensions of vessels can be used. The vessels are loaded with sample material (max. 1.5 g with quartz vessels, max. 0.5 g with PFA vessels and 50 mg with auto sampler cups) and digestion reagent. Afterwards the vessels are simply covered with PTFE stoppers and not sealed. The vessels are transferred into a special adapted HPA and digested at temperatures up to 270 o C. The digestion time is 90 min. and cooling down to room temperature 30 min. The analytical results of CRM's are within the certified values and no cross contamination and losses of volatile elements could be observed. (author)

  18. Survival of Anisakis simplex in microwave-processed arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes stomias).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adams, A M; Miller, K S; Wekell, M M; Dong, F M

    1999-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to define the relationship between survival and temperature of nematodes of the species Anisakis simplex in microwave-processed arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes stomias). Ten fillets (each 126 to 467 g, 0.5 to 1.75 cm thick), with an average of five larvae of Anisakis simplex per fillet, were processed to target temperatures on high (100%) power using a commercial 700-W microwave oven. Fillets were neither covered nor rotated and had a temperature probe inserted to two-thirds depth into the thickest portion. After the fillet was digested using a 1% pepsin solution, the viability of nematodes was determined by viewing them under a dissecting microscope. Survival rates were 31% at 140 degrees F (60 degrees C), 11% at 150 degrees F (65 degrees C), 2% at 160 degrees F (71 degrees C), 3% at 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), and 0% at 170 degrees F (77 degrees C). Microwave processing of standardized fillet "sandwiches," 14 cm long, 4.5 cm wide, and approximately 1.75 cm high, each of which was preinoculated with 10 live nematodes, resulted in no survival at either 160 degrees F or 170 degrees F. Using ultraviolet light to detect both viable and nonviable nematodes in fillet sandwiches as an alternative method to pepsin digestion resulted in survival rates of 1% at 140 degrees F (60 degrees C), 3% at 145 degrees F (63 degrees C), and 0% at 150 degrees F (65 degrees C). Smaller fillet sandwiches, which most likely had fewer cold spots during microwave processing, required 150 degrees F (65 degrees C), whereas larger whole fillets required 170 degrees F (77 degrees C) to kill larvae of Anisakis simplex. The parasites were most likely inactivated by a thermal mechanism of microwave treatment. Damage to the nematodes was often evident from ruptured cuticles that were no longer resistant to digestive enzymes. The high hydrostatic pressure and low chloride content of the pseudocoelomic fluid probably contributed greatly to the damage incurred by the

  19. Effect of microwaves on solubilization of organic fraction of municipal solid waste

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shahriari, H.; Warith, M.; Kennedy, K.J. [Ottawa Univ., Ottawa, ON (Canada). Dept. of Civil Engineering

    2009-07-01

    Landfilling is the most common method for disposing of municipal solid waste (MSW) in North America. MSW consists of nonbiodegradable fractions as well as biodegradable fractions known as the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). Because of its high moisture content, OFMSW produces large amounts of leachate in landfills. If not treated properly, leachates can pollute groundwater and negatively affect health and the environment. This paper reported on a study that was conducted to determine the effects of microwave (MW) irradiation on the solubilization of organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) at different temperatures, MW ramp times, and supplemental water addition (SWA). The objective was to enhance solubilization before anaerobic digestion (AD). MW pretreatment resulted in higher soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD), proteins and sugars in the supernatant phase. The highest increase in sCOD was achieved at 175 degrees C. For the same condition, the free liquid volume from bound water released from OFMSW into the supernatant was about 1.39 times higher than the control. The increase in potentially bio-available sCOD increased significantly to more than 200 per cent after microwaving at high temperature. It was concluded that microwaving of OFMSW at high temperature with SWA provides the best conditions for waste solubilisation in preparation for anaerobic digestion. The actual effect of MW pre-treatment on the anaerobic digestion process has yet to be determined. 49 refs., 5 tabs., 3 figs.

  20. Comparison of digestion methods to determine heavy metals in fertilizers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ygor Jacques Agra Bezerra da Silva

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available The lack of a standard method to regulate heavy metal determination in Brazilian fertilizers and the subsequent use of several digestion methods have produced variations in the results, hampering interpretation. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of three digestion methods for determination of metals such as Cd, Ni, Pb, and Cr in fertilizers. Samples of 45 fertilizers marketed in northeastern Brazil were used. A fertilizer sample with heavy metal contents certified by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST was used as control. The following fertilizers were tested: rock phosphate; organo-mineral fertilizer with rock phosphate; single superphosphate; triple superphosphate; mixed N-P-K fertilizer; and fertilizer with micronutrients. The substances were digested according to the method recommended by the Ministry for Agriculture, Livestock and Supply of Brazil (MAPA and by the two methods 3051A and 3052 of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA. By the USEPA method 3052, higher portions of the less soluble metals such as Ni and Pb were recovered, indicating that the conventional digestion methods for fertilizers underestimate the total amount of these elements. The results of the USEPA method 3051A were very similar to those of the method currently used in Brazil (Brasil, 2006. The latter is preferable, in view of the lower cost requirement for acids, a shorter digestion period and greater reproducibility.

  1. In vitro digestibility of lucerne hay using bag method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    constantin gavan

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available A filter bag method was used for estimating apparent dry matter (DM digestibility, apparent digestible organic matter in DM, true DM digestibility, true digestible organic matter in DM and Digestibility of neutral detergent fibre. The forage sample analysed comprised tree plant parts (whole, leaf and stem of alfalfa (Medicago sativa, one degree of particle breakdown (1 mm sieve size at miliing and two field replicates at Agricultural Research and Developement Station (ARDS Șimnic-Craiova. Rumen fluid was used from two cannulated dairy cows. The use of filter bags can give acceptable results for the in vitro digestibility of forages. The escape of soluble matter from bags with samples high in solubles could influence the microbial population and hence increase cell wall degradation in bags with samples low in soluble matter, if  all are in the same incubation vessel.

  2. A Blade Tip Timing Method Based on a Microwave Sensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jilong Zhang

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Blade tip timing is an effective method for blade vibration measurements in turbomachinery. This method is increasing in popularity because it is non-intrusive and has several advantages over the conventional strain gauge method. Different kinds of sensors have been developed for blade tip timing, including optical, eddy current and capacitance sensors. However, these sensors are unsuitable in environments with contaminants or high temperatures. Microwave sensors offer a promising potential solution to overcome these limitations. In this article, a microwave sensor-based blade tip timing measurement system is proposed. A patch antenna probe is used to transmit and receive the microwave signals. The signal model and process method is analyzed. Zero intermediate frequency structure is employed to maintain timing accuracy and dynamic performance, and the received signal can also be used to measure tip clearance. The timing method uses the rising and falling edges of the signal and an auto-gain control circuit to reduce the effect of tip clearance change. To validate the accuracy of the system, it is compared experimentally with a fiber optic tip timing system. The results show that the microwave tip timing system achieves good accuracy.

  3. Total iodine quantification in fluids and tissues from iodine- or iodide-supplemented rats by ion chromatography following microwave-assisted digestion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delgado, Guadalupe; Muñoz-Torres, Carolina; Orozco-Esquivel, Teresa; Anguiano, Brenda; Aceves, Carmen

    2015-03-01

    Iodine is a crucial component of thyroid hormones, and several reports have shown that iodine per se is implicated in the physiopathology of other organs. Innovative ion chromatography detection following a four-step temperature ramp microwave digestion in 25-50 mM nitric acid was developed to measure total iodine in biological fluids and tissue samples from female Sprague-Dawley rats supplemented with 0.05% molecular iodine (I2) or 0.05% potassium iodide (I(-)) in drinking water. The reported method allows the measurement of total iodine with a limit of quantification of 13.7 μg L(-1), recoveries of 96.3-100.3%, and intra- and inter-assay variations, of 3.5% and 7.4% respectively. Analysis of biological fluids showed that after 48 hours, iodine-supplemented animals exhibited significantly higher levels of total iodine in both serum and urine compared with those supplemented with iodide. The half-life of iodine in serum and urine measured over the first 48 h showed similar patterns for both the I2 (7.89 and 7.76 hours) and I(-) (8.27 and 8.90 hours) supplements. Differential uptake patterns were observed in tissues after 6 days of supplements, with I(-) preferentially retained by thyroid, lactating mammary gland, and milk, and a slightly but significantly higher capture of I2 in pituitary, ovary, and virgin mammary gland. We developed a rapid, selective, and accurate digestion method to process fluid and tissue samples that permits reproducible measurements of total iodine by ion chromatography; iodine or iodide supplement show a similar serum and urine half-life, but organ-specific uptake depends on the chemical form of the iodine supplement.

  4. Analysis of {sup 129}I in lichens by accelerator mass spectrometry through a microwave-based sample preparation method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gomez-Guzman, J.M. [Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Avda. Thomas Alva Edison 7, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092 Seville (Spain); Lopez-Gutierrez, J.M., E-mail: lguti@us.e [Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Avda. Thomas Alva Edison 7, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092 Seville (Spain); Dpto. de Fisica Aplicada I, Escuela Universitaria Politecnica, c/. Virgen de Africa 7, 41011 Seville (Spain); Pinto, A.R. [Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Avda. Thomas Alva Edison 7, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092 Seville (Spain); Holm, E. [Department of Radiation Physics, Lund University Hospital, S-22185 Lund (Sweden); Garcia-Leon, M. [Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Avda. Thomas Alva Edison 7, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092 Seville (Spain); Dpto. Fisica Atomica, Molecular y Nuclear, Avda. Reina Mercedes, s/n, 41012 Seville (Spain)

    2010-04-15

    The presence of {sup 129}I in the environment has been strongly influenced by the artificial nuclear emissions since the beginning of the nuclear era in the mid 20th century. In order to know more about the different sources and their relative impact in different zones, it is necessary to complete the amount of measurements of this radionuclide in environmental samples. In this work, {sup 129}I has been determined in lichen samples (Cladonia alpestris) from Rogen Lake in Central Sweden. A method based on microwave digestion was developed for these measurements in order to improve speed and reduce contamination. Based on this method, {sup 129}I concentrations in some lichen samples from Lake Rogen (Sweden) have been measured, showing the impact of the Chernobyl accident and nuclear fuel reprocessing plants.

  5. Biogas production from microalgae grown in wastewater: Effect of microwave pretreatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Passos, Fabiana; Solé, Maria; García, Joan; Ferrer, Ivet

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Microwave irradiation enhanced the disintegration and digestibility of microalgae. ► Algal biomass solubilisation increased by 800% with microwave pretreatment. ► The main parameter influencing biomass solubilisation was the applied specific energy. ► Increased biogas production rate (27–75%) and yield (12–78%) with pretreated biomass. ► Linear correlation between microalgae solubilisation and biogas yield. - Abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of microwave pretreatment on the solubilisation and anaerobic digestion of microalgae–bacterial biomass cultivated in high rate algal ponds for wastewater treatment. The microwave pretreatment comprised three specific energies (21,800, 43,600 and 65,400 kJ/kg TS), combining three output power values with different exposure times. Response surface analysis showed that the main parameter influencing biomass solubilisation was the applied specific energy. Indeed, a similar solubilisation increase was obtained for the same specific energy, regardless of the output power and exposure time (280–350% for 21,800 kJ/kg TS, 580–610% for 43,600 kJ/kg TS and 730–800% for 65,400 kJ/kg TS). In biochemical methane potential tests, the initial biogas production rate (27–75% increase) and final biogas yield (12–78% increase) were higher with pretreated biomass. A linear correlation was found between biomass solubilisation and biogas yield. It can be concluded that microwave irradiation enhanced the disintegration and digestibility of microalgae

  6. Method for curing polymers using variable-frequency microwave heating

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lauf, Robert J.; Bible, Don W.; Paulauskas, Felix L.

    1998-01-01

    A method for curing polymers (11) incorporating a variable frequency microwave furnace system (10) designed to allow modulation of the frequency of the microwaves introduced into a furnace cavity (34). By varying the frequency of the microwave signal, non-uniformities within the cavity (34) are minimized, thereby achieving a more uniform cure throughout the workpiece (36). A directional coupler (24) is provided for detecting the direction of a signal and further directing the signal depending on the detected direction. A first power meter (30) is provided for measuring the power delivered to the microwave furnace (32). A second power meter (26) detects the magnitude of reflected power. The furnace cavity (34) may be adapted to be used to cure materials defining a continuous sheet or which require compressive forces during curing.

  7. Measurement of protein digestibility in humans by a dual-tracer method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Devi, Sarita; Varkey, Aneesia; Sheshshayee, M S; Preston, Thomas; Kurpad, Anura V

    2018-06-01

    Recent evaluations of the risk of dietary protein deficiency have indicated that protein digestibility may be a key limiting factor in the provision of indispensable amino acids (IAAs), particularly for vulnerable populations living in challenging environments where intestinal dysfunction may exist. Since the digestion of protein occurs only in the small intestine, and the metabolic activity of colonic bacteria confounds measurements at the fecal level, there is a need to develop noninvasive protein digestibility measurements at the ileal level. We used a dual-tracer method with stable isotopes to characterize the digestibility of uniformly labeled [13C]-spirulina protein as a standard protein, in comparison to a mixture of 2H-labeled crystalline amino acids, and then demonstrated the use of this standard protein to measure the digestibility of selected legumes (chick pea and mung bean) through the use of proteins that were intrinsically labeled with 2H. The digestibility of uniformly labeled [13C]-spirulina was first measured in 6 healthy volunteers (3 males and 3 females) by feeding it along with a standard mixture of 2H-labeled amino acids, in a dual-tracer, plateau-fed test meal approach. Next, intrinsically labeled legume protein digestibility was studied with a similar dual-tracer approach, with uniformly labeled [13C]-spirulina as the standard, when processed differently before consumption. The average digestibility of IAA in spirulina protein was 85.2%. The average IAA digestibility of intrinsically 2H-labeled chick pea and mung bean protein was 56.6% and 57.7%, respectively. Dehulling of mung bean before ingestion increased the average IAA digestibility by 9.9% in comparison to whole mung bean digestibility. An innovative, minimally invasive "dual-stable-isotope" method was developed to measure protein digestibility, in which the ingestion of an intrinsically 2H-labeled test protein along with a 13C-labeled standard protein of known digestibility allows

  8. Green and efficient sample preparation method for the determination of catalyst residues in margarine by ICP-MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartwig, Carla Andrade; Pereira, Rodrigo Mendes; Novo, Diogo La Rosa; Oliveira, Dirce Taina Teixeira; Mesko, Marcia Foster

    2017-11-01

    Responding to the need for green and efficient methods to determine catalyst residues with suitable precision and accuracy in samples with high fat content, the present work evaluates a microwave-assisted ultraviolet digestion (MW-UV) system for margarines and subsequent determination of Ni, Pd and Pt using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). It was possible to digest up to 500mg of margarine using only 10mL of 4molL -1 HNO 3 with a digestion efficiency higher than 98%. This allowed the determination of catalyst residues using the ICP-MS and free of interferences. For this purpose, the following experimental parameters were evaluated: concentration of digestion solution, sample mass and microwave irradiation program. The residual carbon content was used as a parameter to evaluate the efficiency of digestion and to select the most suitable experimental conditions. The accuracy evaluation was performed by recovery tests using a standard solution and certified reference material, and recoveries ranging from 94% to 99% were obtained for all analytes. The limits of detection for Ni, Pd and Pt using the proposed method were 35.6, 0.264 and 0.302ngg -1 , respectively. When compared to microwave-assisted digestion (MW-AD) in closed vessels using concentrated HNO 3 (used as a reference method for sample digestion), the proposed MW-UV could be considered an excellent alternative for the digestion of margarine, as this method requires only a diluted nitric acid solution for efficient digestion. In addition, MW-UV provides appropriate solutions for further ICP-MS determination with suitable precision (relative standard deviation < 7%) and accuracy for all evaluated analytes. The proposed method was applied to margarines from different brands produced in Brazil, and the concentration of catalyst residues was in agreement with the current legislation or recommendations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Digestión en horno de microondas para determinación de contenido de hierro y zinc totales en alimentos Microwave digestion for determination of iron and zinc content of total food

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paulina Silva Trejos

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available En el presente estudio se optimizó el procedimiento de digestión de alimentos por medio de un horno de microondas, para cuantificar el hierro y el zinc totales en diferentes matrices por espectroscopía de absorción atómica. Se analizó la cantidad óptima de HNO3 concentrado al 65% para digerir determinada masa de muestra por evaluación del porcentaje de recuperación obtenido con diferente cantidad de HNO3. Los resultados no difieren de los obtenidos por los métodos recomendados oficialmente de digestión ácida en sistemas abiertos y de calcinación.In this study, the procedure was optimized digestion of food by means of a microwave oven, to quantify the total iron and zinc in different matrices by atomic absorption spectroscopy. We analyzed the optimal amount of 65% concentrated HNO3 to digest sample mass determined by evaluating the percent recover y obtained with different amounts of HNO3.The results are similar to those obtained by the methods recommended officially acid digestion in open systems and calcination.

  10. Determination of minor and trace elements in aromatic spices by micro-wave assisted digestion and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Naeem; Choi, Ji Yeon; Nho, Eun Yeong; Jamila, Nargis; Habte, Girum; Hong, Joon Ho; Hwang, In Min; Kim, Kyong Su

    2014-09-01

    This study aimed at analyzing the concentrations of 23 minor and trace elements in aromatic spices by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), after wet digestion by microwave system. The analytical method was validated by linearity, detection limits, precision, accuracy and recovery experiments, obtaining satisfactory values in all cases. Results indicated the presence of variable amounts of both minor and trace elements in the selected aromatic spices. Manganese was high in cinnamon (879.8 μg/g) followed by cardamom (758.1 μg/g) and clove (649.9 μg/g), strontium and zinc were high in ajwain (489.9 μg/g and 84.95 μg/g, respectively), while copper was high in mango powder (77.68 μg/g). On the whole some of the minor and essential trace elements were found to have good nutritional contribution in accordance to RDA. The levels of toxic trace elements, including As, Cd, and Pb were very low and did not found to pose any threat to consumers. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Zinc (Zn Analysis in Milk by Microwave Oven Digestion and Differential Pulse Anodic Stripping Voltametry (DPASV Technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohineesh

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Milk is very important component of human diet. The presence of over limit of heavy metal in milk may create significant health problems. In the present study, the direct determination of Zinc (Zn heavy metal in milk samples of different brands was carried out by differential pulse anodic stripping Voltammetric technique at Hanging Mercury Drop Electrode (HMDE. Milk samples were processed by microwave oven digestion using HP/VHP Vessels and TFM Liners and nitric acid (HNO3.Determination of Zn was made in acetate buffer (pH 4.6 with a sweep rate (scan rate of 59.5 mV/s and pulse amplitude 50mV by HMDE by standard addition method. The solution was stirred during pre-electrolysis at -1150mV (vs. Ag/AgCl for 90 seconds and the potential was scanned from -1150V to +100V (vs. Ag/AgCl. The zinc ions were deposited by reduction at -1150 mV on HMDE. The stripping current arising from the oxidation of metal was correlated with the concentration the metal in the sample. .As a result the minimum level of Zn observed in the milk sample of different brands was determined as 2.28 mgL−1.

  12. Antioxidant activity measurement and potential antioxidant peptides exploration from hydrolysates of novel continuous microwave-assisted enzymolysis of the Scomberomorus niphonius protein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Yipeng; Ruan, Guihua; Qin, Zhijun; Li, Haiyun; Zheng, Yanjie

    2017-05-15

    A novel continuous microwave-assisted enzymatic digestion (cMAED) method is proposed for the digestion of protein from Scomberomorus niphonius to obtain potential antioxidant peptides. In this study, bromelain was found to have a high capacity for the digestion of the Scomberomorus niphonius protein. The following cMAED conditions were investigated: protease species, microwave power, temperature, bromelain content, acidity of the substrate solution, and incubation time. At 400W, 40°C, 1500U·g -1 bromelain, 20% substrate concentration, pH 6.0 and 5min incubation, the degree of hydrolysis and total antioxidant activity of the hydrolysates were 15.86% and 131.49μg·mL -1 , respectively. The peptide analyses showed that eight of the potential antioxidant peptide sequences, which ranged from 502.32 to 1080.55Da with 4-10 amino acid residues, had features typical of well-known antioxidant proteins. Thus, the new cMAED method can be useful to obtain potential antioxidant peptides from protein sources, such as Scomberomorus niphonius. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Microwave assisted centrifuge and related methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meikrantz, David H [Idaho Falls, ID

    2010-08-17

    Centrifuge samples may be exposed to microwave energy to heat the samples during centrifugation and to promote separation of the different components or constituents of the samples using a centrifuge device configured for generating microwave energy and directing the microwave energy at a sample located in the centrifuge.

  14. Microwave enhanced digestion of aerobic SBR sludge | Kennedy ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    MWs) for improving characteristics of aerobic sequencing batch reactor (SBR) sludge to enhance mesophilic anaerobic digestion. Effects of pretreatment temperature, MW irradiation intensity and solids concentration on sludge characterisation ...

  15. Methods for producing extracted and digested products from pretreated lignocellulosic biomass

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chundawat, Shishir; Sousa, Leonardo Da Costa; Cheh, Albert M.; Balan; , Venkatesh; Dale, Bruce

    2017-05-16

    Methods for producing extracted and digested products from pretreated lignocellulosic biomass are provided. The methods include converting native cellulose I.sub..beta. to cellulose III.sub.I by pretreating the lignocellulosic biomass with liquid ammonia under certain conditions, and performing extracting or digesting steps on the pretreated/converted lignocellulosic biomass.

  16. [Determination of aluminium in flour foods with photometric method].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Lan; Zhao, Xin; Zhou, Shuang; Yang, Dajin

    2012-05-01

    To establish a determination method for aluminium in flour foods with photometric method. After samples being treated with microwave digestion and wet digestion, aluminium in staple flour foods was determined by photometric method. There was a good linearity of the result in the range of 0.25 - 5.0 microg/ml aluminium, r = 0.9998; limit of detection (LOD) : 2.3 ng/ml; limit of quantitation (LOQ) : 7 ng/ml. This method of determining aluminium in flour foods is simple, rapid and reliable.

  17. [Evaluation of artificial digestion method on inspection of meat for Trichinella spiralis contamination and influence of the method on muscle larvae recovery].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Guo-Ying; Du, Jing-Fang; Dun, Guo-Qing; Sun, Wei-Li; Wang, Jin-Xi

    2011-04-01

    To evaluate the effect of artificial digestion method on inspection of meat for Trichinella spiralis contamination and its influence on activity and infectivity of muscle larvae. The mice were inoculated orally with 100 muscle larvae of T. spiralis and sacrificed on the 30th day following the infection. The muscle larvae of T. spiralis were recovered by three different test protocols employing variations of the artificial digestion method, i.e. the first test protocol evaluating digestion for 2 hours (magnetic stirrer method), the second test protocol evaluating digestion for 12 hours, and the third test protocol evaluating digestion for 20 hours. Each test group included ten samples, and each of which included 300 encapsulated larvae. Meanwhile, the activity of the recovered muscle larvae was also assessed. Forty mice were randomly divided into a control group and three digestion groups, so 4 groups (with 10 mice per group) in total. In the control group, each mouse was orally inoculated with 100 encapsulated larvae of T. spiralis. In all of the digestion test groups, each mouse was orally inoculated with 100 muscle larvae of T. spiralis. The larvae were then recovered from the different three test groups by the artificial digestion protocol variations. All the infected mice were sacrificed on the 30th day following the infection, and the muscle larvae of T. spiralis were examined respectively by the diaphragm compression method and the magnetic stirrer method. The muscle larvae detection rates were 78.47%, 76.73%, and 68.63%, the death rates were 0.59%, 4.60%, and 7.43%, and the reduction rates were 60.56%, 61.94%, and 73.07%, in the Test Group One (2-hour digestion), Test Group Two (12-hour digestion) and Test Group Three (20-hour digestion), respectively. The magnetic stirrer method (2-hour digestion method) is superior to both 12-hour digestion and 20-hour digestion methods when assessed by the detection rate, activity and infectivity of muscle larvae.

  18. Development of microwave assisted spectrophotometric method for the determination of glucose

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ali, Asif; Hussain, Zahid; Arain, Muhammad Balal; Shah, Nasrullah; Khan, Khalid Mohammad; Gulab, Hussain; Zada, Amir

    2016-01-01

    A spectrophotometric method was developed based on the microwave assisted synthesis of Maillard product. Various conditions of the reaction were optimized by varying the relative concentration of the reagents, operating temperature and volume of solutions used in the reaction in the microwave synthesizer. The absorbance of the microwave synthesized Maillard product was measured in the range of 360-740 nm using UV-Visible spectrophotometer. Based on the maximum absorbance, 370 nm was selected as the optimum wave length for further studies. The LOD and LOQ of glucose was found 3.08 μg mL- 1 and 9.33 μg mL- 1 with standard deviation of ± 0.05. The developed method was also applicable to urine sample.

  19. Effect of Heating Method on Alteration of Protein Molecular Structure in Flaxseed: Relationship with Changes in Protein Subfraction Profile and Digestion in Dairy Cows.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmad Khan, Nazir; Booker, Helen; Yu, Peiqiang

    2015-02-04

    This study evaluated the effect of heating methods on alteration of protein molecular structure in flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) in relation to changes in protein subfraction profile and digestion in dairy cows. Seeds from two flaxseed varieties, sampled from two replicate plots at two locations, were evaluated. The seeds were either maintained in their raw state or heated in an air-draft oven (dry heating) or autoclave (moist heating) for 60 min at 120 °C or by microwave irradiation (MIR) for 5 min. Compared to raw seeds, moist heating decreased (P RUP) content (36.0 ± 5.19 to 46.9 ± 2.72% CP) and intestinal digestibility of RUP (61.0 ± 2.28 to 63.8 ± 2.67% RUP). Dry heating did not alter (P > 0.05) the protein subfraction profile and rumen degradation kinetics, whereas MIR increased (P RUP content from 36.0 ± 5.19 to 40.4 ± 4.67% CP. The MIR and dry heating did not alter (P > 0.05) the amide I to amide II ratio, but moist heating decreased (P RUP (R 2 = 0.71), and intestinal digestibility of RUP (R 2 = 0.72). Overall, heat-induced changes in protein nutritive value and digestion were strongly associated with heat-induced alteration in protein molecular structures.

  20. Effect of alkaline microwaving pretreatment on anaerobic digestion and biogas production of swine manure

    OpenAIRE

    Tao Yu; Yihuan Deng; Hongyu Liu; Chunping Yang; Bingwen Wu; Guangming Zeng; Li Lu; Fumitake Nishimura

    2017-01-01

    Microwave assisted with alkaline (MW-A) condition was applied in the pretreatment of swine manure, and the effect of the pretreatment on anaerobic treatment and biogas production was evaluated in this study. The two main microwaving (MW) parameters, microwaving power and reaction time, were optimized for the pretreatment. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to investigate the effect of alkaline microwaving process for manure pretreatment at various values of pH and energy input. Resul...

  1. Advances in modern sample preparation techniques using microwaves assisted chemistry for metal species determination (W1)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ponard, O.F.X.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: Sample preparation has long been the bottleneck of environmental analysis for both total and species specific analysis. Digestion, extraction and preparation of the analytes are relying on a series of chemical reactions. The introduction of microwave assisted sample preparation has first been viewed as a mean to accelerate the kinetics of digestion of the matrix for total elements and fast samples preparation procedures. However, the extensive development and success of microwave digestion procedures in total elemental analysis has now allowed to have a larger insight of the perspectives offered by this technique. Microwave technologies now offer to have a precise control of the temperature and indirectly control the reaction kinetics taking place during the sample preparation procedures. Microwave assisted chemistry permits to perform simultaneously the fundamental steps required for metal species extraction and derivatization. The number of sample preparation steps used for organotin or organomercury species have been reduced to one and the total time of sample preparation brought down for a few hours to some minutes. Further, the developments of GC/ICP/MS techniques allow to routinely use speciated isotopic dilution methods has internal probe of the chemical reactions. These new approaches allow us to use the addition of the labeled species for isotopic dilution as a mean to evaluate and follow the chemical processes taking place during the extraction procedure. These procedures will help us to understand and check for the stability of the analytes during the chemistry of the sample preparation procedure and bring some insights of the chemistry taking place during the extraction. Understanding the different mechanisms involved in the sample preparation steps will allow us in return to further improve all theses procedures and bring us to the horizon of 'on-line sample preparation and detection'. (author)

  2. Microwave based method of monitoring crack formation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aman, Sergej; Aman, Alexander; Majcherek, Soeren; Hirsch, Soeren; Schmidt, Bertram

    2014-01-01

    The formation of cracks in glass particles was monitored by application of linearly polarized microwaves. The breakage behavior of glass spheres coated with a thin gold layer of about 50 nm, i.e. a thickness that is lower than the microwave penetration depth, was tested. In this way the investigation of fracture behavior of electronic circuits was simulated. A shielding current was induced in the gold layer by the application of microwaves. During the crack formation the distribution of this current changed abruptly and a scattered microwave signal appeared at the frequency of the incident microwaves. The time behavior of the scattered signal reflects the microscopic processes occurring during the fracture of the specimen. The duration of the increasing signal corresponds to the crack formation time in the tested specimen. This time was estimated as particle size divided by crack development speed in glass. An intense emission of electrons occurs during the formation of cracks. Due to this, coherent Thomson scattering of microwaves by emitted electrons becomes significant with a delay of a few microseconds after the initial phase of crack formation. In this time the intensity of the microwave signal increases. (paper)

  3. Fecal collection methods for the determination of protein digestibility in bullfrogs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marta Verardino De Stéfani

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Adequate methods for the determination of protein digestibility in bullfrogs are important for the understanding of nutrient utilization. Therefore, this study evaluated two methods of feces collection: intestinal dissection and fecal decantation, using cylindric-conical tanks. Frogs were fed with a commercial diet (45% crude protein which was ground and supplemented with 0.5% chromium oxide III. The frogs were fasted 48h before force-feeding (5% of the animal's live weight. For the decantation method, the animals were sacrificed 36 h after force-feeding and feces were collected directly from the large intestine. For the sedimentation method, feces were collected when they appeared in the tubes attached to the front end of the cylindric tanks. No significant difference (P>0.05 in the apparent digestibility coefficients of crude protein for dietary was observed between the methods tested (74.0% and 76.4% for the dissection and decantation methods, respectively. In conclusion, both methods can be used for the determination of protein digestibility of bullfrog feeds

  4. Microwave-Osmotic/Microwave-Vacuum Drying of Whole Cranberries: Comparison with Other Methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wray, Derek; Ramaswamy, Hosahalli S

    2015-12-01

    A novel drying method for frozen-thawed whole cranberries was developed by combining microwave osmotic dehydration under continuous flow medium spray (MWODS) conditions with microwave vacuum finish-drying. A central composite rotatable design was used to vary temperature (33 to 67 °C), osmotic solution concentration (33 to 67 °B), contact time (5 to 55 min), and flow rate (2.1 to 4.1 L/min) in order to the determine the effects of MWODS input parameters on quality of the dried berry. Quality indices monitored included colorimetric and textural data in addition to anthocyanin retention and cellular structure. Overall it was found that the MWODS-MWV process was able to produce dried cranberries with quality comparable to freeze dried samples in much shorter time. Additionally, cranberries dried via the novel process exhibited much higher quality than those dried via either vacuum or convective air drying in terms of color, anthocyanin content, and cellular structure. © 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®

  5. Innovative methods for inorganic sample preparation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Essling, A.M.; Huff, E.A.; Graczyk, D.G.

    1992-04-01

    Procedures and guidelines are given for the dissolution of a variety of selected materials using fusion, microwave, and Parr bomb techniques. These materials include germanium glass, corium-concrete mixtures, and zeolites. Emphasis is placed on sample-preparation approaches that produce a single master solution suitable for complete multielement characterization of the sample. In addition, data are presented on the soil microwave digestion method approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Advantages and disadvantages of each sample-preparation technique are summarized.

  6. Innovative methods for inorganic sample preparation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Essling, A.M.; Huff, E.A.; Graczyk, D.G.

    1992-04-01

    Procedures and guidelines are given for the dissolution of a variety of selected materials using fusion, microwave, and Parr bomb techniques. These materials include germanium glass, corium-concrete mixtures, and zeolites. Emphasis is placed on sample-preparation approaches that produce a single master solution suitable for complete multielement characterization of the sample. In addition, data are presented on the soil microwave digestion method approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Advantages and disadvantages of each sample-preparation technique are summarized

  7. Anti-nutritional Factors and Ruminal Dry Matter and Crude Protein Degradability of Gamma and Microwave Irradiated Native Rapeseed

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    sayyed roohollah ebrahimimahmoudabad

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Introduction Native rapeseed (NRS is planted in some parts of Iran because of climatic condition. The consumption of NRS in animal nutrition is limited by anti-nutritional such as phytic acid and glucosinolate. Moreover, the protein of NRS is highly degraded by rumen microorganisms. Several processing methods have been used to enhance the nutritive value of whole oilseeds, including extrusion, roasting, toasting and Jet-Sploding. However, most heat processing methods adversely affect protein digestibility in the small intestine. Recently, other processing methods such as processing by gamma and microwave irradiation have been noticed. Therefore, this research was carried out to evaluate the effects of gamma irradiation (15, 30 and 45 kGy and microwave irradiation (800 W for 2, 4 and 6 min on ruminal dry matter (DM and crude protein (CP degradability, in vitro CP digestibility, anti-nutritional factors (glucosinolate and phytic acid and chemical composition of NRS. Materials and Methods Chemical composition (DM, CP, EE and Ash of untreated and irradiated NRS was determined by AOAC methods. Then, sufficient water was added to the sample to increase the moisture content to 250 g/kg. Gamma irradiation was completed by using a cobalt-60 irradiator at 20 ºC. The dose rate determined by Fricke dosimetry was 0.36 Gy/s. Another three samples (500 g each were subjected to microwave irradiation at a power of 800 W for 2, 4 and 6 min. Phytic acid and glucosinolate contents of untreated and irradiated samples were determined by standard methods. Degradation kinetics of DM or CP were determined according to in situ procedure. Six grams of untreated or irradiated NRS were incubated in the rumen of three ruminally fistulated Taleshi bulls for 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24 and 48 h. Bags were placed in the rumen just before the bulls were offered their first meal. After retrieval from the rumen, bags were thoroughly washed with tap water until the rinsing water was clear

  8. Simple method for highlighting the temperature distribution into a liquid sample heated by microwave power field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Surducan, V.; Surducan, E.; Dadarlat, D.

    2013-01-01

    Microwave induced heating is widely used in medical treatments, scientific and industrial applications. The temperature field inside a microwave heated sample is often inhomogenous, therefore multiple temperature sensors are required for an accurate result. Nowadays, non-contact (Infra Red thermography or microwave radiometry) or direct contact temperature measurement methods (expensive and sophisticated fiber optic temperature sensors transparent to microwave radiation) are mainly used. IR thermography gives only the surface temperature and can not be used for measuring temperature distributions in cross sections of a sample. In this paper we present a very simple experimental method for temperature distribution highlighting inside a cross section of a liquid sample, heated by a microwave radiation through a coaxial applicator. The method proposed is able to offer qualitative information about the heating distribution, using a temperature sensitive liquid crystal sheet. Inhomogeneities as smaller as 1°-2°C produced by the symmetry irregularities of the microwave applicator can be easily detected by visual inspection or by computer assisted color to temperature conversion. Therefore, the microwave applicator is tuned and verified with described method until the temperature inhomogeneities are solved

  9. Plasma-based determination of inorganic contaminants in waste of electric and electronic equipment after microwave-induced combustion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mello, Paola A.; Diehl, Lisarb O.; Oliveira, Jussiane S.S.; Muller, Edson I. [Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Av. Roraima, 1000, 97105-900, Santa Maria (Brazil); Mesko, Marcia F. [Centro de Ciências Químicas, Farmacêuticas e de Alimentos, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Campus Capão do Leão, 96900-010 Pelotas, RS (Brazil); Flores, Erico M.M., E-mail: ericommf@gmail.com [Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Av. Roraima, 1000, 97105-900, Santa Maria (Brazil)

    2015-03-01

    . In addition, suitable agreement of Cr to CRM value was only obtained by mixing NH{sub 4}Cl to samples before combustion. No statistical difference (95% confidence level) was observed between the results obtained for As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sb, and Zn by MIC and HP-MAWD methods. Agreement with certified values was better than 96% using MIC for all inorganic contaminants. Particularly for Br, MIC was the method of choice for digestion due to the possibility of using diluted alkaline solutions for analyte absorption. Based on the obtained results, MIC can be considered as a suitable method for digestion of polymers from waste of EEEs for further plasma based determination of inorganic contaminants. - Highlights: • Application of microwave induced combustion for flame retardant containing polymers. • Feasibility for metals and also Br determination by ICP-MS and also ICP OES. • Ammonium chloride was used allowing Cr determination. • High sample mass digestion was possible allowing suitable LODs. • Application for ABS and polycarbonate polymers not still studied for MIC.

  10. Sample pretreatment for the determination of metal impurities in silicon wafer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, H. Y.; Kim, Y. H.; Yoo, H. D.; Lee, S. H.

    1999-01-01

    The analytical results obtained by microwave digestion and acid digestion methods for sample pretreatment to determine metal impurities in silicon wafer by inductively coupled plasma--mass spectrometry(ICP-MS) were compared. In order to decompose the silicon wafer, a mixed solution of HNO 3 and HF was added to the sample and the metal elements were determined after removing the silicon matrix by evaporating silicon in the form of Si-F. The recovery percentages of Ni, Cr and Fe were found to be 95∼106% for both microwave digestion and acid digestion methods. The recovery percentage of Cu obtained by the acid digestion method was higher than that obtained by the microwave digestion method. For Zn, however, the microwave digestion method gave better result than the acid digestion method. Fe was added to a silicon wafer using a spin coater. The concentration of Fe in this sample was determined by ICP-MS, and the same results were obtained in the two pretreatment methods

  11. Rapid synthesis of single-phase bismuth ferrite by microwave-assisted hydrothermal method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cao, Wenqian [College of Materials Science and Engineering, China Jiliang University, 258 Xueyuan Street, Xiasha Higher Education District, Hangzhou 310018, Zhejiang Province (China); Chen, Zhi, E-mail: zchen0@gmail.com [College of Materials Science and Engineering, China Jiliang University, 258 Xueyuan Street, Xiasha Higher Education District, Hangzhou 310018, Zhejiang Province (China); Gao, Tong; Zhou, Dantong; Leng, Xiaonan; Niu, Feng [College of Materials Science and Engineering, China Jiliang University, 258 Xueyuan Street, Xiasha Higher Education District, Hangzhou 310018, Zhejiang Province (China); Zhu, Yuxiang [College of Materials Science and Engineering, China Jiliang University, 258 Xueyuan Street, Xiasha Higher Education District, Hangzhou 310018, Zhejiang Province (China); Tianjin Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Chemistry, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin (China); Qin, Laishun, E-mail: qinlaishun@yeah.net [College of Materials Science and Engineering, China Jiliang University, 258 Xueyuan Street, Xiasha Higher Education District, Hangzhou 310018, Zhejiang Province (China); Wang, Jiangying; Huang, Yuexiang [College of Materials Science and Engineering, China Jiliang University, 258 Xueyuan Street, Xiasha Higher Education District, Hangzhou 310018, Zhejiang Province (China)

    2016-06-01

    This paper describes on the fast synthesis of bismuth ferrite by the simple microwave-assisted hydrothermal method. The phase transformation and the preferred growth facets during the synthetic process have been investigated by X-ray diffraction. Bismuth ferrite can be quickly prepared by microwave hydrothermal method by simply controlling the reaction time, which is further confirmed by Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy and magnetic measurement. - Graphical abstract: Single-phase BiFeO{sub 3} could be realized at a shortest reaction time of 65 min. The reaction time has strong influences on the phase transformation and the preferred growth facets. - Highlights: • Rapid synthesis (65 min) of BiFeO{sub 3} by microwave-assisted hydrothermal method. • Reaction time has influence on the purity and preferred growth facets. • FTIR and magnetic measurement further confirm the pure phase.

  12. Rapid synthesis of single-phase bismuth ferrite by microwave-assisted hydrothermal method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao, Wenqian; Chen, Zhi; Gao, Tong; Zhou, Dantong; Leng, Xiaonan; Niu, Feng; Zhu, Yuxiang; Qin, Laishun; Wang, Jiangying; Huang, Yuexiang

    2016-01-01

    This paper describes on the fast synthesis of bismuth ferrite by the simple microwave-assisted hydrothermal method. The phase transformation and the preferred growth facets during the synthetic process have been investigated by X-ray diffraction. Bismuth ferrite can be quickly prepared by microwave hydrothermal method by simply controlling the reaction time, which is further confirmed by Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy and magnetic measurement. - Graphical abstract: Single-phase BiFeO_3 could be realized at a shortest reaction time of 65 min. The reaction time has strong influences on the phase transformation and the preferred growth facets. - Highlights: • Rapid synthesis (65 min) of BiFeO_3 by microwave-assisted hydrothermal method. • Reaction time has influence on the purity and preferred growth facets. • FTIR and magnetic measurement further confirm the pure phase.

  13. Comparison of Microwave-Assisted and Hydrodistillation Methods for Extraction of Essential Oil from Achillea millefolium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Mollasalehi

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MAHD method has been compared with hydrodistillation (HD conventional technique for extraction of essential oil from Achillea millefolium. Microwave-assisted hydrodistillation were examined at three levels of microwave powers (300, 500, and 700 W. Obtained results show that MAHD offers important advantages over HD in terms of energy savings and extraction time (20 min against 2.5 h. Also, the essential oils were analyzed by GC-MS. The amount of oxygenated compounds and monoterpene, such as 1,8 -Cineole, Lavandulyl acetate,Caryophylla-dien, Aromadendrene were increased in the microwave method. All these results suggest that MAHD represents an excellent alternative method for extraction of essential oils from plant materials.

  14. A method for combining passive microwave and infrared rainfall observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kummerow, Christian; Giglio, Louis

    1995-01-01

    Because passive microwave instruments are confined to polar-orbiting satellites, rainfall estimates must interpolate across long time periods, during which no measurements are available. In this paper the authors discuss a technique that allows one to partially overcome the sampling limitations by using frequent infrared observations from geosynchronous platforms. To accomplish this, the technique compares all coincident microwave and infrared observations. From each coincident pair, the infrared temperature threshold is selected that corresponds to an area equal to the raining area observed in the microwave image. The mean conditional rainfall rate as determined from the microwave image is then assigned to pixels in the infrared image that are colder than the selected threshold. The calibration is also applied to a fixed threshold of 235 K for comparison with established infrared techniques. Once a calibration is determined, it is applied to all infrared images. Monthly accumulations for both methods are then obtained by summing rainfall from all available infrared images. Two examples are used to evaluate the performance of the technique. The first consists of a one-month period (February 1988) over Darwin, Australia, where good validation data are available from radar and rain gauges. For this case it was found that the technique approximately doubled the rain inferred by the microwave method alone and produced exceptional agreement with the validation data. The second example involved comparisons with atoll rain gauges in the western Pacific for June 1989. Results here are overshadowed by the fact that the hourly infrared estimates from established techniques, by themselves, produced very good correlations with the rain gauges. The calibration technique was not able to improve upon these results.

  15. Kinetic and Mechanism Study of Vanadium Acid Leaching from Black Shale Using Microwave Heating Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jing-peng; Zhang, Yi-min; Huang, Jing; Liu, Tao

    2018-04-01

    The leaching kinetics of the vanadium leaching process were investigated by the comparison of microwave heating and conventional heating methods. Microwave heating with CaF2 had a synergistic effect and improved the vanadium leaching efficiency. In contrast to conventional heating leaching, microwave heating accelerated the vanadium leaching rate by approximately 1-3% and by approximately 15% when CaF2 was also used. The kinetics analysis showed that the calculated activation energy decreased in the microwave heating method in the presence and absence of CaF2. The control procedure of leaching also changed from a chemical reaction control step to a mixed chemical diffusion control step upon the addition of CaF2. Microwave heating was shown to be suitable for leaching systems with diffusion or mixed chemical diffusion control steps when the target mineral does not have a microwave absorbing ability.

  16. Kinetic and Mechanism Study of Vanadium Acid Leaching from Black Shale Using Microwave Heating Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jing-peng; Zhang, Yi-min; Huang, Jing; Liu, Tao

    2018-06-01

    The leaching kinetics of the vanadium leaching process were investigated by the comparison of microwave heating and conventional heating methods. Microwave heating with CaF2 had a synergistic effect and improved the vanadium leaching efficiency. In contrast to conventional heating leaching, microwave heating accelerated the vanadium leaching rate by approximately 1-3% and by approximately 15% when CaF2 was also used. The kinetics analysis showed that the calculated activation energy decreased in the microwave heating method in the presence and absence of CaF2. The control procedure of leaching also changed from a chemical reaction control step to a mixed chemical diffusion control step upon the addition of CaF2. Microwave heating was shown to be suitable for leaching systems with diffusion or mixed chemical diffusion control steps when the target mineral does not have a microwave absorbing ability.

  17. [DNA extraction from decomposed tissue by double-digest and magnetic beads methods].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Dian; Liu, Chao; Liu, Hong

    2011-12-01

    To study the effect of the double-digest and magnetic beads method for DNA extraction from 3 types of decomposed tissues. DNA of cartilages, nails and joint capsule in 91 highly decomposed corpses which had not been extracted by common magnetic beads method, were prepared with the double-digest and magnetic beads methods, and quantified with Quantifiler kit, followed by amplification with Sinofiler kit or Minifiler kit. DNA concentration extracted from the 91 highly decomposed cartilages, nails and joint capsule samples was 0-0.225 ng/microL. Sixty-two samples whose DNA concentration were more than 0.020 ng/microL had obtained 9 or more STR loci successfully. The detection rate was 68.13%. The successful rate of STR genotyping for the 3 types of decomposed tissues can be significantly improved by the double-digest and magnetic beads methods.

  18. A new method for the determination of plutonium and americium using high pressure microwave digestion and alpha-spectrometry or ICP-SMS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luisier, F.; Corcho Alvarado, J.A.; Froidevaux, P.; Steinmann, P.; Krachler, M.

    2009-01-01

    Plutonium and americium are radionuclides particularly difficult to measure in environmental samples because they are a-emitters and therefore necessitate a careful separation before any measurement, either using radiometric methods or ICP-SMS. Recent developments in extraction chromatography resins such as Eichrom R TRU and TEVA have resolved many of the analytical problems but drawbacks such as low recovery and spectral interferences still occasionally occur. Here, we report on the use of the new Eichrom R DGA resin in association with TEVA resin and high pressure microwave acid leaching for the sequential determination of plutonium and americium in environmental samples. The method results in average recoveries of 83 ± 15% for plutonium and 73 ± 22% for americium (n = 60), and a less than 10% deviation from reference values of four IAEA reference materials and three samples from intercomparisons exercises. The method is also suitable for measuring 239 Pu in water samples at the μBq/l level, if ICP-SMS is used for the measurement. (author)

  19. The use of commercial microwave dissolution equipment for the fast and reliable dissolution of high-fired POX and MOX samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tushingham, J.; McInnes, C.; Firkin, S.

    1998-09-01

    The use of commercially available microwave dissolution equipment for the fast and reliable dissolution of high-fired plutonium dioxide (POX) and mixed oxide (MOX) samples has been evaluated for application to Safeguards Analysis. Under the auspices of the UK R and D Support Programme to the IAEA, equipment has been purchased and tested for the high-pressure microwave dissolution of POX samples fired to 1250 deg. C and MOX samples fired to 1600 deg. C, in concentrated nitric acid and hydrofluoric acid mixture. Considerable problems were encountered during development of procedures for microwave dissolution, resulting largely from sudden changes in pressure within dissolution vessels, which resulted in actuation of safety interlocks designed to prevent overpressurisation. These difficulties were alleviated by controlling the microwave power to reduce the reaction temperature and pressure, and also by introducing additional safety valves into the digestion vessels. Using microwave digestion, dissolution times for high fired POX and MOX samples were substantially reduced. Samples which required ca. 10 hours to dissolve by conventional means could be dissolved in ca. 80 minutes by microwave digestion. Whilst a similar performance in terms of plutonium recovery was achieved for some materials by microwave and conventional dissolution, for other materials microwave dissolution gave higher plutonium recoveries but with poorer precision. This suggests the possible presence of some plutonium oxide within high-fired materials which is more difficult to dissolve than the bulk, and which is perhaps dissolved to an additional but variable degree by the current microwave dissolution procedure. Microwave dissolution has been demonstrated to increase the speed of dissolution of high-fired POX and MOX materials, compared with conventional dissolution. However, the technique has not yet proved satisfactory for the complete dissolution of all high-fired materials tested because of

  20. Polymorph-dependent titanium dioxide nanoparticle dissolution in acidic and alkali digestions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Multiple polymorphs (anatase, brookite and rutile) of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs) with variable structures were quantified in environmental matrices via microwave-based hydrofluoric (HF) and nitric (HNO3) mixed acid digestion and muffle furnace (MF)-based potassium ...

  1. Digestibility of (Poly)phenols and Antioxidant Activity in Raw and Cooked Cactus Cladodes ( Opuntia ficus-indica).

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Santiago, Elsy; Pereira-Caro, Gema; Moreno-Rojas, José Manuel; Cid, Concepción; De Peña, María-Paz

    2018-05-29

    This study aims to investigate whether heat treatment applied to cactus cladodes influences the bioaccessibility of their (poly)phenolic compounds after simulated gastric and intestinal digestion. A total of 45 (poly)phenols were identified and quantified in raw and cooked cactus cladodes by ultra high performance liquid chromatography photodiode array detector high resolution mass spectrometry. Both flavonoids (60-68% total), mainly isorhamnetin derivatives, and phenolic acids (32-40%) with eucomic acids as the predominant ones significantly ( p < 0.05) increased with microwaving and griddling processes. After in vitro gastrointestinal digestion, 55-64% of the total (poly)phenols of cooked cactus cladodes remained bioaccessible versus 44% in raw samples. Furthermore, digestive conditions and enzymes degraded or retained more flavonoids (37-63% bioaccessibility) than phenolic acids (56-87% bioaccessibility). Microwaved cactus cladodes contributed the highest amount of (poy)phenols (143.54 mg/g dm) after gastrointestinal process, followed by griddled samples (133.98 mg/g dm), showing the highest antioxidant capacity. Additionally, gastrointestinal digestion induced isomerizations among the three stereoisomeric forms of piscidic and eucomic acids.

  2. Evaluation of collection method and diet effects on apparent digestibility and energy values of swine diets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Y S; Tran, H; Bundy, J W; Burkey, T E; Kerr, B J; Nielsen, M K; Miller, P S

    2016-06-01

    Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of collection method and diet type on digestibility coefficients. In Exp. 1, 24 barrows were fed either a corn-soybean meal (CSBM) diet or CSBM with 20% dried distillers' grains with solubles (CSBM-DDGS). In Exp. 2, the effects of basal diet and collection method on determination of dried distillers' grains with solubles (DDGS) digestibility were studied using 24 barrows. The 4 diets used in Exp. 2 were: a CSBM (basal 1) , a barley-canola meal (BCM; basal 2), 80% basal 1 with 20% DDGS (CSBM-DDGS), and 80% basal 2 with 20% DDGS (BCM-DDGS). In both experiments, feces were collected using a time-based collection method (DY) or a "marker-to-marker" collection method (MM). Diets contained 0.5% of titanium dioxide (TiO) for estimating digestibility using the index marker approach (IM). The apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of DM and GE were lower ( digestibility coefficients determined by the DY and MM were not different from each other, whereas those estimates were lower ( digestibility coefficients. Digestibility and energy values estimated by the DY and MM were not different in pigs fed CSBM-based diets and the BCM-DDGS diet, whereas those estimates were greater ( digestibility. The ATTD of DM and GE of DDGS using the MM were greater ( Digestibility estimates of DDGS were not affected by basal diets. The mean DE and ME (as-fed basis) of DDGS were 3,994 and 3,688 kcal/kg, respectively, when estimated using the basal 1 diet and were 3,919 and 3,547 kcal/kg, respectively, when estimated using the basal 2 diet. In conclusion, both collection methods can be used to estimate energy and nutrient digestibility of diets and DDGS when using CSBM-based diets.

  3. Microwave Wire Interrogation Method Mapping Pressure under High Temperatures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoyong Chen

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available It is widely accepted that wireless reading for in-situ mapping of pressure under high-temperature environments is the most feasible method, because it is not subject to frequent heterogeneous jointing failures and electrical conduction deteriorating, or even disappearing, under heat load. However, in this article, we successfully demonstrate an in-situ pressure sensor with wire interrogation for high-temperature applications. In this proof-of-concept study of the pressure sensor, we used a microwave resonator as a pressure-sensing component and a microwave transmission line as a pressure characteristic interrogation tunnel. In the sensor, the line and resonator are processed into a monolith, avoiding a heterogeneous jointing failure; further, microwave signal transmission does not depend on electrical conduction, and consequently, the sensor does not suffer from the heat load. We achieve pressure monitoring under 400 °C when employing the sensor simultaneously. Our sensor avoids restrictions that exist in wireless pressure interrogations, such as environmental noise and interference, signal leakage and security, low transfer efficiency, and so on.

  4. Investigation of Trace Element Content in the Seeds, Pulp, and Peel of Mashui Oranges Using Microwave Digestion and ICP-MS Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Lingyun; Shen, Mei; Ma, Ande; Han, Weili

    2018-03-01

    Fresh Mashui orange samples were pretreated with microwave digestion using an HNO 3 -H 2 O 2 system. The levels of Mg, K, Ca, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb in the seeds, pulp, and peel were then determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) combined with collision cell technology (CCT) and kinetic energy discrimination (KED). The standard curve coefficient of determinations of the ten tested elements were between 0.9995 and 0.9999. The instrument detection limit was between 0.112 ng/L and 3.05 ng/mL. The method detection limit was between 0.0281 and 763 ng/g. The average recovery rate was between 85.0 and 117%. The current results showed that Mashui oranges are rich in three elements, namely Mg, K, and Ca. The concentrations of K and Ca were significantly higher than that of Mg in the peel. The content of K was the highest in the seeds. Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn had the second highest concentrations, and Fe was the highest in the seeds, while Cu was the lowest in the peel. As, Cd, and Pb (hazardous elements) had the lowest concentrations of all the tested elements.

  5. Microwave-assisted Facile and Ultrafast Growth of ZnO Nanostructures and Proposition of Alternative Microwave-assisted Methods to Address Growth Stoppage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rana, Abu Ul Hassan Sarwar; Kang, Mingi; Kim, Hyun-Seok

    2016-04-01

    The time constraint in the growth of ZnO nanostructures when using a hydrothermal method is of paramount importance in contemporary research, where a long fabrication time rots the very essence of the research on ZnO nanostructures. In this study, we present the facile and ultrafast growth of ZnO nanostructures in a domestic microwave oven within a pressurized environment in just a few minutes. This method is preferred for the conventional solution-based method because of the ultrafast supersaturation of zinc salts and the fabrication of high-quality nanostructures. The study of the effect of seed layer density, growth time, and the solution’s molar concentration on the morphology, alignment, density, and aspect ratio of ZnO nanorods (ZNRs) is explored. It is found in a microwave-assisted direct growth method that ~5 mins is the optimum time beyond which homogeneous nucleation supersedes heterogeneous nucleation, which results in the growth stoppage of ZNRs. To deal with this issue, we propound different methods such as microwave-assisted solution-replacement, preheating, and PEI-based growth methods, where growth stoppage is addressed and ZNRs with a high aspect ratio can be grown. Furthermore, high-quality ZnO nanoflowers and ZnO nanowalls are fabricated via ammonium hydroxide treatment in a very short time.

  6. Monodisperse Silver Nanoparticles Synthesized by a Microwave-Assisted Method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shao-Peng, Zhu; Shao-Chun, Tang; Xiang-Kang, Meng

    2009-01-01

    Silver nanoparticles with an average size of about 20 nm are synthesized in a colloidal solution with the aid of microwave irradiation. Neither additional reductant nor stabilizer is required in this microwave-assisted method. The color of the colloidal solution is found to be dark green, different from the characteristic yellow of silver colloidal solutions. The silver nanoparticles in the colloidal solution have a narrow size distribution and large yield quantity. UV-visible absorption spectroscopy analysis reveals that the as-synthesized monodisperse silver nanoparticles have exceptional optical properties. Raman spectroscopy measurements demonstrate that these silver nanoparticles exhibit a notable surface-enhanced Raman scattering ability. (cross-disciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

  7. Comparing methods for measuring the digestibility of miscanthus in bioethanol or biogas processing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Susanne Frydendal; Jørgensen, Uffe; Hjorth, Maibritt

    2017-01-01

    expected to have different digestibilities due to maturity stage, dry matter content and the implementation of extrusion as a mechanical pretreatment. The results of the DNS and the biogas batch test methods were highly correlated (R2 between 0.75 and 0.92), but not with the results of the HTPH method....... The DNS and biogas batch test showed that digestibility differed between samples, probably due to the degree of lignification and content of soluble sugars. For the HTPH method, the digestibility for biorefining was the same irrespective of the variation in the other analyses. The HTPH method had higher...... biomass use efficiency, closely followed by the biogas batch test running for 91 days on the mechanically pretreated biomass. The HTPH method provided information on the overall quantity of carbohydrates that can be made available from a given biomass. Additionally, DNS and biogas batch test visualize...

  8. Assessment of microbial viability in municipal sludge following ultrasound and microwave pretreatments and resulting impacts on the efficiency of anaerobic sludge digestion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cella, Monica Angela; Akgul, Deniz; Eskicioglu, Cigdem

    2016-03-01

    A range of ultrasonication (US) and microwave irradiation (MW) sludge pretreatments were compared to determine the extent of cellular destruction in micro-organisms within secondary sludge and how this cellular destruction translated to anaerobic digestion (AD). Cellular lysis/inactivation was measured using two microbial viability assays, (1) Syto 16® Green and Sytox® Orange counter-assay to discern the integrity of cellular membranes and (2) a fluorescein diacetate assay to understand relative enzymatic activity. A range of MW intensities (2.17-6.48 kJ/g total solids or TS, coinciding temperatures of 60-160 °C) were selected for comparison via viability assays; a range of corresponding US intensities (2.37-27.71 kJ/g TS, coinciding sonication times of 10-60 min at different amplitudes) were also compared to this MW range. The MW pretreatment of thickened waste activated sludge (tWAS) caused fourfold to fivefold greater cell death than non-pretreated and US-pretreated tWAS. The greatest microbial destruction occurred at MW intensities greater than 2.62 kJ/g TS of sludge, after which increased energy input via MW did not appear to cause greater microbial death. In addition, the optimal MW pretreatment (80 °C, 2.62 kJ/g TS) and corresponding US pretreatment (10 min, 60 % amplitude, 2.37 kJ/g TS) were administered to the tWAS of a mixed sludge and fed to anaerobic digesters over sludge retention times (SRTs) of 20, 14, and 7 days to compare effects of feed pretreatment on AD efficiency. The digester utilizing MW-pretreated tWAS (80 °C, 2.62 kJ/g TS) had the greatest fecal coliform removal (73.4 and 69.8 % reduction, respectively), greatest solids removal (44.2 % TS reduction), and highest overall methane production (248.2 L CH4/kg volatile solids) at 14- and 7-day SRTs. However, despite the fourfold to fivefold increases in cell death upon pretreatment, improvements from the digester fed MW-pretreated sludge were marginal (i.e., increases in efficiency of less

  9. An Expedient Method for the Synthesis of Thiosemicarbazones under Microwave Irradiation in Solvent-free Medium

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    LI, Jian-Ping; ZHENG, Peng-Zhi; ZHU, Jun-Ge; LIU, Rui-Jie; QU, Gui-Rong

    2006-01-01

    A simple, efficient and eco-friendly method for the synthesis of thiosemicarbazones from thiosemicarbazides and aldehyde under microwave irradiation has been reported, and no solvent and catalyst were used. And the technique of microwave irradiation coupled with solvent-free condition proved to be a quite valuable method in the organic synthesis.

  10. Profiles and drivers of antibiotic resistance genes distribution in one-stage and two-stage sludge anaerobic digestion based on microwave-H2O2 pretreatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Junya; Liu, Jibao; Wang, Yawei; Yu, Dawei; Sui, Qianwen; Wang, Rui; Chen, Meixue; Tong, Juan; Wei, Yuansong

    2017-10-01

    Three anaerobic digestion (AD) processes of waste activated sludge (WAS) were established including the control (mono-WAS), one-stage AD and two-stage AD along with microwave-H 2 O 2 pre-treatment (MW-H 2 O 2 ) to investigate the profiles and drivers of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) distribution concerning co-selection from heavy metals, intI1 and microbial community through qPCR and high-throughput sequencing method. Results showed that MW-H 2 O 2 could reduce the absolute gene copies of all ARGs while increased the relative abundance of most ARGs. After subsequent AD, both total ARGs quantities and relative abundance were enriched while two-stage AD showed some advantages over ARGs abundance reduction. Besides, AD was more effective on the potential pathogens reduction than MW-H 2 O 2 . AD could reduce the role of intI1 on the spread of ARGs, while mantel test and procrustes analysis indicated that the variation of ARGs abundance was closely associated with the discrepancy of bacterial community. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. In vitro digestibility of goat milk and kefir with a new standardised static digestion method (INFOGEST cost action) and bioactivities of the resultant peptides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nehir El, Sedef; Karakaya, Sibel; Simsek, Sebnem; Dupont, Didier; Menfaatli, Esra; Eker, Alper Tolga

    2015-07-01

    The hydrolysis degrees of goat milk and kefir during simulated gastrointestinal digestion and some bioactivities of the resulting peptides after fermentation and digestion were studied. A static in vitro digestion method by the COST FA1005 Action INFOGEST was used and goat milk and kefir were partially hydrolyzed during the gastric phase and had above 80% hydrolysis after duodenal digestion. There were no differences between the digestibility of goat milk and kefir (p > 0.05). Goat milk and kefir displayed about 7-fold antioxidant activity after digestion (p 0.05), however, after in vitro digestion calcium-binding capacity of the goat milk and kefir increased 2 and 5 fold, respectively (p < 0.05). Digested goat milk and kefir showed a higher dose-dependent inhibitory effect on α-amylase compared to undigested samples (p < 0.05). α-Glucosidase inhibitory activities and in vitro bile acid-binding capacities of the samples were not determined at the studied concentrations.

  12. Microwave-induced combustion of crude oil for further rare earth elements determination by USN–ICP-MS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pereira, J.S.F. [Departamento de Química Inorgânica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, 97105-900 Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil); Pereira, L.S.F.; Mello, P.A. [Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, 97105-900 Santa Maria, RS (Brazil); Guimarães, R.C.L.; Guarnieri, R.A.; Fonseca, T.C.O. [CENPES/PETROBRAS, 21941-945 Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Flores, E.M.M., E-mail: ericommf@gmail.com [Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, 97105-900 Santa Maria, RS (Brazil)

    2014-09-24

    Highlights: • Microwave-induced combustion was applied for light and heavy crude oils digestion. • It was feasible to determine all the REEs in heavy crude oil by ICP-MS. • Only diluted acid solutions were used in agreement to green chemistry recommendations. - Abstract: A procedure for light and heavy crude oils digestion by microwave-induced combustion (MIC) is proposed for the first time for further rare earth elements (REE) determination by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) equipped with an ultrasonic nebulizer (USN). Samples of crude oil (API density of 10.8–23.5, up to 250 mg) were inserted in polycarbonate capsules and combusted using 20 bar of oxygen and 50 μL of 6 mol L{sup −1} ammonium nitrate as igniter. Nitric acid solutions (1–14.4 mol L{sup −1}) were evaluated for analyte absorption and a reflux step was applied after combustion (5 min of microwave irradiation at 1400 W) in order to achieve better analyte recoveries. Accuracy was evaluated using a spiked sample and also by comparison of results obtained by microwave-assisted digestion combined to ultraviolet radiation (MW–UV) and by neutron activation analysis (NAA). Using 3 mol L{sup −1} HNO{sub 3}, quantitative recoveries (better than 97%) were obtained for all analytes. Blank values were always negligible. Agreement was higher than 96% for La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu and Y by comparison of results with those obtained by MW–UV and by NAA (only for La, Ce, Nd, Sm, and Yb). Residual carbon content in digests using MIC was always below 1%. As an advantage over conventional procedures for crude oil digestion, using MIC, it was possible to use diluted acid as absorbing solution, obtaining better limits of detection and avoiding interferences in REE determination by USN–ICP-MS.

  13. Adaptive and robust statistical methods for processing near-field scanning microwave microscopy images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coakley, K J; Imtiaz, A; Wallis, T M; Weber, J C; Berweger, S; Kabos, P

    2015-03-01

    Near-field scanning microwave microscopy offers great potential to facilitate characterization, development and modeling of materials. By acquiring microwave images at multiple frequencies and amplitudes (along with the other modalities) one can study material and device physics at different lateral and depth scales. Images are typically noisy and contaminated by artifacts that can vary from scan line to scan line and planar-like trends due to sample tilt errors. Here, we level images based on an estimate of a smooth 2-d trend determined with a robust implementation of a local regression method. In this robust approach, features and outliers which are not due to the trend are automatically downweighted. We denoise images with the Adaptive Weights Smoothing method. This method smooths out additive noise while preserving edge-like features in images. We demonstrate the feasibility of our methods on topography images and microwave |S11| images. For one challenging test case, we demonstrate that our method outperforms alternative methods from the scanning probe microscopy data analysis software package Gwyddion. Our methods should be useful for massive image data sets where manual selection of landmarks or image subsets by a user is impractical. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  14. Carbonated hydrocalumite synthesized by the microwave method as a possible antacid

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Linares, Carlos F., E-mail: clinares@uc.edu.ve [Unidad de Síntesis de Materiales y Metales de Transición, Facultad de Ciencias y Tecnología, Departamento de Química, Universidad de Carabobo, Valencia, Edo, Carabobo Apartado Postal 3336 (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of); Moscosso, Joel; Alzurutt, Victor; Ocanto, Freddy; Bretto, Pablo [Unidad de Síntesis de Materiales y Metales de Transición, Facultad de Ciencias y Tecnología, Departamento de Química, Universidad de Carabobo, Valencia, Edo, Carabobo Apartado Postal 3336 (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of); González, Gema [Laboratorio de Materiales, Centro Tecnológico, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), Carretera Panamericana Km 11 Altos de Pipe, Los Teques (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of)

    2016-04-01

    A carbonated hydrocalumite was synthesized by the microwave method for being used as antacid. The gel was formed using Ca and Al nitrate solutions in a basic medium (NaOH + Na{sub 2}CO{sub 3}), then, this gel was aged and heated in a domestic microwave for 2.5 min (1250 W). The obtained white solid was washed with distilled water, dried in an oven at 100 °C for 18 h and characterized by different techniques such as: X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), BET surface area measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Finally, the carbonated hydrocalumite was tested as antacid by using a synthetic gastric juice and its activity was compared with a commercial antacid formulated with hydrotalcite. Results showed that the carbonated hydrocalumite was more effective than that commercial antacid. - Highlights: • Carbonated hydrocalumite was synthesized by the microwave method. • The aging time was drastically reduced. • Carbonated hydrocalumite was more active as antacid than a commercial antacid based on hydrotalcites.

  15. Profitable ultrasonic assisted microwave disintegration of sludge biomass: Modelling of biomethanation and energy parameter analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kavitha, S; Rajesh Banu, J; Kumar, Gopalakrishnan; Kaliappan, S; Yeom, Ick Tae

    2018-04-01

    In this study, microwave irradiation has been employed to disintegrate the sludge biomass profitably by deagglomerating the sludge using a mechanical device, ultrasonicator. The outcomes of the study revealed that a specific energy input of 3.5 kJ/kg TS was found to be optimum for deagglomeration with limited cell lysis. A higher suspended solids (SS) reduction and biomass lysis efficiency of about 22.5% and 33.2% was achieved through ultrasonic assisted microwave disintegration (UMWD) when compared to microwave disintegration - MWD (15% and 20.9%). The results of biochemical methane potential (BMP) test were used to estimate biodegradability of samples. Among the samples subjected to BMP, UMWD showed better amenability towards anaerobic digestion with higher methane production potential of 0.3 L/g COD representing enhanced liquefaction potential of disaggregated sludge biomass. Economic analysis of the proposed method of sludge biomass pretreatment showed a net profit of 2.67 USD/Ton respectively. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Digestive ripening: a synthetic method par excellence for core–shell ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    persity of nanoparticles. An even more remarkable feature of digestive ripening exemplified here is, it could be exercised as a synthetic method towards vari- ous heterostructured materials like core–shell particles, nanoalloys, and nanocomposites in combination with the synthetic method, solvated metal atom dispersion.

  17. In vitro starch digestibility and predicted glycemic index of microwaved and conventionally baked pound cake.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sánchez-Pardo, María Elena; Ortiz-Moreno, Alicia; Mora-Escobedo, Rosalva; Necoechea-Mondragón, Hugo

    2007-09-01

    The present study compares the effect of baking process (microwave vs conventional oven) on starch bioavailability in fresh pound cake crumbs and in crumbs from pound cake stored for 8 days. Proximal chemical analysis, resistant starch (RS), retrograded starch (RS3) and starch hydrolysis index (HI) were evaluated. The empirical formula suggested by Granfeldt was used to determine the predicted glycemic index (pGI). Pound cake, one of Mexico's major bread products, was selected for analysis because the quality defects often associated with microwave baking might be reduced with the use of high-fat, high-moisture, batted dough. Differences in product moisture, RS and RS3 were observed in fresh microwave-baked and conventionally baked pound cake. RS3 increased significantly in conventionally baked products stored for 8 days at room temperature, whereas no significantly changes in RS3 were observed in the microwaved product. HI values for freshly baked and stored microwaved product were 59 and 62%, respectively (P > 0.05), whereas the HI value for the conventionally baked product decreased significantly after 8 days of storage. A pound cake with the desired HI and GI characteristics might be obtained by adjusting the microwave baking process.

  18. Methods for microwave heat treatment of manufactured components

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ripley, Edward B.

    2010-08-03

    An apparatus for heat treating manufactured components using microwave energy and microwave susceptor material. Heat treating medium such as eutectic salts may be employed. A fluidized bed introduces process gases which may include carburizing or nitriding gases. The process may be operated in a batch mode or continuous process mode. A microwave heating probe may be used to restart a frozen eutectic salt bath.

  19. Comparison of alkaline fusion and acid digestion methods for the determination of rhenium in rock and soil samples by ICP-MS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uchida, Shigeo; Tagami, Keiko; Tabei, Ken

    2005-01-01

    A simple acid digestion method was studied in order to analyze many samples at once to understand Re behavior in the terrestrial environment, because, under normal laboratory conditions, digestion methods generally used, such as Carius tube digestions, Teflon vessel digestions and alkaline fusions, can handle only a small number of samples at one time to ensure complete sample digestion. In this study, the Re results for reference materials (RMs) obtained by the acid digestion method were compared with those by the alkaline fusion digestion method to get applicability of the acid digestion method for Re determination in soil by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Alkaline fusion was chosen for the comparison because it is known to have the highest capability to dissolve Re in geological materials among digestion methods. The average total Re recoveries measured using the 185 Re spike for RMs, such as rock, soil and sediment, were 90.6 ± 4.0% for alkaline fusion and 92.2 ± 7.3% for acid digestion, showing no differences between them. However, Re results obtained by the acid digestion method were usually slightly lower than those by the alkaline fusion (Student's t-test, P -1 , the acid digestion method could dissolve about 80% of the sample Re. Although the acid digestion method is unable to dissolve all Re in the sample, however, the Re discharged to soils could be more extractable than the Re in the dissolution-resistant part; thus, the acid digestion method could be useful for obtaining Re levels in soil samples

  20. YIG based broad band microwave absorber: A perspective on synthesis methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Vinay; Saha, J.; Patnaik, S.; Kuanr, Bijoy K.

    2017-10-01

    The fabrication of a thin layer of microwave absorber that operates over a wide band of frequencies is still a challenging task. With recent advances in nanostructure synthesis techniques, considerable progress has been achieved in realizations of thin nanocomposite layer designed for full absorption of incident electromagnetic (EM) radiation covering S to K band frequencies. The primary objective of this investigation is to achieve best possible EM absorption with a wide bandwidth and attenuation >10 dB for a thin absorbing layer (few hundred of microns). Magnetic yttrium iron garnet (Y3Fe5O12; in short YIG) nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by sol-gel (SG) as well as solid-state (SS) reaction methods to elucidate the effects of nanoscale finite size on the magnetic behavior of the particles and hence their microwave absorption capabilities. It is found that YIG prepared by these two methods are different in many ways. Magnetic properties investigated using vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) exhibit that the coercivity (Hc) of solid-state NPs is much larger (72 Oe) than the sol-gel NPs (31 Oe). Microwave absorption properties were studied by ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) technique in field sweep mode at different fixed frequencies. A thin layer (∼300 μm) of YIG film was deposited using electrophoretic deposition (EPD) technique over a coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission line made on copper coated RT/duroid® 5880 substrates. Temperature dependent magnetic properties were also investigated using VSM and FMR techniques. Microwave absorption properties were investigated at high temperatures (up to 300 °C) both for sol-gel and solid-state synthesized NPs and are related to skin depth of YIG films. It is observed that microwave absorption almost vanishes when the temperature reached the Néel temperature of YIG.

  1. STATISTIC MODELING OF DRYING KINETHIC OF SPINACH LEAVES USING MICROWAVE AND HOT AIR METHODS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mojtaba Nouri

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The target of this study was to model of spinach leaves drying using microwave and hot air dryer. This test performed in combination treatment of temperatures (50°C, 60°C, and 70°C and microwave (90, 180, 360, 600 and 900w in 3 replications. Sample moisture measured within drying. All the results were fitted and analyzed with 8 mathematical models base on 3 parameters including determination (R2, Chi square(X2, root mean square errors(RSME. Results also revealed that temperature and microwave power effectively reduce the drying time when increase. Drying occurs in degrading stage; moreover the comparison of results exhibited that Page and Two sentences models were fitted appropriately to estimate moisture changing and drying description. Regarding all the results, it is cleared that microwave method is an appropriate method in spinach drying as a result of reducing drying temperature and its high efficiency.

  2. Comparison between Two Methods for Diagnosis of Trichinellosis: Trichinoscopy and Artificial Digestion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    María Laura Vignau

    1997-09-01

    Full Text Available Two direct methods for the diagnosis of trichinellosis were compared: trichinoscopy and artificial digestion. Muscles from 17 wistar rats, orally infected with 500 Trichinella spiralis encysted larvae were examined. From each of the following muscles: diaphragm, tongue, masseters, intercostals, triceps brachialis and cuadriceps femoralis, 648,440 larvae from 1 g samples were recovered. The linear correlation between trichinoscopy and artificial digestion was very high and significant (r=0.94, p< 0.0001, showing that both methods for the detection of muscular larvae did not differ significantly. In both methods, significant differences were found in the distribution of larvae per gramme of muscle

  3. Development of a Multi-Point Microwave Interferometry (MPMI) Method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Specht, Paul Elliott [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Cooper, Marcia A. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Jilek, Brook Anton [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2015-09-01

    A multi-point microwave interferometer (MPMI) concept was developed for non-invasively tracking a shock, reaction, or detonation front in energetic media. Initially, a single-point, heterodyne microwave interferometry capability was established. The design, construction, and verification of the single-point interferometer provided a knowledge base for the creation of the MPMI concept. The MPMI concept uses an electro-optic (EO) crystal to impart a time-varying phase lag onto a laser at the microwave frequency. Polarization optics converts this phase lag into an amplitude modulation, which is analyzed in a heterodyne interfer- ometer to detect Doppler shifts in the microwave frequency. A version of the MPMI was constructed to experimentally measure the frequency of a microwave source through the EO modulation of a laser. The successful extraction of the microwave frequency proved the underlying physical concept of the MPMI design, and highlighted the challenges associated with the longer microwave wavelength. The frequency measurements made with the current equipment contained too much uncertainty for an accurate velocity measurement. Potential alterations to the current construction are presented to improve the quality of the measured signal and enable multiple accurate velocity measurements.

  4. Selenium analysis by an integrated microwave digestion-needle trap device with hydride sorption on carbon nanotubes and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry determination

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maratta Martínez, Ariel; Vázquez, Sandra; Lara, Rodolfo; Martínez, Luis Dante; Pacheco, Pablo

    2018-02-01

    An integrated microwave assisted digestion (MW-AD) - needle trap device (NTD) for selenium determination in grape pomace samples is presented. The NTD was filled with oxidized multiwall carbon nanotubes (oxMWCNTS) where Se hydrides were preconcentrated. Determination was carried out by flow injection-electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (FI-ETAAS). The variables affecting the system were established by a multivariate design (Plackett Burman), indicating that the following variables significantly affect the system: sample amount, HNO3 digestion solution concentration, NaBH4 volume and elution volume. A Box-Behnken design was implemented to determine the optimized values of these variables. The system improved Se atomization in the graphite furnace, since only trapped hydrides reached the graphite furnace, and the pyrolysis stage was eliminated according to the aqueous matrix of the eluate. Under optimized conditions the system reached a limit of quantification of 0.11 μg kg- 1, a detection limit of 0.032 μg kg- 1, a relative standard deviation of 4% and a preconcentration factor (PF) of 100, reaching a throughput sample of 5 samples per hour. Sample analysis show Se concentrations between 0.34 ± 0.03 μg kg- 1 to 0.48 ± 0.03 μg kg- 1 in grape pomace. This system provides minimal reagents and sample consumption, eliminates discontinuous stages between samples processing reaching a simpler and faster Se analysis.

  5. Method development for the determination of calcium, copper, magnesium, manganese, iron, potassium, phosphorus and zinc in different types of breads by microwave induced plasma-atomic emission spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozbek, Nil; Akman, Suleyman

    2016-06-01

    A novel method was developed for the determination of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, zinc, and manganese and phosphorous in various kinds of breads samples sold in Turkey by microwave plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (MIP-AES). Breads were dried at 100 °C for one day, ground thoroughly and then digested using nitric acid/hydrogen per oxide (3:1). The analytes in certified reference wheat flour and maize flour samples were determined in the uncertainty limits of the certified values as well as the analytes added to the mixture of ground bread and acid mixture prior to digestion were recovered quantitatively (>90%). Therefore, all determinations were made by linear calibration technique using aqueous standards. The LOD values for Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, P and Zn were 13.1, 0.28, 4.47, 118, 1.10, 0.41, 7550 and 3.00 ng mL(-1), respectively. No spectral interference was detected at the working wavelengths of the analytes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Comparison of Two Methods of Ruminal Digestibility Determination (in situ and in vitro of Pomegranate Seed Pulp

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Hassan Fathi Nasri

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Introduction Using of agro-industrial by-products in diet of livestock not only reduces the production costs but also can dwindle the use of human foods in animal nutrition and competition between human and livestock. Thus, proper use of these by-products in animal nutrition and identification of new and low cost feed resources may be one of the priorities in livestock husbandry of our country. Pomegranate seed pulp (PSP is a by-product of the industrial decoction of pomegranate. Iran with annually production of more than 900 tons of pomegranates is one of the most important regions of pomegranate cultivation and PSP produced from pomegranate processing factories may be extensively used in animal nutrition. Digestibility determination of feeds is one of the most effective ways to evaluate their nutritional value. In addition, there is a strong relationship between feeds digestibility and performance of animal. There are in vivo, in vitro and in situ methods to determine the digestibility of feeds. Although in vivo methods are reference for digestibility values of feeds and are of high precision but they are usually expensive and time consuming. In addition, these methods do not provide any information related to ruminal degradability kinetic of nutrients. The aim of this study was comparison of two methods of ruminal degradability determination methods namely, in situ (nylon bag and in vitro (Daisy incubator, using dried and ensiled pomegranate seed pulp (PSP. Materials and Methods The PSP used in this study was prepared from Anaryan Co. in Ferdows, Iran. Decocted pomegranate was a mixture of Yazd varieties which were harvested at early autumn of 1389. Two types of PSP as dried and ensiled were used to compare the methods of ruminal digestibility determination, pervasively. The PSP silage was prepared by ensiling of wet PSP (containing 475 g/kg DM in 3 kg bins (4 replicatesand with density of 650 kg wet PSP per cubic meter for 60 days and dried

  7. [Study on distribution of five heavy metal elements in different parts of Cordyceps sinensis by microwave digestion ICP-MS].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Li; Hao, Qing-Xiu; Wang, Sheng; Yang, Quan; Kang, Chuan-Zhi; Yang, Wan-Zhen; Guo, Lan-Ping

    2017-08-01

    The contents of five heavy metals (Cu, Pb, As, Cd, Hg) in 17 batches of Cordyceps sinensis were determined by microwave digestion-ICP-MS, and their distribution in C. sinensis were analyzed. The results showed that the contents of Cu, Pb, Cd and Hg in all batches were in accordance with the international standards of Chinese Medicine-Chinese Herbal Medicine Heavy Metal Limit, with their contents in the stroma higher than that in the caterpillar body, and the excess rate of As, which mainly concentrated in the caterpillar body part of C. sinensis, was 88.24%, as the content of As in the caterpillar body was 7 to 12 fold of that in the stroma. In this study, the distribution of five heavy metals in C. sinensis was clarified, and the existing problems of arsenic limit of heavy metal in C. sinensis were analyzed, and some suggestions were put forward. It is hoped that the reference standard can be provided for the limited standard of arsenic in C. sinensis. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

  8. Determination of nitrate in lettuce by ion chromatography after microwave water extraction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Humberto Brevilato Novaes

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Lettuce is worldwide known as the most important vegetable. In this context, most farmers are searching new techniques for best quality products including hydropony. However, nitrate is of great concern, since it has a negative impact on human metabolism. The main objective of the present work was to evaluate the nitrate content of lettuce produced by conventional and hydroponic systems. The determination was conducted by ion chromatography and a new method of extraction was tested using microwave oven digestion. The results indicated that nitrate level produced in the conventional system was lower than in the hydroponic system.

  9. Estimating Apparent Nutrient Digestibility of Diets Containing or Leaf Meals for Growing Rabbits by Two Methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. M. Safwat

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available This study aimed to evaluate the nutrient digestibility of growing rabbits fed diets with different levels of either Leucaena leucocephala (LLM or Moringa oleifera (MOLM leaf meals and also to compare total collection and TiO2 marker methods for estimating digestibility. A total of 30 California growing rabbits (1.81±0.19 kg live weight on average were randomly distributed into five experimental groups of six rabbits each and were housed in individual cages. The groups were control, 30% LLM, 40% LLM, 30% MOLM, and 40% MOLM. All groups received pelleted diets for two weeks; diets also contained 4 g/kg titanium dioxide as dietary marker. Daily feed intake was recorded during the whole experimental period and total feces were collected daily and weighed individually during four days. The results showed that there were no difference (p>0.05 in feed, dry matter (DM, organic matter (OM, crude protein (CP, digestible energy, and crude fiber (CF intake between the control group and the other experimental groups. The apparent digestibility values of DM, OM, CP, CF, acid detergent fiber, and gross energy were the highest for control group (p = 0.001, meanwhile MOLM diets had generally higher nutrient digestibility coefficients than LLM diets. Increasing the inclusion level of leaf meal in the diet from 30% to 40% improved the digestibility of CF from 45.02% to 51.69% for LLM and from 48.11% to 55.89% for MOLM. Similar results for apparent nutrient digestibility coefficients were obtained when either total collection or indigestible marker method was used. In conclusion, the digestibility of MOLM containing diets were better than LLM diets, furthermore TiO2 as an external marker could be used as a simple, practical and reliable method to estimate nutrients digestibility in rabbit diets.

  10. Methods for analysis of the distribution and speciation of iron and zinc in the cereal grain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Thomas Hesselhøj

    , a novel high-throughput micro digestion method was developed, enabling the analysis of total element concentrations in small tissue fractions, such as the embryo of cereal grains. The method is based on small closed bombs that are microwaved and was validated for sample amounts between 1-20 mg using...

  11. Global Modeling of Microwave Three Terminal Active Devices Using the FDTD Method

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Mrabet, O. E; Essaaidi, M; Drissi, M'hamed

    2005-01-01

    This paper presents a new approach for the global electromagnetic analysis of the three-Terminal active linear and nonlinear microwave circuits using the Finite-Difference Time Domain (FDTD) Method...

  12. Application of microwave digestion to the preparation of sediment samples for arsenic speciation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Demesmay, C. [Lab. des Sciences Analytiques, Univ. Claude Bernard Lyon I, Villeurbanne (France); Olle, M. [Service Central d`Analyse du CNRS, Vernaison (France)

    1997-04-01

    Several extraction procedures are described allowing arsenic speciation in sediments. The extraction of organometallic compounds such as dimethylarsinic acid or monomethylarsonic acid is quite simple since these compounds are stable in the different extraction media (HCl/ HNO{sub 3}, H{sub 3}PO{sub 4}, ammonium oxalate) and are easily released independent of the extraction mode (magnetic stirring or microwave solubilization). Extraction yields are higher than 96% for these two arsenic forms. An HCl/HNO{sub 3} microwave solubilization procedure allows the quantitative solubilization of mineral arsenic, but the differentiation between the two oxidation states is not possible owing to the oxidation of As(III) to As(V). Extractions with orthophosphoric acid or ammonium oxalate allow the solubilization of mineral arsenic with extraction yields ranging from 90 to 95% and the differentiation between As(III) and As(V). Nevertheless, the amount of As(III) is underestimated owing to its partial oxidation. The usefulness and advantages of microwave solubilization compared with conventional extraction procedures are discussed. (orig.). With 3 figs., 2 tabs.

  13. An equivalent method of mixed dielectric constant in passive microwave/millimeter radiometric measurement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Jinlong; Tian, Yan; Hu, Fei; Gui, Liangqi; Cheng, Yayun; Peng, Xiaohui

    2017-10-01

    Dielectric constant is an important role to describe the properties of matter. This paper proposes This paper proposes the concept of mixed dielectric constant(MDC) in passive microwave radiometric measurement. In addition, a MDC inversion method is come up, Ratio of Angle-Polarization Difference(RAPD) is utilized in this method. The MDC of several materials are investigated using RAPD. Brightness temperatures(TBs) which calculated by MDC and original dielectric constant are compared. Random errors are added to the simulation to test the robustness of the algorithm. Keywords: Passive detection, microwave/millimeter, radiometric measurement, ratio of angle-polarization difference (RAPD), mixed dielectric constant (MDC), brightness temperatures, remote sensing, target recognition.

  14. Improved microwave-assisted wet digestion procedures for accurate Se determination in fish and shellfish by flow injection-hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lavilla, I.; Gonzalez-Costas, J.M.; Bendicho, C.

    2007-01-01

    Accurate determination of Se in biological samples, especially fish and shellfish, by hydride generation techniques has generally proven troublesome owing to the presence of organoselenium that cannot readily converted into inorganic selenium under usual oxidising conditions. Further improvements in the oxidation procedures are needed so as to obtain accurate concentration values when this type of samples is analyzed. Microwave-assisted wet digestion (MAWD) procedures of seafood based on HNO 3 or the mixture HNO 3 /H 2 O 2 and further thermal reduction of the Se(VI) formed to Se(IV) were evaluated. These procedures were as follows: (I) without H 2 O 2 and without heating to dryness; (II) without H 2 O 2 and with heating to dryness; (III) with H 2 O 2 and without heating to dryness; (IV) with H 2 O 2 and with heating to dryness. In general, low recoveries of selenium are obtained for several marine species (e.g., crustaceans and cephalopods), which may be ascribed to the presence of Se forms mainly associated with nonpolar proteins and lipids. Post-digestion UV irradiation proved very efficient since not only complete organoselenium decomposition was achieved but also the final step required for prereduction of Se(VI) into Se(IV) (i.e. heating at 90 deg. C for 30 min in 6 M HCl) could be avoided. With the MAWD/UV procedure, the use of strong oxidising agents (persuphate, etc.) or acids (e.g. perchloric acid) which are typically applied prior to Se determination by hydride generation techniques is overcome, and as a result, sample pre-treatment is significantly simplified. The method was successfully validated against CRM DOLT-2 (dogfish liver), CRM DORM-2 (dogfish muscle) and CRM TORT-2 (lobster hepatopancreas). Automated ultrasonic slurry sampling with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry was also applied for comparison. Total Se contents in ten seafood samples were established. Se levels ranged from 0.7 to 2.9 μg g -1

  15. Metabolic routes along digestive system of licorice: multicomponent sequential metabolism method in rat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Lei; Zhao, Haiyu; Liu, Yang; Dong, Honghuan; Lv, Beiran; Fang, Min; Zhao, Huihui

    2016-06-01

    This study was conducted to establish the multicomponent sequential metabolism (MSM) method based on comparative analysis along the digestive system following oral administration of licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., leguminosae), a traditional Chinese medicine widely used for harmonizing other ingredients in a formulae. The licorice water extract (LWE) dissolved in Krebs-Ringer buffer solution (1 g/mL) was used to carry out the experiments and the comparative analysis was performed using HPLC and LC-MS/MS methods. In vitro incubation, in situ closed-loop and in vivo blood sampling were used to measure the LWE metabolic profile along the digestive system. The incubation experiment showed that the LWE was basically stable in digestive juice. A comparative analysis presented the metabolic profile of each prototype and its corresponding metabolites then. Liver was the major metabolic organ for LWE, and the metabolism by the intestinal flora and gut wall was also an important part of the process. The MSM method was practical and could be a potential method to describe the metabolic routes of multiple components before absorption into the systemic blood stream. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  16. A novel and eco-friendly analytical method for phosphorus and sulfur determination in animal feed.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novo, Diogo L R; Pereira, Rodrigo M; Costa, Vanize C; Hartwig, Carla A; Mesko, Marcia F

    2018-04-25

    An eco-friendly method for indirect determining phosphorus and sulfur in animal feed by ion chromatography was proposed. Using this method, it was possible to digest 500 mg of animal feed in a microwave system under oxygen pressure (20 bar) using only a diluted acid solution (2 mol L -1 HNO 3 ). The accuracy of the proposed method was evaluated by recovery tests, by analysis of reference material (RM) and by comparison of the results with those obtained using conventional microwave-assisted digestion. Moreover, P results were compared with those obtained from the method recommended by AOAC International for animal feed (Method nr. 965.17) and no significant differences were found between the results. Recoveries for P and S were between 94 and 97%, and agreements with the reference values of RM were better than 94%. Phosphorus and S concentrations in animal feeds ranged from 10,026 to 28,357 mg kg -1 and 2259 to 4601 mg kg -1 , respectively. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Impact of microwave pre-treatment on the batch anaerobic digestion of two-phase olive mill solid residue: a kinetic approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rincon, B.; Gonzalez de Canales, M.; Martin, A.; Borja, R.

    2016-01-01

    The effect of a microwave (MW) pre-treatment on two-phase olive mill solid residue (OMSR) or alperujo with a view to enhancing its anaerobic digestibility was studied. The MW pre-treatment was carried out at a power of 800 W and at a targeted temperature of 50 °C using different heating rates and holding times. The following specific energies were applied: 4377 kJ·kg TS−1 (MW1), 4830 kJ·kg TS−1 (MW2), 7170 kJ·kg TS−1 (MW3) and 7660 kJ·kg TS−1 (MW4). The maximum methane yield, 395±1 mL CH4·g VSadded−1, was obtained for MW4. The effect of the pre-treatment on the kinetics of the process was also studied. The methane production curves generated during the batch tests showed a first exponential stage and a second sigmoidal stage for all the cases studied. In the first stage, the kinetic constant for the pre-treatment MW1 was 54.8% higher than that obtained for untreated OMSR. [es

  18. Simplified polymer characterization after microwave assisted sample preparation (T9)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lafer, M.; Kettisch, P.; Gfrerrer, M.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: Beside the determination of fillers and heavy metals in polymers after decomposition more often stabilizers, fire inhibitors and antistatic additive agents are measured alter using fast microwave accelerated solvent extraction. Determination of heavy metal traces for example in food packaging materials needs high sample weight to detect small amounts of impurities. High sample weight is also needed for plastic waste providing the homogeneity for representative analysis. Due to the high concentration of' organic carbon and the fact that the materials swim on the acid surface, closed vessel digestion had limits concerning sample weight. A new vessel insert in combination with extremely fast reaction control allows now to double or triple usual sample weights. High performance vessels can also be used to decompose polymers filled with TiO 2 , talcum, fibers or similar within short one or two step procedures gaining solutions without precipitates. Additional filtration or sample treatment is not necessary. For the determination of organic components more and more classical, but time consuming methods are replaced by microwave assisted solvent extraction. Instead of hours or even half days using Soxhlet extraction samples can be extracted within minutes using vessels and rotors similar to those used for decomposition. The dual use of one basic microwave instrument for both, analysis of inorganic as well as organic parameters will help to increase efficiency by reduced costs. (author)

  19. Direct synthesis of L1 type Fe-Pt nanoparticles using microwave-polyol method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Minami, Rumiko; Kitamoto, Yoshitaka; Chikata, Tsukasa; Kato, Shunsaku

    2005-01-01

    We report the synthesis of Fe-Pt nanoparticles with microwave irradiation during polyol-reduction reaction. Chemically ordered Fe-Pt nanoparticles with L1 structure are fabricated at 250 deg. C using a microwave-polyol method without any post-synthesis treatments. Moessbauer analyses reveal the nanoparticles have partially ordered L1 structure. The partially ordered Fe-Pt nanoparticles exhibit coercivity of 3.4 kOe, saturation magnetization of 49 emu/g, and anisotropy field of 83 kOe at room temperature

  20. Exploiting Microwave Imaging Methods for Real-Time Monitoring of Thermal Ablation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosa Scapaticci

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Microwave thermal ablation is a cancer treatment that exploits local heating caused by a microwave electromagnetic field to induce coagulative necrosis of tumor cells. Recently, such a technique has significantly progressed in the clinical practice. However, its effectiveness would dramatically improve if paired with a noninvasive system for the real-time monitoring of the evolving dimension and shape of the thermally ablated area. In this respect, microwave imaging can be a potential candidate to monitor the overall treatment evolution in a noninvasive way, as it takes direct advantage from the dependence of the electromagnetic properties of biological tissues from temperature. This paper explores such a possibility by presenting a proof of concept validation based on accurate simulated imaging experiments, run with respect to a scenario that mimics an ex vivo experimental setup. In particular, two model-based inversion algorithms are exploited to tackle the imaging task. These methods provide independent results in real-time and their integration improves the quality of the overall tracking of the variations occurring in the target and surrounding regions.

  1. Dry matter genotypes of Cynodon by microwave and conventional oven methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Euclides Reuter de Oliveira

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available The aimed of this work was to comparing the drying process in a microwave oven and forced air ventilation, as well as their effects on the chemical composition of different genotypes of the genus Cynodon (Tifton 85, Jiggs, Russell, Tifton 68 and Vaquero collected at different ages cutting (28, 48, 63 and 79 days. The experimental design was a randomized block in a split-plot design, with 4 replicates. There was no difference (P>0.05 between the methods analyzed on the chemical composition of the genotypes studied. Increasing age cutoff negatively influenced (P<0.05 the crude protein content of the different plant parts. A significant increase (P<0.05 of dry matter, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber and dry matter production was observed with increasing age cut. The use of the microwave oven is a quick and precise method obtain the dry matter content of the fodder showing efficiency similar to the method of drying in an oven with forced air circulation. The genotypes showed better chemical composition results when handled at age 28 days.

  2. Effects of microwave power and irradiation time on pectin extraction from watermelon rinds (Citrullus lanatus) with acetic acid using microwave assisted extraction method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sari, A. M.; Ishartani, D.; Dewanty, P. S.

    2018-01-01

    The aims of this research are to study the effect of microwave power (119.7 W, 199.5 W and 279.3 W) and irradiation time (6, 9 and 12 min) on pectin extraction by using Microwave Assisted Extraction (MAE) with acetic acid and to do a preliminary characterization of pectin from watermelon rinds. A randomized factorial design with two factors was used to determine the effect of microwave power and processing time on the yield, equivalent weight, degree of methoxylation (DM), galacturonic acid content (GA) and the degree of esterification (DE) of extracted pectin. The results showed that extracted pectin from watermelon rinds using MAE method have yield ranged from 3.925% to 5.766%, with equivalent weight ranged from 1249.702 to 2007.756. Extracted pectin have a DM value ranged from 3.89% to 10.81%. Galacturonic acid content that meets with IPPA standard resulted from extraction condition of 279.3-watt microwave power for 9 min and 12 min. The degree of esterification (DE) value ranged from 56.86% to 85.76%, and this value exhibited a relatively high methoxyl pectin (>50%). The best pectin properties was obtained at a microwave power of 279.3 watts for 12 min.

  3. Microwave heating processes involving carbon materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Menendez, J.A.; Arenillas, A.; Fidalgo, B.; Fernandez, Y.; Zubizarreta, L.; Calvo, E.G.; Bermudez, J.M. [Instituto Nacional del Carbon, CSIC, Apartado 73, 33080 Oviedo (Spain)

    2010-01-15

    Carbon materials are, in general, very good absorbents of microwaves, i.e., they are easily heated by microwave radiation. This characteristic allows them to be transformed by microwave heating, giving rise to new carbons with tailored properties, to be used as microwave receptors, in order to heat other materials indirectly, or to act as a catalyst and microwave receptor in different heterogeneous reactions. In recent years, the number of processes that combine the use of carbons and microwave heating instead of other methods based on conventional heating has increased. In this paper some of the microwave-assisted processes in which carbon materials are produced, transformed or used in thermal treatments (generally, as microwave absorbers and catalysts) are reviewed and the main achievements of this technique are compared with those obtained by means of conventional (non microwave-assisted) methods in similar conditions. (author)

  4. Microwave processing heats up

    Science.gov (United States)

    Microwaves are a common appliance in many households. In the United States microwave heating is the third most popular domestic heating method food foods. Microwave heating is also a commercial food processing technology that has been applied for cooking, drying, and tempering foods. It's use in ...

  5. Comparison of sample digestion techniques for the determination of trace and residual catalyst metal content in single-wall carbon nanotubes by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grinberg, Patricia, E-mail: patricia.grinberg@nrc.ca [Measurement Science and Standards, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa (Canada); Sturgeon, Ralph E. [Measurement Science and Standards, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa (Canada); Diehl, Liange de O.; Bizzi, Cezar A. [Measurement Science and Standards, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa (Canada); Chemistry Department, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria (Brazil); Flores, Erico M.M. [Chemistry Department, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria (Brazil)

    2015-03-01

    A single-wall carbon nanotube material produced by laser ablation of renewable biochar in the presence of Ni and Co catalyst was characterized for residual catalyst (Co and Ni) as well as trace metal impurity content (Fe, Mo, Cr, Pb and Hg) by isotope dilution ICP-MS following sample digestion. Several matrix destruction procedures were evaluated, including a multi-step microwave-assisted acid digestion, dry ashing at 450 °C and microwave-induced combustion with oxygen. Results were benchmarked against those derived from neutron activation analysis and also supported by solid sampling continuum source GF-AAS for several of the elements. Although laborious to execute, the multi-step microwave-assisted acid digestion proved to be most reliable for recovery of the majority of the analytes, although content of Cr remained biased low for each approach, likely due to its presence as refractory carbide. - Highlights: • Determination of trace and residual catalyst metal content in Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. • Comparative study of digestion methodology combined with high precision isotope dilution ICP-MS for quantitation of elements of toxicologic relevance. • Results were benchmarked against those derived from neutron activation analysis and also supported by solid sampling continuum source GF-AAS for several of the elements.

  6. Open focused microwave-assisted sample preparation for rapid total and mercury species determination in environmental solid samples

    OpenAIRE

    Tseng, C. M.; Garraud, H.; Amouroux, D.; Donard, O. F. X.; de Diego, A.

    1998-01-01

    This paper describes rapid, simple microwave-assisted leaching/ digestion procedures for total and mercury species determination in sediment samples and biomaterials. An open focused microwave system allowed the sample preparation time to be dramatically reduced to only 24 min when a power of 40-80 W was applied. Quantitative leaching of methylmercury from sediments by HNO3 solution and complete dissolution of biomaterials by an alkaline solution, such as 25% TMAH solution, were obtained. Met...

  7. Comparative numerical study of kaolin clay with three drying methods: Convective, convective–microwave and convective infrared modes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hammouda, I.; Mihoubi, D.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Modelling of drying of deformable media. • Theoretical study of kaolin clay with three drying methods: convective, convective–microwave and convective infrared mode. • The stresses generated during convective, microwave/convective drying and infrared/convective drying. • The combined drying decrease the intensity of stresses developed during drying. - Abstract: A mathematical model is developed to simulate the response of a kaolin clay sample when subjected to convective, convective–microwave and convective–infrared mode. This model is proposed to describe heat, mass, and momentum transfers applied to a viscoelastic medium described by a Maxwell model with two branches. The combined drying methods were investigated to examine whether these types of drying may minimize cracking that can be generated in the product and to know whether the best enhancement is developed by the use of infra-red or microwave radiation. The numerical code allowed us to determine, and thus, compare the effect of the drying mode on drying rate, temperature, moisture content and mechanical stress evolutions during drying. The numerical results show that the combined drying decrease the intensity of stresses developed during drying and that convective–microwave drying is the best method that gives a good quality of dried product

  8. No major differences found between the effects of microwave-based and conventional heat treatment methods on two different liquid foods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Géczi, Gábor; Horváth, Márk; Kaszab, Tímea; Alemany, Gonzalo Garnacho

    2013-01-01

    Extension of shelf life and preservation of products are both very important for the food industry. However, just as with other processes, speed and higher manufacturing performance are also beneficial. Although microwave heating is utilized in a number of industrial processes, there are many unanswered questions about its effects on foods. Here we analyze whether the effects of microwave heating with continuous flow are equivalent to those of traditional heat transfer methods. In our study, the effects of heating of liquid foods by conventional and continuous flow microwave heating were studied. Among other properties, we compared the stability of the liquid foods between the two heat treatments. Our goal was to determine whether the continuous flow microwave heating and the conventional heating methods have the same effects on the liquid foods, and, therefore, whether microwave heat treatment can effectively replace conventional heat treatments. We have compared the colour, separation phenomena of the samples treated by different methods. For milk, we also monitored the total viable cell count, for orange juice, vitamin C contents in addition to the taste of the product by sensory analysis. The majority of the results indicate that the circulating coil microwave method used here is equivalent to the conventional heating method based on thermal conduction and convection. However, some results in the analysis of the milk samples show clear differences between heat transfer methods. According to our results, the colour parameters (lightness, red-green and blue-yellow values) of the microwave treated samples differed not only from the untreated control, but also from the traditional heat treated samples. The differences are visually undetectable, however, they become evident through analytical measurement with spectrophotometer. This finding suggests that besides thermal effects, microwave-based food treatment can alter product properties in other ways as well.

  9. No major differences found between the effects of microwave-based and conventional heat treatment methods on two different liquid foods.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gábor Géczi

    Full Text Available Extension of shelf life and preservation of products are both very important for the food industry. However, just as with other processes, speed and higher manufacturing performance are also beneficial. Although microwave heating is utilized in a number of industrial processes, there are many unanswered questions about its effects on foods. Here we analyze whether the effects of microwave heating with continuous flow are equivalent to those of traditional heat transfer methods. In our study, the effects of heating of liquid foods by conventional and continuous flow microwave heating were studied. Among other properties, we compared the stability of the liquid foods between the two heat treatments. Our goal was to determine whether the continuous flow microwave heating and the conventional heating methods have the same effects on the liquid foods, and, therefore, whether microwave heat treatment can effectively replace conventional heat treatments. We have compared the colour, separation phenomena of the samples treated by different methods. For milk, we also monitored the total viable cell count, for orange juice, vitamin C contents in addition to the taste of the product by sensory analysis. The majority of the results indicate that the circulating coil microwave method used here is equivalent to the conventional heating method based on thermal conduction and convection. However, some results in the analysis of the milk samples show clear differences between heat transfer methods. According to our results, the colour parameters (lightness, red-green and blue-yellow values of the microwave treated samples differed not only from the untreated control, but also from the traditional heat treated samples. The differences are visually undetectable, however, they become evident through analytical measurement with spectrophotometer. This finding suggests that besides thermal effects, microwave-based food treatment can alter product properties in other

  10. Methods of analysis by the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Laboratory; determination of the total phosphorus by a Kjeldahl digestion method and an automated colorimetric finish that includes dialysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patton, Charles J.; Truitt, Earl P.

    1992-01-01

    A method to determine total phosphorus (TP) in the same digests prepared for total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) determinations is desribed. The batch, high-temperature (block digester), HG(II)-catalyzed digestion step is similar to U.S. Geological Survey methods I-2552-85/I-4552-85 and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency method 365.4 except that sample and reagent volumes are halved. Prepared digests are desolvated at 220 degrees Celsius and digested at 370 degrees Celsius in separate block digesters set at these temperatures, rather than in a single, temperature-programmed block digester. This approach is used in the method escribed here, which permits 40 calibrants, reference waters, and smaples to be digested and resolvated in about an hour. Orthophosphate ions originally present in samples, along with those released during the digestion step, are determined colorimetrically at a rate of 90 tests per hour by an automated version of the phosphoantimonylmolybdenum blue procedure. About 100 microliters of digest are required per determination. The upper concentration limit is 2 milligrams per liter (mg/L) with a method detection limt of 0.01 mg/L. Repeatability for a sample containing approximately 1.6 mg/L of TP in a high suspended-solids matrix is 0.7 percent. Between-day precision for the same sample is 5.0 percent. A dialyzer in the air-segmented continuous flow analyzer provides on-line digest cleanup, eliminated particulates that otherwise would interfere in the colorimetric finish. An single-channel analyzer can process the resolvated digests from two pairs of block digesters each hour. Paired t-test analysis of TP concentrations for approximately 1,600 samples determined by the new method (U.S. Geologial Survey methods I-2610-91 and I-4610-91) and the old method (U.S. Geological Survey methods I-2600-85 and I-4600-85) revealed positive bias in the former of 0.02 to 0.04 mg/L for surface-water samples in agreement with previous studies. Concentrations of total

  11. Non-Invasive Imaging Method of Microwave Near Field Based on Solid State Quantum Sensing

    OpenAIRE

    Yang, Bo; Du, Guanxiang; Dong, Yue; Liu, Guoquan; Hu, Zhenzhong; Wang, Yongjin

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, we propose a non-invasive imaging method of microwave near field using a diamond containing nitrogen-vacancy centers. We applied synchronous pulsed sequence combined with charge coupled device camera to measure the amplitude of the microwave magnetic field. A full reconstruction formulation of the local field vector, including the amplitude and phase, is developed by measuring both left and right circular polarizations along the four nitrogen-vacancy axes. Compared to the raste...

  12. A novel method to augment extraction of mangiferin by application of microwave on three phase partitioning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulkarni, Vrushali M; Rathod, Virendra K

    2015-06-01

    This work reports a novel approach where three phase partitioning (TPP) was combined with microwave for extraction of mangiferin from leaves of Mangifera indica . Soxhlet extraction was used as reference method, which yielded 57 mg/g in 5 h. Under optimal conditions such as microwave irradiation time 5 min, ammonium sulphate concentration 40% w/v, power 272 W, solute to solvent ratio 1:20, slurry to t -butanol ratio 1:1, soaking time 5 min and duty cycle 50%, the mangiferin yield obtained was 54 mg/g by microwave assisted three phase partitioning extraction (MTPP). Thus extraction method developed resulted into higher extraction yield in a shorter span, thereby making it an interesting alternative prior to down-stream processing.

  13. Solid State Technology Branch of NASA Lewis Research Center: Fifth Annual Digest

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-08-01

    The digest is a collection of papers written by the members of the Solid State Technology Branch of NASA Lewis Research Center from June 1992-June 1993. The papers cover a range of topics relating to superconductivity, monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC's), coplanar waveguide, and material characterization. Individual papers are abstracted separately on the data base

  14. The 1988 IEEE MTT international microwave symposium (Digest of Papers). Volume I

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1988-01-01

    This book contains papers presented at a symposium on microwaves. Topics covered include: Radiation from open waveguides and leaky wave phenomena; Frequency-dependent and frequency-independent nonlinear characteristics of a high-speed laser diode; and Integrated circuit discontinuities and radiation

  15. Comparison of artificial digestion and Baermann's methods for detection of Trichinella spiralis pre-encapsulated larvae in muscles with low-level infections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Peng; Wang, Zhong-Quan; Cui, Jing; Zhang, Xi

    2012-01-01

    Artificial digestion method is widely used for the detection of Trichinella larvae (mainly the mature larvae, e.g., encapsulated larvae in encapsulated Trichinella) in meat. The previous studies demonstrated that Trichinella spiralis pre-encapsulated larvae (PEL) at 14-18 days postinfection (dpi) had the infectivity to new hosts. However, to our knowledge, there is no report on the detection methods of PEL in meat. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficiency of artificial digestion and Baermann's methods for detection of T. spiralis PEL in meat, and to test the factors affecting the sensitivity of the two methods. Forty-five male Kunming mice were randomly divided into 3 groups (15 mice per group), and each group of mice was orally inoculated with 20, 10, or 5 muscle larvae of T. spiralis, respectively. All infected mice were slaughtered at 18 dpi, and the muscles were minced. The digestion method that was recommended by International Commission on Trichinellosis and Baermann's method were used to detect the PEL in the infected mice. The detection rate of PEL in both mice infected with 20 muscle larvae by digestion and Baermann's method was 100% (15/15); the detection rates of PEL in mice infected with 10 larvae by the two methods just mentioned were 93.33% (14/15) and 100% (15/15), respectively; when the mice infected with 5 larvae were tested, the different detection rate of PEL was achieved by using digestion method (63.33%) and Baermann's method (100%). Additionally, the number of PEL collected from the mice infected with 20, 10, or 5 larvae by Baermann's method was greater than that by digestion methods. The mortality of PEL increased along with the prolongation of digestion duration, because the PEL were not resistant to enzymatic digestion. The results revealed that the Baermann's method is superior to the digestion methods for detection of T. spiralis PEL in muscle samples with low-level infections.

  16. Comparison of Two Static in Vitro Digestion Methods for Screening the Bioaccessibility of Carotenoids in Fruits, Vegetables, and Animal Products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodrigues, Daniele B; Chitchumroonchokchai, Chureeporn; Mariutti, Lilian R B; Mercadante, Adriana Z; Failla, Mark L

    2017-12-27

    In vitro digestion methods are routinely used to assess the bioaccessibility of carotenoids and other dietary lipophilic compounds. Here, we compared the recovery of carotenoids and their efficiency of micellarization in digested fruits, vegetables, egg yolk, and salmon and also in mixed-vegetable salads with and without either egg yolk or salmon using the static INFOGEST method22 and the procedure of Failla et al.16 Carotenoid stability during the simulated digestion was ≥70%. The efficiencies of the partitioning of carotenoids into mixed micelles were similar when individual plant foods and salad meals were digested using the two static methods. Furthermore, the addition of cooked egg or salmon to vegetable salads increased the bioaccessibility of some carotenoids. Our findings showed that the two methods of in vitro digestion generated similar estimates of carotenoid retention and bioaccessibility for diverse foods.

  17. Application of next-generation sequencing methods for microbial monitoring of anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bozan, Mahir; Akyol, Çağrı; Ince, Orhan; Aydin, Sevcan; Ince, Bahar

    2017-09-01

    The anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic wastes is considered an efficient method for managing the world's energy shortages and resolving contemporary environmental problems. However, the recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass represents a barrier to maximizing biogas production. The purpose of this review is to examine the extent to which sequencing methods can be employed to monitor such biofuel conversion processes. From a microbial perspective, we present a detailed insight into anaerobic digesters that utilize lignocellulosic biomass and discuss some benefits and disadvantages associated with the microbial sequencing techniques that are typically applied. We further evaluate the extent to which a hybrid approach incorporating a variation of existing methods can be utilized to develop a more in-depth understanding of microbial communities. It is hoped that this deeper knowledge will enhance the reliability and extent of research findings with the end objective of improving the stability of anaerobic digesters that manage lignocellulosic biomass.

  18. Evaluation of sample pretreatment methods for analysis of polonium isotopes in herbal medicines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sreejith, Sathyapriya R.; Nair, Madhu G.; Rao, D.D.

    2014-01-01

    Herbal infusions like ayurvedic aristas are widely consumed by Indian population for good health. With increasing awareness about radiological assessment, an effort was made to assess the radioactivity concentration of naturally occurring radionuclides in herbal medicines. 210 Po is an important alpha particle emitter contributing to internal dose to man from ingestion. Though 210 Po can be spontaneously deposited on silver disk for alpha spectrometric measurements with less radiochemical step, great care has to be taken during the sample pretreatment step owing to the high volatility of polonium even at low temperatures. Aim of the study was to evaluate an appropriate sample pretreatment method for estimation of polonium in herbal medicines. 209 Po was used for radiochemical yield calculation. Conventional open vessel wet ashing, physical evaporation, freeze-drying and microwave digestion in a Teflon vessel were examined. The recovery ranged between 9 and 79%. The lowest recovery was obtained for the samples that were processed by open vessel digestion without any volume reduction. The recoveries were comparable for those samples that were freeze dried and subjected to HNO 3 + HClO 4 + H 2 O 2 + HF acid digestion and microwave digested samples. 210 Po concentration in the samples ranged from 11.3 to 39.6 mBq/L

  19. Influence of deflocculation on microwave disintegration and anaerobic biodegradability of waste activated sludge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebenezer, A Vimala; Kaliappan, S; Adish Kumar, S; Yeom, Ick-Tae; Banu, J Rajesh

    2015-06-01

    In the present study, the potential benefits of deflocculation on microwave pretreatment of waste activated sludge were investigated. Deflocculation in the absence of cell lysis was achieved through the removal of extra polymeric substances (EPS) by sodium citrate (0.1g sodium citrate/g suspended solids), and DNA was used as a marker for monitoring cell lysis. Subsequent microwave pretreatment yielded a chemical oxygen demand (COD) solubilisation of 31% and 21%, suspended solids (SS) reduction of 37% and 22%, for deflocculated and flocculated sludge, respectively, with energy input of 14,000kJ/kg TS. When microwave pretreated sludge was subjected to anaerobic fermentation, greater accumulation of volatile fatty acid (860mg/L) was noticed in deflocculated sludge, indicating better hydrolysis. Among the samples subjected to BMP (Biochemical methane potential test), deflocculated microwave pretreated sludge showed better amenability towards anaerobic digestion with high methane production potential of 0.615L (gVS)(-1). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. A novel method to augment extraction of mangiferin by application of microwave on three phase partitioning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vrushali M. Kulkarni

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available This work reports a novel approach where three phase partitioning (TPP was combined with microwave for extraction of mangiferin from leaves of Mangifera indica. Soxhlet extraction was used as reference method, which yielded 57 mg/g in 5 h. Under optimal conditions such as microwave irradiation time 5 min, ammonium sulphate concentration 40% w/v, power 272 W, solute to solvent ratio 1:20, slurry to t-butanol ratio 1:1, soaking time 5 min and duty cycle 50%, the mangiferin yield obtained was 54 mg/g by microwave assisted three phase partitioning extraction (MTPP. Thus extraction method developed resulted into higher extraction yield in a shorter span, thereby making it an interesting alternative prior to down-stream processing.

  1. Bioaccessibility of polychlorinated biphenyls in different foods using an in vitro digestion method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xing Guanhua; Yang Yu; Chan, Janet Kie Yan Chan; Tao Shu; Wong Minghung

    2008-01-01

    Bioaccessibility of organic pollutants in food is important for exposure estimation and risk assessment. An in vitro enzyme digestion experiment was carried out to analyze the bioaccessibility of PCBs in different foods including freshwater fish (bighead carp and oriental weather fish) and vegetables (spinach and cabbage). The results indicated that the bioaccessibility of PCBs in freshwater fish (3%) was much lower than that in leafy vegetables (25%). Based on field survey, the daily exposure TEQ value from these two types of food was 17.9 pg/kg bw/day. However, when bioaccessibility was taken into consideration, the value decreased to 0.61 pg/kg bw/day. Therefore, the forms of PCBs existing in food strongly influenced the bioavailability for humans, which may have important implications on dietary exposure. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to illustrate the bioaccessibility of PCBs in different foods using an in vitro digestion method. - This paper describes the applicability of an in vitro digestion method for measuring the bioaccessibility of PCBs from freshwater fish and leafy vegetables

  2. Does residual H2O2 result in inhibitory effect on enhanced anaerobic digestion of sludge pretreated by microwave-H2O2 pretreatment process?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jibao; Jia, Ruilai; Wang, Yawei; Wei, Yuansong; Zhang, Junya; Wang, Rui; Cai, Xing

    2017-04-01

    This study investigated the effects of residual H 2 O 2 on hydrolysis-acidification and methanogenesis stages of anaerobic digestion after microwave-H 2 O 2 (MW-H 2 O 2 ) pretreatment of waste activated sludge (WAS). Results showed that high sludge solubilization at 35-45 % was achieved after pretreatment, while large amounts of residual H 2 O 2 remained and refractory compounds were thus generated with high dosage of H 2 O 2 (0.6 g H 2 O 2 /g total solids (TS), 1.0 g H 2 O 2 /g TS) pretreatment. The residual H 2 O 2 not only inhibited hydrolysis-acidification stage mildly, such as hydrolase activity, but also had acute toxic effect on methanogens, resulting in long lag phase, low methane yield rate, and no increase of cumulative methane production during the 30-day BMP tests. When the low dosage of H 2 O 2 at 0.2 g H 2 O 2 /g TS was used in MW-H 2 O 2 pretreatment, sludge anaerobic digestion was significantly enhanced. The cumulative methane production increased by 29.02 %, but still with a lag phase of 1.0 day. With removing the residual H 2 O 2 by catalase, the initial lag phase of hydrolysis-acidification stage decreased from 1.0 to 0.5 day.

  3. USE OF TWO DIGESTION METHODS IN THE EVALUATION OF CHROMIUM CONTENT IN CATTLE'S MEAT SUPPLEMENTED WITH CHROMIUM CHELATES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. L. T. de Andrade

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The present study aimed to analyze the chromium content in beef using two digestion methods. There were used samples from 24 18-month-old male cattle, and twelve of them were supplemented and twelve were not supplemented with chromium chelate. These samples were evaluated by atomic absorption spectroscopy, previously submitted to digestion method using nitric acid (65% with hydrogen peroxide (35% and to digestion method, using solution of nitric perchloric acid in the proportion 3:1. Immediately after the slaughter, the carcasses were sent to sanitary maturation. After 24 hours, samples between 12th and 13th rib in the muscle Longissimus Thoracis were taken. For evaluation, it was used completely randomized design (Die and analysis of variance (ANOVA at 5% of significance level. The results didn't evidenced any significant difference (p>0,05 between the (cromo content, regardless the supplementation. The same happened with the digestion methods used.

  4. Method to estimate the internal stresses due to moisture in wood using transmission properties of microwaves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takemura, T.; Taniguchi, T.

    2004-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to offer a new method for detecting stress in wood due to moisture along the lines of a theory reported previously. According to the theory, the stress in wood could be estimated from the moisture content of the wood and the power voltage of a microwave moisture meter (i.e., attenuation of the projected microwave). This seems to suggest a possibility of utilizing microwaves in the field of stress detection. To develop such an idea, the stress formulas were initially modified to the form of an uni-variable function of power voltage, and the application method of the formulas to detection was tried. Finally, these results were applied to the data of sugi (Cryptomeria japonica) lumber in the previous experiment. The estimated strains showed fairly good agreement with those observed. It could be concluded from this study that the proposed method might be available for detecting stress in wood due to moisture

  5. [Study on friction and wear properties of dental zirconia ceramics processed by microwave and conventional sintering methods].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guoxin, Hu; Ying, Yang; Yuemei, Jiang; Wenjing, Xia

    2017-04-01

    This study evaluated the wear of an antagonist and friction and wear properties of dental zirconia ceramic that was subjected to microwave and conventional sintering methods. Ten specimens were fabricated from Lava brand zirconia and randomly assigned to microwave and conventional sintering groups. A profile tester for surface roughness was used to measure roughness of the specimens. Wear test was performed, and steatite ceramic was used as antagonist. Friction coefficient curves were recorded, and wear volume were calculated. Finally, optical microscope was used to observe the surface morphology of zirconia and steatite ceramics. Field emission scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the microstructure of zirconia. Wear volumes of microwave and conventionally sintered zirconia were (6.940±1.382)×10⁻², (7.952±1.815) ×10⁻² mm³, respectively. Moreover, wear volumes of antagonist after sintering by the considered methods were (14.189±4.745)×10⁻², (15.813±3.481)×10⁻² mm³, correspondingly. Statistically significant difference was not observed in the wear resistance of zirconia and wear volume of steatite ceramic upon exposure to two kinds of sintering methods. Optical microscopy showed that ploughed surfaces were apparent in zirconia. The wear surface of steatite ceramic against had craze, accompanied by plough. Scanning electron microscopy showed that zirconia was sintered compactly when subjected to both conventional sintering and microwave methods, whereas grains of zirconia sintered by microwave alone were smaller and more uniform. Two kinds of sintering methods are successfully used to produce dental zirconia ceramics with similar friction and wear properties.
.

  6. The microwave effects on the properties of alumina at high frequencies of microwave sintering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sudiana, I. Nyoman; Ngkoimani, La Ode; Usman, Ida; Mitsudo, Seitaro; Sako, Katsuhide; Inagaki, Shunsuke; Aripin, H.

    2016-01-01

    Microwave sintering of materials has attracted much research interest because of its significant advantages (e.g. reduced sintering temperatures and soaking times) over the conventional heating. Most researchers compared processes that occurred during the microwave and conventional heating at the same temperature and time. The enhancements found in the former method are indicated as a 'non-thermal effect' which is usually used for explaining the phenomena in microwave processing. Numerous recent studies have been focused on the effect to elucidate the microwave interaction mechanism with materials. Moreover, recent progress on microwave sources such as gyrotrons has opened the possibility for processing materials by using a higher microwave frequency. Therefore, the technology is expected to exhibit a stronger non-thermal effect. This paper presents results from a series of experiments to study the non-thermal effect on microwave sintered alumina. Sintering by using a wide rage of microwave frequencies up to 300 GHz as well as a conventional furnace was carried out. The linear shrinkages of samples for each sintering method were measured. Pores and grains taken from scanning electron microstructure (SEM) images of cut surfaces were also examined. The results of a comparative study of the shrinkages and microstructure evolutions of the sintered samples under annealing in microwave heating systems and in an electric furnace were analyzed. A notably different behavior of the shrinkages and microstructures of alumina after being annealed was found. The results suggested that microwave radiations provided an additional force for mass transports. The results also indicated that the sintering process depended on microwave frequencies.

  7. The microwave effects on the properties of alumina at high frequencies of microwave sintering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sudiana, I. Nyoman, E-mail: sudiana75@yahoo.com; Ngkoimani, La Ode; Usman, Ida [Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematic and Natural Science, Halu Oleo University, Kampus Bumi Tridharma Anduonohu, Kendari 93232 (Indonesia); Mitsudo, Seitaro; Sako, Katsuhide; Inagaki, Shunsuke [Research Center for Development of Far-Infrared Region, University of Fukui, 3-9-1 Bunkyo, Fukui-shi 910-8507 (Japan); Aripin, H. [Center for Material Processing and Renewable Energy, Faculty of Learning Teacher and Education Science, Siliwangi University, Jl. Siliwangi 24 Tasikmalaya 46115, West Java (Indonesia)

    2016-03-11

    Microwave sintering of materials has attracted much research interest because of its significant advantages (e.g. reduced sintering temperatures and soaking times) over the conventional heating. Most researchers compared processes that occurred during the microwave and conventional heating at the same temperature and time. The enhancements found in the former method are indicated as a 'non-thermal effect' which is usually used for explaining the phenomena in microwave processing. Numerous recent studies have been focused on the effect to elucidate the microwave interaction mechanism with materials. Moreover, recent progress on microwave sources such as gyrotrons has opened the possibility for processing materials by using a higher microwave frequency. Therefore, the technology is expected to exhibit a stronger non-thermal effect. This paper presents results from a series of experiments to study the non-thermal effect on microwave sintered alumina. Sintering by using a wide rage of microwave frequencies up to 300 GHz as well as a conventional furnace was carried out. The linear shrinkages of samples for each sintering method were measured. Pores and grains taken from scanning electron microstructure (SEM) images of cut surfaces were also examined. The results of a comparative study of the shrinkages and microstructure evolutions of the sintered samples under annealing in microwave heating systems and in an electric furnace were analyzed. A notably different behavior of the shrinkages and microstructures of alumina after being annealed was found. The results suggested that microwave radiations provided an additional force for mass transports. The results also indicated that the sintering process depended on microwave frequencies.

  8. Microwave-ultrasound combined reactor suitable for atmospheric sample preparation procedure of biological and chemical products

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lagha, A.; Chemat, S.; Bartels, P.V.; Chemat, F.

    1999-01-01

    A compact apparatus in which a specific position can be irradiated by microwaves (MW) and ultrasound (US) simultaneously has been developed. The MW-US reactor has been designed for atmospheric pressure digestion and dissolution of biological and chemical products. The reactor can treat a range of

  9. Post-Digestion Liquor Treatment in the Method Combining Chemical Precipitation with Reverse Osmosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kuglarz Mariusz

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the study was to develop an effective treatment of post-digestion liquors highly-loaded with biogenic and organic substances. The scope of the research project encompassed: mesophilic anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge (WAS as well as the treatment of post-digestion liquors, coming from the most appropriate HRT value of 25 days, in the process of ammonium magnesium phosphate (struvite precipitation targeted at ammonia nitrogen binding and a subsequent reverse osmosis (RO process. It was established that the method combining chemical precipitation and high-pressure filtration ensures a high degree of contaminants removal allowing for a direct release of treated liquors into the natural reservoir. However, in order to decrease the residual NH4+ concentration (6.1 mg NH4+/dm3 in the purified post-digestion liquors below the level allowing for a direct release to the natural reservoir, it turned out to be necessary to apply increased molar ratio of magnesium and phosphates (Mg:NH4+: PO43-= 1.5:1:1.5.

  10. Visualization of the microwave beam generated by a plasma relativistic microwave amplifier

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alekseev, I. S.; Ivanov, I. E.; Strelkov, P. S., E-mail: strelkov@fpl.gpi.ru [Russian Academy of Science, Prokhorov General Physics Institute (Russian Federation); Tarakanov, V. P., E-mail: karat@msk.su [Russian Academy of Sciences, Joint Institute for High Temperatures (Russian Federation); Ulyanov, D. K. [Russian Academy of Science, Prokhorov General Physics Institute (Russian Federation)

    2017-03-15

    A method based on the detection of emission of a dielectric screen with metal microinclusions in open air is applied to visualize the transverse structure of a high-power microwave beam. In contrast to other visualization techniques, the results obtained in this work provide qualitative information not only on the electric field strength, but also on the structure of electric field lines in the microwave beam cross section. The interpretation of the results obtained with this method is confirmed by numerical simulations of the structure of electric field lines in the microwave beam cross section by means of the CARAT code.

  11. Comparison of microwave hydrodistillation and solvent-free microwave extraction of essential oil from Melaleuca leucadendra Linn

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ismanto, A. W.; Kusuma, H. S.; Mahfud, M.

    2017-12-01

    The comparison of solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME) and microwave hydrodistillation (MHD) in the extraction of essential oil from Melaleuca leucadendra Linn. was examined. Dry cajuput leaves were used in this study. The purpose of this study is also to determine optimal condition (microwave power). The relative electric consumption of SFME and MHD methods are both showing 0,1627 kWh/g and 0,3279 kWh/g. The results showed that solvent-free microwave extraction methods able to reduce energy consumption and can be regarded as a green technique for extraction of cajuput oil.

  12. Microwave and thermal pretreatment as methods for increasing the biogas potential of secondary sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plants

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kuglarz, Mariusz; Karakashev, Dimitar Borisov; Angelidaki, Irini

    2013-01-01

    In the present study, the sludge was pretreated with microwave irradiation and low-temperature thermal method, both conducted under the same temperature range (30–100°C). Microwave pretreatment was found to be superior over the thermal treatment with respect to sludge solubilization and biogas pr...... experiments indicated that pre-treated sludge (microwave irradiation: 900W, temperature: 60–70°C) gave 35% more methane, compared to untreated sludge. Moreover, the results of this study clearly demonstrated that microwave pretreated sludge showed better degree of sanitation....

  13. Qualitative and quantitative chemical investigation of orthopedic alloys by combining wet digestion, spectro analytical methods and direct solid analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Figueiredo, Caio M.; Castro, Jeyne P.; Sperança, Marco A.; Fialho, Lucimar L.; Nóbrega, Joaquim A.; Pereira-Filho, Edenir R., E-mail: erpf@ufscar.br [Universidade Federal de São Carlos (GAIA/UFSCar), SP (Brazil). Grupo de Análise Instrumental Aplicada

    2018-05-01

    In this study, two laser-based techniques, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) were used for analytical signal evaluation of Ti, Al, and V and investigation of possible harmful elements eventually present as minor elements in Ti alloys. Due to the lack of certified reference materials, samples were also analyzed by wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) after microwave-assisted digestion. To maximize the efficiency of LIBS and LA-ICP-MS, operational conditions were adjusted aiming to find optimal analytical performance. LIBS showed several Ti emission lines and few signals for Al and V. LA-ICP-MS was able to detect all three major constituents. For quantitative analysis, the correlation of intensity signals from LIBS analysis with reference values obtained by ICP OES was not successful, showing that there are still difficulties for quantification using solid samples. Measurements using ICP OES showed that additionally to major constituents, only Fe was present in concentrations around 0.2%. Analysis by WDXRF confirmed the presence of Fe. Results using both methods, i.e., ICP OES and WDXRF, were in good agreement. (author)

  14. A New Freezing Method Using Pre-Dehydration by Microwave-Vacuum Drying

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsuruta, Takaharu; Hamidi, Nurkholis

    Partial dehydration by microwave-vacuum drying has been applied to tuna and strawberry in order to reduce cell-damages caused by the formation of large ice-crystals during freezing. The samples were subjected to microwave vacuum drying at pressure of 5 kPa and temperature less than 27°C to remove small amount of water prior to freezing. The tuna were cooled by using the freezing chamber at temperature -50°C or -150°C, while the strawberries were frozen at temperature -30°C or -80°C, respectively. The temperature transients in tuna showed that removing some water before freezing made the freezing time shorter. The observations of ice crystal clearly indicated that rapid cooling and pre-dehydration prior to freezing were effective in minimizing the size of ice crystal. It is also understood that the formation of large ice crystals has a close relation to the cell damages. After thawing, the observation of microstructure was done on the tuna and strawberry halves. The pre-dehydrated samples showed a better structure than the un-dehydrated one. It is concluded that the pre-dehydration by microwave-vacuum drying is one promising method for the cryo-preservation of foods.

  15. A finite element method based microwave heat transfer modeling of frozen multi-component foods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pitchai, Krishnamoorthy

    Microwave heating is fast and convenient, but is highly non-uniform. Non-uniform heating in microwave cooking affects not only food quality but also food safety. Most food industries develop microwavable food products based on "cook-and-look" approach. This approach is time-consuming, labor intensive and expensive and may not result in optimal food product design that assures food safety and quality. Design of microwavable food can be realized through a simulation model which describes the physical mechanisms of microwave heating in mathematical expressions. The objective of this study was to develop a microwave heat transfer model to predict spatial and temporal profiles of various heterogeneous foods such as multi-component meal (chicken nuggets and mashed potato), multi-component and multi-layered meal (lasagna), and multi-layered food with active packages (pizza) during microwave heating. A microwave heat transfer model was developed by solving electromagnetic and heat transfer equations using finite element method in commercially available COMSOL Multiphysics v4.4 software. The microwave heat transfer model included detailed geometry of the cavity, phase change, and rotation of the food on the turntable. The predicted spatial surface temperature patterns and temporal profiles were validated against the experimental temperature profiles obtained using a thermal imaging camera and fiber-optic sensors. The predicted spatial surface temperature profile of different multi-component foods was in good agreement with the corresponding experimental profiles in terms of hot and cold spot patterns. The root mean square error values of temporal profiles ranged from 5.8 °C to 26.2 °C in chicken nuggets as compared 4.3 °C to 4.7 °C in mashed potatoes. In frozen lasagna, root mean square error values at six locations ranged from 6.6 °C to 20.0 °C for 6 min of heating. A microwave heat transfer model was developed to include susceptor assisted microwave heating of a

  16. Transforming anaerobic digestion with the Model T of digesters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Martin, J.F.; Ciotola, R.; Castano, J.; Eger, C.; Schlea, D. [Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States). Ecological Engineering Program

    2010-07-01

    Most livestock farmers in the United States do not take advantage of anaerobic digester technology because of the high cost and large scale. These limitations therefore reduce the production of renewable energy from farmlands. In order to expand anaerobic digestion methods and improve environmental quality, affordable and smaller-scale digesters should be developed to enable most livestock farmers to convert manure to methane. Doing so would improve their economic efficiency and environmental sustainability. This paper provided an analogy to the development of the Model T to better explain the need and potential for this technology. A modified fixed-dome digester was installed on the Ohio State University dairy in Columbus, Ohio. The digester was unheated, buried, had a volume of 1 m{sup 3} and received diluted dairy manure as feedstock. Biogas was produced at digester temperatures as low 10 degrees C during colder ambient temperatures. Water quality also improved. Results from the first year of operation will be analyzed to improve performance and enable future development of this technology.

  17. Rapid synthesis of nitrogen doped titania with mixed crystal lattice via microwave-assisted hydrothermal method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Peilin; Liu Bin; Yin Shu; Wang Yuhua; Petrykin, Valery; Kakihana, Masato; Sato, Tsugio

    2009-01-01

    A microwave-assisted hydrothermal method was employed to synthesize nitrogen doped titania nanoparticles. Due to the high heating efficiency of microwave, rapid synthesis could be achieved in comparison with the conventional oven. Mixed crystal lattice was found existing in the obtained product, and the phase transformation behaviour under calcination was studied by XRD measurement together with Raman spectroscopy in details. The obtained nitrogen doped titania showed high specific surface area, about 300 m 2 g -1 . Photocatalytic activity in destructing NO x gas by the prepared sample exceeded that of commercial titania (P 25) or nitrogen doped titania synthesized by conventional hydrothermal method, under both visible-light and ultraviolet-light irradiation.

  18. Extraction of Dihydroquercetin from Larix gmelinii with Ultrasound-Assisted and Microwave-Assisted Alternant Digestion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuangang Zu

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available An ultrasound and microwave assisted alternant extraction method (UMAE was applied for extracting dihydroquercetin (DHQ from Larix gmelinii wood. This investigation was conducted using 60% ethanol as solvent, 1:12 solid to liquid ratio, and 3 h soaking time. The optimum treatment time was ultrasound 40 min, microwave 20 min, respectively, and the extraction was performed once. Under the optimized conditions, satisfactory extraction yield of the target analyte was obtained. Relative to ultrasound-assisted or microwave-assisted method, the proposed approach provides higher extraction yield. The effect of DHQ of different concentrations and synthetic antioxidants on oxidative stability in soy bean oil stored for 20 days at different temperatures (25 °C and 60 °C was compared. DHQ was more effective in restraining soy bean oil oxidation, and a dose-response relationship was observed. The antioxidant activity of DHQ was a little stronger than that of BHA and BHT. Soy bean oil supplemented with 0.08 mg/g DHQ exhibited favorable antioxidant effects and is preferable for effectively avoiding oxidation. The L. gmelinii wood samples before and after extraction were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the UMAE method is a simple and efficient technique for sample preparation.

  19. Evaluating superconductors for microwave applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hammond, B.; Bybokas, J.

    1989-01-01

    It is becoming increasingly obvious that some of the earliest applications for high Tc superconductors will be in the microwave market. While this is a major opportunity for the superconductor community, it also represents a significant challenge. At DC or low frequencies a superconductor can be easily characterized by simple measurements of resistivity and magnetic susceptibility versus temperature. These parameters are fundamental to superconductor characterization and various methods exist for measuring them. The only valid way to determine the microwave characteristics of a superconductor is to measure it at microwave frequencies. It is for this reason that measuring microwave surface resistance has emerged as one of the most demanding and telling tests for materials intended for high frequency applications. In this article, the theory of microwave surface resistance is discussed. Methods for characterizing surface resistance theoretically and by practical implementation are described

  20. Effect of the chlortetracycline addition method on methane production from the anaerobic digestion of swine wastewater.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Lu; Wen, Xin; Wang, Yan; Zou, Yongde; Ma, Baohua; Liao, Xindi; Liang, Juanboo; Wu, Yinbao

    2014-10-01

    Effects of antibiotic residues on methane production in anaerobic digestion are commonly studied using the following two antibiotic addition methods: (1) adding manure from animals that consume a diet containing antibiotics, and (2) adding antibiotic-free animal manure spiked with antibiotics. This study used chlortetracycline (CTC) as a model antibiotic to examine the effects of the antibiotic addition method on methane production in anaerobic digestion under two different swine wastewater concentrations (0.55 and 0.22mg CTC/g dry manure). The results showed that CTC degradation rate in which manure was directly added at 0.55mg CTC/g (HSPIKE treatment) was lower than the control values and the rest of the treatment groups. Methane production from the HSPIKE treatment was reduced (pdigesters, and the total nitrogen of the 0.55mg CTC/kg manure collected from mediated swine was significantly higher than the other values. Therefore, different methane production under different antibiotic addition methods might be explained by the microbial activity and the concentrations of antibiotic intermediate products and metabolites. Because the primary entry route of veterinary antibiotics into an anaerobic digester is by contaminated animal manure, the most appropriate method for studying antibiotic residue effects on methane production may be using manure from animals that are given a particular antibiotic, rather than adding the antibiotic directly to the anaerobic digester. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  1. Evaluation of superparamagnetic and biocompatible properties of mesoporous silica coated cobalt ferrite nanoparticles synthesized via microwave modified Pechini method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gharibshahian, M. [Faculty of New Sciences and Technologies, Semnan University, Semnan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Mirzaee, O., E-mail: O_mirzaee@semnan.ac.ir [Faculty of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, Semnan University, Semnan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Nourbakhsh, M.S. [Faculty of New Sciences and Technologies, Semnan University, Semnan (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2017-03-01

    Cobalt ferrite nano particles were synthesized by Pechini sol-gel method and calcined at 700 °C in electrical and microwave furnace. The microwave calcined sample was coated with mesoporous silica by hydrothermal method. Characterization was performed by XRD, FESEM, TEM, VSM, BET and FTIR analysis. The cytotoxicity was evaluated by MTT assay with 3T3 fibroblast cells. The XRD and FTIR results confirmed spinal formation in both cases and verified the formation of silica coating on the nanoparticles. For microwave calcination, The XRD and SEM results demonstrated smaller and flat adhesion forms of nanoparticles with the average size of 15 nm. The VSM results demonstrated nearly superparamagnetic nanoparticles with significant saturation magnetization equal to 64 emu/g. By coating, saturation magnetization was decreased to 36 emu/g. Moreover, the BET results confirmed the formation of mesoporous coating with the average pore diameters of 2.8 nm and average pore volume of 0.82 cm{sup 3} g{sup −1}. Microwave calcined nanoparticles had the best structural and magnetic properties. - Highlights: • CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanoparticles were synthesized using the microwave modified Pechini method. • The Effect of calcination route and silica coating on NPs properties was studied. • The nearly superparamagnetic nanoparticles were achieved by microwave calcination. • MFC NPs had the best magnetic properties and MTT assay showed no toxicity for MFC-MSC NPs. • A useful scheme was designed to achieve biological superparamagnetic core/shell NPs.

  2. Study of photocatalytic activities of Bi2WO6 nanoparticles synthesized by fast microwave-assisted method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Phu, Nguyen Dang; Hoang, Luc Huy; Chen, Xiang-Bai; Kong, Meng-Hong; Wen, Hua-Chiang; Chou, Wu Ching

    2015-01-01

    We present a study of photocatalytic activities of Bi 2 WO 6 nanoparticles synthesized by fast microwave-assisted method. The photocatalytic activities of the nanoparticles were evaluated by the decolorization of methylene-blue under visible-light-irradiation. Our results show that the surface area of Bi 2 WO 6 nanoparticles plays a major role for improving photocatalytic activity, while visible-light absorption has only a weak effect on photocatalytic activity. This suggests efficient transportation of photo-generated electrons and holes to the oxidation active sites on the surface of nanoparticles, indicating Bi 2 WO 6 nanoparticles synthesized by fast microwave-assisted method are promising for achieving high photocatalytic activity under visible-light-irradiation. - Highlights: • The Bi 2 WO 6 nanoparticles were synthesized via fast microwave-assisted method. • The obtained Bi 2 WO 6 nanoparticles exhibited visible-light absorbance. • The surface area of Bi 2 WO 6 nanoparticles plays major role for improving photocatalytic activity. • The Bi 2 WO 6 nanoparticles are promising for achieving high photocatalytic activity under visible-light-irradiation

  3. Improvement of microwave-assisted digestion of milk powder with diluted nitric acid using oxygen as auxiliary reagent

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bizzi, Cezar A. [Departamento de Quimica, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, 97105-900, Santa Maria, RS (Brazil); Instituto Nacional de Ciencia e Tecnologia de Bioanalitica, Campinas, SP (Brazil); Barin, Juliano S. [Departamento de Tecnologia e Ciencia dos Alimentos, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, 97105-900, Santa Maria, RS (Brazil); Garcia, Edivaldo E. [Departamento de Quimica, Universidade Estadual de Maringa, 87100-900, Maringa, PR (Brazil); Nobrega, Joaquim A. [Departamento de Quimica, Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos, 13565-905, Sao Carlos, SP (Brazil); Dressler, Valderi L. [Departamento de Quimica, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, 97105-900, Santa Maria, RS (Brazil); Instituto Nacional de Ciencia e Tecnologia de Bioanalitica, Campinas, SP (Brazil); Flores, Erico M.M., E-mail: ericommf@gmail.com [Departamento de Quimica, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, 97105-900, Santa Maria, RS (Brazil); Instituto Nacional de Ciencia e Tecnologia de Bioanalitica, Campinas, SP (Brazil)

    2011-05-15

    The feasibility of using diluted HNO{sub 3} solutions under oxygen pressure for decomposition of whole and non-fat milk powders and whey powder samples has been evaluated. Digestion efficiency was evaluated by determining the carbon content in solution (digests) and the determination of Ca, Cd, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Pb and Zn was performed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry and Hg by chemical vapor generation coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Samples (up to 500 mg) were digested using HNO{sub 3} solutions (1 to 14 mol L{sup -1}) and the effect of oxygen pressure was evaluated between 2.5 and 20 bar. It was possible to perform the digestion of 500 mg of milk powder using 2 mol L{sup -1} HNO{sub 3} with oxygen pressure ranging from 7.5 to 20 bar with resultant carbon content in digests lower than 1700 mg L{sup -1}. Using optimized conditions, less than 0.86 mL of concentrated nitric acid (14 mol L{sup -1}) was enough to digest 500 mg of sample. The accuracy was evaluated by determination of metal concentrations in certified reference materials, which presented an agreement better than 95% (Student's t test, P < 0.05) for all the analytes.

  4. Improved method for measuring the electric fields in microwave cavity resonators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amato, J.C.; Herrmann, H.

    1985-01-01

    The electric field distribution in microwave cavities is commonly measured by frequency perturbation techniques. For many cavity modes which are important in accelerator applications, the standard bead-pulling technique cannot provide adequate discrimination between fields parallel and perpendicular to the particle trajectory, leading to inaccurate and ambiguous results. A method is described which substantially increases the directivity of the measurements. The method has been successfully used to determine the accelerator-related cavity parameters at frequencies up to three times the fundamental resonant frequency

  5. Development of ammonium bifluoride fusion method for rapid dissolution of trinitite samples and analysis by ICP-MS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hubley, Nickolas; Brown IV, J.W.N.; Guthrie, James; Brockman, J.D.; Robertson, J.D.; University of Missouri, Columbia, MO

    2016-01-01

    Field deployable dissolution techniques are needed to decrease response time following a nuclear event. This study tested the capability of NH 4 HF 2 fusion to dissolve trinitite. Dissolution of trinitite by NH 4 HF 2 fusion was compared to conventional microwave digestion. Following digestion, trace elements were measured using ICPMS. This work demonstrates that low temperature fusion with NH 4 HF 2 is capable of dissolving trinitite samples. The low purity of the NH 4 HF 2 resulted in a higher limit of detection for several elements when compared to microwave digestion with high purity acids. (author)

  6. Biosythesis of Silver Nanoparticles using Putri Malu (Mimosa pudica Leaves Extract and Microwave Irradiation Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Is Fatimah

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs using Mimosa pudica extract is discussed. Mimosa pudica leaves extract using water as solvent was used as bio-reductor to an aqueous solution of silver nitrate (AgNO3 and in order to accelerate the reduction, microwave irradiation method was applied. The AgNPs obtained were characterized using UV-Vis spectrophotometry, FTIR spectrophotometry, XRD, SEM-EDX, and particle size analysis based on dynamic scattering method. Effect of preparation method to the formation of AgNPs is also evaluated in antibacterial activity towards E.coli and P. aeruginosa. Rapid and ecofriendly biosynthesis of stable silver nanoparticles was observed in this study. The characterization results and antibacterial assay indicated the uniform and smaller particle size of AgNPs obtained by using microwave method and positively enhance the antibacterial activity against tested bacteria.

  7. Synthesis, characterization of nickel aluminate nanoparticles by microwave combustion method and their catalytic properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ragupathi, C. [Catalysis and Nanomaterials Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Loyola College (Autonomous), Chennai 600034 (India); Vijaya, J. Judith, E-mail: jjvijayaloyola@yahoo.co.in [Catalysis and Nanomaterials Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Loyola College (Autonomous), Chennai 600034 (India); Kennedy, L. John [Materials Division, School of Advanced Sciences, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) University, Chennai Campus, Chennai 600127 (India)

    2014-05-01

    Highlights: • Simple route for the preparation of nickel aluminate. • NiAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} microwave absorbent was invented by a simple method. • High specific surface area was obtained at low temperature. • Evaluation of magnetic, optical and catalytic properties. - Abstract: Microwave combustion method (MCM) is a direct method to synthesize NiAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanoparticles and for the first time we report the using of Sesame (Sesame indicum L.) plant extract in the present study. Solutions of metal nitrates and plant extract as a gelling agent are subsequently combusted using microwave. The structure and morphology of NiAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanoparticles are investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transforms infrared spectra (FT-IR), high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). XRD pattern confirmed the formation of cubic phase NiAl{sub 2}O{sub 4}. The formation of NiAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} is also confirmed by FT-IR. The formation of NiAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanoparticles is confirmed by HR-SEM and HR-TEM. Furthermore, the microwave combustion leads to the formation of fine particles with uniform morphology. The magnetic properties of the synthesized NiAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} nano and microstructures were investigated by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and their hysteresis loops were obtained at room temperature. Further, NiAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} prepared by MCM using Sesame (S. indicum L.) plant extract is tested for the catalytic activity toward the oxidation of benzyl alcohol.

  8. Modeling of various kinds of applicators used for microwave hyperthermia based on the FDTD method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Camart, J.C.; Despretz, D.; Chive, M.; Pribetich, J. [Domaine Scientifique et Univ. de Villeneuve D`Ascq (France). Dept. Hyperfrequencies et Semiconducteurs

    1996-10-01

    This paper presents the modeling using the finite-difference time domain (FDTD) method of interstitial and endocavitary applicators which have been designed and developed for microwave hyperthermia treatments controlled by microwave radiometry. For each kind of applicators, the numerical results are given concerning the reflection coefficient S{sub 11}, the power deposition, and the heating patterns. These results are compared with the measurements performed on phantom models of human tissues and show a good agreement. Possibilities of future developments are discussed.

  9. Adhesive bonding using variable frequency microwave energy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lauf, Robert J.; McMillan, April D.; Paulauskas, Felix L.; Fathi, Zakaryae; Wei, Jianghua

    1998-01-01

    Methods of facilitating the adhesive bonding of various components with variable frequency microwave energy are disclosed. The time required to cure a polymeric adhesive is decreased by placing components to be bonded via the adhesive in a microwave heating apparatus having a multimode cavity and irradiated with microwaves of varying frequencies. Methods of uniformly heating various articles having conductive fibers disposed therein are provided. Microwave energy may be selectively oriented to enter an edge portion of an article having conductive fibers therein. An edge portion of an article having conductive fibers therein may be selectively shielded from microwave energy.

  10. Efficient synthesis of sulfonamide derivatives on solid supports catalyzed using solvent-free and microwave-assisted methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Camargo-Ordonez, Argelia; Moreno-Reyes, Christian; Olazaran-Santibanez, Fabian; Martinez-Hernandez, Sheila; Bocanegra-Garcia, Virgilio; Rivera, Gildardo [Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas, Reynosa (Mexico). Dep. de Farmacia y Quimica Medicinal

    2011-07-01

    In this work we report the synthesis of sulfonamide derivatives using a conventional procedure and with solid supports, such as silica gel, florisil, alumina, 4A molecular sieves, montmorillonite KSF, and montmorillonite K10 using solvent-free and microwave-assisted methods. Our results show that solid supports have a catalytic activity in the formation of sulfonamide derivatives. We found that florisil, montmorillonite KSF, and K10 could be used as inexpensive alternative catalysts that are easily separated from the reaction media. Additionally, solvent-free and microwave-assisted methods were more efficient in reducing reaction time and in increasing yield. (author)

  11. Efficient synthesis of sulfonamide derivatives on solid supports catalyzed using solvent-free and microwave-assisted methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Camargo-Ordonez, Argelia; Moreno-Reyes, Christian; Olazaran-Santibanez, Fabian; Martinez-Hernandez, Sheila; Bocanegra-Garcia, Virgilio; Rivera, Gildardo

    2011-01-01

    In this work we report the synthesis of sulfonamide derivatives using a conventional procedure and with solid supports, such as silica gel, florisil, alumina, 4A molecular sieves, montmorillonite KSF, and montmorillonite K10 using solvent-free and microwave-assisted methods. Our results show that solid supports have a catalytic activity in the formation of sulfonamide derivatives. We found that florisil, montmorillonite KSF, and K10 could be used as inexpensive alternative catalysts that are easily separated from the reaction media. Additionally, solvent-free and microwave-assisted methods were more efficient in reducing reaction time and in increasing yield. (author)

  12. Carbonated hydrocalumite synthesized by the microwave method as a possible antacid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linares, Carlos F; Moscosso, Joel; Alzurutt, Victor; Ocanto, Freddy; Bretto, Pablo; González, Gema

    2016-04-01

    A carbonated hydrocalumite was synthesized by the microwave method for being used as antacid. The gel was formed using Ca and Al nitrate solutions in a basic medium (NaOH+Na2CO3), then, this gel was aged and heated in a domestic microwave for 2.5 min (1250 W). The obtained white solid was washed with distilled water, dried in an oven at 100 °C for 18 h and characterized by different techniques such as: X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), BET surface area measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Finally, the carbonated hydrocalumite was tested as antacid by using a synthetic gastric juice and its activity was compared with a commercial antacid formulated with hydrotalcite. Results showed that the carbonated hydrocalumite was more effective than that commercial antacid. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Microwave Enhanced Reactive Distillation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Altman, E.

    2011-01-01

    The application of electromagnetic irradiation in form of microwaves (MW) has gathered the attention of the scientific community in recent years. MW used as an alternative energy source for chemical syntheses (microwave chemistry) can provide clear advantages over conventional heating methods in

  14. Microwave Acid Extraction to Analyze K and Mg Reserves in the Clay Fraction of Soils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Araína Hulmann Batista

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT: Extraction of K and Mg with boiling 1 mol L-1 HNO3 in an open system for predicting K and Mg uptake by plants is a method of low reproducibility. The aim of this study was to compare the extraction capacity of different acid methods relative to hydrofluoric acid extraction for K and Mg. A further objective was to develop a chemical extraction method using a closed system (microwave for nonexchangeable and structural forms of these nutrients in order to replace the traditional method of extraction with boiling HNO3 on a hot plate (open system. The EPA 3051A method can be used to estimate the total content of K in the clay fraction of soils developed from carbonate and phyllite/mica schist rocks. In the clay fraction of soils developed from basalt, recoveries of K by the EPA 3051A (pseudo-total method were higher than for the EPA 3052 (total hydrofluoric extraction method. The relative abundance of K and Mg for soils in carbonate rocks, phyllite/mica schist, granite/gneiss, and basalt determined by aqua regia digestion is unreliable. The method using 1 mol L-1 HNO3 in an closed system (microwave showed potential for replacing the classical method of extraction of nonexchangeable forms of K (boiling 1 mol L-1 HNO3 in an open system - hot plate and reduced the loss of Si by volatilization.

  15. Nonlinear microwave imaging using Levenberg-Marquardt method with iterative shrinkage thresholding

    KAUST Repository

    Desmal, Abdulla; Bagci, Hakan

    2014-01-01

    Development of microwave imaging methods applicable in sparse investigation domains is becoming a research focus in computational electromagnetics (D.W. Winters and S.C. Hagness, IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., 58(1), 145-154, 2010). This is simply due to the fact that sparse/sparsified domains naturally exist in many applications including remote sensing, medical imaging, crack detection, hydrocarbon reservoir exploration, and see-through-the-wall imaging.

  16. Nonlinear microwave imaging using Levenberg-Marquardt method with iterative shrinkage thresholding

    KAUST Repository

    Desmal, Abdulla

    2014-07-01

    Development of microwave imaging methods applicable in sparse investigation domains is becoming a research focus in computational electromagnetics (D.W. Winters and S.C. Hagness, IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., 58(1), 145-154, 2010). This is simply due to the fact that sparse/sparsified domains naturally exist in many applications including remote sensing, medical imaging, crack detection, hydrocarbon reservoir exploration, and see-through-the-wall imaging.

  17. The microwave era is just beginning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grad, P.

    1989-01-01

    Microwave energy applicators in curing rubber products and in ceramic manufacture are enunciated by some of the participants at the First Australian Symposium on Microwave Power Applications held in February 1989 at Wollongong. The advantages and disadvantages of microwave heating over conventional methods are stated

  18. SIMULATING PROTEIN DIGESTION ON TROUT A RAPID AND INEXPENSIVE METHOD FOR DOCUMENTING FISH MEAL QUALITY AND SCREENING NOVEL PROTEIN SOURCES FOR USE IN AQUAFEEDS

    OpenAIRE

    M Bassompierre; A Kjar; Ewen McLean

    1997-01-01

    A novel in vitro digestion system, which simulated rainbow trout gastric and intestinal digestion was developed. The method was employed to evaluate the impact of the gastric phase of digestion upon degradation of three fish meals od differing quality. Results illustrated that two-phase gastric-intestinal digestion increased the discriminatory powers of the system when compared to one-step intestinal digestion. A comparison of the system with pH-STAT methods demonstrated that the in vitro tec...

  19. Comparison of faecal collection method with high and low quality diets regarding digestibility and faeces characteristics measurements in Nile tilapia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Amirkolaie, A.K.; El-Shafai, S.A.A.M.; Eding, E.H.; Schrama, J.W.; Verreth, J.A.J.

    2005-01-01

    The need for unbiased digestibility estimation has led to the development of a number of faeces collection methods. However, there is still a large variation in apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC) of diet/ingredients between these methods. This study investigated the impact of dietary quality

  20. The effect of drying method temperature, collection method, and marker type on apparent ileal amino acid digestibility in 21-day-old broilers fed corn-soybean meal-barley based diet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olojede, O C; Ford, M J; Jacob, J P; Ao, T; Pescatore, A J; Adedokun, S A

    2018-06-01

    For accurate estimation of nutrient digestibility, an ideal drying and sampling method is required to preserve the quality of the digesta. A standard corn-soybean meal (corn-SBM) broiler starter diet was fed from d 0 to 10 before birds were placed on the experimental diets until d 21. One hundred and sixty-eight male Cobb 500 broiler chicks were used to evaluate the effect of two drying methods (freeze-dryer vs. forced air-oven) and two drying temperatures (40 vs. 55°C) (Exp 1), while ninety-six chicks were used to evaluate the effect of flushing and squeezing as well as marker types (titanium vs. chromium) on apparent ileal DM, N, Ca, P, and AA digestibility (Exp 2). There were seven (Exp 1) or eight (Exp 2) replicate cages per treatment with 6 birds/cage. Digesta from the distal two thirds of the ileum was obtained from birds following euthanasia on d 21 by squeezing (Exp 1) and squeezing or flushing (Exp 2). Samples collected were stored in the freezer at -20°C until they were either freeze-dried (FD) or oven-dried (OD) at 40 or 55°C. There were no interactions between the drying methods and drying temperatures (Exp 1) on apparent ileal DM, N, and AA digestibility. Met had the highest (92.3%) while Cys had the lowest (73.8%) digestibility value. In Exp 2, no interaction between sampling methods and marker types was observed. The effect of sampling methods was not significant except for Arg and Met where squeezing resulted in higher (P digestibility values. Furthermore, apparent ileal His, Ile, Cys, Ser, and Tyr digestibility tended to be higher (P digestibility. Likewise, marker type did not influence apparent ileal AA digestibility values.

  1. A Review of Microwave-Assisted Reactions for Biodiesel Production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saifuddin Nomanbhay

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The conversion of biomass into chemicals and biofuels is an active research area as trends move to replace fossil fuels with renewable resources due to society’s increased concern towards sustainability. In this context, microwave processing has emerged as a tool in organic synthesis and plays an important role in developing a more sustainable world. Integration of processing methods with microwave irradiation has resulted in a great reduction in the time required for many processes, while the reaction efficiencies have been increased markedly. Microwave processing produces a higher yield with a cleaner profile in comparison to other methods. The microwave processing is reported to be a better heating method than the conventional methods due to its unique thermal and non-thermal effects. This paper provides an insight into the theoretical aspects of microwave irradiation practices and highlights the importance of microwave processing. The potential of the microwave technology to accomplish superior outcomes over the conventional methods in biodiesel production is presented. A green process for biodiesel production using a non-catalytic method is still new and very costly because of the supercritical condition requirement. Hence, non-catalytic biodiesel conversion under ambient pressure using microwave technology must be developed, as the energy utilization for microwave-based biodiesel synthesis is reported to be lower and cost-effective.

  2. Improving methodology in open vessel digestion with a graphite heating block (T7)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kainrath, P.; Conrads, B.; Ross, A.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: Open block digestion systems have been very popular in environmental analysis over the past decades, but have consistently suffered from the major drawback of their sensitivity against corrosion and the subsequent risk of contamination. Therefore block digestion systems have not been considered state-of-the-art technology in trace and ultra trace sample preparation. Graphite block digestion systems are well established in North America and are recently becoming more frequently considered in Europe. These systems overcome the deficiencies of the traditional systems, made from stainless steel or aluminum, because the block is manufactured from graphite and typically coated with a fluoro-polymer to present the possibility metallic contamination from the surface of the system during the handling of the samples. Graphite block systems present an alternative to the current mainstream technology of open and closed vessel microwave assisted digestion systems, as they allow large numbers of samples to be digested simultaneously, thus overcoming one of the major weaknesses of closed vessel systems. More recently a number of improvements in the technology has been developed for graphite block digestion systems and studies have been performed to evaluate the effects of such improvements. The paper presented will deal with the technological improvements: monitoring and control of sample temperature vs. monitoring of block temperature, elimination of cross contamination effects during open vessel block digestion, evaporation of samples for pre-concentration or multiple digestion steps, addressing the needs of various labs and applications for block digesters. The effects of those developments will be discussed; application examples and finally an outlook into possible future trends for graphite block digestion systems will be given. (author)

  3. Photonics-Based Microwave Image-Reject Mixer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dan Zhu

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Recent developments in photonics-based microwave image-reject mixers (IRMs are reviewed with an emphasis on the pre-filtering method, which applies an optical or electrical filter to remove the undesired image, and the phase cancellation method, which is realized by introducing an additional phase to the converted image and cancelling it through coherent combination without phase shift. Applications of photonics-based microwave IRM in electronic warfare, radar systems and satellite payloads are described. The inherent challenges of implementing photonics-based microwave IRM to meet specific requirements of the radio frequency (RF system are discussed. Developmental trends of the photonics-based microwave IRM are also discussed.

  4. Estimating Apparent Nutrient Digestibility of Diets Containing Leucaena leucocephala or Moringa oleifera Leaf Meals for Growing Rabbits by Two Methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Safwat, A M; Sarmiento-Franco, L; Santos-Ricalde, R H; Nieves, D; Sandoval-Castro, C A

    2015-08-01

    This study aimed to evaluate the nutrient digestibility of growing rabbits fed diets with different levels of either Leucaena leucocephala (LLM) or Moringa oleifera (MOLM) leaf meals and also to compare total collection and TiO2 marker methods for estimating digestibility. A total of 30 California growing rabbits (1.81±0.19 kg live weight on average) were randomly distributed into five experimental groups of six rabbits each and were housed in individual cages. The groups were control, 30% LLM, 40% LLM, 30% MOLM, and 40% MOLM. All groups received pelleted diets for two weeks; diets also contained 4 g/kg titanium dioxide as dietary marker. Daily feed intake was recorded during the whole experimental period and total feces were collected daily and weighed individually during four days. The results showed that there were no difference (p>0.05) in feed, dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), digestible energy, and crude fiber (CF) intake between the control group and the other experimental groups. The apparent digestibility values of DM, OM, CP, CF, acid detergent fiber, and gross energy were the highest for control group (p = 0.001), meanwhile MOLM diets had generally higher nutrient digestibility coefficients than LLM diets. Increasing the inclusion level of leaf meal in the diet from 30% to 40% improved the digestibility of CF from 45.02% to 51.69% for LLM and from 48.11% to 55.89% for MOLM. Similar results for apparent nutrient digestibility coefficients were obtained when either total collection or indigestible marker method was used. In conclusion, the digestibility of MOLM containing diets were better than LLM diets, furthermore TiO2 as an external marker could be used as a simple, practical and reliable method to estimate nutrients digestibility in rabbit diets.

  5. SIMULATING PROTEIN DIGESTION ON TROUT A RAPID AND INEXPENSIVE METHOD FOR DOCUMENTING FISH MEAL QUALITY AND SCREENING NOVEL PROTEIN SOURCES FOR USE IN AQUAFEEDS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Bassompierre

    1997-10-01

    Full Text Available A novel in vitro digestion system, which simulated rainbow trout gastric and intestinal digestion was developed. The method was employed to evaluate the impact of the gastric phase of digestion upon degradation of three fish meals od differing quality. Results illustrated that two-phase gastric-intestinal digestion increased the discriminatory powers of the system when compared to one-step intestinal digestion. A comparison of the system with pH-STAT methods demonstrated that the in vitro technique was superior. The presented method provides an ethical and cost effective means for rapid evaluation of fish meals and potentially, alternative protein sources for aquafeeds.

  6. Numerical simulations of microwave heating of liquids: enhancements using Krylov subspace methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lollchund, M. R.; Dookhitram, K.; Sunhaloo, M. S.; Boojhawon, R.

    2013-04-01

    In this paper, we compare the performances of three iterative solvers for large sparse linear systems arising in the numerical computations of incompressible Navier-Stokes (NS) equations. These equations are employed mainly in the simulation of microwave heating of liquids. The emphasis of this work is on the application of Krylov projection techniques such as Generalized Minimal Residual (GMRES) to solve the Pressure Poisson Equations that result from discretisation of the NS equations. The performance of the GMRES method is compared with the traditional Gauss-Seidel (GS) and point successive over relaxation (PSOR) techniques through their application to simulate the dynamics of water housed inside a vertical cylindrical vessel which is subjected to microwave radiation. It is found that as the mesh size increases, GMRES gives the fastest convergence rate in terms of computational times and number of iterations.

  7. Numerical simulations of microwave heating of liquids: enhancements using Krylov subspace methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lollchund, M R; Dookhitram, K; Sunhaloo, M S; Boojhawon, R

    2013-01-01

    In this paper, we compare the performances of three iterative solvers for large sparse linear systems arising in the numerical computations of incompressible Navier-Stokes (NS) equations. These equations are employed mainly in the simulation of microwave heating of liquids. The emphasis of this work is on the application of Krylov projection techniques such as Generalized Minimal Residual (GMRES) to solve the Pressure Poisson Equations that result from discretisation of the NS equations. The performance of the GMRES method is compared with the traditional Gauss-Seidel (GS) and point successive over relaxation (PSOR) techniques through their application to simulate the dynamics of water housed inside a vertical cylindrical vessel which is subjected to microwave radiation. It is found that as the mesh size increases, GMRES gives the fastest convergence rate in terms of computational times and number of iterations.

  8. The flame characteristics of the biogas has produced through the digester method with various starters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ketut, Caturwati Ni; Agung, Sudrajat; Mekro, Permana; Heri, Haryanto; Bachtiar

    2018-01-01

    Increasing the volume of waste, especially in urban areas is a source of problems in realizing the comfort and health of the environment. It needs to do a good handling of garbage so as to provide benefits for the whole community. Organic waste processing through bio-digester method to produce a biogas as an energy source is an effort. This research was conducted to test the characteristics of biogas flame generated from organic waste processing through digester with various of the starter such as: cow dung, goat manure, and leachate that obtained from the landfill at Bagendung-Cilegon. The flame height and maximum temperature of the flame are measured for the same pressure of biogas. The measurements showed the flame produced by bio-digester with leachate starter has the lowest flame height compared to the other types of biogas, and the highest flame height is given by biogas from digester with cow dung as a starter. The maximum flame temperature of biogas produced by leachate as a starter reaches 1027 °C. This value is 7% lower than the maximum flame temperature of biogas produced by cow dung as a starter. Cow dung was observed to be the best starter compared to goat manure and leachate, but the use of leachate as a starter in producing biogas with biodigester method is not the best but it worked.

  9. Biogas Production from Rice Husk Waste by using Solid State Anaerobic Digestion (SSAD) Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matin, Hashfi Hawali Abdul; Hadiyanto

    2018-02-01

    An effort to obtain alternative energy is still interesting subject to be studied, especially production of biogas from agriculture waste. This paper was an overview of the latest development of biogas researches from rice husk waste by Solid State Anaerobic Digestion (SSAD). The main obstacle of biogas production from rice husk waste was the lignin content which is very difficult degraded by microbes. Various pretreatments have been conducted, either physically, chemically as well as biologically. The SSAD method was an attractive option because of the low water content of rice husk waste. The biogas yield by SSAD method gave more attractive result compared to Liquid Anaerobic Digestion (LAD) method. Various studies were still conducted in batch mode laboratory scale and also has not found optimum operating conditions. Research on a larger scale such as bench and pilot scale with continuous systems will be an increase trend in the future research.

  10. Rapid biodiesel production using wet microalgae via microwave irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wahidin, Suzana; Idris, Ani; Shaleh, Sitti Raehanah Muhamad

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Lipid was directly extracted from wet microalgae using microwave irradiation. • The microwave irradiation and water bath-assisted solvent extraction are applied. • Cell walls are significantly disrupted under microwave irradiation. • Highly disrupted cell walls led to higher biodiesel yield in microwave irradiation. • Microwave irradiation is a promising direct technique with high biodiesel yields. - Abstract: The major challenges for industrial commercialized biodiesel production from microalgae are the high cost of downstream processing such as dewatering and drying, utilization of large volumes of solvent and laborious extraction processes. In order to address these issues the microwave irradiation method was used to produce biodiesel directly from wet microalgae biomass. This alternative method of biodiesel production from wet microalgae biomass is compared with the conventional water bath-assisted solvent extraction. The microwave irradiation extracted more lipids and high biodiesel conversion was obtained compared to the water bath-assisted extraction method due to the high cell disruption achieved and rapid transesterification. The total content of lipid extracted from microwave irradiation and water bath-assisted extraction were 38.31% and 23.01% respectively. The biodiesel produced using microwave irradiation was higher (86.41%) compared to the conventional method. Thus microwave irradiation is an attractive and promising technology to be used in the extraction and transesterification process for efficient biodiesel production

  11. Microwaves absorption in superconducting materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Biasi, R.S. de; Fernandes, A.A.R.; Pereira, R.F.R.

    1989-01-01

    Microwaves absorption measures in two superconductors ceramics systems, Y-Ba-Cu-O and Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O are compared with similars datas obtained in the same band of temperature by a conventional method, mutual inductance. The results suggest that the microwaves absorption can be used as single and non-destructive method for investigating the properties of ceramics superconductors. (C.G.C.) [pt

  12. Decomposition of methane hydrate for hydrogen production using microwave and radio frequency in-liquid plasma methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rahim, Ismail; Nomura, Shinfuku; Mukasa, Shinobu; Toyota, Hiromichi

    2015-01-01

    This research involves two in-liquid plasma methods of methane hydrate decomposition, one using radio frequency wave (RF) irradiation and the other microwave radiation (MW). The ultimate goal of this research is to develop a practical process for decomposition of methane hydrate directly at the subsea site for fuel gas production. The mechanism for methane hydrate decomposition begins with the dissociation process of methane hydrate formed by CH_4 and water. The process continues with the simultaneously occurring steam methane reforming process and methane cracking reaction, during which the methane hydrate is decomposed releasing CH_4 into H_2, CO and other by-products. It was found that methane hydrate can be decomposed with a faster rate of CH_4 release using microwave irradiation over that using radio frequency irradiation. However, the radio frequency plasma method produces hydrogen with a purity of 63.1% and a CH conversion ratio of 99.1%, which is higher than using microwave plasma method which produces hydrogen with a purity of 42.1% and CH_4 conversion ratio of 85.5%. - Highlights: • The decomposition of methane hydrate is proposed using plasma in-liquid method. • Synthetic methane hydrate is used as the sample for decomposition in plasma. • Hydrogen can be produced from decomposition of methane hydrate. • Hydrogen purity is higher when using radio frequency stimulation.

  13. Design and analysis of planar printed microwave and PBG filters using an FDTD method

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tong, M.S.; Lu, Y.L.; Chen, Y.C.

    2004-01-01

    In this paper, various planar printed microwave and photonic band-gap (PBG) filters have been designed and analyzed by applying the finite difference time domain method, together with an unsplit-anisotropic perfectly matched layer technique as treatments of boundary conditions. The implemented so...

  14. Microwave Sensors for Breast Cancer Detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lulu

    2018-02-23

    Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among females, early diagnostic methods with suitable treatments improve the 5-year survival rates significantly. Microwave breast imaging has been reported as the most potential to become the alternative or additional tool to the current gold standard X-ray mammography for detecting breast cancer. The microwave breast image quality is affected by the microwave sensor, sensor array, the number of sensors in the array and the size of the sensor. In fact, microwave sensor array and sensor play an important role in the microwave breast imaging system. Numerous microwave biosensors have been developed for biomedical applications, with particular focus on breast tumor detection. Compared to the conventional medical imaging and biosensor techniques, these microwave sensors not only enable better cancer detection and improve the image resolution, but also provide attractive features such as label-free detection. This paper aims to provide an overview of recent important achievements in microwave sensors for biomedical imaging applications, with particular focus on breast cancer detection. The electric properties of biological tissues at microwave spectrum, microwave imaging approaches, microwave biosensors, current challenges and future works are also discussed in the manuscript.

  15. Comparison of some aspects of the in situ and in vitro methods in evaluation of neutral detergent fiber digestion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krizsan, S J; Jančík, F; Ramin, M; Huhtanen, P

    2013-02-01

    The objective of the present study was to compare digestion rates (kd) of NDF for different feeds estimated with the in situ method or derived from an automated gas in vitro system. A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate how in situ derived kd of NDF related to in vivo digestibility of NDF. Furthermore, in vitro true digestibility of the feed samples incubated within filter bags or dispersed in the medium was compared, and kd for insoluble and soluble components of those feeds were estimated. Four different concentrates and 4 forages were used in this study. Two lactating Swedish Red cows fed a diet of 60% grass silage and 40% concentrate on DM basis were used for in situ incubations and for collection of rumen fluid. The feed samples were ground through a 2.0-mm screen before the in situ incubations and a 1.0-mm screen before the in vitro gas incubations. In situ nylon bags were introduced into the rumen for determination of kd of NDF. Additional kinetic data were produced from isolated NDF and intact samples subjected to in vitro incubations in which gas production was recorded for 72 h. Samples were weighed in the bottles or within filter bags (for fiber and in vitro studies) that were placed in the bottles. The interaction between feed and method was significant (P production recordings. The meta-analysis suggested that in situ derived kd of NDF were biased and underestimated in vivo digestibility of NDF. Digestion rates of the intact samples were lower for all feeds, except for the hay, when incubated within the bags compared with dispersed in the medium (P < 0.01). Less OM and NDF were digested for all feeds when incubated within bags than dispersed in the medium (P < 0.01). It is concluded from the in vitro study that microbial activity within the bags is less than in the medium. Significant interactions between method (in situ vs. in vitro) and feed suggest that one or both methods result in biased estimates of digestion kinetics.

  16. Computer-Generated Microwave Holograms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leming, Charles W.; Hastings, Orestes Patterson, III

    1980-01-01

    Described is the phasor method of superposition of waves. The intensity pattern from a system of microwave sources is calculated point by point on a plane corresponding to a film emulsion, and then printed and directly converted to a hologram for 3-cm microwaves. Calculations, construction, and viewing of holograms are included. (Author/DS)

  17. Comparison of three persulfate digestion methods for total phosphorus analysis and estimation of suspended sediments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dayton, Elizabeth Ann; Whitacre, Shane; Holloman, Christopher

    2017-01-01

    As a result of impairments to fresh surface water quality due to phosphorus enrichment, substantial research effort has been put forth to quantify agricultural runoff phosphorus as related to on-field practices. While the analysis of runoff dissolved phosphorus is well prescribed and leaves little room for variability in methodology, there are several methods and variations of sample preparation reagents as well as analysis procedures for determining runoff total phosphorus. Due to the variation in methodology for determination of total phosphorus and an additional laboratory procedure required to measure suspended solids, the objectives of the current study are to i. compare the performance of three persulfate digestion methods (Acid Persulfate, USGS, and Alkaline Persulfate) for total phosphorus percent recovery across a wide range of suspended sediments (SS), and ii. evaluate the ability of using Al and/or Fe in digestion solution to predict SS as a surrogate to the traditional gravimetric method. Percent recovery of total phosphorus was determined using suspensions prepared from soils collected from 21 agricultural fields in Ohio. The Acid Persulfate method was most effective, with an average total phosphorus percent recovery of 96.6%. The second most effective method was the USGS with an average total phosphorus recovery of 76.1%. However, the Alkaline Persulfate method performed poorly with an average 24.5% total phosphorus recovery. As a result application of Alkaline Persulfate digestion to edge of field monitoring may drastically underestimated runoff total phosphorus. In addition to excellent recovery of total phosphorus, the Acid Persulfate method combined with analysis of Al and Fe by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry provides a robust estimate of total SS. Due to the large quantity of samples that can result from water quality monitoring, an indirect measure of total SS could be very valuable when time and budget constraints limit

  18. TiO_2 assisted photo-oxidation of wastewater prior to voltammetric determination of trace metals: Eco-friendly alternative to traditional digestion methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lejbt, Beata; Ospina-Alvarez, Natalia; Miecznikowski, Krzysztof; Krasnodębska-Ostręga, Beata

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Cheap and eco-friendly method using anatase-assisted photodecomposition to pre-treat wastewater samples prior to trace metal analysis. • Addition of polyvinylidene fluoride did not affect the efficiency of organic matter decomposition. • TiO_2 assisted photo-oxidation procedure is equally effective than ICP MS determination after UV assisted digestion with H_2O_2 addition. - Abstract: Voltammetry is a sensitive method for metal determination and one alternative to ICP MS, but its limitation is the influence of the organic matrix on the measurements. To avoid those interferences, wet digestion with H_2O_2 accelerated with UV irradiation is applied and evaporation of excess of reagents is required. In this study, photolytic oxidation in quartz tubes with anatase was carried out, using as object of study wastewater samples with high amount of organic matter. Cadmium and lead determination was carried out in order to test metal recoveries. Lead recoveries reached c.a 85% for UV digestion with hydrogen peroxide, 98% for digestion with anatase immobilized with polyvinylidene fluoride (N-metylo-2-pirolidon) and c.a 103% for digestion with immobilized anatase (anatase in gum). The results obtained showed the usefulness of TiO_2 layer as an oxidation medium. An easy, cheap and eco-friendly digestion method of surfactants without any reagent has been developed, with equal sensitivity but and the same detection limit of traditional digestion methods.

  19. Prediction of crude protein digestibility of animal by-product meals for dogs by the protein solubility in pepsin method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawauchi, Iris M; Sakomura, Nilva K; Pontieri, Cristiana F F; Rebelato, Aline; Putarov, Thaila C; Malheiros, Euclides B; Gomes, Márcia de O S; Castrillo, Carlos; Carciofi, Aulus C

    2014-01-01

    Animal by-product meals have large variability in crude protein (CP) content and digestibility. In vivo digestibility procedures are precise but laborious, and in vitro methods could be an alternative to evaluate and classify these ingredients. The present study reports prediction equations to estimate the CP digestibility of meat and bone meal (MBM) and poultry by-product meal (PM) using the protein solubility in pepsin method (PSP). Total tract CP digestibility of eight MBM and eight PM samples was determined in dogs by the substitution method. A basal diet was formulated for dog maintenance, and sixteen diets were produced by mixing 70 % of the basal diet and 30 % of each tested meal. Six dogs per diet were used to determine ingredient digestibility. In addition, PSP of the MBM and PM samples was determined using three pepsin concentrations: 0·02, 0·002 and 0·0002 %. The CP content of MBM and PM ranged from 39 to 46 % and 57 to 69 %, respectively, and their mean CP digestibility by dogs was 76 (2·4) and 85 (2·6) %, respectively. The pepsin concentration with higher Pearson correlation coefficients with the in vivo results were 0·0002 % for MBM (r 0·380; P = 0·008) and 0·02 % for PM (r 0·482; P = 0·005). The relationship between the in vivo and in vitro results was better explained by the following equations: CP digestibility of MBM = 61·7 + 0·2644 × PSP at 0·0002 % (P = 0·008; R (2) 0·126); and CP digestibility of PM = 54·1 + 0·3833 × PSP at 0·02 % (P = 0·005; R (2) 0·216). Although significant, the coefficients of determination were low, indicating that the models were weak and need to be used with caution.

  20. Biogas Production from Rice Husk Waste by using Solid State Anaerobic Digestion (SSAD Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hawali Abdul Matin Hashfi

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available An effort to obtain alternative energy is still interesting subject to be studied, especially production of biogas from agriculture waste. This paper was an overview of the latest development of biogas researches from rice husk waste by Solid State Anaerobic Digestion (SSAD. The main obstacle of biogas production from rice husk waste was the lignin content which is very difficult degraded by microbes. Various pretreatments have been conducted, either physically, chemically as well as biologically. The SSAD method was an attractive option because of the low water content of rice husk waste. The biogas yield by SSAD method gave more attractive result compared to Liquid Anaerobic Digestion (LAD method. Various studies were still conducted in batch mode laboratory scale and also has not found optimum operating conditions. Research on a larger scale such as bench and pilot scale with continuous systems will be an increase trend in the future research.

  1. An expedient method for the preparation of 99mTc-MIBI and 99mTc-MAG3 using microwave and teflon 'bomb'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Varelis, P.; Poot, M.T.

    1998-01-01

    Full text: The recommended method for the preparation of 99mTc-MIBI and 99mTc-MAG3 requires that they be heated in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, after reconstitution with sodium pertechnetate. This method is both inconvenient and time consuming. A more rapid and convenient method for the preparation of these radiopharmaceuticals employs a conventional microwave oven. However, a serious limitation of this method is the hazard associated with an explosion of a vessel containing a radioactive substance. Traditionally, mixtures that can potentially explode are contained in a device called a 'bomb'. We have developed a method, utilising such a device, that allows us to rapidly and safely prepare 99mTc-MIBI and 99mTc-MAG3 using a microwave oven. This device is used in our department on a daily basis. Since using the teflon bomb, there has been one incidence of an explosion, which was successfully contained within the bomb. There was no statistically significant difference between the radiochemical purity (RCP) of the microwave prepared samples and those obtained using the recommended method. In conclusion, 99mTc-MIBI and 99mTc-MAG3 can be safely prepared and quality controlled in under ten minutes using a microwave oven and our teflon bomb. The average RCP for 99mTc-MIBI and 99mTc-MAG3 prepared using a microwave oven were 97.0+2.0% (n=19) and 99.8+0.2 (n=7) respectively

  2. An expedient method for the preparation of 99mTc-MIBI and 99mTc-MAG3 using microwave and teflon `bomb`

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Varelis, P.; Poot, M.T. [St George Hospital, Sydney, NSW (Australia). Department of Nuclear Medicine

    1998-06-01

    Full text: The recommended method for the preparation of 99mTc-MIBI and 99mTc-MAG3 requires that they be heated in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, after reconstitution with sodium pertechnetate. This method is both inconvenient and time consuming. A more rapid and convenient method for the preparation of these radiopharmaceuticals employs a conventional microwave oven. However, a serious limitation of this method is the hazard associated with an explosion of a vessel containing a radioactive substance. Traditionally, mixtures that can potentially explode are contained in a device called a `bomb`. We have developed a method, utilising such a device, that allows us to rapidly and safely prepare 99mTc-MIBI and 99mTc-MAG3 using a microwave oven. This device is used in our department on a daily basis. Since using the teflon bomb, there has been one incidence of an explosion, which was successfully contained within the bomb. There was no statistically significant difference between the radiochemical purity (RCP) of the microwave prepared samples and those obtained using the recommended method. In conclusion, 99mTc-MIBI and 99mTc-MAG3 can be safely prepared and quality controlled in under ten minutes using a microwave oven and our teflon bomb. The average RCP for 99mTc-MIBI and 99mTc-MAG3 prepared using a microwave oven were 97.0+2.0% (n=19) and 99.8+0.2 (n=7) respectively

  3. Comparison of three artificial digestion methods for detection of non-encapsulated Trichinella pseudospiralis larvae in pork

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nockler, K.; Reckinger, S.; Szabo, I.

    2009-01-01

    In a ring trial involving five laboratories (A, B, C, D, and E), three different methods of artificial digestion were compared for the detection of non-encapsulated Trichinella pseudospiralis larvae in minced meat. Each sample panel consisted often 1 g minced pork samples. All samples in each panel...... were derived from a bulk meat preparation with a nominal value of either 7 or 17 larvae per g (Ipg). Samples were tested for the number of muscle larvae using the magnetic stirrer method (labs A, B, and E), stomacher method (lab B), and Trichomatic 35 (R) (labs C and D). T. pseudospiralis larvae were...... by using the magnetic stirrer method (22%), followed by the stomacher method (25%), and Trichomatic 35 (R) (30%). Results revealed that T. pseudospiralis larvae in samples with a nominal value of 7 and 17 Ipg can be detected by all three methods of artificial digestion....

  4. Wet sample digestion for quantification of vanadium(V) in serum by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heinemann, G.; Vogt, W.; Jacob, K.

    1999-01-01

    Three types of pressure digestion systems used prior to the determination of the ultratrace element vanadium by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry were evaluated: The high-pressure ashing (HPA) system, the DAB III pressure digestion system and the pressurized microwave digestion (PMD) system. Complete sample digestion and no loss of graphite tube sensitivity as well as reliable vanadium values could only be achieved with HPA digests of freeze-dried serum. The mean recovery rate was 98% and no loss of tube sensitivity could be observed. Using non-lyophilized serum the mean recovery rate was 70%. The DAB III digestion system, vicarious for closed pressure digestion in steel bombs with an allowable temperature up to about 200C, cannot be recommended to mineralize human biological material for vanadium determinations, because the remaining not completely decomposed organic compounds extracted together with the vanadium-cupferron complex caused a marked carbon-buildup and formation of carbides in the graphite tube were found to change the shape of the absorption signals distinctly, and to decline the tube sensitivity strongly (about 25%) so that reliable results cannot be achieved. The recovery rate was too low in general (about 50%). In addition, a subsequent treatment of the DAB III digests with perchloric acid was unsuccessful. The PMD system proved to be not suited, because the samples became highly contaminated by vanadium possibly from the titan seal. (Copyright (c) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

  5. Detection of five tumor markers in lung cancer by trypsin digestion of sputum method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin Min; Nong Tianlei; Liu Daying

    2011-01-01

    To explore the detection of five tumor markers by trypsin digestion of sputum in the diagnosis of lung cancer, the samples of sputum in patients with lung cancer and benign lung disease were digested by trypsin and used to measure five tumor markers. The results showed that the sputum were well digested by 6% trypsin at pH8 and no affect on the determination of tumor markers. The CEA, CA125, CA153, CA211 and NSE levels in lung cancer group were significantly higher than that of in benign group (P<0.05). The sputum CEA and CA125 levels were significantly higher than that of the serum levels (P<0.05). The detection of sputum CEA, CA125, CA153, CA211 and NSE levels have clinical value in the diagnosis of lung cancer. When combined with other diagnostic methods,it might be helpful for further diagnosis in non confirmed lung cancer patients. (authors)

  6. A calculation method for RF couplers design based on numerical simulation by microwave studio

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Rong; Pei Yuanji; Jin Kai

    2006-01-01

    A numerical simulation method for coupler design is proposed. It is based on the matching procedure for the 2π/3 structure given by Dr. R.L. Kyhl. Microwave Studio EigenMode Solver is used for such numerical simulation. the simulation for a coupler has been finished with this method and the simulation data are compared with experimental measurements. The results show that this numerical simulation method is feasible for coupler design. (authors)

  7. Methods of analysis by the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Laboratory : evaluation of alkaline persulfate digestion as an alternative to Kjeldahl digestion for determination of total and dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus in water

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patton, Charles J.; Kryskalla, Jennifer R.

    2003-01-01

    Alkaline persulfate digestion was evaluated and validated as a more sensitive, accurate, and less toxic alternative to Kjeldahl digestion for routine determination of nitrogen and phosphorus in surface- and ground-water samples in a large-scale and geographically diverse study conducted by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) between October 1, 2001, and September 30, 2002. Data for this study were obtained from about 2,100 surface- and ground-water samples that were analyzed for Kjeldahl nitrogen and Kjeldahl phosphorus in the course of routine operations at the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL). These samples were analyzed independently for total nitrogen and total phosphorus using an alkaline persulfate digestion method developed by the NWQL Methods Research and Development Program. About half of these samples were collected during nominally high-flow (April-June) conditions and the other half were collected during nominally low-flow (August-September) conditions. The number of filtered and whole-water samples analyzed from each flow regime was about equal.By operational definition, Kjeldahl nitrogen (ammonium + organic nitrogen) and alkaline persulfate digestion total nitrogen (ammonium + nitrite + nitrate + organic nitrogen) are not equivalent. It was necessary, therefore, to reconcile this operational difference by subtracting nitrate + nitrite concentra-tions from alkaline persulfate dissolved and total nitrogen concentrations prior to graphical and statistical comparisons with dissolved and total Kjeldahl nitrogen concentrations. On the basis of two-population paired t-test statistics, the means of all nitrate-corrected alkaline persulfate nitrogen and Kjeldahl nitrogen concentrations (2,066 paired results) were significantly different from zero at the p = 0.05 level. Statistically, the means of Kjeldahl nitrogen concentrations were greater than those of nitrate-corrected alkaline persulfate nitrogen concentrations. Experimental evidence strongly

  8. Thermal decomposition of synthetic antlerite prepared by microwave-assisted hydrothermal method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koga, Nobuyoshi [Chemistry Laboratory, Graduate School of Education, Hiroshima University, 1-1-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8524 (Japan)], E-mail: nkoga@hiroshima-u.ac.jp; Mako, Akira; Kimizu, Takaaki; Tanaka, Yuu [Chemistry Laboratory, Graduate School of Education, Hiroshima University, 1-1-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8524 (Japan)

    2008-01-30

    Copper(II) hydroxide sulfate was synthesized by a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method from a mixed solution of CuSO{sub 4} and urea. Needle-like crystals of ca. 20-30 {mu}m in length precipitated by irradiating microwave for 1 min were characterized as Cu{sub 3}(OH){sub 4}SO{sub 4} corresponding to mineral antlerite. The reaction pathway and kinetics of the thermal decomposition of the synthetic antlerite Cu{sub 3}(OH){sub 4}SO{sub 4} were investigated by means of thermoanalytical techniques complemented by powder X-ray diffractometry and microscopic observations. The thermal decomposition of Cu{sub 3}(OH){sub 4}SO{sub 4} proceeded via two separated reaction steps of dehydroxylation and desulfation to produce CuO, where crystalline phases of Cu{sub 2}OSO{sub 4} and CuO appeared as the intermediate products. The kinetic characteristics of the respective steps were discussed in comparison with those of the synthetic brochantite Cu{sub 4}(OH){sub 6}SO{sub 4} reported previously.

  9. TiO2 synthesized by microwave assisted solvothermal method: Experimental and theoretical evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moura, K.F.; Maul, J.; Albuquerque, A.R.; Casali, G.P.; Longo, E.; Keyson, D.; Souza, A.G.; Sambrano, J.R.; Santos, I.M.G.

    2014-01-01

    In this study, a microwave assisted solvothermal method was used to synthesize TiO 2 with anatase structure. The synthesis was done using Ti (IV) isopropoxide and ethanol without templates or alkalinizing agents. Changes in structural features were observed with increasing time of synthesis and evaluated using periodic quantum chemical calculations. The anatase phase was obtained after only 1 min of reaction besides a small amount of brookite phase. Experimental Raman spectra are in accordance with the theoretical one. Micrometric spheres constituted by nanometric particles were obtained for synthesis from 1 to 30 min, while spheres and sticks were observed after 60 min. - Graphical abstract: FE-SEM images of anatase obtained with different periods of synthesis associated with the order–disorder degree. Display Omitted - Highlights: • Anatase microspheres were obtained by the microwave assisted hydrothermal method. • Only ethanol and titanium isopropoxide were used as precursors during the synthesis. • Raman spectra and XRD patterns were compared with quantum chemical calculations. • Time of synthesis increased the short-range disorder in one direction and decreased in another

  10. Individualized laparoscopic B-ultrasound-guided microwave ablation for multifocal primary liver cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Zhifeng; Yang, Zhangwei; Pan, Jianghua; Hu, Yiren

    2018-03-01

    Liver cancer is one of the most common malignancies of the digestive system. Minimally invasive ablation procedures have become one of the major means for treating unresectable multifocal liver cancer and have been extensively applied in primary and metastatic liver cancer treatment. Laparoscopic B-ultrasound-guided microwave ablation is an example of the progress made in this field. To analyze and summarize the results of and experience with laparoscopic B-ultrasound-guided microwave ablation for multifocal primary liver cancer; moreover, the ablation effects were compared between tumors of different sizes. Laparoscope-guided needle ablation was conducted on 84 lesions from 32 patients with primary liver cancer based on tumor size, quantity, and location. Moreover, the perioperative data, ablation effects according to tumor size, and long-term follow-up results were analyzed. Among the 84 nodules treated via microwave ablation, tumors measuring ≤ 3 cm demonstrated complete ablation upon imaging analysis conducted 1 month after surgery. Moreover, 5 of the tumors measuring > 3 cm demonstrated incomplete ablation. In these cases, a second procedure was performed, until imaging studies confirmed that complete ablation was achieved. Laparoscopic microwave ablation allows for precise puncture positioning, an effective ablation range, and safe and feasible surgery, which is especially suitable for liver tumors located in sites difficult to access.

  11. Method of melting solid waste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ootsuka, Katsuyuki; Mizuno, Ryokichi; Kuwana, Katsumi; Sawada, Yoshihisa; Komatsu, Fumiaki.

    1982-01-01

    Purpose: To enable the volume reduction treatment of a HEPA filter containing various solid wastes, particularly acid digestion residue, or an asbestos separator at a relatively low temperature range. Method: Solid waste to be heated and molten is high melting point material treated by ''acid digestion treatment'' for treating solid waste, e.g. a HEPA filter or polyvinyl chloride, etc. of an atomic power facility treated with nitric acid or the like. When this material is heated and molten by an electric furnace, microwave melting furnace, etc., boron oxide, sodium boride, sodium carbonate, etc. is added as a melting point lowering agent. When it is molten in this state, its melting point is lowered, and it becomes remarkably fluid, and the melting treatment is facilitated. Solidified material thus obtained through the melting step has excellent denseness and further large volume reduction rate of the solidified material. (Yoshihara, H.)

  12. Synthesis of nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) from waste mussel shells using a rapid microwave method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shavandi, Amin, E-mail: amin.shavandi@postgrad.otago.ac.nz [Department of Food Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin (New Zealand); Bekhit, Alaa El-Din A. [Department of Food Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin (New Zealand); Ali, Azam [Department of Applied Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin (New Zealand); Sun, Zhifa [Department of Physics, University of Otago, Dunedin (New Zealand)

    2015-01-15

    Nano-crystalline hydroxyapatite (HA, Ca{sub 10}(PO{sub 4}){sub 6}(OH){sub 2}) was produced from waste mussel shells using a rapid microwave irradiation method. Mussel shells were converted to rod like nano-crystalline HA particles of 30–70 nm long using 0.1 M EDTA as a chelating agent for 30 min after an appropriate pre-treatment and an irradiation step in a microwave with a power of 1.1 kW. The produced HA was characterised using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to determine the morphology, particle size, crystal phases, elemental composition and thermal behaviour. Furthermore, to benchmark the synthesized HA obtained from mussel shells, it was compared with a commercially pure HA (Sigma–Aldrich). The thermal analysis showed that the synthesized HA has remarkable heat stability at 1000 °C, and the XRD and FTIR results showed a high purity of the synthesized HA powders. Compared to the conventional hydrothermal treatment, microwave-assisted method has the advantages of an increased rate of HA formation. The obtained HA have potential engineering applications as materials for bone-tissues. - Highlights: • Waste mussel shells were successfully converted to nano sized hydroxyapatite. • Microwave-assisted technique accelerated the conversion process. • The physicochemical properties of the produced hydroxyapatite are reported. • The prepared hydroxyapatite has nano sized particles of less than 100 nm.

  13. Minute-made and low carbon fingerprint microwave synthesis of high quality templated mesoporous silica

    KAUST Repository

    Chaignon, J.; Bouizi, Y.; Davin, L.; Calin, N.; Albela, B.; Bonneviot, L.

    2015-01-01

    © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2015. Hexagonal mesostructured templated silicas were produced in less than 10 minutes using an ultra-fast microwave assisted hydrothermal synthesis. Typically, 10 g can be prepared at once in a commercial microwave device usually devoted to analytical digestion. Undesired alcohol side-products were avoided using inexpensive water colloidal silica instead of silicon alkoxides as the silicon source. In comparison with classical heating activation, the absence of pore expansion and pore wall thickening even for synthesis temperatures as high as 190 °C evidenced that heat transfer and diffusion of matter had no time to take place. Comparison between the chemically extracted and calcined samples shows that the structure was better stabilized for autoclaving above 150 °C. However, a fast temperature ramping and final temperatures above 180 °C were required to sear structures of the highest quality comparable to that of the best conventional methods. This is rationalized by assuming a sequential flake-by-flake assembly of the pore-wall at the micelle palisade. Notably, tosylate counterions yielded better structural characteristics than bromide counterions and allowed better opportunities for surfactant recycling.

  14. Comparison of various pretreatments for ethanol production enhancement from solid residue after rumen fluid digestion of rice straw.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Haibo; Zhang, Panyue; Ye, Jie; Wu, Yan; Liu, Jianbo; Fang, Wei; Xu, Dong; Wang, Bei; Yan, Li; Zeng, Guangming

    2018-01-01

    The rumen digested residue of rice straw contains high residual carbohydrates, which makes it a potential cellulosic ethanol feedstock. This study evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of applying microwave assisted alkali (MAP), ultrasound assisted alkali (UAP), and ball milling pretreatment (BMP) to enhance ethanol production from two digested residues (2.5%-DR and 10%-DR) after rumen fluid digestion of rice straw at 2.5% and 10.0% solid content. Results revealed that 2.5%-DR and 10%-DR had a cellulose content of 36.4% and 41.7%, respectively. MAP and UAP improved enzymatic hydrolysis of digested residue by removing the lignin and hemicellulose, while BMP by decreasing the particle size and crystallinity. BMP was concluded as the suitable pretreatment, resulting in an ethanol yield of 116.65 and 147.42mgg -1 for 2.5%-DR and 10%-DR, respectively. The integrated system including BMP for digested residue at 2.5% solid content achieved a maximum energy output of 7010kJkg -1 . Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Microwave imaging of dielectric cylinder using level set method and conjugate gradient algorithm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grayaa, K.; Bouzidi, A.; Aguili, T.

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, we propose a computational method for microwave imaging cylinder and dielectric object, based on combining level set technique and the conjugate gradient algorithm. By measuring the scattered field, we tried to retrieve the shape, localisation and the permittivity of the object. The forward problem is solved by the moment method, while the inverse problem is reformulate in an optimization one and is solved by the proposed scheme. It found that the proposed method is able to give good reconstruction quality in terms of the reconstructed shape and permittivity.

  16. Comparison of carrot (Daucus carota drying in microwave and in vacuum microwave

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Béttega

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Drying is a single operation employed to prolong the life of a large quantity of vegetables. Carrot (Daucus carota drying has been the subject of many studies. This plant has been highlighted in the human diet for having high nutritional value, mainly due to the high content of β-carotene. In this work, carrot drying behavior was studied in a regular microwave dryer and a vacuum microwave dryer. A vacuum of 450 mmHg was applied for drying of carrot in different geometrical shapes (cubes, discs and sticks. The samples were dried at power ratings of 1.0 W/g, 1.5 W/g and 2.0 W/g for both methods of drying. The evolution of physical properties such as density, volume and porosity was monitored and related to the moisture content of the sample and to the method of drying and power rating used. The geometric shape of the sample influenced the drying kinetics and it was verified that the cubic form was responsible for a slower drying. The application of vacuum showed no major changes in the drying kinetics in microwave but influenced the physical properties of the material. The influence of power ratings on the content of β-carotene was also evaluated and discussed. The main difference observed was the lower shrinkage of the samples dried in the vacuum microwave compared to those dried only in microwave.

  17. Effects of Microwave Radiation on Oil Recovery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esmaeili, Abdollah

    2011-12-01

    A variety of oil recovery methods have been developed and applied to mature and depleted reservoirs in order to improve the efficiency. Microwave radiation oil recovery method is a relatively new method and has been of great interest in the recent years. Crude oil is typically co-mingled with suspended solids and water. To increase oil recovery, it is necessary to remove these components. The separation of oil from water and solids using gravitational settling methods is typically incomplete. Oil-in-water and oil-water-solid emulsions can be demulsified and separated into their individual layers by microwave radiation. The data also show that microwave separation is faster than gravity separation and can be faster than conventional heating at many conditions. After separation of emulsion into water and oil layers, water can be discharged and oil is collected. High-frequency microwave recycling process can recover oil and gases from oil shale, residual oil, drill cuttings, tar sands oil, contaminated dredge/sediments, tires and plastics with significantly greater yields and lower costs than are available utilizing existing known technologies. This process is environmentally friendly, fuel-generating recycler to reduce waste, cut emissions, and save energy. This paper presents a critical review of Microwave radiation method for oil recovery.

  18. Partial digestion with restriction enzymes of ultraviolet-irradiated human genomic DNA: a method for identifying restriction site polymorphisms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nobile, C.; Romeo, G.

    1988-01-01

    A method for partial digestion of total human DNA with restriction enzymes has been developed on the basis of a principle already utilized by P.A. Whittaker and E. Southern for the analysis of phage lambda recombinants. Total human DNA irradiated with uv light of 254 nm is partially digested by restriction enzymes that recognize sequences containing adjacent thymidines because of TT dimer formation. The products resulting from partial digestion of specific genomic regions are detected in Southern blots by genomic-unique DNA probes with high reproducibility. This procedure is rapid and simple to perform because the same conditions of uv irradiation are used for different enzymes and probes. It is shown that restriction site polymorphisms occurring in the genomic regions analyzed are recognized by the allelic partial digest patterns they determine

  19. Simplified sample preparation method for protein identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry: in-gel digestion on the probe surface

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stensballe, A; Jensen, Ole Nørregaard

    2001-01-01

    /ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) is used as the first protein screening method in many laboratories because of its inherent simplicity, mass accuracy, sensitivity and relatively high sample throughput. We present a simplified sample preparation method for MALDI-MS that enables in-gel digestion...... for protein identification similar to that obtained by the traditional protocols for in-gel digestion and MALDI peptide mass mapping of human proteins, i.e. approximately 60%. The overall performance of the novel on-probe digestion method is comparable with that of the standard in-gel sample preparation...... protocol while being less labour intensive and more cost-effective due to minimal consumption of reagents, enzymes and consumables. Preliminary data obtained on a MALDI quadrupole-TOF tandem mass spectrometer demonstrated the utility of the on-probe digestion protocol for peptide mass mapping and peptide...

  20. TiO{sub 2} assisted photo-oxidation of wastewater prior to voltammetric determination of trace metals: Eco-friendly alternative to traditional digestion methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lejbt, Beata; Ospina-Alvarez, Natalia; Miecznikowski, Krzysztof, E-mail: kmiecz@chem.uw.edu.pl; Krasnodębska-Ostręga, Beata, E-mail: bekras@chem.uw.edu.pl

    2016-12-01

    Highlights: • Cheap and eco-friendly method using anatase-assisted photodecomposition to pre-treat wastewater samples prior to trace metal analysis. • Addition of polyvinylidene fluoride did not affect the efficiency of organic matter decomposition. • TiO{sub 2} assisted photo-oxidation procedure is equally effective than ICP MS determination after UV assisted digestion with H{sub 2}O{sub 2} addition. - Abstract: Voltammetry is a sensitive method for metal determination and one alternative to ICP MS, but its limitation is the influence of the organic matrix on the measurements. To avoid those interferences, wet digestion with H{sub 2}O{sub 2} accelerated with UV irradiation is applied and evaporation of excess of reagents is required. In this study, photolytic oxidation in quartz tubes with anatase was carried out, using as object of study wastewater samples with high amount of organic matter. Cadmium and lead determination was carried out in order to test metal recoveries. Lead recoveries reached c.a 85% for UV digestion with hydrogen peroxide, 98% for digestion with anatase immobilized with polyvinylidene fluoride (N-metylo-2-pirolidon) and c.a 103% for digestion with immobilized anatase (anatase in gum). The results obtained showed the usefulness of TiO{sub 2} layer as an oxidation medium. An easy, cheap and eco-friendly digestion method of surfactants without any reagent has been developed, with equal sensitivity but and the same detection limit of traditional digestion methods.

  1. Controlling the size and magnetic properties of nano CoFe2O4 by microwave assisted co-precipitation method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prabhakaran, T.; Mangalaraja, R. V.; Denardin, Juliano C.

    2018-02-01

    In this report, cobalt ferrite nanoparticles synthesized using microwave assisted co-precipitation method was reported. Efforts have been made to control the particles size, distribution, morphology and magnetic properties of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles by varying the concentration of NaOH solution and microwave irradiation time. It was observed that the rate of nucleation and crystal growth was influenced by the tuning parameters. In that way, the average crystallite size of single phase cobalt ferrite nanoparticles was controlled within 9-11 and 10-12 nm with an increase of base concentration and microwave irradiation time, respectively. A narrow size distribution of nearly spherical nanoparticles was achieved through the present procedure. A soft ferromagnetism at room temperature with the considerable saturation magnetization of 58.4 emu g-1 and coercivity of 262.7 Oe was obtained for the cobalt ferrites synthesized with 2.25 M of NaOH solution for 3 and 7 min of microwave irradiation time, respectively. The cobalt ferrite nanoparticles synthesized with a shorter reaction time of 3-7 min was found to be advantageous over other methods that involved conventional heating procedures and longer reaction time to achieve the better magnetic properties for the technological applications.

  2. Verification Of The Defense Waste Processing Facility's (DWPF) Process Digestion Methods For The Sludge Batch 8 Qualification Sample

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Click, D. R.; Edwards, T. B.; Wiedenman, B. J.; Brown, L. W.

    2013-01-01

    This report contains the results and comparison of data generated from inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) analysis of Aqua Regia (AR), Sodium Peroxide/Sodium Hydroxide Fusion Dissolution (PF) and Cold Chem (CC) method digestions and Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption analysis of Hg digestions from the DWPF Hg digestion method of Sludge Batch 8 (SB8) Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) Receipt and SB8 SRAT Product samples. The SB8 SRAT Receipt and SB8 SRAT Product samples were prepared in the SRNL Shielded Cells, and the SRAT Receipt material is representative of the sludge that constitutes the SB8 Batch or qualification composition. This is the sludge in Tank 51 that is to be transferred into Tank 40, which will contain the heel of Sludge Batch 7b (SB7b), to form the SB8 Blend composition

  3. Prediction of in vivo neutral detergent fiber digestibility and digestion rate of potentially digestible neutral detergent fiber: comparison of models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huhtanen, P; Seppälä, A; Ahvenjärvi, S; Rinne, M

    2008-10-01

    Eleven 1-pool, seven 2-pool, and three 3-pool models were compared in fitting gas production data and predicting in vivo NDF digestibility and effective first-order digestion rate of potentially digestible NDF (pdNDF). Isolated NDF from 15 grass silages harvested at different stages of maturity was incubated in triplicate in rumen fluid-buffer solution for 72 h to estimate the digestion kinetics from cumulative gas production profiles. In vivo digestibility was estimated by the total fecal collection method in sheep fed at a maintenance level of feeding. The concentration of pdNDF was estimated by a 12-d in situ incubation. The parameter values from gas production profiles and pdNDF were used in a 2-compartment rumen model to predict pdNDF digestibility using 50 h of rumen residence time distributed in a ratio of 0.4:0.6 between the non-escapable and escapable pools. The effective first-order digestion rate was computed both from observed in vivo and model-predicted pdNDF digestibility assuming the passage kinetic model described above. There were marked differences between the models in fitting the gas production data. The fit improved with increasing number of pools, suggesting that silage pdNDF is not a homogenous substrate. Generally, the models predicted in vivo NDF digestibility and digestion rate accurately. However, a good fit of gas production data was not necessarily translated into improved predictions of the in vivo data. The models overestimating the asymptotic gas volumes tended to underestimate the in vivo digestibility. Investigating the time-related residuals during the later phases of fermentation is important when the data are used to estimate the first-order digestion rate of pdNDF. Relatively simple models such as the France model or even a single exponential model with discrete lag period satisfied the minimum criteria for a good model. Further, the comparison of feedstuffs on the basis of parameter values is more unequivocal than in the case

  4. Overcoming the Recalcitrance for the Conversion of Kenaf Pulp to Glucose via Microwave-Assisted Pre-Treatment Processes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miguel A. Hurtado

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available This study evaluates the pre-treatment of cellulose from kenaf plant to yield sugar precursors for the production of ethanol or butanol for use as biofuel additives. In order to convert the crystalline cellulosic form to the amorphous form that can undergo enzymatic hydrolysis of the glycosidic bond to yield sugars, kenaf pulp samples were subjected to two different pre-treatment processes. In the acid pre-treatment, the pulp samples were treated with 37.5% hydrochloric acid in the presence of FeCl3 at 50 °C or 90 °C whereas in the alkaline method, the pulp samples were treated with 25% sodium hydroxide at room temperature and with 2% or 5% sodium hydroxide at 50 °C. Microwave-assisted NaOH-treatment of the cellulose was also investigated and demonstrated to be capable of producing high glucose yield without adverse environmental impact by circumventing the use of large amounts of concentrated acids i.e., 83–85% phosphoric acid employed in most digestion processes. The treated samples were digested with the cellulase enzyme from Trichoderma reesei. The amount of glucose produced was quantified using the QuantichromTM glucose bioassay for assessing the efficiency of glucose production for each of the treatment processes. The microwave-assisted alkaline pre-treatment processes conducted at 50 °C were found to be the most effective in the conversion of the crystalline cellulose to the amorphous form based on the significantly higher yields of sugar produced by enzymatic hydrolysis compared to the untreated sample.

  5. Comparison of amino acid digestibility of feedstuffs determined with the precision-fed cecectomized rooster assay and the standardized ileal amino acid digestibility assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, E J; Utterback, P L; Applegate, T J; Parsons, C M

    2011-11-01

    The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare amino acid digestibility of several feedstuffs using 2 commonly accepted methods: the precision-fed cecectomized rooster assay (PFR) and the standardized ileal amino acid assay (SIAAD). Six corn, 6 corn distillers dried grains with or without solubles (DDGS/DDG), one wet distillers grains, one condensed solubles, 2 meat and bone meal (MBM) and a poultry byproduct meal were evaluated. Due to insufficient amounts, the wet distillers grains and condensed solubles were only evaluated in roosters. Standardized amino acid digestibility varied among the feed ingredients and among samples of the same ingredient for both methods. For corn, there were generally no differences in amino acid digestibility between the 2 methods. When differences did occur, there was no consistent pattern among the individual amino acids and methods. Standardized amino acid digestibility was not different between the 2 methods for 4 of the DDG samples; however, the PFR yielded higher digestibility values for a high protein DDG and a conventionally processed DDGS. The PFR yielded higher amino acid digestibility values than the SIAAD for several amino acids in 1 MBM and the poultry byproduct meal, but it yielded lower digestibility values for the other MBM. Overall, there were no consistent differences between methods for amino acid digestibility values. In conclusion, the PFR and SIAAD methods are acceptable for determining amino acid digestibility. However, these procedures do not always yield similar results for all feedstuffs evaluated. Thus, further studies are needed to understand the underlying causes in this variability.

  6. A microwave powered sensor assembly for microwave ovens

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2016-01-01

    The present invention relates to a microwave powered sensor assembly for micro- wave ovens. The microwave powered sensor assembly comprises a microwave antenna for generating an RF antenna signal in response to microwave radiation at a predetermined excitation frequency. A dc power supply circuit...... of the microwave powered sensor assembly is operatively coupled to the RF antenna signal for extracting energy from the RF antenna signal and produce a power supply voltage. A sensor is connected to the power supply voltage and configured to measure a physical or chemical property of a food item under heating...... in a microwave oven chamber....

  7. Study of photocatalytic activities of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} nanoparticles synthesized by fast microwave-assisted method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Phu, Nguyen Dang [Faculty of Physics, Hanoi National University of Education, 136 Xuanthuy, Cau Giay, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Hoang, Luc Huy, E-mail: hoanglhsp@hnue.edu.vn [Faculty of Physics, Hanoi National University of Education, 136 Xuanthuy, Cau Giay, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Chen, Xiang-Bai, E-mail: xchen@wit.edu.cn [School of Science and Laboratory of Optical Information Technology, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205 (China); Kong, Meng-Hong [School of Science and Laboratory of Optical Information Technology, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205 (China); Wen, Hua-Chiang; Chou, Wu Ching [Department of Electrophysics, National Chiao Tung University, Hsin-Chu 30010, Taiwan (China)

    2015-10-25

    We present a study of photocatalytic activities of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} nanoparticles synthesized by fast microwave-assisted method. The photocatalytic activities of the nanoparticles were evaluated by the decolorization of methylene-blue under visible-light-irradiation. Our results show that the surface area of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} nanoparticles plays a major role for improving photocatalytic activity, while visible-light absorption has only a weak effect on photocatalytic activity. This suggests efficient transportation of photo-generated electrons and holes to the oxidation active sites on the surface of nanoparticles, indicating Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} nanoparticles synthesized by fast microwave-assisted method are promising for achieving high photocatalytic activity under visible-light-irradiation. - Highlights: • The Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} nanoparticles were synthesized via fast microwave-assisted method. • The obtained Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} nanoparticles exhibited visible-light absorbance. • The surface area of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} nanoparticles plays major role for improving photocatalytic activity. • The Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} nanoparticles are promising for achieving high photocatalytic activity under visible-light-irradiation.

  8. Microwave engineering

    CERN Document Server

    Pozar, David M

    2012-01-01

    The 4th edition of this classic text provides a thorough coverage of RF and microwave engineering concepts, starting from fundamental principles of electrical engineering, with applications to microwave circuits and devices of practical importance.  Coverage includes microwave network analysis, impedance matching, directional couplers and hybrids, microwave filters, ferrite devices, noise, nonlinear effects, and the design of microwave oscillators, amplifiers, and mixers. Material on microwave and RF systems includes wireless communications, radar, radiometry, and radiation hazards. A large

  9. Engineering Digestion: Multiscale Processes of Food Digestion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bornhorst, Gail M; Gouseti, Ourania; Wickham, Martin S J; Bakalis, Serafim

    2016-03-01

    Food digestion is a complex, multiscale process that has recently become of interest to the food industry due to the developing links between food and health or disease. Food digestion can be studied by using either in vitro or in vivo models, each having certain advantages or disadvantages. The recent interest in food digestion has resulted in a large number of studies in this area, yet few have provided an in-depth, quantitative description of digestion processes. To provide a framework to develop these quantitative comparisons, a summary is given here between digestion processes and parallel unit operations in the food and chemical industry. Characterization parameters and phenomena are suggested for each step of digestion. In addition to the quantitative characterization of digestion processes, the multiscale aspect of digestion must also be considered. In both food systems and the gastrointestinal tract, multiple length scales are involved in food breakdown, mixing, absorption. These different length scales influence digestion processes independently as well as through interrelated mechanisms. To facilitate optimized development of functional food products, a multiscale, engineering approach may be taken to describe food digestion processes. A framework for this approach is described in this review, as well as examples that demonstrate the importance of process characterization as well as the multiple, interrelated length scales in the digestion process. © 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®

  10. Microwave assisted acid and alkali pretreatment of Miscanthus biomass for biorefineries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zongyuan Zhu

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Miscanthus is a major bioenergy crop in Europe and a potential feedstock for second generation biofuels. Thermochemical pretreatment is a significant step in the process of converting lignocellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars. In this work, microwave energy was applied to facilitate NaOH and H2SO4 pretreatments of Miscanthus. This was carried out at 180 ℃ in a monomode microwave cavity at 300 W. Our results show that H2SO4 pretreatment contributes to the breakdown of hemicelluloses and cellulose, leading to a high glucose yield. The maximum sugar yield from available carbohydrates during pretreatment is 75.3% (0.2 M H2SO4 20 Min, and glucose yield is 46.7% under these conditions. NaOH and water pretreatments tend to break down only hemicellulose in preference to cellulose, contributing to high xylose yield. Compared to conventional heating NaOH/H2SO4 pretreatment, 12 times higher sugar yield was obtained by using microwave assisted pretreatment within half the time. NaOH pretreatments lead to a significantly enhanced digestibility of the residue, because the effective removal of lignin and hemicellulose makes cellulose fibres more accessible to cellulases. Morphological study of biomass shows that the tightly packed fibres in the Miscanthus were dismantled and exposed under NaOH condition. We studied sugar degradation under microwave assisted H2SO4 conditions. The results shows that 6-8% biomass was converted into levulinic acid (LA during pretreatment, showing the possibility of using microwave technology to produce LA from biomass. The outcome of this work shows great potential for using microwave in the thermo-chemical pretreatment for biomass and also selective production of LA from biomass.

  11. EFFECT OF MALTING ON PROTEIN DIGESTIBILITY OF SOME ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Protein digestibility of sorghum is generally low. Malting is one of the processing methods which can be applied to improve this digestibility. It is a method whose technology is well known by local communities in Kenya. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of malting on the digestibility of some varieties of ...

  12. A low cost microwave synthesis method for preparation of gold nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ngo Vo Ke Thanh; Lam Quang Vinh; Nguyen Dang Giang; Huynh Thanh Dat

    2014-01-01

    The gold nanoparticles (GNPs) in 15-20 nm size range have attention for fabrication of smart sensing devices in biomedical sciences as diagnostic tools. Citrate capped GNPs are negatively charged, which can be exploited for electrostatic interactions with some positively charged biomolecules like antibody. In this study, we are developing a low-cost technique by using a common microwave system with medium power for synthesizing gold nanoparticles with using sodium citrate (Na 3 Ct) reduction in chloroauric acid (HAuCl 4 .3H 2 O). It was found that the comparing with normal thermal method, the reaction by the microwave irradiation was much faster. Besides, the effects the sodium citrate concentration and optical properties of gold nanoparticles were studied. The optical properties of gold nanoparticles suspension were characterized by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy (UV-Vis). Maximum absorbance wavelengths (λ max ) for gold nanoparticles are ∼ 518-524 nm with the size of 12-25 nm. The size of gold nanoparticles decreases with increasing concentration of sodium citrate. Besides, the morphology of gold nanoparticles have a spherical shape with face-centered-cubic (fcc) crystalline structure. (author)

  13. [Anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass with animal digestion mechanisms].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Hao; Zhang, Pan-Yue; Guo, Jian-Bin; Wu, Yong-Jie

    2013-02-01

    Lignocellulosic material is the most abundant renewable resource in the earth. Herbivores and wood-eating insects are highly effective in the digestion of plant cellulose, while anaerobic digestion process simulating animal alimentary tract still remains inefficient. The digestion mechanisms of herbivores and wood-eating insects and the development of anaerobic digestion processes of lignocellulose were reviewed for better understanding of animal digestion mechanisms and their application in design and operation of the anaerobic digestion reactor. Highly effective digestion of lignocellulosic materials in animal digestive system results from the synergistic effect of various digestive enzymes and a series of physical and biochemical reactions. Microbial fermentation system is strongly supported by powerful pretreatment, such as rumination of ruminants, cellulase catalysis and alkali treatment in digestive tract of wood-eating insects. Oxygen concentration gradient along the digestive tract may stimulate the hydrolytic activity of some microorganisms. In addition, the excellent arrangement of solid retention time, digesta flow and end product discharge enhance the animal digestion of wood cellulose. Although anaerobic digestion processes inoculated with rumen microorganisms based rumen digestion mechanisms were developed to treat lignocellulose, the fermentation was more greatly limited by the environmental conditions in the anaerobic digestion reactors than that in rumen or hindgut. Therefore, the anaerobic digestion processes simulating animal digestion mechanisms can effectively enhance the degradation of wood cellulose and other organic solid wastes.

  14. Microwave plasmatrons for giant integrated circuit processing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Petrin, A.B.

    2000-02-01

    A method for calculating the interaction of a powerful microwave with a plane layer of magnetoactive low-pressure plasma under conditions of electron cyclotron resonance is presented. In this paper, the plasma layer is situated between a plane dielectric layer and a plane metal screen. The calculation model contains the microwave energy balance, particle balance, and electron energy balance. The equation that expressed microwave properties of nonuniform magnetoactive plasma is found. The numerical calculations of the microwave-plasma interaction for a one-dimensional model of the problem are considered. Applications of the results for microwave plasmatrons designed for processing giant integrated circuits are suggested.

  15. Spectroscopic study of microwave induced plasmas : exploration of active and passive methods

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vries, de N.

    2008-01-01

    Microwave induced plasmas (MIPs) are used for a number of high-tech applications like material processing, light generation, gas cleaning and spectrochemical analysis. Especially the feature that MIPs can be operated remotely and that the propagation of the microwaves can be manipulated with slits,

  16. Reducing the effects of acoustic heterogeneity with an iterative reconstruction method from experimental data in microwave induced thermoacoustic tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Jinguo; Zhao, Zhiqin; Song, Jian; Chen, Guoping; Nie, Zaiping; Liu, Qing-Huo

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: An iterative reconstruction method has been previously reported by the authors of this paper. However, the iterative reconstruction method was demonstrated by solely using the numerical simulations. It is essential to apply the iterative reconstruction method to practice conditions. The objective of this work is to validate the capability of the iterative reconstruction method for reducing the effects of acoustic heterogeneity with the experimental data in microwave induced thermoacoustic tomography. Methods: Most existing reconstruction methods need to combine the ultrasonic measurement technology to quantitatively measure the velocity distribution of heterogeneity, which increases the system complexity. Different to existing reconstruction methods, the iterative reconstruction method combines time reversal mirror technique, fast marching method, and simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique to iteratively estimate the velocity distribution of heterogeneous tissue by solely using the measured data. Then, the estimated velocity distribution is used subsequently to reconstruct the highly accurate image of microwave absorption distribution. Experiments that a target placed in an acoustic heterogeneous environment are performed to validate the iterative reconstruction method. Results: By using the estimated velocity distribution, the target in an acoustic heterogeneous environment can be reconstructed with better shape and higher image contrast than targets that are reconstructed with a homogeneous velocity distribution. Conclusions: The distortions caused by the acoustic heterogeneity can be efficiently corrected by utilizing the velocity distribution estimated by the iterative reconstruction method. The advantage of the iterative reconstruction method over the existing correction methods is that it is successful in improving the quality of the image of microwave absorption distribution without increasing the system complexity

  17. Measurement of true ileal calcium digestibility in meat and bone meal for broiler chickens using the direct method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anwar, M N; Ravindran, V; Morel, P C H; Ravindran, G; Cowieson, A J

    2016-01-01

    The objective of the study that is presented herein was to determine the true ileal calcium (Ca) digestibility in meat and bone meal (MBM) for broiler chickens using the direct method. Four MBM samples (coded as MBM-1, MBM-2, MBM-3 and MBM-4) were obtained and analyzed for nutrient composition, particle size distribution and bone to soft tissue ratio. The Ca concentrations of MBM-1, MBM-2, MBM-3 and MBM-4 were determined to be 71, 118, 114 and 81 g/kg, respectively. The corresponding geometric mean particle diameters and bone to soft tissue ratios were 0.866, 0.622, 0.875 and 0.781 mm, and 1:1.49, 1:0.98, 1:0.92 and 1:1.35, respectively. Five experimental diets, including four diets with similar Ca concentration (8.3 g/kg) from each MBM and a Ca and phosphorus-free diet, were developed. Meat and bone meal served as the sole source of Ca in the MBM diets. Titanium dioxide (3 g/kg) was incorporated in all diets as an indigestible marker. Each experimental diet was randomly allotted to six replicate cages (eight birds per cage) and offered from d 28 to 31 post-hatch. Apparent ileal Ca digestibility was calculated by the indicator method and corrected for ileal endogenous Ca losses to determine the true ileal Ca digestibility. Ileal endogenous Ca losses were determined to be 88 mg/kg dry matter intake. True ileal Ca digestibility coefficients of MBM-1, MBM-2, MBM-3 and MBM-4 were determined to be 0.560, 0.446, 0.517 and 0.413, respectively. True Ca digestibility of MBM-1 was higher (P 0.05) to that of MBM-3. True Ca digestibility of MBM-2 was similar (P > 0.05) to MBM-3 and MBM-4, while that of MBM-3 was higher (P digestibility in feed ingredients and that Ca in MBM is not highly available as often assumed. The variability in true Ca digestibility of MBM samples could not be attributed to Ca content, percentage bones or particle size. © 2015 Poultry Science Association Inc.

  18. La Disciplina Positiva (Positive Discipline). ERIC Digest.

    Science.gov (United States)

    ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Urbana, IL.

    This ERIC Digest suggests methods and language that can be used in handling difficult, but common, situations involving young children. The digest explains 12 methods of disciplining children that promote children's self-worth. These methods are: (1) showing children that the reasons for their actions are understood; (2) stating reasons; (3)…

  19. Variable Power, Short Microwave Pulses Generation using a CW Magnetron

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CIUPA, R.

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Fine control of microwave power radiation in medical and scientific applications is a challenging task. Since a commercial Continuous Wave (CW magnetron is the most inexpensive microwave device available today on the market, it becomes the best candidate for a microwave power generator used in medical diathermy and hyperthermia treatments or high efficiency chemical reactions using microwave reactors as well. This article presents a new method for driving a CW magnetron with short pulses, using a modified commercial Zero Voltage Switching (ZVS inverter, software driven by a custom embedded system. The microwave power generator designed with this method can be programmed for output microwave pulses down to 1% of the magnetron's power and allows microwave low frequency pulse modulation in the range of human brain electrical activity, intended for medical applications. Microwave output power continuous control is also possible with the magnetron running in the oscillating area, using a dual frequency Pulse Width Modulation (PWM, where the low frequency PWM pulse is modulating a higher resonant frequency required by the ZVS inverter's transformer. The method presented allows a continuous control of both power and energy (duty-cycle at the inverter's output.

  20. 237 Np analytical method using 239 Np tracers and application to a contaminated nuclear disposal facility

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Snow, Mathew S.; Morrison, Samuel S.; Clark, Sue B.; Olson, John E.; Watrous, Matthew G.

    2017-06-01

    Environmental 237Np analyses are challenged by low 237Np concentrations and lack of an available yield tracer; we report a rapid, inexpensive 237Np analytical approach employing the short lived 239Np (t1/2 = 2.3 days) as a chemical yield tracer followed by 237Np quantification using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. 239Np tracer is obtained via separation from a 243Am stock solution and standardized using gamma spectrometry immediately prior to sample processing. Rapid digestions using a commercial, 900 watt “Walmart” microwave and Parr microwave vessels result in 99.8 ± 0.1% digestion yields, while chromatographic separations enable Np/U separation factors on the order of 106 and total Np yields of 95 ± 4% (2σ). Application of this method to legacy soil samples surrounding a radioactive disposal facility (the Subsurface Disposal Area at Idaho National Laboratory) reveal the presence of low level 237Np contamination within 600 meters of this site, with maximum 237Np concentrations on the order of 103 times greater than nuclear weapons testing fallout levels.

  1. Effect of corn residue harvest method with ruminally undegradable protein supplementation on performance of growing calves and fiber digestibility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    King, T M; Bondurant, R G; Jolly-Breithaupt, M L; Gramkow, J L; Klopfenstein, T J; MacDonald, J C

    2017-12-01

    Two experiments evaluated the effects of corn residue harvest method on animal performance and diet digestibility. Experiment 1 was designed as a 2 × 2 + 1 factorial arrangement of treatments using 60 individually fed crossbred steers (280 kg [SD 32] initial BW; = 12). Factors were the corn residue harvest method (high-stem and conventional) and supplemental RUP at 2 concentrations (0 and 3.3% diet DM). A third harvest method (low-stem) was also evaluated, but only in diets containing supplemental RUP at 3.3% diet DM because of limitations in the amount of available low-stem residue. Therefore, the 3 harvest methods were compared only in diets containing supplemental RUP. In Exp. 2, 9 crossbred wethers were blocked by BW (42.4 kg [SD 7] initial BW) and randomly assigned to diets containing corn residue harvested 1 of 3 ways (low-stem, high-stem, and conventional). In Exp. 1, steers fed the low-stem residue diet had greater ADG compared with the steers fed conventionally harvested corn residue ( = 0.03; 0.78 vs. 0.63 kg), whereas steers fed high-stem residue were intermediate ( > 0.17; 0.69 kg), not differing from either conventional or low-stem residues. Results from in vitro OM digestibility suggest that low-stem residue had the greatest ( RUP content (40% of CP) and RUP digestibility (60%) among the 3 residues ( ≥ 0.35). No interactions were observed between harvest method and the addition of RUP ( ≥ 0.12). The addition of RUP tended to result in improved ADG (0.66 ± 0.07 vs. 0.58 ± 0.07 for supplemental RUP and no RUP, respectively; = 0.08) and G:F (0.116 ± 0.006 vs. 0.095 ± 0.020 for supplemental RUP and no RUP, respectively; = 0.02) compared with similar diets without the additional RUP. In Exp. 2, low-stem residue had greater DM and OM digestibility and DE ( < 0.01) than high-stem and conventional residues, which did not differ ( ≥ 0.63). Low-stem residue also had the greatest NDF digestibility (NDFD; < 0.01), whereas high-stem residue had greater

  2. Microwave-assisted Extraction of Rare Earth Elements from Petroleum Refining Catalysts and Ambient Fine Aerosols Prior to Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mittlefehldt, David W.; Kulkarni, Pranav; Chellam, Shankar

    2006-01-01

    In the absence of a certified reference material, a robust microwave-assisted acid digestion procedure followed by inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was developed to quantify rare earth elements (REEs) in fluidized-bed catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts and atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM2.5). High temperature (200 C), high pressure (200 psig), acid digestion (HNO3, HF, and H3BO3) with 20 minute dwell time effectively solubilized REEs from six fresh catalysts, a spent catalyst, and PM2.5. This method was also employed to measure 27 non-REEs including Na, Mg, Al, Si, K, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Zr, Mo, Cd, Cs, Ba, Pb, and U. Complete extraction of several REEs (Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Tb, Dy, and Er) required HF indicating that they were closely associated with the aluminosilicate structure of the zeolite FCC catalysts. Internal standardization using 115In quantitatively corrected non-spectral interferences in the catalyst digestate matrix. Inter-laboratory comparison using ICP-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) demonstrated the applicability of the newly developed analytical method for accurate analysis of REEs in FCC catalysts. The method developed for FCC catalysts was also successfully implemented to measure trace to ultra-trace concentrations of La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Eu, and Dy in ambient PM2.5 in an industrial area of Houston, TX.

  3. Microwave-assisted extraction of rare earth elements from petroleum refining catalysts and ambient fine aerosols prior to inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kulkarni, Pranav; Chellam, Shankararaman; Mittlefehldt, David W.

    2007-01-01

    A robust microwave-assisted acid digestion procedure followed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was developed to quantify rare earth elements (REEs) in fluidized-bed catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts and atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ). High temperature (200 deg. C), high pressure (200 psig), acid digestion (HNO 3 , HF and H 3 BO 3 ) with 20 min dwell time effectively solubilized REEs from six fresh catalysts, a spent catalyst and PM 2.5 . This method was also employed to measure 27 non-REEs including Na, Mg, Al, Si, K, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Zr, Mo, Cd, Cs, Ba, Pb and U. Complete extraction of several REEs (Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Tb, Dy and Er) required HF indicating that they were closely associated with the aluminosilicate structure of the zeolite FCC catalysts. Internal standardization using 115 In quantitatively corrected non-spectral interferences in the catalyst digestate matrix. Inter-laboratory comparison using ICP-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) demonstrated the applicability of the newly developed analytical method for accurate analysis of REEs in FCC catalysts. The method developed for FCC catalysts was also successfully implemented to measure trace to ultra-trace concentrations of La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Eu and Dy in ambient PM 2.5 in an industrial area of Houston, TX

  4. Microwave Absorption Characteristics of Tire

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yuzhe; Hwang, Jiann-Yang; Peng, Zhiwei; Andriese, Matthew; Li, Bowen; Huang, Xiaodi; Wang, Xinli

    The recycling of waste tires has been a big environmental problem. About 280 million waste tires are produced annually in the United States and more than 2 billion tires are stockpiled, which cause fire hazards and health issues. Tire rubbers are insoluble elastic high polymer materials. They are not biodegradable and may take hundreds of years to decompose in the natural environment. Microwave irradiation can be a thermal processing method for the decomposition of tire rubbers. In this study, the microwave absorption properties of waste tire at various temperatures are characterized to determine the conditions favorable for the microwave heating of waste tires.

  5. Synthesis of novel chalcone derivatives by conventional and microwave irradiation methods and their pharmacological activities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammed Rayees Ahmad

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Chalcones are abundant in edible plants and are considered to be the precursors of flavonoids and isoflavonoids. Chalcones belong to an important class of flavonoids, which may be prepared by Claisen–Schmidt condensation. They possess a wide range of biological activities and industrial applications. The cytotoxicity against tumour cell lines may be the result of disruption of the cell cycle, inhibition of angiogenesis, interference with p53-MDM2 interaction, mitochondrial uncoupling or induction of apoptosis. Chalcones are synthesized by conventional and microwave assisted synthesis methods. By microwave assisted synthesis, a considerable increase in the reaction rate has been observed and that too, with better yields. The compounds have been screened for cytotoxic activity and antioxidant activity.

  6. Digestion of Bangka monazite with sulfuric acid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Riesna Prassanti

    2012-01-01

    Technology of Bangka monazite processing with alkaline method has been mastered by PPGN BATAN with the product in the form of RE (Rare Earth) which is contain U < 2 ppm and Th 12 - 16 ppm. Hence, as comparator, the research of Bangka monazite processing with acid method using sulfuric acid has been done. The aim of this research is to obtain the optimal condition of Bangka monazite's digestion using sulfuric acid so that all elements contained in the monazite that are U, Th, RE, PO 4 dissolved as much as possible. The research parameter's arc monazite particle's size, sulfuric acid consumption (weight ratio of monazite ore : sulfuric acid), digestion temperature, digestion time and consumption of wash water. The results showed that the optimal conditions of digestion are 250+ 325 mesh of monazite particle's size, 1 : 2.5 of weight ratio of monazite ore: sulfuric acid, 190°C of digestion temperature, 3 hours of digestion time and 8 times of weight monazite's feed of wash water with the recovery of digested U = 99.90 %, Th = 99.44 %, RE = 98.64 % and PO 4 = 99.88 %. (author)

  7. Microwave imaging

    CERN Document Server

    Pastorino, Matteo

    2010-01-01

    An introduction to the most relevant theoretical and algorithmic aspects of modern microwave imaging approaches Microwave imaging-a technique used in sensing a given scene by means of interrogating microwaves-has recently proven its usefulness in providing excellent diagnostic capabilities in several areas, including civil and industrial engineering, nondestructive testing and evaluation, geophysical prospecting, and biomedical engineering. Microwave Imaging offers comprehensive descriptions of the most important techniques so far proposed for short-range microwave imaging-in

  8. Effect of partitioning the nonfiber carbohydrate fraction and neutral detergent fiber method on digestibility of carbohydrates by dairy cows.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tebbe, A W; Faulkner, M J; Weiss, W P

    2017-08-01

    using NDF corrected for ash and CP contamination was 0.87 (SE = 0.025), and metabolic fecal ROM was 3.76 g/100 g (SE = 0.60). Regardless of NDF method, ROM exhibited nutritional uniformity. The ROM fraction also had lower errors associated with the estimated true digestibility and its metabolic fecal fraction than did NFC. Therefore, ROM may result in more accurate estimates of available energy if integrated into models. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Comparison of in vitro and in situ methods in evaluation of forage digestibility in ruminants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krizsan, S J; Nyholm, L; Nousiainen, J; Südekum, K-H; Huhtanen, P

    2012-09-01

    The objective of this study was to compare the application of different in vitro and in situ methods in empirical and mechanistic predictions of in vivo OM digestibility (OMD) and their associations to near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy spectra for a variety of forages. Apparent in vivo OMD of silages made from alfalfa (n = 2), corn (n = 9), corn stover (n = 2), grass (n = 11), whole crops of wheat and barley (n = 8) and red clover (n = 7), and fresh alfalfa (n = 1), grass hays (n = 5), and wheat straws (n = 5) had previously been determined in sheep. Concentrations of indigestible NDF (iNDF) in all forage samples were determined by a 288-h ruminal in situ incubation. Gas production of isolated forage NDF was measured by in vitro incubations for 72 h. In vitro pepsin-cellulase OM solubility (OMS) of the forages was determined by a 2-step gravimetric digestion method. Samples were also subjected to a 2-step determination of in vitro OMD based on buffered rumen fluid and pepsin. Further, rumen fluid digestible OM was determined from a single 96-h incubation at 38°C. Digestibility of OM from the in situ and the in vitro incubations was calculated according to published empirical equations, which were either forage specific or general (1 equation for all forages) within method. Indigestible NDF was also used in a mechanistic model to predict OMD. Predictions of OMD were evaluated by residual analysis using the GLM procedure in SAS. In vitro OMS in a general prediction equation of OMD did not display a significant forage-type effect on the residuals (observed - predicted OMD; P = 0.10). Predictions of OMD within forage types were consistent between iNDF and the 2-step in vitro method based on rumen fluid. Root mean square error of OMD was least (0.032) when the prediction was based on a general forage equation of OMS. However, regenerating a simple regression for iNDF by omitting alfalfa and wheat straw reduced the root mean square error of OMD to 0

  10. Microwave-Assisted Drying for the Conservation of Honeybee Pollen

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Angelo Canale

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Bee pollen is becoming an important product thanks to its nutritional properties, including a high content of bioactive compounds such as essential amino acids, antioxidants, and vitamins. Fresh bee pollen has a high water content (15%–30% wt %, thus it is a good substrate for microorganisms. Traditional conservation methods include drying in a hot air chamber and/or freezing. These techniques may significantly affect the pollen organoleptic properties and its content of bioactive compounds. Here, a new conservation method, microwave drying, is introduced and investigated. The method implies irradiating the fresh pollen with microwaves under vacuum, in order to reduce the water content without reaching temperatures capable of thermally deteriorating important bioactive compounds. The method was evaluated by taking into account the nutritional properties after the treatment. The analyzed parameters were phenols, flavonoids, with special reference to rutin content, and amino acids. Results showed that microwave drying offers important advantages for the conservation of bee pollen. Irrespective of microwave power and treatment time, phenol and flavonoid content did not vary over untreated fresh pollen. Similarly, rutin content was unaffected by the microwave drying, suggesting that the microwave-assisted drying could be a powerful technology to preserve bioprotective compounds in fresh pollen.

  11. The efficiency of concentration methods used to detect enteric viruses in anaerobically digested sludge

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tatiana Prado

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available The presence of enteric viruses in biosolids can be underestimated due to the inefficient methods (mainly molecular methods used to recover the viruses from these matrices. Therefore, the goal of this study was to evaluate the different methods used to recover adenoviruses (AdV, rotavirus species A (RVA, norovirus genogroup II (NoV GII and the hepatitis A virus (HAV from biosolid samples at a large urban wastewater treatment plant in Brazil after they had been treated by mesophilic anaerobic digestion. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR was used for spiking experiments to compare the detection limits of feasible methods, such as beef extract elution and ultracentrifugation. Tests were performed to detect the inhibition levels and the bacteriophage PP7 was used as an internal control. The results showed that the inhibitors affected the efficiency of the PCR reaction and that beef extract elution is a suitable method for detecting enteric viruses, mainly AdV from biosolid samples. All of the viral groups were detected in the biosolid samples: AdV (90%, RVA, NoV GII (45% and HAV (18%, indicating the viruses' resistance to the anaerobic treatment process. This is the first study in Brazil to detect the presence of RVA, AdV, NoV GII and HAV in anaerobically digested sludge, highlighting the importance of adequate waste management.

  12. Microwave reflection, transmission, and absorption by human brain tissue

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ansari, M. A.; Akhlaghipour, N.; Zarei, M.; Niknam, A. R.

    2018-04-01

    These days, the biological effects of electromagnetic (EM) radiations on the brain, especially in the frequency range of mobile communications, have caught the attention of many scientists. Therefore, in this paper, the propagation of mobile phone electromagnetic waves in the brain tissues is investigated analytically and numerically. The brain is modeled by three layers consisting of skull, grey and white matter. First, we have analytically calculated the microwave reflection, transmission, and absorption coefficients using signal flow graph technique. The effect of microwave frequency and variations in the thickness of layers on the propagation of microwave through brain are studied. Then, the penetration of microwave in the layers is numerically investigated by Monte Carlo method. It is shown that the analytical results are in good agreement with those obtained by Monte Carlo method. Our results indicate the absorbed microwave energy depends on microwave frequency and thickness of brain layers, and the absorption coefficient is optimized at a number of frequencies. These findings can be used for comparing the microwave absorbed energy in a child's and adult's brain.

  13. Preparation of silica nanoparticles through microwave-assisted acid-catalysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lovingood, Derek D; Owens, Jeffrey R; Seeber, Michael; Kornev, Konstantin G; Luzinov, Igor

    2013-12-16

    Microwave-assisted synthetic techniques were used to quickly and reproducibly produce silica nanoparticle sols using an acid catalyst with nanoparticle diameters ranging from 30-250 nm by varying the reaction conditions. Through the selection of a microwave compatible solvent, silicic acid precursor, catalyst, and microwave irradiation time, these microwave-assisted methods were capable of overcoming the previously reported shortcomings associated with synthesis of silica nanoparticles using microwave reactors. The siloxane precursor was hydrolyzed using the acid catalyst, HCl. Acetone, a low-tan δ solvent, mediates the condensation reactions and has minimal interaction with the electromagnetic field. Condensation reactions begin when the silicic acid precursor couples with the microwave radiation, leading to silica nanoparticle sol formation. The silica nanoparticles were characterized by dynamic light scattering data and scanning electron microscopy, which show the materials' morphology and size to be dependent on the reaction conditions. Microwave-assisted reactions produce silica nanoparticles with roughened textured surfaces that are atypical for silica sols produced by Stöber's methods, which have smooth surfaces.

  14. Magnesium Borate Synthesis by Microwave Energy: A New Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azmi Seyhun Kipcak

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Magnesium borates are one of the major groups of boron minerals that have important properties such as high heat and corrosion resistances and high coefficients of elasticity. In this study, magnesium borate minerals are synthesized using boric acid and magnesium oxide with a new method of microwave, and the synthesized minerals are characterized by various analysis techniques. The results show that pure, “magnesium borate hydrate” minerals are obtained at the end of various steps. The characterization of the products is determined with the techniques of X-Ray Diffraction (XRD, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR, Raman Spectroscopy, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM. Additionally, overall “magnesium borate hydrate” yields are calculated and found about 67% at 270 W, 8 minutes and 360 W, 3 minutes of reaction times, respectively.

  15. In vitro digestibility, protein composition and techno-functional properties of Saskatchewan grown yellow field peas (Pisum sativum L.) as affected by processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Zhen; Boye, Joyce I; Hu, Xinzhong

    2017-02-01

    Saskatchewan grown yellow field pea was subjected to different processing conditions including dehulling, micronization, roasting, conventional/microwave cooking, germination, and combined germination and conventional cooking/roasting. Their nutritional and antinutritional compositions, functional properties, microstructure, thermal properties, in vitro protein and starch digestibility, and protein composition were studied. Processed field peas including conventional cooked yellow peas (CCYP), microwave cooked yellow peas (MCYP), germinated-conventional cooked yellow peas (GCCYP), and germinated-roasted yellow peas (GRYP) exhibited the significantly higher in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD), which was in accordance with their significantly lower trypsin inhibitor activity and tannin content. The SDS-PAGE and size exclusion HPLC profiles of untreated pea proteins and their hydrolysates also confirmed the IVPD result that these four treatments facilitated the hydrolysis of pea proteins to a greater extent. The CCYP, MCYP, GCCYP, and GRYP also exhibited significantly higher starch digestibility which was supported by their lower onset (T o ), peak (T p ), and conclusion (T c ) temperatures obtained from DSC thermogram, their lower pasting properties and starch damage results, as well as their distinguished amorphous flakes' configuration observed on the scanning electron microscopic image. LC/ESI-MS/MS analysis following in-gel digests of SDS-PAGE separated proteins allowed detailed compositional characterization of pea proteins. The present study would provide fundamental information to help to better understand the functionality of field peas as ingredients, and particularly in regards to agri-food industry to improve the process efficiency of field peas with enhanced nutritional and techno-functional qualities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. The anaerobic digestion of pig carcase with or without sugar beet pulp, as a novel on-farm disposal method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirby, Marie E; Theodorou, Michael K; Brizuela, Carole M; Huntington, James A; Powles, Jayne; Wilkinson, Robert G

    2018-05-01

    Anaerobic digestion was investigated as a potential method for on-farm disposal of fallen stock (pig carcases), degrading the carcase material to produce biogas and digestate. The effects of feedstock (sugar beet pulp or pig carcase material or a 50:50 mix) and organic loading rate (50 g-TS L -1 or 100 g-TS L -1 ), during mesophilic (35 °C) anaerobic digestion were investigated. Anaerobic digestion was achieved for all experimental treatments, however the pig carcase material at the higher organic loading rate produced the second highest methane yield (0.56 Nm 3 kg-VS -1 versus a range of 0.14-0.58 Nm 3 kg-VS -1 for other treatments), with the highest percentage of methane in total biogas (61.6% versus a range of 36.1-55.2% for all other treatments). Satisfactory pathogen reduction is a legislative requirement for disposal of carcase material. Pathogens were quantified throughout the anaerobic digestion process. Enterococcus faecalis concentrations decreased to negligible levels (2.8 log 10 CFU g-TS -1 ), whilst Clostridium perfringens levels remained unaffected by treatment throughout the digestion process (5.3 ± 0.2 log 10 CFU g-TS -1 ). Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. High-Power Microwave Transmission and Mode Conversion Program

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vernon, Ronald J. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)

    2015-08-14

    This is a final technical report for a long term project to develop improved designs and design tools for the microwave hardware and components associated with the DOE Plasma Fusion Program. We have developed basic theory, software, fabrication techniques, and low-power measurement techniques for the design of microwave hardware associated gyrotrons, microwave mode converters and high-power microwave transmission lines. Specifically, in this report we discuss our work on designing quasi-optical mode converters for single and multiple frequencies, a new method for the analysis of perturbed-wall waveguide mode converters, perturbed-wall launcher design for TE0n mode gyrotrons, quasi-optical traveling-wave resonator design for high-power testing of microwave components, and possible improvements to the HSX microwave transmission line.

  18. Perspectives for anaerobic digestion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ahring, Birgitte Kiær

    2003-01-01

    The modern society generates large amounts of waste that represent a tremendous threat to the environment and human and animal health. To prevent and control this, a range of different waste treatment and disposal methods are used. The choice of method must always be based on maximum safety...... to the soil. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is one way of achieving this goal and it will furthermore, reduce energy consumption or may even be net energy producing. This chapter aims at provide a basic understanding of the world in which anaerobic digestion is operating today. The newest process developments...

  19. Computational fluid dynamics and frequency-dependent finite-difference time-domain method coupling for the interaction between microwaves and plasma in rocket plumes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kinefuchi, K.; Funaki, I.; Shimada, T.; Abe, T.

    2012-01-01

    Under certain conditions during rocket flights, ionized exhaust plumes from solid rocket motors may interfere with radio frequency transmissions. To understand the relevant physical processes involved in this phenomenon and establish a prediction process for in-flight attenuation levels, we attempted to measure microwave attenuation caused by rocket exhaust plumes in a sea-level static firing test for a full-scale solid propellant rocket motor. The microwave attenuation level was calculated by a coupling simulation of the inviscid-frozen-flow computational fluid dynamics of an exhaust plume and detailed analysis of microwave transmissions by applying a frequency-dependent finite-difference time-domain method with the Drude dispersion model. The calculated microwave attenuation level agreed well with the experimental results, except in the case of interference downstream the Mach disk in the exhaust plume. It was concluded that the coupling estimation method based on the physics of the frozen plasma flow with Drude dispersion would be suitable for actual flight conditions, although the mixing and afterburning in the plume should be considered depending on the flow condition.

  20. Computational fluid dynamics and frequency-dependent finite-difference time-domain method coupling for the interaction between microwaves and plasma in rocket plumes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kinefuchi, K. [Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Funaki, I.; Shimada, T.; Abe, T. [Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, 3-1-1, Yoshinodai, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210 (Japan)

    2012-10-15

    Under certain conditions during rocket flights, ionized exhaust plumes from solid rocket motors may interfere with radio frequency transmissions. To understand the relevant physical processes involved in this phenomenon and establish a prediction process for in-flight attenuation levels, we attempted to measure microwave attenuation caused by rocket exhaust plumes in a sea-level static firing test for a full-scale solid propellant rocket motor. The microwave attenuation level was calculated by a coupling simulation of the inviscid-frozen-flow computational fluid dynamics of an exhaust plume and detailed analysis of microwave transmissions by applying a frequency-dependent finite-difference time-domain method with the Drude dispersion model. The calculated microwave attenuation level agreed well with the experimental results, except in the case of interference downstream the Mach disk in the exhaust plume. It was concluded that the coupling estimation method based on the physics of the frozen plasma flow with Drude dispersion would be suitable for actual flight conditions, although the mixing and afterburning in the plume should be considered depending on the flow condition.

  1. Assessment of the mobile bag method for estimation of in vivo starch digestibility

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ghoorchi, Taghi; Lund, Peter; Larsen, Mogens

    2013-01-01

    The objective was to assess the ability of the in situ mobile nylon bag method for predicting small intestinal and total tract starch digestibility. Starch disappearance was measured for 18 samples of different cereals and legumes subjected to different physical and chemical processing methods...... lactating Danish Holstein cows fitted with duodenal and ileal cannulas were used for intestinal incubations. Rumen pre-incubation had no significant effect on disappearance from bags recovered in faeces. The disappearance of legume starch was lower, both in the rumen and small intestine, compared...

  2. Microwave-assisted extraction of pectin from cocoa peel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarah, M.; Hanum, F.; Rizky, M.; Hisham, M. F.

    2018-02-01

    Pectin is a polymer of d-galacturonate acids linked by β-1,4 glycosidic bond. This study isolates pectin from cocoa peel (Theobroma cacao) using citric acid as solvent by microwave-assisted extraction method. Cocoa peels (moisture content of 10%) with citric acid solution (pH of 1.5) irradiated by microwave energy at various microwave power (180, 300, 450 and 600 W) for 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 minutes respectively. Pectin obtained from this study was collected and filtrated by adding 96% ethanol to precipitate the pectin. The best results obtained from extraction process using microwave power of 180 Watt for 30 minutes. This combination of power and time yielded 42.3% pectin with moisture content, ash content, weight equivalent, methoxyl content and galacturonate levels were 8.08%, 5%, 833.33 mg, 6.51% and 58,08%, respectively. The result finding suggested that microwave-assisted extraction method has a great potency on the commercial pectin production.

  3. Digestive Diseases

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... cells and provide energy. This process is called digestion. Your digestive system is a series of hollow organs joined ... are also involved. They produce juices to help digestion. There are many types of digestive disorders. The ...

  4. Synthesis and characterization of nanosized ceria powders by microwave-hydrothermal method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bonamartini Corradi, A.; Bondioli, F.; Ferrari, A.M.; Manfredini, T.

    2006-01-01

    Nanocrystalline ceria powders (CeO 2 ) have been prepared by adding NaOH to a cerium ammonium nitrate aqueous solution under microwave-hydrothermal conditions. In particular the effect of the synthesis conditions (time, pressure and concentration of both the precursor and the precipitant agent solutions) on the physical properties of the crystals have been evaluated. Microwave-hydrothermal treatment of 5 min at 13.4 atm allows to obtain almost crystallized powders (amorphous phase 4%) as underlined by Rietveld-reference intensity ratio (RIR) results

  5. Quality Determination of Biomass for Combustion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liu, Na; Jørgensen, Uffe; Lærke, Poul Erik

    2013-01-01

    A high content of minerals in biomass feedstock may cause fouling, slagging, and corrosion in the furnace during combustion. Here, a new pressurized microwave digestion method for biomass digestion prior to elemental analysis is presented. This high-throughput method is capable of processing...

  6. Microwave heating behavior and microwave absorption properties of barium titanate at high temperatures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Kashimura

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The temperature dependence of the microwave absorption behavior of BaTiO3 particles was investigated over various frequencies and temperatures of 25-1000 ∘C. First, using both the coaxial transmission line method and the cavity perturbation method by a network analyzer, the real and imaginary parts of the relative permittivity of BaTiO3 ( ε r ′ and ε r ″ , respectively were measured, in order to improve the reliability of the data obtained at 2.45 GHz. The imaginary parts of the relative permittivity as measured by the two methods were explored by their heating behaviors. Furthermore, the temperature dependence of the microwave absorption behavior of BaTiO3 particles was investigated for frequencies of 2.0-13.5 GHz and temperatures of 25-1000 ∘C using the coaxial transmission line method.

  7. Microwave Ovens

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Products and Procedures Home, Business, and Entertainment Products Microwave Ovens Share Tweet Linkedin Pin it More sharing ... 1030.10 - Microwave Ovens Required Reports for the Microwave Oven Manufacturers or Industry Exemption from Certain Reporting ...

  8. Magnetic properties and microwave characteristics of Ni-Zn-Cu ferrite film fabricated by aerosol deposition method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kagotani, T. [Departtment of Materials Science, Tohoku University, Aza-Aoba02 Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8597 (Japan)]. E-mail: kagotant@material.tohoku.ac.jp; Kobayashi, R. [Departtment of Materials Science, Tohoku University, Aza-Aoba02 Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8597 (Japan); Sugimoto, S. [Departtment of Materials Science, Tohoku University, Aza-Aoba02 Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8597 (Japan); Inomata, K. [Departtment of Materials Science, Tohoku University, Aza-Aoba02 Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8597 (Japan); Okayama, K. [Sony EMCS Corporation, Shinagawa INTERCITY C Tower, 2-15-3 Konan, Minato-ku Tokyo 106-6201 (Japan); Akedo, J. [Institute of Advanced Science and Technology, Namiki 1-2-1, Tsukuba 305-8564 (Japan)

    2005-04-15

    Microwave radiation in the GHz is increasingly being used in telecommunication and data processing. However, this has given rise to electromagnetic wave interference (EMI). Ni-Zn-Cu ferrite film was prepared by aerosol deposition method (ADM) depending on its capability as an absorber or a conducted noise suppressor in the quasi-microwave frequency range. The ADM is a kind of high-speed coating method. The film thickness of 7{mu}m was obtained by the deposition for 4min and the rate was estimated at 2.8{mu}m/min. The saturation magnetization of the film was 6.33x10{sup -5}Wbm/kg and the coercivity was 0.94kA/m. This value was nearly equal to that of sintered sample. The maximum complex permeabilities {mu}' and {mu}'' were 200 and 70. The resonance frequency f{sub r}=200MHz was over Snoek's limit.

  9. Development and validation of a simplified titration method for monitoring volatile fatty acids in anaerobic digestion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Hao; Guo, Jianbin; Wu, Shubiao; Liu, Fang; Dong, Renjie

    2017-09-01

    The volatile fatty acids (VFAs) concentration has been considered as one of the most sensitive process performance indicators in anaerobic digestion (AD) process. However, the accurate determination of VFAs concentration in AD processes normally requires advanced equipment and complex pretreatment procedures. A simplified method with fewer sample pretreatment procedures and improved accuracy is greatly needed, particularly for on-site application. This report outlines improvements to the Nordmann method, one of the most popular titrations used for VFA monitoring. The influence of ion and solid interfering subsystems in titrated samples on results accuracy was discussed. The total solid content in titrated samples was the main factor affecting accuracy in VFA monitoring. Moreover, a high linear correlation was established between the total solids contents and VFA measurement differences between the traditional Nordmann equation and gas chromatography (GC). Accordingly, a simplified titration method was developed and validated using a semi-continuous experiment of chicken manure anaerobic digestion with various organic loading rates. The good fitting of the results obtained by this method in comparison with GC results strongly supported the potential application of this method to VFA monitoring. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  10. Techniques for ceramic sintering using microwave energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kimrey, H.D.; Janney, M.A.; Becher, P.F.

    1987-01-01

    The use of microwave energy for ceramic sintering offers exciting new possibilities for materials processing. Based on experience gathered in microwave processing associated with the heating of fusion plasmas, we have developed hardware and methods for uniformly heating ceramic parts of large volume and irregular shape to temperatures in excess of 1600 0 C, in vacuum or pressurized atmosphere. Microwave processing at 28 GHz yields enhanced densification rates with a corresponding reduction in sintering temperatures. 6 refs

  11. Microwave-assisted silica-promoted solvent-free synthesis of ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    method using microwave irradiation with an excellent yield. The newly ... Table 1. Silica promoted microwave-assisted solvent-free synthesis of quinazolinone ... Time (min). Yield (%)a ..... thanks SC/ST cell of Bangalore University for research.

  12. COMPARISON OF DETERMINING METHODS REGARDING SELENIUM CONTENT IN WHEAT PLANT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mihaela Monica Stanciu-Burileanu

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available As a metallic chemical element, selenium has received special attention from biologists because of its dual role as a trace element essential and toxic. The important part of enzymes that protect cells against the effects of free radicals that are produced during normal metabolism of oxygen. Also, selenium is essential for normal immune system and thyroid gland, The concentration of selenium in the soil, which varies by region, determines the default concentration of selenium in plants growing in the soil.The purpose of this paper is to present methods of comparison, dry oxidation at 450ºC and wet digestiondigestion with acids in high concentrations at microwave system digestion, for determining selenium content from wheat samples collected from the south-eastern part of Romania, namely Bărăgan Plain and Central-South Dobrogea. Selenium separation and dosage from obtained extracts carry out through a selective hydride generation atomic absorption spectrophotometry. With the software SURFER, a tendency map of selenium distribution was drawn.

  13. Space and Time Adaptive Two-Mesh hp-Finite Element Method for Transient Microwave Heating Problems

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Dubcová, Lenka; Šolín, Pavel; Červený, Jakub; Kůs, Pavel

    1-2, č. 30 (2010), s. 23-40 ISSN 0272-6343 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA102/07/0496; GA AV ČR IAA100760702 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20570509 Keywords : hp-finite element method * microwave heating * edge elements Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering Impact factor: 0.844, year: 2010

  14. Microwave absorption properties of gold nanoparticle doped polymers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jiang, Chenhui; Ouattara, Lassana; Ingrosso, Chiara

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents a method for characterizing microwave absorption properties of gold nanoparticle doped polymers. The method is based on on-wafer measurements at the frequencies from 0.5GHz to 20GHz. The on-wafer measurement method makes it possible to characterize electromagnetic (EM) property...... of small volume samples. The epoxy based SU8 polymer and SU8 doped with gold nanoparticles are chosen as the samples under test. Two types of microwave test devices are designed for exciting the samples through electrical coupling and magnetic coupling, respectively. Measurement results demonstrate...... that the nanocomposites absorb a certain amount of microwave energy due to gold nanoparticles. Higher nanoparticle concentration results in more significant absorption effect....

  15. Microwave absorption properties of gold nanoparticle doped polymers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, C.; Ouattara, L.; Ingrosso, C.; Curri, M. L.; Krozer, V.; Boisen, A.; Jakobsen, M. H.; Johansen, T. K.

    2011-03-01

    This paper presents a method for characterizing microwave absorption properties of gold nanoparticle doped polymers. The method is based on on-wafer measurements at the frequencies from 0.5 GHz to 20 GHz. The on-wafer measurement method makes it possible to characterize electromagnetic (EM) property of small volume samples. The epoxy based SU8 polymer and SU8 doped with gold nanoparticles are chosen as the samples under test. Two types of microwave test devices are designed for exciting the samples through electrical coupling and magnetic coupling, respectively. Measurement results demonstrate that the nanocomposites absorb a certain amount of microwave energy due to gold nanoparticles. Higher nanoparticle concentration results in more significant absorption effect.

  16. A comparative study of different processing methods and microwave surface conductivity of 1-2-3 superconducting ceramics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sundar, H.G.K.; Wilson, C.; Horzog, D.

    1988-01-01

    Superconducting YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 6+x/ samples were made from powders prepared by different routes: solid state reaction, amorphous citrate and Pechini method. The powders produced by solid state reaction were milled to different degrees, calcined and sintered. Samples were also hot pressed at 875 C and subsequently annealed at different temperatures to regain the superconducting phase. In order to compare the amount of residual carbonate in the final materials prepared by solid state and liquid mix methods, XPS spectra were taken on as calcined powder and on material sintered at different temperatures. To our surprise, the amount of carbonate was quite small in both the methods, but this amount increased with sintering temperature. The microwave surface conductivity of 1-2-3 superconducting material was measured in a disk resonator configuration. At liquid nitrogen temperatures the microwave conductivity was comparable to that of gold and improved with decreasing temperature. At --10K the conductivity was two orders of magnitude greater than that of gold at the same temperature. The surface conductivity of samples obtained by Pechini method was much better than that obtained by solid state method

  17. Effect of microwave energy on grain quality of four Spanish rice varieties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Osca, J.M.; Marzal, A.; Castell, V.; Martínez, J.; Benedito, C.; Balbastre, J.V.; Sánchez-Hernández, D.

    2005-01-01

    A microwave system can be used as an alternative method to methyl bromide to control rice storage pests. Four rice varieties (Oryza sativa L.) grown in Spain (‘Bomba’, ‘Senia’, ‘Puntal’ and ‘Thainato’) were irradiated with three levels of microwave energy (0, 70 and 100 J g –1 ). Rice quality attributes were analysed to establish hypothetical quality changes in order to use microwave energy as an alternative method to control pests. Results of the factorial analysis showed that the analysed attributes differed more within varieties than among microwave treatments of the varieties, except for ‘Thainato’ which, after applying microwave energy of 100 J g –1 , presented a different adhesiveness from the other two treatments determined by factor 1 and ‘Puntal’ treated with microwaves presented a different water uptake and loss of solids in cooking water determined by factor 3 than the control. The increase in hardness and decrease in adhesiveness as a consequence of the microwave treatment could possibly damage rice quality. This aspect must be taken into account with this method. In conclusion, microwave energy can be used as an alternative method of insect control because it does not seriously affect rice quality. Microwave treatments did not leave undesirable residues and could be as effective at controlling insect infestation as any procedure currently available. (author) [es

  18. Acid digestion of organic materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Capp, P.D.

    1988-01-01

    To overcome the high temperatures involved in straight incineration of organic waste and the difficulty of extracting actinides from the ash various research establishments throughout the world, including Winfrith and Harwell in the UK, have carried out studies on an alternative chemical combustion method known as acid digestion. The basis of the technique is to digest the waste in concentrated sulphuric acid containing a few percent of nitric acid at a temperature of about 250 0 C. Acid digestion residues consist mainly of non-refractory inorganic sulphates and oxides from which any actinide materials can easily be extracted. (author)

  19. Microwave dissolution of plant tissue and the subsequent determination of trace lanthanide and actinide elements by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alvarado, J.S.; Neal, T.J.; Smith, L.L.; Erickson, M.D.

    1997-01-01

    Recently there has been much concern with the ability of plants to uptake heavy metals from their surroundings. With the development of instrumental techniques with low detection limits such as inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), attention is shifting toward achieving faster and more elegant ways of oxidizing the organic material inherent in environmental samples. Closed-vessel microwave dissolution was compared with conventional methods for the determination of concentrations of cerium, samarium, europium, terbium, uranium and thorium in a series of samples from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and from fields in Idaho. The ICP-MS technique exhibited detection limits in parts-per-trillion and linear calibration plots over three orders of magnitude for the elements under study. The results obtained by using nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide in a microwave digestion system for the analysis of reference materials showed close agreement with the accepted values. These values were compared with results obtained from dry- and wet-ashing procedures. The findings from an experiment comparing radiometric techniques for the determination of actinide elements to ICP-MS are reported

  20. Development of a new bioethanol feedstock - Anaerobically digested fiber from confined dairy operations using different digestion configurations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yue, Zhengbo; Teater, Charles; MacLellan, James; Liu, Yan; Liao, Wei

    2011-01-01

    Two types of digesters, continuous stirring-tank reactor (CSTR) and plug flow reactor (PFR), were integrated into a biorefining concept to generate a new cellulosic ethanol feedstock -anaerobically digested fiber (AD fiber) from dairy cow feces. Cellulose content in AD fibers was significantly increased during the anaerobic digestion. CSTR and PFR AD fibers had cellulose contents of 357 and 322 g kg -1 dried AD fiber. The AD fibers were enzymatically hydrolyzed after being pretreated by dilute sulfuric acid or dilute sodium hydroxide, and the hydrolysates were used to produce ethanol. Alkali pretreatment was concluded as a suitable pretreatment method for AD fibers. Under the optimal conditions the AD fibers processed by CSTR and PFR produced ethanol of 26 g kg -1 and 23 g kg -1 dry feces, respectively. Energy balance analysis further indicated that CSTR was a preferred digestion method to prepare AD fiber for ethanol production. -- Highlights: → Anaerobic digestion process has been discovered as a process that is not only a downstream process, but also a pretreatment method to prepare cellulosic feedstock for biorefining. → In this study the effects of two different AD reactor configurations (CSTR and PFR) on AD fiber quality and bioethanol conversion of the AD fiber have been explored. → Mass and energy balance analysis elucidated that compared to PFR, CSTR is better AD treatment to prepare AD fiber for bioethanol production.

  1. BCT phase formation in synthesis via microwave assisted hydrothermal method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barra, B.C.; Souza, A.E.; Teixeira, S.R.; Santos, G.T.A.; Lanzi, C.A.C.

    2012-01-01

    In previous work, samples of barium and calcium titanate (Ba1-xCaxTiO3 (BCT x = 0- 1) were prepared using the microwave assisted hydrothermal method in conditions of relatively short time and temperature. To the sample with 75wt% of Ca no BCT phase was formed but the photoluminescent emission was improved. In the present study, these titanates were synthesized by the same method with other concentrations of Ca, Ba1-xCaxTiO3 (x = 0, 0.20, 0.40, 0. 60, 0.80 and 1) to evaluate the limit of BCT phase formation. Results of X-ray diffraction showed that the phase BCT is formed between zero and 50wt%-Ca, in Ba substitution. Above this concentration, was observed only the formation of carbonates, and to x = 1 there was carbonate formation together with CaTiO3. These results were confirmed by micro Raman spectroscopy. (author)

  2. Combining autohydrolysis and ionic liquid microwave treatment to enhance enzymatic hydrolysis of Eucalyptus globulus wood.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rigual, Victoria; Santos, Tamara M; Domínguez, Juan Carlos; Alonso, M Virginia; Oliet, Mercedes; Rodriguez, Francisco

    2018-03-01

    The combination of autohydrolysis and ionic liquid microwave treatments of eucalyptus wood have been studied to facilitate sugar production in a subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis step. Three autohydrolysis conditions (150 °C, 175 °C and 200 °C) in combination with two ionic liquid temperatures (80 °C and 120 °C) were compared in terms of chemical composition, enzymatic digestibility and sugar production. Morphology was measured (using SEM) and the biomass surface was visualized with confocal fluorescence microscopy. The synergistic cooperation of both treatments was demonstrated, enhancing cellulose accessibility. At intermediate autohydrolysis conditions (175 °C) and low ionic liquid temperature (80 °C), a glucan digestibility of 84.4% was obtained. Using SEM micrographs, fractal dimension (as a measure of biomass complexity) and lacunarity (as a measure of homogeneity) were calculated before and after pretreatment. High fractals dimensions and low lacunarities correspond to morphologically complex and homogeneous samples, that are better digested by enzyme cocktails. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. RUMINAL AND INTESTINAL DIGESTION OF MAIZE (Zea mays AND SORGHUM (Sorghum bicolor L. MOENCH USING DIFFERENT DIGESTIBILITY TECHNIQUES (IN VIVO, IN VITRO AND IN SACCO

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ulises A Gonzalez Garcia

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The knowledge of the digestibility of the food is basic to establish its nutritive value and bioavailability of the nutrients. Numerous laboratory tests have been used to estimate the ruminal and intestinal digestion of the food such as in vitro (Gas and Daisy production and in sacco, to be compared with the in vivo method. Sorghum presented the highest (P 0.05 were found between grains. With regard to the digestibility methods, the DMD was lower (P 0.01 for the in sacco and in vitro methods (Daisy. The production of VFA's was similar for both cereals. In situ and in vitro techniques (DaisyII® allow the determination of digestibility quick and easy compared to conventional methods. Sorghum grinding improves its nutritional value by increasing its digestibility, which represents an alternative to maize for feeding calves for fattening.

  4. Accurate determination of bromine and iodine in medicinal plants by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry after microwave-induced combustion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nascimento, Mariele S.; Mendes, Ana Luiza G.; Henn, Alessandra S.; Picoloto, Rochele S.; Mello, Paola A.; Flores, Erico M. M.

    2017-12-01

    In this work, a method for the determination of bromine and iodine in medicinal plants by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after digestion by microwave-induced combustion (MIC) was developed. Medicinal plants were pressed as pellets and combusted at 20 bar of oxygen. The suitability of absorbing solution (water, 50 mmol L- 1 (NH4)2CO3, 10 mmol L- 1, 25 mmol L- 1, 50 mmol L- 1 or 100 mmol L- 1 NH4OH) was evaluated and a reflux step of 5 min was applied after combustion. The accuracy of the proposed method was evaluated by using certified reference materials (CRMs) of apple leaves and peach leaves and also by spiked samples. Using 50 mmol L- 1 NH4OH as absorbing solution, recoveries close to 100% for bromine and iodine were obtained as well as a low relative standard deviation (5%). No statistical difference (t-test, 95% of confidence level) was observed between the values obtained by ICP-MS after MIC digestion and the certified values. One of the important advantages of the proposed method is that it allowed the use of a relatively high sample mass (1000 mg) of medicinal plant resulting in low limits of quantification (0.033 μg g- 1 and 0.003 μg g- 1 for Br and I, respectively). Blanks were always negligible and only diluted solutions were used, in agreement with current recommendations for analytical methods. A high digestion efficiency was achieved (> 99%) assuring quantitative results. The concentration of analytes in medicinal plants was in the range of 0.17 μg g- 1 to 53.1 μg g- 1 for Br and medicinal plants (125 μg g- 1).

  5. CuO urchin-nanostructures synthesized from a domestic hydrothermal microwave method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keyson, D.; Volanti, D.P.; Cavalcante, L.S.; Simoes, A.Z.; Varela, J.A.; Longo, E.

    2008-01-01

    This letter reports the synthesis of CuO urchin-nanostructures by a simple and novel hydrothermal microwave method. The formation and growth of urchin-nanostructures is mainly affected by the addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG). The hierarchical malachite particles are uniform spheres with a diameter of 0.7-1.9 μm. CuO urchin-nanostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM) and nitrogen adsorption (BET). The specific surface area of the CuO nanostructured microspheres was about 170.5 m 2 /g. A possible mechanism for the formation of such CuO urchin-nanostructures is proposed

  6. Continuous microwave flow synthesis of mesoporous hydroxyapatite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akram, Muhammad; Alshemary, Ammar Z.; Goh, Yi-Fan; Wan Ibrahim, Wan Aini; Lintang, Hendrik O.; Hussain, Rafaqat

    2015-01-01

    We have successfully used continuous microwave flow synthesis (CMFS) technique for the template free synthesis of mesoporous hydroxyapatite. The continuous microwave flow reactor consisted of a modified 2.45 GHz household microwave, peristaltic pumps and a Teflon coil. This cost effective and efficient system was exploited to produce semi-crystalline phase pure nano-sized hydroxyapatite. Effect of microwave power, retention time and the concentration of reactants on the phase purity, degree of crystallinity and surface area of the final product was studied in detail. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to study the phase purity and composition of the product, while transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to study the effect of process parameters on the morphology of hydroxyapatite. The TEM analysis confirmed the formation of spherical particles at low microwave power; however the morphology of the particles changed to mesoporous needle and rod-like structure upon exposing the reaction mixture to higher microwave power and longer retention time inside the microwave. The in-vitro ion dissolution behavior of the as synthesized hydroxyapatite was studied by determining the amount of Ca 2+ ion released in SBF solution. - Highlights: • Continuous microwave flow synthesis method was used to prepare hydroxyapatite. • Increase in microwave power enhanced the degree of crystallinity. • TEM images confirmed the presence of mesopores on the surface of HA

  7. Continuous microwave flow synthesis of mesoporous hydroxyapatite

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Akram, Muhammad; Alshemary, Ammar Z.; Goh, Yi-Fan; Wan Ibrahim, Wan Aini [Department of Chemistry, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor (Malaysia); Lintang, Hendrik O. [Centre for Sustainable Nanomaterials (CSNano), Ibnu Sina Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor (Malaysia); Hussain, Rafaqat, E-mail: rafaqat@kimia.fs.utm.my [Centre for Sustainable Nanomaterials (CSNano), Ibnu Sina Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor (Malaysia)

    2015-11-01

    We have successfully used continuous microwave flow synthesis (CMFS) technique for the template free synthesis of mesoporous hydroxyapatite. The continuous microwave flow reactor consisted of a modified 2.45 GHz household microwave, peristaltic pumps and a Teflon coil. This cost effective and efficient system was exploited to produce semi-crystalline phase pure nano-sized hydroxyapatite. Effect of microwave power, retention time and the concentration of reactants on the phase purity, degree of crystallinity and surface area of the final product was studied in detail. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to study the phase purity and composition of the product, while transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to study the effect of process parameters on the morphology of hydroxyapatite. The TEM analysis confirmed the formation of spherical particles at low microwave power; however the morphology of the particles changed to mesoporous needle and rod-like structure upon exposing the reaction mixture to higher microwave power and longer retention time inside the microwave. The in-vitro ion dissolution behavior of the as synthesized hydroxyapatite was studied by determining the amount of Ca{sup 2+} ion released in SBF solution. - Highlights: • Continuous microwave flow synthesis method was used to prepare hydroxyapatite. • Increase in microwave power enhanced the degree of crystallinity. • TEM images confirmed the presence of mesopores on the surface of HA.

  8. Study on microwave assisted process in chemical extraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amer Ali; Rosli Mohd Yunus; Ramlan Abd Aziz

    2001-01-01

    The microwave assisted process is a revolutionary method of extraction that reduces the extraction time to as little as a few seconds, with up to a ten-fold decrease in the use of solvents. The target material is immersed in solvent that is transparent to microwaves, so only the target material is heated, and because of the microwaves tend to heat the inside of the material quickly, the target chemical are expelled in a few seconds. benefits from this process include significant reductions in the amount of energy required and substantial reductions in the cost and dispose of hazardous solvents. A thorough review has been displayed on: using the microwave in extraction, applications of microwave in industry, process flow diagram, mechanism of the process and comparison between microwave process and other extraction techniques (soxhlet, steam distillation and supercritical fluid). This review attempts to summarize the studies about microwave assisted process as a very promising technique. (Author)

  9. Effect of Recycle Sludge on Anaerobic Digestion of Palm Oil Mill Effluent in A Thermophilic Continuous Digester

    Science.gov (United States)

    Irvan; Trisakti, B.; Tomiuchi, Y.; Harahap, U.; Daimon, H.

    2017-06-01

    The objective of this research is to maintain short retention time and high degradation of palm oil mill effluent (POME) to biogas by applying recycle sludge. Fresh POME from Rambutan Mill without further treatment was used as feed. Two lab-scale digesters supported from Metawater Co. Ltd. have been applied to treat POME at thermophilic (55°C) condition. Both digesters were operated under intermittent operation mode. Experiments were performed in two methods: with and without recycle sludge. Hydraulic retention time (HRT) of both methods was maintained at 6 days, while sludge retention time (SRT) was maintained at various days. The result showed that by extending SRT in return sludge process where 25% of digested slurry recycled to the digester, improvement of volatile solid (VS) decomposition was obtained around 84% at HRT of 6 days and SRT of 21 days. Then, chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency could be reached until 85% by using recycle sludge.

  10. Mathematical Simulation of Temperature Profiles within Microwave Heated Wood Made for Wood-Based Nano composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, X.; He, X.; Lv, J.; Wu, Y.; Luo, Y.; Chen, H.

    2013-01-01

    High intensive microwave pretreatment is a new method to modify wood for the fabrication of wood-based nano composites. Based on the physical law on heat transfer, a mathematical model to describe the temperature profiles within wood heated by high intensive microwave was established and simulated in this research. The results showed that the temperature profiles within wood were related to microwave heating methods; The temperature inside wood firstly increased and then gradually decreased along the direction of microwave transmission when the unilateral microwave heating was applied, and the temperature difference along the thickness direction of wood was very significant; The temperature with wood firstly increased and then gradually decreased from the wood surface to interior when the bilateral microwave heating was applied. Compared with the unilateral microwave heating, bilateral microwave heating is a better microwave heating method for the more uniform wood microwave pretreatment.

  11. Microwave-assisted Synthesis of an Important Intermediate of Benazepril

    OpenAIRE

    Mistry, B; Medhane, Dipti; Mohanraj, Krishnapriya; Ghone, Sanjeevani A.

    2010-01-01

    Rapid and efficient methods for the synthesis of an important intermediate of benazepril ethyl 3-phthalimido-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-[1]benzazepin-2-one-1-acetate under the influence of microwave irradiation are described. A comparative study of conventional and microwave assisted method is briefly discussed.

  12. A study of pressureless microwave sintering, microwave-assisted hot press sintering and conventional hot pressing on properties of aluminium/alumina nanocomposite

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abedinzadeh, Reza; Safavi, Seyed Mohsen; Karimzadeh, Fathallah [Isfahan University, Isfahan (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2016-05-15

    Bulk Al/4wt-%Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanocomposites were prepared by consolidating nanocomposite powders using pressureless microwave sintering, microwave-assisted hot press sintering and conventional hot pressing techniques. Microstructural observations revealed that the microwave-assisted hot press sintering at different sintering temperatures of 400.deg.C and 500.deg.C resulted in more densification and smaller grain size for Al/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanocomposite as compared with the conventional hot pressing. Moreover, the application of pressure in microwave sintering process led to more densification and grain growth. Mechanical properties resulting from microhardness and nanoindentation tests were also compared between three-method processed samples. It was found that the microwave-assisted hot-pressed sample exhibited higher hardness and elastic modulus in comparison with microwave-sintered and conventional hot-pressed samples. The improvement in the mechanical properties can be ascribed to lower porosity of microwave-assisted hot-pressed sample.

  13. The acid solubility test of clay mineral under microwave

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng Ying; Niu Yuqing; Wu Peisheng; Niu Xuejun

    2001-01-01

    The acid solubility test of Al 3+ in clay from some uranium ores under microwave is introduced. The result shows that the concentration of Al 3+ in solution and the acid consumption increase rapidly under microwave comparing with normal leaching condition. It is infeasible to adopt microwave slacking method for intensively leaching uranium from uranium ore containing more clay

  14. In vitro versus in vivo protein digestibility techniques for calculating PDCAAS (protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score) applied to chickpea fractions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tavano, Olga Luisa; Neves, Valdir Augusto; da Silva Júnior, Sinézio Inácio

    2016-11-01

    Seven different in vitro methods to determine the protein digestibility for chickpea proteins were considered and also the application of these methodologies for calculating PDCAAS (protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score), seeking their correlations with the in vivo methodology. In vitro digestibility of raw and heated samples were determined using pepsin-pancreatin hydrolysis, considering soluble nitrogen via Kjeldahl (ppKJ) and hydrolysed peptide linkages using trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid and o-phthaldialdehyde. In vitro digestibility was also determined using trypsin, chymotrypsin and peptidase (3-Enz) or trypsin, chymotrypsin, peptidase and pronase solution (4-Enz). None of the correlations between in vitro and in vivo digestibilities were significant (at p<0.0500), but, strong correlations were observed between PDCAAS calculated by in vitro and in vivo results. PDCAAS-ppKJ, PDCAAS-3-Enz and PDCAAS-4-Enz presented the highest correlations with in vivo method, r=0.9316, 0.9442 and 0.9649 (p<0.0500), respectively. The use of in vitro methods for calculating PDCAAS may be promising and deserves more discussions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Studying Heavy Ion Collisions Using Methods From Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gaardhøje J. J.

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available We present and discuss a framework for studying the morphology of high-multiplicity events from relativistic heavy ion collisions using methods commonly employed in the analysis of the photons from the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB. The analysis is based on the decomposition of the distribution of the number density of (charged particles expressed in polar and azimuthal coordinates into a sum of spherical harmonic functions. We present an application of the method exploting relevant symmetries to the study of azimuthal correlations arizing from collective flow among charged particles produced in relativistic heavy ion collisions. We discuss perspectives for event-by- event analyses, which with increasing collision energy will eventually open entirely new dimensions in the study of ultrarelaticistic heavy ion reactions.

  16. 237Np analytical method using 239Np tracers and application to a contaminated nuclear disposal facility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snow, Mathew S; Morrison, Samuel S; Clark, Sue B; Olson, John E; Watrous, Matthew G

    2017-06-01

    Environmental 237 Np analyses are challenged by low 237 Np concentrations and lack of an available yield tracer; we report a rapid, inexpensive 237 Np analytical approach employing the short lived 239 Np (t 1/2  = 2.3 days) as a chemical yield tracer followed by 237 Np quantification using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. 239 Np tracer is obtained via separation from a 243 Am stock solution and standardized using gamma spectrometry immediately prior to sample processing. Rapid digestions using a commercial, 900 W "Walmart" microwave and Parr microwave vessels result in 99.8 ± 0.1% digestion yields, while chromatographic separations enable Np/U separation factors on the order of 10 6 and total Np yields of 95 ± 4% (2σ). Application of this method to legacy soil samples surrounding a radioactive disposal facility (the Subsurface Disposal Area at Idaho National Laboratory) reveal the presence of low level 237 Np contamination within 600 m of this site, with maximum 237 Np concentrations on the order of 10 3 times greater than nuclear weapons testing fallout levels. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Microwave-assisted Synthesis of an Important Intermediate of Benazepril

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mistry, B; Medhane, Dipti; Mohanraj, Krishnapriya; Ghone, Sanjeevani A.

    2010-01-01

    Rapid and efficient methods for the synthesis of an important intermediate of benazepril ethyl 3-phthalimido-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-[1]benzazepin-2-one-1-acetate under the influence of microwave irradiation are described. A comparative study of conventional and microwave assisted method is briefly discussed. PMID:21188052

  18. Microwave energy transmission

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Matsumoto, Hiroshi [Kyoto Univ. (Japan)

    1989-03-05

    Laying stress on the technological problems and effect on the environment of microwave energy transmission, recent scientific and engineering problems and related subjects are described. Because no fuel is required for the solar power generation, the power generation system can not be considered as an expensive one when the unit cost of energy is taken into consideration. Some of the important technological problems in the microwave energy transmission are accurate microwave beam control technology to receiving stations and improvement in the efficiency of transmission system. Microwave energy beam has effects on living bodies, communication, and plasma atmosphere of the earth. Microwave energy transmission using a space flyer unit is scheduled. Its objective is the development of microwave wireless transmission technology and the study of the correlation between high power microwave and ionosphere plasma. Experiments on such a small scale application as a microwave driven space ship to bring results seem also important. 12 refs., 13 figs.

  19. Comparison of heat and mass transfer of different microwave-assisted extraction methods of essential oil from Citrus limon (Lisbon variety) peel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Golmakani, Mohammad-Taghi; Moayyedi, Mahsa

    2015-11-01

    Dried and fresh peels of Citrus limon were subjected to microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MAHD) and solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME), respectively. A comparison was made between MAHD and SFME with the conventional hydrodistillation (HD) method in terms of extraction kinetic, chemical composition, and antioxidant activity. Higher yield results from higher extraction rates by microwaves and could be due to a synergy of two transfer phenomena: mass and heat acting in the same way. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis did not indicate any noticeable differences between the constituents of essential oils obtained by MAHD and SFME, in comparison with HD. Antioxidant analysis of the extracted essential oils indicated that microwave irradiation did not have adverse effects on the radical scavenging activity of the extracted essential oils. The results of this study suggest that MAHD and SFME can be termed as green technologies because of their less energy requirements per ml of essential oil extraction.

  20. Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Phenothiazine and Quinoline Derivatives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Găină, Luiza; Cristea, Castelia; Moldovan, Claudia; Porumb, Dan; Surducan, Emanoil; Deleanu, Călin; Mahamoud, Abdalah; Barbe, Jacques; Silberg, Ioan A.

    2007-01-01

    Application of a dynamic microwave power system in the chemical synthesis of some phenothiazine and quinoline derivatives is described. Heterocyclic ring formation, aromatic nucleophilic substitution and heterocyclic aldehydes/ketones condensation reactions were performed on solid support, or under solvent free reaction conditions. The microwave-assisted Duff formylation of phenothiazine was achieved. Comparison of microwave-assisted synthesis with the conventional synthetic methods demonstrates advantages related to shorter reaction times and in some cases better reaction yields.

  1. Low-cost metal oxide activated carbon prepared and modified by microwave heating method for hydrogen storage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moradi, S. E. [Islamic Azad University, Sari (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2014-09-15

    Novel microporous activated carbon (MAC) with high surface area and pore volume has been synthesized by microwave heating. Iron oxide nanoparticles were loaded into MAC by using Fe(NO{sub 3}){sub 3}·9H{sub 2}O followed by microwave irradiation for up to five minutes. The surface modified microporous activated carbon was characterized by BET, XRD, SEM and thermogravimetric examinations. Adsorption data of H{sub 2} on the unmodified and modified MACs were collected with PCT method for a pressure range up to 120 bar at 303 K. Greater hydrogen adsorption was observed on the carbon adsorbents doped with 1.45 wt% of iron oxide nanoparticle loaded due to the joint properties of hydrogen adsorption on the carbon surface and the spill-over of hydrogen molecules into carbon structures.

  2. Microwave assisted extraction for trace element analysis of plant materials by ICP-AES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Borkowska-Burnecka, J. [Wroclaw Univ. (Poland). Inst. Chemii

    2000-11-01

    Application of microwave assisted extraction for the decomposition and dissolution of plant samples for trace metal determination by ICP-AES was examined. Dried onion, leaves of spinach beet and three reference materials CTA-OTL-1, CTA-VTL-2 and CL-1 were analyzed. Water, EDTA and hydrochloric acid (0.01, 0.10 and 1.0 M, respectively) were used as leaching solutions. The extraction efficiency was investigated by comparison of the results with those obtained after microwave wet digestion. HCl was found to be very suitable for quantitative extraction of B, Ba, Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr and Zn from the samples. For reference materials, the measured concentrations are well consistent with the certified values. The use of EDTA led to a complete extraction of B, Cd, Ni, Pb, Sr and Zn. Water was found to be a good leaching solution for boron. For extraction with HCl and EDTA, the RSD values for the concentrations measured were below 8% for most of the elements. (orig.)

  3. Microwave assisted extraction for trace element analysis of plant materials by ICP-AES.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borkowska-Burnecka, J

    2000-11-01

    Application of microwave assisted extraction for the decomposition and dissolution of plant samples for trace metal determination by ICP-AES was examined. Dried onion, leaves of spinach beet and three reference materials CTA-OTL-1, CTA-VTL-2 and CL-1 were analyzed. Water, EDTA and hydrochloric acid (0.01, 0.10 and 1.0 M, respectively) were used as leaching solutions. The extraction efficiency was investigated by comparison of the results with those obtained after microwave wet digestion. HCl was found to be very suitable for quantitative extraction of B, Ba, Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr and Zn from the samples. For reference materials, the measured concentrations are well consistent with the certified values. The use of EDTA led to a complete extraction of B, Cd, Ni, Pb, Sr and Zn. Water was found to be a good leaching solution for boron. For extraction with HCl and EDTA, the RSD values for the concentrations measured were below 8% for most of the elements.

  4. The review of CAD for simulation of microwave devices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Drach V.E.

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available the article is devoted to a brief review of modern CAD for electromagnetic modeling of microwave devices. Five major CAD systems are described in the article: FEKO, μWave Wizard, Sonnet, AWR Microwave Office, HFSS. The main methods are given for each CAD system used for simulation of microwave structures and the main advantages that distinguish its use.

  5. Fast and versatile microwave-assisted intramolecular Heck reaction in peptide macrocyclization using microwave energy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byk, Gerardo; Cohen-Ohana, Mirit; Raichman, Daniel

    2006-01-01

    We have revisited the intramolecular Heck reaction and investigated the microwave-assisted macrocyclization on preformed peptides using a model series of ring-varying peptides acryloyl-Gly-[Gly](n)-Phe(4-I)NHR; n = 0-4. The method was applied to both solution and solid supported cyclizations. We demonstrate that the intramolecular Heck reaction can be performed in peptides both in solution and solid support using a modified domestic microwave within 1 to 30 minutes in DMF under reflux with moderate yields ranging from 15 to 25% for a scale between 2-45 mg of linear precursors. The approach was applied to the synthesis of a constrained biologically relevant peptidomimetic bearing an Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) sequence. These results make the microwave-assisted Heck reaction an attractive renovated approach for peptidomimetics. Copyright 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Review on Microwave-Matter Interaction Fundamentals and Efficient Microwave-Associated Heating Strategies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Jing; Wang, Wenlong; Yue, Qinyan

    2016-01-01

    Microwave heating is rapidly emerging as an effective and efficient tool in various technological and scientific fields. A comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of microwave–matter interactions is the precondition for better utilization of microwave technology. However, microwave heating is usually only known as dielectric heating, and the contribution of the magnetic field component of microwaves is often ignored, which, in fact, contributes greatly to microwave heating of some aqueous electrolyte solutions, magnetic dielectric materials and certain conductive powder materials, etc. This paper focuses on this point and presents a careful review of microwave heating mechanisms in a comprehensive manner. Moreover, in addition to the acknowledged conventional microwave heating mechanisms, the special interaction mechanisms between microwave and metal-based materials are attracting increasing interest for a variety of metallurgical, plasma and discharge applications, and therefore are reviewed particularly regarding the aspects of the reflection, heating and discharge effects. Finally, several distinct strategies to improve microwave energy utilization efficiencies are proposed and discussed with the aim of tackling the energy-efficiency-related issues arising from the application of microwave heating. This work can present a strategic guideline for the developed understanding and utilization of the microwave heating technology. PMID:28773355

  7. Low temperature vapor phase digestion of graphite

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pierce, Robert A.

    2017-04-18

    A method for digestion and gasification of graphite for removal from an underlying surface is described. The method can be utilized to remove graphite remnants of a formation process from the formed metal piece in a cleaning process. The method can be particularly beneficial in cleaning castings formed with graphite molding materials. The method can utilize vaporous nitric acid (HNO.sub.3) or vaporous HNO.sub.3 with air/oxygen to digest the graphite at conditions that can avoid damage to the underlying surface.

  8. Basic principles of thermo-acoustic energy and temporal profile detection of microwave pulses

    CERN Document Server

    Andreev, V G; Vdovin, V A

    2001-01-01

    Basic principles of a thermo-acoustic method developed for the detection of powerful microwave pulses of nanosecond duration are discussed.A proposed method is based on the registration of acoustic pulse profile originated from the thermal expansion of the volume where microwave energy was absorbed.The amplitude of excited acoustic transient is proportional to absorbed microwave energy and its temporal profile resembles one of a microwave pulse when certain conditions are satisfied.The optimal regimes of microwave pulse energy detection and sensitivity of acoustic transient registration with piezo-transducer are discussed.It was demonstrated that profile of a microwave pulse could be detected with temporal resolution of 1 - 3 nanosecond.

  9. Digestion-ligation-only Hi-C is an efficient and cost-effective method for chromosome conformation capture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Da; Hong, Ping; Zhang, Siheng; Xu, Weize; Jamal, Muhammad; Yan, Keji; Lei, Yingying; Li, Liang; Ruan, Yijun; Fu, Zhen F; Li, Guoliang; Cao, Gang

    2018-05-01

    Chromosome conformation capture (3C) technologies can be used to investigate 3D genomic structures. However, high background noise, high costs, and a lack of straightforward noise evaluation in current methods impede the advancement of 3D genomic research. Here we developed a simple digestion-ligation-only Hi-C (DLO Hi-C) technology to explore the 3D landscape of the genome. This method requires only two rounds of digestion and ligation, without the need for biotin labeling and pulldown. Non-ligated DNA was efficiently removed in a cost-effective step by purifying specific linker-ligated DNA fragments. Notably, random ligation could be quickly evaluated in an early quality-control step before sequencing. Moreover, an in situ version of DLO Hi-C using a four-cutter restriction enzyme has been developed. We applied DLO Hi-C to delineate the genomic architecture of THP-1 and K562 cells and uncovered chromosomal translocations. This technology may facilitate investigation of genomic organization, gene regulation, and (meta)genome assembly.

  10. Passive microwave remote sensing of soil moisture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jackson, T.J.; Schmugge, T.J.

    1986-01-01

    Microwave remote sensing provides a unique capability for direct observation of soil moisture. Remote measurements from space afford the possibility of obtaining frequent, global sampling of soil moisture over a large fraction of the Earth's land surface. Microwave measurements have the benefit of being largely unaffected by cloud cover and variable surface solar illumination, but accurate soil moisture estimates are limited to regions that have either bare soil or low to moderate amounts of vegetation cover. A particular advantage of passive microwave sensors is that in the absence of significant vegetation cover soil moisture is the dominant effect on the received signal. The spatial resolutions of passive microwave soil moisture sensors currently considered for space operation are in the range 10–20 km. The most useful frequency range for soil moisture sensing is 1–5 GHz. System design considerations include optimum choice of frequencies, polarizations, and scanning configurations, based on trade-offs between requirements for high vegetation penetration capability, freedom from electromagnetic interference, manageable antenna size and complexity, and the requirement that a sufficient number of information channels be available to correct for perturbing geophysical effects. This paper outlines the basic principles of the passive microwave technique for soil moisture sensing, and reviews briefly the status of current retrieval methods. Particularly promising are methods for optimally assimilating passive microwave data into hydrologic models. Further studies are needed to investigate the effects on microwave observations of within-footprint spatial heterogeneity of vegetation cover and subsurface soil characteristics, and to assess the limitations imposed by heterogeneity on the retrievability of large-scale soil moisture information from remote observations

  11. 76 FR 65631 - Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Microwave Ovens

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-10-24

    ... Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Microwave Ovens AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable... residential microwave ovens. DOE specifically is seeking information, data, and comments regarding representative and repeatable methods for measuring the energy use of microwave-only ovens and combination...

  12. Application of microwave heating to a polyesterification plant

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Komorowska-Durka, M.

    2015-01-01

    Utilizing microwave irradiation, a fundamentally different method of the energy transfer, to the chemical process units can potentially be advantageous compared to the conventional heating, inter alia due to the selective nature of interaction of the microwaves with the matter. This doctoral

  13. Electronic structure and magnetic properties of FeWO{sub 4} nanocrystals synthesized by the microwave-hydrothermal method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Almeida, M.A.P. [INCTMN-DQ-Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos, P.O. Box 676, 13565-905, SP (Brazil); Cavalcante, L.S., E-mail: laeciosc@bol.com.br [INCTMN-Universidade Estadual, Paulista, P.O. Box 355, 14801-907, Araraquara, SP (Brazil); Morilla-Santos, C.; Filho, P.N. Lisboa [MAv-Universidade Estadual, Paulista, P.O. Box 473, 17033-360, Bauru, SP (Brazil); Beltran, A.; Andres, J.; Gracia, L. [Department de Quimica Fisica i Analitica, Universitat Jaume I, E-12071 Castello (Spain); Longo, E. [INCTMN-DQ-Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos, P.O. Box 676, 13565-905, SP (Brazil); INCTMN-Universidade Estadual, Paulista, P.O. Box 355, 14801-907, Araraquara, SP (Brazil)

    2012-11-15

    This communication reports that FeWO{sub 4} nanocrystals were successfully synthesized by the microwave-hydrothermal method at 443 K for 1 h. The structure and shape of these nanocrystals were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Rietveld refinement, and transmission electron microscopy. The experimental results and first principles calculations were combined to explain the electronic structure and magnetic properties. Experimental data were obtained by magnetization measurements for different applied magnetic fields. Theoretical calculations revealed that magnetic properties of FeWO{sub 4} nanocrystals can be assigned to two magnetic orderings with parallel or antiparallel spins in adjacent chains. These factors are crucial to understanding of competition between ferro- and antiferromagnetic behavior. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Monophasic FeWO{sub 4} nanocrystals were synthesized by the microwave-hydrothermal method. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Rietveld refinement and clusters model for monoclinic structure Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Magnetic properties of FeWO{sub 4} nanocrystals at different temperatures.

  14. Modeling of microwave applicators with an excitation through the wave guide using TLM method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ranđelović Tijana

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, a real microwave applicator with a wave guide used to launch the energy from the source into the cavity is analyzed using 3D TLM method. In order to investigate the influence of the positions and number of feed wave guides to the number of the resonant modes inside the cavity, obtained results are compared with analytical results and results obtained by using TLM software with an impulse excitation as well. TLM method is applied to the both empty and loaded rectangular metallic cavity, and a very good agreement between simulated and experimental results is achieved.

  15. Remote measurement of microwave distribution based on optical detection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ji, Zhong; Ding, Wenzheng; Yang, Sihua; Chen, Qun, E-mail: redrocks-chenqun@hotmail.com, E-mail: xingda@scnu.edu.cn; Xing, Da, E-mail: redrocks-chenqun@hotmail.com, E-mail: xingda@scnu.edu.cn [MOE Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science and Institute of Laser Life Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631 (China)

    2016-01-04

    In this letter, we present the development of a remote microwave measurement system. This method employs an arc discharge lamp that serves as an energy converter from microwave to visible light, which can propagate without transmission medium. Observed with a charge coupled device, quantitative microwave power distribution can be achieved when the operators and electronic instruments are in a distance from the high power region in order to reduce the potential risk. We perform the experiments using pulsed microwaves, and the results show that the system response is dependent on the microwave intensity over a certain range. Most importantly, the microwave distribution can be monitored in real time by optical observation of the response of a one-dimensional lamp array. The characteristics of low cost, a wide detection bandwidth, remote measurement, and room temperature operation make the system a preferred detector for microwave applications.

  16. Microwave RF antennas and circuits nonlinearity applications in engineering

    CERN Document Server

    Aluf, Ofer

    2017-01-01

    This book describes a new concept for analyzing RF/microwave circuits, which includes RF/microwave antennas. The book is unique in its emphasis on practical and innovative microwave RF engineering applications. The analysis is based on nonlinear dynamics and chaos models and shows comprehensive benefits and results. All conceptual RF microwave circuits and antennas are innovative and can be broadly implemented in engineering applications. Given the dynamics of RF microwave circuits and antennas, they are suitable for use in a broad range of applications. The book presents analytical methods for microwave RF antennas and circuit analysis, concrete examples, and geometric examples. The analysis is developed systematically, starting with basic differential equations and their bifurcations, and subsequently moving on to fixed point analysis, limit cycles and their bifurcations. Engineering applications include microwave RF circuits and antennas in a variety of topological structures, RFID ICs and antennas, micros...

  17. Comparison of three artificial digestion methods for detection of non-encapsulated Trichinella pseudospiralis larvae in pork.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nöckler, K; Reckinger, S; Szabó, I; Maddox-Hyttel, C; Pozio, E; van der Giessen, J; Vallée, I; Boireau, P

    2009-02-23

    In a ring trial involving five laboratories (A, B, C, D, and E), three different methods of artificial digestion were compared for the detection of non-encapsulated Trichinella pseudospiralis larvae in minced meat. Each sample panel consisted of ten 1g minced pork samples. All samples in each panel were derived from a bulk meat preparation with a nominal value of either 7 or 17 larvae per g (lpg). Samples were tested for the number of muscle larvae using the magnetic stirrer method (labs A, B, and E), stomacher method (lab B), and Trichomatic 35 (labs C and D). T. pseudospiralis larvae were found in all 120 samples tested. For samples with 7 lpg, larval recoveries were significantly higher using the stomacher method versus the magnetic stirrer method, but there were no significant differences for samples with 17 lpg. In comparing laboratory results irrespective of the method used, lab B detected a significantly higher number of larvae than lab E for samples with 7 lpg, and lab E detected significantly less larvae than labs A, B, and D in samples with 17 lpg. The lowest overall variation for quantitative results (i.e. larval recoveries which were outside the tolerance range) was achieved by using the magnetic stirrer method (22%), followed by the stomacher method (25%), and Trichomatic 35 (30%). Results revealed that T. pseudospiralis larvae in samples with a nominal value of 7 and 17 lpg can be detected by all three methods of artificial digestion.

  18. Survey of total and inorganic arsenic content in blue mussels (Mytilus edulis L.) from Norwegian fiords: Revelation of unusual high levels of inorganic arsenic

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sloth, Jens Jørgen; Julshamn, Kåre

    2008-01-01

    arsenic. Total arsenic was determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) following microwave-assisted acidic digestion of the samples. Inorganic arsenic was determined using an anion-exchange HPLC-ICPMS method following microwave-assisted alkaline solubilization of the samples...

  19. Development of rapid urine analysis method for uranium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kuwabara, J.; Noguchi, H. [Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan)

    2000-05-01

    ICP-MS has begun to spread in the field of individual monitoring for internal exposure as a very effective machine for uranium analysis. Although the ICP-MS has very high sensitivity, it requires longer time than conventional analysis, such as fluorescence analysis, because it is necessary to remove matrix from a urine sample sufficiently. To shorten time required for the urine bioassay by ICP-MS, a rapid uranium analysis method using the ICP-MS connected with a flow injection system was developed. Since this method does not involve chemical separation steps, the time required is equivalent to the conventional analysis. A measurement test was carried out using 10 urine solutions prepared from a urine sample. Required volume of urine solution is 5 ml. Main chemical treatment is only the digestion with 5 ml of nitric acid using a microwave oven to decompose organic matter and to dissolve suspended or precipitated matter. The microwave oven can digest 10 samples at once within an hour. Volume of digested sample solution was adjusted to 10 ml. The prepared sample solutions were directly introduced to the ICP-MS without any chemical separation procedure. The ICP-MS was connected with a flow injection system and an auto sampler. The flow injection system can minimize the matrix effects caused from salt dissolved in high matrix solution, such as non chemical separated urine sample, because it can introduce micro volume of sample solution into the ICP-MS. The ICP-MS detected uranium within 2 min/sample using the auto sampler. The 10 solutions prepared from a urine sample showed an average of 7.5 ng/l of uranium concentration in urine with 10 % standard deviation. A detection limit is about 1 ng/l. The total time required was less than 4 hours for 10 sample analysis. In the series of measurement, any memory effect was not observed. The present analysis method using the ICP-MS equipped with the flow injection system demonstrated that the shortening of time required on high

  20. Development of rapid urine analysis method for uranium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuwabara, J.; Noguchi, H.

    2000-01-01

    ICP-MS has begun to spread in the field of individual monitoring for internal exposure as a very effective machine for uranium analysis. Although the ICP-MS has very high sensitivity, it requires longer time than conventional analysis, such as fluorescence analysis, because it is necessary to remove matrix from a urine sample sufficiently. To shorten time required for the urine bioassay by ICP-MS, a rapid uranium analysis method using the ICP-MS connected with a flow injection system was developed. Since this method does not involve chemical separation steps, the time required is equivalent to the conventional analysis. A measurement test was carried out using 10 urine solutions prepared from a urine sample. Required volume of urine solution is 5 ml. Main chemical treatment is only the digestion with 5 ml of nitric acid using a microwave oven to decompose organic matter and to dissolve suspended or precipitated matter. The microwave oven can digest 10 samples at once within an hour. Volume of digested sample solution was adjusted to 10 ml. The prepared sample solutions were directly introduced to the ICP-MS without any chemical separation procedure. The ICP-MS was connected with a flow injection system and an auto sampler. The flow injection system can minimize the matrix effects caused from salt dissolved in high matrix solution, such as non chemical separated urine sample, because it can introduce micro volume of sample solution into the ICP-MS. The ICP-MS detected uranium within 2 min/sample using the auto sampler. The 10 solutions prepared from a urine sample showed an average of 7.5 ng/l of uranium concentration in urine with 10 % standard deviation. A detection limit is about 1 ng/l. The total time required was less than 4 hours for 10 sample analysis. In the series of measurement, any memory effect was not observed. The present analysis method using the ICP-MS equipped with the flow injection system demonstrated that the shortening of time required on high

  1. Microwave heat treatment as a substitute for conventional treatment of palm oil fruits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mujahid H Al-Fayadh; Nor Azura Masabbir Ali

    1996-01-01

    Microwave energy has become a sound method of heat treatment because of its high penetration power, cleanliness and possible economic significance. In this research, microwave heat was used as a substitute for conventional blanching method of palm oil fruits. Microwave treatment at 2450 MHz and 800 watts gave very close color and frn,frying characteristics to oil of blanched fruits after one minute exposure time. However, five minutes of microwave heat gave severe husk oil discoloration after 49 hours of deep frying, compared to all oils extracted from fruits treated by either low, microwave exposure time or conventional steam treatment. Kernel oil, after five minutes of microwave treatment, was less discolored than both steam or microwave-treated fruits for one minute. More carotenes and discoloration compounds may be contributed to discoloration during microwave treatments. Oil chemical constants of both husk and kernel oils treated by microwave heat were close to those treated by conventional heat. Further research is needed to investigate detailed oil characteristics and evaluate the feasibility study for using microwave energy, as a substitute for conventional heat in palm oil industry

  2. Microwave imaging for plasma diagnostics and its applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mase, A.; Kogi, Y.; Ito, N.

    2007-01-01

    Microwave to millimeter-wave diagnostic techniques such as interferometry, reflectometry, scattering, and radiometry have been powerful tools for diagnosing magnetically confined plasmas. Important plasma parameters were measured to clarify the physics issues such as stability, wave phenomena, and fluctuation-induced transport. Recent advances in microwave and millimeter-wave technology together with computer technology have enabled the development of advanced diagnostics for visualization of 2D and 3D structures of plasmas. Microwave/millimeter-wave imaging is expected to be one of the most promising diagnostic methods for this purpose. We report here on the representative microwave diagnostics and their industrial applications as well as application to magnetically-confined plasmas. (author)

  3. Solvent-free microwave extraction of essential oil from Melaleuca leucadendra L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Widya Ismanto Aviarina

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Cajuput (Melaleuca leucadendra L. oil is one of potential commodity that provides an important role for the country’s foreign exchange but the extraction of these essential oil is still using conventional method such as hydrodistillation which takes a long time to produce essential oil with good quality. Therefore it is necessary to optimize the extraction process using a more effective and efficient method. So in this study the extraction is done using solvent-free microwave extraction method that are considered more effective and efficient than conventional methods. The optimum yield in the extraction of cajuput oil using solvent-free microwave extraction method is 1.0674%. The optimum yield is obtained on the feed to distiller (F/D ratio of 0.12 g/mL with microwave power of 400 W. In the extraction of cajuput oil using solvent-free microwave extraction method is performed first-order and second-order kinetics modelling. Based on kinetics modelling that has been done, it can be said that the second-order kinetic model (R2 = 0.9901 can be better represent experimental results of extraction of cajuput oil that using solvent-free microwave extraction method when compared with the first-order kinetic model (R2 = 0.9854.

  4. Preparation and In vitro Digestibility of Corn Starch Phosphodiester ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Purpose: To optimize the process conditions and analyze in vitro digestibility of corn starch phosphodiester prepared by sodium trimetaphosphate (STMP). Methods: By using response surface method, the effects of STMP concentration, pH, esterification temperature, and urea addition on digestion resistance of corn starch ...

  5. Effect of volatile and acid accumulation in dung digestion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rajagopal, G; Pathak, B N

    1966-01-01

    In continuation of laboratory experiments on the anaerobic digestion of cow dung experiments were carried out to determine the limiting concentrations of volatile acids and to investigate methods of regenerating digestion after failure. Volatile acids were increased by adding acetic acid to digesting dung slurry; digestion failed completely when volatile-acid concentration was 6194 mg per litre, at pH 4.4. Attempts were made to regenerate digestion by adding lime, after dilution with water, but although over a period the volatile-acid content was reduced from 5650 to 3730 mg per litre, and the pH value rose on average from 4.5 to 6.3, gas production remained at a low value until additional digested slurry was introduced, leading to resumption of normal digestion.

  6. EPA Method 3135.2I: Cyanide, Total and Amenable in Aqueous and Solid Samples Automated Colorimetric With Manual Digestion

    Science.gov (United States)

    This method describes procedures for preparation and analysis of solid, water and wipe samples for detection and measurement of cyanide amendable to chlorination using acid digestion and spectrophotometry.

  7. RF and microwave microelectronics packaging II

    CERN Document Server

    Sturdivant, Rick

    2017-01-01

    Reviews RF, microwave, and microelectronics assembly process, quality control, and failure analysis Bridges the gap between low cost commercial and hi-res RF/Microwave packaging technologies Engages in an in-depth discussion of challenges in packaging and assembly of advanced high-power amplifiers This book presents the latest developments in packaging for high-frequency electronics. It is a companion volume to “RF and Microwave Microelectronics Packaging” (2010) and covers the latest developments in thermal management, electrical/RF/thermal-mechanical designs and simulations, packaging and processing methods, and other RF and microwave packaging topics. Chapters provide detailed coverage of phased arrays, T/R modules, 3D transitions, high thermal conductivity materials, carbon nanotubes and graphene advanced materials, and chip size packaging for RF MEMS. It appeals to practicing engineers in the electronic packaging and high-frequency electronics domain, and to academic researchers interested in underst...

  8. Fast microwave assisted pyrolysis of biomass using microwave absorbent.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borges, Fernanda Cabral; Du, Zhenyi; Xie, Qinglong; Trierweiler, Jorge Otávio; Cheng, Yanling; Wan, Yiqin; Liu, Yuhuan; Zhu, Rongbi; Lin, Xiangyang; Chen, Paul; Ruan, Roger

    2014-03-01

    A novel concept of fast microwave assisted pyrolysis (fMAP) in the presence of microwave absorbents was presented and examined. Wood sawdust and corn stover were pyrolyzed by means of microwave heating and silicon carbide (SiC) as microwave absorbent. The bio-oil was characterized, and the effects of temperature, feedstock loading, particle sizes, and vacuum degree were analyzed. For wood sawdust, a temperature of 480°C, 50 grit SiC, with 2g/min of biomass feeding, were the optimal conditions, with a maximum bio-oil yield of 65 wt.%. For corn stover, temperatures ranging from 490°C to 560°C, biomass particle sizes from 0.9mm to 1.9mm, and vacuum degree lower than 100mmHg obtained a maximum bio-oil yield of 64 wt.%. This study shows that the use of microwave absorbents for fMAP is feasible and a promising technology to improve the practical values and commercial application outlook of microwave based pyrolysis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. High density Polyethylene plastic waste treatment with microwave heating pyrolysis method using coconut-shell activated carbon to produce alternative fuels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juliastuti, S. R.; Hisbullah, M. I.; Abdillah, M.

    2018-03-01

    Pyrolysis is a technology that could crack polimer such as plastic waste into alternative fuels. This research uses microwave heating methode, which more efficient than conventional heating methode. The plastic waste used is 200 grams of HDPE, with feed to catalyst weight ratio are 1:1, 0.6:1, 0.4:1. Pyrolysis was run at temperatures of 250, 300, 350, & 400 °C for 15, 30 and 45 min. From the experimental result, the best variable of pyrolysis process with microwave method is at 45 minutes, at 400°C, and 1:1 feed to catalyst weight ratio. Result shows that yield of liquid and gas product is 99.22%; yield of residue is 0.78%; value of liquid product’s composition (cycloparaffin and n-paraffin) is 54.09% and concentration of methane gas is 10.2%.

  10. Convective, vacuum and microwave drying kinetics of mallow leaves and comparison of color and ascorbic acid values of three drying methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ilknur Alibas

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Mallow leaves (Malva sylvestris L. with initial moisture of 5.02±0.003 on dry basis (82.5% on wet basis were dried using three different drying methods, microwave, convective and vacuum. The leaves that weigh 75 g each were dried until their moisture fell down to 0.10±0.005 on dry basis (approximately 9% on wet basis. The following drying levels were used in each of the drying processes: 6.67, 8.67, 10, 11.33 W g-1 microwave power density; 50, 75, 100 and 125 °C for convective drying; and 3, 7 kPa at 50 and 75 °C for vacuum drying. Drying periods ranged from 6-10, 26-150 and 38-130 min. for microwave, convective and vacuum drying, respectively. Effective moisture diffisuvities ranged from 2.04403 10-10-3.63996 10-12 m2 s-1, 1.70182 10-11-1.10084 10-10 m2 s-1 and 1.85599 10-11-5.94559 10-10 m2 s-1 for microwave, convective and vacuum drying, respectively. According to ascorbic acid content and color parameters, the best microwave power density was found 10 W g-1 with a drying period of 6.5 min.

  11. Anisotropic Dielectric Properties of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites during Microwave Curing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Linglin; Li, Yingguang; Zhou, Jing

    2018-01-01

    Microwave cuing technology is a promising alternative to conventional autoclave curing technology in high efficient and energy saving processing of polymer composites. Dielectric properties of composites are key parameters related to the energy conversion efficiency during the microwave curing process. However, existing methods of dielectric measurement cannot be applied to the microwave curing process. This paper presented an offline test method to solve this problem. Firstly, a kinetics model of the polymer composites under microwave curing was established based on differential scanning calorimetry to describe the whole curing process. Then several specially designed samples of different feature cure degrees were prepared and used to reflect the dielectric properties of the composite during microwave curing. It was demonstrated to be a feasible plan for both test accuracy and efficiency through extensive experimental research. Based on this method, the anisotropic complex permittivity of a carbon fiber/epoxy composite during microwave curing was accurately determined. Statistical results indicated that both the dielectric constant and dielectric loss of the composite increased at the initial curing stage, peaked at the maximum reaction rate point and decreased finally during the microwave curing process. Corresponding mechanism has also been systematically investigated in this work.

  12. Effect of microwave irradiation on petrophysical characterization of coals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hong, Yi-du; Lin, Bai-quan; Zhu, Chuan-jie; Li, He

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Microwave energy increase porosity, pore size and numbers of coals. • Growth rates of porosity decreased at first then increased with microwave energy. • NMR can be reliable to measure coal samples. • Microwave energy may have the potential for degassing of coal seams. - Abstract: The experimental work described in this paper aims to study the effect of microwave irradiation on petrophysical characterization of coals. Twenty coal samples were irradiated at 2.45 GHz with variable power (2, 4, 6 kW). The temperature, mass and specific heat capacity of coal samples were measured and calculated. The effect of microwave irradiation on the porosity of coal samples was evaluated by the gravimetric method and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements. The porosity obviously increases after microwave heating. Interestingly, growth rate of the porosity decreases at first then increases with microwave energy. The turning point is approximately 100 kJ. The influence of microwave irradiation on pore size, throat size and pore numbers of coal samples were also evaluated by NMR measurements. It suggest that the pore size, throat size and pore numbers are obviously increase with microwave energy. In a word, it appears likely that microwave energy may have the potential for the degassing coal seams.

  13. Reducing microwave absorption with fast frequency modulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Juehang; Hubler, A

    2017-05-01

    We study the response of a two-level quantum system to a chirp signal, using both numerical and analytical methods. The numerical method is based on numerical solutions of the Schrödinger solution of the two-level system, while the analytical method is based on an approximate solution of the same equations. We find that when two-level systems are perturbed by a chirp signal, the peak population of the initially unpopulated state exhibits a high sensitivity to frequency modulation rate. We also find that the aforementioned sensitivity depends on the strength of the forcing, and weaker forcings result in a higher sensitivity, where the frequency modulation rate required to produce the same reduction in peak population would be lower. We discuss potential applications of this result in the field of microwave power transmission, as it shows applying fast frequency modulation to transmitted microwaves used for power transmission could decrease unintended absorption of microwaves by organic tissue.

  14. Chemical Modifications of Starch: Microwave Effect

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kamila Lewicka

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents basic methods of starch chemical modification, the effect of microwave radiation on the modification process, and the physicochemical properties of starch. It has been shown that the modifications contribute to improvement of the material performance and likewise to significant improvement of its mechanical properties. As a result, more and more extensive use of starch is possible in various industries. In addition, methods of oxidized starch and starch esters preparation are discussed. Properties of microwave radiation and its impact on starch (with particular regard to modifications described in literature are characterized.

  15. Design of a microwave calorimeter for the microwave tokamak experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marinak, M.

    1988-01-01

    The initial design of a microwave calorimeter for the Microwave Tokamak Experiment is presented. The design is optimized to measure the refraction and absorption of millimeter rf microwaves as they traverse the toroidal plasma of the Alcator C tokamak. Techniques utilized can be adapted for use in measuring high intensity pulsed output from a microwave device in an environment of ultra high vacuum, intense fields of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation and intense magnetic fields. 16 refs

  16. Microwave power engineering applications

    CERN Document Server

    Okress, Ernest C

    2013-01-01

    Microwave Power Engineering, Volume 2: Applications introduces the electronics technology of microwave power and its applications. This technology emphasizes microwave electronics for direct power utilization and transmission purposes. This volume presents the accomplishments with respect to components, systems, and applications and their prevailing limitations in the light of knowledge of the microwave power technology. The applications discussed include the microwave heating and other processes of materials, which utilize the magnetron predominantly. Other applications include microwave ioni

  17. Quality factors in beef, pork, and lamb cooked by microwaves.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korschgen, B M; Baldwin, R E; Snider, S

    1976-12-01

    Three cooking treatments were applied to the longissimus muscle of beef and of pork and to deboned leg of lamb. Cooking treatments included: Intermittent energy application (3-min. cycle) with a microwave range operated at 220V and intermittent energy application (6-min. cycle) with a microwave range operated at 115V. Control roasts were cooked in a conventional gas oven (163+/-3 degrees C.). Cooking was adjusted so that roasts achieved an internal temperature of 70 degrees C. when cut for analyses. Cooking losses were significantly greater for microwave than for conventionally cooked beef. However, microwave cooking resulted in beef, pork, and lamb roasts with flavor of interior portions similar to those prepared conventionally. Flavor differences in samples from the edge of the slices of lamb and of pork and tenderness of lamb appeared to be related to cooking method. For these attributes, meat cooked conventionally was superior. In contrast, patterns in significant differences in tenderness and juiciness of beef and of pork were not consistent and were not related solely to method of cookery. Neither creatine nor creatinine was a good index of flavor of meat cooked by these methods. Aside from the time-saving aspect of microwave heating, there was no major advantage of one method of cooking over another. Thus, either high- or low- powered microwave equipment, operated at 2450 MHz, can be used satisfactorily for cooking tender cuts of beef, pork, and lamb.

  18. Topology optimization of microwave waveguide filters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aage, Niels; Johansen, Villads Egede

    2017-01-01

    We present a density based topology optimization approach for the design of metallic microwave insert filters. A two-phase optimization procedure is proposed in which we, starting from a uniform design, first optimize to obtain a set of spectral varying resonators followed by a band gap optimizat......We present a density based topology optimization approach for the design of metallic microwave insert filters. A two-phase optimization procedure is proposed in which we, starting from a uniform design, first optimize to obtain a set of spectral varying resonators followed by a band gap...... little resemblance to standard filter layouts and hence the proposed design method offers a new design tool in microwave engineering....

  19. Combination microwave ovens: an innovative design strategy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tinga, Wayne R; Eke, Ken

    2012-01-01

    Reducing the sensitivity of microwave oven heating and cooking performance to load volume, load placement and load properties has been a long-standing challenge for microwave and microwave-convection oven designers. Conventional design problem and solution methods are reviewed to provide greater insight into the challenge and optimum operation of a microwave oven after which a new strategy is introduced. In this methodology, a special load isolating and energy modulating device called a transducer-exciter is used containing an iris, a launch box, a phase, amplitude and frequency modulator and a coupling plate designed to provide spatially distributed coupling to the oven. This system, when applied to a combined microwave-convection oven, gives astounding performance improvements to all kinds of baked and roasted foods including sensitive items such as cakes and pastries, with the only compromise being a reasonable reduction in the maximum available microwave power. Large and small metal utensils can be used in the oven with minimal or no performance penalty on energy uniformity and cooking results. Cooking times are greatly reduced from those in conventional ovens while maintaining excellent cooking performance.

  20. Advances in microwaves 8

    CERN Document Server

    Young, Leo

    2013-01-01

    Advances in Microwaves, Volume 8 covers the developments in the study of microwaves. The book discusses the circuit forms for microwave integrated circuits; the analysis of microstrip transmission lines; and the use of lumped elements in microwave integrated circuits. The text also describes the microwave properties of ferrimagnetic materials, as well as their interaction with electromagnetic waves propagating in bounded waveguiding structures. The integration techniques useful at high frequencies; material technology for microwave integrated circuits; specific requirements on technology for d

  1. Numerical Analysis of Microwave Heating on Saponification Reaction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Kama; Jia, Kun

    2005-01-01

    Currently, microwave is widely used in chemical industry to accelerate chemical reactions. Saponification reaction has important applications in industry; some research results have shown that microwave heating can significantly accelerate the reaction [1]. But so far, no efficient method has been reported for the analysis of the heating process and design of an efficient reactor powered by microwave. In this paper, we present a method to study the microwave heating process on saponification reaction, where the reactant in a test tube is considered as a mixture of dilute solution. According to the preliminary measurement results, the effective permittivity of the mixture is approximately the permittivity of water, but the conductivity, which could change with the reaction, is derived from the reaction equation (RE). The electromagnetic field equation and reaction equation are coupled by the conductivity. Following that, the whole heating processes, which is described by Maxwell's equations, the reaction equation and heat transport equation (HTE), is analyzed by finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. The temperature rising in the test tube are measured and compared with the computational results. Good agreement can be seen between the measured and calculated results.

  2. Precision microwave applicators and systems for plasma and materials processing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asmussen, J.; Garard, R.

    1988-01-01

    Modern applications of microwave energy have imposed new requirements upon microwave processing systems. Interest in energy efficiency, processing uniformity and control of process cycles has placed new design conditions upon microwave power oscillators, microwave systems and microwave applicator design. One approach of meeting new application requirements is the use of single-mode or controlled multimode applicators. The use of a single-mode applicator for plasma generation and materials processing will be presented. Descriptions of actual applicator designs for heating, curing, and processing of solid materials and the generations of high and low pressure discharges will be given. The impact of these applicators on the total microwave system including the microwave power source will be described. Specific examples of applicator and associated microwave systems will be detailed for the applications of (1) plasma thin film deposition and (2) the precision processing and diagnosis of materials. Methods of process control and diagnosis, control of process uniformity and process scale up are discussed

  3. Anaerobic digestion coupled with digestate injection reduced odour emissions from soil during manure distribution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orzi, V; Riva, C; Scaglia, B; D'Imporzano, G; Tambone, F; Adani, F

    2018-04-15

    This work aimed to measure the odour impact of untreated cow and pig slurries and treated (digestate and liquid fraction of digestate) manures when they were used on soil at a field scale, while also testing different spreading methods, i.e. surface vs. injection. Five experiments were performed in 2012-2016 on different farms. Odours were quantitatively (specific odour emission rate - SOER) (OU E m -2 h -1 ) measured by using dynamic olfactometry and qualitatively, i.e. to obtain an "odour fingerprint", by using an electronic nose (EN). Anaerobic digestion was effective in allowing the reduction of potential odour emission from digestates, so that when they were dosed on soil, odours emitted were much lower than those from soils on which untreated slurries were used. Slurries/digestate injection reduced much more odour emitted by soils so that SOER tended to become more similar to that of the control (untreated soil) although the odours were slightly greater. Odour fingerprint data indicated that there was a direct correlation between SOER and odour fingerprints. This was due to the ability of EN to detect ammonia, S-compounds and methane that were (the first two mainly), also, responsible for odours. Very good regression was found for Log SOER and EN by using a Partial Least Square (PLS) approach (R 2 =0.73; R 2 cv =0.66; Pfingerprints for control (Blank) and injected organic matrices were virtually identical, due to the creation of cavities in the soil during the injection that decreased the treated surface. Anaerobic digestion and subsequent digestate injection allowed us to reduce odour impact, avoiding annoyance to local inhabitants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. An investigation of sugar extraction methods and the use of microwave power for date syrup processing: efficiency and color related considerations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fennir, M A; Landry, J A; Ramaswamy, H S; Raghavan, V G S

    2003-01-01

    This study investigates the effect of extraction methods on the color of date syrup and the potential use of microwave power for syrup processing. Sugar solutions were extracted from dates by boiling, soaking and blending. Color and sugar content of the extracted solutions were measured, and the percentage of sugar extracted form the total fruit sugar determined. Boiling was found to be the most efficient method of extraction whereby 74% of total samples sugar was extracted. In contrast, only 54.2% of fruit sugar was extracted by blending and 42% by soaking. In addition, solutions extracted by soaking and blending had a foaming problem in the subsequent concentration process. The extraction method had no effect on the product final color. The extracted solution was concentrated using two heating methods: conventional and microwave heating at a 600 W capacity and a frequency of 2450 MHz applied at three power levels: 10, 7, and 6. In the heating process, 180 minutes were needed to achieve a 77% degrees Brix using convective heating, while it took 81, 138, and 166 minutes of microwave heating at power level 10, 7, and 6, respectively to achieve the same concentration. Water activity of the syrup was measured within a sugar content range of 50 to 80% degrees Brix and the sugar concentration at which the product is shelf stable was determined at 76%.

  5. Social position of adolescents with chronic digestive disorders.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Calsbeek, H.; Rijken, M.; Bekkers, M.J.T.M.; Kerssens, J.J.; Dekker, J.; Berge Henegouwen, G.P. van

    2002-01-01

    OBJECTIVE : To investigate the consequences of having a chronic digestive disorder on the social position of adolescents. METHODS : Five diagnostic groups, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), chronic liver diseases, congenital digestive disorders, coeliac disease and food allergy (total n =

  6. Fate of antibiotic resistance genes and its drivers during anaerobic co-digestion of food waste and sewage sludge based on microwave pretreatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Junya; Chen, Meixue; Sui, Qianwen; Wang, Rui; Tong, Juan; Wei, Yuansong

    2016-10-01

    In this study, anaerobic digestion of mono-SS, MW-SS:FW and SS:MW-FW was investigated to understand the fate of ARGs and its drivers. Anaerobic digestion was effective for the reduction of metal resistance genes (MRGs), and could reduce the abundance of blaOXA-1, sulI and tetG, while sulII in co-digestion and blaTEM and ereA only in MW-SS. ARGs reduction could be partly attributed to the reduction of co-selective pressure from heavy metals reflected by MRGs. However, the abundance of mefA/E, ermB, ermF, tetM and tetX increased significantly. Anaerobic co-digestion, especially for MW-SS, could reduce total ARGs abundance compared with mono-SS, and evolution of bacterial community was the main driver for the fate of ARGs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Photoluminescence properties of PZT 52/48 synthesized by microwave hydrothermal method using PVA with template

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Teixeira, G.F., E-mail: guilmina@hotmail.com [Instituto de Quimica, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Departamento de Bioquimica e Tecnologia Quimica, Rua Francisco Degni s/n, Quitandinha, 14800-900 Araraquara, SP (Brazil); Gasparotto, G. [Instituto de Quimica, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Departamento de Bioquimica e Tecnologia Quimica, Rua Francisco Degni s/n, Quitandinha, 14800-900 Araraquara, SP (Brazil); Paris, E.C. [Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria, Embrapa Instrumentacao, Rua XV de novembro, 1452, Centro, 13.569-970 Sao Carlos, SP (Brazil); Zaghete, M.A.; Longo, E.; Varela, J.A. [Instituto de Quimica, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Departamento de Bioquimica e Tecnologia Quimica, Rua Francisco Degni s/n, Quitandinha, 14800-900 Araraquara, SP (Brazil)

    2012-01-15

    Lead Titanate Zirconate (PZT) perovskite powders were synthesized by microwave hydrothermal method (M-H) at 180 {sup o}C for different time periods (2, 4, 8 and 12 h) with the presence of aqueous polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution 0.36 g L{sup -1}. The X-Ray diffraction (XRD), SE-FEG as well as the measurements of photoluminescence (PL) emission were used for monitoring the formation of a perovskite phase with random polycrystalline distortion in the structure. Emission spectra with fixed excitation wavelength of 350 nm showed higher value for the powder obtained after undergoing 8 h of treatment. A theoretical model derived from previous calculations allows us to discuss the origin of photoluminescence emission in the powders, which can be further related to the local disorder in the network of both ZrO{sub 6} and TiO{sub 6} octahedral, and dodecahedral PbO{sub 12}. The new morphology initially observed from the PZT perovskite crystal growth bearing the shape of fine plates is found to be directly related to photoluminescence emission with energy lower than that present in the PZT with cube-like morphology that emits in 560 nm. - Highlights: > This work details the efficiency of microwave hydrothermal synthesis in obtaining PZT powders. > PVA is used as a crystallization agent of PZT particles. > PZT particles presented photoluminescent (PL) behavior. > There aren't previous reports of photoluminescent PZT obtained by microwave hydrothermal synthesis. > Photoluminescence is one more interesting property for technological applications this material.

  8. Microwave undulator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Batchelor, K.

    1986-03-01

    The theory of a microwave undulator utilizing a plane rectangular waveguide operating in the TE/sub 10n/ mode and other higher order modes is presented. Based on this, a possible undulator configuration is analyzed, leading to the conclusion that the microwave undulator represents a viable option for undulator wavelength down to about 1 cm where peak voltage and available microwave power considerations limit effectiveness. 4 refs., 4 figs

  9. In operando Detection of Three-Way Catalyst Aging by a Microwave-Based Method: Initial Studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gregor Beulertz

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Initial studies on aging detection of three way catalysts with a microwave cavity perturbation method were conducted. Two physico-chemical effects correlate with the aging state. At high temperatures, the resonance frequencies for oxidized catalysts (λ = 1.02 are not influenced by aging, but are significantly affected by aging in the reduced case (λ = 0.98. The catalyst aging state can therefore potentially be inferred from the resonance frequency differences between reduced and oxidized states or from the resonance frequency amplitudes during lambda oscillations. Secondly, adsorbed water at low temperatures strongly affects the resonance frequencies. Light-off experiment studies showed that the resonance frequency depends on the aging state at temperatures below the oxygen storage light-off. These differences were attributed to different water sorption capabilities of differently aged samples due to a surface area decrease with proceeding aging. In addition to the aging state, the water content in the feed gas and the temperature affect the amount of adsorbed water, leading to different integral electrical material properties of the catalyst and changing the resonance properties of the catalyst-filled canning. The classical aging-related properties of the catalyst (oxygen storage capacity, oxygen storage light-off, surface area, agreed very well with data obtained by the microwave-based method.

  10. Social position of adolescents with chronic digestive disorders

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Calsbeek, H; Rijken, M; Bekkers, MJTM; Kerssens, JJ; Dekker, J; Henegouwen, GPV

    Objective To investigate the consequences of having a chronic digestive disorder on the social position of adolescents. Methods Five diagnostic groups, including inflammatory bowel disease (I BID), chronic liver diseases, congenital digestive disorders, coeliac disease and food allergy (total n =

  11. Microwave Activation of Drug Release

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jónasson, Sævar Þór

    Due to current limitations in control of pharmaceutical drug release in the body along with increasing medicine use, methods of externally-controlled drug release are of high interest. In this thesis, the use of microwaves is proposed as a technique with the purpose of externally activating...... setup, called the microwave activation system has been developed and tested on a body phantom that emulates the human torso. The system presented in this thesis, operates unobtrusively, i.e. without physically interfering with the target (patient). The torso phantom is a simple dual-layered cylindrical...... the phantom is of interest for disclosing essential information about the limitations of the concept, the phantom and the system. For these purposes, a twofold operation of the microwave activation system was performed, which are reciprocal of each other. In the first operation phase, named mapping...

  12. PENGARUH JUMLAH PELARUT PADA PROSES EKSTRAKSI MINYAK KAYU CENGKEH MENGGUNAKAN MICROWAVE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arief Adhiksana

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Clove oil is usually produced from the leaves and flowers, while the twigs cloves actually have potential to be exploited. One of the latest methods that can be used is the microwave assisted extraction. The advantages of microwaves is its ability to deliver energy directly to all material, so it can save time compared to conventional extraction methods. This research aims to study the effect of solvents on the extraction using microwaves. The solvent is water because the polar so very good at absorbing microwave. The variables studied were the weight (75-150 grams and volume of solvent (400-500 ml , while the microwave power of 264 W. The choice of wood clove oil yield was obtained of 3.89 % on the amount of solvent to 500 ml with weight is 150 grams.

  13. A Field Performance Evaluation Scheme for Microwave-Absorbing Material Coatings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shaopeng Guan

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Performance evaluation is an important aspect in the study of microwave-absorbing material coatings. The reflectivity of the incident wave is usually taken as the performance indicator. There have been various methods to directly or indirectly measure the reflectivity, but existing methods are mostly cumbersome and require a strict testing environment. What is more, they cannot be applied to field measurement. In this paper, we propose a scheme to achieve field performance evaluation of microwave-absorbing materials, which adopts a small H-plane sectoral horn antenna as the testing probe and a small microwave reflectometer as the indicator. When the size of the H-plane sectoral horn antenna is specially designed, the field distribution at the antenna aperture can be approximated as a plane wave similar to the far field of the microwave emitted by a radar unit. Therefore, the reflectivity can be obtained by a near-field measurement. We conducted experiments on a kind of ferrite-based microwave-absorbing material at X band (8.2–12.4 GHz to validate the scheme. The experimental results show that the reflectivity is in agreement with the reference data measured by the conventional method as a whole.

  14. Development of a process for co-conversion of Pu-U nitrate mixed solutions to mixed oxide powder using microwave heating method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koizumi, Masumichi; Ohtsuka, Katsuyuki; Ohshima, Hirofumi; Isagawa, Hiroto; Akiyama, Hideo; Todokoro, Akio; Naruki, Kaoru

    1983-01-01

    For the complete nuclear fuel cycle, the development of a process for the co-conversion of Pu-U nitrate mixed solutions to mixed oxide powder has been performed along the line of non-proliferation policy of nuclear materials. A new co-conversion process using a microwave heating method has been developed and successfully demonstrated with good results using the test unit with a capacity of 2 kg MOX/d. Through the experiments and engineering test operations, several important data have been obtained concerning the feasibility of the test unit, powder characteristics and homogeneity of the product, and impurity pickups during denitration process. The results of these experimental operations show that the co-conversion process using a microwave heating method has many excellent advantages, such as good powder characteristics of the product, good homogeneity of Pu-U oxide, simplicity of the process, minimum liquid waste, no possibility of changing the Pu/U ratio and stable operability of the plant. Since August 1979, plutonium nitrate solution transported from the Tokai Reprocessing Plant has been converted to mixed oxide powder which has the Pu/U ratio = 1. The products have been processed to the ATR ''FUGEN'' reloading fuel. Based on the successful development of the co-conversion process, the microwave heating direct denitration facility with a 10 kg MOX/d capacity has been constructed adjacent to the reprocessing plant. This facility will come into hot operation by the fall of this year. For future development of the microwave heating method, a continuous direct denitration, a vitrification of high active liquid waste and a solidification of the plutonium-contaminated waste are investigated in Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corp. (author)

  15. Variable frequency microwave heating apparatus

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bible, D.W.; Lauf, R.J.; Johnson, A.C.; Thigpen, L.T.

    1999-10-05

    A variable frequency microwave heating apparatus (10) designed to allow modulation of the frequency of the microwaves introduced into a multi-mode microwave cavity (34) for testing or other selected applications. The variable frequency microwave heating apparatus (10) includes a microwave signal generator (12) and a high-power microwave amplifier (20) or a high-power microwave oscillator (14). A power supply (22) is provided for operation of the high-power microwave oscillator (14) or microwave amplifier (20). A directional coupler (24) is provided for detecting the direction and amplitude of signals incident upon and reflected from the microwave cavity (34). A first power meter (30) is provided for measuring the power delivered to the microwave furnace (32). A second power meter (26) detects the magnitude of reflected power. Reflected power is dissipated in the reflected power load (28).

  16. Microwave bessel beams generation using guided modes

    KAUST Repository

    Salem, Mohamed

    2011-06-01

    A novel method is devised for Bessel beams generation in the microwave regime. The beam is decomposed in terms of a number of guided transverse electric modes of a metallic waveguide. Modal expansion coefficients are computed from the modal power orthogonality relation. Excitation is achieved by means of a number of inserted coaxial loop antennas, whose currents are calculated from the excitation coefficients of the guided modes. The efficiency of the method is evaluated and its feasibility is discussed. Obtained results can be utilized to practically realize microwave Bessel beam launchers. © 2006 IEEE.

  17. Microwave bessel beams generation using guided modes

    KAUST Repository

    Salem, Mohamed; Kamel, Aladin Hassan; Niver, Edip

    2011-01-01

    A novel method is devised for Bessel beams generation in the microwave regime. The beam is decomposed in terms of a number of guided transverse electric modes of a metallic waveguide. Modal expansion coefficients are computed from the modal power orthogonality relation. Excitation is achieved by means of a number of inserted coaxial loop antennas, whose currents are calculated from the excitation coefficients of the guided modes. The efficiency of the method is evaluated and its feasibility is discussed. Obtained results can be utilized to practically realize microwave Bessel beam launchers. © 2006 IEEE.

  18. Near-Field Resonance Microwave Tomography and Holography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaikovich, K. P.; Smirnov, A. I.; Yanin, D. V.

    2018-02-01

    We develop the methods of electromagnetic computer near-field microwave tomography of distributed subsurface inhomogeneities of complex dielectric permittivity and of holography (shape retrieval) of internally homogeneous subsurface objects. The methods are based on the solution of the near-field inverse scattering problem from measurements of the resonance-parameter variations of microwave probes above the medium surface. The capabilities of the proposed diagnostic technique are demonstrated in the numerical simulation for sensors with a cylindrical capacitor as a probe element, the edge capacitance of which is sensitive to subsurface inhomogeneities.

  19. Digestibility of gluten proteins is reduced by baking and enhanced by starch digestion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Frances; Pan, Xiaoyan; Bellido, Vincent; Toole, Geraldine A; Gates, Fred K; Wickham, Martin S J; Shewry, Peter R; Bakalis, Serafim; Padfield, Philip; Mills, E N Clare

    2015-10-01

    Resistance of proteins to gastrointestinal digestion may play a role in determining immune-mediated adverse reactions to foods. However, digestion studies have largely been restricted to purified proteins and the impact of food processing and food matrices on protein digestibility is poorly understood. Digestibility of a total gliadin fraction (TGF), flour (cv Hereward), and bread was assessed using in vitro batch digestion with simulated oral, gastric, and duodenal phases. Protein digestion was monitored by SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting using monoclonal antibodies specific for celiac-toxic sequences (QQSF, QPFP) and starch digestion by measuring undigested starch. Whereas the TGF was rapidly digested during the gastric phase the gluten proteins in bread were virtually undigested and digested rapidly during the duodenal phase only if amylase was included. Duodenal starch digestion was also slower in the absence of duodenal proteases. The baking process reduces the digestibility of wheat gluten proteins, including those containing sequences active in celiac disease. Starch digestion affects the extent of protein digestion, probably because of gluten-starch complex formation during baking. Digestion studies using purified protein fractions alone are therefore not predictive of digestion in complex food matrices. © 2015 The Authors. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  20. Alternative Dissolution Methods for Analysis of Niobium containing ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry was applied for the qualitative and quantitative analyses of the different high purity Nb containing samples such as Nb metal, Nb2O5 and NbF5. Microwave-assisted digestion of the Nb compounds with concentrated H2SO4 in PTFE vessels produced Nb recoveries ...

  1. Advanced microwave processing concepts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lauf, R.J.; McMillan, A.D.; Paulauskas, F.L. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN (United States)

    1995-05-01

    The purpose of this work is to explore the feasibility of several advanced microwave processing concepts to develop new energy-efficient materials and processes. The project includes two tasks: (1) commercialization of the variable-frequency microwave furnace; and (2) microwave curing of polymer composites. The variable frequency microwave furnace, whose initial conception and design was funded by the AIC Materials Program, will allow us, for the first time, to conduct microwave processing studies over a wide frequency range. This novel design uses a high-power traveling wave tube (TWT) originally developed for electronic warfare. By using this microwave source, one can not only select individual microwave frequencies for particular experiments, but also achieve uniform power densities over a large area by the superposition of many different frequencies. Microwave curing of thermoset resins will be studied because it hold the potential of in-situ curing of continuous-fiber composites for strong, lightweight components. Microwave heating can shorten curing times, provided issues of scaleup, uniformity, and thermal management can be adequately addressed.

  2. Trypsin immobilization in ordered porous polymer membranes for effective protein digestion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qiao, Juan; Kim, Jin Yong; Wang, Yuan Yuan; Qi, Li; Wang, Fu Yi; Moon, Myeong Hee

    2016-01-01

    Fast and effective protein digestion is a vital process for mass spectrometry (MS) based protein analysis. This study introduces a porous polymer membrane enzyme reactor (PPMER) coupled to nanoflow liquid chromatography-tandem MS (nLC-ESI-MS/MS) for on-line digestion and analysis of proteins. Poly (styrene-co-maleic anhydride) (PS-co-MAn) was fabricated by the breath figure method to make a porous polymer membrane in which the MAn group was covalently bound to enzyme. Based on this strategy, microscale PPMER (μPPMER) was constructed for on-line connection with the nLC-ESI-MS/MS system. Its capability for enzymatic digestion with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was evaluated with varied digestion periods. The on-line proteolysis of BSA and subsequent analysis with μPPMER-nLC-ESI-MS/MS revealed that peptide sequence coverage increased from 10.3% (digestion time 10 min) to 89.1% (digestion time 30 min). μPPMER can efficiently digest proteins due to the microscopic confinement effect, showing its potential application in fast protein identification and protease immobilization. Applications of on-line digestion using μPPMER with human plasma and urinary proteome samples showed that the developed on-line method yielded equivalent or better performance in protein coverage and identified more membrane proteins than the in-solution method. This may be due to easy accommodation of hydrophobic membrane proteins within membrane pores. - Highlights: • A porous polymer membrane enzyme reactor was developed. • Breath figure method was used for the fabrication of porous polymer membrane. • The enzyme reactor was coupled to nLC-ESI-MS/MS for proteins on-line digestion.

  3. Trypsin immobilization in ordered porous polymer membranes for effective protein digestion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Qiao, Juan [Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 2 Zhongguancun Beiyijie, Beijing 100190 (China); Kim, Jin Yong [Department of Chemistry, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Wang, Yuan Yuan [Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 2 Zhongguancun Beiyijie, Beijing 100190 (China); Qi, Li, E-mail: qili@iccas.ac.cn [Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 2 Zhongguancun Beiyijie, Beijing 100190 (China); Wang, Fu Yi [Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 2 Zhongguancun Beiyijie, Beijing 100190 (China); Moon, Myeong Hee, E-mail: mhmoon@yonsei.ac.kr [Department of Chemistry, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-02-04

    Fast and effective protein digestion is a vital process for mass spectrometry (MS) based protein analysis. This study introduces a porous polymer membrane enzyme reactor (PPMER) coupled to nanoflow liquid chromatography-tandem MS (nLC-ESI-MS/MS) for on-line digestion and analysis of proteins. Poly (styrene-co-maleic anhydride) (PS-co-MAn) was fabricated by the breath figure method to make a porous polymer membrane in which the MAn group was covalently bound to enzyme. Based on this strategy, microscale PPMER (μPPMER) was constructed for on-line connection with the nLC-ESI-MS/MS system. Its capability for enzymatic digestion with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was evaluated with varied digestion periods. The on-line proteolysis of BSA and subsequent analysis with μPPMER-nLC-ESI-MS/MS revealed that peptide sequence coverage increased from 10.3% (digestion time 10 min) to 89.1% (digestion time 30 min). μPPMER can efficiently digest proteins due to the microscopic confinement effect, showing its potential application in fast protein identification and protease immobilization. Applications of on-line digestion using μPPMER with human plasma and urinary proteome samples showed that the developed on-line method yielded equivalent or better performance in protein coverage and identified more membrane proteins than the in-solution method. This may be due to easy accommodation of hydrophobic membrane proteins within membrane pores. - Highlights: • A porous polymer membrane enzyme reactor was developed. • Breath figure method was used for the fabrication of porous polymer membrane. • The enzyme reactor was coupled to nLC-ESI-MS/MS for proteins on-line digestion.

  4. Bioaccesibility of Cylindrospermopsin from cooked fish muscle after the application of an in vitro digestion model and its bioavailability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maisanaba, Sara; Saladino, Federica; Font, Guillermina; Jos, Ángeles; Cameán, Ana M; Meca, Giuseppe

    2017-12-01

    Humans can be exposed to cyanotoxins through the ingestion of contaminated water, food or beverages. In the present work, the bioaccesibility of Cylindrospermopsin (CYN), one of the most relevant cyanotoxins, was evaluated in a pure CYN solution and cooked CYN-contaminated fish muscles (20 μg/mL). An in vitro digestion model including the salivar, gastric, duodenal and colonic phases was performed, being each fraction analyzed by HPLC-MS-MS to evaluate CYN degradation. Moreover, Caco-2/TC7 cells were exposed to the digested duodenal and colonic phases to elucidate the final bioavailability of CYN in an approximation to the real human exposure scenario. The results revealed that CYN bioaccesibility decreased after the digestive process in all the cooked fish samples. The most drastic reductions were observed after lactic acid bacteria exposure. Thus, the highest bioaccesibility values were obtained in fish cooked by steaming (12.5%) and broiling (10.9%) meanwhile CYN was not detected in the colonic phase after boiling and microwaving. Regarding the duodenal and colonic availability, only in CYN pure digested solution the cyanotoxin was identified. The results obtained showed that digestion processes plays a very important role in the degradation of CYN, which should be considered when preparing a risk assessment of CYN. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Waste volume reduction by acid digestion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lerch, R.E.; Divine, J.R.

    1975-06-01

    Acid digestion is a process being developed at the Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory (HEDL) in Richland, Washington, to reduce the volume of alpha-contaminated combustible waste by converting it into a non-combustible residue. Typical waste materials such as polyvinylchloride (PVC), polyethylene, paper and other cellulosic materials, ion exchange resin, all types of rubber, etc., are digested in hot (230 0 C--270 0 C) concentrated sulfuric acid containing nitric acid oxidant to form inert residues generally having less than four percent of their original volume and less than twenty-five percent of their original mass. The process is currently being tested using non-radioactive waste in an Acid Digestion Test Unit (ADTU) with all glass equipment. Engineering tests to date have shown acid digestion to be a potentially attractive method for treating combustible waste materials. Based on results of the engineering tests, an acid digestion pilot unit capable of treating radioactive wastes is being designed and constructed. Design capacity of the pilot unit for radioactive waste will be 100 kg of waste per day. (U.S.)

  6. Acid digestion of combustible wastes: a status report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lerch, R.E.

    1975-05-01

    Work at the Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory on development of the acid digestion process for treating combustible wastes is discussed. Materials such as paper, rubber, and plastics are readily decomposed into a low volume, noncombustible residue. Engineering results using the Acid Digestion Test Unit are discussed. Tests to date generally duplicated earlier laboratory results with respect to waste processing rates, volume reduction, off-gas generation rates and volumes, acid consumption, and completeness of reaction. Demonstrated processing rates were as high as 5 kg/hr for short duration run periods. The tests indicated engineering feasibility of the acid digestion process and showed acid digestion to be a potentially attractive method for treating combustible nuclear wastes. Other areas discussed in the report are behavior of plutonium and americium during acid digestion, behavior of various construction materials, and safety. An integrated flowsheet for operation of an acid digestion unit is also presented. (U.S.)

  7. Monitoring digestibility of forages for herbivores: a new application for an old approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vansomeren, Lindsey L.; Barboza, Perry S.; Thompson, Daniel P.; Gustine, David D.

    2015-01-01

    Ruminant populations are often limited by how well individuals are able to acquire nutrients for growth, maintenance, and reproduction. Nutrient supply to the animal is dictated by the concentration of nutrients in feeds and the efficiency of digesting those nutrients (i.e., digestibility). Many different methods have been used to measure digestibility of forages for wild herbivores, all of which rely on collecting rumen fluid from animals or incubation within animals. Animal-based methods can provide useful estimates, but the approach is limited by the expense of fistulated animals, wide variation in digestibility among animals, and contamination from endogenous and microbial sources that impairs the estimation of nutrient digestibility. We tested an in vitro method using a two-stage procedure using purified enzymes. The first stage, a 6 h acid–pepsin treatment, was followed by a combined 72 h amylase–cellulase or amylase–Viscozyme treatment. We then validated our estimates using in sacco and in vivo methods to digest samples of the same forages. In vitro estimates of dry matter (DM) digestibility were correlated with estimates of in sacco and in vivo DM digestibility (both P content declined below 0.03–0.06 g/g of DM. The in vitro method is well suited to monitoring forage quality over multiple years because it is reproducible, can be used with minimal investment by other laboratories without animal facilities, and can measure digestibility of individual nutrients such as N.

  8. Recent advances in processing and applications of microwave ferrites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harris, Vincent G.; Geiler, Anton; Chen Yajie; Yoon, Soack Dae; Wu Mingzhong; Yang, Aria; Chen Zhaohui; He Peng; Parimi, Patanjali V.; Zuo Xu; Patton, Carl E.; Abe, Manasori; Acher, Olivier

    2009-01-01

    Next generation magnetic microwave devices will be planar, smaller, weigh less, and perform well beyond the present state-of-the-art. For this to become a reality advances in ferrite materials must first be realized. These advances include self-bias magnetization, tunability of the magnetic anisotropy, low microwave loss, and volumetric and weight reduction. To achieve these goals one must turn to novel materials processing methods. Here, we review recent advances in the processing of microwave ferrites. Attention is paid to the processing of ferrite films by pulsed laser deposition, liquid phase epitaxy, spin spray ferrite plating, screen printing, and compaction of quasi-single crystals. Conventional and novel applications of ferrite materials, including microwave non-reciprocal passive devices, microwave signal processing, negative index metamaterial-based electronics, and electromagnetic interference suppression are discussed.

  9. Practical microwave electron devices

    CERN Document Server

    Meurant, Gerard

    2013-01-01

    Practical Microwave Electron Devices provides an understanding of microwave electron devices and their applications. All areas of microwave electron devices are covered. These include microwave solid-state devices, including popular microwave transistors and both passive and active diodes; quantum electron devices; thermionic devices (including relativistic thermionic devices); and ferrimagnetic electron devices. The design of each of these devices is discussed as well as their applications, including oscillation, amplification, switching, modulation, demodulation, and parametric interactions.

  10. Microwave Assisted Synthesis of N-Arylheterocyclic Substituted-4-aminoquinazoline Derivatives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ping Lu

    2006-04-01

    Full Text Available A simple, efficient, and general method has been developed for the synthesis of various N-aryl heterocylic substituted-4-aminoquinazoline compounds from 4-chloro- quinazoline and aryl heterocyclic amines under microwave irradiation using 2-propanol as solvent. The advantages of the use of microwave irradiation in relation to the classical method were demonstrated.

  11. Effect of Acylglycerol Composition and Fatty Acyl Chain Length on Lipid Digestion in pH-Stat Digestion Model and Simulated In Vitro Digestion Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qi, Jin F; Jia, Cai H; Shin, Jung A; Woo, Jeong M; Wang, Xiang Y; Park, Jong T; Hong, Soon T; Lee, K-T

    2016-02-01

    In this study, a pH-stat digestion model and a simulated in vitro digestion model were employed to evaluate the digestion degree of lipids depending on different acylglycerols and acyl chain length (that is, diacylglycerol [DAG] compared with soybean oil representing long-chain triacylglycerol compared with medium-chain triacylglycerol [MCT]). In the pH-stat digestion model, differences were observed among the digestion degrees of 3 oils using digestion rate (k), digestion half-time (t1/2 ), and digestion extent (Φmax). The results showed the digestion rate order was MCT > soybean oil > DAG. Accordingly, the order of digestion half-times was MCT digestion model, digestion rates (k') and digestion half-times (t'1/2 ) were also obtained and the results showed a digestion rate order of MCT (k' = 0.068 min(-1) ) > soybean oil (k' = 0.037 min(-1) ) > DAG (k' = 0.024 min(-1) ). Consequently, the order of digestion half-times was MCT (t'1/2 = 10.20 min) digested faster than soybean oil, and that soybean oil was digested faster than DAG. © 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®

  12. A new method of preparing single-walled carbon nanotubes

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Unknown

    microwave acid digestion to reduce the time taken for the purification. High temperature annealing of the purified samples has been adopted by some procedures.12,15 This removes the chemical functional groups created on the nanotube surface due to acid treatment.1,2 It is also important to note that the purification ...

  13. Microwave Palaeointensity Experiments On Terrestrial and Martian Material

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaw, J.; Hill, M.; Gratton, M.

    The microwave palaeointensity technique was developed in Liverpool University (Walton et al 1996) and has successfully been applied to archaeological ceramics and recent lavas (Shaw et al 1996, 1999.; Hill et al 1999,2000). These published results show that microwave analysis provides accurate palaeointensity determinations com- bined with a very high success rate. Most recently the technique has been successfully applied to Martian material (Shaw et al, 2001) to look for the existence of an internal Martian dynamo early in Martian history. New experiments have been carried out us- ing microwaves to demagnetise synthetic muti-component TRM's and new palaeoin- tensity experiments providing a comparison between microwave analysis of laboratory TRM's and conventional thermal Thellier analysis of microwave generated mTRM's. These experiments demonstrate the equivalence of microwave and thermally gener- ated TRM's. D. Walton, S Snape, T.C. Rolph, J. Shaw and J.A. Share, Application of ferromagnetic resonance heating to palaeointensity determinations.1996, Phys Earth Planet Int,94, 183-186. J. Shaw, D. Walton, S Yang, T.C.Rolph, and J.A. Share. Microwave Archaeointensities from Peruvian Ceramics. 1996, Geophys. J. Int,124,241-244 J. Shaw, S. Yang, T. C. Rolph, and F. Y. Sun. A comparison of archaeointensity results from Chinese ceramics using Microwave and conventional ThellierSs and ShawSs methods.,1999, G J Int.136, 714-718 M. Hill, and J. Shaw, 1999, Palaeointensity results for Historic Lavas from Mt. Etna using microwave demagnetisation/remagnetisation in a modified Thellier type exper- iment. G. J. Int, 139, 583-590 M. J. Hill, and J. Shaw, 2000. Magnetic field intensity study of the 1960 Kilauea lava flow, Hawaii, using the microwave palaeointensity technique, Geophys. J. Int., 142, 487-504. J. Shaw, M. Hill, and S. J. Openshaw, 2001, Investigating the ancient Martian magnetic field using microwaves, Earth and Planetary Science Letters 190 (2001) 103-109

  14. Combined method for the fast determination of pure beta emitting radioisotopes in food samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kabai, Eva; Savkin, Birgit; Mehlsam, Isabell; Poppitz-Spuhler, Angela

    2017-01-01

    Fast radioanalytical methods are essential for a rapid response of decision makers. A fast method for the simultaneous determination of the pure beta emitting radionuclides 89 Sr/ 90 Sr and 99 Tc in food samples was developed. It includes the precipitation of fat and proteins with trichloroacetic acid for milk and dairy products and microwave digestion for other food products, followed by an anion exchange step to separate strontium from technetium. The purification steps for strontium and technetium are done using Sr-resin and TEVA-resin, respectively. Typical chemical yields are around 70 % for both radionuclides. The whole determination takes only around 20 h. (author)

  15. Solid Loss of Carrots During Simulated Gastric Digestion

    OpenAIRE

    Kong, Fanbin; Singh, R. Paul

    2010-01-01

    The knowledge of solid loss kinetics of foods during digestion is crucial for understanding the factors that constrain the release of nutrients from the food matrix and their fate of digestion. The objective of this study was to investigate the solid loss of carrots during simulated gastric digestion as affected by pH, temperature, viscosity of gastric fluids, mechanical force present in stomach, and cooking. Cylindrical carrot samples were tested by static soaking method and using a model st...

  16. Substantial differences in bias between single-digest and double-digest RAD-seq libraries: A case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flanagan, Sarah P; Jones, Adam G

    2018-03-01

    The trade-offs of using single-digest vs. double-digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) protocols have been widely discussed. However, no direct empirical comparisons of the two methods have been conducted. Here, we sampled a single population of Gulf pipefish (Syngnathus scovelli) and genotyped 444 individuals using RAD-seq. Sixty individuals were subjected to single-digest RAD-seq (sdRAD-seq), and the remaining 384 individuals were genotyped using a double-digest RAD-seq (ddRAD-seq) protocol. We analysed the resulting Illumina sequencing data and compared the two genotyping methods when reads were analysed either together or separately. Coverage statistics, observed heterozygosity, and allele frequencies differed significantly between the two protocols, as did the results of selection components analysis. We also performed an in silico digestion of the Gulf pipefish genome and modelled five major sources of bias: PCR duplicates, polymorphic restriction sites, shearing bias, asymmetric sampling (i.e., genotyping fewer individuals with sdRAD-seq than with ddRAD-seq) and higher major allele frequencies. This combination of approaches allowed us to determine that polymorphic restriction sites, an asymmetric sampling scheme, mean allele frequencies and to some extent PCR duplicates all contribute to different estimates of allele frequencies between samples genotyped using sdRAD-seq versus ddRAD-seq. Our finding that sdRAD-seq and ddRAD-seq can result in different allele frequencies has implications for comparisons across studies and techniques that endeavour to identify genomewide signatures of evolutionary processes in natural populations. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. Measurement of spin pumping voltage separated from extrinsic microwave effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iguchi, Ryo; Saitoh, Eiji

    2017-01-01

    Conversions between spin and charge currents are core technologies in recent spintronics. In this article, we provide methods for estimating inverse spin Hall effects (ISHEs) induced by using microwave-driven spin pumping (SP) as a spin-current generator. ISHE and SP induce an electromotive force at the ferromagnetic or spin-wave resonance, which offers a valuable electric method of studying spin physics in materials. At the resonance, a microwave for exciting the magnetization dynamics induces an additional electromotive force via rf-current rectification and thermoelectric effects. We discuss methods of separating the signals generated from such extrinsic microwave effects by controlling sample structures and configurations. These methods are helpful in performing accurate measurements on ISHE induced by SP, enabling quantitative studies on the conversion between spin and charge currents on various kinds of materials. (author)

  18. [Analysis of triterpenoids in Ganoderma lucidum by microwave-assisted continuous extraction].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Yan-fang; An, Jing; Jiang, Ye

    2015-04-01

    For further improving the extraction efficiency of microwave extraction, a microwave-assisted contijuous extraction (MACE) device has been designed and utilized. By contrasting with the traditional methods, the characteristics and extraction efficiency of MACE has also been studied. The method was validated by the analysis of the triterpenoids in Ganoderma lucidum. The extraction conditions of MACE were: using 95% ethanol as solvent, microwave power 200 W and radiation time 14.5 min (5 cycles). The extraction results were subsequently compared with traditional heat reflux extraction ( HRE) , soxhlet extraction (SE), ultrasonic extraction ( UE) as well as the conventional microwave extraction (ME). For triterpenoids, the two methods based on the microwaves (ME and MACE) were in general capable of finishing the extraction in 10, 14.5 min, respectively, while other methods should consume 60 min and even more than 100 min. Additionally, ME can produce comparable extraction results as the classical HRE and higher extraction yield than both SE and UE, however, notably lower extraction yield than MASE. More importantly, the purity of the crud extract by MACE is far better than the other methods. MACE can effectively combine the advantages of microwave extraction and soxhlet extraction, thus enabling a more complete extraction of the analytes of TCMs in comparison with ME. And therefore makes the analytic result more accurate. It provides a novel, high efficient, rapid and reliable pretreatment technique for the analysis of TCMs, and it could potentially be extended to ingredient preparation or extracting techniques of TCMs.

  19. Microwave heating type evaporator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taura, Masazumi; Nishi, Akio; Morimoto, Takashi; Izumi, Jun; Tamura, Kazuo; Morooka, Akihiko.

    1987-01-01

    Purpose: To prevent evaporization stills against corrosion due to radioactive liquid wastes. Constitution: Microwaves are supplied from a microwave generator by way of a wave guide tube and through a microwave permeation window to the inside of an evaporatization still. A matching device is attached to the wave guide tube for transmitting the microwaves in order to match the impedance. When the microwaves are supplied to the inside of the evaporization still, radioactive liquid wastes supplied from a liquid feed port by way of a spray tower to the inside of the evaporization still is heated and evaporated by the induction heating of the microwaves. (Seki, T.)

  20. The microwave market

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bybokas, J.

    1989-01-01

    As superconductors move from the laboratory to the marketplace, it becomes more important for researchers and manufacturers to understand the markets for this technology. The large market for microwave systems represents a major opportunity for high-T c superconductors. Conductor losses are a primary design limitation in conventional microwave systems. The low losses of superconductors at microwave frequencies will allow component designers and system designers to improve their products in many ways. The most important market segments for microwave systems are outlined in this discussion

  1. Improvement of anaerobic digestion of sludge

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dohanyos, Michael; Zabranska, Jana; Kutil, Josef; Jenicek, Pavel

    2003-07-01

    Anaerobic digestion improvement can be accomplished by different methods. Besides optimization of process conditions is frequently used pretreatment of input sludge and increase of process temperature. Thermophilic process brings a higher solids reduction and biogas production, the high resistance to foaming, no problems with odour, the higher effect of destroying pathogens and the improvement of the energy balance of the whole treatment plant. Disintegration of excess activated sludge in lysate centrifuge was proved in full-scale conditions causing increase of biogas production. The rapid thermal conditioning of digested sludge is acceptable method of particulate matter disintegration and solubilization. (author)

  2. Evaluation of the 5 and 8 pH point titration methods for monitoring anaerobic digesters treating solid waste.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vannecke, T P W; Lampens, D R A; Ekama, G A; Volcke, E I P

    2015-01-01

    Simple titration methods certainly deserve consideration for on-site routine monitoring of volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration and alkalinity during anaerobic digestion (AD), because of their simplicity, speed and cost-effectiveness. In this study, the 5 and 8 pH point titration methods for measuring the VFA concentration and carbonate system alkalinity (H2CO3*-alkalinity) were assessed and compared. For this purpose, synthetic solutions with known H2CO3*-alkalinity and VFA concentration as well as samples from anaerobic digesters treating three different kind of solid wastes were analysed. The results of these two related titration methods were verified with photometric and high-pressure liquid chromatography measurements. It was shown that photometric measurements lead to overestimations of the VFA concentration in the case of coloured samples. In contrast, the 5 pH point titration method provides an accurate estimation of the VFA concentration, clearly corresponding with the true value. Concerning the H2CO3*-alkalinity, the most accurate and precise estimations, showing very similar results for repeated measurements, were obtained using the 8 pH point titration. Overall, it was concluded that the 5 pH point titration method is the preferred method for the practical monitoring of AD of solid wastes due to its robustness, cost efficiency and user-friendliness.

  3. Electron-beam and microwave treatment of some microbial strains

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, D.; Ferdes, O.S.; Minea, R.; Tirlea, A.; Badea, M.; Plamadeala, S.; Ferdes, M.

    1998-01-01

    The experimental results concerning the combined effects of microwaves and accelerated electron beams on various microbial strains such as E. coli, Salmonella sp. and Monascus purpureus are presented. A special designed microwave applicator with a 2.45 GHz frequency CW magnetron of 850 maximum output power and with associate electronics that allow to control the microwave power, the current intensity, and the exposure time was used. The electron-beam irradiation was performed at different irradiation doses and at a dose rate of 1.5 - 2.0 kGy/min by using a linac at a mean electron energy about 6 MeV, mean bean current of 10 μA, pulse period of 3.5 μs and repetition frequency 100 Hz. The experiments were carried out in 5 variants: microwave treatment; electron-beam irradiation; microwaves followed by electron beam; electrons followed by microwaves; and simultaneous application of microwaves and electron beam. The microbiocidal effect was found to be enhanced by additional use of microwave energy to electron beam irradiation. Enhancement of inactivation rate is only remarkable for the microwave treatment or simultaneous electron beam and microwave irradiation at a temperature above the critical value at which microorganisms begin to perish by heat. Simultaneous irradiation with electron beam and microwaves results in a reduction of temperature and time as well as in the decrease of the upper limit of required electron beam absorbed dose for an assumed microbiological quality parameter. The results obtained indicate the occurrence of a synergistic effect of the two physical fields on a non-thermal basis. Hence, combined microwave-electron beam treatment may be applied as an effective method to reduce microbial load

  4. Microwave generation and complex microwave responsivity measurements on small Dayem bridges

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Niels Falsig; Sørensen, O; Mygind, Jesper

    1977-01-01

    Measurements of the active properties of a Dayem micro-bridge at X-band frequencies is described. The bridge was mounted in a microwave cavity designed to match the bridge properly and the microwave output from the cavity was detected using a sensitive X-band spectrometer. Microwave power...

  5. Microwave photonics

    CERN Document Server

    Lee, Chi H

    2006-01-01

    Wireless, optical, and electronic networks continue to converge, prompting heavy research into the interface between microwave electronics, ultrafast optics, and photonic technologies. New developments arrive nearly as fast as the photons under investigation, and their commercial impact depends on the ability to stay abreast of new findings, techniques, and technologies. Presenting a broad yet in-depth survey, Microwave Photonics examines the major advances that are affecting new applications in this rapidly expanding field.This book reviews important achievements made in microwave photonics o

  6. Anaerobic digestibility of beef hooves with swine manure or slaughterhouse sludge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xia, Yun; Wang, Ding-Kang; Kong, Yunhong; Ungerfeld, Emilio M; Seviour, Robert; Massé, Daniel I

    2015-04-01

    Anaerobic digestion is an effective method for treating animal by-products, generating at the same time green energy as methane (CH4). However, the methods and mechanisms involved in anaerobic digestion of α-keratin wastes like hair, nails, horns and hooves are still not clear. In this study we investigated the feasibility of anaerobically co-digesting ground beef hooves in the presence of swine manure or slaughterhouse sludge at 25 °C using eight 42-L Plexiglas lab-scale digesters. Our results showed addition of beef hooves statistically significantly increased the rate of CH4 production with swine manure, but only increased it slightly with slaughterhouse sludge. After 90-day digestion, 73% of beef hoof material added to the swine manure-inoculated digesters had been converted into CH4, which was significantly higher than the 45% level achieved in the slaughterhouse sludge inoculated digesters. BODIPY-Fluorescent casein staining detected proteolytic bacteria in all digesters with and without added beef hooves, and their relative abundances corresponded to the rate of methanogenesis of the digesters with the different inocula. Fluorescence in situ hybridization in combination with BODIPY-Fluorescent casein staining identified most proteolytic bacteria as members of genus Alkaliphilus in the subfamily Clostridiaceae 2 of family Clostridiaceae. They thus appear to be the bacteria mainly responsible for digestion of beef hooves. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Anaerobic Digestion: Process

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Angelidaki, Irini; Batstone, Damien J.

    2011-01-01

    Organic waste may degrade anaerobically in nature as well as in engineered systems. The latter is called anaerobic digestion or biogasification. Anaerobic digestion produces two main outputs: An energy-rich gas called biogas and an effluent. The effluent, which may be a solid as well as liquid...... with very little dry matter may also be called a digest. The digest should not be termed compost unless it specifically has been composted in an aerated step. This chapter describes the basic processes of anaerobic digestion. Chapter 9.5 describes the anaerobic treatment technologies, and Chapter 9...

  8. Anaerobic digestion apparatus and process. Procede et installation de digestion anaerobie

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    De Baere, L.

    1989-05-09

    This invention concerns a process for the anaerobic digestion of apparently solid organic matter. The matter is mixed and kneaded with an inoculant to form an apparently solid mass having a water content which varies from around 55 wt % to around 75 wt %. This mass is then introduced into a digestor, where it is digested for a period of around less than 50 days. The biogas produced during the anaerobic digestion stage is recovered, said biogas being a byproduct of the digestion process. The digested mass is extracted, and at least a third, by weight, of that mass is recycled to act as the inoculant. The non-recycled digested mass is removed.

  9. Morphological evolution of Bi2Se3 nanocrystalline materials synthesized by microwave assisted solvothermal method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bera, Sumit; Behera, P.; Mishra, A. K.; Krishnan, M.; Patidar, M. M.; Singh, D.; Gangrade, M.; Venkatesh, R.; Deshpande, U. P.; Phase, D. M.; Ganesan, V.

    2018-04-01

    Structural, morphological and spectroscopic properties of Bi2Se3 nanoparticles synthesized by microwave assisted solvothermal method were investigated systematically. A controlled synthesis of different morphologies by a small variation in synthesis procedure is demonstrated. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the formation of single phase. Crystallite and particle size reductions were studied with XRD and AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy). Different morphologies such as hexagonal nanoflakes with cross section of around˜6µm, nanoflower and octahedral agglomerated crystals of nearly ˜60 nm size have been observed in scanning electron microscope while varying the microwave assisted synthesis procedures. A significant blue shift observed in diffuse reflectance spectroscopy evidences the energy gap tuning as a result of morphological evolution. The difference in morphology observed in this three fast, facile and scalable synthesis is advantageous for tuning the thermoelectric figure of merit and for probing the surface states of these topological insulators. Low temperature resistivity remains similar for all three variants depicting a 2D character as evidenced by a -lnT term of localization.

  10. The Effect of Microwave Radiation on Prickly Paddy Melon (Cucumis myriocarpus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Graham Brodie

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The growing list of herbicide-resistant biotypes and environmental concerns about chemical use has prompted interest in alternative methods of managing weeds. This study explored the effect of microwave energy on paddy melon (Cucumis myriocarpus plants, fruits, and seeds. Microwave treatment killed paddy melon plants and seeds. Stem rupture due to internal steam explosions often occurred after the first few seconds of microwave treatment when a small aperture antenna was used to apply the microwave energy. The half lethal microwave energy dose for plants was 145 J/cm2; however, a dose of at least 422 J/cm2 was needed to kill seeds. This study demonstrated that a strategic burst of intense microwave energy, focused onto the stem of the plant is as effective as applying microwave energy to the whole plant, but uses much less energy.

  11. System to continuously produce carbon fiber via microwave assisted plasma processing

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, Terry L; Paulauskas, Felix L; Bigelow, Timothy S

    2014-03-25

    A method for continuously processing carbon fiber including establishing a microwave plasma in a selected atmosphere contained in an elongated chamber having a microwave power gradient along its length defined by a lower microwave power at one end and a higher microwave power at the opposite end of the elongated chamber. The elongated chamber having an opening in each of the ends of the chamber that are adapted to allow the passage of the fiber tow while limiting incidental gas flow into or out of said chamber. A continuous fiber tow is introduced into the end of the chamber having the lower microwave power. The fiber tow is withdrawn from the opposite end of the chamber having the higher microwave power. The fiber to is subjected to progressively higher microwave energy as the fiber is being traversed through the elongated chamber.

  12. Application of Microwave Methods for Characterization of NEG Coatings and Obstacle Detection in Accelerator Beam-pipes

    CERN Document Server

    Seebacher, David

    2009-01-01

    In many particle accelerators, including the LHC at the European Organization for Nuclear Research CERN, NEG coatings are used to improve vacuum performance. In other particle accelerators there have been hints that those coatings could have a relevant impact on the beam coupling impedance, however the data available is contradictory. To clarify the possible impact of NEG coatings the electromagnetic properties have been measured. The measurements have been carried out by means of cavity perturbation method. The second part of this thesis deals with the microwave waveguide reflectometer developed at CERN several years ago, which is used as part of the quality assurance test program for the LHC assembly. To ensure optimum operation and to avoid an expensive removal of any foreign object from inside the LHC beam-screen after its completion, microwave reflectometry is performed. Until now several objects have been found by means of reflectometry, but so far neither precise data about the reflections of different...

  13. ULTRARAPID VACUUM-MICROWAVE HISTOPROCESSING

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    KOK, LP; BOON, ME

    A novel histoprocessing method for paraffin sections is presented in which the combination of vacuum and microwave exposure is the key element. By exploiting the decrease in boiling temperature under vacuum, the liquid molecules in the tissues have been successfully extracted and exchanged at

  14. Electric field measurement in microwave discharge ion thruster with electro-optic probe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ise, Toshiyuki; Tsukizaki, Ryudo; Togo, Hiroyoshi; Koizumi, Hiroyuki; Kuninaka, Hitoshi

    2012-12-01

    In order to understand the internal phenomena in a microwave discharge ion thruster, it is important to measure the distribution of the microwave electric field inside the discharge chamber, which is directly related to the plasma production. In this study, we proposed a novel method of measuring a microwave electric field with an electro-optic (EO) probe based on the Pockels effect. The probe, including a cooling system, contains no metal and can be accessed in the discharge chamber with less disruption to the microwave distribution. This method enables measurement of the electric field profile under ion beam acceleration. We first verified the measurement with the EO probe by a comparison with a finite-difference time domain numerical simulation of the microwave electric field in atmosphere. Second, we showed that the deviations of the reflected microwave power and the beam current were less than 8% due to inserting the EO probe into the ion thruster under ion beam acceleration. Finally, we successfully demonstrated the measurement of the electric-field profile in the ion thruster under ion beam acceleration. These measurements show that the electric field distribution in the thruster dramatically changes in the ion thruster under ion beam acceleration as the propellant mass flow rate increases. These results indicate that this new method using an EO probe can provide a useful guide for improving the propulsion of microwave discharge ion thrusters.

  15. Microwave Irradiation

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Way to Eco-friendly, Green Chemistry. Rashmi ... The rapid heating of food in the kitchen using microwave ovens ... analysis; application to waste treatment; polymer technology; ... of microwave heating in organic synthesis since the first contri-.

  16. Microwave-induced torrefaction of rice husk and sugarcane residues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, M.J.; Huang, Y.F.; Chiueh, P.T.; Kuan, W.H.; Lo, S.L.

    2012-01-01

    This study utilized microwave irradiation to induce torrefaction (mild pyrolysis) of rice husk and sugarcane residues by varying different parameters, including microwave power level, processing time, water content, and particle size of biomass. Proper microwave power levels are suggested to be set between 250 and 300 W for the torrefaction of these two agricultural residues. With proper processing time, the caloric value can increase 26% for rice husk and 57% for sugarcane residue. Compared to dry rice husk, both maximum reaction temperature and mass reduction ratio increased with higher water content (not over 10%). Moreover, the particle size of biomass needs not to be very small. The mass reduction ratios were 65 wt.%, 69 wt.%, and 72 wt.%, when the sizes were 50/100 mesh, 100/200 mesh, and >200 mesh, respectively. Microwave-induced torrefaction reduces more oxygen/carbon ratio of biomass in comparison with traditional torrefaction. Microwave-induced torrefaction is considered as an efficient and promising technology with great potential. -- Highlights: ► Microwave-induced torrefaction is promising compared to conventional methods. ► Neither high microwave power nor small particle size is needed. ► High energy yield can be met under mild microwave power. ► Caloric value can increase up to about 60%.

  17. Microwave-Enhanced Cross-Coupling Reactions Involving Alkynyltrifluoroborates with Aryl Bromides

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    George W. Kabalka

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Palladium-catalyzed alkynylation has emerged as one of the most reliable methods for the synthesis of alkynes which are often used in natural product syntheses and material science. An efficient method for coupling alkynyltrifluoroborates with various aryl bromides in the presence of a palladium catalyst has been developed using microwave irradiation. The microwave reactions are rapid and efficient.

  18. Larvas output and influence of human factor in reliability of meat inspection by the method of artificial digestion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Đorđević Vesna

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available On the basis of the performed analyses of the factors that contributed the infected meat reach food chain, we have found out that the infection occurred after consuming the meat inspected by the method of collective samples artificial digestion by using a magnetic stirrer (MM. In this work there are presented assay results which show how modifications of the method, on the level of final sedimentation, influence the reliability of Trichinella larvas detection in the infected meat samples. It has been shown that use of inadequate laboratory containers for larva collecting in final sedimentation and change of volume of digestive liquid that outflow during colouring preparations, can significantly influence inspection results. Larva detection errors ranged from 4 to 80% in presented the experimental groups in regard to the control group of samples inspected by using MM method, which had been carried out completely according to Europe Commission procedure No 2075/2005, where no errors in larva number per sample was found. We consider that the results of this work will contribute to the improvement of control of the method performance and especially of the critical point during inspection of meat samples to Trichinella larvas in Serbia.

  19. In Vitro Digestibilities of Six Rumen Protected Fat-Protein Supplement Formulas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lilis Hartati

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract. The aim of the research was to evaluate the efficacy of protection method of rumen protected fat-protein supplements. In vitro digestibility test was carried out to examine nutrients digestibility of different supplement formula based on the sources of protein and oil. The research used two sources of fat namely crude palm oil (CPO and fish oil (FO and three sources of protein namely milk skim, soy flour, and soybean meal. Thus there were 6 combinations that subjected in the in vitro digestibility test. The observed variables were the digestibility of dry matter (DM, organic matter (OM, crude fat (CF, and crude protein (CP. Results indicated that the method for protecting protein and fat was effective. This was showed by low nutrients digestibility in the rumen and high nutrients digestibility in the post rumen. In conclusion the combination between skim milk and CPO gave the best results among the other supplement formula. Keywords: rumen protected nutrient, fat-protein supplement, rumen digestibility, in vitro Animal Production 14(1:1-5, January 2012

  20. Solubility of 238U radionuclide from various types of soil in synthetic gastrointestinal fluids using "US in vitro" digestion method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rashid, Nur Shahidah Abdul; Sarmani, Sukiman; Majid, Amran Ab.; Mohamed, Faizal; Siong, Khoo Kok

    2015-04-01

    238U radionuclide is a naturally occuring radioactive material that can be found in soil. In this study, the solubility of 238U radionuclide obtained from various types of soil in synthetic gastrointestinal fluids was analysed by "US P in vitro" digestion method. The synthetic gastrointestinal fluids were added to the samples with well-ordered, mixed throughly and incubated according to the human physiology digestive system. The concentration of 238U radionuclide in the solutions extracted from the soil was measured using Induced Coupling Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). The concentration of 238U radionuclide from the soil samples in synthetic gastrointestinal fluids showed different values due to different homogenity of soil types and chemical reaction of 238U radionuclide. In general, the solubility of 238U radionuclide in gastric fluid was higher (0.050 - 0.209 ppm) than gastrointestinal fluids (0.024 - 0.050 ppm). It could be concluded that the US P in vitro digestion method is practicle for estimating the solubility of 238U radionuclide from soil materials and could be useful for monitoring and risk assessment purposes applying to environmental, health and contaminated soil samples.

  1. High temperature superconducting YBCO microwave filters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aghabagheri, S.; Rasti, M.; Mohammadizadeh, M. R.; Kameli, P.; Salamati, H.; Mohammadpour-Aghdam, K.; Faraji-Dana, R.

    2018-06-01

    Epitaxial thin films of YBCO high temperature superconductor are widely used in telecommunication technology such as microwave filter, antenna, coupler and etc., due to their lower surface resistance and lower microwave loss than their normal conductor counterparts. Thin films of YBCO were fabricated by PLD technique on LAO substrate. Transition temperature and width were 88 K and 3 K, respectively. A filter pattern was designed and implemented by wet photolithography method on the films. Characterization of the filter at 77 K has been compared with the simulation results and the results for a made gold filter. Both YBCO and gold filters show high microwave loss. For YBCO filter, the reason may be due to the improper contacts on the feedlines and for gold filter, low thickness of the gold film has caused the loss increased.

  2. Infrared and microwave properties of polypyrrole/multi-walled carbon nanotube composites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gao, Qi; Wang, Yongsheng, E-mail: yshwang@bjtu.edu.cn; He, Dawei, E-mail: dwhe@bjtu.edu.cn; Gao, Lei; Zhou, Yikang; Fu, Ming

    2014-08-01

    This study analyses the formation of polypyrrole/multi-walled carbon nanotube (PPy/MWCNT) composite materials using chemical oxidation with varying amounts of MWCNTs added. The samples are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared emission spectroscopy, a four-probe method, and infrared thermal imaging using electromagnetic parameters. According to the test results, it is seen that the formation of PPy with the addition of MWCNTs can affect the material’s infrared properties and increase the material’s microwave return losses (up to −19 dB). This production procedure can also make the peak frequency of the microwave return losses adjustable, and the composite’s infrared and microwave performance becomes compatible and adjustable. - Highlights: • A one step in-situ synthesis method of PPy/MWCNT polymerization is proposed. • The composites were used for infrared camouflage and for their microwave properties. • The microwave return losses and infrared emissivity of the composites are adjustable. • The mechanism relies on changes in the composites’ conductivity.

  3. Infrared and microwave properties of polypyrrole/multi-walled carbon nanotube composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao, Qi; Wang, Yongsheng; He, Dawei; Gao, Lei; Zhou, Yikang; Fu, Ming

    2014-01-01

    This study analyses the formation of polypyrrole/multi-walled carbon nanotube (PPy/MWCNT) composite materials using chemical oxidation with varying amounts of MWCNTs added. The samples are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared emission spectroscopy, a four-probe method, and infrared thermal imaging using electromagnetic parameters. According to the test results, it is seen that the formation of PPy with the addition of MWCNTs can affect the material’s infrared properties and increase the material’s microwave return losses (up to −19 dB). This production procedure can also make the peak frequency of the microwave return losses adjustable, and the composite’s infrared and microwave performance becomes compatible and adjustable. - Highlights: • A one step in-situ synthesis method of PPy/MWCNT polymerization is proposed. • The composites were used for infrared camouflage and for their microwave properties. • The microwave return losses and infrared emissivity of the composites are adjustable. • The mechanism relies on changes in the composites’ conductivity

  4. Effect of Zn doping on the microwave absorption of BFO multiferroic materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bi, S.; Li, J.; Mei, B.; Su, X. J.; Ying, C. Z.; Li, P. H.

    2018-01-01

    The microwave absorbing materials were firstly used in the Second World War. And the BiFeO3 (BFO) based microwave absorbers have been widely applied into the microwave absorbing area due to its possession of excellent electromagnetic properties. Various methods have been conducted to improve the microwave absorption performance of the BFO based materials. In the work, the sol-gel method were used to prepare the BFO, and the Zn were doped into the BFO to prepare the Bi1-xZnxFeO3 nanoparticles. The X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, and vector network analysis (VNA) were conducted to characterize the microstructure and electromagnetic properties of the as-prepared samples. The results indicate that the Bi1-xZnxFeO3 nanoparticles were successfully gained and the as-prepared samples possess excellent microwave absorption properties.

  5. Moisture measurements in building materials with microwaves; Rakennusmateriaalien kosteusmittauksia mikroaalloilla

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kaeaeriaeinen, H.; Rudolph, M.; Schaurich, D.; Wiggenhauser, H. [VTT Building Technology, Espoo (Finland). Construction and Facility Management

    1998-12-01

    In order to assess the condition and evaluate the reliability of buildings and structures, it is essential to establish the moisture condition of the floor and other structural elements of the building. NDT-methods are increasingly being used for such moisture measurements because they do not cause any damage to the building under investigation. Microwave transmission is one of the NDT-methods and has been in use for several years. In this report, the applicability of the microwave method for measuring moisture in different building materials was investigated. This method has been successfully used at BAM for repeated moisture measurements in brick and sandstone material. This project also included other materials, such as concrete, sand, gravel, insulation and wood. At the same time, information was gathered about in situ moisture determination of building materials with a microwave moisture measuring system. The equipment used in this research has been developed at BAM over the last few years. The method requires two parallel boreholes in the specimen in which two microwave antennae can be moved. The moisture content in the material can be calculated from the microwave intensity transmitted between the two boreholes. Moisture profiles along the boreholes can be obtained by moving the antennae in steps along the length of the boreholes and taking measurements at each step. Special care must be taken while drilling the holes for the antennae, as this process must not affect the moisture condition in the specimen, and the boreholes must be made as parallel to each other as possible. The microwave frequencies used in the laboratory measurements ranged from 8 to 16,5 GHz in steps of 0,5 GHz. The diameters of the antennae were between 7 and 9 mm, and of the boreholes between 8 and 12 mm. Except for the concrete specimen, all the specimens were measured using plastic tubes in the boreholes. The moisture content measured by the microwave technique was verified by the

  6. EDITORIAL: Microwave Moisture Measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaatze, Udo; Kupfer, Klaus; Hübner, Christof

    2007-04-01

    Microwave moisture measurements refer to a methodology by which the water content of materials is non-invasively determined using electromagnetic fields of radio and microwave frequencies. Being the omnipresent liquid on our planet, water occurs as a component in most materials and often exercises a significant influence on their properties. Precise measurements of the water content are thus extremely useful in pure sciences, particularly in biochemistry and biophysics. They are likewise important in many agricultural, technical and industrial fields. Applications are broad and diverse, and include the quality assessment of foodstuffs, the determination of water content in paper, cardboard and textile production, the monitoring of moisture in sands, gravels, soils and constructions, as well as the measurement of water admixtures to coal and crude oil in reservoirs and in pipelines. Microwave moisture measurements and evaluations require insights in various disciplines, such as materials science, dielectrics, the physical chemistry of water, electrodynamics and microwave techniques. The cooperation of experts from the different fields of science is thus necessary for the efficient development of this complex discipline. In order to advance cooperation the Workshop on Electromagnetic Wave Interaction with Water and Moist Substances was held in 1993 in Atlanta. It initiated a series of international conferences, of which the last one was held in 2005 in Weimar. The meeting brought together 130 scientists and engineers from all over the world. This special issue presents a collection of some selected papers that were given at the event. The papers cover most topics of the conference, featuring dielectric properties of aqueous materials, electromagnetic wave interactions, measurement methods and sensors, and various applications. The special issue is dedicated to Dr Andrzej W Kraszewski, who died in July 2006 after a distinguished career of 48 years in the research of

  7. Anaerobic digestion of organic by-products from meat-processing industry. The effect of pre-treatments and co-digestion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Luste, S.

    2011-07-01

    suitable for anaerobic co-digestion. The co-digestion of the ABPs with sewage sludge and cattle slurry resulted improved methane production and reusability of the digestate. These enhancements were further improved by the pre-treatments studied. The most suitable (ultrasound and bacterial product addition) and synergistically beneficial (pre-hygienisation) pretreatments were found to enhance the complex degradation of materials. Pre-treatments effects on the whole process and on the end-products were depended on the hydrolysis values, but especially on the content of the materials and qualities of the solubilised compounds. Economical feasibility of ultrasound and hygienisation pre-treatments is attainable. Materials and process methods studied in this thesis offer required new information and aspects about the case- and material-specific factors of process requirements, process optimisation according to the requirements in practice, degradability of the ABP materials, hygienic matters and mechanisms involved in pre-treatments and co-digestion of ABPs. The information produced could be directly utilised in the practical implementations of the anaerobic digestion of studied or corresponding materials and feed mixtures. (orig.)

  8. Effects of processing method and solute interactions on pepsin digestibility of cooked proso millet flour.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gulati, Paridhi; Sabillón, Luis; Rose, Devin J

    2018-07-01

    Previous studies have reported a substantial decline in in vitro digestibility of proso millet protein upon cooking. In this study, several processing techniques and cooking solutions were tested with the objective of preventing the loss in pepsin digestibility. Proso millet flour was subjected to the following processing techniques: high pressure processing (200 and 600 MPa for 5 and 20 min); germination (96 h); fermentation (48 h); roasting (dry heating); autoclaving (121 °C, 3 h), and treatment with transglutaminase (160 mg/g protein, 37 °C, 2 h). To study the interaction of millet proteins with solutes, millet flour was heated with sucrose (3-7 M); NaCl (2-6 M); and CaCl 2 (0.5-3 M). All processing treatments failed to prevent the loss in pepsin digestibility except germination and treatment with transglutaminase, which resulted in 23 and 39% increases in digestibility upon cooking, respectively, when compared with unprocessed cooked flours. Heating in concentrated solutions of sucrose and NaCl were effective in preventing the loss in pepsin digestibility, an effect that was attributed to a reduction in water activity (a w ). CaCl 2 was also successful in preventing the loss in digestibility but its action was similar to chaotrops like urea. Thus, a combination of enzymatic modification and cooking of millet flour with either naturally low a w substances or edible sources of chaotropic ions may be useful in processing of proso millet for development of novel foods without loss in digestibility. However, more research is required to determine optimum processing conditions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. PRODUCTION, DIELECTRIC PROPERTY AND MICROWAVE ABSORPTION PROPERTY OF SiC(Fe SOLID SOLUTION POWDER BY SOL-GEL METHOD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    XIAOLEI SU

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available SiC(Fe solid solution powders were synthesized by sol–gel method under different reaction time, using methyltriethoxysilane as the silicon and carbon source and analytic ferric chloride as the dopant, respectively. The synthesized powders have been characterized by XRD, SEM and Raman spectra. Results show that the lattice constant decreases with increasing reaction time. The electric permittivities of SiC samples were determined in the frequency range of 8.2 ~ 12.4 GHz. Results show that the permittivity of SiC decreases with increasing reaction time. The SiC(Fe solid solution powder with reaction time of 4 h with 2 mm thickness exhibit the best microwave absorption property in X-band range (8.2 - 12.4 GHz. The microwave absorption mechanism has been discussed.

  10. Regeneration characteristics of desiccant rotor with microwave and hot-air heating

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kubota, Mitsuhiro; Hanada, Takuya; Yabe, Satoshi; Matsuda, Hitoki

    2013-01-01

    Microwave heating, because of its advantages of direct and rapid heating of materials, has the potential to be employed as a novel regeneration method of desiccant rotors in humidity conditioners. We proposed a combined regeneration process, which combines microwave heating and conventional hot-air heating. The system is expected to achieve high heating rate during an initial regeneration period by assisting water desorption using the additional energy of the microwave. In this study, the regeneration characteristics of a desiccant rotor were experimentally investigated under conditions of microwave heating, hot-air heating, and combined heating at various microwave powers and hot-air temperatures. The effectiveness of the combined regeneration was evaluated in terms of the regeneration ratio, the initial regeneration rate, the temperature distribution in the rotor, and finally in terms of the energy consumption. It was demonstrated that combined heating was effective at leveling non-uniform temperature distribution in the rotor. Combined heating achieved higher ratios and initial rates in regeneration compared to just microwave and hot-air heating. This result was obviously attributed to the additional input of microwave energy, resulting that average rotor temperature increased by microwave absorption of rotor. Moreover, it was also effective for enhancement of regeneration to level the temperature distribution in the rotor by combination of two heating methods with different heating mechanisms. Both the initial regeneration rate and the equilibrium regeneration ratio for combined heating were found to increase as the microwave power increased. A linear relationship was observed with respect to microwave power. From the viewpoint of energy consumption, it may be possible to apply combined and microwave heating to humidity control systems that switch between adsorption and regeneration in short cycle times, if the conversion and absorption efficiencies of the

  11. MICROWAVE INTERACTIONS WITH INHOMOGENEOUS PARTIALLY IONIZED PLASMA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kritz, A. H.

    1962-11-15

    Microwave interactions with inhomogeneous plasmas are often studied by employing a simplified electromagnetic approach, i.e., by representing the effects of the plasma by an effective dielectric coefficient. The problems and approximations associated with this procedure are discussed. The equation describing the microwave field in an inhomogeneous partially ionized plasma is derived, and the method that is applied to obtain the reflected, transmitted, and absorbed intensities in inhomogeneous plasmas is presented. The interactions of microwaves with plasmas having Gaussian electron density profiles are considered. The variation of collision frequency with position is usually neglected. In general, the assumption of constant collision frequency is not justified; e.g., for a highly ionized plasma, the electron density profile determines, in part, the profile of the electron-ion collision frequency. The effect of the variation of the collision frequency profile on the interaction of microwaves with inhomogeneous plasmas is studied in order to obtain an estimate of the degree of error that may result when constant collision frequency is assumed instead of a more realistic collision frequency profile. It is shown that the degree of error is of particular importance when microwave analysis is used as a plasma diagnostic. (auth)

  12. Arsenic speciation in edible alga samples by microwave-assisted extraction and high performance liquid chromatography coupled to atomic fluorescence spectrometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garcia-Salgado, S. [Departamento de Ingenieria Civil: Tecnologia Hidraulica y Energetica, Escuela Universitaria de Ingenieria Tecnica de Obras Publicas, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Alfonso XII 3 y 5, 28014 Madrid (Spain); Quijano, M.A., E-mail: marian.quijano@upm.es [Departamento de Ingenieria Civil: Tecnologia Hidraulica y Energetica, Escuela Universitaria de Ingenieria Tecnica de Obras Publicas, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Alfonso XII 3 y 5, 28014 Madrid (Spain); Bonilla, M.M. [Departamento de Ingenieria Civil: Tecnologia Hidraulica y Energetica, Escuela Universitaria de Ingenieria Tecnica de Obras Publicas, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Alfonso XII 3 y 5, 28014 Madrid (Spain)

    2012-02-10

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Total As and As species were analyzed in edible marine algae. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A microwave-assisted extraction method with deionized water was applied. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer As compounds identified comprised DMA, As(V) and four arsenosugars Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Considerably high As(V) concentrations were found in the most of the algae studied. - Abstract: Twelve commercially available edible marine algae from France, Japan and Spain and the certified reference material (CRM) NIES No. 9 Sargassum fulvellum were analyzed for total arsenic and arsenic species. Total arsenic concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) after microwave digestion and ranged from 23 to 126 {mu}g g{sup -1}. Arsenic species in alga samples were extracted with deionized water by microwave-assisted extraction and showed extraction efficiencies from 49 to 98%, in terms of total arsenic. The presence of eleven arsenic species was studied by high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet photo-oxidation-hydride generation atomic-fluorescence spectrometry (HPLC-(UV)-HG-AFS) developed methods, using both anion and cation exchange chromatography. Glycerol and phosphate sugars were found in all alga samples analyzed, at concentrations between 0.11 and 22 {mu}g g{sup -1}, whereas sulfonate and sulfate sugars were only detected in three of them (0.6-7.2 {mu}g g{sup -1}). Regarding arsenic toxic species, low concentration levels of dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) (<0.9 {mu}g g{sup -1}) and generally high arsenate (As(V)) concentrations (up to 77 {mu}g g{sup -1}) were found in most of the algae studied. The results obtained are of interest to highlight the need to perform speciation analysis and to introduce appropriate legislation to limit toxic arsenic species content in these food products.

  13. Arsenic speciation in edible alga samples by microwave-assisted extraction and high performance liquid chromatography coupled to atomic fluorescence spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    García-Salgado, S.; Quijano, M.A.; Bonilla, M.M.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Total As and As species were analyzed in edible marine algae. ► A microwave-assisted extraction method with deionized water was applied. ► As compounds identified comprised DMA, As(V) and four arsenosugars ► Considerably high As(V) concentrations were found in the most of the algae studied. - Abstract: Twelve commercially available edible marine algae from France, Japan and Spain and the certified reference material (CRM) NIES No. 9 Sargassum fulvellum were analyzed for total arsenic and arsenic species. Total arsenic concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) after microwave digestion and ranged from 23 to 126 μg g −1 . Arsenic species in alga samples were extracted with deionized water by microwave-assisted extraction and showed extraction efficiencies from 49 to 98%, in terms of total arsenic. The presence of eleven arsenic species was studied by high performance liquid chromatography–ultraviolet photo-oxidation–hydride generation atomic–fluorescence spectrometry (HPLC–(UV)–HG–AFS) developed methods, using both anion and cation exchange chromatography. Glycerol and phosphate sugars were found in all alga samples analyzed, at concentrations between 0.11 and 22 μg g −1 , whereas sulfonate and sulfate sugars were only detected in three of them (0.6-7.2 μg g −1 ). Regarding arsenic toxic species, low concentration levels of dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) ( −1 ) and generally high arsenate (As(V)) concentrations (up to 77 μg g −1 ) were found in most of the algae studied. The results obtained are of interest to highlight the need to perform speciation analysis and to introduce appropriate legislation to limit toxic arsenic species content in these food products.

  14. A destructive sample preparation method for radioactive waste characterization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Olteanu, M.; Bucur, C.

    2015-01-01

    Acid digestion, using the microwave power, was applied for ''dissolution'' of different materials corresponding to the radioactive waste matrices resulted from a nuclear power plant operation, including exchange resin (cationic and mixed), concrete, paper, textile and activated charcoals. A small aliquot of solid sample (0.1-0.5g) was mixed with a known volume of digestion reagents (HNO3 67% - H2O2 30% or HNO3 67% - HCl 37%, with HF addition if the SiO2 was present in matrices) in a 100 ml PTFE vessel and it was mineralized using a Berghof digestion system, Speedwave 4. Starting from the manufacturer procedures, the technical parameters (temperature and mineralization time), the types and quantities of digestion reagents were optimized. After the mineralization process, the samples were transferred in centrifuge tubes, separated at 3500 rot/min and visually analysed. The obtained solutions were clear, without suspended or deposed materials and separated phases, ready for future separation processes of the ''difficult to measure'' radioisotopes. (authors)

  15. Live demonstration: Screen printed, microwave based level sensor for automated drug delivery

    KAUST Repository

    Karimi, Muhammad Akram

    2018-01-02

    Level sensors find numerous applications in many industries to automate the processes involving chemicals. Recently, some commercial ultrasound based level sensors are also being used to automate the drug delivery process [1]. Some of the most desirable features of level sensors to be used for medical use are their non-intrusiveness, low cost and consistent performance. In this demo, we will present a completely new method of sensing the liquid level using microwaves. It is a common stereotype to consider microwaves sensing mechanism as being expensive. Unlike usual expensive, intrusive and bulky microwave methods of level sensing using guided radars, we will present an extremely low cost printed, non-intrusive microwave sensor to reliably sense the liquid level.

  16. INVITRO DIGESTIBILITY OF PROTEIN FROM BARLEY AND OTHER CEREALS

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Buchmann, N. B.

    1979-01-01

    An in vitro method for measuring barley protein digestibility is presented. Samples were first incubated with pepsin in HCl; pancreatin was then added concomitantly with a bacteriostatic borate buffer. After TCA-precipitation, soluble nitrogen was measured. The digestion was unaffected...... by accumulated free amino acids. There were no free amino acids following pepsin treatment, but the essential ones were well liberated by pancreatin. Results for barley grown in the field or in pots, and for decortified barley fractions agreed with true digestibility values determined with rats. Of these samples...... digestibility depended on the type of enzyme and on the enzyme-to-substrate ratio....

  17. Experimental study of microwave-induced thermoacoustic imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobs, Ryan T.

    Microwave-Induced Thermoacoustic Imaging (TAI) is a noninvasive hybrid modality which improves contrast by using thermoelastic wave generation induced by microwave absorption. Ultrasonography is widely used in medical practice as a low-cost alternative and supplement to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Although ultrasonography has relatively high image resolution (depending on the ultrasonic wavelength at diagnostic frequencies), it suffers from low image contrast of soft tissues. In this work samples are irradiated with sub-microsecond electromagnetic pulses inducing acoustic waves in the sample that are then detected with an unfocused transducer. The advantage of this hybrid modality is the ability to take advantage of the microwave absorption coefficients which provide high contrast in tissue samples. This in combination with the superior spatial resolution of ultrasound waves is important to providing a low-cost alternative to MRI and early breast cancer detection methods. This work describes the implementation of a thermoacoustic experiment using a 5 kW peak power microwave source.

  18. Journal of Clipped Words in Reader's Digest Magazine

    OpenAIRE

    Simanjuntak, Lestari

    2012-01-01

    This study deals with Clipped Words in the “Laughter, the Best Medicine” of Reader's Digest. The objectives of the study are to find out the types of clipped words which are used in the “Laughter, the Best Medicine” of Reader's Digest, to find out sthe dominantly used in the whole story and to reason the dominant clipped word use in the text. The study use descriptive qualitative method. The data were collected from seventeen selected Reader's Digest which contains the clipped word by applie...

  19. Enhanced visible-light-responsive photodegradation of bisphenol A by Cu, N-codoped titanate nanotubes prepared by microwave-assisted hydrothermal method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doong, Ruey-an; Liao, Chun-Yi

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • The Cu, N-codoped TNTs were prepared by microwave assisted hydrothermal method. • The Cu(0) in codoped TNTs can serve as electron donors as well as electron meditors. • The surface normalized rate constants for BPA removal by Cu, N-TNT were 1.5–4.3 times higher than that of P25 TiO_2. • The Cu, N-codoped TNTs prolonged the generation of radicals for at least 5 min. - Abstract: In this study, a rapid and effective microwave-assisted hydrothermal method was developed for the synthesis of Cu, N-codoped titanate nanotubes (Cu, N-TNTs) to enhance the photocatalytic degradation efficiency and rate of bisphenol A (BPA) under UV and visible light irradiations. The TNTs were first synthesized at 150 °C for 3 h under microwave heating conditions followed by the calcination at 450 °C in the presence of 6 wt% Cu ions and N_2/NH_3 to fabricate Cu, N-TNTs composites. The Cu, N-TNTs exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity toward BPA degradation under UV and visible light irradiations. The X-ray photoelectron spectra indicated that Cu species in Cu, N-TNTs were mainly in zerovalent form and could serve as the electron donors as well as shuttling species to accelerate the photodegradation of BPA. In addition, the nitrogen atoms were incorporated into the anatase lattices to increase the visible-light-responsive capability. The surface normalized reaction rate constants for BPA degradation were 4.3 and 1.5 times higher than those of Degussa P25 TiO_2 under UV and visible light irradiations, respectively. The electron spin resonance spectra showed that Cu, N-codoped TNTs prolonged the generation of oxygen-containing radicals for at least 5 min, resulting in the significant enhancement of photodegradation efficiency and rate of BPA. Results obtained in this study open a new avenue by using simple and effective microwave-assisted hydrothermal method to fabricate low dimensional codoped TNTs which can be potentially applied in a wide variety of fields of

  20. Review of Microwave Photonics Technique to Generate the Microwave Signal by Using Photonics Technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raghuwanshi, Sanjeev Kumar; Srivastav, Akash

    2017-12-01

    Microwave photonics system provides high bandwidth capabilities of fiber optic systems and also contains the ability to provide interconnect transmission properties, which are virtually independent of length. The low-loss wide bandwidth capability of optoelectronic systems makes them attractive for the transmission and processing of microwave signals, while the development of high-capacity optical communication systems has required the use of microwave techniques in optical transmitters and receivers. These two strands have led to the development of the research area of microwave photonics. So, we can considered microwave photonics as the field that studies the interaction between microwave and optical waves for applications such as communications, radars, sensors and instrumentations. In this paper we have thoroughly reviewed the microwave generation techniques by using photonics technology.

  1. Reflection measurement of waveguide-injected high-power microwave antennas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Chengwei; Peng, Shengren; Shu, Ting; Zhang, Qiang; Zhao, Xuelong

    2015-12-01

    A method for reflection measurements of High-power Microwave (HPM) antennas excited with overmoded waveguides is proposed and studied systemically. In theory, principle of the method is proposed and the data processing formulas are developed. In simulations, a horn antenna excited by a TE11 mode exciter is examined and its reflection is calculated by CST Microwave Studio and by the method proposed in this article, respectively. In experiments, reflection measurements of two HPM antennas are conducted, and the measured results are well consistent with the theoretical expectations.

  2. New stable isotope method to measure protein digestibility and response to pancreatic enzyme intake in cystic fibrosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Engelen, M P K J; Com, G; Anderson, P J; Deutz, N E P

    2014-12-01

    Adequate protein intake and digestion are necessary to prevent muscle wasting in cystic fibrosis (CF). Accurate and easy-to-use methodology to quantify protein maldigestion is lacking in CF. To measure protein digestibility and the response to pancreatic enzyme intake in CF by using a new stable isotope methodology. In 19 CF and 8 healthy subjects, protein digestibility was quantified during continuous (sip) feeding for 6 h by adding (15)N-labeled spirulina protein and L-[ring-(2)H5]phenylalanine (PHE) to the nutrition and measuring plasma ratio [(15)N]PHE to [(2)H5]PHE. Pancreatic enzymes were ingested after 2 h in CF and the response in protein digestibility was assessed. To exclude difference in mucosal function, postabsorptive whole-body citrulline (CIT) production rate was measured by L-[5-(13)C-5,5-(2)H2]-CIT pulse and blood samples were taken to analyze tracer-tracee ratios. Protein digestibility was severely reduced in the CF group (47% of healthy subjects; P digestibility in CF until 90% of values obtained by healthy subjects. Maximal digestibility was reached at 100 min and maintained for 80 min. Stratification into CF children (n = 10) and adults showed comparable values for protein digestibility and similar kinetic responses to pancreatic enzyme intake. Whole-body citrulline production was elevated in CF indicating preserved mucosal function. Protein digestibility is severely compromised in patients with CF as measured by this novel and easy-to-use stable isotope approach. Pancreatic enzymes are able to normalize protein digestibility in CF, albeit with a severe delay. Registration ClinicalTrials.gov = NCT01494909. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

  3. Use of in vitro gas production technique to evaluate the effects of microwave irradiation on sorghum (Sorghum bicolor and wheat (Triticum sp. nutritive values and fermentation characteristics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Farhad Parnian

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Effects of microwave irradiation (900 W for 3, 5 and 7 min on the nutritive value of sorghum and wheat grains were evaluated by in vitro gas production technique. Gas volume was recorded at 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, 36, 48, 72 and 96 h of incubation and kinetics of gas production were estimated using model: GP = A exp {– exp [1 + (be/A (LAG – t]}. Cumulative gas production at 24 h was used for estimation of metabolizable energy, net energy for lactation, short chain fatty acids, digestible organic matter and microbial protein. For sorghum grain, microwave irradiation increased cumulative gas production for most times of incubation linearly. Microwave treatments for 5 and 7 min increased the A fraction linearly in both cereal grain, whereas the maximum rate of gas production (b decreased linearly only in wheat grain. Microwave treatments for 3, 5 and 7 min increased (P<0.05 metabolizable energy, net energy for lactation and short chain fatty acids content of sorghum grain, but not of wheat grain. It was concluded that microwave irradiation changed the gas production parameters resulting changed ruminal fermentation characteristics that can be considered in ration formulation.

  4. Methods to enhance hydrolysis during one and two-stage anaerobic digestion of energy crops and crop residues

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jagadabhi, P. S.

    2011-07-01

    The objective of this thesis was to evaluate methods to enhance hydrolysis (measured as specific SCOD production, g SCOD g-1 VS) during one and two-stage anaerobic digestion (AD) of energy crops and crop residues. Addition of macro (NH{sub 4}Cl), micro nutrients (Fe, Ni, Co and Mo) and leachate replacement during mono-digestion of grass silage in one-stage leach bed reactors (LBRs) enhanced hydrolysis by 18 % (0.56 g SCOD g-1 VS), 7 % (0.45 g SCOD g-1 VS) and 34 % (0.51 g SCOD g-1 VS) respectively compared to respective controls. On the other hand, creating micro-aerobic conditions (at 1 l min-1, 2.5 l of air) did not improve hydrolysis but enhanced VFA production by 4 fold (from 2.2 g l-1 to 9 g l-1). Application of rumen cultures improved hydrolysis by 10 % (0.33 g SCOD g-1 VS) more than control (0.30 g SCOD g-1 VS). Similarly, during two-stage AD in LBR-UASB reactor configuration leachate replacement enhanced hydrolysis in cucumber and grass silage (0.5 g SCOD g-1 VS) than in tomato and common reed (0.35 and 0.15 g SCOD g-1 VS respectively). During co-digestion of grass silage and cow manure at a ratio of 30:70 (VS) in CSTR, re-circulation of alkali treated solid fraction of digestate did not improve the anaerobic biodegradation rates or methane yields. Results from batch experiments showed that methane potential of grass silage varied from 0.28-0.39 m3 CH{sub 4} kg-1 VS{sub added} in all the experiments. On the other hand, methane potentials of the studied crop residues were 0.32 m3 CH{sub 4} kg-1 VS{sub added} for tomato and 0.26 m3 CH{sub 4} kg-1 VS{sub added} for cucumber and common reed. Alkali pretreatment of solids, obtained from digestate (during co-digestion of grass silage and cow manure in one-stage CSTRs), at a low concentration of 20 g NaOH kg-1 VS resulted in higher methane yield (0.34 m3 CH{sub 4} kg-1 VS{sub added}) than the other tested dosages (40 and 60 g NaOH kg-1 VS). Addition of macro nutrient (NH{sub 4}Cl) enhanced methane potential of

  5. Accelerated staining technique using kitchen microwave oven

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Archana Mukunda

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Histopathological diagnosis of specimens is greatly dependent on good sample preparation and staining. Both of these processes is governed by diffusion of fluids and dyes in and out of the tissue, which is the key to staining. Diffusion of fluids can be accelerated by the application of heat that reduces the time of staining from hours to the minute. We modified an inexpensive model of kitchen microwave oven for staining. This study is an attempt to compare the reliability of this modified technique against the tested technique of routine staining so as to establish the kitchen microwave oven as a valuable diagnostic tool. Materials and Methods: Sixty different tissue blocks were used to prepare 20 pairs of slides for 4 different stains namely hematoxylin and eosin, Van Gieson′s, 0.1% toluidine blue and periodic acid-Schiff. From each tissue block, two bits of tissues were mounted on two different slides. One slide was stained routinely, and the other stained inside a microwave. A pathologist evaluated the stained slides and the results so obtained were analyzed statistically. Results: Microwave staining considerably cut down the staining time from hours to seconds. Microwave staining showed no loss of cellular and nuclear details, uniform-staining characteristics and was of excellent quality. Interpretation and Conclusion: The cellular details, nuclear details and staining characteristics of microwave stained tissues were better than or equal to the routine stained tissue. The overall quality of microwave-stained sections was found to be better than the routine stained tissue in majority of cases.

  6. A Review of Microwave Thermography Nondestructive Testing and Evaluation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hong Zhang

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Microwave thermography (MWT has many advantages including strong penetrability, selective heating, volumetric heating, significant energy savings, uniform heating, and good thermal efficiency. MWT has received growing interest due to its potential to overcome some of the limitations of microwave nondestructive testing (NDT and thermal NDT. Moreover, during the last few decades MWT has attracted growing interest in materials assessment. In this paper, a comprehensive review of MWT techniques for materials evaluation is conducted based on a detailed literature survey. First, the basic principles of MWT are described. Different types of MWT, including microwave pulsed thermography, microwave step thermography, microwave pulsed phase thermography, and microwave lock-in thermography are defined and introduced. Then, MWT case studies are discussed. Next, comparisons with other thermography and NDT methods are conducted. Finally, the trends in MWT research are outlined, including new theoretical studies, simulations and modelling, signal processing algorithms, internal properties characterization, automatic separation and inspection systems. This work provides a summary of MWT, which can be utilized for material failures prevention and quality control.

  7. A Review of Microwave Thermography Nondestructive Testing and Evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Hong; Yang, Ruizhen; He, Yunze; Foudazi, Ali; Cheng, Liang; Tian, Guiyun

    2017-05-15

    Microwave thermography (MWT) has many advantages including strong penetrability, selective heating, volumetric heating, significant energy savings, uniform heating, and good thermal efficiency. MWT has received growing interest due to its potential to overcome some of the limitations of microwave nondestructive testing (NDT) and thermal NDT. Moreover, during the last few decades MWT has attracted growing interest in materials assessment. In this paper, a comprehensive review of MWT techniques for materials evaluation is conducted based on a detailed literature survey. First, the basic principles of MWT are described. Different types of MWT, including microwave pulsed thermography, microwave step thermography, microwave pulsed phase thermography, and microwave lock-in thermography are defined and introduced. Then, MWT case studies are discussed. Next, comparisons with other thermography and NDT methods are conducted. Finally, the trends in MWT research are outlined, including new theoretical studies, simulations and modelling, signal processing algorithms, internal properties characterization, automatic separation and inspection systems. This work provides a summary of MWT, which can be utilized for material failures prevention and quality control.

  8. The application of microwave photonic detection in quantum communication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diao, Wenting; Zhuang, Yongyong; Song, Xuerui; Wang, Liujun; Duan, Chongdi

    2018-03-01

    Quantum communication has attracted much attention in recent years, provides an ultimate level of security, and uniquely it is one of the most likely practical quantum technologies at present. In order to realize global coverage of quantum communication networks, not only need the help of satellite to realize wide area quantum communication, need implementation of optical fiber system to realize city to city quantum communication, but also, it is necessary to implement end-to-end quantum communications intercity and wireless quantum communications that can be received by handheld devices. Because of the limitation of application of light in buildings, it needs quantum communication with microwave band to achieve quantum reception of wireless handheld devices. The single microwave photon energy is very low, it is difficult to directly detect, which become a difficulty in microwave quantum detection. This paper summarizes the mode of single microwave photon detection methods and the possibility of application in microwave quantum communication, and promotes the development of quantum communication in microwave band and quantum radar.

  9. Effects of macro-nutrient, micro-nutrient composition and cooking conditions on in vitro digestibility of meat and aquatic dietary proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Jiaqiang; Taylor, Cheryl; Nebl, Thomas; Ng, Ken; Bennett, Louise E

    2018-07-15

    Animal and aquatic meats represent important sources of dietary protein and micro-nutrients. Although red and processed meats carry some risks for human health, sensory and nutritional advantages drive meat consumption. Therefore, it is important to understand how meat processing and cooking influence healthiness. The research aim was to investigate relationships of meat composition (proximates, amino acids and minerals) and cooking conditions (raw, 90 s microwave, 200 °C oven for 10 or 30 min) on protein digestibility, for a selection of four animal (beef, chicken, pork, kangaroo) and four aquatic meats (salmon, trout, prawn, oyster). Lean meats were minced before cooking followed by in vitro gastro-intestinal digestion and analysed for progress of hydrolysis, and size ranges of peptides using MALDI-TOF-MS. Correlation matrix analysis between compositional and functional parameters indicated that digestibility was significantly linked with protein and metal concentrations, likely reflecting moisture-dependent solubility and inter-mixing of sarcoplasmic metallo-proteins and insoluble myofibrillar proteins. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Microwave heating denitration device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sato, Hajime; Morisue, Tetsuo.

    1984-01-01

    Purpose: To suppress energy consumption due to a reflection of microwaves. Constitution: Microwaves are irradiated to the nitrate solution containing nuclear fuel materials, to cause denitrating reaction under heating and obtain oxides of the nuclear fuel materials. A microwave heating and evaporation can for reserving the nitrate solution is disposed slantwise relative to the horizontal plane and a microwave heating device is connected to the evaporation can, and inert gases for agitation are supplied to the solution within the can. Since the evaporation can is slanted, wasteful energy consumption due to the reflection of the microwaves can be suppressed. (Moriyama, K.)

  11. Plasma relativistic microwave electronics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuzelev, M.V.; Loza, O.T.; Rukhadze, A.A.; Strelkov, P.S.; Shkvarunets, A.G.

    2001-01-01

    One formulated the principles of plasma relativistic microwave electronics based on the induced Cherenkov radiation of electromagnetic waves at interaction of a relativistic electron beam with plasma. One developed the theory of plasma relativistic generators and accelerators of microwave radiation, designed and studied the prototypes of such devices. One studied theoretically the mechanisms of radiation, calculated the efficiencies and the frequency spectra of plasma relativistic microwave generators and accelerators. The theory findings are proved by the experiment: intensity of the designed sources of microwave radiation is equal to 500 μW, the frequency of microwave radiation is increased by 7 times (from 4 up to 28 GHz), the width of radiation frequency band may vary from several up to 100%. The designed sources of microwave radiation are no else compared in the electronics [ru

  12. Gas analysis by computer-controlled microwave rotational spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hrubesh, L.W.

    1978-01-01

    Microwave rotational spectrometry has inherently high resolution and is thus nearly ideal for qualitative gas mixture analysis. Quantitative gas analysis is also possible by a simplified method which utilizes the ease with which molecular rotational transitions can be saturated at low microwave power densities. This article describes a computer-controlled microwave spectrometer which is used to demonstrate for the first time a totally automated analysis of a complex gas mixture. Examples are shown for a complete qualitative and quantitative analysis, in which a search of over 100 different compounds is made in less than 7 min, with sensitivity for most compounds in the 10 to 100 ppm range. This technique is expected to find increased use in view of the reduced complexity and increased reliabiity of microwave spectrometers and because of new energy-related applications for analysis of mixtures of small molecules

  13. Beneficial effects of microwave-assisted heating versus conventional heating in noble metal nanoparticle synthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dahal, Naween; García, Stephany; Zhou, Jiping; Humphrey, Simon M

    2012-11-27

    An extensive comparative study of the effects of microwave versus conventional heating on the nucleation and growth of near-monodisperse Rh, Pd, and Pt nanoparticles has revealed distinct and preferential effects of the microwave heating method. A one-pot synthetic method has been investigated, which combines nucleation and growth in a single reaction via precise control over the precursor addition rate. Using this method, microwave-assisted heating enables the convenient preparation of polymer-capped nanoparticles with improved monodispersity, morphological control, and higher crystallinity, compared with samples heated conventionally under otherwise identical conditions. Extensive studies of Rh nanoparticle formation reveal fundamental differences during the nucleation phase that is directly dependent on the heating method; microwave irradiation was found to provide more uniform seeds for the subsequent growth of larger nanostructures of desired size and surface structure. Nanoparticle growth kinetics are also markedly different under microwave heating. While conventional heating generally yields particles with mixed morphologies, microwave synthesis consistently provides a majority of tetrahedral particles at intermediate sizes (5-7 nm) or larger cubes (8+ nm) upon further growth. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy indicates that Rh seeds and larger nanoparticles obtained from microwave-assisted synthesis are more highly crystalline and faceted versus their conventionally prepared counterparts. Microwave-prepared Rh nanoparticles also show approximately twice the catalytic activity of similar-sized conventionally prepared particles, as demonstrated in the vapor-phase hydrogenation of cyclohexene. Ligand exchange reactions to replace polymer capping agents with molecular stabilizing agents are also easily facilitated under microwave heating, due to the excitation of polar organic moieties; the ligand exchange proceeds with excellent retention of

  14. Instrumentation and Control in Anaerobic Digestion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Anaerobic digestion is a multistep process, and is most applied to solids destruction and wastewater treatment for energy production. Despite wide application, and long-term industrial proof of application, some industries are still reluctant to apply this technology. One of the classical reasons...... benchmark. There has therefore been, overall, a quantum advance in application and sophistication of instrumentation and control in anaerobic digestion, and it is an effective option for improved process loading rate and conversion efficiency....... are still a limitation, but this is being partly addressed by the increased complexity of digestion processes. Methods for control benchmarking have also been improved, as there is now an industry standard model (the IWA ADM1), and this is being applied in an improved whole wastewater treatment plant...

  15. Food allergen digestibility: The influence on allergenicity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bøgh, Katrine Lindholm; Madsen, Charlotte Bernhard

    potential exist. Resistance to digestion is therefore a test parameter included in the safety assessment of the allergenic potential of novel proteins in genetically modified foods. In recent years, the association between resistance to digestion and allergenic potential has been challenged. When reviewing......Food allergy is a major health problem in the Western countries, affecting 3-8% of the population. What makes a dietary protein a food allergen has not yet been established, though several characteristics have been proposed to be shared by the food allergens. One of the features believed...... existing data from digestibility studies on known food allergens, it becomes evident that food allergens do not necessarily resist digestion. However, the choice of assay conditions, the method used for detection of residual intact protein as well as fragments hereof greatly influences the outcome. Studies...

  16. HERMA-Heartbeat Microwave Authentication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lux, James Paul (Inventor); Chow, Edward (Inventor); McKee, Michael Ray (Inventor); Haque, Salman-ul Mohammed (Inventor); Tkacenko, Andre (Inventor)

    2018-01-01

    Systems and methods for identifying and/or authenticating individuals utilizing microwave sensing modules are disclosed. A HEaRtbeat Microwave Authentication (HERMA) system can enable the active identification and/or authentication of a user by analyzing reflected RF signals that contain a person's unique characteristics related to their heartbeats. An illumination signal is transmitted towards a person where a reflected signal captures the motion of the skin and tissue (i.e. displacement) due to the person's heartbeats. The HERMA system can utilize existing transmitters in a mobile device (e.g. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Cellphone signals) as the illumination source with at least one external receive antenna. The received reflected signals can be pre-processed and analyzed to identify and/or authenticate a user.

  17. Enhanced microwave absorption properties of MnO{sub 2} hollow microspheres consisted of MnO{sub 2} nanoribbons synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Yan; Han, Bingqian; Chen, Nan; Deng, Dongyang; Guan, Hongtao [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yunnan University, 650091, Kunming (China); Wang, Yude, E-mail: ydwang@ynu.edu.cn [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yunnan University, 650091, Kunming (China); Yunnan Province Key Lab of Micro-Nano Materials and Technology, Yunnan University, 650091, Kunming (China)

    2016-08-15

    MnO{sub 2} hollow microspheres consisted of nanoribbons were successfully fabricated via a facile hydrothermal method with SiO{sub 2} sphere templates. The crystal structure, morphology and microwave absorption properties in X and Ku band of the as-synthesized samples were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and a vector network analyzer. The results show that the three-dimensional (3D) hollow microspheres are assembled by ultra thin and narrow one-dimensional (1D) nanoribbons. A rational process for the formation of hollow microspheres is proposed. The 3D MnO{sub 2} hollow microspheres possess improved dielectric and magnetic properties than the 1D nanoribbons prepared by the same procedures with the absence of SiO{sub 2} hard templates, which are closely related to their special nanostructures. The MnO{sub 2} microspheres also show much better microwave absorption properties in X (8–12 GHz) and Ku (12–18 GHz) microwave band compared with 1D MnO{sub 2} nanoribbons. The minimum reflection loss of −40 dB for hollow microsphere can be observed at 14.2 GHz and reflection loss below −10 dB is 3.5 GHz with a thickness of only 4 mm. The possible mechanism for the enhanced microwave absorption properties is also discussed. - Graphical abstract: MnO{sub 2} hollow microspheres composed of nanoribbons show the excellent microwave absorption properties in X and Ku band. - Highlights: • MnO{sub 2} hollow microspheres consisted of MnO{sub 2} nanoribbons were successfully prepared. • MnO{sub 2} hollow microspheres possess good microwave absorption performances. • The excellent microwave absorption properties are in X and Ku microwave band. • Electromagnetic impedance matching is great contribution to absorption properties.

  18. Synthesis of N-graphene using microwave plasma-based methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dias, Ana; Tatarova, Elena; Henriques, Julio; Dias, Francisco; Felizardo, Edgar; Abrashev, Miroslav; Bundaleski, Nenad; Cvelbar, Uros

    2016-09-01

    In this work a microwave atmospheric plasma driven by surface waves is used to produce free-standing graphene sheets (FSG). Carbonaceous precursors are injected into a microwave plasma environment, where decomposition processes take place. The transport of plasma generated gas-phase carbon atoms and molecules into colder zones of plasma reactor results in carbon nuclei formation. The main part of the solid carbon is gradually carried from the ``hot'' plasma zone into the outlet plasma stream where carbon nanostructures assemble and grow. Subsequently, the graphene sheets have been N-doped using a N2-Ar large-scale remote plasma treatment, which consists on placing the FSG on a substrate in a remote zone of the N2-Ar plasma. The samples were treated with different compositions of N2-Ar gas mixtures, while maintaining 1 mbar pressure in the chamber and a power applied of 600 W. The N-doped graphene sheets were characterized by scanning and by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Plasma characterization was also performed by optical emission spectroscopy. Work partially funded by Portuguese FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia, under grant SFRH/BD/52413/2013 (PD-F APPLAuSE).

  19. Functionalization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes by microwave irradiation for lysozyme attachment: comparison of covalent and adsorption methods by kinetics of thermal inactivation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puentes-Camacho, Daniel; Velázquez, Enrique F.; Rodríguez-Félix, Dora E.; Castillo-Ortega, Mónica; Sotelo-Mundo, Rogerio R.; del Castillo-Castro, Teresa

    2017-12-01

    Proteins suffer changes in their tertiary structure when they are immobilized, and enzymatic activity is affected due to the low biocompatibility of some supporting materials. In this work immobilization of lysozyme on carbon nanotubes previously functionalized by microwave irradiation was studied. The effectiveness of the microwave-assisted acid treatment of carbon nanotubes was evaluated by XPS, TEM, Raman and FTIR spectroscopy. The carboxylic modification of nanotube surfaces by this fast, simple and feasible method allowed the physical adsorption and covalent linking of active lysozyme onto the carbonaceous material. Thermal inactivation kinetics, thermodynamic parameters and storage stability were studied for adsorbed and covalent enzyme complexes. A major stability was found for lysozyme immobilized by the covalent method, the activation energy for inactivation of the enzyme was higher for the covalent method and it was stable after 50 d of storage at 4 °C. The current study highlights the effect of protein immobilization method on the biotechnological potential of nanostructured biocatalysts.

  20. Effect of drying methods with the application of vacuum microwaves on the bioactive compounds, color, and antioxidant activity of strawberry fruits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wojdyło, Aneta; Figiel, Adam; Oszmiański, Jan

    2009-02-25

    The objective of this study was to evaluate the application of vacuum-microwave drying (240, 360, and 480 W) in the production process of dehydrated strawberry and to compare and contrast the quality of these dehydrated strawberries in terms of their polyphenol compounds, concentration of some heat liable components, and color to that of freeze-dried, convective, and vacuum-dried strawberry. Thus, the effect of vacuum-microwave drying and other drying methods on the antioxidant activity of berries was evaluated. Whole fresh and dried fruits were assessed for phenolics (anthocyanins, flavanols, hydroxycinnamic acids, and flavonols), ascorbic acid, and antioxidant activity (all parameters were calculated on a dry matter basis). Analysis of data shows that ellagic acid and flavanol changes were affected by drying techniques and cultivar. Drying destroyed anthocyanins, flavanols, and ascorbic acid, and there was a significant decrease in antioxidant activity. The most striking result was that conventional and vacuum drying decreased antioxidant activity in both cultivars, whereas contradictory results were found for vacuum-microwave processed strawberry. This study has demonstrated that vacuum-microwave drying, especially at 240 W, can produce high-quality products, with the additional advantage of reduced processing times, compared to other processes such as freeze-drying.