Search Documents

By Wilson Acchar

The accelerated growth of urbanization processes and current environmental concerns brought to light the existing enormous quantity of construction and demolition waste (C&DW). Considering the frequent lack of adequate landfill areas available for the disposal of these materials, their use in the manufacture of ceramic products has been attracting a growing interest from researchers and is becoming common practice, with the consequent relief in public administration concerns for the C&DW appropriate management. This work describes the study of clay-based products added with C&DW collected directly from the construction industry. Samples containing up to 50 wt.% C&DW were uniaxially pressed and sintered in air in an electric furnace (950-1150 °C, 1 hour). Sintered test pieces were characterized by X-ray diffraction, apparent density, open porosity and flexural strength. The results showed that up to 50 wt.% C&DW can be added to the clay material, with no degradation in the final product properties.

Jan 1, 2009

By Z. Sun

Magnetic fields have been used for inclusions removal from melt and preparation of materials with gradient compositions. Fundamental in these applications is that the induced magnetic forces on the particles/melt can enhance migration and change the interaction behavior. In the present paper, migration and interaction behavior of electrical-insulating particles in a conductive melt under strong magnetic field are theoretically analyzed. It is found that the migration can be considerably enhanced for micrometer sized particles by applying a strong magnetic field. In addition, two forces are involved in the interaction between two particles: the interparticle magnetic dipole-dipole attractive force due to magnetization and the repulsive force induced by flow of the melt. This theoretical analysis renders a better understanding of recent experimental results. Additionally, a new method by using strong magnetic field can be proposed to control the particle size distribution for the preparation of metal-matrix composites.

Jan 1, 2009

By Nils Eivind Kamfjord, Mari K. Næss, Halvard Tveit, Edin H. Myrhaug

"As a part of the FUME research programme being done by the Norwegian Ferroalloy Research Association (FFF), the SINTEF Group and NTNU, several measurements towards quantifying the gaseous and solid emissions from the draining of the silicon furnaces for metal have been carried out.Based on the measured size distribution of the formed fume particles and known particle growth theory, an estimate of the growth time for the given particles has been calculated. The formation time for the measured NO amount has also been calculated based on the fume measurements and a thermodynamic model of the furnace gases combusting with air. The two “formation” times are in the same order of magnitude and they are therefore used as parameters in a CFD model, modelling that the formed fume particles are heating up the surrounding air and thereby forming NO according to the Zeldovich mechanism. The measurements show an approximately equal constant NO formation per fume particle. The CFD model shows results in the same order of magnitude, supporting that the particle growth and NO formation happen under near stoichiometric conditions and are controlled by the formation of SiO2 fume.IntroductionNOx is the common notion for the two gases nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) formed during combustion of fuels. The main sources for human made NOx emissions is on-/offshore transportation industry, power generations based on fossil fuels, agriculture and other industries [1]."

Jan 1, 2012

By A. Cullaj

Several industrial sites suffer from the contamination of soils from heavy metals, which are emitted among others by anthropogenic mining and metallurgical activities. Effective and economic physicochemical technologies for remediation of these sites remain complicated and costly. A new alternative remediation technique is the so-called phytoremediation. This is based on the ability of some plants to accumulate very high concentrations of metals from soils and thus providing the basis for a remediation of the contaminated sites. This technique as an emerging branch of natural biotechnology, has several advantages compared to the sophisticated physicochemical techniques of soil remediation. It is not only environmentally friendly but also its costs are quite low since it is solar driven. Furthermore plants can accumulate metals to such levels that the mineral recovery maybe feasible even in conventional Ni refinery or smelting operations. In this work, thc potential of many plants to accumulate nickel has been investigated in order to identify the species which offer the best phytoremedial potential for nickel contaminated soils in Albania. Field surveys have been made in five nickel-containing sites in order to identify the nickel tolerant species that have spontaneously grown in contaminated soils. Atomic Absorption Spectrometry measurements were carried out on 145 different plants collected. 16 of them were identified as having an hyper ability to accumulate nickel since they contained more than 10 000 mg Ni per kg (DW). Seven taxa are of Alyssum genus and one of Bornmuellera genus of Cruciferae. The highest accumulation of nickel was present in aerial parts of Alyssum murale var. chlorocarpum Hausskn (25 500 mglkg or 2.5%) and Alyssum markgrafli O.E. Schulz (23 700 mg/kg or 2.37%). The seeds germinated are more evidenced at A.m.var. chlorocarpum, about 63%. These plants are suggested as the most promising species to be used for phytoremediation purposes in nickel contaminated soils and phytoextraction of nickel.

Jan 1, 2003

By A. Cullaj

Several industrial sites suffer from the contamination of soils from heavy metals, which are emitted among others by anthropogenic mining and metallurgical activities. Effective and economic physicochemical technologies for remediation of these sites remain complicated and costly. A new alternative remediation technique is the so-called phytoremediation. This is based on the ability of some plants to accumulate very high concentrations of metals from soils and thus providing the basis for a remediation of the contaminated sites. This technique as an emerging branch of natural biotechnology, has several advantages compared to the sophisticated physicochemical techniques of soil remediation. It is not only environmentally friendly but also its costs are quite low since it is solar driven. Furthermore plants can accumulate metals to such levels that the mineral recovery maybe feasible even in conventional Ni refinery or smelting operations. n this work, the potential of many plants to accumulate nickel has been investigated in order to identify the species which offer the best phytoremedial potential for nickel contaminated soils in Albania. Field surveys have been made in five nickel-containing sites in order to identify the nickel tolerant species that have spontaneously grown in contaminated soils. Atomic Absorption Spectrometry measurements were carried out on 145 different plants collected. 16 of them were identified as having an hyper ability to accumulate nickel since they contained more than 10 000 mg Ni per kg (OW). Seven taxa are of Alyssum genus and one of BornmueIIera genus of Cruciferae. The highest accumulation of nickel was present in aerial parts of Alyssum murale var. chlorocarpum Hausskn (25 500 mg/kg or 2.5%) and Alyssum markgrafii O.E. Schulz (23 700 mg/kg or 2.37%). The seeds germinated are more evidenced at A.m.var. chlorocarpum, about 63%. These plants are suggested as the most promising species to be used for phytoremediation purposes in nickel contaminated soils and phytoextraction of nickel.

Jan 1, 2003

By Wenjun Duan, Qingbo Yu, Qin Qin, Junxiang Liu

In the study, the coke-oven gas (COG)-steam reforming process using hot blast furnace slag (BFS) as the heat carrier is explored for producing hydrogen and recovering high-grade waste heat of hot BFS. The method of the Gibbs energy minimization approach through Lagrange multiplier is adopted in the thermodynamic analysis of reforming process. The simulation is carried out to study the operation pressure, temperature and steam to carbon ratio (S/C) based on the chemical equilibrium calculations. The optimal operation conditions are determined to improve the yield and fraction of hydrogen in the COG-steam reforming process. The results suggest that the preferential operation conditions for COG-steam reforming process to produce hydrogen are achieved at 600ºC, 1.5MPa and S/C (5.0). Due to the CaO and other melts in BFS, CH4, CO and CO2 in COG are converted and removed efficiently, especially CO2. The hydrogen fraction reaches to 86.7% and its production is about 1.22mol with 1mol of the COG.

Jan 1, 2016

By Andrea R. Kim, Ramana G. Reddy

Electrodeposition of cobalt from cobalt chloride using the urea and the choline chloride ionic liquid (2:1 molar ratio) was studied to search the optimized parameters for the higher current efficiency. The cyclic voltammetry was tested with 0.2 MCoCl2 using various scan rates to determine the reduction potential in Urea/ChCl at 323 K. Based on the data from cyclic voltammetry test, the transfer coefficient and the diffusion coefficient were calculated as 0.22 and 3.38 × 10−6 cm2/s, respectively. The parameters for electrodeposition of cobalt were various temperatures (323 –383 K), applied potentials (2.4 –3.3 V), and concentration of CoCl2 (0.2–0.5 mol/L). Current efficiency and energy consumption were calculated to investigate the optimal condition for the electrodeposition of cobalt. The highest current efficiency (95%) was obtained under the temperature 323 K, the applied voltage 2.7 V, and concentration 0.5 mol/L of CoCl2. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used for the characterization of cobalt deposits.

Mar 1, 2017

By Ragnhild E. Aune, Mark William Kennedy, Shahid Akhtar, Jon Arne Bakken

"In the present study classical induction design tools are applied to the problem of heating nonmagnetic metal billets, using 50 Hz AC. As an example of great practical industrial interest, the induction heating of aluminum billets is addressed specifically. The predicted work piece power is compared with the measured work piece power for a long and a short coil, using well established methods, such as those of Burch and Davis, introduced in 1926/28, Dwight and Bagai in 1935, Baker in 1944/57, Vaughan and Williamson in 1945, and by Tudbury in 1960. A calculation methodology based on a combination of the available tools is also introduced and discussed. The method has proven to give an error of <10% of the actual work piece power. An equation for Tudbury's work piece shortness correction factor is disclosed for the first time.IntroductionInduction heating of metal billets is a practical problem, with a geometry suitable for solution using analytical methods. This paper will examine solutions related specifically to round work pieces in round coils, although the methods presented can be extended to other regular shapes of work pieces and coils[l]. The methods can also be extended to ferromagnetic materials with slight changes[2-3]. It is assumed that the coil and work piece have a consistent diameter over their entire length and that the work piece is at least as long as the coil. Correction factors can be derived for the cases where the work piece is shorter than the coil.The study of induction heating by coils began in the late 19th century with theoreticians like Heaviside[ 4]. The work of Burch and Davis[ 5-7] in the 1920' s greatly improved the theoretical understanding of induction applied to metallurgy. Many investigators in the 1930's-1950's: Dwight and Bagai[8], Baker[l-2, 9], Vaughan and Williamson[3, 10] and others[l 1-12] added to our understanding with clearer mathematics, solutions for specific applications, semi-empirical modifications and practical design tools. Much of the accumulated knowledge is available in books, such as Tudbury's practical text or Simpson's engineering guide from 1960[13-14]. Perhaps the best description and derivation of the theoretical and semi-empirical solutions can be found in Davies[15]."

Jan 1, 2011

By Geoffrey Brooks, Mehedi Bin Mohammad, M. Akbar Rhamdhani

Molten alkali nitrates are used commercially as thermal storage fluids (HTF) for solar thermal electricity generation. Their range of operation is limited by the thermal stability and this limits the energy (steam-Rankine cycle) efficiency of these processes. In this study, the effect of atmosphere on the thermal stability of nitrates was investigated using simultaneous thermal analysis techniques (STA). The use of oxygen (O2) as a blanket gas was found to delay the decomposition point of the ternary NaNO3–KNO3–LiNO3 (13.23–57.14–29.63 weight ratio) mixture by 55 °C. By which operating range will increase 65 °C more compared to the binary solar salt. Higher heating rates increased the decomposition point but had less effect on premelting and melting properties. Nitrogen monoxide, and O2 evolution after melting indicates concurrent reversible reactions. Similar phenomena were observed for single and binary nitrates. The eutectic melting point of ternary nitrate obtained from the STA agreed well with FactSage eutectic composition prediction.

Mar 1, 2017

By Won C. Park

Experiments showed changes in the mineral content of dolomitic oil shale at temperatures and exposure times which bracket conditions encountered during in situ retorting. Laboratory results correlate with cores from a spent in situ retort at Occidental&apos;s Logan Wash test site at Garfield County, Colorado. Dolomite, CaMg(CO3)2, decomposes rapidly to form periclase, MgO, calcite, CaCO3, and CO . Both calcite and periclase are intermediate products that can be stabilized by CO atmosphere at lower temperatures, while steam accelerates the formation 2 of silicates. The decarbonation of calcite appears to involve a direct reaction with both quartz and periclase in forming these silicates. Decarbonation preceeds the formation of akermanite, Ca2 MgSi 207, and diopside, CaMgSi 206, within several hours of heating and is followed by the nucleation of forsterite Mg2SiO4, and monticellite, CaMgSiO4. Under in situ retorting conditions, akermanite and diposide are the major minerals above 800°C. Equilibrium is not attained within 200-300 hours. In situ retorting temperatures above 800°C for extended periods of time should reduce potential ground water leaching by the formation of silicate minerals. These silicates are less soluble than free lime, magnesium or alkali oxides. There is a corresponding decrease in the natural pH of these silicates from approximately 12 down to 7.5 to 9:

Jan 1, 1981

By Brian Balmforth

Solvent extraction has been applied successfully to the recovery of a range of metals from a variety of process streams. Particular benefits are derived from the use of new highly selective extractants. These will be exemplified by case studies including the recovery of zinc from sulfate and chloride media using ZENECA&apos;s new extractants which show a very high selectivity over iron and the recovery of antimony and bismuth from copper refinery electrolytes using ZENECA&apos;s strong and selective extractant DS5834. The conclusions are drawn that solvent extraction is a cost effective technology for metal recovery and recycling, even when used to treat relatively small volume/low concentration process streams, and that it can provide the essential enabling components of a larger system for waste minimisation programmes.

Jan 1, 1996

By C. Abruzzese

This work concerns a process for the inertization of asbestos-containing wastes and the subsequent recycling of the inerts for the production of ceramic refractories. One of producted refractories is cordierite, that is widely used in the electronics industry and also in mechanical engineering for the manufacture of catalytic converters for automobiles. The process thus achieves the twofold objective of eliminating toxic and harmful refuse containing asbestos, while making available high-tech materials at a reasonable cost.

Jan 1, 1998

By Meghan McGrath

Third generation advance high strength steels with microstructures of acicular ferrite and retained austenite were investigated and meet mechanical property goals. A good combination of strength and ductility were achieved with duplex ferrite and austenite microstructures where cementite formation was suppressed. Transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) behavior produced rapid work hardening. The mechanical properties of two hot-rolled steels with duplex microstructures were compared and had the following compositions: (1) Fe-0.14C-13.87Mn-1.42Si-3.51Al; and (2) Fe-0.06C-14.2Mn-1.85Si-2.38Al. These steels were cast, homogenized, and hot rolled at 900ºC to obtain a refined microstructure with ultimate tensile strengths and elongations to failure of 865 MPa and 39% and 1,217 MPa and 28%, respectively. The amount of metastable austenite in both compositions decreased after tensile testing from 58% and 28% to 6% and 0%, respectively. Microstructures were characterized using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and x-ray diffraction.

Jan 1, 2010

By Abdulkader M. Abed, Shadia J. Ikhmayies, Bothina M. Hamad, Belal S. Amireh, Yulia Valery Meteleva

This work is a first step on the way to characterize raw sandstone in Jordan, and to extract silica and silicon for the use in solar cells and other industries. Seven samples of raw sandstone were brought from Disi in Jordan. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The XRD diffractograms showed that silica is the main constituent of the samples, and two samples contain Kaolinite Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4. EDS reports showed that all samples contain aluminum and carbon, but some of them contain calcium. XRF measurements revealed that some samples contain more than 97% silica, while one sample contains more than 90% silica, and the main impurity is Al2O3. FTIR revealed the known bands of silica, and this sandstone is free of organic compounds impurities.

Mar 1, 2017

By J. Phillip Mackey

The Peter Hayes Symposium on Pyrometallurgy, held as part of Extraction 2018, is an acknowledgement of his contributions to the basic science and principles underpinning modern pyrometallurgical processing. After completing his PhD at Strathclyde University, Scotland, in 1974, Peter took up a teaching position at The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia in 1976. Peter Hayes’ research at the University since then has been focussed on: • The mechanisms and kinetics of heterogeneous solid/solid, gas/solid and liquid/ solid reactions, and • Experimental measurement of phase equilibria in complex high temperature metallurgical systems. This paper provides a brief biography of Dr. Peter Hayes and gives a full listing of Peter Hayes’ publications.

By E. Charles Abbey

Manganese in electrolyte has both beneficial and detrimental effects in Zn electrowinning. Mn oxidizes to form MnO2 on Pb–Ag anodes, cell walls and pipes. MnO2 reduces anode corrosion but also leads to short circuiting and maintenance issues. MnO2 is thought to interact with chloride ions and produce oxidized chlorine species. The interactions between Mn and Cl are not well understood. Therefore, two sets of 45+ day bench scale experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of the manganese to chloride ratio on anode corrosion rate and electrolyte chemistry using rolled Pb–Ag anodes. Daily manganese and chloride losses from the electrolyte appeared to be correlated. Increasing the average Mn/Cl− ratio from ∼7:1 to ∼11:1 reduced the anode corrosion rate. Increasing the ratio above 11 did not reduce the corrosion rate further. Anode scales produced with Mn/Cl− ratios at and above 11:1 contained some γ–MnO2 while scales formed with ratios less than 11:1 did not.

By Brian G. Thomas

Quality problems in continuous casting of steel can be identified as they occur by monitoring mold signals (level sensor, thermocouples in the mold walls, friction etc.) and taking appropriate action (such as slowing casting speed, changing taper, changing a clogged nozzle, or later visual inspection of the surface for possible downgrading. Surface depressions and groups of deep oscillation marks form at meniscus and reduce local heat transfer as they move down the mold at the casting speed. This slows shell growth, increases shell surface temperature, and causes characteristic dips in mold thermocouple signals. More importantly, they are also associated with longitudinal cracks. Characteristic thermocouple signatures have been identified for many defects, including sticker breakouts, transverse depressions and deep oscillation marks, narrow-face bleeds, transverse comer cracks, longitudinal cracks, mold level fluctuation defects, and other problems. With the help of computational models, these mold signals should be used to troubleshoot defects, and to take appropriate corrective action. Keywords: Continuous casting, defect detection, thermocouple signals, on-line control

Jan 1, 2003

By Marcello M. Veiga

Informal gold mining operations in the Amazon emit about 100 tonnes of mercury annually because of poor amalgamation practice. Lack of information and the complexity of mercury transformations hinder effective action to prevent such pollution and/or monitor its extent. In the past, mathematical equations have been formulated to deal with the correlation of natural variables and mercury in biota but often, the error range is too great to provide useful models. Projection of physico-chemical variations in an environment subjected to mercury emissions onto the extent of bioaccumulation is fraught with many uncertainties and unknowns such as internal correlations between variables and the site-specific nature of biota contamination. Often assumptions about closed systems are invalid when applied to natural environments. This work presents a heuristic approach to this problem in which amalgamation methods and natural variables are dealt with using an IF-THEN rule-based system that concludes about levels of emission and risk of bioaccumulation. The system is able to handle uncertain or vague data and yet still provide useful output. Belief in mercury oxidation or dangerous conditions are examined using Fuzzy Logic techniques and Inference Equations. These belief levels are derived from thermodynamic equilibrium data together with field observations of natural variables. This procedure can reduce the need for sophisticated analytical equipment and can provide information and diagnosis to non-technical people.

Jan 1, 1994

By Jingtao Wang, Xiaoyu Han, Jun Bao, Wei Hou

Lightweight stainless steel has widely potential applications in many fields, such as automobile, ship, submarine manufacturing and aerospace. The properties of lightweight stainless steel are significantly affected by the precipitating behaviour of second phase particles. In this paper, the precipitating behaviour was investigated by XRD, DSC in the process of heating and thermodynamic calculation combining the Miedema’s and Chou’s model. The XRD results indicate that there are five types of phases in lightweight Fe–Mn–Al–C–N stainless steel: ferrite, FeAl, AlMn, AlN and Mn4N. The DSC results show that the precipitating temperature of FeAl, Mn4N is 1260, 1031 °C, respectively, corresponding to the thermodynamic calculation. Besides, The DSC measurement reflects the precipitating temperature of AlMn and austenite is 934 and 600 °C.

Mar 1, 2018

By Robert G. Telewiak

During the past few years, the international nickel industry has taken some important steps to respond to conditions of global production overcapacity, relatively flat demand and low prices. These include the implementation of major cost reduction programs by most producers, closure of some high cost operations and the establishment of the Nickel Development Institute. Consumption in the western world increased by about 7 per cent in 1987 compared to 1986, supplies were less than demand, inventories were low, and late in the year prices increased dramatically. By year-end 1987, most producers were operating at, or close to, their effective capacities. Nickel demand is expected to increase to the year 2000 at an annual rate of about 1.7 per cent, led by increasing usage in the stainless steel sector. If this rate of growth is realized, then there will be need for the effective capacity of the nickel industry to be increased. Producers in Canada have put considerable effort in the past few years into reducing costs - with impressive results. Mining costs, in particular, have been reduced dramatically. While production is still less than the peak years of the yearly 1970&apos;s, it has increased substantially from levels of the early 1980&apos;s. Over the next few years, production is expected to increase slowly. A key determinant of the level of production in the 1990&apos;s could be the effect that regulations on sulphur dioxide emissions have on limiting production.

Jan 1, 1988