Novel Fouling Measurement Device

The novel device for measuring characteristics of the process that takes place when hydrocarbon liquids are subjected to elevated temperatures is described. The measuring cell has the form of a loop in which circulation is induced by a turbine stirrer. The stirrer contains magnets built into its blades, enabling mixing by a magnetic mixer positioned below the cell. No moving part protrudes from the cell. The fouling process takes place at the hot-wire probe positioned at the centre of the liquid stream. Thermo-graphic images of the cell with circulating liquid are used to establish the type of the flow within the cell. The tests were performed with various types of liquids and versatility of the device demonstrated

The Mixture of Nanoparticles of RuO<inf>2</inf> and Pt Supported on Ti as an Efficient Catalyst for Direct Formic Acid Fuel Cell

© 2019, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd. Abstract: An active coating, composed of a mixture of nanocrystals of RuO2 with the rutile structure and nanocrystals of metal Pt, was thermally synthetized on a titanium substrate. Cyclic voltammograms and polarization curves showed that the catalytic activity of the coating for the formic acid oxidation in an acidic solution increased with an increase in the RuO2 content, reaching the maximum value at 50 mol % RuO2. Additionally, further increase in the RuO2 content resulted in a decline of the catalytic activity. The catalytic effect was attributed to a bifunctional mechanism and an electronic effect. The bifunctional mechanism had a dominant role and was based on the fact that Ru–OH species were formed on Ru atoms of RuO2 at more negative potentials than on Pt. Those species oxidized the adsorbed COad and HCOOad—species on adjacent Pt atoms of clusters of metal Pt and thus discharge them to oxidize new HCOOH molecules

A comparison of waste education in schools and colleges across five European cities

The European Union produces over 200 million tonnes of municipal waste each year with 47% being recycled or composted. With the EU reuse and recycling targets set at 55% by 2025 and the introduction of the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan there has never been more importance placed on waste and recycling education. A three-year transnational project ‘An Erasmus+ Waste Education Initiative’ set out to investigate the level of waste and recycling education (WE) that is currently being delivered in five European cities with a view to develop a range of materials to be used in the classroom extracting the best practice from each. This paper highlights the responses from a questionnaire sent to schools and colleges to determine the baseline of WE currently being delivered in Bucharest, Hamburg, Manchester, Tallinn and Zagreb. Factors such as the local waste and recycling infrastructure and population density were also considered to determine the extent of their influence on the type and availability of WE in the classroom. The findings indicate a wide variation in the amount of WE currently being delivered in the five cities. Increased recycling rates and level of infrastructure have an inverse effect on the level of teacher engagement and involvement in waste management projects does not have an impact on the amount of WE that is present in the curriculum or number of registered Eco-Schools. Time constraints due to other curriculum topics, awareness and lack of resources were the main reasons for not including WE in the classroom