Effects of surface chemistry on kinetics of coagulation of submicron iron oxide particles (α-Fe_2O_3) in water

Particles in the colloidal size range, i.e. smaller than 10^(-6) meter, are of interest in environmental science and many other fields of science and engineering. Since aqueous oxide particles have high specific surface areas they adsorb ions and molecules from water, and may remain stable in the aqueous phase with respect to coagulation. Submicron particles collide as a result of their thermal energy, and the effective collision rate is slowed by electric repulsion forces. A key to understanding particle stability and coagulation is the role of simple chemical changes in the water altering the electrostatic repulsion forces between particles. Experiments using hematite particles (α-Fe_2O_3, 70nm in diameter) reveal important features of coagulation dynamics. Three experimental techniques are employed: (1) Light scattering measurements to yield quantitative information on the rate of the initial coagulation process; (2) electrokinetic measurements to provide information about the sign and magnitude of the electrical charge on the aqueous oxide particles; (3) acid-base titration and equilibrium adsorption to obtain the intrinsic equilibrium constants for surface species. The acid-base titration data indicate that the pH_(zpc) of the synthesized hematite colloid is 8.5. This is also supported by the electrophoretic mobility measurements. In the presence of non-specific adsorbing ions (such as Na^+ and Ca^(2+), etc.), the coagulation of a hematite colloid is achieved mainly by compression of the diffuse layer and Schulze-Hardy Rule is exhibited for non-specific electrolytes. Specifically adsorbed counter ions (such as phosphate) are able to reduce the surface charge of aqueous oxide particles, and the critical coagulation concentrations are dependent on the value of the pH, and are much less than those predicted by DLVO theory. In inorganic media, we found that the order of the effectiveness in causing hematite particles to coagulate is: phosphate>sulfate>chloride at pH<pH_(zpc) and magnesium>calcium>sodium~potassium at pH>pH_(zpc) The adsorption study reveals that phthalate ions specifically adsorb on hematite particles. The process is most likely due to carboxylic group bonding to the surface. Hematite coagulation rates in the presence of poly-aspartic acid (PAA) demonstrate that the polyelectrolyte is very effective in causing the colloid to coagulate. When the PAA concentration is increased beyond the critical coagulation concentration, the particles are stabilized; this is attributed to the reversal of surface potential as a result of the adsorption of PAA. Similar features are observed in the initial coagulation rates when naturally occurring organics (fulvic and humic acid from Suwannee River) are used. The adsorption of lauric acid on hematite was investigated and the results interpreted in terms of the energy contributed by the specific chemical, electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. The initial coagulation rates of hematite particles and the electrophoretic mobilities with respect to fatty acid concentration both show systematic variations as a function of the numbers of carbons in the acid. Hydrophobic interaction may account for these observations since the specific chemical energy appears to be the same for all the fatty acids studied, and the electrostatic contribution is also similar at the same extent of adsorption

A method for accurate electron-atom resonances: The complex-scaled multiconfigurational spin-tensor electron propagator method for the ^2P\, \mbox{Be}^{-} shape resonance problem

We propose and develop the complex scaled multiconfigurational spin-tensor electron propagator (CMCSTEP) technique for theoretical determination of resonance parameters with electron-atom/molecule systems including open-shell and highly correlated atoms and molecules. The multiconfigurational spin-tensor electron propagator method (MCSTEP) developed and implemented by Yeager his coworkers in real space gives very accurate and reliable ionization potentials and attachment energies. The CMCSTEP method uses a complex scaled multiconfigurational self-consistent field (CMCSCF) state as an initial state along with a dilated Hamiltonian where all of the electronic coordinates are scaled by a complex factor. CMCSCF was developed and applied successfully to resonance problems earlier. We apply the CMCSTEP method to get ^2 P\,\mbox{Be}^{-} shape resonance parameters using $14s11p5d$, $14s14p2d$, and $14s14p5d$ basis sets with a $2s2p3d$\,CAS. The obtained value of the resonance parameters are compared to previous results. This is the first time CMCSTEP has been developed and used for a resonance problem. It will be among the most accurate and reliable techniques. Vertical ionization potentials and attachment energies in real space are typically within $\pm 0.2\,eV$ or better of excellent experiments and full configuration interaction calculations with a good basis set. We expect the same sort of agreement in complex space.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figue

Heavy Metal Pollution in Surface Water of Linglong Gold Mining Area, China

AbstractThe concentrations and distribution patterns of lead, mercury, zinc, copper, chromium, arsenic, cadmium in surface water of Linglong deposit area were discussed. The result shows that the surface water of Linglong mining area is seriously polluted by mercury, zinc and cadmium, which of the concentration are higher than the III class of National Surface Water Quality Standard, and moderately polluted by chromium and arsenic, which of the concentration conforms to the III class national surface water quality standard, and light polluted by lead and copper, which of the concentration conforms to the II class national surface water quality standard. The concentration of heavy metals in the gold deposit areas depends upon the distance from the pollution source and scalar transport in rivulet flows, decreases along the flow direction. The concentration and distribution of heavy metal pollutants in surface water are dominated by the geochemical situation and the pollution source, but seriously affected by mining leachate and chemical wastewater discharge

Study on the Rough-set-based Clustering Algorithm for Sensor Networks

The traditional clustering algorithm is a very typical level routing algorithm in wireless sensor networks (WSN). On the basis of the classical LEACH (Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy) algorithm, this paper proposes an energy efficient clustering algorithm in WSN. Through the introduction of rough set, the new algorithm mainly introduces how to confirm an optimized strategy to choose the cluster head effectively by the simplified decision table. That is to say, by discrete normalized data preprocessing of attribute value, getting discretization decision table. Finally, the results from simulated experiments show that the clustering algorithm based on rough set theory can optimize the clustering algorithm in network data. That is to say, the rough-set-based clustering algorithm can effectively choose the cluster head, balance the energy of the nodes in the cluster and prolong the lifetime of sensor networks

Direct observation of significant hot carrier cooling suppression in a two-dimensional silicon phononic crystal

Finding hot carrier cooling suppression in new material structures is fundamentally important for developing promising technological applications. These phenomenona have not been reported for crystalline silicon phononic crystals. Herein, we experimentally design two-dimensional (2D) silicon samples consisting of airy hole arrays in a crystalline silicon matrix. For reference, the determined hot carrier cooling times were 0.45 ps and 0.37 ps, respectively, at probe wavelengths of 1080 nm and 1100 nm. Surprisingly, when the 2D structured silicon possessed the properties of a phononic crystal, significant suppression of hot carrier cooling was observed. In these cases, the observed hot carrier cooling times were as long as 15.9 ps and 10.7 ps at probe wavelengths of 1080 nm and 1100 nm, respectively, indicating prolongation by orders of magnitude. This remarkable enhancement was also observed with other probe wavelengths. The present work presents experimental evidence for hot carrier cooling suppression in 2D silicon phononic crystals and opens opportunities for promising applications

Metal Recovery from Sludge through the Combination of Hydrothermal Sulfidation and Flotation

AbstractThe heavy metal in the waste can react with sulfur and be converted to metal sulfide through the hydrothermal sulfidation. For metal recovery, the synthetic metal sulfide can be enriched through subsequent flotation process. It is a novel way for the recovery of heavy metal from the sludge. In this study, the effects of liquid/solid ratio, mineralizer concentration, precursor concentration and dosage of sulfur on the sulfidation extent and floatation index were investigated. Result shows that with a precursor concentration of 15%, a Zn/S molar ratio of 1:1.2, a liquid/solid ratio of 3:1, the sulfidation extent of zinc in the sludge was greater than 92%, while the flotation recovery of zinc reached up to 45.34%. The toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) revealed that stabilization and detoxification of heavy metals occurred during sulfidation

TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION FOR WATERBORNE MERCURY REMOVAL AT THE Y12 NATIONAL SECURITY COMPLEX

The Hg-contaminated processing water produced at Y-12 facility is discharged through the storm drain system, merged at Outfall 200, and then discharged to EFPC. Most of the baseflow mercury at Outfall 200 arises from a small number of short sections of storm drain. This report discusses the waterborne mercury treatment technologies to decrease mercury loading to the surface water of EFPC at Y-12 NSC. We reviewed current available waterborne Hg treatment technologies based on the specific conditions of Y-12 and identified two possible options: SnCl2 reduction coupled with air stripping (SnCl2/air stripping) and sorption. The ORNL 2008 and 2009 field studies suggested that SnCl2/air stripping has the capability to remove waterborne mercury with efficiency higher than 90% at Outfall 200. To achieve this goal, dechlorination (i.e., removing residual chlorine from water) using dechlorinating agents such as thiosulfate has to be performed before the reduction. It is unclear whether or not SnCl2/air stripping can reduce the mercury concentration from ~1000 ng/L to 51 ng/L at a full-scale operation. Therefore, a pilot test is a logical step before a full-scale design to answer questions such as Hg removal efficiency, selection of dechlorinating agents, and so on. The major advantages of the SnCl2/air stripping system are: (1) expected low cost at high flow (e.g., the flow at Outfall 200); and (2) production of minimum secondary waste. However, there are many environmental uncertainties associated with this technology by introducing tin to EFPC ecosystem, for example tin methylation causing abiotic Hg methylation, which should be addressed before a full-scale implementation. Mercury adsorption by granular activated carbon (GAC) is a proven technology for treating Hg at Y-12. The ONRL 2010 lab sorption studies suggest that thiol-based resins hold the promise to combine with GAC to form a more cost-effective treatment system. To achieve a treatment goal of 51 ng/L at Outfall 200 (flow rate: 1300 gpm), using a single GAC system will request very large reaction vessels and cost much more than a SnCl2/air stripping system (assuming it can achieve the 51 ng/L goal). However, the treatment cost depends on the treatment goal. If the treatment goal is 200 ng/L, the cost of GAC system will be significantly reduced while the cost of SnCl2/air stripping will remain the same. In addition, a GAC coupled with thiol-based resin system may further reduce the cost. Treating the Hg-contaminated water at source area with low flow rate (e.g., 40 gpm) may be another option to reduce the treatment cost. The advantages of the sorption technology are that it has proven treatment efficiency, reliability, and no environmental uncertainties. The disadvantages include that it produces large amount of secondary wastes. Based on the information evaluated in this report, we recommend that a pilot-scale test for SnCl2/air stripping process at Outfall 200 should be carried out before a full-scale implementation to address all the engineering and environmental risk questions. We also recommend continuing the sorbent lab studies at ORNL to optimize a sorption system that may be efficient and cost-effective enough for a full-scale implementation

Sevoflurane Pre-conditioning Ameliorates Diabetic Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury Via Differential Regulation of p38 and ERK.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) significantly increases myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury. During DM, cardioprotection induced by conventional pre-conditioning (PreCon) is decreased due to impaired AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling. The current study investigated whether PreCon with inhaled anesthetic sevoflurane (SF-PreCon) remains cardioprotective during DM, and identified the involved mechanisms. Normal diet (ND) and high-fat diet (HFD)-induced DM mice were randomized into control and SF-PreCon (3 cycles of 15-minute period exposures to 2% sevoflurane) groups before MI/R. SF-PreCon markedly reduced MI/R injury in DM mice, as evidenced by improved cardiac function (increased LVEF and ±Dp/dt), decreased infarct size, and decreased apoptosis. To determine the relevant role of AMPK, the effect of SF-PreCon was determined in cardiac-specific AMPKα2 dominant negative expressing mice (AMPK-DN). SF-PreCon decreased MI/R injury in AMPK-DN mice. To explore the molecular mechanisms responsible for SF-PreCon mediated cardioprotection in DM mice, cell survival molecules were screened. Interestingly, in ND mice, SF-PreCon significantly reduced MI/R-induced activation of p38, a pro-death MAPK, without altering ERK and JNK. In DM and AMPK-DN mice, the inhibitory effect of SF-PreCon upon p38 activation was significantly blunted. However, SF-PreCon significantly increased phosphorylation of ERK1/2, a pro-survival MAPK in DM and AMPK-DN mice. We demonstrate that SF-PreCon protects the heart via AMPK-dependent inhibition of pro-death MAPK in ND mice. However, SF-PreCon exerts cardioprotective action via AMPK-independent activation of a pro-survival MAPK member in DM mice. SF-PreCon may be beneficial compared to conventional PreCon in diabetes or clinical scenarios in which AMPK signaling is impaired

Observation of a thermoelectric Hall plateau in the extreme quantum limit

The thermoelectric Hall effect is the generation of a transverse heat current upon applying an electric field in the presence of a magnetic field. Here we demonstrate that the thermoelectric Hall conductivity $\alpha_{xy}$ in the three-dimensional Dirac semimetal ZrTe$_5$ acquires a robust plateau in the extreme quantum limit of magnetic field. The plateau value is independent of the field strength, disorder strength, carrier concentration, or carrier sign. We explain this plateau theoretically and show that it is a unique signature of three-dimensional Dirac or Weyl electrons in the extreme quantum limit. We further find that other thermoelectric coefficients, such as the thermopower and Nernst coefficient, are greatly enhanced over their zero-field values even at relatively low fields.Comment: 17+21 pages, 3+14 figures; published versio