Exploring the applicability of solar driven photocatalytic processes to control inestation by zebra mussel

Dreissena polymorpha (zebra mussel) is an invasive freshwater bivalve mollusc that causes important technical and environmental problems. Titanium dioxide solar photocatalysis was checked for disinfestation of veligers of zebra mussel. Approximately 70% damaged larvae were observed after 2h of solar irradiation with 0.2 and 0.5g/l of TiO 2. Neutral photo-Fenton could be a promising alternative as ca. 80% damaged larvae were detected in only 3h irradiation in the presence of H 2O 2 (10mg/l). This process was clearly more effective than sunlight irradiation, H 2O 2, or dark Fenton. The performance of the process was slightly improved when a pH value of 5.5 was employed, although further research is needed to explore the compatibility of this medium with irrigation. Finally, the process was scaled up to 4l using a solar photo-reactor; again in this case, 90% of the veligers were damaged after 3h of irradiation. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.We want to acknowledge the financial support of Spanish Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Medio Rural y Marino (Project 100/RN08/03.4) and Confederacion Hidrografica del Ebro for providing water samples infested with zebra mussel.Bernabeu García, A.; Vicente Candela, R.; Peribañez Lopez, MA.; Arques Sanz, A.; Amat Payá, AM. (2011). Exploring the applicability of solar driven photocatalytic processes to control inestation by zebra mussel. Chemical Engineering Journal. 171(2):490-494. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2011.04.009S490494171

Anthropogenic Space Weather

Anthropogenic effects on the space environment started in the late 19th century and reached their peak in the 1960s when high-altitude nuclear explosions were carried out by the USA and the Soviet Union. These explosions created artificial radiation belts near Earth that resulted in major damages to several satellites. Another, unexpected impact of the high-altitude nuclear tests was the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that can have devastating effects over a large geographic area (as large as the continental United States). Other anthropogenic impacts on the space environment include chemical release ex- periments, high-frequency wave heating of the ionosphere and the interaction of VLF waves with the radiation belts. This paper reviews the fundamental physical process behind these phenomena and discusses the observations of their impacts.Comment: 71 pages, 35 figure

Clean wet-filament winding - Part 1:Design concept and simulations

This is a two-part paper where part 1 presents details of a modified wet-filament winding process. Here, the resin bath was replaced with a resin injection system that impregnated the fibres prior to winding them onto a rotating mandrel. The resin and hardener were stored in separate containers and pumped on-demand via a pair of precision gear-pumps to a static mixer. The mixed resin system was then supplied to a custom-designed resin impregnation unit. The theoretical basis for the design of the resin impregnation unit is presented along with simulations of the various parameters that influence the impregnation time and the degree of impregnation. Part 2 of this series papers presents the experimental data on the performance of the resin impregnation unit and a comparison of the physical and mechanical properties of the tubes manufactured using the conventional and modified wet-filament winding techniques. </jats:p