Processing real-world waste plastics by pyrolysis-reforming for hydrogen and high-value carbon nanotubes

Producing both hydrogen and high-value carbon nanotubes (CNTs) derived from waste plastics is reported here using a pyrolysis-reforming technology comprising a two-stage reaction system, in the presence of steam and a Ni-Mn-Al catalyst. The waste plastics consisted of plastics from a motor oil container (MOC), commercial waste high density polyethylene (HDPE) and regranulated HDPE waste containing polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The results show that hydrogen can be produced from the pyrolysis-reforming process, but also carbon nanotubes are formed on the catalyst. However, the content of 0.3 wt.% polyvinyl chloride in the waste HDPE (HDPE/PVC) has been shown to poison the catalyst and significantly reduce the quantity and purity of CNTs. The presence of sulfur has shown less influence on the production of CNTs in terms of quantity and CNT morphologies. Around 94.4 mmol H g plastic was obtained for the pyrolysis-reforming of HDPE waste in the presence of the Ni-Mn-Al catalyst and steam at a reforming temperature of 800 C. The addition of steam in the process results in an increase of hydrogen production and reduction of carbon yield; in addition, the defects of CNTs, for example, edge dislocations were found to be increased with the introduction of steam (from Raman analysis)

Global data on earthworm abundance, biomass, diversity and corresponding environmental properties

Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s).Earthworms are an important soil taxon as ecosystem engineers, providing a variety of crucial ecosystem functions and services. Little is known about their diversity and distribution at large spatial scales, despite the availability of considerable amounts of local-scale data. Earthworm diversity data, obtained from the primary literature or provided directly by authors, were collated with information on site locations, including coordinates, habitat cover, and soil properties. Datasets were required, at a minimum, to include abundance or biomass of earthworms at a site. Where possible, site-level species lists were included, as well as the abundance and biomass of individual species and ecological groups. This global dataset contains 10,840 sites, with 184 species, from 60 countries and all continents except Antarctica. The data were obtained from 182 published articles, published between 1973 and 2017, and 17 unpublished datasets. Amalgamating data into a single global database will assist researchers in investigating and answering a wide variety of pressing questions, for example, jointly assessing aboveground and belowground biodiversity distributions and drivers of biodiversity change.Peer reviewe

Global data on earthworm abundance, biomass, diversity and corresponding environmental properties

Earthworms are an important soil taxon as ecosystem engineers, providing a variety of crucial ecosystem functions and services. Little is known about their diversity and distribution at large spatial scales, despite the availability of considerable amounts of local-scale data. Earthworm diversity data, obtained from the primary literature or provided directly by authors, were collated with information on site locations, including coordinates, habitat cover, and soil properties. Datasets were required, at a minimum, to include abundance or biomass of earthworms at a site. Where possible, site-level species lists were included, as well as the abundance and biomass of individual species and ecological groups. This global dataset contains 10,840 sites, with 184 species, from 60 countries and all continents except Antarctica. The data were obtained from 182 published articles, published between 1973 and 2017, and 17 unpublished datasets. Amalgamating data into a single global database will assist researchers in investigating and answering a wide variety of pressing questions, for example, jointly assessing aboveground and belowground biodiversity distributions and drivers of biodiversity change

High-performance and stable photoelectrochemical water splitting cell with organic-photoactive-layer-based photoanode

Considering their superior charge-transfer characteristics, easy tenability of energy levels, and low production cost, organic semiconductors are ideal for photoelectrochemical (PEC) hydrogen production. However, organic-semiconductor-based photoelectrodes have not been extensively explored for PEC water-splitting because of their low stability in water. Herein, we report high-performance and stable organic-semiconductors photoanodes consisting of p-type polymers and n-type non-fullerene materials, which is passivated using nickel foils, GaIn eutectic, and layered double hydroxides as model materials. We achieve a photocurrent density of 15.1 mA cm???2 at 1.23 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) with an onset potential of 0.55 V vs. RHE and a record high half-cell solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 4.33% under AM 1.5 G solar simulated light. After conducting the stability test at 1.3 V vs. RHE for 10 h, 90% of the initial photocurrent density are retained, whereas the photoactive layer without passivation lost its activity within a few minutes

Neoformation of DLH During Impregnation of α-Alumin

The adsorption of Co(II) or Ni(II) ammine complexes from aqueous solutions onto α-alumina at neutral pH and ambient temperature was investigated. The formation of coprecipitates including Al (III) ions extracted from the support was demonstrated by EXAFS for contact times and Ni or Co loadings higher than 0.5 h and about 2.0 wt %, respectively. The EXAFS technique makes it possible to distinguish the Ni or Co hydroxides and basic nitrates from coprecipitates with a double layer hydroxide (DLH) structure. Not only is EXAFS shown to be sensitive to the presence of aluminum in the coprecipitates, but in most cases, the M(lI)/Al(III) ratio (M= Ni or Co) in the supported coprecipitates can be estimated. Thus, alumina should not be considered systematically as inert even at pH values close to its isoelectric point. It is suggested that a dissolution-precipitation mechanism is involved and that the rate of alumina dissolution is promoted by adsorbed Ni(II) or Co(II) ions. Site-binding models have a considerable value for the early stages of impregnation, whereas a geochemical approach involving surface rehydration and coprecipitation have probably a greater validity for the later stages

Employee Job Autonomy and Control in a Restructured Extension Organization

This descriptive cross sectional census study identified theperceptions of Extension and Outreach employees of IowaState University in the United States about job autonomy andcontrol after two years of a major restructuring. Employees perceivedautonomy and control over expressing views and ideasabout their work and spending time on the job but perceivedlittle influence over budget allocations and shaping organizationalstrategies. They felt administrators and external funding sourcesinfluenced programming. They perceived contributing most toprogram implementation and marketing. The findings from thisstudy have implications for operations and programming in Extensionand other organizational settings

Contrôle des étapes d’adsorption électrostatique et de greffage du complexe bis (éthylénediamine) cuivre(II) sur un gel de silice

L’évolution de la symétrie, de la force du champ cristallin et du nombre d’atomes voisins des ions Cu(II) complexés par l’éthylènediamine lorsqu’ils sont déposés à la surface d’une silice est étudiée par spectroscopie électronique, EXAFS et XANES. Différents modes de déposition de ces ions sont mis en évidence. L’imprégnation, consistant en un remplissage de pores par la solution cuivrique, conduit lors du séchage à la recristallisation du complexe bis(éthylènediamine) Cu(II) dans la porosité du support. L’échange ionique mettant en jeu l’acidité des groupements silanols de surface génère des "paires d’ions de surface" formées par les groupements SiO- et le complexe cuivrique. Le greffage s’opère progressivement sur le complexe échangé, lors du séchage à 100°C, par substitution dans la sphère de coordination du cuivre d’une molécule d’éthylènediamine par deux groupements SiO-, la silice jouant le rôle de ligand bidentate

Employee Job Autonomy and Control in a Restructured Extension Organization

This descriptive cross sectional census study identified the perceptions of Extension and Outreach employees of Iowa State University in the United States about job autonomy and control after two years of a major restructuring. Employees perceived autonomy and control over expressing views and ideas about their work and spending time on the job but perceived little influence over budget allocations and shaping organizational strategies. They felt administrators and external funding sources influenced programming. They perceived contributing most to program implementation and marketing. The findings from this study have implications for operations and programming in Extension and other organizational settings