Li/MgO with spin sensors as catalyst for the oxidative coupling of methane

Co-doping of Li/MgO, a well-known catalyst for the oxidative coupling of methane, was investigated. It is demonstrated that Gd3+ and Fe3+ can be used as spin sensors in these solids to investigate the structure via EPR spectroscopy. These aliovalent ions occupy Mg2+ sites in the lattice; the expected coupling with charge-compensating neighboring Li+ was detected. A strong increase of the activity was observed. However, all samples suffered from deactivation. The solubility of Gd3+ in MgO turned out to be inhibited. No such restriction was observed for Fe3+

Impact of addition of silt from brown coal on basic physical and water properties of the topsoil developed from post-mining land of Konin brown coal mine

Post-mining land created as a result of the deposition of the strippings from Konin Brown Coal Mine (Konin BCM) is being rehabilitated in accordance with principles of the target species concept developed by Bender. The rehabilitation technology realised in accordance with this concept is based on the enhancement of soil chemism and improvement of physical properties supporting the development of vegetation cover and stimulating biogeochemical processes. The basic soil-forming factor in this concept is the anthropogenic factor integrating the action of biotic and abiotic factors into a consistent, mutually supporting system of rehabilitation actions and activities whose aim is to transform, within the period of 10 years, this specific maternal material into soil. One of the forms of integration of the anthropogenic factor into the composition of the solid phase of the developing soils was the addition of brown coal dust - a by-product created in the production of briquettes. The usefulness of brow coal for fertilisation purposes stems from the composition of its organic matter as well as specific physical, physico-chemical and chemical properties. The objective of the research project was to determine the effect of the addition of brown coal on major physical and water properties of anthropogenic topsoil 18 years after application. The research object was situated on the experimental plot of the Department of Soil Science and Restoration established in 1978 on post-mining land of Patnow Mine internal dumping ground. The experiment comprised two variants. Variant A control comprised the area on which, from 1978, the applied treatments were consistent with Bender's concept of target species. In the case of variant B, on an experimental area subjected to restoration treatments for 14 years, fertilisation with brown coal dust in the amount of 1000 t.ha(-1) was applied in 1992. The following four fertiliser combinations were employed in this variant: 0 NPK (1); 100 kg N, 80 kg K2O, 40 kg P2O5 (2); 200 kg N, 80 kg K2O, 40 kg P2O5 (3); 300 kg N, 80 kg K2O, 40 kg P2O5 (4). In both experimental variants, winter cereals were cultivated. Straw and other plant residues were ploughed under every year. In 2010, soil samples of intact and broken structure (V=100 cm3) were collected from the topsoil of individual plots for laboratory exanimations. The following parameters were determined: total carbon and nitrogen, texture composition, solid phase density, soil density, total, drainage and differential porosity, hygroscopic moisture content, maximal hygroscopic capacity, filtration, soil water binding potentials, potential and effective useful retention. It was concluded, among others, that the selected major physical, chemical and water properties of the arable layer of the agriculturally rehabilitated soils in accordance with principles of the concept of target plants were at the typical level characteristic for cultivated soils of similar texture and total carbon content. The addition of brown coal to the top layer of soil developing from post-mining land caused: a decrease in the soil density as well as the density of its solid phase, increase of total porosity, increase in proportions of mezo- and micropores, enhancement in the value of hygroscopic moisture content as well as maximal hygroscopic capacity. In the examined soils, together with the increase of the applied nitrogen fertilizer doses, the content of total carbon as well as C:N ratio narrowed. This was probably due to a faster rate of organic matter mineralisation. Long-term nitrogen fertilisation comprising four combinations failed to affect diversification of the total nitrogen content. In the case of soils with the addition of brown coal, the availability of production water was extremely low. On the other hand, the content of water available for plants but bonded with strong forces was high

Concept of multifunctional small cleanup ship

The Baltic Sea belongs to a global system of protected area and has a status of Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) which results in a mechanism for strict control on International shipping activities within designated areas through the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO). Countries can declare such areas, and then establish rules for their protection. Additionaly almost the entire Polish coastline has been notified to the European Natura 2000 sites. Inside coastal NATURA 2000 areas some places are covered by increased protection because of belonging to a system of coastal and marine Baltic Sea Protected Areas (HELCOM BSPA). On the other hand intensive shiping in the vicinity of the Polish coast, high population density in the coast, tourism as well as coastal and marine industry necessitate special attention in relation to environment protection. Therefore, inter alia, novel techniques for the surveillance of purity of coast and coastal water are desirable. In the case of large spill - existing combating system provides only partly reducing ofamount of oil entering the sea environment. Elimination ofa greatest number of small oil spillages or discharges is possible, if well developed techniques and organization systems is used. The paper presents pre-project assumptions for small multifunctional ship designed for inshore activity — especially for port inspections and service, as well as for removal of floating and submerged rubbish and combating small oil spillages. We have analyzed possibility to achieve expected exploitive features of the ship using present knowledge for construction of small ship hulls applying principles of engine and navigational equipment steeringfor choosing the best route and for optimization the water surface cleaning-works as well as to minimize the energy consumption. We expect, that this ship - owing to main designations thanks to modern technical equipment and sophisticated software -will also fulfill conditions as an educational or as a training vessel

Fluorescence spectra of oil after it contacts with aquatic environment

The main task for natural marine environment protection is to prevent the inflow of various contaminants including oil substances and the real challenge is the ability to rapidly detect these pollutants. Moreover important is to find the source or the maker of the oil spill. In this paper, we consider fundamental physical aspects in the area of possibility of monitoring the natural marine ecosystem based on fluorescence spectroscopy. We utilize the fluorescence ability of numerous oil components – mainly polycyclic hydrocarbons. The paper concerns the spectrofluorimetric characterization of oils have been in use during exploitation of the marine fleet, i.e. lubricate oil, fuels, transformer and hydraulic oils as well as crude oils or their residues. Every kind of oil has a chance to enter the marine environment, especially in a case of ship emergency or after collision with other vessel ore shoreline structure as well as when ship enters the stranding. After discharge of oil, some of oil components are dissolved in the water, bacteria or photochemical reactions, which results in transformation of composition of oil, degrade some. Fluorescence spectrometer Perkin Elmer LS55 was applied to obtain the fluorescence spectra using different excitation wavelength in the range from 240 nm to 500 nm. We discuss the changes of the shapes of excitationemission spectra (EEMs) of various types of oil and the EEMs spectra after contact of oil with seawater as an oil-inwater emulsion, which is the most frequent form of oil in the water column. Significant changes in the shape of spectra and displacement of the peaks are observed

Adoption of the time resolved fluorescence to oil type identification

The present development of a basic science, including physics of stimulated emission of light, opens up new diagnostic possibilities in relation to the quality of oils, including marine fuels and lubricants. In complicated chemical composition of oils both light absorbing compounds and compounds that emit light (fluorescent) are included. This causes the formation of complex structures in the spectral plots of fluorescence intensity as a function of wavelength of light exciting fluorescence and as a function of the wavelength of light emitted. Since the fluorescence excitation occurs in a short time of its disappearance. The shape of the fluorescence decay function depends on the chemical composition of oil, therefore, includes a mention of its kind, quality, level of degradation, and the like. In this paper exemplary charts of the intensity decay curves in different parts of the fluorescence spectra are shown (for light fuel). Presented charts are obtained using the experimental device constructed in Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences (Germany) and are the attempt to use ability of oil substance to manifest its composition in the form of the fluorescence decay curve. An analysis of the chart shows that decay of fluorescence in this case is described by biexponential curve, therefore a kind of oil can be represented by two numerical values - two decay time constants. Operational use of this method will be possible only after a comparative study of different types and quality of oil in relation to the shape of the fluorescence decay curves

Zusatzprozess CSR & Integritätsmanagement

Prof. Dr. Stephan Grüninger fokussiert sich in Kap. 55 auf den Zusatzprozess Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) & Integritätsmanagement. Er setzt sich zu Beginn ausführlich mit einer genauen Begriffsdefinition von Unternehmensverantwortung, CSR, social compliance und Compliance auseinander, bevor er auf die verschiedenen Rahmenwerke (UN Global Compact, ISO 26000, OECD-Leitsätze), auf die themenbezogenen CSR Management Systemstandards (Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights und SA8000) sowie auf das CSR-soft law eingeht. Der Autor schließt mit einem detaillierten Überblick über Social Compliance Risk Management und Unternehmensintegrität