GaBoDS: The Garching-Bonn Deep Survey -- IX. A sample of 158 shear-selected mass concentration candidates

The aim of the present work is the construction of a mass-selected galaxy cluster sample based on weak gravitational lensing methods. This sample will be subject to spectroscopic follow-up observations. We apply the mass aperture statistics and a derivative of it to 19 square degrees of high quality, single colour wide field imaging data obtained with the WFI@MPG/ESO 2.2m telescope. For the statistics a family of filter functions is used that approximates the expected tangential radial shear profile and thus allows for the efficient detection of mass concentrations. We identify 158 possible mass concentrations. This is the first time that such a large and blindly selected sample is published. 72 of the detections are associated with concentrations of bright galaxies. For about 22 of those we found spectra in the literature, indicating or proving that the galaxies seen are indeed spatially concentrated. 15 of those were previously known to be clusters or have meanwhile been secured as such. We currently follow-up a larger number of them spectroscopically to obtain deeper insight into their physical properties. The remaining 55% of the possible mass concentrations found are not associated with any optical light, or could not be classified unambiguously. We show that those "dark" detections are to a significant degree due to noise, and appear preferentially in shallow data.Comment: 25 pages, 18 figures, submitted to A&A; for a better print version, see http://www.astro.uni-bonn.de/~mischa/astroph_0607022.pd

Investigation on vanadium chemistry in basic-oxygen-furnace (BOF) slags: a first approach

Basic oxygen furnace (BOF) slag accounts for the majority of all residual materials produced during steelmaking and may typically contain certain transition metals. Vanadium, in particular, came into focus in recent years because of its potential environmental toxicity as well as its economic value. This study addresses the vanadium chemistry in BOF slags to better understand its recovery and save handling of the waste stream. The experimental results from the electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) study show that vanadium is preferably incorporated in calcium orthosilicate-like compounds (COS), with two variations occurring, a low vanadium COS (COS-Si) (approx. 1 wt.%), and a high vanadium COS (COS-V) (up to 18 wt.%). Additionally, vanadium is incorporated in dicalcium ferrite-like compounds (DFS) with an average amount of 3 wt.%. Using powder x-ray diffraction analysis (PXRD), EPMA, and virtual component models, stoichiometric formulas of the main vanadium-bearing phases were postulated. The stoichiometries give an estimate of the oxidation states of vanadium in the respective hosts. According to these results, trivalent vanadium is incorporated on the Fe-position in dicalcium ferrite solid solution (DFS), and V4+ and V5+ are incorporated on the Si-position of the COS

Characterization of fine fractions from the processing of municipal solid waste incinerator bottom ashes for potential recovery of valuable metals

Municipal waste incinerator bottom ashes contain copper contents comparable to those of low-grade ores in addition to other valuable metals. While the processing of coarse fractions (>2 mm) is state of the art, the fines with their residual metal content are landfilled. This paper presents the results from a mineralogical characterization of fine fractions from the processing of municipal solid waste incinerator bottom ashes. From the results, possible approaches for a recovery of copper from the fine fraction are derived. Spatially resolved phase analysis reveals that the material contains a very heterogenic mixture of naturally occurring compounds as well as particles of alloys, metals, artificial oxides, and sulfides. The most interesting element to recover is copper. Copper can be found in the form of alloys, simple sulfides (XS), and oxides (XO). During the incineration process, new phases are generated that differ from natural ones and therefore can be called artificial minerals. Additionally, several components are partially altered due to oxidation, especially after the prolonged outside storage of the bottom ash. Crystalline silicate and glass particles are only sporadically enriched in Cu. Based on these results, different processing techniques are discussed. Due to the small particle size distribution and the physical and physico-chemical properties of the particles, flotation seems to be the most promising technique for the enrichment of copper from municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash (MSWI-BA) fine fractions

Determination of the Li distribution in synthetic recycling slag with SIMS

The recovery of technically important elements like lithium from slag of pyrometallurgical recycling of lithium traction batteries will be very important in future due to the expected increasing demand of this element with the upcoming world-wide implementation of electro mobility. Therefore, the investigation of possibilities to recover lithium from pyrometallurgical slag from the recycling of lithium traction batteries is mandatory. In this context, the EnAM (engineered artificial mineral) approach is very promising. Solidified melt of synthetic recycling slag with the compounds Li2O-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-CaO-MnO contains various Li-bearing phases including spinel solid solution, Li-aluminate and eucryptite-like Li-alumosilicate. Most probably, the Ca-alumosilicate matrix (melilite-like solid solution) incorporates lithium as well. These compounds can be determined and calculated to an acceptable approximation with electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). Nevertheless, an adequate precise measurement of lithium is virtually impossible due to the extremely low fluorescence yield and long wavelength of Li Kα. Secondary mass spectrometry (SIMS) can be used to fill this gap in the analytical assessment of the slag. Therefore, the combination of these two analytical methods can distinctively improve the mineralogical and chemical characterization of lithium-containing solidified (slag) melt

THE DIGITAL INNOVATION UNIT: A SILVER BULLET FOR MANAGING THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION?

We propose an agenda for further research on digital innovation units (DIUs) that refines the current –mainly descriptive– body of knowledge. Receiving great attention in research as well as in practice, DIUs are dedicated organizational units whose role is to drive and support digital transformation by promoting diverse facets of digital innovation. Utilizing DIU knowledge from a theoretical literature review on DIUs and their role in digital transformation, the resulting research agenda assists in structuring the field by synthesizing and connecting the partly isolated knowledge chunks with each other. We illustrate a coherent picture towards theorizing DIUs using Whetten’s building blocks of theory. Researchers can draw on our core findings to understand the emerging phenomenon of DIUs and to use them as a stencil for conducting proper future DIU research. It simultaneously may guide practitioners to understand the nature of DIUs and their role in a firm’s digital transformation journey

High-throughput study of the phase constitution of the thin film system Mg-Mn-Al-O in relation to Li recovery from slags

The increasing importance of recycling makes the recovery of valuable elements from slags interesting, e.g., by the concept of engineered artificial minerals (EnAMs). In this concept, it is aimed for the formation of EnAMs, meaning phase(s) with a high content of the to-be-recovered element(s) from slags of pyrometallurgical recycling processes. For this, understanding the phase constitution of the slag systems is of high importance. The system Mg-Mn-Al-O is a metal oxide slag subsystem from Li-ion battery recycling, that is critical for the formation of spinel phases, which are competing phases to the possible Li-containing EnAM phase LiAlO2. Here, the phase constitution was investigated using a thin film materials library that covers the composition space (Mg14-69Mn11-38Al14-74)Ox. By means of high-throughput energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, the formation of the spinel solid solution phase was confirmed for a wide composition space. Increasing preferential orientation of the spinel solid solution along (400) with increasing Mg content was identified. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to measure the near-surface composition of selected areas of the materials library, and detailed peak fitting of the Mn 2p3/2 region revealed the Mn oxidation state to be a mixture of Mn2+ and Mn3+. For one measurement area of the materials library containing equal atomic amounts of Mg, Mn and Al, transmission electron microscopy showed that the approximately 420 nm-thick film consists of columnar spinel grains with Mg, Mn and Al being evenly distributed. Based on these results, we suggest that the shown high likelihood of spinel formation in slags might be influenced by controlling the Mn oxidation state to enable the formation of desirable EnAM phases

Li-Distribution in compounds of the Li2O-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-CaO system: a first survey

The recovery of critical elements in recycling processes of complex high-tech products is often limited when applying only mechanical separation methods. A possible route is the pyrometallurgical processing that allows transferring of important critical elements into an alloy melt. Chemical rather ignoble elements will report in slag or dust. Valuable ignoble elements such as lithium should be recovered out of that material stream. A novel approach to accomplish this is enrichment in engineered artificial minerals (EnAM). An application with a high potential for resource efficient solutions is the pyrometallurgical processing of Li ion batteries. Starting from comparatively simple slag compositions such as the Li-Al-Si-Ca-O system, the next level of complexity is reached when adding Mg, derived from slag builders or other sources. Every additional component will change the distribution of Li between the compounds generated in the slag. Investigations with powder X-Ray diffraction (PXRD) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) of solidified melt of the five-compound system Li2O-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-CaO reveal that Li can occur in various compounds from beginning to the end of the crystallization. Among these compounds are Li1−x(Al1−xSix)O2, Li1−xMgy(Al)(Al3/2y+xSi2−x−3/2y)O6, solid solutions of Mg1−(3/2y)Al2+yO4/LiAl5O8 and Ca-alumosilicate (melilite). There are indications of segregation processes of Al-rich and Si(Ca)-rich melts. The experimental results were compared with solidification curves via thermodynamic calculations of the systems MgO-Al2O3 and Li2O-SiO2-Al2O3

Influence of P and Ti on phase formation at solidification of synthetic slag containing Li, Zr, La, and Ta

In the future, it will become increasingly important to recover critical elements from waste materials. For many of these elements, purely mechanical processing is not efficient enough. An already established method is pyrometallurgical processing, with which many of the technologically important elements, such as Cu or Co, can be recovered in the metal phase. Ignoble elements, such as Li, are known to be found in the slag. Even relatively base or highly redox-sensitive elements, such as Zr, REEs, or Ta, can be expected to accumulate in the slag. In this manuscript, the methods for determining the phase formation and the incorporation of these elements were developed and optimized, and the obtained results are discussed. For this purpose, oxide slags were synthesized with Al, Si, Ca, and the additives, P and Ti. To this synthetic slag were added the elements, Zr and La (which can be considered proxies for the light REEs), as well as Ta. On the basis of the obtained results, it can be concluded that Ti or P can have strong influences on the phase formation. In the presence of Ti, La, and Ta, predominantly scavenged by perovskite (Ca1−wLa2/3wTi1−(x+y+z)Al4/3xZryTa4/5zO3), and Zr predominantly as zirconate (Ca1−wLa2/3wZr4−(x+y+z)Al4/3xTiyTa4/5zO9), with the P having no effect on this behavior. Without Ti, the Zr and Ta are incorporated into the pyrochlore (La2−xCa3/2x−yZr2+2/4y−zTa4/5zO7), regardless of the presence of phosphorus. In addition to pyrochlore, La accumulates primarily in britholite-type La oxy- or phosphosilicates. Without P and Ti, similar behavior is observed, except that the britholite-like La silicates do not contain P, and the scavenging of La is less efficient. Lithium, on the other hand, forms its own compounds, such as LiAlO2(Si), LiAl5O8, eucryptite, and Li silicate. Additionally, in the presence of P, Li3PO4 is formed, and the eucryptite incorporates P, which indicates an additional P-rich eutectic melt