Solidification and stabilization of asbestos waste from an automobile brake manufacturing facility using cement

Currently, the generated brake lining waste dust, which contains asbestos as its major component, is disposed of into a secure landfill without any additional treatment. As an alternative to this, solidification/stabilization (S/S) disposal of the dust was investigated using Portland cement alone and Portland cement mixed with activated carbon (AC), as the binders. Toxicity Characteristics Leaching Procedure (TCLP) results on the solidified matrix showed that cement was able to immobilize the heavy metals, Ba, Zn, Cr, Pb, Cu and Fe, to within the limits set by the US EPA for TCLP. Addition of AC to the cement reduced the leaching of heavy metals by an additional 4-24% compared to cement alone. The pH of the TCLP leachate extracted from virgin cement, and from dust treated with cement with or without AC was found to increase to 10.9-12.5 as opposed to an initial value of 4.93 for the TCLP extract for the untreated dust. Results of ANS 16.1 (modified) leach protocol revealed that Ba in cement-treated samples showed the highest leach rate, followed by Zn, Pb, Cr, Cu and Fe. The leach rate of heavy metals decreased with progress in time. Cement mixed with AC exhibited similar leach characteristics, however, the leach rate was lower. The linear relationship between the cumulative fraction leached (CFL) and the square root of leaching time in all cement-based samples indicate that a diffusional process is the controlling transport mechanism for the leaching of the heavy metals. The obtained Leachability Indices (L(i)) of 7.6-9.1 and 8.3-9.5 for cement and cement with AC, respectively, were low but exceeded the guidance value of 6, which clearly indicates that all the heavy metals studied are retained well within solid matrices. Cement-based S/S hardening times increased from 30 to 96 h as the dust content increased from 40 to 70 wt.%. The resulting solid matrices exhibited a compressive strength ranging from 1 to 12 MPa, which was well above the specified limit of 414 kPa for such matrices. An economic analysis indicates that the disposal costs for the dust in the only available secure landfill would increase by 40.3% if one were to go for the cement S/S option. Addition of AC to the cement would escalate this by an additional 43.8%. Although the S/S of brake lining dust using cement effectively immobilized the heavy metals of concern, cost considerations may hinder the commercial adaptation of this technique for waste disposal unless new regulatory demands are implemented.     

Mechanism and evaluation in electroinitiated copolymerization coatings of acrylonitrile and acrylic acid

Adherent films of copolymers on different metal surfaces were formed by an electrolytically initiated polymerization of acrylonitrile (AN) and acrylic acid (AA) in 0.05N H₂SO₄ aqueous solution. The electrolysis was carried out under a constant current. Hydrogen overvoltages for five different metals used as the cathode were measured in order to interpret the nature and quality of the coating. Solutions containing varying volume fractions of AN and containing different electrolytes gave rise to coatings of varying film thickness. Based on the analyses of copolymer compositions, it is believed that the polymer was formed at the cathode by a free-radical propagation mechanism. The film hardness and the adhesion between the polymer and the metal surface were measured with an Arco microknife. Furthermore, the scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to examine the structure of the film surface and cross section. The corrosion rates of the coated and uncoated metals in substitute ocean water were also measured for purposes of evaluation of the coatings.     

Photoelectrochemical solar cell studies on electroplated cuprous oxide thin films

Cuprous oxide (Cu₂O) is an interesting p-type semiconductor with a band gap of 2 eV suitable for solar cell applications. Deposition of Cu₂O thin films by electrodeposition from aqueous solutions is a low temperature and inexpensive technique. in the present work, Cu₂O thin films were cathodically deposited on Cu and tin oxide coated glass substrates by the cathodic reduction of copper (II) lactate solution. The optimized deposition conditions to synthesize cuprous oxide thin films were experimentally identified as; Deposition potential: −0.555 V versus SCE, pH: 9.0 ± 0.1, Bath temperature: 70^∘C. X-ray diffraction studies revealed the formation of single phase cubic Cu₂O films. The effect of annealing on the structure and morphology of Cu₂O thin films are studied. The dielectric susceptibility, optical conductivity and packing density are evaluated. Photoelectrochemical solar cells based on p-Cu₂O films are constructed. Spectral response studies indicate a peak in photo current density around 600 nm corresponding to the band gap of Cu₂O thin films. The effects of annealing, chemical etching and photo etching on the solar cell parameters are studied.     

Electrochemical synthesis and characterization of zinc selenide thin films

In this work, electrochemical deposition and characterization of zinc selenide (ZnSe) thin films is reported. ZnSe thin films were deposited onto tin oxide (SnO₂) coated conducting glass substrates from an aqueous solution bath containing ZnSO₄ and SeO₂. The effect of deposition parameters such as bath temperature, deposition time and electrolyte composition on the properties of the ZnSe films has been studied. Cyclic Voltammetric studies were carried out to optimize the deposition potential for the co-deposition of Zn and Se. Deposited ZnSe films have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and optical techniques for their structural, compositional and optical properties and the results are discussed.     

InAs/InGaSb photodetectors grown on GaAs bonded substrates

The results of wafer fusion between GaAs and InP followed by transfer of an InGaAs film from the InP to GaAs substrate are presented in this paper. This technique of film transfer allowed the subsequent growth of epitaxial materials with approximately 7% lattice mismatch. Type-II InAs/GaInSb superlattices photodetectors of different designs have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on the alternative InGaAs/GaAs substrate and on standard GaSb substrates. Comparison between photodetectors grown on the two different substrates with nearly identical superlattice periods showed a shift in the cut-off wavelength. The superlattices grown on the alternative substrates were found to have uniform layers, with broader x-ray linewidths than superlattices grown on GaSb substrates.     

Assessment of crtRB1 Polymorphism Associated with Increased β-Carotene Content in Maize (Zea mays L.) Seeds

Breeding for increasing β-carotene levels in maize (Zea mays L.) kernel aims to address the dietary vitamin A deficiency. Due to 3’TE polymorphism, the crtRB1gene (that encodes β -carotene hydroxylase 1) exists in the three allelic forms, viz., 3’TE allele 1 (termed favorable allele, for it favors higher β-carotene accumulation in kernels), 3’TE allele 2 and 3’TE allele 3 (both termed unfavorable alleles, for they do not favor β-carotene accumulation). Here, we aimed to identify maize lines with favorable allele. First, 3’TE polymorphism assay in 210 inbreds revealed that only “UMI 176” had the favorable allele while the rest had the unfavorable alleles, confirming the previous finding that favorable allele is rare in frequency. Second, β-carotene content analysis in 24 inbreds revealed that it varied from 4.5 to 7.92 (μg/g), 0.23 to 2, and 0.42 to 4.22 for lines with allele 1, 2, and 3 respectively, corroborating the previous findings that the presence of favorable allele correlates with higher β-carotene content. In summary, UMI 176 has the favorable allele and had the highest amount of β-carotene content (7.92 μg/g), indicating that it is a promising donor line that can be utilized in β-carotene biofortification breeding.     

Parametric studies on devolatilization of a subbituminous coal in a reactive gas environment

A laboratory scale fixed bed coal gasifier was set up to simulate the conditions existing in the devolatilization zone of an air-blown, fixed-bed coal gasifier. Devolatilization behaviour of a subbituminous coal was evaluated in the temperature range 350 °C to 550 °C and at pressures 30, 300 and 375 psig. Three feed coal particle sizes, (−2, +1), (−4, +3) and (−9, +6)mm, were studied. The gas feed was a synthetic mixture of composition similar to that leaving the gasification zone of a fixed bed gasifier and contained 30% by volume of steam. Devolatilization runs were conducted over coal residence times of 5, 10, 20 and 30 min durations. The gas evolution rates showed a peak around 5 min from the start of a run and most of the gas evolution tapered off just under 30 min. Thirty key components in the tars were quantified and these included aliphatic and aromatic homologues, as well as sulphur and nitrogen substituted structures. The molecular weights of the tar samples showed a maximum between 300 and 500. A first order kinetic model applied to the total weight loss data yielded activation energies in the range 4 to 11 kcal mol⁻¹. Differential equations for obtaining concentration profiles for tar and gas inside the coal particle were solved numerically. From these calculations it was concluded that the pressure buildup (due to evolution of tar and gas) inside the coal particle was higher for larger particles, at a given external pressure, but decreased with external pressure. The concentration of tar inside the particle did not appear to be sensitive to low pressures (around 1 atm), but increased in the higher range of pressure (above 20 atm) and also with particle size.