Acoustoelastic effect in stressed heterostructures

Mechanical stresses influence the phase velocity of acoustic waves, known as the AE (acoustoelastic) effect. In order to calculate the AE effect of biaxially stressed layered systems, we extended the transfer matrix method for acoustic wave propagation by considering the change of the density, the influence of residual stress, and the modification of the elastic stiffness tensor by residual strain and by third-order constants. The generalized method is applied to the calculation of the angular dispersion of the AE effect for transverse bulk modes and surface acoustic waves on Ge(001). Our calculations reveal that the AE effect significantly depends on the propagation direction and can even change sign. The maximal velocity change occurs for transversally polarized waves propagating parallel to the [110] direction. For the layered Ge/Si(001) system, the AE effect is investigated for Love modes propagating in the [100] and [110] directions. The AE effect increases rapidly with increasing layer thickness and almost reaches its maximal value when the wave still penetrates into the unstressed substrate     

Minimization Of Disinfection By-Products Formation In Water Purification Process Using Chlorine Dioxide — Case Studies

The formation of the by-product chlorite after using chlorine dioxide for the disinfection of drinking water depends on the quantity of the organic matter dissolved in the water. A further decisive factor for the chlorite formation is the level of residual free chlorine dioxide. The chlorine dioxide demand decreases by application of activated carbon filtration, especially after the use of a combination of ozone and activated carbon treatment of the water. Nevertheless, higher chlorine dioxide residuals are a source of chlorite and chlorate formation. The concept of the “Minimum Chlorine Dioxide Dosage (MCDD)” is developed in order to give a clue to the water companies for an optimized chlorine dioxide dose without compromising the disinfection efficiency. By application of the MCDD, the residual level of chlorine dioxide is focused to 0.05 mg/L after 0.5 h contact time. In the range of the MCDD the ratio of the chlorite formation and the chlorine dioxide demand is nearly independent of the level of DOC.     

Removal of pharmaceuticals during drinking water treatment

The elimination of selected pharmaceuticals (bezafibrate, clofibric acid, carbamazepine, diclofenac) during drinking water treatment processes was investigated at lab and pilot scale and in real waterworks. No significant removal of pharmaceuticals was observed in batch experiments with sand under natural aerobic and anoxic conditions, thus indicating low sorption properties and high persistence with nonadapted microorganisms. These results were underscored by the presence of carbamazepine in bank-filtrated water with anaerobic conditions in a waterworks area. Flocculation using iron(III) chloride in lab-scale experiments (Jar test) and investigations in waterworks exhibited no significant elimination of the selected target pharmaceuticals. However, ozonation was in some cases very effective in eliminating these polar compounds. In lab-scale experiments, 0.5 mg/L ozone was shown to reduce the concentrations of diclofenac and carbamazepine by more than 90%, while bezafibrate was eliminated by 50% with a 1.5 mg/L ozone dose. Clofibric acid was stable even at 3 mg/L ozone. Under waterworks conditions, similar removal efficiencies were observed. In addition to ozonation, filtration with granular activated carbon (GAC) was very effective in removing pharmaceuticals. Except for clofibric acid, GAC in pilot-scale experiments and waterworks provided a major elimination of the pharmaceuticals under investigation.     

Kinetic and Mechanistic Studies of the Ozonation of Alicyclic Amines

Studies about the ozonation of the polar and mobile alicyclic amines pyrrolidine, piperidine, morpholine and piperazine were carried out in model water at pH 7.0. According to a pseudo-first order rate law the reaction-rate constants were determined from the decrease of the amine concentration vs. the reaction time. The order of degradation of the alicyclic amines by ozone, resulting from the kinetic constants obtained, is piperazine > morpholine ? piperidine > pyrrolidine. The pH value of the water, the chemical structure of the amines and their pK_A values are recognized to be parameters influencing the reactionrates of the amines.     

Aspects of coal properties and constitution important for gasification

Technological aspects of coal properties such as volatile matter content and quality of the ash, caking behaviour, grindability and reactivity are discussed with respect to the different gasification systems used in industry or which are under development. The main factors influencing reactivity of char originating from coal and lignite against different gasifying agents are then reviewed. Taking typical examples given in literature, the role of coal minerals, the effect of pyrolysis conditions, the importance of the internal surfaces and their quality and accessibility are assessed.