Pilot-scale Studies of Different Covers on Unoxidised Sulphide-rich Tailings in Northern Sweden: the Geochemistry of Leachate Waters

Abstract.  Leachate water quality from covered and uncovered unoxidised sulphide-rich tailings in six pilot-scale (5x5x3 m³) test cells was monitored during 2004 and 2005. The covers consisted of a layer of clayey till, sewage sludge, apatite or Trisoplast (a commercial mixture of tailings, bentonite, and a polymer). All layers were protected by an unspecified till except in one reference cell, where the tailings were left open. All leachate waters showed near-neutral pH as a result of neutralization by calcite in the tailings and by Ca(OH)₂ added prior to deposition. Average dissolved sulphur concentrations in the leachates were ≈ 600 mg L^-1, except in the cell with sewage sludge (300 mg L^-1). The source of sulphur was mainly pyrite oxidation, but residual sulphur probably remained from the enrichment process. The near-neutral pH favoured precipitation of metal-(oxy)hydroxides with subsequent removal of trace elements such as Cd, Cu and Pb (< 15 μg L^-1) from the solutions. High concentrations of Co, Mn, Ni, and Zn were found in leachates from the apatite, Trisoplast, and uncovered tailings cells. High As concentrations were found in the leachates in the sewage sludge and clayey till cells. The lowest metal concentrations, redox potential, and highest pH were found in the sewage sludge cell. Decreased elemental metal concentrations during 2004 suggest improved performance over time.     

Modelling of Specific Moisture Extraction Rate and Leakage Ratio in a Condensing Tumble Dryer

The use of tumble dryers in households is becoming more common. Tumble dryers, however, consume large amounts of electric energy. A statistical model over the tumble dryer is created from a design of experiments. The model will be used to find the best settings for the power supply to the heater, the internal airflow and the external airflow in order to reach a high specific moisture extraction rate (SMER) and a low leakage ratio of water vapour. The aim also involves explaining the trends of the SMER and the leakage ratio based on the physics of the tumble dryer drying process. A statistically significant model, which can be used for improving the SMER and leakage ratio, was established from 19 experiments in a condensing tumble dryer. The results show that a high power supply to the heater, a high internal airflow and a low external airflow give the highest SMER values. This combination of settings also results in the largest leakage ratio values for the dryer. Leakage is most affected by the external airflow.     

A GC–MS-based metabonomic investigation of blood serum from irritable bowel syndrome patients undergoing intervention with acidified milk products

In the present study, the use of gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS)-based metabonomics to characterize blood serum in an intervention study of patients suffering from the common gastrointestinal disorder irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) was investigated. The patients included in the study consumed an acidified milk product with (n = 30) or without probiotics (n = 31) (Lactobacillus paracasei F19, Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 and Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12) for an 8-week period, and blood serum samples were collected before and after the intervention. Acidified milk is commonly used as a delivering vector for probiotics in commercial consumer settings. The serum samples were extracted and derivatized using N-Methyl-N-(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide (MSTFA), and GC–MS analysis was carried out. Multivariate data analysis including principal component analysis (PCA), orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), and S-plot was applied on the obtained GC–MS data, which revealed higher serum lactate, glutamine, proline creatinine/creatine, and aspartic acid levels and lower serum glucose levels after the intervention period for both treatment groups. Consequently, the present study indicated an effect of acidified milk consumption on the plasma metabolite profile, which was independent of a concomitant intake of probiotics. In addition, the present study demonstrates that GC–MS is a useful analytical technique for metabonomics studies of blood serum.     

Fault handling for a wind farm with an internal DC collection grid

As a result of the increased wind power penetration, there are increased requirements for robustness of the wind farms during disturbances and faults. The wind farms are required to stay connected during short grid faults, and also, the disturbances as a result of internal faults should be minimized. In this paper, the fault ride‐through properties during external faults for a wind farm with an internal direct current (DC) grid are investigated. A safe detection of the fault is derived, as well as the reconnection procedure after the fault has been cleared. Also, the operation during internal faults has been investigated, focusing on the faults in the DC bus. It has been shown that the wind farm with an internal DC grid can operate through faults in the external grid and reconnect well within the requirements stated in the grid codes. Further, methods for detection of internal faults are derived, and it was shown that a faulted part can be disconnected and the non‐faulted parts can be back in operation within 100 ms using a DC breaker in each radial and within 300 ms without DC breakers. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Students' conceptions of matter.

The aim of this study was to reveal how upper level compulsory school students (13 to 16 years old) conceptualize matter. Twenty individually administered interviews were carried out, transcribed word for word and analyzed in accordance with the phenomenographic approach adopted. Six distinctively different conceptions were found. Matter can be understood as (a) homogeneous substance, (b) substance units, (c) substance units with "small atoms," (d) aggregate of particles, (e) particle units, or (f) systems of particles. Differences in focus constitute a variation in the internal structure of each conception. There are also alternative forms of the same conception in some cases. The different conceptions, their varying internal structures, and the alternative forms of conceptions found are logically interrelated in a system, called the "outcome space," which depicts how thinking about matter may vary qualitatively between and within students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Direct and indirect model reference adaptive control

The paper considers the control of an unknown linear time-invariant plant using Direct and Indirect Model Reference Adaptive Control. Employing a specific controller structure and the concept of positive realness, adaptive laws are derived using Indirect Control which are identical to those obtained in the case of Direct Control. The stability questions that arise are also shown to be the same. Simulation results using the new scheme are presented for the control of both stable and unstable plants.     

A study of sulfur bridges in filled natural rubber vulcanizates by pyrolysis gas chromatography with flame-photometric detection

Natural rubber vulcanizates of two formulations, with sulfur/N-cyclohexyl-2-benzothiazolesulfenamide (CBS) and tetramethylthiuram disulfide (TMTD), respectively, were analyzed by pyrolysis gas chromatography. A sulfur-selective flame-photometric detector was utilized. The main pyrolysis products were identified as CS₂ and some thiophenes. The yields of the pyrolysis products from the two types of rubber were very different. The yields also varied with the curing time of the rubbers.     

A Gel‐Based Model of Selective Cell Motility: Implications for Cell Sorting,Diagnostics, and Screening

The ability to precisely control cell‐loaded material systems is essential for in vitro testing of novel therapeutics poised to advance to clinic. In this report, unique patterns of cell migration are devised into an in vitro gel‐in‐gel model for the purpose of obtaining cell response data to potentially therapeutic chemical agonists. The model consists of co‐cultures in a cell‐loaded microgel invading an acellular “sorting” gel. Material properties including biophysical and chemical compositions of the sorting gel are carefully controlled to guide a desired cell‐specific behavior, leading to massive tumor cell invasion by amoeboid migration mechanisms. Optical transparency enables straightforward and high‐throughput measurements of outgrowth response in the presence of either chemical and photoradiation therapy. Important dosing and drug sensitivity information are obtained with the gel‐in‐gel model using no more than a light microscope, without further need for arduous genomic or proteomic screening of the tissue samples.     

Antibacterial activity of fullerene water suspensions (nC60) is not due to ROS-mediated damage

The cytotoxic and antibacterial properties of nC 60, a buckminsterfullerene water suspension, have been attributed to photocatalytically generated reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, in this work, neither ROS production nor ROS-mediated damage is found in nC 60-exposed bacteria. Furthermore, the colorimetric methods used to evaluate ROS production and damage are confounded by interactions between nC 60 and the reagents, yielding false positives. Instead, we propose that nC 60 exerts ROS-independent oxidative stress, thus reconciling conflicting results in the literature.     

Field assessment of lead immobilization in a contaminated soil after phosphate application

A pilot-scale field demonstration was conducted at a Pb-contaminated site to assess the effectiveness of Pb immobilization using P amendments. The test site was contaminated by past battery recycling activities, with average soil Pb concentration of 1.16%. Phosphate amendments were applied at a 4.0 molar ratio of P/Pb with three treatments: T1, 100% P from H(3)PO(4); T2, 50% from H(3)PO(4)+50% from Ca(H(2)PO(4))(2); and T3, 50% from H(3)PO(4)+5% phosphate rock. Soil samples were collected and characterized 220 days after P application. Surface soil pH was reduced from 6.45 to 5.05 in T1, to 5.22 in T2, and to 5.71 in T3. Phosphate treatments effectively transformed up to 60% of total soil Pb from the non-residual fraction (sum of water soluble and exchangeable, carbonate, Fe-Mn oxide, and organic fractions) to the residual fraction relative to the control. In addition, P treatments reduced Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) Pb from 82 mg l(-1) to below EPA's regulatory level of 5 mg l(-1) in the surface soil. Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray elemental analysis and X-ray diffraction analysis indicated formation of insoluble chloropyromorphite [Pb(5)(PO(4))(3)Cl] mineral in the P-treated soils. Although H(3)PO(4) is necessary to dissolve meta-stable Pb in soil for further lead immobilization, it should be used with caution due to its potential secondary contamination. A mixture of H(3)PO(4) and Ca(H(2)PO(4))(2) or phosphate rock was effective in immobilizing Pb with minimum adverse impacts associated with pH reduction.