Mineral admixtures in mortars: Quantification of the physical effects of inert materials on short-term hydration

This work is the second part of an overall project, the aim of which is the development of general mix design rules for concrete containing different kinds of mineral admixtures. The first part presented the separation of the different physical effects responsible for changes in cement hydration when chemically inert quartz powders are used in mortars. This second part describes the development of an empirical model, based on semiadiabatic calorimetry measurements, which leads to the quantification of the enhancement of cement hydration due to the heterogeneous nucleation effect at short hydration times. Experimental results show that not all the admixture particles participate in the heterogeneous nucleation process. Consequently, the concept of efficient surface S_eff is introduced in the model. S_eff is the total admixture surface S (m² of mineral admixture/kg of cement) weighted by a function ξ(p). The efficiency function ξ(p) depends only on the replacement rate p and is independent of time, fineness and type of mineral admixture used. It decreases from 1 to 0: Low replacement rates give an efficiency value near 1, which means that all admixture particles enhance the hydration process. An efficiency value near 0 is obtained for high replacement rates, which indicates that, from the hydration point of view, an excess of inert powder does not lead to an increase in the amount of hydrates compared with the reference mortar without mineral admixture. The empirical model, which is mainly related to the specific surface area of the admixtures, quantifies the variation of the degree of hydration induced by the use of inert mineral admixtures. One application of the model, coupled with Powers' law, is the prediction of the short-term compressive strength of mortars.     

Mineral admixtures in mortars effect of type, amount and fineness of fine constituents on compressive strength

This work is the third part of an overall project the aim of which is the development of general mix design rules for concrete containing different kinds of mineral admixtures (also named mineral additions or mineral constituents). It deals with the compressive strength of mortars made with up to 75% of crushed quartz, limestone filler or fly ash of different fineness. The paper presents all the experimental results as a sort of database and emphasizes the effects on strength of the nature, amount and fineness of mineral admixtures. For short hydration times (1 to 2 days), the nature of mineral admixture is not a significant parameter, as mortars containing the same amount of different kinds of admixtures having equivalent fineness present similar strengths. For long hydration times (up to 6 months), the excess strength due to fly ash pozzolanic activity is quantified by the difference between the strengths of mortars containing the same proportions of inert and pozzolanic admixtures with the same fineness. In the case of inert mineral admixtures, the increase in strength with the fineness of mineral admixtures cannot be explained by the filler effect, but can be attributed to the physical effect of heterogeneous nucleation. In the next part of this work, these results will be used for the elaboration of an empirical model leading to the quantification of both physical and chemical effects. This model presents strong similarities with the previous model based on calorimetric results.     

Experimental study of paddy drying in a vortex chamber

The intensification of interfacial mass, heat, and momentum transfer makes vortex chambers potentially interesting for the efficient drying of paddy, allowing shorter drying times and/or more compact equipment. The presence of a shell introduces particular challenges. Intraparticle diffusion limitations are strong and may reduce the advantage from intensified interfacial mass and heat transfer and the efficiency of air usage. Furthermore, high shear and normal stresses in the fast rotating particle bed may cause damage to the paddy shell, posing problems for transport and storage. With these specific aspects in mind, the use of vortex chambers for paddy drying is experimentally evaluated.     

Experimental study and numerical modeling of mixing by air injection in yield stress fluids using the OpenFOAM software

Mixing by gas injection is an operation used in industrial processes such as wastewater treatment, metallurgy, or methanization in which pressurized gas is injected into a fluid in order to reduce concentrations and temperatures gradients. This study demonstrates how the CFD toolbox OpenFOAM can be used to simulate such flows. Experimental measurements and observations have been performed on a pilot-scale reactor where pressurized air is injected in a yield stress fluid. The volume of fluid method and an adaptive mesh with refinement at the interface have been used to track the gas inclusions. The numerical model accuracy has been assessed by comparing experimental and numerical results related to the bubble's frequency, dimensions, and rising velocities as well as the fluid recirculation, yielded, and unyielded regions in the tank. The influence of injection parameters such as the injection flow rate and the fluid rheological parameters has been quantified.     

Properties of phyllosilicate-based porous ceramics shaped by conventional tape casting and freeze tape casting

Silicate ceramics were shaped using tape casting (TC) and freeze tape casting (FTC) processes from three clays labeled HCR, KORS, and KCR. These clays exhibited mass content of 77% halloysite–10 Å, 29% kaolinite, and 98% kaolinite minerals, respectively. After casting the slurries, the dried tapes were sintered at 1200°C. The microstructure changes were characterized before and after sintering using scanning electron microscopy. The apparent porosity of TC samples was lower (36–47 vol.%) compared to values obtained with FTC samples (67–79 vol.%). The latter samples exhibited a highly textured porosity, with micron-sized pores aligned perpendicular to the tape surfaces. Upon sintering, the porosity of TC samples tended to decrease conversely to the case of FTC samples. Such behavior seemed related to the simultaneous effect of organic additives and ice templating. Consequently, the FTC samples showed a relatively low mechanical strength of 3–7 MPa and thermal conductivity of .14– .22 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹. After sintering, the mullite crystallization contributed to strengthen the bulk materials, helping to compensate for the detrimental effect of porosity on the stress to rupture and on thermal conductivity values.     

Sintering of α-alumina for highly transparent ceramic applications

In this paper we present our results on the sintering of α alumina ceramics by hot isostatic pressing. It describes a simple method for obtaining precise relative density values on our almost 100% dense samples. Then, transparency results are discussed with respect to grain size and residual porosity measurements, comparing them to scattering calculations. Our results are not far from the best reported transmission values: almost 60% for a 1 mm thick sample. The other 40% diffuse light comes from the birefringence of alumina for the most part. However, they are transparent enough to see detailed structures at several kilometers through them.     

Catalytic steam gasification of Miscanthus X giganteus in fluidised bed reactor on olivine based catalysts

The Miscanthus X giganteus (MXG) presents many advantages (high yield, perennial crop, easy harvesting…) so it can be considered as a good candidate in terms of renewable energy sources. Several works have been carried out and were devoted to the MXG, especially in the agricultural field, but this study is the first which deals with gasification in order to produce syngas. The catalytic steam gasification of MXG in a fluidised bed reactor into presence of olivine based catalysts was investigated. Three parameters were studied, the temperature (800 °C and 900 °C), the pellets size (6 mm and 8 mm) and the nature of catalyst (olivine and Ni/olivine). Noteworthy is the efficiency shown by the Ni/olivine at 800 °C, which leads to the production of 1.7 m³ kg^− 1 daf of gas, containing 50% of H₂. Ni/olivine catalyst was characterised by XRD, TPR and SEM-EDX in order to monitor its structural changes during the process. Moreover, a solvent system of tar recovery was tested, which allows to obtain a more representative set of the whole tars. Then, the tars composition was determined by GC/MS. The identification of different compounds shows the presence of different PAHs, in majority naphthalene.     

Insight into β-Carotene Thermal Degradation in Oils with Multiresponse Modeling

The aim of this study was to gain further insight into β-carotene thermal degradation in oils. Multiresponse modeling was applied to experimental high-performance liquid chromatography–diode array detection (HPLC–DAD) data (trans-, 13-cis-, and 9-cis-β-carotene concentrations) during the heat treatments (120–180 °C) of two β-carotene-enriched oils, i.e., palm olein and copra. The test of different reaction schemes showed that β-carotene isomerization reactions were dominant and reversible. The resulting cis isomers and trans-β-carotene simultaneously underwent oxidation and cleavage reactions at the same rate constant. From the kinetic analysis, it appeared that—contrary to oxidation and cleavage reactions—isomerization rate constants did not follow the Arrhenius law. However, the isomerization equilibrium constant increased with temperature, favoring isomer production, particularly 9-cis-β-carotene. Its production was shown to be concomitant with oxidation and cleavage reactions, indicating that 9-cis-β-carotene could be a good degradation indicator during oil storage or processing.     

Access to new carbohydrate-functionalized polylactides via organocatalyzed ring-opening polymerization

The 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) catalyzed ring-opening polymerization of lactide using various carbohydrate initiators has been assessed for the functionalization of polylactide. Selectively protected glucose derivatives bearing a free primary alcohol (Glc-1r) and a free secondary alcohol (Glc-2r), glucose and cyclodextrin diol derivatives (Glc-diol and CD-diol), methyl-α-d-glucopyranoside (Glc-Me) and native β-cyclodextrin (CD) were used as initiators. According to the solubility of the carbohydrate derivative, the polymerizations were conducted in chlorinated solvents and in the bulk. Relatively narrow distributions are obtained in high yields in the absence of side reactions, affording a 100% functionalization efficiency. The catalytic synthesis of new carbohydrate link-functionalized polylactides and carbohydrate core star polylactides is reported.