n‐Alkane distributions in soil and water samples collected near Agbabu bitumen field of southwestern Nigeria

Soil and water samples from the vicinity of Agbabu bitumen field of Southwestern Nigeria were analysed by GC‐FID for n‐alkanes, in order to characterize their distributions and to gather information on the degree of contamination by bitumen exploration and processing and other biogenic contributions. Total concentrations of n‐alkanes in water and soil samples analysed ranged from 61.5 to 472.7 µg L^?1 and 422.8 to 2289.4 ng g^?1 dw, respectively. On the basis of the total n‐alkane concentrations, carbon preference index (CPI) values and the odd‐even carbon predominance, it is suggested that both natural (e.g. aquatic input) and anthropogenic (e.g. bitumen and synthetics) sources contribute to the n‐alkanes load in soil and water samples of the area studied.     

Bio-directed synthesis of gold nanoparticles using Ananas comosus aqueous leaf extract and their photocatalytic activity for LDPE degradation

A bio-directed synthesis of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) was developed via the reduction of hydrogen tetrachloroaurate (III) (HAuCl₄·3H₂O) solution by the aqueous leaf extract of Ananas comosus. The polyphenol stabilized Au NPs were characterized by UV–visible, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD)/selected area electron diffraction (SAED), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analyses. The HRTEM images revealed that Au NPs were well dispersed with spherical structures. The size ranges from 7.39 to 32.09 nm with average particle size of 18.85 ± 6.74 nm. The peaks of XRD analysis at (2θ) 37.96°, 44.06°, 64.54°, 77.50° and 81.73° were respectively assigned to (1 1 1), (2 0 0), (2 2 0), (3 1 1) and (2 2 2) planes of the face-centered cubic (fcc) lattice of gold. The photocatalytic potential of Au NPs was studied through the solid-phase degradation of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film. The photoinduced degradation of LDPE@Au nanocomposite film was higher than that of the pure LDPE film. The weight loss of LDPE@Au (1.0 wt%) nanocomposite film steadily increased and reached 51.4 ± 4.8% in 240 h under solar light irradiation, compared to the photo-induced LDPE with only 8.6 ± 0.7%. However, LDPE film with 1.0% Au NPs gave a weight loss value of 4.72 ± 0.71 under the dark condition at the end of 240 h. Thus, LDPE film with 1.0% Au NPs showed a degradation efficiency of 90.8% under solar irradiation after 240 h. The sustainability of the nanoparticles was confirmed through reusability in the photocatalytic degradation reaction up to five consecutive cycles without substantial loss in its catalytic performance.     

Cuttability Investigation of Coated Carbides

The cutting performance of CVD-Ti(C,N)/Al₂O₃(Tl), CVD-Ti(C,N)/Al₂O₃/ TiN(T2) and PVD-TiN(T3) coated inserts was investigated in the dry turning of a low alloy steel. The PVD-TiN single-layer coated insert presented a better cutting performance based on wear and material removal indices than the CVD multilayer coated inserts at low feed rate. At high feed rate, it was the CVD-Ti(C,N)/Al₂O₃ coated insert that gave the best cutting performance. While excessive nose wear and plastic deformation limited the tool lives of Tl and T2, it was chipping/fracture for T3. Cutting temperature was deduced to have more effect on chip serrations than did degree of work hardening; with PVD-TiN inducing the highest degree of work hardening and lowest cutting temperature. Microstructural evidence also suggested brittle deformation and dissolution/diffusion as the wear mechanisms on T3, and plastic deformation, interfacial, and surface fatigue cracks were the observed phenomena for Tl and T2.     

Evaluation of Machining Performance of Martensitic Stainless Steel (JETHETE)

Two grades of coated carbide tools [CVD-Ti(C,N)/TiC/Al₂O₃ (T1) and PVD-TiN (T2)] were used in wet and dry turning of a martensitic stainless steel under various cutting conditions in order to assess the effect of the substrate and coating materials during machining. Microstructural alterations of the machined surfaces are predominantly plastic deformation of grain boundaries in addition to untempered and overtempered martensites. The use of an emulsified general-purpose oil as coolant increased tool life of the CVD multilayer coated insert grade and resulted in failure by fracture of the PVD-TiN-coated carbide grade due to its sharp cutting edge, reduced hardness caused by high cutting temperature, pitting corrosion of the TiN coating and the hammering effect of the flowing chip on the rake face.     

生物质热裂解实验和模型研究(英文)

The analysis on the feedstock pyrolysis characteristic and the impacts of process parameters on pyrolysis outcomes can assist in the designing,operating and optimizing pyrolysis processes.This work aims to utilize both experimental and modelling approaches to perform the analysis on three biomass feedstocks—wood sawdust,bamboo shred and Jatropha Curcas seed cake residue,and to provide insights for the design and operation of pyrolysis processes.For the experimental part,the study investigated the effect of heating rate,final pyrolysis temperature and sample size on pyrolysis using common thermal analysis techniques.For the modelling part,a transient mathematical model that integrates the feedstock characteristic from the experimental study was used to simulate the pyrolysis progress of selected biomass feedstock particles for reactor scenarios.The model composes of several sub-models that describe pyrolysis kinetic and heat flow,particle heat transfer,particle shrinking and reactor operation.With better understanding of the effects of process conditions and feedstock characteristics on pyrolysis through both experimental and modelling studies,this work discusses on the considerations of and interrelation between feedstock size,pyrolysis energy usage,processing time and product quality for the design and operation of pyrolysis processes.