Surface Runoff and Drought Assessment Using Global Water Resources Datasets - from Oum Er Rbia Basin to the Moroccan Country Scale

Water Resources Management - Precipitation and surface runoff vary strongly in space and time across Morocco. The country’s water management is primarily governed at the basin level,...     

Epoxy coatings containing clays and organoclays: Effect of the filler and its water content on the UV-curing process

UV-cured coatings were prepared by photoinitiated cationic ring-opening polymerisation of epoxides in the presence of natural montmorillonite and different organically modified clays (5 wt%). The curing was monitored by FTIR in real time while irradiating the formulations by UV light. Significant changes of both the rate of curing and the final conversion were found. Only in the presence of a suitable montmorillonite and after a suitable pre-treatment, the process showed the same polymerisation rate, guaranteed a higher conversion than the neat epoxide and the formation of intercalated nanostructured coatings.     

Diffusion-relaxation coupling in polymers which show two-stage sorption phenomena

The diffusion behaviour of swollen polymer films in interval sorption experiments cannot be explained satisfactorily by the available models for diffusion into polymeric materials, and compels us to accept that the state of the swollen polymer should be characterized not only by the state variables such as temperature and pressure but also by a ‘degree of swelling’. The concept of activity parameter as an internal state variable is introduced as an yardstick for the degree of swelling and the rate of evolution of this has been related directly to the concept of relaxation time. Assuming a simple empirical constitutive rate equation for the physical process involved, asymptotic as well as the complete solution of the proposed mathematical model are developed and the results agree well with the available experimental data on two-stage sorption.     

Effect of amines in anionic polymerization of caprolactam

The effect of various amines in anionic polymerization of caprolactam has been investigated. Experiments have been carried out below the polymer melting point. The results are discussed and explained on the basis of imide–amine interaction.     

Lipid composition and mitochondrial respiration in warm- and cold-adapted sea bass

The response to cold of liver and heart membrane lipid composition and mitochondrial respiration in reared sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) was investigated. Fish acclimation was followed during the natural seasonal cycle from August to March. The data on the fatty acid composition of liver and heart polar lipids and on total lipids of liver mitochondria and microsomes did not indicate any increase in unsaturation in response to cold. The enzyme complexes of the liver and heart mitochondrial respiratory chain showed a repeated negative compensation for cold acclimation. The constancy of the break in the Arrhenius plot of liver cytochrome oxidase (EC 1.9.3.1) was consistent with the lack of homeoviscous adaptation of membrane lipids. A thermoadaptive strategy based on the reduction of sea bass metabolic activity is suggested.     

High temperature electrolysis using Molten Carbonate Electrolyzer

Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells (MCFC) are a well-developed and commercial technology that can operate also as an electrolyzer producing hydrogen from steam. In this study, a system for the production of hydrogen based on Molten Carbonate Electrolyzer (MCE) is presented. The system receives, as an external input, water and recovers internally the additional gas streams required as input to the electrolyzer. The system products are, separately, pure oxygen and hydrogen. A calculation sheet was implemented to analyze the energy equilibrium and gas mix compositions. The system can produce 0.074 Nl h^?1 cm^?2 of hydrogen with an inlet power density of 0.213 W cm^?2 for an energy consumption of 3.40 kWh Nm_H2^?3. Sensitivity studies on current density, utilization factors of both steam and CO₂ were analyzed considering energy equilibrium of the stack unit and the post processing processes. Results show how current density has higher impact on system equilibrium compared to the other parameters.     

Biogas use in high temperature fuel cells: Enhancement of KOH-KI activated carbon performance toward H2S removal

Activated carbons (ACs) treated with KOH-KI are very effective sorbents for deep H₂S removal, as required by biogas use in high temperature fuel cell systems. For this application, the performance of a commercial KOH-KI treated AC was investigated through a systematic study based on dynamic adsorption tests. With reference to the composition of a real biogas produced in a wastewater treatment plant located in Barcelona, the present work presents a sensitivity performance analysis on singular and synergetic effects of gas matrix, humidity and oxygen on AC KOH-KI performance.The results revealed a positive role of water (up to 90% of relative humidity (R.H.)) for different gas matrices, enhanced by the simultaneous presence of small percentages of oxygen (2%_v). A relevant influence of gas matrix composition was found (except for the case of oxygen addition to dry inlet streams), specifically in terms of a marked negative effect of CO₂ and a significant sorption capacity increase for high percentage of methane. Sulfur dioxide was not detected in the outlet gas-phase for the investigated operating parameters (O₂ 2%_v, R.H. 0–90%, H₂S 100 ppm_v, temperature 45 °C). Therefore, even in the case of further oxidation of adsorbed elemental sulfur to SO₂, this product could be completely removed by AC KOH-KI.     

Carburization and tensile behavior of alloy 800 in liquid sodium

The carbon transfer has been analyzed in the Alloy 800/sodium/stainless steel system by determining the carbon-uptake of Alloy 800 foils, which were exposed in liquid sodium of known carburizing potential. p ]Under equilibrium conditions between 650 and 550°C the measured total carbon concentrations in the Alloy 800 labs were found to be roughly related to the carbon activities of the sodium environment by the equation already stated for the $\text{18Cr-}\text{8}\text{10}$ Ni stainless steels, extrapolated to the chemical composition of the Ni-rich austenitic alloy. However the Alloy 800 was not found to undergo any decarburization in low-carbon activity environments. The carbon diffusion kinetics was determined as a function of temperature, it was found to be similar to that reported for the AISI-304 type of steel. p ]The effects of sodium exposure on microstructural and mechanical properties of several Alloy 800 heats were examined at 550°C as a function of the active carbon concentration in the sodium and of the $\text{Ti}\text{C}$ ratio in the alloys.     

Feasibility study for the remediation of groundwater contaminated by organolead compounds

The aim of this research was to assess the effectiveness of chemical oxidation, Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) and adsorption on granular activated carbon (GAC) for the ex situ remediation of a groundwater contaminated by organolead compounds, including tetraethyl lead (TEL), triethyl lead (TREL) and diethyl lead (DEL). The groundwater of concern was collected from the site of a former tetraalkyllead producing company in Trento (Italy), and showed an average total organic lead (TOL) content about 95.1 microg/L (TEL 0.5 microg/L, TREL 86.4 microg/L, DEL 8.3 microg/L). The main target of the study was to find out which method was more effective in reducing the pollutant content. For this purpose, several laboratory tests were performed, including chemical oxidation tests with different reactants (hydrogen peroxide, modified Fenton's reagent, potassium permanganate, activated potassium persulfate, oxygen and combinations of potassium permanganate and modified Fenton's reagent), AOPs with ozone, UV radiation and hydrogen peroxide and filtration on granular activated carbon. A combination of chemical and physical treatments was also tested, with GAC filtration followed by chemical oxidation. According to the results achieved, the treatments which showed the best remediation performances were: chemical oxidation with modified Fenton's reagent, AOPs with hydrogen peroxide and ozone (perozone), AOPs with hydrogen peroxide and UV radiation, and the combined treatment with activated carbon filtration followed by chemical oxidation with perozone. All these treatments showed a 90% TOL removal, with excellent removals of both TEL and TREL, and final DEL concentrations below 5 microg/L.