Arsenic removal with iron(II) and iron(III) in waters with high silicate and phosphate concentrations

Arsenic removal by passive treatment, in which naturally present Fe(II) is oxidized by aeration and the forming iron(III) (hydr)oxides precipitate with adsorbed arsenic, is the simplest conceivable water treatment option. However, competing anions and low iron concentrations often require additional iron. Application of Fe(II) instead of the usually applied Fe(III) is shown to be advantageous, as oxidation of Fe(II) by dissolved oxygen causes partial oxidation of As(III) and iron(III) (hydr)oxides formed from Fe(II) have higher sorption capacities. In simulated groundwater (8.2 mM HCO3(-), 2.5 mM Ca2+, 1.6 mM Mg2+, 30 mg/L Si, 3 mg/L P, 500 ppb As(III), or As(V), pH 7.0 +/- 0.1), addition of Fe(II) clearly leads to better As removal than Fe(III). Multiple additions of Fe(II) further improved the removal of As(II). A competitive coprecipitation model that considers As(III) oxidation explains the observed results and allows the estimation of arsenic removal under different conditions. Lowering 500 microg/L As(III) to below 50 microg/L As(tot) in filtered water required > 80 mg/L Fe(III), 50-55 mg/L Fe(II) in one single addition, and 20-25 mg/L in multiple additions. With As(V), 10-12 mg/L Fe(II) and 15-18 mg/L Fe(III) was required. In the absence of Si and P, removal efficiencies for Fe(II) and Fe(III) were similar: 30-40 mg/L was required for As(II), and 2.0-2.5 mg/L was required for As(V). In a field study with 22 tubewells in Bangladesh, passive treatment efficiently removed phosphate, but iron contents were generally too low for efficient arsenic removal.     

SUPERCRITICAL AND SUB-CRITICAL FLUID SOLVENT EFFECTS ON A DIELS-ALDER REACTION

The effect of pressure on the measured bimolecular rate constant of the Diels-Alder reaction between maleic anhydride and isoprene was investigated in supercritical CO₂ and sub-critical propane. The reaction was carried out at 35°C in CO₂ and 80°C in propane. Measured bimolecular rate constants are also compared to predictions from the thermodynamic pressure effect using transilion state theory and the Peng-Robinson equation of state. The rate constants in supercritical C0₂ agreed closely with the thermodynamic pressure effect predictions over the entire pressure range. Furthermore, the mole fraction based rate constants were found to vary linearly with the density of the solution. The rate constants in the sub-critical propane solvent significantly diverged from the thermodynamic pressure effect predictions and were found to deviate from this linear density dependence at the lower pressures studied. The results are interpreted in the context of local reactant concentrations about the reacting maleic anhydride and solvent-solute and cosolvent-solute interactions.     

Influence of normal alcohols on the abrasive wear of glass

Normal alcohols were used as cutting fluids in a study of friction and wear of soda lime silicate glass against silicon carbide. Abrasion surfaces were 600 grit silicon carbide paper and a roughened plate of hot-pressed silicon carbide. As the alcohol chain length increased, the coefficient of friction decreased. This result was attributed in part to better lubrication of the abrading surfaces by the long chain length alcohols. The wear rate and the coefficient of friction were strongly dependent on pullout of carbide grains from the silicon carbide paper. Wear on fresh abrasive paper was independent of alcohol chain length. As the paper becomes used, long chain length alcohols were more effective cutting fluids. On the silicon carbide plate, the wear rate decreased in a non-linear fashion as the alcohol chain length increased. For all conditions, the highest wear rate and coefficient of friction were obtained in water. Data are explained in terms of classical theories of friction and wear.     

Chromatic dispersion and bandshape improvement of SOI flatband AWG multi/demultiplexers by phase-error correction

By measuring the phase and amplitude distribution of the optical paths in a flatband arrayed waveguide grating, the array mask was redesigned to correct for the slow varying phase errors within the array waveguides, leading to a reduction in both the chromatic dispersion across the passband of the device and in the transmission band tilt.     

Ultraviolet-visible metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors fabricated from InxGa1−xN (0≤x≤0.13)

Metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetectors have been fabricated on In_xGa_1−xN epitaxial films grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition within the composition range 0≤x≤0.13. The dark current and spectral response were measured for devices with a varying In mole fraction x. The devices, which had nominal finger widths and finger spacing of 5 μm, were biased with modest voltages in the range 2≤V_bias≤5 V. In general, turn-on wave-length and dark current increased with increasing x. Turn-on wavelengths ranged from λ=370 nm to 430 nm and dark current densities ranged from I_dark=2×10⁻² A/cm² (V_bias=5 V, x≈0.05) to 9×10⁴ A/cm² (V_bias=2 V, x≈0.13) depending on the In content, x, of the device active area.     

Long term assessment of a hybrid electrochemical treatment

Monitoring the performance of systems installed to protect against/halt the corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete is essential in ensuring that the reinforcing bar (rebar) is adequately protected and remains in a non‐corroding state. A chloride contaminated concrete test block containing a hybrid anode system has been periodically monitored over the past 4.5 years to assess the anode current output and thus, the protection offered to the steel. De‐polarisation and impedance analysis data have been acquired to calculate steel corrosion rates. Both tests indicated that the steel was passive in the concrete environment and that the anode was able to protect all of the embedded steel despite the difficult geometry of the sample. It was also found that after 2 years it was still possible to drive a high current from the installed anode.