A study of the corrosion properties of plasma nitrocarburized and oxidized AISI 1020 steels

Plasma nitrocarburized AISI 1020 steels were oxidized for 15, 30 and 60 min to evaluate their corrosion and microstructural properties. After plasma nitrocarburizing for 3 h at 570°C in a gas mixture comprising 85 vol.% N₂, 12vol.% H₂ and 3 vol.% CH₄, the compound layer composed of ɛ-Fe_2–3(N,C) and γ’-Fe₄(N,C) phases and the diffusion layer above the matrix were observed. The top oxide layer, consisting mainly of magnetite (Fe₂O₄) and hematite (Fe₂O₃) phases, forms after post-oxidation treatment at 500°C. However, the oxide layer was severely degraded by spallation as a result of increases in post-oxidizing time. The difference in corrosion resistance should be attributed to the thickness of the top oxide layer, which was governed by post-oxidizing time.     

Preparation of zeolitic adsorbents from waste coal fly ash

Power plants burning coal generate a large amount of fly ash as waste matter. The objective of this study is to produce zeolitic adsorbents that possesses high adsorptive capacity for toxic cations. The sample was first pretreated with a High Intensity Magnetic Separator for the removal of iron and magnetic materials (mainly Fe₂O₃ and TiO₂). The zeolitic adsorbents were prepared under the various conditions of NaOH concentration (1–5 N), reaction time from 3 to 96 hours and at the various temperatures of 60, 80 and 100°C. The results of the experiment showed that the coal fly ash should be synthesized with 4 N NaOH for 48 hours at 100°C in order to have good adsorptive capacity. The zeolitic adsorbents showed higher cation exchange capacity values than the natural zeolite in removing NH ₄ ⁺ , Pb²⁺, Ca²⁺and Cd²⁺ions.     

Mechanical properties and morphology of polymer blends of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and semiflexible thermotropic liquid crystalline polyesters

Two thermotropic liquid crystalline polyesters (TLCPs) with long flexible spacer groups in the main chain were prepared by melt polymerization: one was a homopolymer with only decane groups (LCPHO) and the other was a copolymer with hexane or decane groups (LCPCO) between mesogen units. These polyesters were blended with a matrix polymer of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the excellent interfacial adhesion between polyester and PET, and the large aspect ratio of polyester microfibrils in the blend fiber made by extruding and drawing the blend through a die. The aspect ratio was estimated by using the modified Halpin-Tsai equation. The fiber with LCPHO showed more extensive fibril formation than that with LCPCO.     

New Process for the Preparation of Monodispersed, Spherical Silica Particles

A new method is presented for preparing highly monodispersed silica particles using a two-stage semibatch/batch hydrolysis reaction of Si(OC₂H₅)₄. The slower rate of hydrolysis of the tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) that occurred during the semibatch process resulted in larger silica particles with a higher yield and narrower size distribution. This was in direct contrast to the batch process. In addition, the ability of four different mixed processes to produce silica particles with good packing density, narrower particle-size distribution, and higher yield were evaluated. These were batch/batch (B-B), batch/semibatch (B-S), semibatch/batch (S-B), and semibatch/semibatch (S-S) processes. The S-S system produced the largest particles with the highest yields. The size of the silica particles obtained by the S-B method decreased with increasing reaction time, while the particles obtained by the B-S process had the best particle-size distribution and packing density. In conclusion, a mixed batch/semibatch system was the best way to produce an extremely narrow particle-size distribution and a good packing density.     

Oxidative stability of high-fatty acid rice bran oil at different stages of refining

The contents of natural antioxidants and the oxidative stability of rice bran oils at different refining steps were determined. Tocopherols and oryzanols were constant in crude and degummed oils but decreased in alkali-refined, bleached and deodorized oils. The process of degumming, alkali-refining, bleaching and deodorization removed 34% of the tocopherols and 51% of the oryzanols. During storage of deodorized oil for 7 wk, 34% of the tocopherols and 19% of the oryzanols were lost. The maximum weight gain, peroxide value and anisidine value were obtained from alkali-refined oil during storage. The order of oxidation stability was crude ≥ degummed > bleached = deodorized > alkali-refined oil.     

Production of antimicrobially active silk proteins by use of metal‐containing dyestuffs

The work presented here discusses a new technique for preparing silk fibers and films with persistent antimicrobial activity through use of metallic dyestuffs during the fiber dyeing process. The length of the silk fibers investigated contracted when the fibers were immersed in concentrated neutral salt solutions, such as calcium or potassium nitrate, at elevated temperature levels. The birefringence and molecular orientation of the silk fibroin molecules became less ordered by the action of the neutral salt solutions, resulting in increased dyestuff absorption. Subsequently, contracted silk fibers were dyed with metallic dyestuffs containing Cr or Cu for the purpose of obtaining silk fibers with antimicrobial activity. Silk fibers dyed with metallic dyestuffs showed significant antimicrobial activity against the plant pathogen Cornebacterium and the human pathogen Coli bacillus. Tensile strength of the silk fibers after the salt shrinking and dyeing processes did not show a significant change, whereas the elongation at break was increased slightly. The techniques described here for preparing significantly active antimicrobial silk fibers are effective and economic ways of providing new materials for industrial and biomedical applications. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 1181–1188, 2002     

NO emission of oxygen-enriched CH4/O2/N2 premixed flames under electric field

This work investigates the electric field effect on nitrogen oxide (NO) pollutant formation and emission composition of premixed flames in order to provide better insight on the mechanism of controlling the combustion process by electro-physical means. The present study aims to investigate experimentally the effect of radial DC electric field on premixed laminar methane flame. The electric field effect on flame shape, emission composition and NO emission index of flame is investigated experimentally under the action of direct-current electric field under varying equivalence ratio and level of oxygen enrichment. The results show that ionic wind effects cause the distortion in flame shape. The ionic wind effects diminish with increasing flow rate and level of oxygen enrichment. Minimal effects on NO are measured for flames under the influence of electric field and vanished as the level of oxygen enrichment is increased. This was well supported by the temperature profile measurement in the post flame gas showing no field-induced modification also. It seemed that the action of an electric field on a flame with a geometry that remains practically undeformed produces very minimal effect on pollutant emission.     

An apparent kinetic model for the carbonation of calcium oxide by carbon dioxide

For the apparent kinetics of the carbonation reaction of calcium oxide by carbon dioxide, as a kind of noncatalytic gas–solid reaction, a model equation has been proposed as follows: X=kbt/(b+t), where X is the conversion of CaO; k, a kinetic rate constant (time⁻¹); b, a constant (time) equivalent to the time taken to attain half the ultimate conversion of CaO, and t, the time. As a result of analyses for some literature-reported data of CaO-carbonation conversion, it has been found that the rate of the carbonation can be well represented by dX/dt=k(1−X/X_u)², where X_u is the ultimate conversion of CaO, which is given by the product of two parametric constants, k and b. The constants k and b in the two rate control regimes of CaO-carbonation, chemical reaction control and diffusion control, have been determined as functions of temperature, respectively. The activation energy in the carbonation of surface CaO with CO₂ is estimated to about 72 kJ/mol regardless of the sources of CaO, however, that in the diffusion control regime appears differently as 102.5 (mesoporous CaO) or 189.3 kJ/mol (commercial-available CaO), possibly due to the morphological differences of the two CaO samples. From a practical point of view, the simple model equation proposed in this study deserves attention in that the CaO-carbonation behavior at working temperatures higher than 700 °C could be closely predicted.     

Feasibility of Sludge Ozonation for Stabilization and Conditioning

A pilot-scale sludge treatment plant was built to investigate the feasibility of ozonation processes for waste activated sludge treatment. Ozonation of wastewater sludge resulted in mass reduction by mineralization as well as by supernatant and filtrate recycle. Another advantage of sludge ozonation is a significant improvement of settleability and dewaterability. Experimental results showed that mass reduction of 70% and volume reduction of 85% compared with the control sludge was achieved through the sludge ozonation at a dose of 0.5?gO₃/gDS. It is also interesting to note that the filterability deteriorates up to ozone dose of 0.2?gO₃/gDS and then improves considerably at a higher ozone dose. The filterability could be improved by chemical conditioning even at a low ozone dose. The economic feasibility by cost analysis reveals that ozonation processes can be more economical than other alternative processes for sludge treatment and disposal at small-sized wastewater treatment plants.     

Synthesis and characterization of new aromatic polyimides containing well‐defined conjugation units

A series of aromatic polyimides composed of well‐defined conjugation units were synthesized form 5,5′‐bis(4‐aminophenyl)‐2,2′‐bifuryl (PFDA) and 2,2′‐bis(furyl) benzidine (FurylBZ) with various dianhydrides. The synthesized polyimides emit blue to green light with a quantum yield of 7.3–14.9%, depending on the polymer backbone. In particular, PFDA‐based polymers exhibit extremely narrow photo‐luminescence. The structure, thermal stability, refractive index and dielectric properties of the polymer films were also determined.