Recovery of gold cyanide using inherently conducting polymers

Removal of gold from basic solutions containing [Au(CN)₂]^? has been demonstrated using the inherently conducting polymer polypyrrole. Polymers containing sulfonated aromatic dopants have been found to display a significant ability to remove gold from such solutions. Experiments performed in solutions containing both gold and copper cyanide complexes indicate that the recovery process is not highly selective. However, the polypyrroles used display significantly faster rates of gold recovery than activated carbon. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

High char‐yielding poly[acrylonitrile‐co‐(itaconic acid)‐co‐(methyl acrylate)]: synthesis and properties

Polyacrylonitrile terpolymers of various compositions consisting of acrylonitrile (AN), itaconic acid (IA) and methyl acrylate (MA) were synthesized by solution polymerization in dimethylsulfoxide. Increase in concentration of either IA or MA retarded the overall polymerization rate and the polymer molecular weight. The system consisting of AN + MA and varying IA concentration was more prone to retardation in comparison with the system composed of AN + IA with variable MA concentration. The retardation factors were quantified. Minor quantities of MA boost the reactivity of IA in the terpolymer system. The terpolymer was richer in MA vis‐à‐vis the feed. The thermal characteristics of the terpolymer were examined as a function of its composition. In contrast to the copolymer of AN and IA requiring 1–1.5 mol% IA, the terpolymer required an IA content of approximately 2.5 mol% for optimum thermal stability. The polymer with 90 mol% AN, 2.5 mol% IA and 7.5 mol% MA exhibited reasonably good char‐forming characteristics and thermal stability. The overall crystallinity and crystallite size of the polymers were found to decrease on incorporation of the comonomers. The ‘aromatization index’ of the copolymer increased with the temperature of pyrolysis through re‐organization of the tetrahydropyridine ladder structure. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Variations in Spectral Slope in Lake Taihu,a Large Subtropical Shallow Lake in China

Spectral slope (S), describing the exponential decrease of the absorption spectrum over a given wavelength range, is an important parameter in the study of of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) dynamics, and also an essential input parameter in remote sensing models. Furthermore, S is often used as a proxy for CDOM composition, including the ratio of fulvic to humic acids and molecular weight. The relative broad range in S values reported in the literature can be explained by the different spectral ranges and fitting methods used. A single exponential model is used to fit the S values for 17 investigations involving 458 samples in Lake Taihu from January to October in 2004. The average S value was 15.18 ± 1.39 μm⁻¹ for the range of 280–500 nm, which fell within the range reported in the literature. The frequency distribution of S value basically obeyed a normal distribution. Significant differences in S values between summer and other seasons showed that phytoplankton degradation was one of the important sources of CDOM in summer, whereas CDOM mainly came from the river input in other seasons. Furthermore, the estimated S value decreased with increasing wavelength range used in regression. The maximum and minimum values derived from the regression were 17.89 ± 1.25 μm⁻¹ and 13.62 ± 2.11 μm⁻¹ for the wavelength ranges of 280–380 nm and 400–500 nm, respectively, a decrease of 23.9%. S values significantly decreased with the increase of CDOM absorption coefficients. CDOM absorption coefficients could be more appropriately estimated from exponential model introducing the variation of S with absorption coefficients, making them useful for a remote sensing bio-optical model of Lake Taihu. DOC-specific absorption coefficient a*(λ) and the parameter M describing molecular size of the humic molecules could also be used as a proxy for the sources and types of CDOM. A general relationship was found between S and a*(λ), and M values. S increased with the decrease of DOC-specific absorption coefficient and the increase of M corresponding to the decrease of molecular weight.     

Evolution of BET internal surface area in glassy carbon powder during thermal oxidation

It is demonstrated that glassy carbon powder can be thermochemically activated. During activation, a film with open pores is created on the glassy carbon particles. This film has a large internal surface area, which is accessible to liquids and gases. A simple model for the evolution of the internal surface area in glassy carbon powder during thermochemical gas-phase oxidation is also presented and compared with experimental data. Experimental results are in qualitative agreement with the model. We found that a sharp particle size distribution is desirable with regard to potential technical applications.     

Vinyl acetate monomer—a pilot plant study

The kinetics of the reaction of acetic acid and acetylene over zinc acetate-activated carbon catalyst was investigated over a wide range of process variables in a pilot reactor. Although various catalytic reaction mechanisms were postulated, the rate of reaction was most satisfactorily correlated by a mechanism of surface reaction between charged adsorbed acetic acid and acetylene, which assumes that the rate controlling step was the irreversible charged adsorption of acetylene and acetic acid.     

Dynamic properties of carbon black filled chlorinated polyethylene/hindered phenol blends

Aggregates of carbon black (CB) in a polymer matrix have a tendency to form a CB network. The dynamic mechanical properties of binary systems of chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) and CB or 3,9‐bis{1,1‐dimethyl‐2[β‐(3‐tert‐butyl‐4‐hydroxy‐5‐methylphenyl)propionyloxy]ethyl}‐2,4,8,10‐tetraoxaspiro[5,5]‐undecane (AO‐80) and their ternary systems were investigated. It was found that the dynamic mechanical properties of those systems depend on the colloidal properties, surface oxides, and surface modification of CB. For binary systems of CPE and CB, oxidized CB gives a high modulus at low strain amplitude and a large Payne effect compared with untreated CB. In contrast, the reverse effect was observed for their ternary systems. Consequently, a good micro‐dispersion is obtainable by surface modification due to physical adsorption of AO‐80 on oxidized CB particles via hydrogen bonds. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effect of fermentation on ionizable iron in cereal-pulse combinations

The average diet in most developing countries is predominantly cereal based. Wheat, rice and millets are major staple foods. Although these diets are sufficient in iron, their low bioavailability is one of the most significant factors for iron deficiency anaemia. Traditional techniques like fermentation show promise in improving iron bioavailability. In vitro ionizable iron was estimated in 31 different combinations of rice, wheat, sorghum, black gram, bengal gram, green gram and coriander in five replicates with or without, fermentation in steamed products. Results indicate that in general cereal pulse combination and fermentation significantly ( P <0.05) increase the per cent ape of ionizable iron. Combination effects dominated in rice whilst fermentation dominated in sorghum. There was a significant reduction ( P <0.05) in phytate phosphorus on fermentation but no loss of tannin.     

Asbestos replacement aspects: Modification of the fibre-matrix interphase in lonomer based composites

Asbestos fibres, of the chrysotile variety, and chopped carbon fibres were pretreated by an in-situ polycondensation technique eventually resulting in a polyamide coating on the fibre surface. Ionomer based composites containing either carbon or asbestos fibres in random in plane fibre orientation were prepared, and the influence of this coating process on the tensile properties was investigated. It was found that for the asbestos-filled composites the presence of the nylon 6,6 interlayer improves the tensile performance, especially at moderate polyamide depositions. This is not the case with the pretreated carbon-filled composites for which carbon fibres with higher polyamide contents are preferred. Combinations of the treated asbestos fibres with carbon and/or aramid fibres may be used to reduce the asbestos content in asbestos-only based engineering plastics.     

Conducting composites of polythiophene and polyfuran with acetylene black

Conducting composites of polythiophene (PTP) and polyfuran (PF) with acetylene black (AB) were prepared via chemical oxidative polymerization of thiophene and furan in a suspension of AB in CHCl₃ at room temperature using anhydrous FeCl₃ as the oxidant. Formation of PTP and PF and their subsequent incorporation in PTP–AB and PF–AB composite systems were confirmed by FTIR analysis. Scanning electron microscope analysis showed the presence of compact clusters of particles in both composites. Transmission electron micrographs of PTP–AB and PF–AB composites showed formation of globular polymer encapsulated AB particles with average diameters of the order of ～100 nm in both systems. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the overall thermal stability varied in the order: AB > PTP–AB > PTP and AB > PF–AB > PF. DC conductivity values for the PTP–AB and PF–AB composites were of the order of 10^?2 and 10^?3 S cm^?1, respectively. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry