Preparation of high-activity coal char-based catalysts from high metals containing coal gangue and lignite for catalytic decomposition of biomass tar

The potential of using high metals containing coal gangue and lignite to prepare high-activity coal char-based catalysts is investigated for effective biomass tar decomposition. Loose structure and rough surface are formed for these char-based catalysts with heterogeneous distribution of a large number of inorganic particles. In the biomass tar decomposition, the performance of the coal char-based catalysts is significantly influenced by the content of the metals in the raw materials and coal gangue char (GC) with the ash content as high as 50.80% exhibits the highest activity in this work. A high biomass tar conversion efficiency of 93.5% is achieved at 800 °C along with a significant increase in the fuel gas product. During the five-time consecutive tests, the catalytic performance of GC increases a little at the second or third times reuse and remains relatively stable, showing the remarkable stability of the catalyst in biomass tar decomposition applications.     

Thermal treatment of waste photovoltaic module for recovery and recycling: Experimental assessment of the presence of metals in the gas emissions and in the ashes

The rapid expansion of the photovoltaic (PV) module market in the last years will determine in the near future a remarkable growth of corresponding waste. Then, the hazardous materials contained in the modules, such as Cd, Pb and Cr, could be released in the environment if the waste panels will not be handled adequately. Recycling processes of silicon crystalline panels, finalized to separate PV cells from the glass, involve the removal of the EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate) layer through different methods, as the thermal treatment. During this treatment, some hazardous components can be released due to thermal degradation process. In this paper the metals released in the gas emissions and in the ashes due to the thermal treatment of modules were evaluated. For this purpose, three samples of crystalline panels were heated in furnace up to 600 °C and the complete degradation of the EVA was obtained. A mass balance between the sample and its components, before and after treatment, was performed in order to assess the weight loss percentage. Finally, after thermal treatment a qualitative analysis on the separated PV cell surface was performed by SEM-EDS (Scanning Electron Microscope equipped with Energy Dispersive Spectrometer).     

Fracture and deformation properties of Ni-Fe superalloy in cryogenic high magnetic field environments

The present paper includes experimental and analytical data on the fracture properties of a nickel-iron superalloy, a ferromagnetic austenite, at 4 K in magnetic fields of 0 and 6 T. The tensile, notch tensile and small punch tests are employed. A finite element analysis is also performed to convert the experimentally measured load-displacement data into useful engineering information. To interpret the results we review the available theory of the influence of magnetic field on the stress intensity factor for a crack in ferromagnetic materials.     

Bioavailability and Toxicity of Metal Nutrients during Anaerobic Digestion

This paper investigates the effect of chelating agents on the bioavailability of Fe and Cu during anaerobic digestion. The results on metal speciation and methane production in anaerobic serum bottles showed that biomass was able to grow in the presence of citrate 1?mM and nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) 1?mM, suggesting that the binding sites at the cell surface competed efficiently for the metals with the chelating agents added. The presence of free ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid 1?mM inhibited methanogenesis, and this seemed to be related to a loss in metal uptake capacity. Although the addition of soluble microbial products (SMP) did not change metal distribution in anaerobic systems, it caused an increase in the rate of methane production, and it is believed that direct uptake of Cu-SMP complexes was responsible for this increase. The best protection against Cu toxicity occurred when stoichiometric amounts of NTA, which should complex and solubilize most of the Cu, was added, and it is likely that NTA prevented lethal concentrations of Cu from being adsorbed onto the cell and hence internalized.