Lithium carbonate sedimentation using flocculants with different ionic bases

Lithium has become a metal of enormous interest worldwide. The extensive use of rechargeable batteries for a range of applications has pushed for rapid growth in demand for lithium carbonate. This compound is produced by crystallization, by reaction with lithium chloride (in solution) and by adding sodium carbonate. Low sedimentation rates in the evaporation pools present a problem in the crystallization process. For this reason, in this work, mineral sedimentation tests were carried out with the use of two flocculant types with different ionic charges. The tests were carried out at a laboratory level using different dosages for each flocculant and measurements were performed to obtain the increase in the content of solids in the sediment. The anionic flocculant had better performance as compared to that of the cationic flocculant, increasing the sedimentation rate of lithium carbonate by up to 6.5. However, similar solids contents were obtained with the use of the cationic flocculant at 3.5 times lower dosage making it the flocculant of choice regarding the economic point of view.

Study of microstructure, hardness and thermal properties of Sn-Bi alloys

Lead-free solders have become a main focus of the electronic industry in recent years, because of the high toxicity of lead. Alloys based on the Sn-Bi system figure as potential replacements for Sn-Pb alloys in soldering due to favorable properties and low cost. One of the main advantages of these alloys are low melting temperatures, while additional advantages include good compatibility with substrates, low process temperature, high reliability, and potential applications in conjunction with reduced graphene oxide nanosheets as thermal interface materials. In this paper, characterization of microstructural and thermal properties as well as hardness measurements of seven alloys of different Sn-Bi compositions are performed. Structural properties of the samples were analyzed using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Thermal conductivity of the samples was investigated using the xenon-flash method, and phase transition temperatures were measured using the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis.

Microbial bioremediation of heavy metals

Heavy metal pollution is one of the most serious environmental problems, due to metal ions persistence, bioavailability, and toxicity. There are many conventional physical and chemical techniques traditionally used for environmental clean-up. Due to several drawbacks regarding these methods, the use of living organisms, or bioremediation, is becoming more prevalent. Biotechnological application of microorganisms is already successfully implemented and is in constant development, with many microbial strains successfully removing heavy metals. This paper provides an overview of the main heavy metal characteristics and describes the interactions with microorganisms. Key heavy metal resistance mechanisms in microorganisms are described, as well as the main principles and types of heavy metal bioremediation methods, with details on successful pilot scale bioreactor studies. Special attention should be given to indigenous bacteria isolated from the polluted environments since such species are already adapted to contamination and possess resistance mechanisms. Utilization of bacterial biofilms or consortia could be advantageous due to higher resistance and a combination of several metabolic pathways, and thus, the possibility to remove several heavy metals simultaneously. Novel technologies covered in this review, such as nanotechnology, genetic engineering, and metagenomics, are being introduced to the field of bioremediation in order to improve the process. To conclude, bioremediation is a potentially powerful solution for cleaning the environment.

Control of the size and compositional distributions in a milling process by using a reverse breakage matrix approach

A method based on the reverse breakage matrix approach is proposed for controlling the effects that milling has on the particle size distribution and composition of the comminuted material. Applicability, possibilities, and limitations of the proposed method are tested on examples related to the process of wheat flour milling. It has been shown that the reverse matrix approach can be successfully used for defining the particle size distribution of the input material leading to the desired, predetermined particle size and compositional distribution in the output material. Moreover, we have illustrated that it is possible to simultaneously control both, input and output particle size distribution, together with the composition of the output material.

Investigation of the impact of mechanical activation on synthesis of the MgO-TiO2 system

In this study, a mixture of magnesium oxide and titanium dioxide was mechanically activated in order to investigate the possibility of mechanochemical synthesis of magnesium titanate. Mechanical activation was performed for 1000 min in a high-energy vibro mill (type MH954/3, KHD Humboldt Wedag AG, Germany). The mill is equipped with housing having a horizontally placed shutter. The cylindrical stainless steel working vessel, with inner dimensions of 40 mm in height and 170 mm in diameter, has working elements consisting of two free concentric stainless steel rings with a total weight of 3 kg. The engine power is 0.8 kW. Respecting the optimal amount of powder to be activated of 50-150 g and the stoichiometric ratio of the reactants in the equation presenting the chemical reaction of magnesium titanate synthesis, the starting amounts were 20.2 g (0.5 mol) of MgO and 39.9 g (0.5 mol) TiO2. During the experiments, X-ray diffraction analysis of the samples taken from the reaction system after 60, 180, 330, and 1000 min of mechanical activation was performed. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used for chemical composition analysis of samples taken at different activation times. Based on the X-ray diffraction analysis results, it can be concluded that the greatest changes in the system took place at the very beginning of the mechanical activation due to the disturbance of the crystal structure of the initial components. X-ray diffraction analysis of the sample after 1000 min of activation showed complete amorphization of the mixture, but diffraction maxima characteristic for magnesium titanate were not identified. Therefore, the mechanical activation experiments were stopped. Evidently, the energy input was not sufficient to overcome the energy barrier to form a new chemical compound - magnesium titanate. The failure to synthesize magnesium titanate is explained by the low negative Gibbs energy value of -25.8 kJ/mol (despite the theoretical possibility that the reaction will happen), as well as by the amount of mechanical energy entered into the system during activation which was insufficient to obtain the reaction product. Although the synthesis of MgTiO3 was not achieved, significant results were obtained which identify models for further investigations of the possibility of mechanochemical reactions of alkaline earth metals and titanium dioxide.

Removal of diesel pollution by biochar - support in water remediation

Water contaminated with diesel oil represents one of the greatest challenges in waste water management. Water soluble fraction (WSF) is of particular interest because of its toxicity to aquatic organisms and discharge regulations set by environmental authorities. Biochar sorbents have attracted great attention, due to their low cost origin and advantageous properties as well as high sorption capacities in sorption processes. In this study, we have reported the synthesis and characteristics of novel biochar sorbent made from waste lignocellulosic biomass (peach stones (PS)) and evaluated its possible application in removal of diesel WSF from synthetic water. Physiochemical characteristics of the biochar sample were analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), along with the elemental analysis. Characterisation of PS biochar (PS-B) indicated high multi porous surface area (159.1 m2 g-1) with the average pore diameter 2.7 nm. FTIR results indicated higher presence of aromatic compounds in PS-B as compared to PS. The sorption experiments performed in a batch system using PS-B resulted in more than 95 % removal of diesel WSF, reaching equilibrium after 5 h. Equilibrium data were well fitted by Freundlich isotherm, while the pseudo-second order equation fitted well the kinetic data, indicating chemisorption involving valency forces through the sharing/exchange of electrons between the sorbent and PS-B. Applications of ecotoxicology tests based on a microbial biosensor (Aliivibrio fischeri) have shown a significant toxicity reduction of water sample after the treatment with biochar.

Microstructure as an essential aspect of EN AW 7075 aluminum alloy quality influenced by electromagnetic field during continuous casting process

Microstructure assessment is crucial for the design and production of high-quality alloys such as cast aluminum alloy ingots. Along with the effect of a more homogeneous microstructure to result in much better mechanical properties, better as-cast alloy quality indicates a higher efficiency of the aluminum alloys production process. During the aluminum alloy solidification process many microstructural defects can occur, which deteriorate the mechanical properties and hence decrease the usability of such an ingot. Application of the electromagnetic field during the vertical continuous casting process significantly reduces occurrence of these defects. In the present study, EN AW 7075 alloy samples were cast with and without application of an electromagnetic field and examined regarding the microstructure, electrical conductivity, and changes in the phase composition. The obtained results clearly show that it is possible to decrease or avoid casting defects by the electromagnetic field application as verified by the microstructure characterization and quantification, electrical conductivity tests and differential thermal analysis (DTA).

Utilization of agro-industrial by-products as substrates for dextransucrase production by leuconostoc mesenteroides T3: Process optimization using response surface methodology

Dextransucrase (DS) is a glucosyltransferase (E. C. 2.4.1.5) that catalyzes the transfer of glucosyl residues from sucrose to dextran polymer and liberates fructose. This enzyme is associated with a wide application range of dextran and oligosaccharides. DS production by Leuconostoc mesenteroides T3 was optimized using a Central Composite Design under the Response Surface Methodology. Three variables were chosen for optimization: distillery stillage, sucrose and manganese concentration. The results showed that sucrose and manganese concentrations had a positive linear effect on DS production while all variable interactions (stillage-manganese, stillage-sucrose, and sucrose-manganese) had significant influences on the DS production. The maximal DS yield of 3.391?0.131 U cm-3, was obtained in the medium with 64.33 % distillery stillage concentration, 5.30 % sucrose concentration and 0.022 % manganese concentration. Our study revealed the potential of distillery stillage combined with sugar beet molasses, supplemented with sucrose and manganese to be employed as a valuable medium growth for lactic acid bacteria and production of DS. Also, taking into consideration the origin of the substrates, utilization of industrial by-products in this way has a great environmental relevance and is in accordance with circular economy.

Prediction of rubber vulcanization using an artificial neural network

Determination of rubber rheological properties is indispensable in order to conduct efficient vulcanization process in rubber industry. The main goal of this study was development of an advanced artificial neural network (ANN) for quick and accurate vulcanization data prediction of commercially available rubber gum for tire production. The ANN was developed by using the platform for large-scale machine learning TensorFlow with the Sequential Keras-Dense layer model, in a Python framework. The ANN was trained and validated on previously determined experimental data of torque on time at five different temperatures, in the range from 140 to 180 oC, with a step of 10 oC. The activation functions, ReLU, Sigmoid and Softplus, were used to minimize error, where the ANN model with Softplus showed the most accurate predictions. Numbers of neurons and layers were varied, where the ANN with two layers and 20 neurons in each layer showed the most valid results. The proposed ANN was trained at temperatures of 140, 160 and 180 oC and used to predict the torque dependence on time for two test temperatures (150 and 170 oC). The obtained solutions were confirmed as accurate predictions, showing the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and mean squared error (MSE) values were less than 1.99 % and 0.032 dN2 m2, respectively.

Hydrodynamics and mass transfer in Kühni extraction columns

This work provides a review of hydrodynamic characteristics and mass transfer in the K?hni extraction columns. The experiments, as reported in the literature, were performed in the presence and absence of mass transfer. The results showed that the Sauter mean drop diameter was strongly affected by the rotor speed and interfacial tension, whereas the effects of the dispersed and continuous velocities were negligible. Empirical correlations for the Sauter mean drop diameter, taken from the literature, were discussed. It was experimentally determined that the dispersed-phase holdup depended to a great extent on the rotor speed, mass transfer direction between the phases, physical characteristics of fluids in the liquid-liquid system, and the dispersed-phase flowrate whereas it increased with the increase in mixing in the two-phase system and the ratio of phase flowrates. On the other hand, it has been shown that the mass transfer rate increases with increasing the level of back mixing. It was found that the mass transfer coefficient depends on the rotor speed and the direction of mass transfer between the phases. At the same time, it has been shown that the mass transfer coefficient depends relatively little on the phase flowrates. An empirical correlation was proposed for prediction of the overall mass transfer coefficient based on dimensionless numbers. Also, novel empirical correlations for prediction of the Sherwood number in the continuous phase were presented based on the dispersed-phase holdup, Reynolds number, and mass transfer direction between the phases. Empirical correlations based on dimensionless numbers can be considered as a useful tool for the design of the K?hni columns.