Search results for: metal oxides

Authors: Sara Scolari, Davide Mombelli, Gianluca Dall'Osto, Jasna Kastivnik, Gašper Tavčar, Carlo Mapelli

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The EIT Raw Materials RIS-DustRec-II project aims to transform Electric Arc Furnace Dust (EAFD) into a valuable resource by overcoming the challenges associated with traditional recycling approaches. EAFD, a zinc-rich industrial by-product typically recycled by the Waelz process, contains complex oxides such as franklinite (ZnFe₂O₄), which hinder the efficient extraction of zinc, by also introducing other valuable elements (Fe, Ni, Cr, Cu, …) in the slag. The project aims to develop a multistage multidisciplinary approach to separate EAFD into two streams: a magnetic and non-magnetic one. In this paper the production of self-reducing briquettes from the magnetic stream of EAFD with a reducing agent, aiming to drive carbothermic reduction and recover iron as a usable alloy, was investigated. Research was focused on optimizing the magnetic and subsequent gravimetric separation (MGS) processes, followed by high-temperature smelting to evaluate reduction efficiency and phase separation. The characterization of selected two different raw EAFD samples and their magnetic-gravitational separation to isolate zinc- and iron-rich fractions was performed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. The iron-enriched concentrates were then agglomerated into self-reducing briquettes by mixing them with either biochar (olive pomace pyrolyzed at 350 and 750°C and wood chips pyrolyzed at 750 °C) and a Cupola Furnace dust as reducing agents, combined with gelatinized corn starch as a binder. Cylindrical briquettes were produced and cured for 14 days to ensure structural integrity during subsequent thermal treatments. Smelting tests were carried out at 1400 °C in an inert argon atmosphere to assess the metallization efficiency and the separation between metal and slag phases. A carbon/oxides mass ratio of 0.262 (C/(ZnO+Fe₂O₃)) was used in these tests to maintain continuity with previous studies and to standardize reduction conditions. The magnetic and gravimetric separations effectively isolated zinc- and iron-enriched fractions, particularly for one of the two EAFD, where the concentration of Zn in the concentration fraction was reduced by 8 wt.% while Fe reached 45 wt.%. The reduction tests conducted at 1400 °C showed that the chosen carbon/oxides ratio was sufficient for the smelting of the reducible oxides within the briquettes. However, an important limitation became apparent: the amount of carbon, exceeding the stochiometric value, proved to be excessive for the effective coalescence of metal droplets, preventing clear metal-slag separation. To address this, further smelting tests were carried out in an air atmosphere rather than inert conditions to burn off excess carbon. This paper demonstrates the potential of controlled carbothermic reduction for EAFD recycling. By carefully optimizing the C/(ZnO+Fe₂O₃) ratio, the process can maximize metal recovery while achieving better separation of the metal and slag phases. This approach offers a promising alternative to traditional EAFD recycling methods, with further studies recommended to refine the parameters for industrial application.

Keywords: biochars, electrical arc furnace dust, metallization, smelting

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Authors: Adriana-Gabriela Plaiasu, Catalin Marian Ducu

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The interest in the unique properties associated with materials having structures on a nanometer scale has been increasing at an exponential rate in last decade. Among the functional mineral compounds such as perovskite (CaTiO3), rutile (TiO2), CaF2, spinel (MgAl2O4), wurtzite (ZnS), zincite (ZnO) and the cupric oxide (CuO) has been used in numerous applications such as catalysis, semiconductors, batteries, gas sensors, biosensors, field transistors and medicine. The Solar Physical Vapor Deposition (SPVD) presented in the paper as elaboration method is an original process to prepare nanopowders working under concentrated sunlight in 2kW solar furnaces. The influence of the synthesis parameters on the chemical and microstructural characteristics of zinc and manganese oxides synthesized nanophases has been systematically studied using XRD, TEM and SEM.

Keywords: characterization, morphological, nano-oxides, structural

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Authors: Hamsasew Hankebo Lemago, Dóra Hessz, Tamás Igricz, Zoltán Erdélyi, , Imre Miklós Szilágyi

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Metal oxide inverse opals are a promising class of photocatalysts with a unique hierarchical structure. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a versatile technique for the synthesis of high-precision metal oxide thin films, including inverse opals. In this study, we report the synthesis of TiO₂, ZnO, and Al₂O₃ inverse opal and their composites photocatalysts using thermal or plasma-enhanced ALD. The synthesized photocatalysts were characterized using a variety of techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM)-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL), ellipsometry, and UV-visible spectroscopy. The results showed that the ALD-synthesized metal oxide inverse opals had a highly ordered structure and a tunable pore size. The PL spectroscopy results showed low recombination rates of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, while the ellipsometry and UV-visible spectroscopy results showed tunable optical properties and band gap energies. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue under visible light irradiation. The results showed that the ALD-synthesized metal oxide inverse opals exhibited high photocatalytic activity, even under visible light irradiation. The composites photocatalysts showed even higher activity than the individual metal oxide inverse opals. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of the composites can be attributed to the synergistic effect between the different metal oxides. For example, Al₂O₃ can act as a charge carrier scavenger, which can reduce the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The ALD-synthesized metal oxide inverse opals and their composites are promising photocatalysts for a variety of applications, such as wastewater treatment, air purification, and energy production. The ALD-synthesized metal oxide inverse opals and their composites are promising photocatalysts for a variety of applications, such as wastewater treatment, air purification, and energy production.

Keywords: ALD, metal oxide inverse opals, photocatalysis, composites

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Authors: Napat Hataivichian

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The effect of transition metal doping on Pt/Al2O3 catalyst used in propane dehydrogenation reaction at 500˚C was studied. The preparation methods investigated were sequential impregnation (Pt followed by the 2nd metal or the 2nd metal followed by Pt) and co-impregnation. The metal contents of these catalysts were fixed as the weight ratio of Pt per the 2nd metal of around 0.075. These catalysts were characterized by N2-physisorption, TPR, CO-chemisorption and NH3-TPD. It was found that the impregnated 2nd metal had an effect upon reducibility of Pt due to its interaction with transition metal-containing structure. This was in agreement with the CO-chemisorption result that the presence of Pt metal, which is a result from Pt species reduction, was decreased. The total acidity of bimetallic catalysts is decreased but the strong acidity is slightly increased. It was found that the stability of bimetallic catalysts prepared by co-impregnation and sequential impregnation where the 2nd metal was impregnated before Pt were better than that of monometallic catalyst (undoped Pt one) due to the forming of Pt sites located on the transition metal-oxide modified surface. Among all preparation methods, the sequential impregnation method- having Pt impregnated before the 2nd metal gave the worst stability because this catalyst lacked the modified Pt sites and some fraction of Pt sites was covered by the 2nd metal.

Keywords: alumina, dehydrogenation, platinum, transition metal

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Authors: Jaibir Sharma, Lee JaeWung, Merugu Srinivas, Navab Singh

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This paper presents thermal annealing dewetting technique for the preparation of porous metal membrane for thin film encapsulation application. Thermal annealing dewetting experimental results reveal that pore size in porous metal membrane depend upon i.e. 1. The substrate on which metal is deposited for formation of porous metal cap membrane, 2. Melting point of metal used for porous metal cap layer membrane formation, 3. Thickness of metal used for cap layer, 4. Temperature used for porous metal membrane formation. Silver (Ag) was used as a metal for preparation of porous metal membrane by annealing the film at different temperature. Pores in porous silver film were analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). In order to check the usefulness of porous metal film for thin film encapsulation application, the porous silver film prepared on amorphous silicon (a-Si) was release using XeF2. Finally, guide line and structures are suggested to use this porous membrane for thin film encapsulation (TFE) application.

Keywords: dewetting, themal annealing, metal, melting point, porous

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Authors: Vrinda P. S. Borker

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Major water pollutants are dyes from effluents of industries. Different methods have been tried to degrade or treat the effluent before it is left to the environment. In order to understand the degradation process and later apply it to effluents, solar degradation study of methylene blue (MB) and methyl red (MR), the model dyes was carried out in the presence of photo-catalysts, the oxides of cobalt oxide Co₃O₄, and copper doped cobalt oxides (Co₀.₉Cu₀.₁)₃O₄ and (Co₀.₉₅Cu₀.₀₅)₃O₄. They were prepared from oxalate complex and hydrazinated oxalate complex of cobalt as well as mix metals, copper, and cobalt. The complexes were synthesized and characterized by FTIR. Complexes were decomposed to form oxides and were characterized by XRD. They were found to be monophasic. Solar degradation of MR and MB was carried out in presence of these oxides in acidic and basic medium. Degradation was faster in alkaline medium in the presence of Co₃O₄ obtained from hydrazinated oxalate. Doping of nanomaterial oxides modifies their characteristics. Doped cobalt oxides are found to photo-decolourise MR in alkaline media efficiently. In the absence of photocatalyst, solar degradation of alkaline MR does not occur. In acidic medium, MR is minimally decolorized even in the presence of photocatalysts. The industrial textile effluent contains chemicals like NaCl and Na₂CO₃ along with the unabsorbed dye. It is reported that these two chemicals hamper the degradation of dye. The chemicals like K₂S₂O₈ and H₂O₂ are reported to enhance degradation. The solar degradation study of MB in presence of photocatalyst (Co₀.₉Cu₀.₁)₃O₄ and these four chemicals reveals that presence of K₂S₂O₈ and H₂O₂ enhances degradation. It proves that H₂O₂ generates hydroxyl ions required for degradation of dye and the sulphate anion radical being strong oxidant attacks dye molecules leading to its fragmentation rapidly. Thus addition of K₂S₂O₈ and H₂O₂ during solar degradation in presence of (Co₀.₉Cu₀.₁)₃O₄ helps to break the organic moiety efficiently.

Keywords: cobalt oxides, Cu-doped cobalt oxides, H₂O₂ in dye degradation, photo-catalyst, solar dye degradation

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Authors: K. Sivasubramanin, S. Mahimairaja, S. Pavithrapriya

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Heavy metal pollution originating from industrial wastes is becoming a serious problem in many urban environments. These heavy metals, if not properly managed, could enter into the food chain and cause a serious health hazards in animals and humans. Industrial wastes, sewage sludge, and automobile emissions also contribute to heavy metal like Pb pollution in the urban environment. However, information is scarce on the heavy metal pollution in Coimbatore urban environment. Therefore, the current study was carried out to examine the extent of lead pollution in Coimbatore urban environment the maximum Pb concentration in Coimbatore urban environment was found in ukkadam, whose concentration in soils 352 mg kg-1. In many places, the Pb concentration was found exceeded the permissible limit of 100 mg kg-1. In laboratory, closed incubation experiment showed that the concentration of different species of Pb viz., water soluble Pb(H2O-Pb), exchangeable Pb(KNO3-Pb), organic-Pb(NaOH-Pb), and organic plus metal (Fe & Al) oxides bound-Pb(Na2 EDTA-Pb) was found significantly increased during the 15 days incubation, mainly due to biotransformation processes. Both the moisture content of soil and ambient temperature exerted a profound influence on the transformation of Pb. The results of a batch experiment has shown that the sorption data was adequately described by the Freundlich equation as indicated by the high correlation coefficients (R2= 0.64) than the Langmuir equation (R2 = 0.33). A maximum of 86 mg of Pb was found adsorbed per kilogram of soil. Consistently, a soil column experiment result had shown that only a small amount of Pb( < 1.0 µg g-1 soil) alone was found leached from the soil. This might be due to greater potential of the soil towards Pb adsorption.

Keywords: lead pollution, adsorption, transformation, heavy metal pollution

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Authors: A. Threepanich, S. Youngme, P. Praipipat

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Although ground egg shells had the ability to eliminate lead in water, their efficiency may decrease in a case of contaminating of other cations such as Na⁺, Ca²⁺ in the water. The development of ground egg shells may solve this problem in which metal oxides are a good choice for this case since they have the ability to remove any heavy metals including lead in the water. Therefore, this study attempts to use this advantage for improving ground egg shells for the specific lead removal efficiency in the water. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) technique was used for the chemical element contents analysis of ground egg shells (GES) and ground egg shells with metal oxide (GESM), and Transmission electron microscope (TEM) technique was used to examine the material sizes. The batch test studies were designed to investigate the factor effects on dose (5, 10, 15 grams), pH (5, 7, 9), and settling time (1, 3, 5 hours) for the lead removal efficiency in the water. The XRF analysis results showed GES contained calcium (Ca) 91.41% and Silicon (Si) 4.03% and GESM contained calcium (Ca) 91.41%, Silicon (Si) 4.03%, and Iron (Fe) 3.05%. TEM results confirmed the sizes of GES and GESM in the range of 1-20 nm. The batch test studies showed the best optimum conditions for the lead removal in the water of GES and GESM in dose, pH, and settling time were 10 grams, pH 9, 5 hours and 5 grams, pH 9, 3 hours, respectively. The competing ions (Na⁺ and Ca²⁺) study reported GESM had the higher % lead removal efficiency than GES at 90% and 60%, respectively. Therefore, this result can confirm that adding of metal oxide to ground egg shells helps to improve the lead removal efficiency in the water.

Keywords: nano material, ground egg shells, metal oxide, lead

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Authors: Thirupathi Thippani, Kothandaraman Ramanujam

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Current research on energy storage has been paid to metal-air batteries, because of attractive alternate energy source for the future. Metal – air batteries have the probability to significantly increase the power density, decrease the cost of energy storage and also used for a long time due to its high energy density, low-level pollution, light weight. The performance of these batteries mostly restricted by the slow kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) on cathode during battery discharge and charge. The ORR and OER are conventionally carried out with precious metals (such as Pt) and metal oxides (such as RuO₂ and IrO₂) as catalysts separately. However, these metal-based catalysts are regularly undergoing some difficulties, including high cost, low selectivity, poor stability and unfavorable to environmental effects. So, in order to develop the active, stable, corrosion resistance and inexpensive bi-functional catalyst material is mandatory for the commercialization of zinc-air rechargeable battery technology. We have attempted and synthesized non-precious metal (NPM) catalysts comprising cobalt and N-doped multiwalled carbon nanotubes (N-MWCNTs-Co) were synthesized by the solid-state pyrolysis (SSP) of melamine with Co₃O₄. N-MWCNTs-Co acts as an excellent electrocatalyst for both the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and hence can be used in secondary metal-air batteries and in unitized regenerative fuel cells. It is important to study the OER and ORR at high concentrations of KOH as most of the metal-air batteries employ KOH concentrations > 4M. In the first 16 cycles of the zinc-air battery while using N-MWCNTs-Co, 20 wt.% Pt/C or 20 wt.% IrO₂/C as air electrodes. In the ORR regime (the discharge profile of the zinc-air battery), the cell voltage exhibited by N-MWCNTs-Co was 44 and 83 mV higher (based on 5th cycle) in comparison to of 20 wt.% Pt/C and 20 wt.% IrO₂/C respectively. To demonstrate this promise, a zinc-air battery was assembled and tested at a current density of 0.5 Ag⁻¹ for charge-discharge 100 cycles.

Keywords: oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction(OER), non-platinum, zinc air battery

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Authors: Ta-Huang Sun, Ming-Hao Hsieh, Min-Chuan Wang, Der-Jun Jan

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Electrochromism refers to the persistent and reversible change of optical properties by an applied voltage pulse. There are many transition metal oxides exhibiting electrochromism, e.g. oxides of W, Ni, Ir, V, Ti, Co and Mo. Organic materials especially some conducting polymers such as poly(aniline), poly(3, 4-propylene- dioxythiophene) also received much attention for electrochromic (EC) applications. Electrochromic materials attract considerable interest because of their potential applications, such as information displays, smart windows, variable reflectance mirrors, and variable-emittance thermal radiators. In this study, the EC characteristics are investigated on an all-solid-state EC device composed of a-WO₃ and Ni(OH)₂ with a Ta₂O₅ protective layer which is prepared by magnetron sputtering. It is found that the transmittance modulation increases with decreasing the film thickness of Ta₂O₅. On the other hand, the transmittance modulation is 57% as the Ni(OH)₂/ITO is prepared by the linear-sweep potential cycling of the sputter-deposited Ta₂O₅/NiO/ITO in a 0.5 M LiClO₄+H₂O electrolyte. However, when Ni(OH)₂/ITO is prepared by a 0.01 M HCl electrolyte, the transmittance modulation of EC device can be improved to 61%.

Keywords: electrochromic device, tungsten oxide, nickel, Ta₂O₅

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Authors: Imad Eddine Charif, Wafaa Benchouk, Sidi Mohamed Mekelleche

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The regioselectivity of a series of 16 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of nitrile oxides with 2(5H)-furanones has been analysed by means of global and local electrophilic and nucleophilic reactivity indices using density functional theory at the B3LYP level together with the 6-31G(d) basis set. The local electrophilicity and nucleophilicity indices, based on Fukui and Parr functions, have been calculated for the terminal sites, namely the C1 and O3 atoms of the 1,3-dipole and the C4 and C5 atoms of the dipolarophile. These local indices were calculated using both Mulliken and natural charges and spin densities. The results obtained show that the C5 atom of the 2(5H)-furanones is the most electrophilic site whereas the O3 atom of the nitrile oxides is the most nucleophilic centre. It turns out that the experimental regioselectivity is correctly reproduced, indicating that both Fukui- and Parr-based indices are efficient tools for the prediction of the regiochemistry of the studied reactions and could be used for the prediction of newly designed reactions of the same kind.

Keywords: 1, 3-dipolar cycloaddition, density functional theory, nitrile oxides, regioselectivity, reactivity indices

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Authors: Shian Guan, Marie Bourdin, Isabelle Trenque, Younes Messaddeq, Thierry Cardinal, Nicolas Penin, Issam Mjejri, Aline Rougier, Etienne Duguet, Stephane Mornet, Manuel Gaudon

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At the interface of the studies performed by 3 Ph.D. students: Shian Guan (2017-2020), Marie Bourdin (2016-2019) and Isabelle Trenque (2012-2015), a single synthesis route: polyol-mediated process, was used with success for the preparation of different inorganic oxides. Both of these inorganic oxides were elaborated for their potential application as smart optical compounds. This synthesis route has allowed us to develop nanoparticles of zinc oxide, vanadium oxide or tungsten oxide. This route is with easy implementation, inexpensive and with large-scale production potentialities and leads to materials of high purity. The obtaining by this route of nanometric particles, however perfectly crystalline, has notably led to the possibility of doping these matrix materials with high doping ion concentrations (high solubility limits). Thus, Al3+ or Ga3+ doped-ZnO powder, with high doping rate in comparison with the literature, exhibits remarkable infrared absorption properties thanks to their high free carrier density. Note also that due to the narrow particle size distribution of the as-prepared nanometric doped-ZnO powder, the original correlation between crystallite size and unit-cell parameters have been established. Also, depending on the annealing atmosphere use to treat vanadium precursors, VO2, V2O3 or V2O5 oxides with thermochromic or electrochromic properties can be obtained without any impurity, despite the versatility of the oxidation state of vanadium. This is of more particular interest on vanadium dioxide, a relatively difficult-to-prepare oxide, whose first-order metal-insulator phase transition is widely explored in the literature for its thermochromic behavior (in smart windows with optimal thermal insulation). Finally, the reducing nature of the polyol solvents ensures the production of oxygen-deficient tungsten oxide, thus conferring to the nano-powders exotic colorimetric properties, as well as optimized photochromic and electrochromic behaviors.

Keywords: inorganic oxides, electrochromic, photochromic, thermochromic

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Authors: Basem A. El Werfallia, Osama R. Shaltamiab, Ragab M. Al Alwanyc

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The present work aims to characterize the geochemistry of the beach sands along the Mediterranean Coast from Al Kuwifia to Tolmeita, NE Libya. The major oxides CaO and MgO are the main constituents of the carbonate minerals; calcite and aragonite. SiO2 is mainly in the form of quartz. Sometimes a high quotient of SiO2 together with the oxides; Al2O3, K2O and partly of Na2O, TiO2 and Fe2O3 are essentially allocated within the structure of the feldspars. Part of Na2O and the content of Cl belong mainly to halite. Part of Fe2O3 and TiO2 may be accommodated as iron oxyhydroxides. Part of CaO and the content of SO3 are allotted within the gypsum structure. Ba, Sr, Th, U and REE are basicallycontrolled by the carbonate fraction, while Cu, Zn, V and Cr are strongly correlated with Al2O3.

Keywords: geochemistry, major oxides, Al Kuwifia, Tolmeita

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Authors: Basem A. El Werfalli, Osama R. Shaltamiab, Ragab M. Al Alwany

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The present work aims to characterize the geochemistry of the beach sands along the Mediterranean Coast from Al Kuwifia to Tolmeita, NE Libya. The major oxides CaO and MgO are the main constituents of the carbonate minerals; calcite and aragonite. SiO₂ is mainly in the form of quartz. Sometimes a high quotient of SiO₂ together with the oxides; Al₂O₃, K₂O and partly of Na₂O, TiO₂ and Fe₂O₃ are essentially allocated within the structure of the feldspars. Part of Na₂O and the content of Cl belong mainly to halite. Part of Fe₂O₃ and TiO₂ may be accommodated as iron oxyhydroxides. Part of CaO and the content of SO₃ are allotted within the gypsum structure. Ba, Sr, Th, U and REE are basically controlled by the carbonate fraction, while Cu, Zn, V and Cr are strongly correlated with Al₂O₃.

Keywords: geochemistry, major oxides, Al Kuwifia, Tolmeita

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Authors: Mokdad Sakhri, Youcef Bouhadda

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Thin film chalcopyrite technology is thus nowadays a solid candidate for photovoltaic cells. The currently used window layer for the solar cell Cu(In,Ga)S2 is our interest point in this work. For this purpose, we have performed a first-principles study of structural, electronic and optical properties for both delafossite transparent conductive oxides Cu (In, Ga)O2 and absorbers films Cu(In,Ga)S2. The calculations have been carried out within the local density functional (LDA) and generalized gradient approximations (GGA) combined with the hubbard potential using norm-conserving pseudopotentials and a plane-wave basis with ABINIT code. We have found the energy gap is :1.6, 2.53, 3.6, 3.8 eV for CuInS2, CuGaS2, CuInO2 and CuGaO2 respectively. The results are in good agreement with experimental results.

Keywords: ABINIT code, DFT, electronic and optical properties, solar-cell absorbers, delafossite transparent conductive oxides

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Authors: M. Sneha Reddy, M. Arun Kumar, V. Kameswara Rao

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Chromites are binary transition metal oxides with a general formula of ACr₂O₄, where A = Mn²⁺, Fe²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Cu²⁺. Chromites have a normal-type spinel structure with interesting applications in the areas of applied physics, material sciences, and geophysics. They have attracted great consideration because of their unique physicochemical properties and tremendous technological applications in nanodevices, sensor elements, and high-temperature ceramics with useful optical properties. Copper chromite is one of the most efficient spinel oxides, having pronounced commercial application as a catalyst in various chemical reactions like oxidation, hydrogenation, alkylation, dehydrogenation, decomposition of organic compounds, and hydrogen production. Apart from its usage in chemical industries, CuCr₂O₄ finds its major application as a burn rate modifier in solid propellant processing for space launch vehicles globally. Herein we synthesized the nanoparticles of copper chromite using the co-precipitation method. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, TEM, SEM, BET, and TG-DTA. The synthesized nanoparticles of copper chromites were used as a catalyst for the thermal decomposition of various high-energy materials.

Keywords: copper chromite, coprecipitation method, high energy materials, catalytic thermal decomposition

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Authors: Sisuwan Kaseamsawat, Sivapan Choo-In

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A study was conducted in May to July 2013 with the aim of determination of heavy metal concentration in orchard area. 60 samples were collected and analyzed for Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), Lead (Pb), and Zinc (Zn) by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The heavy metal concentrations in sediment of orchards, that use chemical for Cd (1.13 ± 0.26 mg/l), Cu (8.00 ± 1.05 mg/l), Pb (13.16 ± 2.01) and Zn (37.41 ± 3.20 mg/l). The heavy metal concentrations in sediment of the orchards, that do not use chemical for Cd (1.28 ± 0.50 mg/l), Cu (7.60 ± 1.20 mg/l), Pb (29.87 ± 4.88) and Zn (21.79 ± 2.98 mg/l). Statistical analysis between heavy metal in sediment from the orchard, that use chemical and the orchard, that not use chemical were difference statistic significant of 0.5 level of significant for Cd and Pb while no statistically difference for Cu and Zn.

Keywords: heavy metal, orchard, pollution and monitoring, sediment

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Authors: Surajbhan Sevda

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Metal containing wastewater is generated in large quintiles due to rapid industrialization. Generally, the metal present in wastewater is not biodegradable and can be accumulated in living animals, humans and plant tissue, causing disorder and diseases. The conventional metal recovery methods include chemical, physical and biological methods, but these are chemical and energy intensive. The recent development in microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology provides a new approach for metal recovery; this technology offers a flexible platform for both reduction and oxidation reaction oriented process. The use of MFCs will be a new platform for more efficient and low energy approach for metal recovery from the wastewater. So far metal recover was extensively studied using chemical, physical and biological methods. The MFCs present a new and efficient approach for removing and recovering metals from different wastewater, suggesting the use of different electrode for metal recovery can be a new efficient and effective approach.

Keywords: metal recovery, microbial fuel cell, wastewater, bioelectricity

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Authors: Claudio Clemente, Valentina Gargiulo, Alessio Occhicone, Giovanni Piero Pepe, Giovanni Ausanio, Michela Alfè

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Volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions represent a serious risk to human health and the integrity of the ecosystems, especially at high concentrations. For this reason, it is very important to continuously monitor environmental quality and develop fast and reliable portable sensors to allow analysis on site. Chemiresistors have become promising candidates for VOC sensing as their ease of fabrication, variety of suitable sensitive materials, and simple sensing data. A chemoresistive gas sensor is a transducer that allows to measure the concentration of an analyte in the gas phase because the changes in resistance are proportional to the amount of the analyte present. The selection of the sensitive material, which interacts with the target analyte, is very important for the sensor performance. The most used VOC detection materials are metal oxides (MOx) for their rapid recovery, high sensitivity to various gas molecules, easy fabrication. Their sensing performance can be improved in terms of operating temperature, selectivity, and detection limit. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted a lot of attention also in the field of gas sensing due to their high porosity, high surface area, tunable morphologies, structural variety. MOFs are generated by the self-assembly of multidentate organic ligands connecting with adjacent multivalent metal nodes via strong coordination interactions, producing stable and highly ordered crystalline porous materials with well-designed structures. However, most MOFs intrinsically exhibit low electrical conductivity. To improve this property, MOFs can be combined with organic and inorganic materials in a hybrid fashion to produce composite materials or can be transformed into more stable structures. MOFs, indeed, can be employed as the precursors of metal oxides with well-designed architectures via the calcination method. The MOF-derived MOx partially preserved the original structure with high surface area and intrinsic open pores, which act as trapping centers for gas molecules, and showed a higher electrical conductivity. Core-shell heterostructures, in which the surface of a metal oxide core is completely coated by a MOF shell, forming a junction at the core-shell heterointerface, can also be synthesized. Also, nanocomposite in which MOF structures are intercalated with graphene related materials can also be produced, and the conductivity increases thanks to the high mobility of electrons of carbon materials. As MOF structures, zinc-based MOFs belonging to the ZIF family were selected in this work. Several Zn-based materials based and/or derived from MOFs were produced, structurally characterized, and arranged in a chemo resistive architecture, also exploring the potentiality of different approaches of sensing layer deposition based on PLD (pulsed laser deposition) and, in case of thermally labile materials, MAPLE (Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation) to enhance the adhesion to the support. The sensors were tested in a controlled humidity chamber, allowing for the possibility of varying the concentration of ethanol, a typical analyte chosen among the VOCs for a first survey. The effect of heating the chemiresistor to improve sensing performances was also explored. Future research will focus on exploring new manufacturing processes for MOF-based gas sensors with the aim to improve sensitivity, selectivity and reduce operating temperatures.

Keywords: chemiresistors, gas sensors, graphene related materials, laser deposition, MAPLE, metal-organic frameworks, metal oxides, nanocomposites, sensing performance, transduction mechanism, volatile organic compounds

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Authors: Amit Kumar Bhandary, Prithviraj Gupta, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Mahua Ghosh Chaudhuri, Rajib Dey

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Chromite ores are primarily used for extraction of chromium, which is an expensive metal. For low grade chromite ores (containing less than 40% Cr₂O₃), the chromium extraction is not usually economically viable. India possesses huge quantities of low grade chromite reserves. This deposit can be utilized after proper physical beneficiation. Magnetic separation techniques may be useful after reduction for the beneficiation of low grade chromite ore. The sample collected from the sukinda mines is characterized by XRD which shows predominant phases like maghemite, chromite, silica, magnesia and alumina. The raw ore is crushed and ground to below 75 micrometer size. The microstructure of the ore shows that the chromite grains surrounded by a silicate matrix and porosity observed the exposed side of the chromite ore. However, this ore may be utilized in refractory applications. Chromite ores contain Cr₂O₃, FeO, Al₂O₃ and other oxides like Fe-Cr, Mg-Cr have a high tendency to form spinel compounds, which usually show high refractoriness. Initially, the low grade chromite ore (containing 34.8% Cr₂O₃) was reduced at 1200 ⁰C for 80 minutes with 30% coke fines by weight, before being subjected to magnetic separation. The reduction by coke leads to conversion of higher state of iron oxides converted to lower state of iron oxides. The pre-reduced samples are then characterized by XRD. The magnetically inert mass was then reacted with 20% MgO by weight at 1450 ⁰C for 2 hours. The resultant product was then tested for various refractoriness parameters like apparent porosity, slag resistance etc. The results were satisfactory, indicating that the resultant spinel compounds are suitable for refractory applications for elevated temperature processes.

Keywords: apparent porosity, beneficiation, low-grade chromite, refractory, spinel compounds, slag resistance

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Authors: Prateeksha Sharma, V. Dinesh Kumar

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Performances of cylindrical multilayer hybrid plasmonic waveguides have been investigated in detail considering their structural and material aspects. Characteristics of hybrid metal insulator metal (HMIM) and hybrid insulator metal insulator (HIMI) waveguides have been compared on the basis of propagation length and confinement factor. Necessity of this study is to understand newer kind of waveguides that overcome the limitations of conventional waveguides. Investigation reveals that sub wavelength confinement can be obtained in two low dielectric spacer layers. This study provides gateway for many applications such as nano lasers, interconnects, bio sensors and optical trapping etc.

Keywords: hybrid insulator metal insulator, hybrid metal insulator metal, nano laser, surface plasmon polariton

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Authors: Amol M. Jadhav, Sharad S. Chudhari, S. S. Khedkar

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This review presents a through survey of research paper work on the experimental analysis, FEM Analysis & simulation of the metal spinning process. In this literature survey all the papers being taken from Elsevier publication and most of the from journal of material processing technology. In a last two decade or so, metal spinning process gradually used as chip less formation for the production of engineering component in a small to medium batch quantities. The review aims to provide include into the experimentation, FEM analysis of various components, simulation of metal spinning process and act as guide for research working on metal spinning processes. The review of existing work has several gaps in current knowledge of metal spinning processes. The evaluation of experiment is thickness strain, the spinning force, the twisting angle, the surface roughness of the conventional & shear metal spinning process; the evaluation of FEM of metal spinning to path definition with sufficient fine mesh to capture behavior of work piece; The evaluation of feed rate of roller, direction of roller,& type of roller stimulated. The metal spinning process has the more flexible to produce a wider range of product shape & to form more challenge material.

Keywords: metal spinning, FEM analysis, simulation of metal spinning, mechanical engineering

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Authors: Hamsasew Hankebo Lemago, Dóra Hessz, Zoltán Erdélyi, Imre Miklós Szilágyi

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Metal oxide inverse opals are a unique class of photocatalysts with a hierarchical structure that mimics the natural opal gemstone. They are composed of a network of interconnected pores, which provides a large surface area and efficient pathways for the transport of light and reactants. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a versatile technique for the synthesis of high-precision metal oxide thin films, including inverse opals. ALD allows for precise control over the thickness, composition, and morphology of the synthesized films, making it an ideal technique for the fabrication of photocatalysts with tailored properties. In this study, we report the synthesis of TiO2, ZnO, and Al2O3 inverse opal photocatalysts using thermal or plasma-enhanced ALD. The synthesized photocatalysts were characterized using a variety of techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM)-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL), ellipsometry, and UV-visible spectroscopy. The results showed that the ALD-synthesized metal oxide inverse opals had a highly ordered structure and a tunable pore size. The PL spectroscopy results showed low recombination rates of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, while the ellipsometry and UV-visible spectroscopy results showed tunable optical properties and band gap energies. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue under visible light irradiation. The results showed that the ALD-synthesized metal oxide inverse opals exhibited high photocatalytic activity, even under visible light irradiation. The composites photocatalysts showed even higher activity than the individual metal oxide inverse opals. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of the composites can be attributed to the synergistic effect between the different metal oxides. For example, Al2O3 can act as a charge carrier scavenger, which can reduce the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The ALD-synthesized metal oxide inverse opals and their composites are promising photocatalysts for a variety of applications, such as wastewater treatment, air purification, and energy production. For example, they can be used to remove organic pollutants from wastewater, decompose harmful gases in the air, and produce hydrogen fuel from water.

Keywords: ALD, metal oxide inverse opals, composites, photocatalysis

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Authors: Shoumodip Roy, Ankit Singhania, Santanu Mallick, Abhiram Jha, M. K. Agarwal, R. V. Ramna, Uttam Singh

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The quality of hot metal at any blast furnace is judged by the silicon content in it. Lower hot metal silicon not only enhances process efficiency at steel melting shops but also reduces hot metal costs. The Hot metal produced at G-Blast furnace Tata Steel Jamshedpur has a significantly higher Si content than Benchmark Blast furnaces. The higher content of hot metal Si is mainly due to inferior raw material quality than those used in benchmark blast furnaces. With minimum control over raw material quality, the only option left to control hot metal Si is via optimizing the furnace parameters. Therefore, in order to identify the levers to reduce hot metal Si, Data mining was carried out, and multiple regression models were developed. The statistical analysis revealed that Slag B3{(CaO+MgO)/SiO2}, Slag Alumina and Hot metal temperature are key controllable parameters affecting hot metal silicon. Contour Plots were used to determine the optimum range of levels identified through statistical analysis. A trial plan was formulated to operate relevant parameters, at G blast furnace, in the identified range to reduce hot metal silicon. This paper details out the process followed and subsequent reduction in hot metal silicon by 15% at G blast furnace.

Keywords: blast furnace, optimization, silicon, statistical tools

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Authors: V. Singh, S. Singh, S. S. Garewal

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Metal matrix composites with aluminum as the matrix material have been heralded as the next great development in advanced engineering materials. Aluminum metal matrix composites (AMMC) refer to the class of light weight high performance material systems. Properties of AMMCs can be tailored to the demands of different industrial applications by suitable combinations of matrix, reinforcement and processing route. AMMC finds its application in automotive, aerospace, defense, sports and structural areas. This paper presents an overview of AMMC material systems on aspects relating to processing, types and applications with case studies.

Keywords: aluminum metal matrix composites, applications of aluminum metal matrix composites, lighting material processing of aluminum metal matrix composites

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Authors: Meriem Abid, Erika Oliveria-Jardim, Andres Fullana, Joaquin Silvestre-Albero

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The rapid industrial development associated with the increase of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has seriously impacted the environment. Among VOCs, hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is known as a highly toxic, malodorous, flammable, and corrosive gas, which is emitted from diverse chemical processes, including industrial waste-gas streams, natural gas processing, and biogas purification. The high toxicity, corrosively, and very characteristic odor threshold of H2S call for urgent development of efficient desulfurization processes from the viewpoint of environmental protection and resource regeneration. In order to reduce H₂S emissions, effective technologies for have been performed. The general method of H₂S removal included amine aqueous solution, adsorption process, biological methods, and fixed-bed solid catalytic oxidation processes. Ecologically and economically, low-temperature direct oxidation of H₂S to elemental sulfur using catalytic oxidation is the preferred approach for removing H₂S-containing gas streams. A large number of catalysts made from carbon, metal oxides, clay, and others, have been studied extensively for this application. In this sense, activated carbon (AC) is an attractive catalyst for H₂S removal because it features a high specific surface area, diverse functional groups, low cost, durability, and high efficiency. It is interesting to stand out that AC is modified using metal oxides to promote the efficiency of H₂S removal and to enhance the catalytic performance. Based on these premises, the main goal of the present study is the evaluation of the H₂S adsorption performance in carbon-encapsulated iron nanoparticles obtained from an olive mill, thermally treated at 600, 800 and 1000 ºC temperatures under anaerobic conditions. These results anticipate that carbon-encapsulated iron nanoparticles exhibit a promising performance for the H₂S removal up to 360 mg/g.

Keywords: H₂S removal, catalytic oxidation, carbon encapsulated iron, olive mill wastewater

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Authors: Dereje Moges Azbite

Abstract:

Laboratory analysis of igneous rocks is performed with the help of the main oxide plots. The lithology of the two wells was identified using the main oxides obtained using the XRF method. Twenty-four (24) cutting samples with different degrees of alteration were analyzed to determine and identify the rock types by plotting these well samples on special diagrams and correlating with the regional rocks. The results for the analysis of the main oxides and trace elements of 24 samples are presented. Alteration analysis in the two well samples was conducted for 21 samples from two wells for identifying clay minerals. Bulk sample analysis indicated quartz, illite & micas, calcite, cristobalite, smectite, pyrite, epidote, alunite, chlorite, wairakite, diaspore, and kaolin minerals present in both wells. Hydrothermal clay minerals such as illite, chlorite, smectite, and kaoline minerals were identified in both wells by X-ray diffraction.

Keywords: igneous rocks, major oxides, tracer elements, XRF, XRD, alteration minerals

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Authors: B. Bouadjemi, S. Bentata, W. Benstaali, A. Abbad

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The electronic and magnetic properties of the cubic praseodymium oxides perovskites PrMnO3 were calculated using the density functional theory (DFT) with both generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and GGA+U approaches, where U is on-site Coulomb interaction correction. The results show a half-metallic ferromagnetic ground state for PrMnO3 in GGA+U approached, while semi-metallic ferromagnetic character is observed in GGA. The results obtained, make the cubic PrMnO3 a promising candidate for application in spintronics.

Keywords: first-principles, electronic properties, transition metal, materials science

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Authors: A. Guemache, M. Omari

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Oxides with formula Ca1-xSrx MnO3 (0≤x≤0.2) were synthesized using co-precipitation method. The identification of the obtained phase was carried out using infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Thermogravimetric and differential analysis was permitted to characterize different transformations of precursors which take place during one heating cycle. The study of electrochemical behavior was carried out by cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy. The obtained results show that apparent catalytic activity improved when increasing the concentration of strontium. Anodic current densities varies from 1.3 to 5.9 mA/cm2 at the rate scan of 20 mV.s-1 and a potential 0.8 V for oxides with composition x=0 to 0.2.

Keywords: oxide, co-precipitation, electrochemical properties, cathode-type

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Authors: Guoyang Fu, Wei Yang, Chun-Qing Li

Abstract:

The most common type of cracks that appear on metal pipes is longitudinal cracks. For ductile metal pipes, the existence of plasticity eases the stress intensity at the crack front and consequently increases the fracture resistance. It should be noted that linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) has been widely accepted by engineers. In order to make the LEFM applicable to ductile metal materials, the increase of fracture toughness due to plasticity should be excluded from the total fracture toughness of the ductile metal. This paper aims to develop a model of elastic fracture toughness for ductile metal pipes with external longitudinal cracks. The derived elastic fracture toughness is a function of crack geometry and material properties of the cracked pipe. The significance of the derived model is that the well-established LEFM can be used for ductile metal material in predicting the fracture failure.

Keywords: Ductile metal pipes, elastic fracture toughness, longitudinal crack, plasticity

Procedia PDF Downloads 247