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By K. Potluri, S. Akella, S. Bhansali

"This paper presents the design and angular strength analysis of microneedles for use as a transdermal interface for drug delivery, fluid analysis and sampling etc. Microneedles of different dimensions were designed and fabricated using various materials viz. Si02, OxideNitride- Oxide (O-N-0). The design, modeling and analysis was done using the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software ANSYS™ 6.1. Angular strength analysis of the microneedles was done using angular loading in ANSYS™, with the corresponding inaterial property settings. Using the force-displacement settings, forces of magnitudes in the range of 10 mN - 25 mN were applied on the microneedles at loading angles ranging from 30° to 90° was applied on needles. Square and circular shaped microneedles were modeled and the displacements and stresses generated were studied to characterize the angular strength of the microneedles. The buckling and force-displacement analyses show that O-N-O microneedles are more strong and robust as compared to needles of other materials. The analysis shows that while circular microneedles have uniform stress distribution, square microneedles have low stresses concentrated along the edges.INTRODUCTIONIn modem clinical and biomedical applications, drug delivery is done either by oral administration or by hypodermic injection. Hypodermic injection of drugs using needles is often painful. Hence, transdermal drug delivery techniques are increasingly being sought out as an alternative. In transdermal drug delivery the needles puncture the Stratum comeurn - the outermost layer of the human skin. The advantage of transdermal drug delivery (or transdermal measurement) technique, is that it reduces pain and tissue trauma."

Jan 1, 2004

By Victor Stancovski, Uday Pal, Stephen C. Britten

"An in situ electrochemical technique for measuring the concentrations of easily dissociable oxides in slags at temperatures between 1200-1600°C is being developed. The technique utilizes a partially-stabilized-zirconia solid electrolyte (PSZ), which conducts oxygen ions, to separate a reference-gas compartment from the slag of interest. Three types of measurements are currently under investigation which yield different information concerning the slag phase and hence will be combined into a single amperometric device for monitoring the properties of easily dissociable slags.Type I utilizes an open-circuit-voltage measurement between the reference gas and the slag phase. Type II utilizes a potentiostat to apply a direct current potential step or sweep between the inner and outer compartments of the electrolyte, driving oxygen ions from the slag into a reference gas. With the use of open-circuit-reference electrodes, the resulting current-potential profile reveals the dissociation potential and concentration profile of dissociable oxides such as those of iron, manganese, and chromium. Information on the transport properties of the cations can also be generated from these measurements. Type III utilizes a potentiostat with reference electrodes to carefully electrolyze a known volume of slag by removing large quantities of oxygen ions from the slag to the reference gas. The coulombs of charge removed at different applied potentials can be used as a direct indication of the concentration of each dissociable oxide species present within the slag."

Jan 1, 1997

By H. Y. Sohn

The purpose of this article is to analyze critically and quantitatively the effect of chemical equilibrium on the overall rates of fluid-solid reactions. It is shown through a mathematical analysis that a reaction with a small equilibrium constant (a positive standard free energy of reaction) is more likely to be rate-controlled by pore diffusion or mass transfer than a reaction with a large equilibrium constant. The overall reaction rate of the former also tends to be slow. Furthermore, the apparent activation energy of such a reaction approaches the standard enthalpy of reaction (M-f'), rather than the true activation energy of the chemical reaction. The Law of Additive Reaction Times developed by the author is shown to apply to equilibrium-limited fluid-solid reactions and to be useful in quantitatively analyzing the behavior of such reactions.

Jan 1, 2003

By H. Y. Sohn

The purpose of this article is to analyze critically and quantitatively the effect of chemical equilibrium on the overall rates of fluid-solid reactions. It is shown through a mathematical analysis that a reaction with a small equilibrium constant (a positive standard free energy of reaction) is more likely to be rate-controlled by pore diffusion or mass transfer than a reaction with a large equilibrium constant. The overall reaction rate of the former also tends to be slow. Furthermore, the apparent activation energy of such a reaction approaches the standard enthalpy of reaction (Mf'), rather than the true activation energy of the chemical reaction. The Law of Additive Reaction Times developed by the author is shown to apply to equilibrium-limited fluid-solid reactions and to be useful in quantitatively analyzing the behavior of such reactions.

Jan 1, 2003

By John O. Marsden

The past fifteen years have seen a number of important developments in copper hydrometallurgy, including the commercial application of biological heap leaching of secondary (chalcocite-dominant) copper ores, the commercial demonstration of chalcopyrite concentrate leaching technology using pressure leaching and biological processes, and the application of novel configurations of solution extraction circuits. Significant emphasis is now being placed on the development of effective stockpile leaching practices for primary ores (chalcopyrite and bornite-dominant mineralization). Some of these developments have been highly successful, and will pave the way for further development and commercialization. Others have been less successful. These developments are reviewed in the context of the metal price cycle and trends for the future are identified.

Jan 1, 2006

By Bruce H. Baker

Studies of used or unused refractory materials are excellent examples of applied mineralogy in industry. Refractory materials are mineral substances containing ceramic or chemical bonding systems. Knowledge of the mineral composition, bonding, and textural relationships often explains the resulting physical property values of a refractory and contributes to the interpretation of refractory wear mechanisms occurring in steel plant service.

Jan 1, 1982

By Kathryn Hindmarsh

The most common method for the concentration of cyanide in gold leach circuits is based on the titration of cyanide ions with silver ions. This can either be done manually as a titration with a visual end-point or by using one of several commercial cyanide analysers which are 'based on the same titration but use a potentiometric end point This method has 'its limitations in the case of some ores such as those containing high amounts of soluble copper and those that are treated at low (less than pH 9) pH values in that the titration results do not accurately reflect the concentration of cyanide which is available for the dissolution of gold. This paper will present the results of the development of a novel "active" cyanide analyser which is based on the rate, of the reaction between gold colloids and cyanide. Gold colloids have a deep red colour and can be very simply prepared and stored for extended periods of time when stabilized. t has been shown that colloidal gold behaves similarly to metallic gold, dissolving in aerated sodium cyanide solutions to give the colourless Au(CNh-ion, This allows the reaction between the colloids and cyanide to be monitored spectrophotometrically at 520 nm. An automated instrument has been developed around this concept which can analyse a filtered pulp stream every few minutes with periodic calibration using standard cyanide solutions, Results of test work on synthetic solutions and solutions derived from several Australian gold plants will be presented as will the results of a comparative evaluation with a commercial titration analyser on a local gold plant

Jan 1, 1998

By Chu Yong Cheng

The solvent extraction (SX) processes of the three pressure acid leach (PAL) nickel plants in Western Australia have been reviewed. The use of intermediate precipitation, solids/liquid separation and re-leach in the three W A nickel plants make these processes complicated and costly in capital and ?operation. The research work carried out by the SX group at the AJ Parker Cooperative Research Centre for Hydrometallurgy I CSIRO Minerals has led to the development of direct solvent extraction (DSX) processes to recover and purify nickel and cobalt from leach solutions. The simplicity of the process flowsheets and the expected savings in capital and operating costs are the major advantages of the new DSX processes over the reviewed processes. By using a new synergistic organic system in semi-continuous tests with a pilot plant leach solution (after iron precipitation) from BHP-BiIliton Stainless Steel Materials, the metal values (Ni and Co) together with zinc and copper were separated from the major impurities (Mn, Mg and Ca, together with Cl) in the first SX circuit. The co-extracted manganese, magnesium and' calcium were easily scrubbed out. After stripping, the metal values (Ni and Co) together with zinc and copper were concentrated, resulting in a much smaller second SX circuit and equipment in the down stream processes. The extraction and stripping kinetics of the metals with the new synergistic organic solution were very fast. The extraction and stripping almost reached steady state within 0.5 minutes. Semi-continuous test work with a synthetic leach solution, a cobalt pilot plant leach solution from Peko Rehabilitation Project Pty Ltd and a synthetic solution to simulate a concentrated laterite leach solution from BHP-Billiton Stainless Steel Materials showed that manganese, calcium, copper and zinc can be effectively and efficiently separated from nickel, cobalt and magnesium by extraction, scrubbing and stripping. This led to the development of another DSX process using D2EHPA to recover nickel and cobalt from leach solutions.

Jan 1, 2003

By K. Osseo-Asare

Third phase formation, the separation of a solvent extraction organic phase into two liquids, is generally attributed to the limited solubility of the extracted complexes in the hydrocarbon diluents. Much of the research on third phase fomiation, therefore, emphasizes experiments designed to establish the stoichiometry of the species responsible for the limited solubility. This work offers a different approach, based on the recognition that the solvent extraction third phase, in fact, corresponds to the middle phase in a microemulsion fluid system. Using the tri-n-butylphosphate (TBP)-diluent-water-electrolyte system as a model system, current concepts of microemulsion phase behavior are utilized to develop a general framework for interpreting and predicting the patterns of phase behavior in solvent extraction systems.

Jan 1, 1999

By G. T. Lapidus

One of Society’s major concerns with hydrometallurgical processing is the large amount of water that is quintessential to its nature. This is especially troubling in arid areas, where the population struggles to procure potable water for their daily needs. For that reason, it has become our responsibility to conceive, design and implement processing schemes that not only use as little water as possible, but recycle streams within the plant itself and minimize waste that exits its perimeter. With this in mind, the conference will center on the importance of selecting the appropriate chemical systems and integrating material balances to avoid reagent overkill and to detect impurity accumulation. The three “R’s” (reuse, recycle and recovery) of aqueous solutions within the processes are emphasized. Examples of processes for the recovery of lead, copper, precious and PG metals from minerals and waste materials will be presented.

By Yong Hack Lee

Nonferrous smelting processes have been through a rapid transformation since the beginning of 1980. The copper smelting technology has changed from the conventional Blast Furnace process to the Flash Smelting and MIB process. In the field of lead smelting, the technology has changed from the Blast Furnace Smelting to the Direct Smelting such as QSL and KIVCET. In 1992, Onsan Refinery successfully commissioned Direct Smelting QSL technology for lead. The QSL could produce more than 160,000 ton per year of lead bullion from lead concentrate and various residues. Moreover, since the year 2000, the TSL (Top Submerged Lance) Technology utilizing the same Direct Smelting process has been successfully commissioned to treat lead concentrate as well as lead sulfate residue produced from a hydrometallurgical zinc plant. This paper presents and compares the energy flows of lead smelting processes such as a conventional process and the Direct Smelting Processes plotted on the Pb-O-S phase diagram. The oxygen potential diagram suggests how to control the oxygen potential in the fum ace. Also, it describes the recent operational experience in the TSL plant of Onsan Refinery with necessary mass balance of key elements.

Jan 1, 2003

By F. Qian

An impinging gas jet on a liquid surface is found in many industrial process systems such as electric arc furnace, welding, steel-making operation and others. Fundamental understanding of the interaction of a gas jet on a liquid pool can provide important insights into process behavior resulting in improved efficiency. A numerical model is developed for solving the flow fields of both impinging gas jet region and liquid pool below, in which the deformed interface shape is predicted simultaneously. Using curvilinear coordinates, the Navier-Stokes equations of each phase are solved separately through coupling of static pressure, shear stress and velocity at the interface. Several cases for jet distances and flowrates were investigated both numerically and experimentally with an air-water model. Favorable comparison of numerical results with experimental data confirms the validity of the present numerical approach. An existing phenomenological model for 'penetration depth' prediction was extended for smaller 3et exit height to jet diameter' ratios.

Jan 1, 1995

By Ju Shao-hua

Although nowadays gold extraction methods are very abundant, none of them is satisfying, especially, in the field of heap leaching of low grade gold ore. The traditional heap leaching method of cyanide method plays an inglorious role of badly environmental pollution. In this paper, a bran-new and innoxious method of gold extraction system, metal-ammonium-chloride-ammonia (MACA), was proposed, and also analyzed both thermodynamically and practically. Thermodynamically, according to the principles of simultaneous chemical equilibrium and electronic charge neutrality, the thermodynamics of Au-NH4Cl-NH3-H2O system was studied by using the exponential computation method and through MATLAB programming, and the solid figure of its potential - c(NH4Cl) - c(NH4OH) was drawn. The results showed when the concentrate of ammonia is higher than 0.6 mol?L-1, fAu+/Au is only about -0.2 v. Practically, the leaching results of a cuprous gold ore showed that the extraction of gold can reach to 80% in this system. The preliminary results of reduction of the rich solution with copper and zinc powders showed that with deoxygenizing, the reduction effects were relatively good. These new findings and results have established a theoretical and practical base for developing a new process for heap leaching of low grade gold ores in this system. And the new process owns a series of merits such as, non-cyanogens, nontoxic, broader applicability.

Jan 1, 2006

HW Process Technologies, Inc. (HWPT) has developed a patented membrane-based ion fractionation system, which specifically separates copper from gold and silver species in a cyanide matrix. This Engineered Membrane Separation (EMS?) system was pilot demonstrated on the 82,000 liters of pregnant leach solution' (PLS) generated from tailings, via thin layer leaching, at a mine site in Durango State, Mexico. The EMS? recovered ~90% of the gold-silver cyano-complex to a 90% volume permeate (based upon an EMS? feed stream of 100% volume) while rejecting -90% of the copper cyano-complex to a \0% (by volume) concentrate. The EMS? technology combines pore-size specific electro-statically charged membranes with engineered materials of construction and application-specific operational design that reject multi-valent, ionically charged species to the concentrate and transmit mono-valent species through the membrane to the permeate. The 850 ppm Cu PLS contained approximately 0.8 gil free NaCN with, the copper cyano-omplex principally in the CU(CN)3 and CU(CN)4 forms. The gold grade of the PLS was -2 ppm Au. The ~LS calcium concentration at -700 ppm Ca was reduced to ISO ppm.Ca (± 50 ppm) by sodium cycle ion exchange pre-treatrnent prior to EMS? processing.

Jan 1, 1998

By F. E. Katrak

Rare earths markets by definition usually include not only the rare earth elements, but also yttrium. They can be subdivided into a very large light rare earth fraction (about 95 percent by weight of all rare earths consumed) consisting mainly of cerium and lanthanum and a smaller fraction (with much higher unit value) consisting of selected high-purity oxides or elements such as yttrium, europium, samarium, or neodymium. CRA estimates that the noncomnunist world market for all rare earths and yttrim was on the order of US$750 million in 1986. The main focus of this paper is on the principal uses for rare earths, some CRA-developed proprietary data on their consumption by region, and the selective nature of business opportunities in the rare earth markets. We also provide forecasts on the future trends in these markets.

Jan 1, 1989

By Marisa Di Sabatino, Michael Phan Knudson, Mari Juel, Eivind Øvrelid

"A p-type Czochralski silicon ingot doped with boron was characterized for resistivity, minority carrier lifetime, interstitial oxygen, and metallic impurities. Analyses show a peak in resistivity and a dip in lifetime both occur 5 cm from the top of the ingot crown. This peak in resistivity deviates from the expected trend based on Scheil's equation for boron distribution. High concentration of interstitial oxygen in this area suggests that other oxygen-related defects, such as thermal donors and precipitates, may also be present here, and the observed peak in resistivity and dip in lifetime could be attributed to such defects. The low lifetime of 15-30 µs at minority carrier density of 7.5 x 1014 cm-3 is likely due to copper contamination.IntroductionSolar energy resources vastly exceed all other alternative energy resources, ensuring that solar power must play a crucial role in the evolving energy market. The economic viability of solar power in competition with other energy resources depends upon finding efficient, cost-effective, reliable, and controlled methods for solar cell production. In this regard, minimizing waste (such as material with unsuitable electrical properties that hinder solar cell performance) is a vital component of making solar cell manufacturing cost-effective. Impurities affect electrical properties of solar cell silicon in different ways (i.e. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]). In this work we focus on the role of oxygen and metallic impurities. Understanding oxygen impurities in silicon is critical to solar cell development because oxygen has been attributed with influencing critical electrical properties including resistivity and minority carrier lifetime and thereby potentially hindering solar cell performance or rendering material unsuitable for solar cells.[1, 2] Furthermore, oxygen is a common impurity in the standard type of solar cell silicon, Czochralski (CZ) silicon, due to diffusion of oxygen from the silica crucible into the melt during crystallization. [7] This study investigates the effects oxygen impurities have on the electrical properties of p-type CZ silicon."

Jan 1, 2013

By C. Damiani

The Chuquicamata smelter, operating since 1952, has gone through several developing stages which have been characterized by the addition of peak technology for copper concentrate smelting (Teniente converter and Outokumpu flash furnace) with an intensive use of technical oxygen, which has permit-ted to partially discontinue the reverberatory furnace utilization. This paper shows the main indicators and operational practices at present, as well as those concerning maintenance aspects. Finally, the most relevant topics related to the future development of the smelter are mentioned with special remarks on the Decontamination Plan, which allows US to keep the high level of production, reducing the emission of contaminants according to the legal requirements in force.

Jan 1, 1993

By Luciano B. Oliveira, Alexandre M. Stumbo, Luis G. C. Marques, Valdo S. Marques, Sergio N. Monteiro

"Similar to the ethanol program, initiated more than 30 years ago, the recently created biodiesel program in Brazil is expected to rely on private initiative based on agribusiness for vegetable oil production. Campos dos Goytacazes is a large county in the northern of the state of Rio de Janeiro with land still available for oily vegetables plantation in addition to the land traditionally occupied by sugar cane plantation, which is used to produce ethanol. In order to extend the biodiesel program to Campos dos Goytacazes, the State University of Northern Rio de Janeiro (UENF) is conducting a technical project for the development of the infrastructure for biodiesel production. In this work, the infrastructure based on versatile equipment for biodiesel esterification built in the Center for Alternative Energy of the UENF is presented.IntroductionBiofuels are gaining worldwide attention as a possible economical solution for the prediction of declining reserves of petroleum and related increase in price of barrel. However, nowadays, a more relevant question is the climate changes caused by burning fossil fuels. This is especially the case of coal and petroleum based fuels, mainly gasoline and diesel that propel the majority of vehicles and generate a large amount of CO2 emissions responsible for global warming. This combination of economical an environmental problems is already providing a strong motivation to substitute conventional fossil fuels by renewable biofuels. More than just the interest of the market financial forces, government legislation is imposing a new order that obliges the use of biofuel. Many countries including the USA, the European Community, Japan and Brazil are committed to gradually substitute biofuels into their fleet of vehicles."

Jan 1, 2008

By Dieter Wanner

Off-gas cleaning from metallurgical? plants, requires in many cases very low dust contents which are, difficult to achieve with conventional scrubbers, even with high energy input. Lurgi has developed a scrubber which improves the separation of the fine dust by electrical charge prior to the scrubbing zone,, An Electrostatic Scrubber has been successfully installed for the off-gas cleaning from slag granulation after a waelz kiln achieving less than l mg/m3 in the clean gas.

Jan 1, 1992

By William Petrul

Image analysis studies were performed on mill products from laboratory flotation tests of the Zn-Pb ore from the Faro deposit in Yukon, Canada, to determine mineral liberations at specific grinds and to predict recoveries at optimum flotation conditions. The minimum and optimum grinds for liberating sphalerite and galena were predicted from size analysis data for the minerals in large ore pieces, and determined by image analysis studies of the mill products. The determined optimum grinds are about 2 Tyler mesh sizes larger than predicted because sane of the fine grained sphalerite and galena occurs in interstices between coarser grained pyrite and is liberated when the pyrite grains are broken apart. Materials balance calculations were performed on the analyzed values for the liberated and unliberated sphalerite and galenaa to determine their distributions in the mill products. The laboratory flotation tests recovered 74% of the sphalerite and 83% of the galena in Zn and Pb concentrates respectively. The mineral evaluation study indicates that the optimum recovery for sphalerite and galena are 85 and 83% respectively. The company is currently recovering 80% 'of the sphalerite and 82% of the galena.

Jan 1, 1989