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By Rzyman Michal, Nakamura Takashi, Shibata Etsuro, Grabda Mariusz, Oleszek-Kudlak Sylwia

"Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and many systems based on the synergistic effect of brominated organic compounds with Sb2O3 are extensively used as effective brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in many materials such as plastics and textiles. Thermal degradation of BFR containing plastics leads to the formation of hydrocarbons and gaseous compounds such as HBr and SbBr3. Our thermodynamic considerations indicate that these gases can act as bromination agents for metallic oxides such as ZnO, Cu2O, CuO, PbO and FeO. Moreover, these metallic oxides have the thermodynamic tendency to brominate easier than does Sb2O3. The aim of this study was to investigate experimentally the reactivity of ZnO with 1) HBr originating from the thermal decomposition of TBBPA and 2) SbBr3, which is formed during thermal degradation of brominated flame retardant plastics. The thermal treatments of the mixture of compounds of interest were investigated by thermogravimetry coupled with mass spectrometry.IntroductionTetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and many systems based on the synergistic effect of brominated organic compounds with Sb2O3 are extensively used as effective brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in materials such as plastics and textiles. For instance, 4.5 million tons of flame retardant plastics containing BFRs are produced in Japan each year. Thus, in thermal treatments such as the incineration and melting of solid wastes, BFR containing plastics are intentionally or unintentionally included in the wastes. Thermal degradation of BFR-containing plastics leads to the formation of hydrocarbons and gaseous compounds such as HBr and SbBr3 [1-5]. Our thermodynamic considerations [6] indicate that heavy metal oxides such as ZnO, Cu2O, CuO, PbO and FeO should easily react with HBr prior to Sb2O3 and also with SbBr3, the main gaseous product in the thermal decomposition of TBBPA, forming low boiling point metallic bromides suitable for the volatile separation of heavy metals. The metal oxides are also expected to qualitatively and quantitatively affect debromination and decomposition of the flame retardant."

Jan 1, 2008

By Yong .. Jun Wu

Laminated ceramics have received widely scientific and commercial attention because their properties, such as mechanical properties and electrical properties, can be tailored by adjusting the structure, thickness and composition of the different layers. For example, ferroelectric Bi4Ti3O12 (BIT) which has a positive temperature coefficient of dielectric constant (,E) can be used to modify the negative tE of typical microwave dielectric ceramic BaNd2Ti4O12(BNT), However, BaNd2Ti4O12/Bi4TiO12/Bi4Ti3O12/BaNd2Ti4O12 (BNT/BIT/BNT) laminated ceramics could not be prepared by the general method because the optimal sintering temperature of BaNd2Ti4O12 ceramic (around 1350°C) was much higher than that of Bi4Ti3O12 ceramic (around 1100°C). In this research, a new method of spark plasma sintering (SPS) combined with post-sintering was successfully proposed to prepare BNT/BIT/BNT laminated ceramics. It was divided into three steps. In first step, the BaNd2Ti4O12 ceramics were prepared by conventional sintering method. In second step, the calcined and pre-pressed Bi4Ti3O12 powders were sandwiched between BaNd2Ti4O12 ceramic pellets and spark plasma sintered at 900°C for 10min to synthesize BNT/BIT/BNT composite ceramics. In the last step, a post-sintering was employed to reoxidize the partially reduced BNT/BIT/BNT composite ceramics. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) showed that BNT layer and BIT layer were well bonded and no significant interfacial infiltration between them was observed. The sandwiched BNT/BIT/BNT ceramic with 10.7% BIT in volume has a dielectric constant of 92.85, a low dielectric loss of 01068 and a small temperature coefficient of dielectric constant of 35 ppm/°C at MHz.

Jan 1, 2003

Laminated ceramics have received widely scientific and commercial attention because their properties, such as mechanical properties and electrical properties, can be tailored by adjusting the structure, thickness and composition of the different layers. For example, ferroelectric Bi4T13O12 (BIT) which has a positive temperature coefficient of dielectric constant (TE) can be used to modify the negative of typical microwave dielectric ceramic BaNd2Ti4O12(BMT). However, BaNd2Ti4O12/Bi4Ti3O12/BaNd1Ti4O12 (BNT/BIT/BNT) laminated ceramics could not be prepared by the general method because the optimal sintering temperature of BaNd2Ti4O12 ceramic (around 1350°C was much higher than that of Bi4Ti3O12 ceramic (around /1100°C). in this research, a new method of spark plasma sintering (SPS) combined with post-sintering was successfully proposed to prepare BNT/BIT/BNT laminated divided proposed to prepare ceramics. It was divided into three steps. In first step, the BaNd2Ti4O12 ceramics were prepared by conventional sintering method. In second mop, the calcined and pre-pressed Bi4Ti3O12 powders were sandwiched between BaNd2Ti1O12 ceramic pellets and spark plasma sintered at 900'C for 10min to synthesize BNT/BIT/BNT composite ceramics. In the last step, a post-sintering was employed to reoxidize the partially reduced BNT/BIT/BNT composite ceramics. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron probe mircoanalysis (EPMA) showed that BNT layer and BIT layer were well bonded and no significant interfacial infiltration between them was observed. The sandwiched BNT/B1T/BNT ceramic with 10.7% BIT in volume has a dielectric constant of 92.8, a low dielectric loss of 0.0068 and a small temperature coefficient of dielectric constant v/35 ppm/C at 1 MHz.

Jan 1, 2003

By D. M. Fermino, C. G. Bastos Andrade, V. F. Justo, F. R. Valenzuela-Diaz, M. G. S. Valenzuela, C. Volzone

The present paper presents the study of light green smectite clay, from Paraiba, Brazil, submitted to mild acid attack under moderated conditions. Usually, clays are subjected to treatment with strong inorganic acids at temperatures near the boiling point and at high acid concentrations and then, widely used as bleaching agents. The treatment occurred under bellow boiling temperature and at short times of reaction (90°C, reaction times of 1, 6, 12, 18 and 24 hours in close reactor, concentration of the aqueous solution of hydrochloric acid 1.5 M, clay/acid solution ratio of 1g/10mL). The purpose of these attacks is to reduce the concentration of impurities providing color, with minimal change in the clay minerals structure, aiming at use in products of high value such as cosmetics and polymer/clay nanocomposites. The raw clay and the attacked samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), cation exchange capacity (CEC), stereomicroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray detector (EDS).

Jan 1, 2015

By Esperidiana A. B. Moura, Célio H. Wataya, Roberta A. Lima, Rene R. Oliveira

The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanical, morphological and thermal properties of biodegradable composites based on aliphatic-aromatic copolyester/polylatic acid blends (PBAT/PLA blends) reinforced by açaí seed fibers, an abundant byproduct of the açaí fruit agro industry. The biodegradable polymeric composites were prepared by melting extrusion process using a twin-screw extruder machine. The fibers removed from the açaí seed were used as the reinforcement and PBAT/PLA blends as the matrix. The influence of the açaí seed fibers addition on properties of composites was investigated by tensile and impact tests, SEM, DSC, and XRD analysis. Correlation between properties was discussed. In addition, açaí seed fibers characterization by SEM, XRD and WDXRF have also been carried out. The addition of açaí seed fibers on biodegradable PBAT/PLA blends showed that it is possible to get interesting property gains in biodegradable polymer by using waste from renewable sources.

Jan 1, 2015

By Paul L. Wichlacz

A mathematical model of growth and ferrous iron oxidation for attached bacteria was applied to rotating biological contactor (RBC) units treating acidic mine drainage. The model describes attached bacterial growth as a saturation function, where the rate of substrate utilization is determined by a maximum substrate oxidation rate constant, a half saturation constant, and the concentration of substrate within the RBC. The maximum oxidation rate constant was proportional to flow rate and the substrate concentration in the reactor varied with influent substrate concentration. The model was tested at three separate sites and with three different size RBC units. The ability of the model to predict the rate of iron oxidation under all test conditions was significant. The accuracy of the model was found to be affected by unit size and vary with specific test site.

Jan 1, 1985

By Stavros A. Argyropoulos, Michael Trovant, Norman J. Goudie

"Two studies were carried out to estimate the thermal resistance of various interfaces using experimental and computational techniques. Three types of interfaces were examined. The first study investigated metal-mold interfaces, and the second study focused on metal-metal and metal-oxide interfaces.For the metal-mold interface, the air gap size was measured and subsequently correlated with the interface thermal resistance. The procedural details are outlined for the development of a correlation which predicts thermal resistance as a function of air gap size.Investigation of the metal-metal and metal-oxide interfaces employed data from a series of experiments as input into a model, which solved the inverse heat conduction problem in terms of a resistance estimate. These experiments, involved dipping a cold cylindrical metal into a liquid metal or liquid oxide, respectively. Under these conditions, a shell freezes around the cylindrical addition and a thermal resistance develops during the time period which shell exists . The Heat Transfer Coefficient (HTC) at the addition shell interface differs significantly among the various types of metals and oxides used. In the case of an oxide shell, the (HTC) is about an order of magnitude lower than the (HTC) of the metal shell.INTRODUCTIONIn many metals processing operations there is a need to estimate the thermal resistance at metal-metal, metal-oxide, metal-mold interfaces. This need was further intensified with the recent proliferation of mathematical models, which predict various transport phenomena events. There are many factors which can influence the magnitude of the interfacial thermal resistance. Some of the factors, among others, are as follows: contact temperature, metal thermal conductivity, apparent contact pressure, surface roughness, interstitial gas conductivity, and interstitial gas pressure.In this paper, two studies are reported on the estimation of thermal resistance. The first involves, the development of heat transfer coefficient-air gap relationships at the metal-mold interfaces. The second includes, estimations of thermal resistance at the addition-shell interface. The former case is encountered in the metals solidification and the latter during the melting and/or dissolution of additions to liquid metals or slags."

Jan 1, 1999

By Mingmei Zhu, Xin Qiu, Xiaofei Dou, Yu Wang, Tiancheng Lin, Bing Xie

In this study, the slag forming route of the single-slag steel melting when smelting medium phosphorus hot metal was investigated. The CaO-SiO2-FeO-MgO-MnO-P2O5 as hexahydric slag system was adopted in the converter. The effect of slag composition on liquidus was calculated by FactSage, the isogram of phosphorus distribution ratio was calculated by using the regular ion solution model, combining these two tasks, the theoretical slag forming route was obtained. Through experiments, the actual melting point ofthe corresponding components on theoretical slag forming route was obtained, in this way, the theoretical slag forming route was confirmed. Then, the theoretical slag forming route was applied to industrial test in a 210t BOF. After using the new slag formating route, the dephosphorization ratio was increased 3.6% while the auxiliary materials consumption was reduced, and the cost of steelmaking was reduced.

Jan 1, 2015

By Florian Kongoli

"Lime ferrite" slag with limited silica content has proven to be a valuable choice in the modem processes of copper smelting and converting due to several advantages that this slag offers compared to classical silicate slags. Nevertheless the liquidus surface of this slag has been experimentally measured only at low oxygen potentials such as in equilibrium with iron or near it and in air. Although most of the smelting and converting processes that use this slag occur at intermediate oxygen potentials, the liquidus surface of this slag is not known at these conditions and the effect of oxygen potential and silica has not been correctly understood. This has brought some confusion in literature as well as in the industrial practice. In this work the liquidus surface of the calcium ferrite slags has been quantified by the means of a new thermophysicochemical model and a new type of liquidus surface diagrams which are very convenient for any industrial process that uses calcium ferrite slags. These diagrams can be easily used to select the lowest liquidus temperature of calcium ferrite slags at a minimum cost and can help design several fluxing strategies in copper smelting and converting processes. The effect of the oxygen potential and silica is also quantified and important industrially related conclusions are drawn.

Jan 1, 2003

By Richard D. Hagni

Process mineralogy has not been given adequate attention in years past, because geologists have not been sufficiently interested in applying mineralogical techniques to industrial processes, and most process engineers are not adequately trained to use them. Although some individuals and institutions have made efforts to improve the situation, it is only in the last few years that the significance of applying the methods of mineralogy to a wide variety of industrial processes has been fully appreciated. Presently, the formation and organization of several groups devoted to applied mineralogy have created a more amenable climate for the development of process mineralogy. As a result, the presentation, discussion, and publication of the results and case histories of process mineralogy have become fairly common. Short courses affording hands-on experience with applied techniques are now available to the many geologists and process engineers engaged in industrial mineralogical processes. The future role of the process mineralogist is viewed as an expanded one, which will increase in value.

Jan 1, 1982

By Michael F. Kitto

The production of sulphuric acid at base metals smelters is predominantly an involuntary activity and now comprises approximately 17% of all-forms sulphur supply in world terms. The majority of elemental sulphur is also produced involuntarily in response to environmental regulations regarding emissions from hydrocarbon processing plants. The paper examines the points of similarity and difference in the sulphur and smelter acid markets, and reviews their interactions. The reasons for the merchant acid market collapse of 1993 are analyzed, and the prospects of a recurrence are considered.

Jan 1, 1996

By K. Abe

Onahama Smelter has two green-charge reverberatory furnaces and the annual smelting capacity is 600 thousand tons copper concentrate. In addition to the concentrate, various kind of industrial wastes has been processed and utilized. First, the brick waste from converter is ground and used as raw material of castable for repairing the copper melt launders. Second, the slag containing calcium-sulfide from other foundry is fed to the reverberatory furnaces. Calcium sulfide is oxidized to CaO. The melting rate of concentrate is accelenlled and the slag loss is decreased. Third, the tip tire made of waste car tire is charged into the reverberatory furnaces as fuel. The steam of waste heat boiler for turbine generators has been increased so as to decrease the electricity cost. Fourth, the sulfur accretion from other chemical plant is blended into the copper concentrate and the sulfur is recovered as the gypsum for sale. Fifth, the processed waste oil has been utilized in the copper concentrate dryer by which the smelting capacity was increased effectively. Consequently, Onahama smelter contributes to the society by processing the wastes to the harmless slag and utilizing them as fuel through the copper smelting.

Jan 1, 1996

By Takahiko Okura

Japanese non-ferrous industry introduced large-scale smelting plants along seashores for overseas concentrates with increasing demand of metals around 1970s. Although serious environmental pollution became obvious, with economic growth, the industry got rid of pollution by installing new processes and improving operation technologies. At present, over 99.8% of sulfur input to smelters is fixed as stable compounds. Through those decades Japan had steep rises of oil prices, sudden change of exchange rate, and inadequate treating charges, we were faced to consider the closure of smelters. The industry has survived by increasing productivity, saving energy and reducing manpower. Furthermore the industry made great effort to recycle valued metals from scraps and wastes for the resources-recycling society. Academic research also contributes to support these individual technologies. Thus the industry has fostered world-acclaimed technologies in terms of efficiency and energy conservation. This paper presents technology development and environmentally-benign sulfide smelting processes.

By Asmo Vartiainen

The viscosity of liquid Fe-O-SiO2 -slag at copper smelting conditions was investigated using a rotational viscometer. The studied parameters were oxygen partial pressure (10" °-10"6 bar ); composition of slag (Fe/SiO2 ratio), and temperature (1250-1400°C). The viscosity values are presented as a function of Fe/SiO2 ratio and as isoviscosity curves in ternary FeO-Fe2O3-SiO2 diagrams. The increase in viscosity at high silica contents can be accounted for the polymerisation effect of SiO4/4- -anions. At high ferric iron contents, higher oxygen partial pressure, the viscosity values increase especially near the magnetite saturation. The viscosity values are highest at the double saturation of silica and magnetite. At lower silica and ferric iron contents the viscosity values are more uniform in the homogenous liquid slag area. The viscosity values were lowest at high temperatures and highest at low temperatures.

Jan 1, 1998

By Leonardo Mota, Lucas L. da Costa, Milton B. Filho, Sergio N. Monteiro, Helion Vargas, Tammy G. R. Portela da Silva

"A natural biofoam extracted from the buriti palm tree has shown characteristics for potential substitution of synthetic foams. In the present work, a photoacoustic thermal characterization was performed on buriti biofoam samples. An open photoacoustic cell technique and a photothermal rise method performed under continuous laser illumination were employed in order to determine the thermal diffusivity and the specific heat capacity of such material. In addition to their intrinsic values (finger print), these physical parameters represent the light-into-heat conversion efficiency and the amount of heat stored per unit volume, respectively. The results showed that the buriti biofoam presents thermal properties that permit its use as an effective insulation material.IntroductionSolid foams are very light materials with increasing engineering applications [1]. A natural biofoam obtained from the petiole of the buriti palm tree (Mauritia flexuosa) has been recently investigated [2-4]. The evaluation of the buriti biofoam properties and the characterization of its microstructural aspects have shown that this biofoam has a potential as a new engineering material with very low density. Additionally, its reduced open porosity and low absorbed humidity revealed a promising material for packing and floating applications. In fact, this buriti biofoam, extracted from the palm tree natural of the north region of Brazil, is being used by the low income population as a modest substitute for Styrofoam® [1].As a potential insulating material, the buriti foam needs to be characterized in terms of its thermal and acoustic properties. A preliminary investigation [3] on the thermal behavior of this natural biofoam by thermogravimetric analysis, TGA, and its derivative, DTG, as well as differential scanning calorimetry, DSC, revealed parametric conditions associated with water loss and structural decomposition. Both the surface humidity and the release of hydration water were determined. Different decomposition events were attributed to both, more rigid as well as to more flexible molecular segments. Table 1 depicts technical data obtained so far for the buriti biofoam. These data are compared to those corresponding to Styrofoam®."

Jan 1, 2011

"The pyrometallurgical method of recycling car batteries suffers from a potential for air pollution violations, which prompts the desire for a viable hydrometallurgicaJ alternative. Several Processes have been proposed, including leach-electrowinning routes using HBF4 and/or HzSiF6 based electrolytes, along with anodes of PbO2 on inert substrates.A study has been carried out to evaluate the proposed systems, with the intention of demonstrating a six month life of an electrolyte-anode combination. The work, which focused on the use of HzSiF6, has indicated that there was no acceptable anode, and has lead to the development of a technique to produce smooth, glassy, adherent coatings on graphite, and to the development of an anode composed of a series of copper cored graphite rods.The paper will present results on leaching and electrowinning experiments, as well as the description of a flowsheet for a pilot plant that will be used to produce one tone per day of refined lead from spent battery paste."

Jan 1, 1997

By C. Palacios

The Plant, which was started up in April 1970, was originally designed for a capacity of 40.000 ton of cathodes per annum, using 12 sections, containing 408 cells. Since then the addition of another 8 sections containing 280 cells and using the Reverse Current System has made possible the increased output of 109.000 ton. The quality of the cathodes produced is excellent. The extension of the Electrolytic Refinery, by the introduction of the Reverse Current System, has been a great success and no problem has arisen in the new equipment or in the modifications carried out in the plant. The operation of the plant has improved due to better control procedures.

Jan 1, 1976

By Mei Song, Qingyu Deng, Xuewei Lv, Lu Liu, Chenguang Bai, Meilong Hu

"The carbochlorination of several silica materials was carried out in the temperature range from 900 °C to 1200 °C. In this study, silica oxides and gaseous chlorine with carbon as reductant were used. The optimal carbon silica mole ratio in different temperature was calculated by Factsage software and the results showed that the optimal values are 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 at 900 °C, 1000 °C, 1100 °C, 1200 °C, respectively. According to the experiments, the chlorination ratios of several silica materials were increased with temperature increasing. In the same temperature, the chlorination ratio of diatomite is the maximum and the chlorination ratio reaches 79%% when C/SiO2 reaches 3 at 1100 °C.1, IntroductionPolycrystalline silicon is the main material to manufacture the silicon polished section, solar battery[1] and high purity silicon wafers[2], also which is the most basic function material of semi-conductor industry, electronic information industry and solar photovoltaic battery industry[3]. The conventional manufacturing process of polycrystalline silicon would be divided into three parts: the improved Siemens method, which was introduced and became the main process to produce the polysilicon products in China. Silane method and fluidized bed method. Silicon tetrachloride and chlorosilans have been employed as by-products in several fields like electronic, telecounications and metallurgy[4-6]• At present, the main applications of silicon tetrachloride include production of trichlorosilane by catalytic hydrogenation, synthesis of fumed silica and ethyl orthosilicate, production of optical fiber grade silicon tetrachloride.The conventional routes for the silicon tetrachloride production have been reported, including the direct chlorination and the chlorination process of ferrosilicon, abandon catalyst and silica[7]."

Jan 1, 2013

By John J. Friel

Digital imaging systems are particularly useful in microscopy, because they make it possible to extract information not readily accessible by manual methods and to display that information clearly. Computer-aided imaging systems analyze, process and compare images, and of these, image analysis is most useful in materials science. Image analysis quantifies the microstructure by making measurements on the entire field or by measuring the size and shape of features individually. Even true surface area can be calculated. Modem image analyzers make thousands of measurements in seconds, leaving the investigator to interpret the data and relate them to process and material properties. Image processing, which may be necessary to prepare an image for analysis, includes everything from simple contrast transforms and kernel filters to complicated processes such as grain boundary reconstruction using artificial intelligence. An example of image comparison is point-by-point screening of X-ray maps of different elements to extract phases. In all of these operations, the computer makes a large number of measurements in seconds and returns information that could not be realistically obtained by manual methods.

Jan 1, 1992

By Christian Trassy, Pierre Proulx

"Inductive plasmas are now commonly used in material processing: spraying, powder synthesis, densification or spheroidization. An inductive discharge presents, in the coil region, recirculation eddies due to the Lorentz forces, resulting in an axial backflow. If the central jet is strong enough to ""pierce"" the recirculation this axial backflow disappears on the centerline, but the external layer of the injection flow is skimmed by the remaining eddy, and particulates are rejected to the discharge periphery. To avoid this disadvantage, it is common to introduce the injection pipe inside the discharge, so that its outlet is positioned after the recirculation eddy. The powders remain confined in the axial zone, to the expense of shortened residence time.In order to increase the efficiency of the particle trajectories, a double flow injector has been designed. It enables the particles to travel closer to the axis, while the outer schrouding gas is skimmed and passes through the electromagnetic eddies. This injector is made up of two concentric tubes. The powders are injected with the carrier gas in the inner tube. A schrouding gas is injected in the annular space between the inner and the outer tubes. The powder is confined to the vicinity of the axis, resulting in a more homogeneous thermal treatment.Tungsten powders have been spheroidized with and without this device. Using the double flow injection, the spheroidization yield has been increased from 70 % up to 95 %.The design of such an injection device has. been studied and improved using numerical modelling. Another useful tool, a visualisation technique described elsewhere, has been used for the experimental study, that drastically simplifies the comparison between experimental and theoretical results: injecting yttrium oxide into the discharge results in a colorful display of the 4000 K isothenn: the ""cold"" zone, below 4000, appearing as red, and the ""hot"" zone as blue. Furthermore, it is of great industrial interest since it is a very cheap and efficient way to obtain a picture of an important isotherm."

Jan 1, 1999