Anaerobic co-digestion of food waste and FOG with sewage sludge – realising its potential in Ireland

The severe environmental pollution in many countries is caused by indiscriminate discharge of large quantities of food waste (FW), fat oil and grease (FOG) and sewage sludge (SS) to the environment. There are many possible treatment routes, but anaerobic digestion (AD) is now well accepted for treating several kinds of organic wastes. But AD of FW alone presents some operational challenges because of substrates and variability. Anaerobic co-digestion of two or more substrates is better than single substrate digestion. This can use a plant’s unused capacity, in line with the trend to renewable energy. Co-digestion technology, although well established in many European countries, is still in its infancy in Ireland. There are problems with different regulatory arrangements. They should be resolved. The paper reviews anaerobic co-digestion technology is reviewed, with special focus on possible application in Ireland.     

Multiscale simulation on dynamic friction behavior of cylinder sealing rings under hydrothermal aging

The friction behavior of cylinder seal greatly affects the dynamic position accuracy of the cylinder execution terminal under hydrothermal aging. So, the hydrothermal aging test, friction test, tensile and compression test, topography analysis and infrared spectroscopy analysis, and multiscale simulation were carried out for studying the effect of the hydrothermal aging on the friction performance of cylinder seal. It was found that when the aging temperature increases from 40 to 80°C, the dynamic friction forces of the cylinder seals increase by more than 15%; the friction force increases with the increasement of the initial mechanical stress. Aging makes rubber to be brittle and more cavities on the fracture surface and reduces the fractured activation energy of the nitrile rubber molecular chain.     

Physicochemical properties and heavy metals leachability of fly ash from coal-fired power plant

The physicochemical properties of fly ash from two kinds of coal-fired power plants were studied. Three aspects were examined: the micro-morphology, the mineral composition and the content of heavy metals. The results show that the fly ash from plants using a circulating fluidized bed are more irregular particles, while the particles from the plants using a pulverized coal-fired boiler are mainly spherical in shape. Quartz and mullite are the main crystalline phases in the ash. Clearly, both the technology and the coal used by a power plant can influence the mineral composition of the ash. The mineral composition of fly ash from a circulating fluidized bed is more complex than that from a pulverized coal-fired boiler. The quantity of elements found in the fly ash is greater than that found in the bottom ash for the same plant. Heavy metals are likely to be enriched in the fly ash. Heavy metal leachability was studied using two leaching methods. The results indicate that most of the heavy metals that leached during either batch leaching or column leaching experiments did not exceed the related maximum concentration standards. But Ni concentrations in the leachates from both batch and column tests exceed the standard. The highest excess rates in both tests were 572% and 497%, which levels might threaten the environment.     

微机在电网谐波检测与频谱分析中的应用

本文给出了一种应用微机进行电网谐波检测与频谱分析的有效方法。按此制成的谐波数据采集系统具有足够的精度,频谱分析采用快速富里叶变换,从而为拟定抑制电网谐波的措施提供了可靠依据。     

Synthesis of calcium hydroxyapatite from calcium carbonate and different orthophosphate sources: A comparative study

The synthesis of calcium hydroxyapatite (Ca-HA) starting from calcium carbonate and different orthophosphate sources, including orthophosphoric acid, potassium, sodium and ammonium dihydrogen orthophosphates, was investigated under ambient conditions. The reaction started with calcium carbonate dissolution in an acid medium, followed by rapid precipitation of calcium cations with orthophosphate species to form calcium phosphate based particles which were in the size range of 0.4–1 μm. These particles then agglomerated into much larger ones, up to 350 μm in diameter (aggregates). These aggregates possessed an unstable porous structure which was responsible for the porosity of the final products. The highest specific surface area and pore volume were obtained with potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate. On the other hand, orthophosphoric acid led to the highest dissolution of calcium carbonate and the complete precipitation of orthophosphate species. Under ambient conditions, calcium phosphate based solid products of low crystallinity were formed. Different intermediates were identified and a reaction pathway proposed.     

Structure and properties of clay ceramics for thermal energy storage

In this paper, the structure‐property relationships of a clay ceramic with organic additives (biomass and biochar) are investigated to develop an alternative material for thermal energy storage. The firing transformations were elucidated using X‐ray pair distribution function analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the biomass increased the porosity, which resulted in a decrease of the specific heat capacity. On the other hand, the biochar remained in the clay ceramic without any interaction with the clay matrix up to 950°C. The specific heat capacity of the clay ceramic increased from 1.20 to 1.49 kJ/kg·K for a 30 wt% addition of biochar. The clay ceramic with a 30 wt% addition of biochar also conserved a high flexural strength of 11.1 MPa compared to that of the clay ceramic without organic additives (i.e., 18.9 MPa). Furthermore, the flexural strength only decreased by 23% after 100 thermal cycles. The crack growth associated with the thermal fatigue was limited by crack bridging and crack trapping. Hence, the current results suggest that clay/biochar ceramics can be as efficient as molten salts in thermal energy storage with the added benefit of an ease of use in the physical form of bricks.     

磷酸二氢钾晶体的立轴端面可磨性研究

磷酸二氢钾（potassium dihydrogen phosphate,KDP）晶体是公认的性能优良的光学晶体,尤其是大口径（≥ 400 mm）的KDP晶体,是激光核聚变中不可缺少的光学元件之一。KDP晶体从生长到制造成为光学元件,需要经过切割、精密加工、超精密加工及镀膜等多道工序,加工周期长。本研究通过立轴端面磨床对KDP晶体进行磨削加工试验,对比不同粒度的树脂结合剂金刚石砂轮（D7、D36、D91、D151）,在不同的加工参数下（主轴转速、工件进给速度、磨削切深）,对表面粗糙度R_a、表面微观形貌的影响,研究KDP晶体磨削的可行性,为实现以磨代车（抛）,缩短KDP光学晶体元件制造周期奠定基础。      

Flexible papers derived from polypyrrole deposited cellulose nanofibers for enhanced electromagnetic interference shielding in gigahertz frequencies

An array of highly conductive, lightweight and flexible cellulose nanopapers as effective attenuators of electromagnetic radiations within 8.2–12.4 GHz (X band) were formulated via in situ polymerization of pyrrole monomers on to cellulose nanofibers (CNFs). It is quite obvious that the free hydroxyl groups on the surface of CNFs facilitate the formation of intense intermolecular hydrogen bonding with PPy which is envisaged for its excellent electromagnetic shielding performance with an average shielding effectiveness of ca. –22 dB (>99% attenuation) at 8.2 GHz for a paper having 1 mm thickness. The fabricated papers displayed a predominant absorption mechanism (ca. 89%) rather than reflection (ca. 11%) for efficiently attenuating electromagnetic radiations, which has a considerable importance in the modern telecommunication sector. Thus, the designed PPy/CNF papers would replace the conventional metal-based shields and pave way for the development of green microwave attenuators functioning via a strong absorption mechanism. The PPy/CNF nanopapers exhibited a DC conductivity of 0.21 S/cm, a prime requisite for the development of highly efficient electromagnetic shields. Undoubtedly, such nanopapers can be employed in wide range of applications such as electrodes for supercapacitors and other freestanding flexible paper-based devices.     

Removal of aqueous lead ions by hydroxyapatites: equilibria and kinetic processes

The capacity of hydroxyapatite (HAp) to remove lead from aqueous solution was investigated under different conditions, namely initial metal ion concentration and reaction time. The sorption of lead from solutions containing initial concentrations from 0 to 8000 mg/L was studied for three different HAp powders. Soluble Pb and Ca monitoring during the experiment allows characterizing the mechanism of lead uptake. Dissolution of calcium is followed by the formation of a solid solution, Pb(x)Ca(10-x)(PO4)6(OH)2, with a Ca/P ratio decreasing continuously. Langmuir-Freundlich classical adsorption isotherms modeled adsorption data. The adsorption capacities calculated from this equation vary from 330 to 450 mg Pb/g HAp for the different solids. Modeling of the sorption process allows to determine theoretical saturation times and residual lead concentrations at equilibrium.     

Heavy metal vaporization and abatement during thermal treatment of modified wastes

This study examines the vaporization percentage and partitioning of heavy metals Cd, Pb and Zn during thermal treatment of wastes with added PVC, heavy metals or phosphate, and the efficiency of sorbents for removal of these metallic compounds in flue gas of an industrial solid waste incinerator. Firstly, vaporization experiments were carried out to determine the behavior of heavy metals during combustion under various conditions (type of waste, temperature, presence of chloride or phosphate ...). The experimental results show relatively high vaporization percentage of metallic compounds within fly ash and limestone matrix while heavy metals within sediments treated with phosphoric acid are less volatile. Vaporization of metals increases with increasing temperature and with chloride addition. The thermal behavior of the selected heavy metals and their removal by sorbents (sodium bicarbonate, activated carbon) was also studied in an industrial solid waste incinerator. These pilot scale experiments confirm that heavy metals are concentrated in fly ashes and cyclone residues, thus effectively controlling their release to the atmosphere.