Reactivity of industrial wastes as measured through ICP-OES: A case study on siliceous Indian biomass ash

An untapped source of amorphous SiO₂, industrially generated Indian biomass ash (SA)—90% amorphous, with composition of ~60% SiO₂ and ~20% unburnt carbon—can be used to produce cementitious and alkali-activated binders. This study reports dissolution of amorphous Si from SA in 0.5 mol/L and 1 mol/L aqueous NaOH, with and without added Ca(OH)₂, at SA:Ca(OH)₂ wt% ratios of 100:0, 87.5:12.5, and 82.5:17.5. Monitoring of elemental dissolution and subsequent/simultaneous product uptake by ICP-OES offers an effective process for evaluating utility of industrial wastes in binder-based systems. After 28 days in solution, up to 68% of total Si is dissolved from SA in 1 mol/L NaOH, with values as much as 38% lower in the presence of Ca(OH)₂, due to the formation of tobermorite-like C-S-H. FTIR, ²⁹Si MAS-NMR, and XRD are used to characterize solid reaction products and observe reaction progress. Product chemistries calculated from ICP-OES results and verified by selective dissolution in EDTA/NaOH—namely, Ca/Si of 0.6-1 and Na adsorption of 1-2 mmol/g—are found to be consistent with those indicated by aforementioned techniques. This indicates the efficacy of ICP-OES in estimating product chemistry via such a methodology.     

Temperature influence on the development of interdiffusion phenomena in MCrAlY-coated nickel-based superalloys

In this work, the interdiffusion between a MCrAlY-bond coat and two different nickel-based superalloys is evaluated at three temperatures, 950 °C, 980 °C, and 1,050 °C. Of primary interest is the evolution of Kirkendall-porosity, the β-depleted zone in the bond coat and the β’- depleted zone in the superalloy. The three phenomena arise near the interface between bond coat and superalloy as a result of interdiffusion between both materials and are detrimental to the coating-substrate system. The evolution of the interdiffusion phenomena is highly dependent on the alloy composition of the materials as well as the annealing temperature. It has been found that not only the temperature dependency of the diffusion coefficient but also the temperature dependent element activities are an important factor when evaluating the interdiffusion phenomena. It has further been shown that at lower temperatures the amount of Kirkendall-porosity per volume fraction is higher than at higher temperatures, even though the overall amount of porosity is lower. Different equilibrium concentrations of main alloying elements and a correspondingly lower over-saturation of vacancies have been identified as the main explanation.     

Eutrophication problems in Emilia Romagna,Italy: Monitoring the nutrient load discharged to the littoral zone of the Adriatic Sea

The deteriorating eutrophic state of the northern Adriatic Sea led to the commissioning of a study between 1977 and 1979 to identify the sources and forms of the nutrients phosphorus and nitrogen discharged from the basin of the river Savio. The study investigated the reduction in the phosphorus load in sewage per head of population caused by a reduction in the phosphorus content of detergents used in the basin and by the use of septic tanks. The flow and nutrient loads carried by the river were monitored during dry and wet weather to establish annual nutrient loads carried to the sea. An extensive sampling programme was carried out to quantify the principal sources of nutrients of which the most important were pig farming, Man and chemical fertilisers. An attempt was made to balance the nutrient loads discharged from the basin.     

Voltammetric sensing of tryptophan in dark chocolate bars,skimmed milk and urine samples in the presence of dopamine and caffeine

Journal of Applied Electrochemistry - The present work reports the development of screen-printed electrode (SPE) using flexible polyester sheets modified with nanodiamond (ND), Au nanoparticles...     

Botanical features for identification of Gymnosporia arenicola dried leaf

Gymnosporia arenicola Jordaan (Celastraceae) is a shrub or small tree, which naturally occurs in coastal sand dunes of Southern Mozambique and South Africa. Its dried leaf is often used in traditional medicine for the treatment of infectious and inflammatory diseases. Hereby, we present results of studies carried out according to the pharmacopoeia standards for the identification of herbal drugs, in the whole, fragmented, and powdered plant material. These results were complemented with scanning electron microscopy and histochemical techniques. The leaf microscopic analysis revealed a typical dorsiventral mesophyll with a corresponding spongy parenchyma–palisade parenchyma ratio of 0.60, anomocytic and paracytic stomata, papillate cells with a diameter of 4.00 ± 0.40 µm, multicellular uniseriate nonglandular trichomes with a length of 27.00 ± 4.10 µm and cristalliferous idioblasts containing calcium oxalate cluster crystals with a diameter of 23.04 ± 5.84 µm. The present findings demonstrate that the G. arenicola leaf has both nonglandular trichomes and hypoderm, features not previously described in the corresponding botanical section (Gymnosporia sect. Buxifoliae Jordaan). The establishment of these new botanical markers for the identification of G. arenicola leaf is essential for quality, safety and efficacy reasons. Microsc. Res. Tech. 78:1001–1009, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Evaluation of Alternative Preservation Treatments (Water Heat Treatment,Ultrasounds, Thermosonication and UV-C Radiation) to Improve Safety and Quality of Whole Tomato

Previously optimised postharvest treatments were compared to conventional chlorinated water treatment in terms of their effects on the overall quality of tomato (‘Zinac’) during storage at 10 °C. The treatments in question were water heat treatment (WHT?=?40 °C, 30 min), ultrasounds (US?=?45 kHz, 80 %, 30 min), thermosonication (TS?=?40 °C, 30 min, 45 kHz, 80 %) and ultraviolet irradiation (UV-C: 0.97 kJ m^?2). The quality factors evaluated were colour, texture, sensorial analysis, mass loss, antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content, peroxidase and pectin methylesterase enzymatic activities, and microbial load reduction. The results demonstrate that all treatments tested preserve tomato quality to some extent during storage at 10 °C. WHT, TS and UV-C proved to be more efficient on minimising colour and texture changes with the additional advantage of microbial load reduction, leading to a shelf life extension when compared to control trials. However, at the end of storage, with exception of WHT samples, the antioxidant activity and phenolic content of treated samples was lower than for control samples. Moreover, sensorial results were well correlated with instrumental colour experimental data. This study presents alternative postharvest technologies that improve tomato (Zinac) quality during shelf life period and minimise the negative impact of conventional chlorinated water on human safety, health and environment.     

Vandal Loads and Induced Vibrations on a Footbridge

The paper describes a study to characterize intentional human dynamic loads (vandal loads) and their induced effects on a footbridge. A numerical model to characterize the dynamic behavior of the footbridge has been developed, is experimentally validated, and is used to numerically simulate the response induced by groups of pedestrians synchronized at critical bridge frequencies. The vandal load associated with a single pedestrian is characterized and compared with definitions in the literature. The response is then calculated considering the measured load and compared with the measured response to the excitation induced by a single pedestrian or a group with varying dimensions. The definition of a general load model for vandal excitation, including a tentative definition for synchronization is discussed.     

Optimisation of rancidity stability in long‐chain PUFA concentrates obtained from a rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) by‐product

This research was focused on the production of polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrates from a farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) by‐product (i.e. belly muscle). The effect of different process variables (urea/fatty acids (FA) contents ratio, crystallisation time and temperature and stirring speed of the urea/FA mixture) on the lipid oxidation development during the urea complexation process was investigated. For this purpose, an experimental design (26 runs) following the response‐surface methodology was developed. As a result, peroxide value and TOTOX index showed to be dependent on the crystallisation time and temperature and the urea/FA ratio, while no influence of the crystallisation stirring speed was detected on both indices; additionally, polyene index was affected by the urea/FA ratio and its interaction with the crystallisation time. An optimised desirability score near 1.0 was attained provided values of 2.8 °C, 3.05 h and 3.57 were applied for crystallisation temperature, crystallisation time and urea/FA ratio, respectively.