Determination of heavy metals and volatile aromatic compounds in used engine oils and sludges

Assessment of contaminant releases during utilization of used oils is essential for the determination of environmental acceptability. These paper reports the results of the study examining a toxic metal leachability from used engine oil and sludge samples employing leaching test (TCLP). The leaching test indicated that lead in oil samples exceeded 5-ppm concentration level what qualified them as a toxic waste. The samples of contaminated sludge were found to contain high concentration of total lead, barium and chromium, but the leaching test showed concentration below regulatory limit. The total content of benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, and xylenes (BETX), and naphthalene in used oil and sludge samples was also determined and was found not to be a significant factor to contamination.     

Activity of gold towards methylamine electrooxidation

The kinetics of methylamine oxidation at a gold electrode in contact with an alkaline electrolyte solution was studied. The adsorptive behaviour of substrate molecules was determined by changes in the differential capacitance of the double layer at the electrode/solution interface. The electrooxidation of methylamine occurs only in the potential range of gold oxide layer formation. The general reaction pathways of methylamine oxidation on the gold electrode is proposed.     

Analysis of the correlation between acoustic noise and vibration generated by a multi-layer ceramic capacitor

Acoustic noise generated by a multi-layer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) makes users uncomfortable, so the problem must be analyzed to reduce the noise. There is a correlation between the acoustic noise and the vibration of MLCCs and the circuit board. Therefore, the acoustic noise problem must be investigated from a vibration perspective. In this study, the acoustic noise-generating mechanism was investigated, and the relationship between the characteristics of the noise and the dynamic characteristics of the circuit board with MLCC was analyzed. And a correlation criterion was proposed to predict the acoustic noise using the vibration response of the circuit board.     

Selective Oxidation of Methanol to Formaldehyde Using Modified Iron-Molybdate Catalysts

Methanol selective oxidation to formaldehyde over a modified Fe-Mo catalyst with two different stoichiometric (Mo/Fe atomic ratio = 1.5 and 3.0) was studied experimentally in a fixed bed reactor over a wide range of reaction conditions. The physicochemical characterization of the prepared catalysts provides evidence that Fe₂(MoO₄)₃ is in fact the active phase of the catalyst. The experimental results of conversion of methanol and selectivity towards formaldehyde for various residence times were studied. The results showed that as the residence time increases the yield of formaldehyde decreases. Selectivity of formaldehyde decreases with increase in residence time. This result is attributable to subsequent oxidation of formaldehyde to carbon monoxide due to longer residence time.     

On reactive routing protocols in ZigBee wireless sensor networks

ZigBee is the primary standard solution for wireless sensor networks, implementing the Ad hoc On‐Demand Distance Vector (AODV) protocol in the network layer and supported by the standard IEEE 802.15.4. This study is focused on mesh topologies and the critical problems encountered when AODV is executed in conjunction with the Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance protocol. These problems are mainly related to the packet overhead required to carry out route creation. To perform preliminary experiments to be able to implement AODV in a real network, a new metric is proposed herein. This metric uses fuzzy logic to help in the decision‐making process. The objective of the fuzzy routine is to determine, during the route‐discovery process, the best node to forward request/reply packets, with the aim of reducing packet overhead and energy consumption. Moreover, minor changes are also added to the discovery procedure of AODV to improve the performance of the route‐creation process. This intelligent version of AODV has provided promising experimental results, greatly reducing the number of packets required, with the consequent energy saving while selecting the best nodes to be part of the routes.     

Preparation of nanosize Pt clusters using ion exchange of Pt(NH3) 4 2+ inside mesoporous channel of MCM-41

Mesoporous molecular sieve MCM-41 with a Si/Al ratio of 35 was obtained by hydrothermal synthesis using a gel mixture with a molar composition of 6 SiO₂0.1 Al₂O₃1 hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride 0.25 dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide 0.25 tetrapropylammonium bromide0.15 (NH₄)₂O1.5 Na₂O300 H₂O. The MCM-41 sample was calcined in O₂ flow at 813 K and subsequently ion exchanged with Ca²⁺. A small Pt cluster has been supported on the MCM-41 sample following a procedure using ion exchange of Pt(NH₃) ₄ ²⁺ . The Pt(NH₃) ₄ ²⁺ ion supported on MCM-41 has been activated in O₂ flow at 593 K and subsequently reduced with Fh flow at 573 K, in the same way used for the preparation of a Pt cluster entrapped inside the supercage of zeolite NaY. The resulting Pt cluster supported on the MCM-41 shows hydrogen chemisorption oftotal two H atoms per Pt at 296 K (based on the total amount of Pt) and high catalytic activity for hydrogenolysis of ethane. The chemical shift in¹²⁹Xe NMR spectroscopy of adsorbed xenon indicates that the Pt cluster is located inside the mesoporous molecular sieve.     

CHARACTERIZATION OF EVA-BASED ADHESIVES CONTAINING DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF ROSIN ESTER OR POLYTERPENE TACKIFIER

Different amounts (50-170 php--parts per hundred parts of EVA, 33-63 wt%) of two tackifiers (hydrogenated rosin ester, polyterpene resin) were added to an ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer containing 28 wt% vinyl acetate. The EVA and the tackifier were characterized using infrared (IR) spectroscopy, DSC measurements, and stress-controlled plate-plate rheology. The properties and compatibility of the EVA-tackifier mixtures were studied using DSC, DMTA, and stress-controlled plate-plate rheology. Immediate adhesion was measured as a quantification of tack, and the T-peel strength of roughened styrene-butadiene rubber/EVA-tackifier adhesive joints was also obtained. The increase in the amount of tackifier noticeably changed the crystallinity of polyethylene blocks in the EVA, and the temperature at the cross-over between the curves of the storage and loss moduli as a function of the temperature was displaced to a lower value. Whereas the hydrogenated rosin ester was compatible with the amorphous ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer regions of the EVA (Tg value increased) reducing its crystallinity, the polyterpene resin was compatible with the polyethylene blocks of the EVA (T g value was not modified), increasing its crystallinity. Immediate adhesion of the EVA-tackifier mixtures was improved by adding both hydrogenated rosin ester and polyterpene tackifiers. On the other hand, there was an optimum tackifier content at which the maximum T-peel strength value was obtained.     

Effects of ion group content and polyol molecular weight on physical properties of HTPB‐based waterborne poly(urethane‐urea)s

A series of waterborne poly(urethane‐urea)s, WPUUs, based on using nonpolar hydroxyl‐terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) as the soft segment, were successfully synthesized in this article. The effects of the COOH group content and soft‐segment molecular weight (Mn_s) on the dispersion, morphology, and physical properties were investigated. Variations of the particle size, viscosity, and zeta potential were first governed by the hydrophilicity of the polymer chain, and then by the swelling derived from water. Fourier transfer infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicated that the degree of phase separation decreased as the COOH group content increased or as Mn_s decreased. However, the hydrogen bonding between the soft and hard segments and the two‐phase mixing could not occur in this nonpolar HTPB‐based WPUU system, indicating that the hard segments tended to form smaller domains and to pack more loosely. It was attributed to the fact that the presence of bulky ionic salt groups destroyed the ordered arrangement of the hard segments. In this case, the increases of the interface area between the soft and hard phases resulted in that the present behaviors were similar to the phase mixing. In tensile properties, HTPB‐based WPUUs exhibited higher tensile stress, elongation at break, and modulus as the COOH group content decreased or as Mn_s decreased. In thermal degradation, the introduction of HTPB polyol improved the thermal stability of WPUU. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007     

Migration of Intergranular Liquid Films and Formation of Core-Shell Grains in Sintered TiC–Ni Bonded to WC–Ni

When TiC–20 wt% Ni powder mixtures are sintered at 1400°C, relatively large TiC grains possibly containing some Ni form with near-equilibrium shapes. When these specimens are heat-treated again at 1400°C in contact with sintered WC–20 wt% Ni pieces, the liquid films between the TiC grains in the contact region migrate against their increasing curvatures, forming (Ti,W)C solid solution behind them. These migrating liquid films reverse their directions on further heat-treatment. As in other alloys, this liquid film migration must be driven by the coherency strain energy produced by W diffusion at the surface of the dissolving TiC grains. Shells of (Ti,W)C solid solution also form around the cores of TiC grains near the contact region, and this process is probably driven by both coherency strain energy and free energy of mixing. At some contact regions, (Ti,W)C precipitates nucleate and grow, probably driven mainly by the free energy of mixing. In powder mixtures, the formation of core-shell grains is expected to be driven by the coherency strain energy, the free energy of mixing, and the capillary effect.     

Asphalts as inhibitors of radical polymerization

The results of investigations concerning the effect of asphalts on radical polymerization of a monomer for model systems composed of styrene and two petroleum asphalts originated from two different crude oils: low sulphur nonparaffinic crude oil and medium sulphur paraffinic crude oil. Based on determination of styrene conversion in the radical polymerization process in the presence of asphalts, it was found that both asphalts act as inhibitors of this reaction. The inhibiting effect of asphalts is weakened by using higher temperatures and prolongation of polymerization time or application of greater initiator rates. On the basis of the analysis of group and elementary chemical composition of both asphalts as well as electron paramagnetic resonance, it was found that the inhibiting effect to radical polymerization is caused mainly by the presence of structures which are stable free radicals in character. The probability of inhibiting effect by sulphur compounds present in asphalts is also discussed.