Size-based analysis of incinerator fly ash using gravitational SPLITT fractionation, sedimentation field-flow fractionation, and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy

Fly ash has been regarded as hazardous because of its high adsorption of toxic organic and/or inorganic pollutants. Fly ash is also known to have broad distributions of different chemical and physical properties, such as size and density. In this study, fly ash emitted from a solid waste incinerator was pre-fractionated into six sub-populations by use of gravitational SPLITT fractionation (GSF). The GSF fractions were then analyzed by sedimentation field-flow fractionation (SdFFF) and ICP–AES. SdFFF analysis showed the fly ash has a broad size distribution ranging from a few nanometers up to about 50 µm. SdFFF results were confirmed by electron microscopy. Inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP–AES) analysis of the GSF fractions showed the fly-ash particles contain a variety of inorganic elements including Ca, Si, Mg, Fe, and Pb. The most abundant in fly ash was Ca, followed by Si then Mg. No correlations were found between trace element concentration and particle size.     

Modeling of a counterflow plasma reactor

Modeling of a counterflow plasma reactor is presented, using liquid injection for the synthesis of fine particles. An experimental reactor has been developed in this laboratory, and feasibility has been demonstrated for synthesizing advanced ceramic powders. The flow field calculations show two major recirculating regions which are of importance for increasing the particles' residence time inside of the reactor. In addition, the temperature within these recirculation zones remains relatively uniform. For simulation, water droplet trajectories have been calculated for droplets produced by an injection probe. It is shown that the droplets in a size range below 50 m in diameter will follow the streamlines and evaporate completely within a short traveling distance. This finding suggests that this reactor configuration provides a favorable environment for the synthesis of fine particles using liquid precursors.     

Determination of the arc-root position in a DC plasma torch

The behavior of an arc operated in the nontransferred mode with a conical-shaped cathode and a nozzle-shaped anode is studied by applying general tyro-dimensional conservation equations and auxiliary relations for the simulation of arc channel flows. The position of the arc-root attachment at the anode surface is determined by using Steenbeck's minimum principle, which postulates a minimum arc voltage for a given current and certain given boundary conditions. The overall effects of the anode-arc root on the plasma flow are, studied by comparing the results with those of the transferred mode of operation. Specific arc-channel diameters are chosen in the simulation in order to verify flit, numerical model through comparisons with experimental results. The results show that Steenbeck's minimum principle is useful for determining the position of the arc-root attachment at the anode surface. Application of this method for control of the arc-anode attachment may be valuable in the design and operation of plasma spray torches to avoid jet instabilities.     

Local thermodynamics of KS black hole

We study the thermodynamics of the KS black hole which is an asymptotically flat solution of the HL gravity. In particular, we introduce a cavity to describe the thermodynamics at a finite isothermal surface on general ground and to get a well-defined thermodynamics. We show that there exists a locally stable small black hole which tunnels to the hot flat space below the critical temperature and to the large black hole above the critical temperature. Moreover, it turns out that the remnant decays into the vacuum through a quantum tunneling.     

Formation of amorphous zinc citrate spheres and their conversion to crystalline ZnO nanostructures

We report a method for synthesizing zinc citrate spheres at a low temperature (90 °C) under normal atmospheric pressure. The spherical structures were amorphous and had an average diameter of ～1.7 μm. The amorphous zinc citrate spheres could be converted into crystalline ZnO nanostructures in aqueous solutions by heating at 90 °C for 1 h. By local dissolution of the zinc citrate spheres, nucleation and growth of ZnO occurred on the surfaces of the amorphous zinc citrate spheres. The morphologies and exposed crystal faces of the crystalline ZnO nanostructures (structure I: oblate spheroid; structure II: prolate spheroid; structure III: hexagonal disk; structure IV: sphere) could be controlled simply by varying the solution composition (solutions I, II, III, or IV) in which the as-prepared amorphous zinc citrate spheres were converted. The concentration of citrate anions and solution pH played a decisive role in determining the morphologies and exposed crystal faces of the crystalline ZnO nanostructures. On the basis of experimental results, we propose a plausible mechanism for the conversion of amorphous zinc citrate spheres into the variety of observed ZnO structures.     

Fractionation and characterization of starch granules using field-flow fractionation (FFF) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)

Starch is one of the main carbohydrates in food; it is formed by two polysaccharides: amylose and amylopectin. The granule size of starch varies with different botanical origins and ranges from less than 1 μm to more than 100 μm. Some physicochemical and functional properties vary with the size of the granule, which makes it of great interest to find an efficient and accurate size-based separation method. In this study, the full-feed depletion mode of split-flow thin cell fractionation (FFD-SF) was employed for a size-based fractionation of two types of starch granules (corn and potato) on a large scale. The fractionation efficiency (FE) of fraction-a for corn and potato granules was 98.4 and 99.4%, respectively. The FFD-SF fractions were analyzed using optical microscopy (OM) and gravitational field-flow fractionation (GrFFF). The respective size distribution results were in close agreement for the corn starch fractions, while they were slightly different for the potato starch fractions. The thermal properties of FFD-SF fractions were analyzed, and the results for the potato starch showed that the peak temperature of gelatinization (T_p) slightly decreases as the size of the granules increases. Additionally, the enthalpy of gelatinization (ΔH) increases when the granule size increases and shows negative correlation with the gelatinization range (ΔT).