Preparation and characterization of dealuminated metakaolin and its use in the transformation of waste plastics to aromatic hydrocarbons

Acid activated metakaolins (AAMKs) have been prepared by calcination of the natural clay at 600 degrees C to provide a metakolin which was then leached at 80 degrees C for 3 h using 1M, 2M, 3M, and 6M HCl. These materials were characterized and their ability to transform the off gases from HDPE decomposition into useful aromatic species was evaluated. The amount of adsorbed water and the number of acid sites increased with the severity of acid treatment. Variable temperature DRIFTS spectroscopy of pyridine treated samples revealed that both Br?nsted and Lewis acid centers were present until 425 degrees C. Pyridine bonded to the Lewis acid centers was more thermally stable. The AAMKs were all selective to the production of toluene with respectable, but lesser, amounts of xylenes and trimethylbenzenes. This selectivity contrasts with that of acid leached and pillared smectites which are selective toward trimethylbenzene.     

Pt- (and Co-) Promoted Molybdena-Alumina Catalysts: Analysis of the Impregnation Steps

The equilibrium parameters for the adsorption of Mo(VI) on gamma-Al(2)O(3) and of Co(II) and Pt(IV) on MoO(3)/gamma-Al(2)O(3) were determined. The adsorption isotherms were performed from aqueous solutions of the corresponding precursors on two different alumina supports. According to the classification given by Giles, L-type-shaped, subgroup 2, adsorption curves were found for the system Mo on gamma-Al(2)O(3), L-type, subgroup 1, for the Pt on MoO(3)/gamma-Al(2)O(3), and S-type for Co on the MoO(3)/gamma-Al(2)O(3) system. Numerical calculations were carried out for all the isotherms to find the equilibrium parameters. These constants are being used to model the development of Pt, Co, and Mo profiles on MoO(3)/gamma-Al(2)O(3) or gamma-Al(2)O(3) extrudates, respectively, which belong to the new generation of noble-metal-MoO(3)/gamma-Al(2)O(3)-supported catalysts to be used in oil-refining processes. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.     

Arsenic Speciation in Urine and Blood Reference Materials

Acute and chronic exposure to arsenic is a growing problem in the industrialized world. Arsenic is a potent carcinogen and toxin in humans. In the body, arsenic is metabolized to produce several species, including inorganic forms, such as trivalent (As^III) and pentavalent (As^V), and the methylated metabolites such as monomethylarsonic acid, (MMA^V), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA^V), in addition to arsenobetaine (AsB) which is ingested and excreted from the body in the same form. Each of these species has been reported to possess a specific but different degree of toxicity. Thus, not only is the measurement of total As required, but also quantification of the individual metabolites is necessary to evaluate the toxicity and risk assessment of this element. There are a large number of reference materials that are used to validate methodology for the analysis of As in blood and urine, but they are limited to total As concentrations. In this study, the speciation of five arsenic metabolites is reported in blood and urine from commercial available control materials certified for total arsenic levels. The separation was performed with an anion exchange column using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry as a detector. Baseline separation was achieved for As^III, As^V, MMA^V, DMA^V, and AsB, allowing us to quantify all five species. Excellent agreement between the total arsenic levels and the sum of the speciated As levels was obtained.     

Manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance microscopy of mineralization

Paramagnetic manganese (II) can be employed as a calcium surrogate to sensitize magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM) to the processing of calcium during bone formation. At high doses, osteoblasts can take up sufficient quantities of manganese, resulting in marked changes in water proton T(1), T(2) and magnetization transfer ratio values compared to those for untreated cells. Accordingly, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) results confirm that the manganese content of treated cell pellets was 10-fold higher than that for untreated cell pellets. To establish that manganese is processed like calcium and deposited as bone, calvaria from the skull of embryonic chicks were grown in culture medium supplemented with 1 mM MnCl(2) and 3 mM CaCl(2). A banding pattern of high and low T(2) values, consistent with mineral deposits with high and low levels of manganese, was observed radiating from the calvarial ridge. The results of ICP-MS studies confirm that manganese-treated calvaria take up increasing amounts of manganese with time in culture. Finally, elemental mapping studies with electron probe microanalysis confirmed local variations in the manganese content of bone newly deposited on the calvarial surface. This is the first reported use of manganese-enhanced MRM to study the process whereby calcium is taken up by osteoblasts cells and deposited as bone.     

Are quantile risk measures suitable for risk-transfer decisions?

Although controversial from the theoretical point of view, quantile risk measures are widely used by institutions and regulators.In this paper, we use a unified approach to find the optimal treaties for an agent who seeks to minimize one of these measures, assuming premium calculation principles of various types.We show that the use of measures like Value at Risk or Conditional Tail Expectation as optimization criteria for insurance or reinsurance leads to treaties that are not enforceable and/or are clearly bad for the cedent. We argue that this is one further argument against the use of quantile risk measures, at least for the purpose of risk-transfer decisions.     

Comment on “Negative refraction in 1D photonic crystals” [Solid State Communications 147 (2008) 157-160]

It can be shown that negative refraction cannot occur in one-dimensional photonic crystals oriented as in Srivastava et al. (2008) [1].     

Thermal analysis of monument patina containing hydrated calcium oxalates

This work describes the thermal transformation of patina samples formed on the surface of dolomitic rocks used to build the Romanesque Torme's Church (Burgos, Spain). Analyses were performed using a combination of high-temperature XRD, simultaneous TG/DTA and gas mass spectrometry. The XRD analysis revealed the presence of hydrated calcium oxalates. The following three steps were proposed for the thermal transformation of the raw material: dehydration of weddellite/whewellite to form calcium oxalate, transformation of calcium oxalate to calcium carbonate, and formation of calcium oxide produced via decomposition of the calcite. DTA/TG and mass spectrometry analyses confirmed this mechanism. In addition, a high proportion of organic compounds was detected and was possibly formed via degradation of products applied for the building's conservation by the action of microorganisms attack. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed CO (and CO₂) gas evolved during the transformation of CaC₂O₄ to CaCO₃. The CO₂ gas also appears at 765 °C due to the decomposition of calcium carbonate, and it appears over a large range of temperatures due to the decomposition of organic compounds. The TG analyses performed in a CO₂ atmosphere were used to determine the percentages of Ca and Mg contained in dolomite, and the calcium carbonate formed by oxalate decomposition. DRIFTS and mass spectrometry results revealed the presence of several aliphatic and/or aromatic compounds containing CO groups.     

Structural and catalytic properties of lanthanide (La, Eu, Gd) doped ceria

Ce_0.9M_0.1O_2−δ mixed oxides (M=La, Eu and Gd) were synthesized by coprecipitation. Independent of the dopant cation, the obtained solids maintain the F-type crystalline structure, characteristic of CeO₂ (fluorite structure) without phase segregation. The ceria lattice expands depending on the ionic radii of the dopant cation, as indicated by X-ray diffraction studies. This effect also agrees with the observed shift of the F_2g Raman vibrational mode. The presence of the dopant cations in the ceria lattice increases the concentration of structural oxygen vacancies and the reducibility of the redox pair Ce⁴⁺/Ce³⁺. All synthesized materials show higher catalytic activity for the CO oxidation reaction than that of bare CeO₂, being Eu-doped solid the one with the best catalytic performances despite of its lower surface area.     

Characterization of Al(III) complexes with hematein in artistic alum logwood inks

The complexes between Al(III) and hematein, the main coloring matter in alum logwood inks, were characterized by Raman and ²⁷Al NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopies. Raman spectra of the crystallized complexes and of the compounds applied on a paper substrate are presented and assigned based on published data for the parent compounds. These Raman spectra show that the coordination of the hematein to the Al(III) ions takes place in both cases through the carbonyl and hydroxyl groups in the molecule, and that the aromatic rings are also involved in the interaction. The Raman spectra of the pure hematein–Al(III) complexes were found to be consistent with those recorded for a logwood ink prepared following a late 19th century recipe, using logwood chips instead of pure hematein, and applied on a paper substrate. These spectra can be used as references for the noninvasive identification of the compounds in works of art. ²⁷Al solid‐state NMR showed that the coordination of the Al(III) atoms in the crystallized powder is predominantly octahedral, while when applied on a paper substrate the colorant is present mainly as a tetrahedral complex, with an octahedral coordination also present in a smaller proportion. The fact that the predominant coordinations for the complexes in the crystallized material and for the ones present on the paper substrate are different is relevant for the study of the lightfastness and thermal stability of works of art bearing these media. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stochastic optimization for power system configuration with renewable energy in remote areas

This paper presents a stochastic mixed integer programming model for a comprehensive hybrid power system design problem, including renewable energy generation, storage device, transmission network, and thermal generators, for remote areas. Given the complexity of the model, we developed a Benders’ decomposition algorithm with two additional types of cutting planes: Pareto-optimal cuts generated using a modified Magnanti-Wong method and cuts generated from a maximum feasible subsystem. Computational results show significant improvement in our ability to solve this type of problem in comparison to a state-of-the-art professional solver. This model and the solution algorithm provide an analytical decision support tool for the hybrid power system design problem.