Influence of some lime-containing additives on the thermal behavior of urea

Urea is one of the main nitrogen fertilizers used in agriculture. But being well soluble in water, hardly 50% of its nitrogen is assimilated by plants. One possibility to eliminate this disadvantage is to use coating agents for modification of urea to obtain a controlled-realized fertilizer. The aim of this research was to study the influence of different lime-containing additives on the thermal behavior and decomposition kinetics of urea in oxidizing atmosphere. Commercial fertilizer-grade urea (46.4% N) and analytical-grade CaO, MgO, CaCO₃, MgCO₃ were used in the experiments. In addition, one Estonian limestone and one dolomite sample were used as additive or coating material. The experiments with a Setaram Setsys 1750 thermoanalyzer coupled to a Nicolet 380 FTIR Spectrometer by a heated transfer line were carried out under non-isothermal conditions up to 900 °C at the heating rate of 5 °C min^?1 and to calculate kinetic parameters, additionally, at 1, 2, and 10 °C min^?1 in the atmosphere containing 80% of Ar and 20% of O₂. The differential isoconversional method of Friedman was used to calculate the kinetic parameters. The results obtained indicate that thermooxidative decomposition of urea as well as the blends of urea with lime-containing materials and urea prills coated with limestone or dolomite powder follows a complex reaction mechanism.     

A new glance at ruthenium sorption mechanism on hydroxy, carbonate, and fluor apatites: Analytical and structural studies

The sorption mechanism of Ru3+ ions on hydroxy (HAp), carbonate (CO3HAp), and fluor apatites (FAp) has been studied in detail. Ru apatites were obtained by reaction of the apatites with RuCl3 in aqueous solution. The structure and composition of the ruthenium-modified apatites were studied by several techniques: elemental analysis, XRD, EXAFS, IR, NMR, SEM-EDS, TEM, and thermal analysis. The amount of Ru in the modified apatite varies from 7.8 to 10.5 wt% and is not related to the initial composition or the specific surface area of the apatite. The different characterization techniques show that in the Ru-modified apatites Ru is surrounded by six oxygen atoms and do not contain any chlorine. For Ru-HAp and Ru-CO3HAp the new phase is amorphous whereas it is crystalline for FAp. The catalytic oxidation ability is higher for Ru-HAp and Ru-CO3HAp compared to Ru-FAp apatite in the oxidation of benzylic alcohol.     

Development of Functional Composite Cu(II)-Polyoxometalate/PLA with Antimicrobial Properties

Novel composite self-disinfecting films of polylactic acid (PLA) filled with nanosized particles of double sodium–copper(II) paratungstate B Na₂Cu₃(CuOH)₂[W₁₂O₄₀(OH)₂]·32H₂O (POM) were developed. The solvent casting (POM/PLA film) and solvent-free melt extrusion methods (Extr. POM/PLA film) were applied for film preparation. The copper (II) ion release to water from both types of the films after 10 days at different temperatures demonstrated that the PLA matrix acts as a diffusion barrier, and the resulting concentration of released copper in water at room temperature remained low, at 0.79% for POM/PLA film and 0.51% for Extr. POM/PLA film. The POM-containing films reveals a significant inhibitory effect against E. coli ATCC 25922 in the agar diffusion test. The numbers of CFUs in washes of the films after incubation for 24 h were found to be 3.6 log CFU mL^–1 (POM/PLA film) and 4.1 log CFU mL^–1 (Extr. POM/PLA film). The films combine the antibacterial properties of POM and a bio-based polymer matrix, which makes them a prospective coating material for applications in hospital indoor environments. Excellent thermal stability of POM gives a technological advantage for industrial manufacturing to allow the processing of novel composite material in the solvent free (molten) state.     

Synthesis and superconducting properties of Nd0.33Eu0.08Gd0.58Ba2Cu3O z materials

We have studied the effect of the ratio of different rare-earth element on the superconducting properties and phase formation of (Nd_0.33Eu_0.08Gd_0.58)Ba₂Cu₃O _z ceramic. Bulk NEG samples were prepared using the solid-state reaction process. The superconducting transition for Nd_0.33Eu_0.08Gd_0.58Ba₂Cu₃O _z is T _c ≈90 K and the value of the critical current density (J _c ) is 13.9 A/cm² at 77 K under zero magnetic fields. This value is twice as high when compared with the (J _c ) value of YBCO systems (J _c = 7.31 A/cm²). The obtained bulk sample was used for the production of superconducting Ag-sheathed tapes by OPIT method including hot rolling. The critical current density of the obtained tape (337 A/cm²) is one order higher than the one of the bulk sample.      

Microstructure and thermal properties of quasi-equal rare earth substitution Y0.5Gd0.5Ba2Cu3O6.94 superconductor

Sintering effects in YBa₂Cu₃O_z samples with quasi-equal rare earth substitution have been investigated. It has been shown that the Y-123 type compound can be formed when gadolinium is partially substituted (in this case 50% atomic substitution) for yttrium. The superconducting compound was obtained by the optimized ceramic method, including solid-state reaction, melting and sintering, controlled by X-ray diffraction. The microstructure was investigated by SEM and energy dispersive X-ray analyses. An AC susceptibility measurement has shown that T _c =93 K. Temperature-dependece of the thermal conductivity (4.5–300 K) of the polycrystalline Y_0.5Gd_0.5Ba₂Cu₃O_6.94 sample was also measured.      

Thermal behavior of some Estonian clays and their mixtures with oil shale ash additives

Thermal behavior of green clay samples from Kunda and Arumetsa deposits (Estonia) as potential raw materials for production of ceramics and the influence of previously fired clay and hydrated oil shale ash additives on it were the objectives of this research. Two different ashes were used as additives: the electrostatic precipitator ash from the first field and the cyclone ash formed, respectively, at circulating fluidized bed combustion (temperatures 750–830 °C) and pulverized firing (temperatures 1,200–1,400 °C) of Estonian oil shale at Estonian Power Plant. The experiments on a Setaram Labsys Evo 1600 thermoanalyzer coupled with Pfeiffer OmniStar Mass Spectrometer by a heated transfer line were carried out under non-isothermal conditions up to 1,050 °C at the heating rate of 5 °C min^?1 in an oxidizing atmosphere containing 79 % of Ar and 21 % of O₂. Standard 100 µL Pt crucibles were used, the mass of samples was 50 ± 0.5 mg, and the gas flow 60 mL min^?1. The results obtained indicate the complex character of transformations and show certain differences in the thermal behavior of Arumetsa and Kunda clays and their mixtures with oil shale ashes depending on the chemical and mineralogical composition of the clays as well as of the oil shale ashes studied.     

Growth and electrical properties of ZnO nanorod arrays prepared by chemical spray pyrolysis

Chemical spray pyrolysis was applied to grow ZnO nanorod arrays from zinc chloride solutions with pH=2 and 5 on glass/ITO substrate at 480 and 550 °C. The obtained structures were characterized by their morphological, electrical and PL properties. According to SEM, deposition of acidic solutions retards coalescence of the growing crystals. The charge carrier density in ZnO nanorods was determined from the C-V characteristics of ZnO/Hg Schottky barrier. Carrier densities ∼10¹⁵ cm⁻³ and slightly above 10¹⁶ cm⁻³ were recorded for ZnO deposited at 550 and 480 °C, respectively. According to PL studies, intense UV-emission is characteristic of ZnO independent of growth temperature, the concentration of oxygen vacancy related defects is lower in ZnO nanorods deposited at 550 °C. Solution pH has no influence on carrier density and PL properties.     

Phase formation and microstructure in Re1-x CaxBa2Cu3Oz (Re=Y, Eu, Er; x=0, 0.2, 0.3) superconducting ceramics

We have investigated the influence of Ca-substitution and different rare earths on the microstructure of RE_1-x Ca_xBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ (RE= Y, Eu, Er; x=0, 0.2, 0.3) superconducting ceramics. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray microanalysis and energy dispersive spectroscopy have been used to study the microstructure and the chemical composition of the samples. A correlation was established between the polycrystalline microstructure and phase formation depending on the additive content. We observed that calcium is distributed uniformly in the crystals. The formation of minor impurity phases improved the sintering conditions.     

Influence of Second-Order Lines on the Quantitative Wavelength Dispersive Spectrometry Analysis at Low Accelerating Voltages

The study covers a problem frequently encountered in the quantification of the results of wavelength-dispersive spectrometry (WDS) for the composition analysis of thin films. The characteristics of a Parallel Beam Spectrometer and traditional WDS systems were examined and olivine mineral – (Mg, Fe)₂SiO₄ (O – 44.03 wt%, Mg – 31.1 wt%, Si – 19.56 wt%, Fe – 5.06 wt%, Ni – 0.16 wt%, Mn – 0.09 wt%) was used as a reference material. Low accelerating voltage at 7 kV and beam current 400 nA were applied. Both methods yielded 30–35% of Mn. This is attributed to the overlapping of the MnLα first-order and the MgKα second-order lines. Studies of the influences of the second- and the third-order lines show that the second-order lines from Kα and Lα X-ray counts affected significantly the obtained WDS spectra when the influence of Mα counts was insignificant. Furthermore, the third-order lines did not have a marked effect on the analysis results.     

Thermal behaviour of ammonium nitrate prills coated with limestone and dolomite powder

The thermal behaviour of ammonium nitrate (AN) and its prills coated with limestone and dolomite powder was studied on the basis of commercial fertilizer-grade AN and six Estonian limestone and dolomite samples. Coating of AN prills was carried out on a plate granulator and a saturated solution of AN was used as a binding agent. The mass of AN prills and coating material was calculated based on the mole ratio of AN/(CaO + MgO) = 2:1. Thermal behaviour of AN and its coated prills was studied using combined TG-DTA-FTIR equipment. The experiments were carried out under dynamic heating conditions up to 900 °C at the heating rate of 10 °C min⁻¹ and for calculation of kinetic parameters, additionally, at 2, 5 and 20 °C min⁻¹ in a stream of dry air. A model-free kinetic analysis approach based on the differential isoconversional method of Friedman was used to calculate the kinetic parameters. The results of TG-DTA-FTIR analyses and the variation of the value of activation energy E along the reaction progress α indicate the complex character of the decomposition of neat AN as well as of the interactions occurring at thermal treatment of AN prills coated with limestone and dolomite powder.