Biological N Removal from Wastes Generated from Amine-Based CO2 Capture: Case Monoethanolamine

Large-scale amine-based CO₂ capture will generate waste containing large amounts of ammonia, in addition to contaminants such as the actual amine as well as degradation products thereof. Monoethanolamine (MEA) has been a dominant amine applied so far in this context. This study reveals how biological N removal can be achieved even in systems heavily contaminated by MEA in post- as well as pre-denitrification treatment systems, elucidating the rate-limiting factors of nitrification as well as aerobic and denitrifying biodegradation of MEA. The hydrolysis of MEA to ammonia readily occurred both in post- and pre-denitrification treatment systems with a hydraulic retention time of 7 h. MEA removal was ≥99?±?1 % and total nitrogen removal 77?±?10 % in both treatment systems. This study clearly demonstrates the advantage of pre-denitrification over post-denitrification for achieving biological nitrogen removal from MEA-contaminated effluents. Besides the removal of MEA, the removal efficiency of total nitrogen as well as organic matter was high without additional carbon source supplied.     

Neutron star matter. Phase transition to a neutron solid?

The ground-state energy and pressure of a neutron solid is calculated by means of a modified Brueckner theory. The possibility of a phase transition from normal neutron matter into a neutron solid is then considered, but no phase transition is found to occur for the specific two-body potential assumed.     

Superfluidity of 3He in dilute solutions of 3He in liquid 4He

The possibility of superfluidity of ³He in dilute solutions of ³He in liquid ⁴He is investigated, and the corresponding critical temperature is estimated. The results indicate S-state pairing, i.e., for small concentrations of ³He, the highest transition temperature is obtained for L = 0, but the obtained critical temperatures are very low.     

Superfluidity of neutron matter: (II). Triplet pairing

The possibility of neutron triplet pairing and superfluidity in neutron star matter is investigated, and the energy gap and corresponding critical temperature is calculated or estimated as a function of Fermi momentum or density. The calculations are performed for a “one-pion-exchange gaussian” potential, and compared with the results for neutron and proton singlet pairing and superfluidity calculated earlier.The results indicate that neutron superfluidity, corresponding specifically to ³P₂ state pairing, may exist in a high-density shell in the nuclear-matter region of a neutron star, i.e. for 1.6 × 10¹⁴g/cm³ < ρ < 1.4 × 10¹⁵g/cm³, and the maximum self-consistent energy gap is Δ⁰₁k_F ≈ 0.6 MeV and Δ⁰₃(k_F) ≈ 0.1 MeV for an effective mass $\text{m}{}^1\text{≈ 0.75}\text{and}\text{k}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>F</mtext>}}\text{≈ 2.1}\text{fm}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}$, i.e. for a mas ? ≈ 5.2 × 10¹⁴g/cm³. For $\text{m}{}^1\text{= 1.0}$ we get correspondingly Δ⁰₁(k_F) ≈ 3.3 MeV and Δ⁰₃(k_F) ≈ 0.6 MeV for k_F ≈ 2.2 fm^?1.     

Calculations of mass and moment of inertia for neutron stars

Masses and moments of inertia for slowly-rotating neutron stars are calculated from the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations and various equations of state for neutron-star matter. We have also obtained pressure and density as a function of the distance from the centre of the star. Generally, two different equations of state are applied for particle densities n > 0.47 fm^?3 and n < 0.47 fm^?3.The maximum mass is, in our calculations for all equations of state except for the unrealistic non-relativistic ideal Fermi gas, given by 1.50 M_⊙ < M < 1.82 M_⊙, which agrees very well with “experimental results”. Corresponding results for the maximum moment of inertia are 9.5 × 10⁴⁴ g · cm² < I < 1.58 × 10⁴⁵ g · cm², which also seem to agree very well with “experimental results”. The radius of the star corresponding to maximum mass and maximum moment of inertia is given by 8.2 km < R < 10.0 km, but a smaller central density ρ_c will give a larger radius.     

Neutron star matter superfluidity and superconductivity

The possibility of superfluidity or superconductivity in neutron or proton subsystems in the nuclear-matter region in neutron stars is investigated. The energy gap and corresponding critical temperature and critical magnetic field is calculated or estimated as function of density or Fermi momentum. In the calculations are used reaction matrix elements calculated earlier by means of Brueckner theory by the author. The final results indicate that neutron superfluidity, corresponding specifically toS-state pairing, may exist in a low-density shell in the nuclear-matter region of a neutron star. There is probably anisotropic neutron superfluidity, corresponding to the³ P ₂ or the singletD state, for higher densities. Superfluidity or superconductivity, corresponding toS-state pairing for the proton subsystem, is quite likely in most of the nuclear-matter region. The expected temperatures and magnetic fields in neutron stars seem to be well below the estimated critical temperatures or critical magnetic fields corresponding to the calculated values of the energy gap. However, similar methods have earlier predicted a much too high critical temperature for liquid³He.     

Solid hydrogen. Ground-state energy,pressure, compressibility and phase transition at high densities

The ground-state energy, the pressure and the compressibility of solid molecular hydrogen is calculated by means of a modified Brueckner theory. The Bethe-Gold-stone equation is solved to give the reaction matrix or the effective interaction in coordinate space, and the ground-state energy for hcp and fcp hydrogen is calculated. Also, the pressure and the compressibility is estimated from the dependence of the ground-state energy on density or molar volume. The possibility of a phase transition from solid molecular hydrogen into a metallic atomic phase is also considered. The ground-state energy and pressure for bcc atomic hydrogen is calculated, and a phase transition is found to occur at a pressure of 1.2·10⁶ atm.     

Neutron stars, hybrid stars and the equation of state

Gross properties of hybrid stars consisting of a core of strange matter surrounded by ordinary neutron matter are investigated. We discuss star models based on phenomenological equations of state from nuclear reactions including a phase transition between the hadronic phase and the quark-gluon plasma. For certain parameters, such equations of state support the existence of hybrid stars. The identification of such objects could provide detailed information on the properties of strange quark matter.