Assessment of deterioration in RHA-concrete due to magnesium sulphate attack

The assessment of magnesium sulphate attack on concretes containing rice husk ash （RHA, 20wt% of the cementitious materials） with various average particle sizes was investigated. The total cementitious materials were 390 kg and the water-to-binder ratio （W/B） was 0.53 for all mixtures. Specimens were initially cured in water for 7 d and then immersed in the 3wt% magnesium sulphate solution for up to 111 d of exposure. The specimens were subjected to drying-wetting cycles to accelerate sulphate attack. In addition to the visual monitoring of the specimens, the concrete specimens were subsequently tested for compressive strength, dynamic modulus of elasticity, and length and mass changes. The results show that the specimens exposed to sulphate attack exhibit higher strength and dynamic modulus than those kept in water. The length change is negligible and can be attributed to the normal swelling of concrete. On the other hand, concretes suffers mass loss and surface spalling and softening; the fine RHA-concrete results in a better resistance. For the accelerated sulphate attack method used in this study, mass change and visual monitoring are recommended for assessing the deterioration degree and the effectiveness of supplementary cementitious materials to resist sulphate attack.

Fasciculations and Hyperkalaemia Associated with Suxamethonium: Efficacy of Magnesium Sulphate

General anesthesia with controlled ventilation through endotracheal tube is an anaesthetic technique used by the anesthesiologists all over the world. Laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation is necessary to achieve this technique. Traditionally succinylcholine is drug of choice for induction due to its rapid onset of action. Aim: This study compared the efficiency of magnesium sulphate in reducing fasciculation and increase in serum potassium which are the common complications associated with suxamethonium administration. Methods: Fifty six patients being planned for lower abdominal surgery under general anaesthesia were randomized into two groups M and S. Serum potassium was taken in the theatre, three minutes before induction of anesthesia patients in M group were given 6 mg/kg of magnesium sulphate diluted in 10 ml normal saline intravenously while in S group 10 ml of normal saline was injected intravenously. The occurrence and degree of fasciculation were recorded after administration of suxamethonium in both groups while serum potassium was also taken at the end of fasciculations. The researcher was blinded to the content of the syringes until after the study. Results: More patients in the S group had fasciculations compared to the M group while the degree of fasciculations was more in the S group, the serum potassium increase was more in the saline group.

Mechanism of cement-stabilized soil polluted by magnesium sulfate

In order to simulate and study the mechanism of cement stabilized soils polluted by different contents of magnesium sulfate(MS), a series of tests were conducted on the cemented soil samples, including unconfined compression strength(UCS) tests of blocks, X-ray diffraction(XRD) phase analysis of powder samples, microstructure by scanning electronic microscopy(SEM),element composition by energy dispersive spectrometry(EDS), and pore distribution analysis by Image Processed Plus 6.0(IPP 6.0)software. The UCS test results show that UCS of cemented soils reaches the peak value when the MS content is 4.5 g/kg. While, the UCS for Sample MS4 having the MS content of 18.0 g/kg is the lowest among all tested samples. Based on the EDS analysis results,Sample MS4 has the greater contents for the three elements, oxygen(O), magnesium(Mg) and sulfur(S), than Sample MS1. From the XRD phase analysis, C-A-S-H(3Ca O·Al2O3·3Ca SO4·32H2O and 3Ca O·Al2O3·Ca SO4·18H2O), M-A-H(Mg O·Al2O3·H2O), M-S-H(Mg O·Si O2·H2O), Mg(OH)2 and Ca SO4 phase diffraction peaks are obviously intense due to the chemical action associated with the MS. The pore distribution analysis shows that the hydrated products change the distribution of cemented soil pores and the pores with average diameter(AD) of 2-50 μm play a key role in terms of the whole structure of cemented soil. The microscopic structure of the cemented soil with MS exhibits the intertwined and embedded characteristics between the cement and granular soils from the SEM images of cemented soils. The microstructure analysis shows that the magnesium sulfate acts as the additive, which is beneficial to the soil strength when the MS content is low(i.e., Sample MS2). However, higher MS amount involving a chemical action makes samples crystallize and expand, which is adverse to the UCS of cemented soils(i.e., Sample MS4).

Crystallization Kinetics of Potassium Sulphate in Aqueous System Mg^(2+),K^+//Cl,SO_4^(2-)-H_2O

As a natural mineral,Potash Magnesium Sulphate fertilizer has a quite high nutrient utilization rate without affecting soil p H in long time running related to Potassium Sulphate.And to displace Potassium Sulphate with Potash

Formation of Struvite Crystals in a Simulated Food Waste Aerobic Composting Process

Bench-scale treatments with three mixtures of Mg and P salts, including K3PO4＋MgSO4, K2HPO4＋MgSO4, and KH2PO4＋MgSO4 as additives in a simulated food waste aerobic composting process, were conducted to test the magnesium ammonium phosphate（MAP） formation, and the compost products were analyzed by X-ray diffraction（XRD）, Scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, and Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy（EDS） analyses. The comparison results between XRD, SEM, and EDS analyses of MAPs in the dried compost and synthesized MAPs confirm the formation of MAP crystals in the simulated food waste aerobic composting process. The analysis of the compost also indicates that the addition of all the three mixtures of Mg and P salts in the aerobic composting process can increase nitrogen conservation and decrease nitrogen loss because of the formation of MAPs. The mechanism of MAP formation was verified as the reaction of ammonium（NH4＋） with magnesium（Mg^2＋） and phosphate[HnPO4^（3-n） , n=0, 1, and 2）.