Research and Implementation of Decreasing the Acetic Acid Consumption in Purified Terephthalic Acid Solvent System

Decreasing the acetic acid consumption in purified terephthalic acid （PTA） solvent system has become a hot issue with common concern. In accordance with the technical features, the electrical conductivity is in direct proportion to the acetic acid content. General regression neural network （GRNN） is used to establish the model of electrical conductivity on the basis of mechanism analysis, and then particle swarm optimization （PSO） algorithm with the improvement of inertia weight and population diversity is proposed to regulate the operating conditions. Thus, the method of decreasing the acid loss is derived and applied to PTA solvent system in a chemical plant. Cases studies show that the precision of modeling and optimization are higher. The results also provide the optimal operating conditions, which decrease the cost and improve the profit.

Application of response surface methodology in optimization of bioleaching parameters for high-magnesium nickel sulfide ore

The response surface methodology(RSM)was used to optimize the operating parameters during the bioleaching of Jinchuan high-magnesium nickel sulfide ore.The particle size,acid addition,pulp density and inoculation amount were chosen as the investigated parameters.To maximize the leaching efficiency of nickel,copper,cobalt and minimize the dissolution of magnesium and iron ions,the model suggested a combination of optimal parameters of particles less than 0.074 mm being 72.11%,sulfuric acid addition being 300 kg/t,pulp density being 5%and inoculation amount being 12.88%.Under the conditions,the average results of three parallel experiments were 89.43%of nickel leaching efficiency,36.78%of copper leaching efficiency,84.07%of cobalt leaching efficiency,49.19%of magnesium leaching efficiency and 0.20 g/L of iron concentration.The model indicated that the most significant factor in response of the leaching efficiency of valuable metal is the particle size,and the most significant factor in response to the leaching efficiency of harmful ions(Mg2+)is the amount of sulfuric acid addition.And according to the suggested models,no significance of the interaction effect between particle size and acid addition was shown.Under the optimized parameters suggested by models,the valuable metals could be separated from harmful ions during the bioleaching process.

Heap-Leaching of Low-Grade Uranium Ore at SOMAIR： From Laboratory Tests to Production of 700 Tonnes U Per Year

In 2006, SOMAIR decided to increase the uranium production by 50% using heap leaching for the treatment of low grade ores. These ores, which come from different lodes with various properties, have been studied in four steps： （ 1 ） Lab tests： to compare the ores （characterization, acid consumptions, recovery...）; （2） Column tests on an average sample： to define significant parameters for a feasibility study; （3） Column tests on specific samples： to optimize recovery for each ore and identify problems of percolation due to the clays; （4） Pilot tests in large boxes （stalls）： to validate process parameters. Uranium production by heap leaching started in July 2009.

Polychlorinated biphenyls and omega-3 fatty acid exposure from fish consumption,and thyroid cancer among New York anglers

Fish from the Great Lakes contain polychlorinated biphenyls（PCBs）which have been shown to disrupt endocrine function and mimic thyroid hormones,but they also contain beneficial omega-3 fatty acids that may offer protection against endocrine cancers.The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Lake Ontario fish consumption and the estimated consumption of PCBs and omega-3 fatty acids on the risk of thyroid cancer in a group of sport fishermen.Anglers from the New York State Angler Cohort Study were followed for cancer incidence from 1991–2008.Twenty-seven cases of incident thyroid cancer and 108 controls were included in the analyses.Total estimated fish consumption,estimated omega-3 fatty acid consumption,and estimated PCB consumption from Lake Ontario fish were examined for an association with the incidence of thyroid cancer,while matching on sex,and controlling for age and smoking status.Results from logistic regression indicate no significant associations between fish consumption,short-term estimated omega-3 fatty acids,or estimated PCB consumption from Great Lakes fish and the development of thyroid cancer,but it was suggested that long-term omega-3 fatty acid from Great Lakes fish may be protective of the development of thyroid cancer.In conclusion,fish consumption,with the possible concomitant PCBs,from the Great Lakes does not appear to increase the risk of thyroid cancer in New York anglers.Further research is needed in order to separate the individual health effects of PCBs from omega-3 fatty acids contained within the fish.

A new process to improve short-chain fatty acids and bio-methane generation from waste activated sludge

As an important intermediate product, short-chain fatty acids（SCFAs） can be generated after hydrolysis and acidification from waste activated sludge, and then can be transformed to methane during anaerobic digestion process. In order to obtain more SCFA and methane,most studies in literatures were centered on enhancing the hydrolysis of sludge anaerobic digestion which was proved as un-efficient. Though the alkaline pretreatment in our previous study increased both the hydrolysis and acidification processes, it had a vast chemical cost which was considered uneconomical. In this paper, a low energy consumption pretreatment method, i.e. enhanced the whole three stages of the anaerobic fermentation processes at the same time, was reported, by which hydrolysis and acidification were both enhanced, and the SCFA and methane generation can be significantly improved with a small quantity of chemical input. Firstly, the effect of different pretreated temperatures and pretreatment time on sludge hydrolyzation was compared. It was found that sludge pretreated at 100°C for 60 min can achieve the maximal hydrolyzation. Further, effects of different initial p Hs on acidification of the thermal pretreated sludge were investigated and the highest SCFA was observed at initial p H 9.0with fermentation time of 6 d, the production of which was 348.63 mg COD/g VSS（6.8 times higher than the blank test） and the acetic acid was dominant acid. Then, the mechanisms for this new pretreatment significantly improving SCFA production were discussed. Finally,the effect of this low energy consumption pretreatment on methane generation was investigated.

Determination of the prevalence of congenital heart disease in the patients admitted to the heart clinic

Objective:To investigate the prevalence of congenital heart disease(CHD)among the patients who refferred to the heart clinic so as to make an early and correct diagnosis.Methods:In this descriptive-cross sectional study,all the patients admitted to the heart clinic who had symptoms or signs of CHD were included.The data were collected in one year based on the medical records.The main variables consisted of age,gender,history of folic acid consumption by the mother in pregnancy,clinical signs,symptoms and so on.Results:Among the 763 admitted patients,498 were males and the rest were females.Infants were the most common group and teenagers were the least one.The most common findings for which the patients had been referred were chest pain and a murmur heard during a normal physical examination.Based on the echocardiography findings,ventricular and atrial septal defects were the most common ones.The history of folic acid consumption was negative in 168 mothers within their pregnancy.Conclusions:Since the causes and risk factors in the incidence of CHD in children are numerous,we recommended that the information about these diseases should be given to the community and strengthen the referral system,design registration system of CHD set up in the country round.