Mass transfer area in a multi-stage high-speed disperser with split packing

In this study, the mean droplet diameter in the cavity zone and the total mass transfer area of a multi-stage highspeed disperser(HSD) reactor with different packing combinations were measured and evaluated. The effects of rotational speed and packing radius, as well as the packing ring radius and numbers, on the mean droplet diameter and the total mass transfer area were evaluated. A model was established to calculate the mass transfer area in the cavity zone in the HSD reactor, and it was found that the packings contribute 61%–82% of the total mass transfer area. A correlation for predicting the mass transfer area in the packing zone was regressed by the dimensionless analysis method. An enhancement factor based on the mass transfer area in the packing zone was proposed to evaluate the effect of packing combination on mass transfer area. Two optimum packing combinations were proposed in consideration of the mean droplet diameter and the enhancement factor.

Droplet characteristics in the multi-staged high speed disperser with single inlet

Droplet characteristics in the cavity zone of a multi-staged high speed disperser with single inlet were studied in this paper. The influences of both the operating and structural parameters on the mean droplet diameter, size distribution and liquid flux distribution were quantitatively analyzed. The result showed that the mean droplet diameter decreased with the increase of rotational speed and the number of rotors;whilst there is little influence on the inlet flow rate. In the experimental range, the minimum value of mean droplet diameter is 0.57 mm, 0.48 mm, 0.41 mm in the two-staged, three-staged and four-staged rotors, respectively. The Rosin–Rammler(R–R) distribution could describe the droplet size distribution appropriately, and it became uniform with the increase of rotational speed and the number of rotor, while the inlet flow rate had little effect on the droplet size distribution. The liquid flux distribution curves were always unimodal. With the increase of rotational speed, the location of maximum liquid flux ratio moved from zone 3 to zone 4 and this value decreased from 22.1% to 18.1%. Using Coefficient of Variation(CV) to indicate the uniformity of liquid flux distribution, it was found that the CV decreases from 47.5% to 22.7%when the number of rotor increased from 2 to 4.

Research on Synthesizing Disperser with Fraction of Anthracene Oil for Coal Water Slurry

Experiment of synthesizing a disperser for coal water slurry (CWS) by using fractions of anthracene oil from high-temperature coal tar was performed. The orthogonal test was used to investigate the influence of temperature, time, quantity of sulfonation agent and condensation agent and the interaction of these factors on properties of the disperser. The result shows that the influence of temperature, time, quantity of sulfonation agent and condensation agent, and the interaction of sulfonation time and sulfonation agent has a significant influence on the properties of disperser. The optimal condition of synthesis is that in 150g of the fractions of anthracene oil, 40 mL of sulfonation agent is added and sulfonated for 3 h at 130℃, then, 10 mL of condensing agent is added and condensated for 1.5 h at 115 ℃.

Birds as seed dispersers in deserts:suggestions from the ground-jays

The study of seed dispersal,biotic seed dispersal,and even less,the role of birds in it,have been almost neglected in deserts.Virtually absent from the literature on seed dispersal are the ground-jays,genus Podoces,four species of the crow family that inhabit arid environments,even true deserts,from Iran to Mongolia.Although they are omnivorous,they seem to mainly depend on the seeds of desert plants during the cold season.There are suggestions in sparse literature that they may contribute to seed dispersal similarly to several corvid species of other climates,by caching seeds in useful microsites to save them for later consumption and thus actually favoring the germination of the seeds they fail to recover.Future research might benefit from comparison with the vast literature on their better-known seed-caching relatives.This paper is aimed at providing basic information on each ground-jay species and some sug-gestions for investigating their likely symbiosis with desert plants,with possible applications to the maintenance and restoration of vegetation in a very extended arid zone.

Statistical analysis on the validity of the cold plasma approximation for chorus waves based on Van Allen Probe observations and their effects on radiation belt electrons

Theoretical analysis has demonstrated that the dispersion relation of chorus waves plays an essential role in the resonant interaction and energy transformation between the waves and magnetospheric electrons.Previous quantitative analyses often simplified the chorus dispersion relation by using the cold plasma assumption.However,the applicability of the cold plasma assumption is doubtful,especially during geomagnetic disturbances.We here present a systematic statistical analysis on the validity of the cold plasma dispersion relation of chorus waves based on observations from the Van Allen Probes over the period from 2012 to 2018.The statistical results show that the observed magnetic field intensities deviate substantially from those calculated from the cold plasma dispersion relation and that they become more pronounced with an increase in geomagnetic activity or a decrease in background plasma density.The region with large deviations is mainly concentrated in the nightside and expands in both the radial and azimuthal directions as the geomagnetic activity increases or the background plasma density decreases.In addition,the bounce-averaged electron scattering rates are computed by using the observed and cold plasma dispersion relation of chorus waves.Compared with usage of the cold plasma dispersion relation,usage of the observed dispersion relation considerably lowers the minimum resonant energy of electrons and lowers the scattering rates of electrons above tens of kiloelectronvolts but enhances those below.Furthermore,these differences are more pronounced with the enhancement of geomagnetic activity or the decrease in background plasma density.

Predation of cassowary dispersed seeds:is the cassowary an effective disperser?

Post-dispersal predation is a potentially significant modifier of the distribution of recruiting plants and an often unmeasured determinant of the effectiveness of a frugivore’s dispersal service.In the wet tropical forests of Austra-lia and New Guinea,the cassowary provides a large volume,long distance dispersal service incorporating benefi-cial gut processing;however,the resultant clumped deposition might expose seeds to elevated mortality.We exam-ined the contribution of post-dispersal seed predation to cassowary dispersal effectiveness by monitoring the fate of 11 species in southern cassowary(Casuarius casuarius johnsonii Linnaeus)droppings over a period of 1 year.Across all species,the rate of predation and removal was relatively slow.After 1 month,70%of seeds remained intact and outwardly viable,while the number fell to 38%after 1 year.The proportion of seeds remaining intact in droppings varied considerably between species:soft-seeded and large-seeded species were more likely to escape removal and predation.Importantly,across all species,seeds in droppings were no more likely to be predated than those left undispersed under the parent tree.We speculate that seed predating and scatter-hoarding rodents are responsible for the vast majority of predation and removal from droppings and that the few seeds which undergo secondary dispersal survive to germination.Our findings reinforce the conclusion that the cassowary is an impor-tant seed disperser;however,dispersal effectiveness for particular plant species can be reduced by massive post-dispersal seed mortality.

Cultivated walnut trees showed earlier but not final advantage over its wild relatives in competing for seed dispersers

Little is known about seeding regeneration of cultivated trees compared to wild relatives in areas where seed dispersers are shared.Here,we investigated the differences in seed fates of cultivated walnut(Juglans regia)and wild Manchurian walnut(Juglans mandshurica)trees under rodent predation and dispersal.J.regia seeds have higher nutritional value(large size,mass and kernel mass)and lower mechanical defensiveness(thin endocarp)than J.mandshurica seeds.We tracked seeds of J.regia and J.mandshurica under both enclosure and field conditions to assess differences in competing for seed dispersers of the two co-occurring tree species of the same genus.We found that rodents preferred to harvest,eat and scatter-hoard seeds of J.regia as compared to those of J.mandshurica.Seeds of J.regia were removed and scatter-hoarded faster than those of J.mandshurica.Caches of J.regia were more likely to be rediscovered by rodents than those of J.mandshurica.These results suggest that J.regia showed earlier dispersal fitness but not the ultimate dispersal fitness over J.mandshurica in seeding regeneration under rodent mediation,implying that J.regia has little effect on seeding regeneration of J.mandshurica in the field.The effects of seed traits on seed dispersal fitness may vary at different dispersal stages under animal mediation.

Dual ecological functions of scatter-hoarding rodents:pollinators and seed dispersers of Mucuna sempervirens(Fabaceae)

Double mutualism,that is,pollination and seed dispersal of the same plant species mediated by the same animal partners,is important but remains elusive in nature.Recently,rodent species were found as key pollinators(i.e.explosive openers)for some Mucuna species in(sub)tropical Asia,but no evidence has shown whether and how these rodents could also act as legitimate seed dispersers via scatter-hoarding for those producing large seeds.Here,my aim was to test the hypothesis that scatter-hoarding rodents could act as double mutualists for both pollination and seed dispersal of the same Mucuna species,that is,Mucuna sempervirens(Fabaceae).Based on camera-trapping survey at 2 locations with or without squirrel presence in the Dujiangyan subtropical forests,Southwest China,7 mammals and birds were identified as explosive openers for M.sempervirensflowers,but Leopoldamys edwardsi(rats)and Paguma larvata(civets)were the main pollinators at the squirrel-absent site,while Callosciurus erythraeus(squirrels)were the main pollinators at the squirrel-present site.By tracking the fate of individually-tagged seeds over 5 years at each site,I provide thefirst evidence for seed-eating rodents as legitimate seed dispersers via scatter-hoarding of seeds in this world-wide plant genus,although dispersal services were slightly reduced at squirrel-absent site.More importantly,the dual roles of scatter-hoarding rodents as key pollinators and seed dispersers for the same Mucuna species have shown a clear relationship of double mutualism,and their key services may be essential for population conservation of these Mucuna species in human-disturbed landscapes.

Scatter-hoarding rodents as secondary seed dispersers of a frugivore-dispersed tree Scleropyrum wallichianum in a defaunated Xishuangbanna tropical forest, China

Local extinction or population decline of large frugivorous vertebrates as primary seed dispersers,caused by hu-man disturbance and habitat change,might lead to dispersal limitation of many large-seeded fruit trees.However,it is not known whether or not scatter-hoarding rodents as secondary seed dispersers can help maintain natural regeneration(e.g.seed dispersal)of these frugivore-dispersed trees in the face of the functional reduction or loss of primary seed dispersers.In the present study,we investigated how scatter-hoarding rodents affect the fate of tagged seeds of a large-seeded fruit tree(Scleropyrum wallichianum Arnott,1838,Santalaceae)from seed fall to seedling establishment in a heavily defaunated tropical forest in the Xishuangbanna region of Yunnan Province,in south-west China,in 2007 and 2008.Our results show that:(i)rodents removed nearly all S.wallichianum seeds in both years;(ii)a large proportion(2007,75%;2008,67.5%)of the tagged seeds were cached individually in the surface soil or under leaf litters;(iii)dispersal distance of primary caches was further in 2007(19.6±14.6 m)than that in 2008(14.1±11.6 m),and distance increased as rodents recovered and moved seeds from primary caches into subsequent caching sites;and(iv)part of the cached seeds(2007,3.2%;2008,2%)survived to the seedling stage each year.Our study suggests that by taking roles of both primary and secondary seed dispersers,scatter-hoarding rodents can play a significant role in maintaining seedling establishment of S.wallichianum,and are able to at least partly compensate for the loss of large frugivorous vertebrates in seed dispersal.

Deciphering the effects of disperser assemblages and seed mass on patterns of seed dispersal in a rodent community

The sizes of both seed dispersers and seeds are traits that are likely to interact to influence seed fate in many synzoochoric plant species.Here,we examined whether members of a granivorous rodent community consist­ing of species of different body size vary in their effectiveness as seed dispersers,and how this relationship may be altered by seed size.We marked northern red oak(Quercus rubra)acorns with plastic tags and placed them in size-selective rodent exclosures.The exclosures allowed differential access of rodent groups based on dif­ferent body size:(i)small(e.g.Peromyscus spp.);(ii)small and medium(e.g.Tamias striatus);and(iii)small,medium and large(e.g.Sciurus carolinensis)species of rodents.Acorn removal did not differ among exclosure types,but more seeds were missing when removed by small rodents,probably because of larderhoarding.The treatments did not influence the relative frequency of acorn consumption.However,small rodents cached con­siderably fewer and partially ate more acorns than the other 2 groups.The mean dispersal distance was the lon­gest for cages with medium openings,intermediate for cages with large openings and the shortest for cages with small openings.Acorn mass positively affected the probability of caching and this relationship was unaffected by exclosure type.In conclusion,granivorous rodents of different body sizes strongly differed in their interac­tions with acorns,with small rodents acting primarily as acorn predators and medium and large species contrib­uting significantly more to dispersal of red oaks.

Responses of a resident group to an outsider in the blue-breasted quail: A paradigm for studying social resettlement of dispersers

Dispersal is an individual life-history trait that can influence the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of both the source and recipient populations.Current studies of animal dispersal have paid little attention to how the responses of residents in a recipient population affect the social resettlement of dispersers into a new habitat.We addressed this question in the blue-breasted quail Synoicus chinensis by designing an outsider introduction experiment to simulate a scenario of interaction between residents and dispersers.In the experiment,we introduced an unfamiliar quail into a group of 3 differently ranked residents and then examined their behavioral responses to the arrival of the outsider.We found that all residents made negative responses by pecking at the outsider to maintain their pecking order,in which high-ranked residents displayed significantly greater intensity than those of lower ranks.This result highlighted that adverse behavioral responses of residents would prevent outsiders from obtaining hierarchical dominance in the recipient group.Moreover,the residents’sex ratio,their relative ages to the outsiders,and whether outsiders counter-pecked at the residents all influenced the probability of outsiders prevailing against the residents.Those outsiders that displayed counter-peck courage were more likely to gain higher dominance and hence resettle into the recipient group successfully.Our findings suggest that resident groups may impose a selection among dispersers via adverse behavioral responses.Therefore,social factors that can influence the resettlement step of dispersers in a new habitat should be accounted for in future studies of animal dispersal.

Physiological dormancy broken by endozoochory:Austral parakeets(Enicognathus ferrugineus)as legitimate dispersers of calafate(Berberis microphylla)in the Patagonian Andes

Aims Seed dispersal by endozoochory is an important process in plant regeneration and the establishment of new populations.Seeds with dormancy may especially benefit after disperser gut passage.However,the ways in which gut passage affect the germination of plant species with physiological dormancy remain unclear.Here,we experimentally assessed the mutualistic interaction between the Austral parakeet(Enicognathus ferrugineus)as a disperser of calafate(Berberis microphylla),a thorny bush inhabiting the understory of the Austral temperate forests of South America with seeds that are characterized by deep physiological dormancy.Methods Germination success and viability of calafate seeds obtained from faeces and from intact fruits were tested under four treatments:(i)digested seeds,(ii)digested seeds with faecal extract,(iii)intact seeds from fruit and(iv)intact seeds from fruit with pulp.Important Findings About 65%of the Austral parakeet droppings contained calafate seeds.Viability of seeds did not differ between treatments.However,germination was significantly higher in digested seeds than in intact seeds from fruits,while no difference was found between faecal and pulp extracts.Neither faecal matter nor fruit pulp provided seeds with any ecological advantages derived from enhancing germinability,but did confer some disadvantage in germination time.Faecal matter is expected to be completely lacking around seeds after several months under snow before germinating in the following spring,given intense washing due to persistent rain and the spring thaw in the Patagonian Andes.The higher germinability along with faster germination of digested seeds supports the hypothesis of a legitimate mutualistic interaction between Austral parakeets and calafate.We hypothesized that the passage through the disperser digestive tract might break physiological dormancy as differences in germinability between ingested and non-ingested seeds.Our results highlight the relevant role of endozoochory in plant species with physiological dormancy living in highly seasonal environments.

Red deer as a disperser of native,but not invasive plants’seeds

INTRODUCTION Seed dispersal is a key process in the life cycle of most plants,with ecological and evolutionary consequences that go beyond vegetation dynamics and cascade to entire ecosystem functioning and stability(Traveset et al.2014).Seed dispersal largely constrains plant recruitment and the distribution of future plant cohorts,thus playing a critical role in the restoration of disturbed sites(Cain et al.2000;Higgins et al.2003).It can also threaten plant diversity by facilitating plant invasions(Vavra et al.2007;Heleno 2020).

Galápagos land iguana(Conolophus subcristatus)as a seed disperser

The role of the most common land iguana(Conolophus subcristatus)in the Galápagos Islands as an effective seed disperser is explored in this study.A total of 5705 seeds of 32 plant species were identified from 160 scats,4545 of which(80%)appeared visually undamaged.Germination trials of 849 seeds from 29 species revealed that at least 10 species remained viable after passing through the iguana’s gut,although only a small propor­tion of those seeds(4%)germinated.In any case,we argue that C.subcristatus exerts an important role on the 7 Galapagos islands where it occurs because of its abundance and capacity to ingest and disperse seeds at long distances.Our results strongly suggest that the Galápagos C.subcristatus plays an important role as a seed dis­perser of not only of native species but also some introduced plants in the Galápagos Islands.

Strong synergy between physical and chemical properties:Insight into optimization of atomically dispersed oxygen reduction catalysts

Atomically dispersed catalysts exhibit significant influence on facilitating the sluggish oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)kinetics with high atom economy,owing to remarkable attributes including nearly 100%atomic utilization and exceptional catalytic functionality.Furthermore,accurately controlling atomic physical properties including spin,charge,orbital,and lattice degrees of atomically dispersed catalysts can realize the optimized chemical properties including maximum atom utilization efficiency,homogenous active centers,and satisfactory catalytic performance,but remains elusive.Here,through physical and chemical insight,we review and systematically summarize the strategies to optimize atomically dispersed ORR catalysts including adjusting the atomic coordination environment,adjacent electronic orbital and site density,and the choice of dual-atom sites.Then the emphasis is on the fundamental understanding of the correlation between the physical property and the catalytic behavior for atomically dispersed catalysts.Finally,an overview of the existing challenges and prospects to illustrate the current obstacles and potential opportunities for the advancement of atomically dispersed catalysts in the realm of electrocatalytic reactions is offered.

Alkyl dimethyl betaine activates the low-temperature collection capacity of sodium oleate for scheelite

The impact of alkyl dimethyl betaine (ADB) on the collection capacity of sodium oleate (NaOl) at low temperatures was evaluated using flotation tests at various scales. The low-temperature synergistic mechanism of ADB and NaOl was explored by infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, surface tension measurement, foam performance test, and flotation reagent size measurement.The flotation tests revealed that the collector mixed with octadecyl dimethyl betaine (ODB) and NaOl in a mass ratio of 4:96 exhibited the highest collection capacity. The combined collector could increase the scheelite recovery by 3.48% at low temperatures of 8–12℃. This is particularly relevant in the Luanchuan area, which has the largest scheelite concentrate output in China. The results confirmed that ODB enhanced the collection capability of NaOl by improving the dispersion and foaming performance. Betaine can be introduced as an additive to NaOl to improve the recovery of scheelite at low temperatures.

Oxygen‑Coordinated Single Mn Sites for Efficient Electrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia

Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction has attracted increasing attention due to its goal of low carbon emission and environmental protection.Here,we report an efficient NitRR catalyst composed of single Mn sites with atomically dispersed oxygen(O)coordination on bacterial cellulose-converted graphitic carbon(Mn-O-C).Evidence of the atomically dispersed Mn-(O-C_(2))_(4)moieties embedding in the exposed basal plane of carbon surface is confirmed by X-ray absorption spectroscopy.As a result,the as-synthesized Mn-O-C catalyst exhibits superior NitRR activity with an NH_(3)yield rate(RNH_(3))of 1476.9±62.6μg h^(−1)cm^(−2)at−0.7 V(vs.reversible hydrogen electrode,RHE)and a faradaic efficiency(FE)of 89.0±3.8%at−0.5 V(vs.RHE)under ambient conditions.Further,when evaluated with a practical flow cell,Mn-O-C shows a high RNH_(3)of 3706.7±552.0μg h^(−1)cm^(−2)at a current density of 100 mA cm−2,2.5 times of that in the H cell.The in situ FT-IR and Raman spectroscopic studies combined with theoretical calculations indicate that the Mn-(O-C_(2))_(4)sites not only effectively inhibit the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction,but also greatly promote the adsorption and activation of nitrate(NO_(3)^(−)),thus boosting both the FE and selectivity of NH_(3)over Mn-(O-C_(2))_(4)sites.

Tunable dispersion relations manipulated by strain in skyrmion-based magnonic crystals

We theoretically investigate the propagation characteristics of spin waves in skyrmion-based magnonic crystals. It is found that the dispersion relation can be manipulated by strains through magneto-elastic coupling. Especially, the allowed bands and forbidden bands in dispersion relations shift to higher frequency with strain changing from compressive to tensile,while shifting to lower frequency with strain changing from tensile to compressive. We also confirm that the spin wave with specific frequency can pass the magnonic crystal or be blocked by tuning the strains. The result provides an advanced platform for studying the tunable skyrmion-based spin wave devices.

Pipeline thickness estimation using the dispersion of higher-order SH guided waves

Thickness measurement plays an important role in the monitoring of pipeline corrosion damage. However, the requirement for prior knowledge of the shear wave velocity in the pipeline material for popular ultrasonic thickness measurement limits its widespread application. This paper proposes a method that utilizes cylindrical shear horizontal(SH) guided waves to estimate pipeline thickness without prior knowledge of shear wave velocity. The inversion formulas are derived from the dispersion of higher-order modes with the high-frequency approximation. The waveform of the example problems is simulated using the real-axis integral method. The data points on the dispersion curves are processed in the frequency domain using the wave-number method. These extracted data are then substituted into the derived formulas. The results verify that employing higher-order SH guided waves for the evaluation of thickness and shear wave velocity yields less than1% error. This method can be applied to both metallic and non-metallic pipelines, thus opening new possibilities for health monitoring of pipeline structures.

Universal architecture and defect engineering dual strategy for hierarchical antimony phosphate composite toward fast and durable sodium storage

Antimony(Sb)-ba sed anode materials are feasible candidates for sodium-ion batteries(SIBs) due to their high theoretical specific capacity and excellent electrical conductivity.However,they still suffer from volume distortion,structural collapse,and ionic conduction interruption upon cycling.Herein,a hierarchical array-like nanofiber structure was designed to address these limitations by combining architecture engineering and anion tuning strategy,in which SbPO_(4-x) with oxygen vacancy nanosheet arrays are anchored on the surface of interwoven carbon nanofibers(SbPO_(4-x)@CNFs).In particular,bulky PO_(4)^(3-) anions mitigate the large volume distortion and generate Na_(3)PO_(4) with high ionic conductivity,collectively improving cyclic stability and ionic transport efficiency.The abundant oxygen vacancies substantially boost the intrinsic electronic conductivity of SbPO_4,further accelerating the reaction dynamics.In addition,hierarchical fibrous structures provide abundant active sites,construct efficient conducting networks,and enhance the electron/ion transport capacity.Benefiting from the advanced structural design,the SbPO_(4-x)@CNFs electrodes exhibit outstanding cycling stability(1000 cycles at 1.0 A g^(-1) with capacity decay of 0.05% per cycle) and rapid sodium storage performance(293.8 mA h g^(-1) at 5.0 A g^(-1)).Importantly,systematic in-/ex-situ techniques have revealed the "multi-step conversion-alloying" reaction process and the "battery-capacitor dual-mode" sodium-storage mechanism.This work provides valuable insights into the design of anode materials for advanced SIBs with elevated stability and superior rate performance.