Removal of arsenic from acid wastewater via sulfide precipitation and its hydrothermal mineralization stabilization

To achieve a safe treatment of arsenic-containing acid wastewater,a new process was proposed,including arsenic removal via sulfide precipitation and hydrothermal mineralization stabilization.Under optimal conditions of sulfide precipitation,99.65%of arsenic from wastewater was precipitated in the form of amorphous As2S3.The As leaching concentration of amorphous As2S3 in TCLP(toxicity characteristic leaching procedure)test was up to 212.97 mg/L,therefore,hydrothermal mineralization was adopted to improve the stability of amorphous As2S3.The results showed that the As leaching concentration of mineralized As2S3 was only 4.82 mg/L.Furthermore,the amorphous As2S3 could be transformed into crystallized As2S3(orpiment)in the presence of mineralizer Na2SO4.Simultaneously,the As leaching concentration of crystallized As2S3 was further reduced to 3.86 mg/L.Hydrothermal mineralization was an effective method for the stabilization of As2S3.Therefore,this process has a greater application in the treatment of arsenic-containing wastewater.

Co-precipitation/Hydrothermal Synthesis of BiFeO_3 Powder

A coprecipitation/hydrothermal route was utilized to fabricate pure phase BiFeO3 powders using FeCl3·6H2O and Bi（NO3）3·5H2O as starting materials, ammonia as precipitant and NaOH as mineralizer. The synthesized powders were characterized by XRD, SEM and DSC-TG analysis. In the process, single-phase BiFeO3 powders could be obtained at a hydrothermal reaction temperature of 180 ℃, with NaOH of 0.15 mol/L, in contrast to 200 ℃ and 4 mol/L for conventional hydrothermal route. Meanwhile, the micro-morphology of synthesized BiFeO3 powders changed with different reaction temperatures and concentrations of NaOH. The N6el temperature, Curie temperature and decomposition temperature of the synthesized BiFeO3 powders were detected to be 301 ℃, 828 ℃ and 964 ℃, respectively. The hydrothermal reactions mechanism to fabricate BiFeO3 powders were discussed based on the in-situ transformation process.

Controlled Synthesis of Dental Enamel-like Hydroxyapatite Whiskers via Hydrothermal Homogeneous Precipitation

Dental enamel-like hydroxyapatite whiskers with high crystallinity and homogeneous morphology were synthesized by a hydrothermal homogeneous precipitation method.The composition,crystallinity and morphology of prepared hydroxyapatite whiskers were characterized by Ⅹ-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy.The effects of urea and sorbitol on their morphology and composition were investigated.Homogeneous and well crystallized enamel-like hydroxyapatite whiskers with 1.17±0.08 μm in length and 84± 14 nm in width were obtained at 0.80 mol · L-1 urea and 0.26 mol · L-1 sorbitol.These hydroxyapatite whiskers may be close to nature hydroxyapatite dental enamel in terms of the morphology and composition,suggesting that they could have potential application as dental restorative materials in the field of stomatology.

Dissolution Precipitation Wave Structure of Hydrothermal Ore Zoning

Hydrothermal ore zoning is a transport-reaction problem in which infiltration is the principal Prcness of transport and dissolution/Precipitation is the Principal process of chemical reactions.Neglecting diffusion and ion exchange/adsorption would not affect the basic attributes of hydrothermal ore zoning. Hydrothermal ore zoning belongs essentially to infiltration metasomatic zoning, it results from the formation and propagation of dissolution/precipitation waves through Permeable media. The authors apply the theory of coupled infiltration and dissolution/precipitation reactions in Physicochemical hydrodynamics to studying the structural characteristics of dissolution/precipitation waves, and apply furthermore the coherence principle in dynamic theory of multicomponent coupled systems to revealing the dynamic mechanisms of their formation. The results of investigation verify and develop . C. 's theory of infiltration metasomatic zoning,on the one hand, raising it from the qualitative, equilibrium thermodynamic basis to the quantitative dynamic level;on the other hand, and more importantly, applying theories of Physicochemical hydrodynamics and dynamics of multicomponent coupled systems to bringing to light the dynamic mechanisms of formation of the structure of hydrothermal ore zoning, and advancing a theory of hydrothermal ore zoning, putting forward new ideas on the nature of the problem of hydrothermal ore zoning, the essence of hydrothermal ore zoning and the structural characteristics and mechanisms of formation of hydrothermal ore zoning.

Microstructure evolution and nitrides precipitation in in-situ Ti_2 AlN/TiAl composites during isothermal aging at 900°C

Microstructures of Ti2AlN/TiAl composites prepared by in-situ method were characterized in in-situ and aging treatment conditions and the nitride precipitation was investigated in Ti2AlN/TiAl composites aged at 900 ℃ for 24 h after being heat treated at 1400 ℃ for 0.5 h. The in-situ composites consist of γ＋α2 lamellar colonies, equiaxed y grains and Ti2AlN reinforcements. Matrix with nearly fully lamellar structure formed after solution and subsequently aging treatment. With the increase of Ti2AlN content, the nearly fully lamellar structure becomes instable for the aged composites. According to TEM study, fine Ti2AlN precipitates are found to distribute at the grain boundaries of lamellar colony. Needle-like Ti3AlN precipitates arrange in line with growing axis parallel to [001] direction of the γ-TiAl matrix and another needle-like Ti3AlN precipitates with lager size distribute at the dislocations. Key words：

In situ Hydrothermal Oxidation of Ternary FeCoNi Alloy Electrode for Overall Water Splitting

Exploring noble metal-free catalyst materials for high efficient electrochemical water splitting to produce hydrogen is strongly desired for renewable energy development.In this article,a novel bifunctional catalytic electrode of insitu-grown type for alkaline water splitting based on FeCoNi alloy substrate has been successfully prepared via a facile one-step hydrothermal oxidation route in an alkaline hydrogen peroxide medium.It shows that the matrix alloy with the atom ratio 4∶3∶3 of Fe∶Co∶Ni can obtain the best catalytic performance when hydrothermally treated at 180℃for 18 h in the solution containing 1.8 M hydrogen peroxide and 3.6 M sodium hydroxide.The as-prepared Fe_(0.4)Co_(0.3)Ni_(0.3)-1.8 electrode exhibits small overpotentials of only 184 and 175 mV at electrolysis current density of 10 mA cm^(-2)for alkaline OER and HER processes,respectively.The overall water splitting at electrolysis current density of 10 mA cm^(-2)can be stably delivered at a low cell voltage of 1.62 V.These characteristics including the large specific surface area,the high surface nickel content,the abundant catalyst species,the balanced distribution between bivalent and trivalent metal ions,and the strong binding of in-situ naturally growed catalytic layer to matrix are responsible for the prominent catalytic performance of the Fe_(0.4)Co_(0.3)Ni_(0.3)-1.8 electrode,which can act as a possible replacement for expensive noble metal-based materials.

On Optimal Frequencies of Acoustic in-situ Detector for Seafloor Hydrothermal Vents

The approach to determine working frequencies of acoustic in-situ detector for seafloor hydrothermal fluid is presented. Based on the research of deep-sea noise and the sound generated by mid-ocean ridge black smoker hydrothermal vents, and on the hydrothermal-vent animal hearing ranges, coupled with influences of suspended particles of hydrothermal on acoustic attenuation under different frequencies, the optimal frequency range for detection of acoustical signal near black smokers is determined. The optimal frequencies providing the maximum ratio of receiver signal to background noise are obtained. We have developed a laboratory experimental setup for the optimal frequencies selection. In particular, we evaluated time-of-flight performance with respect to the source signal parameters of center frequency and bandwidth. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of our approach. Current results indicate that individual transducers operated in the range of 18 - 25 kHz are immune to most interfering sounds and suitable for our system.

In-situ hydrothermal synthesized γ-Al_2O_3/O-g-C_3N_4 heterojunctions with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity in water splitting for hydrogen

In this work, γ-Al2O3and hydrogen peroxide treated g-C3N4(O-g-C3N4) were combined through a novel in-situ hydrothermal method to form heterojunction structured photocatalysts. These photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). FT-IR results indicate that oxygen functional groups can be grafted on the surface of O-g-C3N4by hydrogen peroxide treatment. The visible light photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate was investigated in 10 vol% TEOA aqueous solution. The optimal Al2O3mass content is set to be 20 wt% and the corresponding hydrogen evolution rate is 1288 µmol/h/g which is approximately 6, 3 folds that of pristine g-C3N4and O-g-C3N4respectively and 1.6 folds that of mechanical mixed composite with the same Al2O3mass content. The photocurrent density–time curves were carried out under visible light illumination for four on–off cycles. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements verified the enhanced separation efficiency of electron–hole pairs. This work raised a new method to form the heterojunction structured photocatalysts and achieved a remarkable improvement of the photocatalytic activity in water splitting for hydrogen under visible light irradiation. © 2016

Investigation of the Micro-Mechanics of an Extruded Precipitation-Strengthened Magnesium Alloy under Cyclic Loading

Precipitation strengthening is a crucial microscopic mechanism for enhancing the strength of magnesium alloys. In order to elucidate the influence of precipitation on the microscopic deformation mechanisms and macroscopic mechanical response of magnesium alloys under cyclic loading conditions, we employed a crystal plasticity model to analyze the stress-strain curves, specific crystal plane diffraction intensities, and the temporal evolution of various microscopic deformation mechanisms and twinning volume fractions for an extruded magnesium alloy, AXM10304, containing coherent precipitates. The research findings indicate that precipitation does not fundamentally alter the microscopic mechanisms of this alloy. However, it hinders twinning during the compression stage, mildly promotes detwinning during the tension stage, and enhances tension secondary hardening by elevating the difficulty of activation of the prismatic slip.

In-situ Observation of Dark Phase Precipitation during Heating and Soaking Process of a High Nickel Steel

In-situ observation of microstructural evolution during heating and soaking process was carded out for a high nickel steel using HTCLSM. Dark phases were observed when soaking at 900℃. Results showed that the number of the dark phases culminated in about 50 s during soaking at 900℃. With the increase of soaking time the area proportion of the dark phases increased and reached the maximum value in about 3 min, When temperature rose from 900 ℃, the dark phases remained steady initially, but started to dissolve into the matrix at about 1 060 ℃ and completely disappeared at 1 132℃. When the specimen soaked at 900 ℃ was cooled down to room temperature （RT）, the dark phases kept stable. Energy spectrum analysis results showed that the dark phases contained much more Cr and Mn elements than the matrix and,were also rich in V. Tensile test results showed that the dark phase strengthened the steel with the maximum tensile strength obtained after soaking at 900 ℃ for 3 minutes.

TiO2 preparation by improved homogeneous precipitation and application in SCR catalyst

Ultrasonic treatment and hydrothermal method were applied in the traditional homogeneous precipitation for nano-TiO_2 preparation, which was used as carrier material for the production of honeycomb selective catalytic reduction(SCR) catalyst. The influence rules of the two improved methods on characterization of TiO_2 samples, denitration activity and mechanical strength of honeycomb SCR catalyst samples were mainly focused on. The results indicate that the specific surface area, particle size and uniformity of TiO_2 samples are significantly improved by both of the ultrasonic and hydrothermal treatments compared with the traditional homogeneous precipitation. Also, the denitration activities of catalyst samples are enhanced by the two improved methods(the NO_x reduction ratio increases from 88.89% to 95.45% by ultrasonic homogeneous precipitation process, and to 94.12% by hydrothermal homogeneous precipitation process). On the other hand, because of good spherical shape and high particle distribution of TiO_2 sample from hydrothermal homogeneous precipitation process, the corresponding honeycomb catalyst samples get the best mechanical strength, which is even higher than that of the reference sample from commercial nano-TiO_2. So, it is concluded that the hydrothermal homogeneous precipitation can be a feasible and effective preparation method of TiO_2 carrier for the honeycomb SCR catalyst production.

Preparation of silver tin oxide powders by hydrothermal reduction and crystallization

Silver tin oxide composite powders were synthesized by the hydrothermal method with a silver ammine solution and a Na2SnO3 solution as raw materials. H2C2O4 was used as the co-precipitator of silver ions and tin ions. The co-precipitation conditions were investigated. The results show that the co-precipitate of Ag2C2O4 and Sn（OH）4 is available when the pH value of the solution is 4.27-8.36. Using the obtained precipitate as precursor,the reduction of Ag＋ and the crystallization of tin oxide were carried out simultaneously by the hydrothermal method and silver tin oxide composite powders were obtained. The composite powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD） analysis,scanning electron microscope （SEM）,and energy spectrum analysis. The results show that the silver tin oxide composite powders are small with a diameter of about 2 μm and with homogeneous distribution of tin.

Synthesis and photocatalytic properties of InVO_4 sol containing nanocrystals by mild hydrothermal processing

The precursor precipitation of InVO4 was synthesized by co-precipitation using indium trichloride (InCl3), ammonium metavanadate (NH4VO3) and ammonia (NH3·H2O) as raw materials. The InVO4 sols with orthorhombic phase were obtained by hydrothermal treatment (the precursor precipitation solution at 423 K, for 4 h). The precursor and sol of InVO4 were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infra-red spectra (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements. The XRD patterns indicate that the InVO4 precursor is amorphous phase, InVO4 sol contains orthorhombic InVO4 nanocrystals. The results also reveal that the pH value of the reaction mixture and reaction temperature play important roles to the target phase. InVO4-TiO2 thin films on glass slides were prepared by the dip-coating method from the composite sol. The photocatalytic properties of the InVO4-TiO2 thin films were investigated by the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange solution. The results indicate that it has better photocatalytic activities than pure TiO2 thin films or pure InVO4 thin films with UV light.

In situ TEM investigation of electron irradiation and aging-induced high-density nanoprecipitates in an Mg-10Gd-3Y-1Zn-0.5Zr alloy

In-situ electron irradiation and aging are applied to introduce high-density precipitates in an Mg-10Gd-3Y-1Zn-0.5Zr(GWZ1031K,wt.%)alloy to improve the hardness.The results show that the hardness of the Mg alloy after irradiation for 10 h and aging for 9 h at 250℃ is 1.64 GPa,which is approximately 64% higher than that of the samples before being treated.It is mainly attributed to γ'precipitates on the basal plane after irradiation and the high-density nanoscale β'precipitates on the prismatic plane after aging,which should be closely related to the irradiation-induced homogenous clusters.The latter plays a key role in precipitation hardening.This result paves a way to improve the mechanical properties of metallic materials by tailoring the precipitation through irradiation and aging.

In-situ electrochemical study on the eff ects of Fe(Ⅲ)on kinetics of pyrite acidic pressure oxidation

Fe(Ⅲ)has been proved to be a more eff ective oxidant than dissolved oxygen at ambient temperature,however,the role of Fe(Ⅲ)in pyrite acidic pressure oxidation was rarely discussed so far.In this paper,in-situ electrochemical investigation was performed using a flow-through autoclave system in acidic pressure oxidation environment.The results illustrated that increasing Fe(Ⅲ)concentrations led to raising in redox potential of the solution,and decreased passivation of pyrite caused by deposition of elemental sulfur.Reduction of Fe(Ⅲ)at pyrite surface was a fast reaction with low activation energy,it was only slightly promoted by rising temperatures.While,the oxidation rate of pyrite at all investigated Fe(Ⅲ)concentrations increased obviously with rising temperatures,the anodic reaction was the rate-limiting step in the overall reaction.Activation energy of pyrite oxidation decreased from 47.74 to 28.79 kJ/mol when Fe(Ⅲ)concentration was increased from 0.05 to 0.50 g/L,showing that the reaction kinetics were limited by the rate of electrochemical reaction at low Fe(Ⅲ)concentrations,while,it gradually turned to be diffusion control with increasing Fe(Ⅲ)concentrations.

Buried Hydrothermal Systems:The Potential Role of Supercritical Water,“ScriW”,in Various Geological Processes and Occurrences in the Sub-Surface

It is well known that seawater that migrates deep into the Earth’s crust will pass into its supercritical domain at temperatures above 407°C and pressures above 298 bars. In the oceanic crust, these pressures are attained at depths of 3 km below sea surface, and sufficiently high temperatures are found near intruding magmas, which have temperatures in the range of 800°C to 1200°C. The physico-chemical behaviour of seawater changes dramatically when passing into the supercritical domain. A supercritical water vapour (ScriW) is formed with a density of 0.3 g/cc and a strongly reduced dipolar character. This change in polarity is causing the ScriW to lose its solubility of the common sea salts (chlorides and sulphates) and a spontaneous precipitation of sea salts takes place in the pore system. However, this is only one of many cases where the very special properties of ScriW affect its surroundings. The objective of this paper is to increase awareness of the many geological processes that are initiated and governed by ScriW. This includes interactions between ScriW and its geological surroundings to initiate and drive processes that are of major importance to the dynamics and livelihood of our planet. ScriW is the driver of volcanism associated with subduction zones, as ScriW deriving from the subduction slab is interacting with the mantle rocks and reducing their melting point. ScriW is also initiating serpentinization processes where olivines in the mantle rocks (e.g. peridotite) are transformed to serpentine minerals upon the uptake of OH-groups from hydrolysed water. The simultaneous oxidation of Fe2+ dissolved from iron-bearing pyroxenes and olivines leads to the formation of magnetite and hydrogen, and consequently, to a very reducing environment. ScriW may also be the potential starter and driver of the poorly understood mud and asphalt volcanism;both submarine and terrestrial. Furthermore, the lack of polarity of the water molecules in ScriW gives the ScriW vapour the potential to dissolve organic matter and petroleum. The same applies to supercritical brines confined in subduction slabs. If these supercritical water vapours migrate upwards to reach the critical point, the supercritical vapour is condensed into steam and dissolved petroleum is partitioned from the water phase to become a separate fluid phase. This opens up the possibility of transporting petroleum long distances when mixed with ScriW. Therefore, we may, popularly, say that ScriW drives a gigantic underground refinery system and also a salt factory. It is suggested that the result of these processes is that ScriW is rejuvenating the world’s ocean waters, as all of the ocean water circulates into the porous oceanic crust and out again in cycles of less than a million years. In summary, we suggest that ScriW participates in and is partly responsible for: 1) Ocean water rejuvenation and formation;2) Fundamental geological processes, such as volcanism, earthquakes, and meta-morphism (including serpentinization);3) Solid salt production, accumulation, transportation, and (salt) dome formation;4) The initiation and driving of mud, serpentine, and asphalt volcanoes;5) Dissolution of organic matter and petroleum, including transportation and phase separation (fractionation), when passing into the subcritical domain of (liquid) water.

Crystal Sizes and Energy Gaps of Cerium Oxide Using Co-Precipitation Method

Co-precipitation was used to prepare cerium oxide nano-particles. The effects of aging temperature and concentration of cobalt ion on the optical property, morphology, and particle size were investigated. The cerium oxide was prepared by adding ammonia solution into a mixed solution of cerium nitrate with cobalt nitrate solutions to obtain a large amount of precipitates and then aged further. Subsequently, the precipitates were kept in an oven for calcination keeping the temperature at 400?C for lasting 24 h. The average size of cerium oxide particles was obtained from the (111) peak in the X-ray diffraction pattern using the Scherrer equation. The crystal sizes obtained were found to be in the range of 11.82 - 13.47 nm. The results showed that the particle size decreased with an increase in the Co ion concentration and decreased with an increase in temperature. The SEM pictures show that the morphology for cerium oxide is granular and/or columnar. It can be seen from UV/Vis absorption spectrum that the maximum absorption peaks were in the range of 334 - 390 nm, depending on the operating conditions. The corresponding energy gaps were observed in the range of 3.18 - 3.71 eV. Subsequently, the Brus equation for the energy gap was discussed. Finally, particle size was correlated with the aging temperature and Co ion concentration.

Development of in-situ Micro-Raman spectroscopy system for autoclave experimental apparatus

We developed a set of in-situ Micro-Raman spectroscopy system for autoclave experimental apparatus because of the scientific significance of in-situ Micro-Raman spectroscopy system under the high-pressure hydrothermal condition.We used this system to measure the Raman spectrum of water-fluid and quartz crystal at the temperature ranging from 125 to 420℃.The signal-tonoise ratio of the Raman signal is good.

Synthesis and characterization of needle-like BaAl_2O_4:Eu,Dy phosphor via hydrothermal-homogeneous precipitation method

A needle-like Eu2＋ and Dy3＋ co-doped BaAI204 long-lasting phosphor was synthesized via a hydrothermal-homogeneous pre- cipitation method assisted by cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide （CTAB） as a template. The crystal structure, morphology and opti- cal properties of the composites were characterized. XRD results showed that the single-phase BaA1204 was formed at 900 ℃ in an active carbon atmosphere, which was much lower than that prepared by traditional solid-state reaction method. Scanning electron mi- croscopy （SEM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM） observation revealed that the precursor had well-dispersed distribution and showed needle-like morphology with the average diameter of about 100 nm and the length up to 1 μm. The final product, BaAI2Oa：Eu〉,Dy3＋ phosphor, inherited the needle-like shape from precursor via adding the surfactant CTAB. After irradiation by ul- traviolet radiation with 355 nm for 5 rain, the phosphors emitted bluish green color long-lasting phosphorescence corresponding to the typical emission of Eu2＋ ion. Both the photoluminescence spectra and luminance decay revealed that the phosphor had efficient lumi- nescent and long-lasting properties.

The effect of temperature on load partitioning evolution in magnesium metal matrix composite reinforced with Ti particles using in-situ synchrotron radiation diffraction experiments

The load partitioning between the magnesium and titanium phases in an extruded Mg-15%Ti(vol.%) composite from room temperature up to 300 ℃ using synchrotron radiation diffraction during in-situ compression tests. During compression, the magnesium matrix composite deforms mainly by the activation of the extension twinning system up to 200 ℃. The volume fraction of twins increases with the plastic strain but decrease with the compression temperature. Hard titanium particles bear an additional load transferred by the soft magnesium matrix from room temperature up to 300 ℃. This effect is amplified after yield stress during plastic deformation. Additionally, twins within magnesium grains behaves as an additional reinforcement at low temperature(below 200 ℃) inducing an increase in the work hardening of the composite.