Application of 2-D and 3-D Geo-electrical Resistivity Tomography and Geotechnical Soil Evaluation for Engineering Site Investigation:A Case Study of Okerenkoko Primary School,Warri-Southwest,Delta State,Nigeria

In the design of building structures,joint efforts must be decided to resolve the depth of competent layers across the intended site to safeguard the durability of civil engineering structures and to avert the disastrous consequences of structural failure and collapse.In this study,an integrated methodology that employed DC resistivity tomography involving 2-D and 3-D techniques and geotechnical-soil analysis was used to evaluate subsoil conditions for engineering site investigation at Okerenkoko primary school,in the Warri-southwest area of Delta State,to adduce the phenomena responsible for the visible cracks/structural failure observed in the buildings.The results obtained brought to light the geological structure beneath the subsurface,which consists of four geoelectric layers identified as topsoil,dry/lithified upper sandy layer,wet sand(water-saturated)and peat/clay/sandy clayey soil(highly water-saturated).The deeply-seated peat/clay materials(ρ≤20Ωm)were delineated in the study area to the depths of 17.1 m and 19.8 m from 2-D and 3-D tomography respectively.3-D images presented as horizontal depth slices revealed the dominance of very low resistivity materials i.e.peat/clay/sandy clay within the fourth,fifth and sixth layers at depths ranging from 8.68-12.5 m,12.5-16.9 m and 16.9-21.9 m respectively.The dominance of mechanically unstable peat/clay/sandy clay layers beneath the subsurface,which are highly mobile in response to volumetric changes,is responsible for the noticeable cracks/failure detected on structures within the study site.These observations were validated by a geotechnical test of soil samples in the study area.Atterberg’s limits of the samples revealed plasticity indices of zero.Thus,the soil samples within the depth analyzed were representatives of sandy soil that does not possess any plasticity.The methods justifiably provided relevant information on the subsurface geology beneath the study site and should be appropriated as major tools for engineering site assessment/geotechnical projects.

Microenvironment regulation of M-N-C single-atom catalysts towards oxygen reduction reaction

The development of cost-effective,robust,and durable electrocatalysts to replace the expensive Pt-based catalysts towards oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)is the trending frontier research topic in renewable energy and electrocatalysis.Particular attention has been paid to metal-nitrogen-carbon(M-N-C)single atom catalysts(SACs)due to their maximized atom utilization efficiency,biomimetic active site,and distinct electronic structure.More importantly,their catalytic properties can be further tailored by rationally regulating the microenvironment of active sites(i.e.,M-N coordination number,heteroatom doping and substitution.Herein,we present a comprehensive summary of the recent advancement in the microenvironment regulation of MN-C SACs towards improved ORR performance.The coordination environment manipulation regarding central metal and coordinated atoms is first discussed,focusing on the structure-function relationship.Apart from the near-range coordination,longrange substrate modulation including heteroatom doping,defect engineering is discussed as well.Besides,the synergy mechanism of nanoparticles and single atom sites to tune the electron cloud density at the active sites is summarized.Finally,we provide the challenges and outlook of the development of M-N-C SACs.

Characterization of char from high temperature fluidized bed coal pyrolysis in complex atmospheres

The physiochemical properties of chars produced by coal pyrolysis in a laboratory-scale fluidized bed reactor with a continuous coal feed and char discharge at temperatures of 750 to 980 ~ C under N2-based atmospheres containing 02, H2, CO, CH4, and CO2 were studied. The specific surface area of the char was found to decrease with increasing pyrolysis temperature. The interlayer spacing of the char also decreased, while the average stacking height and carbon crystal size increased at higher temperatures, suggesting that the char generated at high temperatures had a highly ordered structure. The char obtained using an ER value of 0.064 exhibited the highest specific surface area and oxidation reactivity. Rela- tively high 02 concentrations degraded the pore structure of the char, decreasing the surface area. The char produced in an atmosphere incorporating H2 showed a more condensed crystalline structure and consequently had lower oxidation reactivity.