Resistance to acid degradation,sorptivity,and setting time of geopolymer mortars

Experimental evaluations were conducted to determine the water sorptivity,setting time,and resistance to a highly acidic environment,of mortar with alkali-activated ground granulated blast furnace slag(GBS)binder and also of combinations of fly ash and GBS binders.Binders were activated using mixtures of NaOH and Na_(2)SiO_(3)solutions.The molarity of NaOH in the mixtures ranged from 10 mol·L^(−1)to 16 mol·L^(−1),and the Na_(2)SiO_(3)/NaOH ratio was varied from 1.5 to 2.5.Mortar samples were produced using three binder combinations:1)GBS as the only binder;2)blended binder with a slag-to-fly ash ratio of 3:1;and 3)mixed binder with 1:1 ratio of slag to fly ash.Mortar samples were mixed and cured at(22±2)°C till the day of the test.The impact of activator solution alkalinity,activator ratio Na_(2)SiO_(3)/NaOH,GBS content on the rate of water absorption were evaluated.After 7,28,and 90 d of immersion in a 10%sulfuric acid solution,the resistance of a geopolymer matrix to degradation was assessed by measuring the change in sample weight.The influence of solution alkalinity and relative fly ash content on setting times was investigated.Alkali-activated mortar with a slag-to-fly ash ratio of 3:1 had the least sorptivity compared to the two other binder combinations,at each curing age,and for mortars made with each of the NaOH alkaline activator concentrations.Mortar sorptivity decreased with age and sodium hydroxide concentrations,suggesting the production of geopolymerization products.No reduction in weight of sample occurred after immersion in the strong acid H_(2)SO_(4)solution for three months,regardless of binder combination.This was due to the synthesis of hydration and geopolymerization products in the presence of curing water,which outweighed the degradation of the geopolymer matrix caused by sulfuric acid.

Effectiveness of Rice Husk and Sugarcane Bagasse Ashes Blended Cement in Improving Properties of Concrete

This paper emphasized the use of rice husk ash (RHA) and sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA) in improving concrete properties, and also their combined effects on workability, compressive strength, flexural strength, permeability and water absorption capacity. Thus, in this study, the water-to-cement ratio was kept constant (0.45), the binder materials content for conventional mix was kept constant at (350 kg/m3) and the partial replacement of cement with RHASBA used was 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 30% by weight of cement. The maximum compressive strength was noted at a 5% replacement level of cement with RHASBA. The Results showed that the optimum replacement of cement with RHASBA in concrete was 5%, which was found to increase the compressive strength by 15%, flexural strength by 3.4%, lowered permeability by 50%, lowered sorptivity by 11.34% as compared with control concrete at 90 days of curing time. The micro-structural test results further established that RHA and SBA have a high content of SiO2 which enables them to be more reactive in concrete and also revealed that the presence of RHASBA depletes Ca(OH)2 crystals, converting it into CaH2O4Si (C-S-H gel) leading to the strengthening of bond within the concrete matrix.

Effectiveness of Rice Husk and Sugarcane Bagasse Ashes Blended Cement in Improving Properties of Concrete

This paper emphasized the use of rice husk ash (RHA) and sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA) in improving concrete properties, and also their combined effects on workability, compressive strength, flexural strength, permeability and water absorption capacity. Thus, in this study, the water-to-cement ratio was kept constant (0.45), the binder materials content for conventional mix was kept constant at (350 kg/m3) and the partial replacement of cement with RHASBA used was 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 30% by weight of cement. The maximum compressive strength was noted at a 5% replacement level of cement with RHASBA. The Results showed that the optimum replacement of cement with RHASBA in concrete was 5%, which was found to increase the compressive strength by 15%, flexural strength by 3.4%, lowered permeability by 50%, lowered sorptivity by 11.34% as compared with control concrete at 90 days of curing time. The micro-structural test results further established that RHA and SBA have a high content of SiO2 which enables them to be more reactive in concrete and also revealed that the presence of RHASBA depletes Ca(OH)2 crystals, converting it into CaH2O4Si (C-S-H gel) leading to the strengthening of bond within the concrete matrix.

Static Bending Creep Properties of Glass Fiber Surface Composite Wood

To study the static bending creep properties of glass fiber reinforced wood,glass fiber reinforced poplar(GFRP)specimens were obtained by pasting glass fiber on the upper and lower surfaces of Poplar(Populus euramevicana,P),the performance of Normal Creep(NC)and Mechanical Sorptive Creep(MSC)of GFRP and their influencing factors were tested and analyzed.The test results and analysis show that:(1)The MOE and MOR of Poplar were increased by 17.06%and 10.00%respectively by the glass fiber surface reinforced composite.(2)The surface reinforced P with glass fiber cloth only exhibits the NC pattern of wood and loses the MSC characteristics of wood,regardless of the constant or alternating changes in relative humidity.(3)The instantaneous elastic deformation,viscoelastic deformation,viscous deformation and total creep deflection of GFRP are positively correlated with the stress level of the external load applied to the specimen.Still,the specimen’s creep recovery rate is negatively correlated with the stress level of the external load applied to the specimen.The static creep deflection and viscous deformation of GFRP increase with the increase of the relative humidity of the environment.(4)The MSC maximum creep deflection of GFRP increased by only 7.41%over the NC maximum creep deflection,but the MSC maximum creep deflection of P increased by 199.25%over the NC maximum creep deflection.(5)The Burgers 4-factor model and the Weibull distribution equation can fit the NC and NC recovery processes of GFRP well.

Analytical Methods for Prediction of Water Absorption in Cement-Based Material

The capillary absorption of water by unsaturated cement-based material is the main reason of degradation of the structures subjected to an aggressive environment since water often acts as the transporting medium for damaging contaminants. It is well known that the capillarity coefficient and sorptivity are two important parameters to characterize the water absorption of porous materials. Generally, the former is used to describe the penetration depth or height of water transport, which must be measured by special and advanced equipment. In contrast, the sorptivity represents the relationship between cumulative volume of water uptake and the squareroot of the elapsed time, which can be easily measured by the gravimetric method in a normal laboratory condition. In the present study, an analytical method is developed to build up a bridge between these two parameters, with the purpose that the sorptivity or the gravimetric method can be used to predict the penetration depth of water absorption. Additionally, a new model to explain the dependence of sorptivity on initial water content of the material is developed in order to fit the in situ condition. The comparison of predicted results by the analytical method with experimental data or numerical calculation results, as well as some previous models, validates the feasibility of the methods presented in this paper.

Estimation of Infiltration Models’ Parameters Using Regression Analysis in Irrigation Fields of Northern Ghana

The quantification of soil infiltration is necessary for the estimation of water accessibility in soils for plant growth and development. Field infiltration tests runs were conducted on agricultural soils in three irrigation sites of Northern Ghana. The field data were fitted into Green and Ampt, Kostiakov, Philip, Holtan, Soil Conservation Service and Horton infiltration models for the determination of the unknown model parameters. Regression analysis at 95% confidence level using GraphPad Prism 8. Laboratory and field data on infiltration were used for the model fitting and the unknown parameters were determined using the calibrated models. The k and n parameters of Kostiakov model at Bontanga study site were found to be k = 28.0027 and n = 0.5902, k = 17.0294 and n = 0.4504 for Golinga and k = 23.0356 and n = 0.6339 for Libga. For all the models, the coefficient of determination ranged from 0.7612 to 0.9876 indicating strong relationships. Only Holtan model gave different values at all the three study sites. The parameter GIa and ic of the Holtan model drawn from hydrologic soil group were the same at all the study sites because of the same vegetative cover and surface conditions. The study observed the values of the parameters to have influenced the models’ performance.

Metsulfuron-methyl Molecularly Imprinted Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction Coupled with High Performance Liquid Chromatography for Trace Sulfonylurea Herbicides Analysis in Complex Samples

Metsulfuron-methyl molecularly imprinted polymer（MIP）-coated stir bar was prepared for sorptive extraction of sulfonylurea herbicides in complex samples.The MIP-coating was about 21.3 μm thickness with the relative standard deviation（RSD） of 4.4%（n=10）.It was homogeneous and porous with good thermal stability and chemical stability.The extraction capability of the MIP-coating was 2.8 times over that of the non-imprinted polymer（NIP）-coating in hexane.The MIP-coating exhibited selective adsorption ability to the template and its analogues.The extraction conditions,including extraction solvent,desorption solvent,extraction time,desorption time and stirring speed,were optimized.A method for the determination of six sulfonylurea herbicides by MIP-coated stir bar sorptive extraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography（HPLC） was developed.The linear range was 10―200 μg/L and the detection limits were within a range of 2.0―3.3 μg/L.It was also applied to the analysis of sulfonylurea herbicides in spiked river water,soil and rice samples.

Preparation of PDMS-coated microspheres by sol-gel method for sorptive extraction of PAHs

In this paper, a novel SPME mode, PDMS-coated solid glass microspheres （SGMs）, were prepared by sol-gel method. Using homemade thermal desorption unit coupled with CGC-FID, six PAHs as model analytes, the performance of the new mode was characterized. The new extractive phase exhibited high thermal stability and satisfactory extraction capability. The detection limits were 0.01-0.045 ng/mL, and the linearity was from 0.5 ng/mL to 96 ng/mL. The R.S.D.s of repeatability for retention time and peak area were all within 0.074% and 6.7%, respectively. The recoveries of the PAHs were 78-127% from the samples taken from river water.

PDMS Rod-SBSE System Coupled with Gas Chromatography for Determination of PAHs in Aqueous Samples

A method for the analysis of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons（PAHs） in aqueous samples has been established by polydimethylsiloxane（PDMS） rod aided stir bar sorptive extraction（SBSE）. The homemade PDMS rod has a size of 30 mm×3 mm o.d. with a volume of ca. 200 μL, stable in thermal desorption process. The enriched PAHs by the PDMS rod were released in a homemade thermal desorption system coupled with gas chromatography. Experimental parameters for extraction of six PAHs were optimized including extraction time, pH, ionic strength and temperature of solution. The procedure has good recoveries of 80.0%―100.3% and very low limits of detection of 4.0―33 ng/L. PAHs in rain and river water were analyzed by this method.

Dynamic Behavior of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Their Derivatives after Oils Spill in Water

Within the framework of Migr’Hycar research project, the fate of oil spill was studied with the aim to characterize their physical-chemical behaviour. For this purpose, seven petroleum oils commercially available were tested and the distributions of the water soluble components were determined according to two experimental devices;laboratory conditions and pilot conditions in Polludrome. In the dissolved fraction, 41 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their derivates were quantified, among them are 16 EPA priority pollutants. A coupling of the stir bar sorptive extraction method and high performance gas chromatography mass spectrometry were used. Analyses showed that naphthalenes series constitute the major part of the water soluble fraction from fresh oils. In fact, light and heavy molecules have different contributions to solubilization kinetics. From the results, a linear correlation was established between the density of oils and the times of maximum solubilization. Moreover, the effect of 10% ethanol in gasoline was observed on the profile of solubilized PAHs in water. Kinetic patterns obtained with Polludrome showed the influence of surface water/oil ratio (WOR) on the volatilization process. Compared to laboratory conditions, the dynamic conditions of Polludrome led to an enhanced evaporation process, thus shifting the solubility peak.

Processing Compressed Expanded Natural Graphite for Phase Change Material Composites

Phase change materials(PCMs)are used in various thermal energy storage applications but are limited by their low thermal conductivity.One method to increase conductivity involves impregnating organic PCMs into highly porous conductive matrix materials.Of these materials,compressed expanded natural graphite(CENG)matrices have received the most attention.Despite this attention,the effect that CENG processing has on PCM saturation and overall matrix thermal conductivity has not been fully investigated.Therefore,the effect of the heat treatment process used to expand intercalated graphite flakes is evaluated here.Higher heat treatment temperatures yielded higher saturation rates and overall saturation at similar matrix porosities.For example,increasing temperature from 300℃to 700℃resulted in approximately 60%-70%increase in pore saturation after 100 minutes of soaking.The exposure time to heat treatment had less of an effect on PCM saturation.The exposure time had negligible effect above 30 min and above 500℃heating temperatures.However,because the expanded graphite was found to oxidize around 700℃,the use of longer exposure time in manufacturing applications can be beneficial if a shortened impregnation time is needed.Heat treatment conditions did not impact thermal conductivity.The composite latent heat of fusion was also reduced approximately proportionally to the PCM mass fraction.A local maximum in axial thermal conductivity was observed at around 83%porosity,which is similar to previous studies.The observed conductivity at this maximum was a factor of 81 times greater than the conductivity of the PCM.

Synthesis and modification of spherical/hollow metal-organic frameworks for efficient extraction of sulfonamides in aqueous environments

In this study,two novel spherical/hollow metal-organic frameworks were successfully synthesized,and further modified by a mild non-covalent modification strategy with dopamine and 1,4-benzenedithiol(BDT)as polymeric monomers to obtain pB DT@PDA-Ni-MOF and p BDT@PDA-Ni/Co-MOF,respectively.The results showed that the above MOFs possessed extremely fast adsorption rates and ideal adsorption capacities for sulfonamides(SAs)and the modified MOFs exhibited enhanced adsorption capacities for SAs owing to a large number of additional functional groups.Then,benefit of their regular morphology and size,a facile syringe-assisted dispersive solid phase extraction(S-DSPE)method was developed for efficient detection of SAs,which will provide a powerful tool for monitoring trace level of SAs in aqueous environment.

Investigation of cement mortar incorporating Bacillus sphaericus

Ureolytic-type bacteria has been used to improve the strength of cement mortar by the precipitation of calcium carbonate.In the present study Bacillus sphaericus has been used to improve the properties of cement mortar such as setting time,compressive strength and sorptivity.The setting time is found to be unaffected by the presence of bacteria.It is found that compressive strength at both 7-days and 28-days of mortar cube increases with the increase of bacteria concentration.At the optimum bacteria dosage of 107 cells/ml,the average compressive strength increases by 58%(at 7 day)and 23%(at 28 day)over the control specimen.The sorpitivity coefficient decreases as the concentration of bac-terial cells increases.The mineralogy and morphology of the cal-cium carbonate precipitation have been tested by XRD and FESEM.

Coordination polymers： Challenges and future scenarios for capture and degradation of volatile organic compounds

Over the past few decades, coordination polymers/metal organic frameworks （CPs/MOFs） have drawn a great deal of attention for diverse applications due to their advantages of intrinsically ttLnable chemical structure, flexible architecture, high pore volume, high surface area, multifunctional properties, etc. To date, numerous CPs/MOFs have been developed and employed for the treatment and control of gaseous pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds （VOCs）, through capture, sorptive removal, and catalytic degradation. Nevertheless, there are also some key drawbacks and challenges for the practical application of these systems （e.g., poor selectivity, high energy （and fiscal） cost, high synthesis cost, low capacity, and difficulties in regeneration and recycling）. In this review, recent developments in CPs/MOFs research are described with their associated mechanisms for capture, sorptive removal, and catalytic degradation of VOCs. To this end, we discuss the key variables and challenges for afforded abatement of VOCs through CPs/MOFs technologies. Hopefully, this review will help the scientific community set future directions for the advancement of CPs/MOFs techniques for the effective management of diverse environmental issues.

Dispersion in oscillatory electro-osmotic flow through a parallel-plate channel with kinetic sorptive exchange at walls

Dispersion in time-oscillatory electro-osmotic flows in a slit micro-channel under the effect of kinetic sorptive exchange at walls is theoretically investigated using the homogenization method. The two walls of the channel are considered to be made up of different materials, and therefore have different zeta potentials and sorption coefficients. A general expression for the Taylor dispersion coefficient under different zeta potentials as well as various sorption conditions at the walls is derived analytically. The dispersion coefficient is found to be dependent on the oscillation frequency, the Debye parameter, the species partition coefficient, the reaction kinetics and the ratio of the wall potentials. The results demonstrate that the presence of wall sorption tends to enhance the dispersion when the oscillation frequency is low, but the effect is negligible in high-frequency oscillatory flows. Moreover, it is found that the dispersion coefficient could be significantly changed by adjusting the relative wall potentials for low-frequency flows.

An Electropolymerized Pyrrole-based Coating for Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction of Btex from Water Followed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

A stir bar sorptive extraction （SBSE） technique was developed by the use of polypyrrole （PPy） sorbent, electropolymerized on the surface of a rod, as a possible alternative to solid-phase microextraction （SPME）. Liquid desorption was subsequently employed to transfer the extracted analytes into the injection port of a gas chromatogra- phy-mass spectrometry （GC-MS）. The PPy sorbent including polypyrrole-dodecyl sulfate （PPy-DS） was deposited on the surface of a stainless steel rod from the corresponding aqueous electrolyte by applying a constant deposition potential. The developed method was applied to the trace level extraction of BTEX （benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o,p-xylene） from aqueous sample. Optimization of influential experimental conditions including the voltage of power supply, the time of PPy electrodeposition, the extraction temperature, the ionic strength and the extraction time were also investigated. The detection limits of the method under optimized conditions were in the range of 0.01-0.1 ng.mL^-1. The relative standard deviations （RSD） at a concentration level of 1 ng.mL^-1 were obtained between 8% and 13% （n=6）. The calibration curves of BTEX showed linearity in the range of 0.03 to 600 ngomL 1. The proposed method was successfully applied to the extraction of some selected BTEX from river water samples and the relative recoveries were higher than 90% for all the analytes.

Comparison of the Contributions of Hop Pellets,Supercritical Fluid Hop Extracts,and Extracted Hop Material to the Hop Aroma and Terpenoid Content of Kettle-Hopped Lager Beers

Brewers who create hop-forward styles such as American-style India Pale Ales typically add hops toward the end of or after wort boiling to avoid aroma volatilization and thereby impart strong hopderived aromas.However,previous studies have demonstrated that despite the volatilization effects of boiling wort,hops that are added early in the kettle boil can contribute to hop aroma.Nonvolatile hopderived precursors,specifically glycosides,may survive the boiling process and become hydrolyzed to release volatile aglycones capable of contributing to aroma.To investigate the contribution of these different hop fractions to the aroma of kettle-hopped beers,12 single-hopped pilot-scale(3 hL)beers were brewed using pellet,supercritical CO2 extract,and spent hop fractions of Citra,Simcoe,Centennial,or Cascade cultivars.Pellet,extract,and spent additions consisted of a single hop add让ion 5 min into a 60 min boil.Volatile analysis of beers was perfonned using stir-bar sorptive extraction and quantified using gas chromatographymass spectrometry.Beers were analyzed for the common terpenoid compoundsα-pinene,β-pinene,3-myrcene,limonene,linalool,E,β-caryophyllene,α-humulene,andα-terpineol.In addition,beers were evaluated using descriptive sensory analysis.The descriptive sensory data identified significant differences among the cultivar and hop product treatments.The spent hop treatments produced beers that had a noticeable hop aroma,which suggests that the water-soluble components left behind in the spent hops may contribute to hop aroma in beer.The intensity and nature of the hop aroma in the spent treatments were hop variety specific.However,the contributions of water-soluble components found in spent hops to increased aroma intensity in beer were small,especially compared with the pellet and extract treatments.