Addressing criticality for rare earth elements in petroleum refining: The key supply factors approach

The group of elements known as the rare earth elements (REEs) is comprised of the 15 lanthanides. REEs are used in a number of technologies including catalysts for automobiles and petroleum refining, magnets for wind turbines and defense technologies, and phosphors in lighting and computer and TV screens. REEs are actually quite abundant in the earth′s crust. The elements are deemed “rare” because they are found in low concentrations and are difficult to extract economically. China holds 48% of the global REE reserves, and until 2012, production of REEs was almost exclusive to China. Over the past decade, China has been steadily decreasing its REE export quotas, reducing the supply of REEs available to the rest of the world. REEs are considered critical materials according to the National Science and Technology Council, which defines critical elements as those serving an essential function in the manufacture of a product, the absence of which would cause significant social consequence. Thus, it is extremely important for consumers of REEs to be aware of and understand the risks facing the supply REEs, as awareness is the first and most important step in developing strategies to mitigate risk. This report presents a mechanism for identifying the risks present in a supply–demand scenario and determining the criticality of an individual rare earth element under specific circumstances.     

光催化技术及其在室内空气净化方面研究现状

阐述了光催化技术的基本原理、二氧化钛光催化剂的特性,以及光催化技术在环境保护领域的广阔应用。介绍了中国室内空气污染的现状和甲醛、苯系物等主要污染物的性质与来源。简单讨论了物理法,化学法等主要的室内空气污染处理技术,突出表述了光催化技术的优势。从降解机理、降解效果、反应器应用等3个方面介绍了光催化技术在室内空气净化方面的研究现状。指出了单一技术的不足和联合协同作用的必要性。强调了将研究结果投入实际运用的迫切性,希望真正有效的室内空气净化器尽早普及。     

Gravity orientation in social wasp comb cells (Vespinae) and the possible role of embedded minerals

Social wasps and hornets maintain their nest in the dark. The building of the combs by all Vespinae is always in the direction of the gravitational force of Earth, and in each cell's ceiling, at least one 'keystone' is embedded and fastened by saliva. The sensory mechanisms that enable both building of sizeable symmetrical combs and nursing of the brood in the darkness merit investigation, and the aim of the present study was to identify and characterize the 'keystones' that exist in the ceiling and in the walls of the social wasp comb cells. Bio-ferrography was used to isolate magnetic particles on slides. These slides, as well as original cells, were analyzed in an environmental scanning electron microscope by a variety of analytical tools. It was found that both the roof and the walls of each comb cell bear minerals, like ferrites, as well as Ti and Zr. The latter two elements are less abundant in the soil around the nest. Ti and Zr are known to reflect infrared (IR) light. IR imaging showed a thermoregulatory center in the dorsal thorax of the adult Oriental hornet. It is not known yet whether these insects can sense IR light.     

天然麦饭石负载TiO2的光催化性能研究

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了二氧化钛负载于天然麦饭石表面热处理后得到复合光催化剂TiO2/麦饭石,并通过N2吸附-脱附、XRD及IR对其进行表征。探讨了以天然麦饭石为载体制备具有较高光催化活性的负载型TiO2/天然麦饭石复合物的各种影响因素:焙烧温度,加投量,pH值等。研究结果表明:200℃焙烧条件下TiO2/麦饭石复合物具有最大的光催化活性,达到了纯TiO2的光催化效果:对罗丹明B脱色率随着光催化剂增多而增大;对罗丹明B在pH值7～9时具有最大的降解率,开拓和优化TiO2光催化效能的新途径。     

Effect of molecular properties on the photocatalytic degradation rates of dichlorophenols and dichloroanilines in aqueous TiO2 suspensions

The kinetics of the photocatalytic degradation of 10 different dichlorophenols and dichloroanilines have been investigated experimentally and theoretically. With the intention of finding certain molecular indices in order to determine the degradation rates of aromatic pollutants, geometry optimizations of the compounds have been performed with the semiempirical PM3 method. The molecular orbital calculations have been carried out by an SCF method using the RHF formalism. The correlations between the apparent first-order rate constants and the calculated molecular properties of the compounds have been examined. Four different structure–activity relationships have been developed expressing the logarithms of the rate constants in terms of the Hammett constants, electron densities of the substituents, the coefficients and the energies of the highest occupied molecular orbitals HOMO, and 1-octanol/water partition coefficients log?K _OW.     

Inhibition of bromate formation by reduced graphene oxide supported cerium dioxide during ozonation of bromide-containing water

GO or RGO promotes bromate formation during ozonation of bromide-containing water. CeO₂/RGO significantly inhibits bromate formation compared to RGO during ozonation. CeO₂/RGO shows an enhancement on DEET degradation efficiency during ozonation. Ozone (O₃) is widely used in drinking water disinfection and wastewater treatment. However, when applied to bromide-containing water, ozone induces the formation of bromate, which is carcinogenic. Our previous study found that graphene oxide (GO) can enhance the degradation efficiency of micropollutants during ozonation. However, in this study, GO was found to promote bromate formation during ozonation of bromide-containing waters, with bromate yields from the O₃/GO process more than twice those obtained using ozone alone. The promoted bromate formation was attributed to increased hydroxyl radical production, as confirmed by the significant reduction (almost 75%) in bromate yield after adding t-butanol (TBA). Cerium oxide (less than 5 mg/L) supported on reduced GO (xCeO₂/RGO) significantly inhibited bromate formation during ozonation compared with reduced GO alone, and the optimal Ce atomic percentage (x) was determined to be 0.36%, achieving an inhibition rate of approximately 73%. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra indicated the transformation of GO into RGO after hydrothermal treatment, and transmission electron microscope (TEM) results showed that CeO₂ nanoparticles were well dispersed on the RGO surface. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra results demonstrated that the Ce³⁺/Ce⁴⁺ ratio in xCeO₂/RGO was almost 3‒4 times higher than that in pure CeO₂, which might be attributed to the charge transfer effect from GO to CeO₂. Furthermore, Ce³⁺ on the xCeO₂/RGO surface could quench Br⋅ and BrO⋅ to further inhibit bromate formation. Meanwhile, 0.36CeO₂/RGO could also enhance the degradation efficiency of N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) in synthetic and reclaimed water during ozonation.     

Heterogeneous photocatalysed degradation of two selected pesticide derivatives, triclopyr and daminozid in aqueous suspensions of titanium dioxide

Heterogeneous photocatalysed degradation of two selected pesticide derivatives, triclopyr (1) and daminozid (2), has been investigated in aqueous suspensions of titanium dioxide by monitoring the change in substrate concentration employing the UV Spectroscopic analysis technique and depletion of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) content as a function of irradiation time. The degradation kinetics were studied under different conditions such as reaction pH, substrate and catalyst concentration, different types of TiO2 and in the presence of electron acceptors such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), potassium bromate (KBrO3) and ammonium persulphate (NH4)2S2O8 in addition to molecular oxygen. The degradation rates were found to be strongly influenced by all the above parameters. The photocatalyst Degussa P25 was found to be more efficient as compared with other photocatalysts. The pesticide derivative triclopyr (1) was found to degrade faster as compared to daminozid (2). An attempt was also made to identify the intermediate products formed during the photooxidation process using GC/MS analysis. Probable pathways for the formation of products have been proposed.     

半导体光催化氧化法处理印染废水的研究

研究了用光催化氧化的方法实际印染废水的可能性，催化剂为TiO2，并将其制膜固定在光反应器内壁上，以125W高压汞灯为源，对某丝绸厂的印绸厂的印废水进行了处理实验，取得了脱色率100％，CODCr去除率85．6％的效果。     

模锻钛合金叶片锻件的新工艺

此文介绍了飞行器上燃气涡轮发动机用的各种类型钛合金叶片锻件的模锻新工艺,以及在卧锻机上镦粗长矩形斜头叶片的模具结构和采用保护—润滑材料的效果。     

H_2O_2/TiO_2氧化法处理氨基丁酸工业废水的研究

用H2O2／TiO2氧化法处理氨基丁酸工业废水。实验结果表明：当H2O2／CODcr＝2．0（g／g），每L废水中加入2gTiO2，在95℃下反应0．5h，废水CODcr和氨基值去除率分别达85．4％和69．8％，且TiO2经高温活化后可重复利用。