Application of a Second-Order Kinetic Model to a Complex Melt Polymerization Reaction

A novel copolymer system has been synthesized using methyl hydroquinone diacetate (MHQDA), 1,4 naphthalene dicarboxylic acid (1,4 NDCA), and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) using the melt polymerization technique. The optimum kinetic parameters pertinent to this system are reported in this study. A simple second-order reaction sequence summarizes catalyzed and uncatalyzed reactions between MHQDA, 1,4 NDCA, and PBT. The kinetic parameters for the copolymerization reaction were determined using a new second-order model. This technique was used to compute the moles of acetic acid generated in the polymerization process. The model was compared to that of the experimentally determined data. Close comparison (percentage error of less than 5%) was obtained between the experimental and theoretical data. The kinetic data support block copolyester formation. The thermal data also supports formation of block polymers.     

Performance of a low cost MBT prior to landfilling: study of the biological treatment of size reduced MSW without mechanical sorting

In France, the interest in Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) prior to landfilling is actually growing. In the absence of acceptance criteria for the waste to be landfilled, an alternative to the intensive, high-technology MBT can only find its place in the French context if it shows substantial benefits from an environmental, economic or operational point of view. This paper presents an experiment of low-cost MBT of size reduced MSW without material splitting. The performance of an experimental, pilot-scale mechanical and biological treatment process has been studied on 37.5 Mg of raw municipal solid waste. The mechanical process has been kept simple with only coarse shredding and no material recovery. The biological treatment, which was a low-cost forced aeration process, was monitored for 25 weeks. The biogas production potential of the waste was reduced by 90% to 19 NL kgDM(-1). The initial AT4 index of 82.9 mg O2 gDM(-1) decreased to 16.0 mg O2 gDM(-1). After 25 weeks of aerobic treatment, the dry mass loss reached 37%, while the mass of waste going to landfill was reduced by 28%. The average performances of the process were explained by the biological process itself, which was not optimal, and also by the characteristics of the input waste. The high particle size of the treated waste and the high content of slowly biodegradable matter (such as paper and cardboard) may both be significant drawbacks for the biological stabilisation of waste.     

The behaviour of ashes and heavy metals during the co-combustion of sewage sludges in a fluidised bed

Co-combustion tests of dry sewage sludges with coal were performed in a pilot bubbling FBC aiming at the characterization of ashes and determining the behaviour of heavy metals in the process. The tests showed compliance with the regulatory levels as far as heavy metal emissions were concerned. The bottom ashes, which accounted for about 70% of the total ash production, were obtained in a granular form, with diameters ranging from 0.5 to 4 mm. The heavy metals were distributed in ashes obtained from different locations of the installation and their concentrations were found to vary depending on the location of capture. The increase in heavy metals content in bottom ashes was not found to lead to higher leachability and ecotoxicity compared to sewage sludges, suggesting that there could be opportunities for their further use. Mercury suffered vaporisation inside the reactor, thus leaving bottom ashes free of contamination by it. However, there was observed a strong retention of mercury in cyclone ashes due to the presence of unburned carbon which probably acted as an adsorbent. The effluent mercury was also found to be mostly associated with the particulate fraction, being less than 20% emitted in gaseous forms. The results suggested that the combustion of the sewage sludge could successfully be carried out and the amount of unburned carbon leaving the combustor but captured in cyclone was large enough to ensure substantial retention of mercury at low temperatures, hence could contribute to an improvement of the mercury release which still remains an issue of great concern to resolve during combustion of waste materials.     

Concentration and chemical speciation for the determination of Cu,Zn, Ni,Pb and Cd from refuse dump soils using the optimized BCR sequential extraction procedure

The optimized BCR sequential extraction procedure (proposed by the Standards, Measurements and Testing Programme (SM&T) of the European Union) was applied to seven topsoil samples from refuse dump sites for the determination of Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb and Cd. The metals were partitioned into four operationally defined chemical fractions: acid extractable, reducible, oxidizable and residual, and analysed using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry, FAAS. The results were compared with total metal concentrations obtained using HNO₃, HClO₄ and HF digestion procedures. Results for total metal analysis ranged from - 15.55 to 43.45 for Cu, 37.15 to 222.35 for Zn, 5.15 to 12.10 for Ni, 10.30 to 93.05 for Pb and 0.35 to 3.75 for Cd in μgg⁻¹ dry weight. The results of the partitioning study showed that zinc prevailed in the more soluble fractions and was distributed between the acid-extractable (32.4%) and the reducible (40.3%) fractions, whereas Pb was distributed mainly in the reducible fraction. Copper and nickel were predominantly associated with the reducible and residual fractions - 53.4, 33.3 and 51.1, 24.1% respectively. The ranking of the four fractions for the partitioning of cadmium was: reducible > residual > oxidizable > acid extractable. The percentage recovery for all metals when comparing total metal concentration with the fractional sum of the optimized BCR procedure, were of the order: Zn(93%) > Pb(83%) > Cu(78) > Cd > (68%) > Ni(63%).     

Types of narrow-skulled vole (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lasiopodomys gregalis</Emphasis>) colonies in Northern Kulunda and seasonal dynamics of their demographic composition

Demographic structure and its seasonal dynamics have been studied in colonies of narrow-skulled voles (Lasiopodomys gregalis Pall.) in Northern Kulunda. Three types of colonies have been distinguished: (I) true colonies (large, complex families), (II) simple families (nuclear or incomplete), and (III) all-male colonies. Changes in their sex, age, and functional composition (based on animal migration activity) during the breeding season have been analyzed.     

Exoautometabolic regulation of transgenes in microorganisms

Data on the existence of a specific system regulating the growth, size, and structure of enterobacterial populations are first summarized in terms of the chemical ecology concept formulated by S.S. Shvarts. The role of this system in transgene functioning is described using the example of the lux operon integrated into Escherichia coli. A relatively simple test for estimating such interactions is proposed.Translated from Ekologiya, No. 2, 2005, pp. 91–96.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Pshenichnov, Maslennikova, Nikitina.