Determination of Microorganisms’ Attack on Some Flexible Polymers by Using Soil Burial Test Method

Many controversial issues have recently been associated with plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (pPVC) used in building applications, mainly for flooring. One of them has to do with the health impact of some plasticizers and thermal stabilizers based on heavy metal compounds. Recent advances in the synthesis of polyolefins based on metallocene catalysts can yield similar flexibility for formulations as is now available for those based on pPVC. Polyolefin copolymers are considered to be possible replacements for pPVC. The soil burial test has demonstrated that highly filled polyolefin elastomer formulations having a significant percentage of post-consumer polyolefins (up to 60% in laboratory conditions) have interesting properties from the biodegradation point of view. They are more resistant to microorganisms’ attack than plasticized flooring formulations based on PVC that are currently used, even in a very harsh environment as soil, where complex mixtures of microorganisms are present. The effect of microorganisms’ attack after soil burial was evaluated by visual examination, weight loss, water absorption and changes in mechanical properties.     

Effect of Nanoscale SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> as the Fillers on the Mechanical Properties and Aging Behavior of Linear Low-Density Polyethylene/Low-Density Polyethylene Blends

Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) was blended with low-density polyethylene (LDPE) at a fixed ratio (80 wt LLDPE and 20 wt %LDPE) and filled with nanoparticles of SiO₂ and TiO₂ at a ratio up to wt 5%, so as to develop the polymeric composites suitable to preparing the agricultural micro-irrigation pipes having good environmental adaptability. These compounds were blended using calcium stearate, polyethylene wax, and titanate coupling agent as the auxiliary dispersants, and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) as the toughness improver. The LLDPE/LDPE composites filled with the nanoparticles were extruded and injected to prepare the composites specimens for the performance evaluations and micro-irrigation pipe field test. The mechanical properties, thermostability, and processibility of the injected composites were investigated. The effect of heating in an oven and irradiating by ultraviolet on the mechanical properties of the composites was explored. The environmental adaptability of the micro-irrigation pipes made of the filled LLDPE/LDPE composites was evaluated making use of long-term outdoor field test in northwest China where the arid and harsh natural conditions are of great concerns. It was found that the LLDPE/LDPE blend with the LLDPE mass fraction fixed as 80% showed balanced mechanical and thermal properties and flexibility, and was suitable to be used as the basic resin matrix. The incorporation of nano-TiO₂ contributed to effectively improving the resistance to heating and ultraviolet irradiation of the composites. The composite made from 91% basic resin matrix, 6% EVA, and 3% mixed nano-SiO₂ and TiO₂, showed balanced comprehensive properties. The micro-irrigation pipes made of this filled LLDPE/LDPE composite had good environmental adaptability and service behavior in a three-year field test and were suitable to be used in arid area.     

Water transport in polylactic acid (PLA), PLA/ polycaprolactone copolymers, and PLA/polyethylene glycol blends

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a hydrolytically degradable aliphatic polyester, and water vapor permeability may have a significant influence on the rate of degradation. A method is devised to use bags prepared from PLA films and filled with molecular sieves to determine the water vapor permeability in the polymer, its copolymers with caprolactone, and blends with polyethylene glycol. The “solution-diffusion” model is used to determine the permeability parameters. These include the solubility coefficient,S, a measure of the equilibrium water concentration available for hydrolysis and the diffusion coefficient,D, which characterizes the rate of water vapor diffusion into the film under specific conditions. Values ofS andD at 50‡C and 90% relative humidity ranged from 400 × 10^-6 to 1000 × 10^-6 cm³ (STP)/(cm³ Pa) and 0.20 × 10^-6 to 1.0 × 10^-6 cm²/s, respectively. TheS andD coefficients were also measured at 20 and 40‡C and compared to those of other polymers. The degree of crystallinity was found to have little influence on the measured permeability parameters. The heat of sorption, δH_S, and the activation energy of diffusion, E_D, were used to show that the permeability process is best described by the “water cluster” model for hydrophobic polymers. Finally, the diffusion coefficient is used to compare the rate of water diffusion to the rate of water consumption by ester hydrolysis. Results indicate that hydrolytic degradation of PLA is reaction-controlled.     

Effect of Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) and Polyethylene on the Growth of Red Pepper and Tomato

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and polyethylene (PE) were blended with a soil for cultivation, and their effects were investigated on the growth behavior of red pepper and tomato by examining the stems, the leaves, and the roots. PVA retarded the growth of red pepper significantly even at a concentration as low as 0.05%. The roots were depauperated more than the stems and the leaves. Tomato was also affected by PVA but to a lesser extent than red pepper. In contrast, the presence of both round pieces (10 mm diameter) of PE film and powdery PE influenced negligibly the growth of red pepper as well as that of tomato up to 35 wt% in soil.     

液相法芒硝制碱中苛化废渣的利用

研究了用液相法芒硝制碱的苛化废渣制取轻质ＣａＣＯ３的工艺及用轻质ＣａＣＯ３填充母料对聚乙烯进行改性。试验结果表明,本研究所制取的轻质ＣａＣＯ３的质量符合ＧＢ４７９４－８４一级品规格,用其制成母料对低密度聚乙烯填充改性,不仅可消除苛化废渣对环境的污染,降低聚乙烯制品的生产成本,而且可在制品的拉伸强度、断裂伸长率和冲击强度降低不多的情况下,提高制品的硬度、弹性模量、热稳定性及耐蠕变性。     

Inerting effect of N2 on explosion of LDPE dust/ethylene hybrid mixtures

Explosion flame propagation characteristics and overpressure distribution of low density polyethylene (LDPE) dust and ethylene hybrid mixture were investigated under N₂ inerting conditions using a custom-designed 12 L cylindrical explosion tank. The results showed that a small amount of ethylene could promote the explosion characteristics of LDPE dust. N₂ inerting had different inhibitory effects on the explosion flame of LDPE dust and its mixture with ethylene. The explosion overpressure strength of the LDPE dust/ethylene hybrid mixture decreased with increasing N₂ concentration. The overall suppression effect of N₂ on the explosion overpressure of the LDPE dust was better than that of the LDPE dust/ethylene hybrid mixture explosion. As the ethylene concentration increased from 0% to 2.5%, the limiting oxygen concentration decreased by 13% oxygen. This small amount of ethylene restricted the traditional inerting process. The study conclusions can provide further scientific basis for the inerting and explosion proofing design of production process equipment involving LDPE dust.     

废聚乙烯的综合利用

废聚乙烯的回收利用是近年来环境污染控制的一个重要课题。作为废旧塑料的主要组成成份的废聚乙烯，人们已对其回收利用展开了大量的研究，并取得了很大的进步。从三大方面讨论了废聚乙烯的综合利用问题，同时，讨论了很多最新技术，并对每一方法的优缺点作出分析，对其应用前景作出了预测。     

双衬层污水池渗漏检测系统的应用研究

近年来,污水处理成为环境保护的热点话题,对污水池进行实时监测防止对环境造成污染是必要的安防手段。通过对污水池结构及电学特性的分析,建立了双衬层污水池渗漏检测系统。利用高压直流电法对污水池人工合成衬层(HDPE)进行漏洞检测,主防渗层检测系统对主防渗层是否泄漏进行定性检测,次防渗层检测系统对次防渗层出现的漏洞进行定位。这样有助于减少大量的数据处理。通过试验检验,当主防渗层存在漏洞时回路电流能达到电源电流的90%以上;当次防渗层存在漏洞时通过等势图的绘制能确定漏洞所在位置。     

双衬层填埋场电法渗漏检测影响因素分析

双衬层填埋场采用电法进行渗漏检测时,漏洞电流大小、检测电极与防渗层之间的距离、介质的电阻率以及供电电极的位置皆可影响检测效果。分别对以上几个因素进行了仿真分析,结果显示:漏洞电流越大、检测电极距防渗层越近、供电电极与漏洞的水平距离越远,检测效果越好;而渗滤液污染导致的局部土壤电阻率变低,则使检测效果变差。     

ERT技术界定卫生填埋场边界的试验研究

界定卫生垃圾填埋场边界有助于场地环境的维护和管理,采用电阻率二维层析成像技术中的3种装置排列(测深、温纳、偶极-偶极)对高阻体上表面特征进行试验模拟,并通过电阻率二维层析成像技术对垃圾填埋场边界的电性特征进行研究,在此基础上开展了现场勘查. 结果表明:在由测深和温纳2种装置排列所得到的二维反演图像中,高阻体的上表面与高阻区相切,误差达到25%,表明2种排列不能进行精确定位;而偶极-偶极的反演图像中高阻体的上表面在低阻区与高阻扩散末端的分界点上,反演精度较高,误差在5%以内.