Adsorptive removal of Cu(II) and Pb(II) onto mixed-waste activated carbon: kinetic,thermodynamic, and competitive studies and application to real wastewater samples

This work aimed to investigate the adsorption characteristics, both kinetically and thermodynamically, of Cu(II) and Pb(II) removal from aqueous solutions onto mixed-waste activated carbon, as well as to study the competitive behavior found in mixed heavy metal solution systems. This study shows that activated carbon prepared from mixed waste is an effective adsorbent for the removal of Cu(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solutions, with the aim of detoxifying industrial effluents before their safe disposal onto water surfaces. The adsorption process was characterized in terms of kinetic and thermodynamic studies. In addition, the influence of presence of Cu(II) and Pb(II) in a competitive system was investigated. The results showed that the maximum adsorption capacities were gained at a pH of 6 with a contact time of 180 min, a metal solution concentration of 300 ppm, and an adsorbent dose of 0.3 g/L. The adsorption process was found to follow a pseudo-first-order kinetic model. Thermodynamic parameters such as ΔG ^o, ΔH ^o, and ΔS ^o showed that the sorption process was spontaneous and endothermic in nature. A competitive study demonstrated the applicability of mixed-waste activated carbon to adsorb Cu(II) and Pb(II) from a solution of mixed metals. In addition, the adsorption capacity was found to be as effective as other adsorbents reported in the literature. The developed adsorptive removal procedure was applied for treatment of real wastewater samples and showed high removal efficiency.     

Reducing local scour at bridge piers using an upstream subsidiary triangular pillar

The objective of this experimental study was to examine the effect of an upstream subsidiary triangular pillar on the development of local scour at a single circular bridge pier. The triangular pillar was placed such that its apex faced the approach flow and its base length was equal to the pier diameter (D) in all experiments. The experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of the spacing between the base of the subsidiary pillar and the bridge pier (S) and the apex angle (α) of the triangular pillar on the dimensions of the scour hole and its temporal development at different Froude numbers. The experiments were conducted in a rectangular flume under clear-water scour conditions at Froude number ranging between 0.1 and 0.3. Relative spacing (S/D) of 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, and 3, as well as apex angle (α) of 60°, 90° and 120° were tested. The results show that the maximum scour depth at the pier could be minimized using three different combinations of spacing and apex angle. The highest reduction in the maximum scour depth (d _sm) of approximately 28 % was possible using S/D of 3 and α of 90° compared to the pier-alone case. Overall the performance of the 90° apex angle pillar surpassed the other two angles.     

Iron mineralization in the Garagu Formation of Gara Mountain,Duhok Governorate,Kurdistan, NE Iraq: geochemistry,mineralogy and origin

The iron mineralization is hosted in carbonate beds of the Garagu Formation (Early Cretaceous) at Gara Mountain, Duhok Governorate, Kurdistan Region, NE Iraq. The Garagu Formation is composed of a series of limestone and siltstone beds with iron-rich beds in the middle part. The iron-rich limestones are iron-rich oolitic grainstone and bioclastic wackestone with hematite and goethite minerals. Geochemical results drawn from this study indicate that the percentage of iron in these beds reaches 19.73 %. Moreover, petrographical investigation of thin and polished sections reveals the presence of different types of fossils, indicating an open marine interior platform depositional environment. Different iron minerals, including hematite, goethite, siderite, pyrite and magnetite, were identified in the sections, and their geneses were related to syngenetic and diagenetic processes. The geochemical distribution of major and trace elements, as well as the V/Ni, V/(V+Ni), V/Cr and Sr/Ba ratios, indicates a reducing environment during the precipitation of carbonate sediments and a subsequent oxidizing condition during the concentration of iron minerals via diagenesis.     

Travel patterns and challenges of physically disabled persons in Nigeria

The physically disabled persons represent a special group of the transportation disadvantaged who have suffered many deprivations. The study explores the travel patterns and some of the challenges being encountered by the physically disabled in Jos, Nigeria. Using the questionnaire and focus group discussion methods, the study found that the respondents are of low social and economic statuses. Walking, with enormous time and energy costs, is the most common means of travel among the group. Commercial vehicle drivers apparently hardly attend to the transportation needs of the group even when they can afford the fare. The physically disabled persons view this “injustice” as a reflection of a whole gamut of perceived discriminatory policies of the “able” society to isolate and disempower them. There is therefore a deep-seated feeling of resentment among the physically disabled towards society’s perceived apathy, marginalization and discrimination that manifest even in access to transportation. They believe that the social and physical environments are deliberately hostile to them. Any plans to alleviate the transportation problems of the disabled and integrate them into the mainstream of the economic and social activities of the larger society should address, fundamentally, these perceived marginalization and injustices.     

Strain localization in clay: plane strain versus triaxial loading conditions

The paper presents a comparison between the behavior of slurry-consolidated Kaolin specimens tested under axisymmetric Conventional Triaxial Compression (CTC) and Plane Strain (PS) loading conditions. The PS experiments were conducted on an instrumented apparatus capable of capturing the onset of shear bands. The specimens were consolidated and then sheared under undrained condition. The PS specimens failed via a well-defined shear band that began to develop during the hardening stress regime whereas CTC specimens failed through a diffuse bulging mode. The undrained shear strength (S _u) of CTC experiments is smaller than the S _u of PS experiments. However, the normalized S _u of CTC experiments is very close to PS1, which was consolidated under similar K _o condition.     

Silver and silver-bearing minerals at the Um Samiuki volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit, Eastern Desert, Egypt

The Um Samiuki Zn–Cu–Pb–Ag mineralisation, south Eastern Desert, Egypt is hosted by felsic volcanic rocks which form part of the 712-Ma-old, east-west-trending Shadli Volcanic Belt. Two major occurrences of massive sulphides are present at the top of rhyolitic breccia in the Western and Eastern mine areas. In each occurrence, a bornite-bearing zone is overlain by a pyrite-chalcopyrite-bearing zone and underlain by a disseminated, Cu-depleted zone. In the massive sulphide ore, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, galena, bornite and tetrahedrite–tennantite are major minerals, whereas arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite, molybdenite and magnetite are accessory phases. Covellite and digenite are common secondary minerals. Bornite, tetrahedrite–tennantite and covellite contain high amounts of silver (averages of 1.97, 1.39 and 1.82 wt% respectively). Based on mineralogical balance calculations, bornite and covellite accommodate 80% of silver in the Um Samiuki deposit. Ag was incorporated in the crystal structure of the early-crystallised copper sulphides and sulphosalts and silver minerals. The temperature, sequential precipitation of the fluids and the structure of the crystallising phases control the distribution of silver. Post-depositional deformation and metamorphic processes caused liberation, remobilisation and redeposition of silver within the massive sulphides.Editorial handling: D. Lentz     

Trajectory Control： Directional MWD Inversely New Wellbore Positioning Accuracy Prediction Method

The deviation control of directional drilling is essentially the controlling of two angles of the wellbore actually drilled, namely, the inclination and azimuth. In directional drilling the bit trajectory never coincides exactly with the planned path, which is usually a plane curve with straight, building, holding, and dropping sections in succession. The drilling direction is of course dependant on the direction of the resultant forces acting on the bit and it is quite a tough job to hit the optimum target at the hole bottom as required. The traditional passive methods for correcting the drilling path have not met the demand to improve the techniques of deviation control. A method for combining wellbore surveys to obtain a composite, more accurate well position relies on accepting the position of the well from the most accurate survey instrument used in a given section of the wellbore. The error in each position measurement is the sum of many independent root sources of error effects. The relationship between surveys and other influential factors is considered, along with an analysis of different points of view. The collaborative work describes, establishes a common starting point of wellbore position uncertainty model, definition of what constitutes an error model, mathematics of position uncertainty calculation and an error model for basic directional service.