Aluminium grain boundary diffusion in polycrystalline mullite ceramics

Aluminium tracer diffusivities were measured in polycrystalline mullite. The artificial aluminium isotope ²⁶Al was used as tracer isotope. An advanced preparation technique for the ²⁶Al₂O₃ tracer source allowed to apply secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) in order to analyse ²⁶Al depth distributions in the polycrystalline material. Pre-exponential factors and activation enthalpies were determined for compositions of 78 wt.% Al₂O₃, 22 wt.% SiO₂ (high-alumina material) and of 72 wt.% Al₂O₃, 28 wt.% SiO₂ (low-alumina material), respectively. A strong dependence of the ²⁶Al grain boundary diffusivity on the composition is observed. The results are discussed in comparison to previous data on grain boundary diffusivities of oxygen in mullite samples from the same batch. Dedicated to Prof. Hermann Schmalzried on the occasion of his 75th birthday.     

Biota: sediment partitioning of aluminium smelter related PAHs and pulp mill related diterpenes by intertidal clams at Kitimat, British Columbia

The question of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) bioavailability and its relationship to specific PAH sources with different PAH binding characteristics is an important one, because bioavailability drives PAH accumulation in biota and ultimately the biochemical responses to the PAH contaminants. The industrial harbour at Kitimat (British Columbia, Canada) provides an ideal location to study the bioavailability and bioaccumulation of sediment hydrocarbons to low trophic level biota. Samples of soft shell clams (Mya arenaria) and intertidal sediment collected from multiple sites over six years at various distances from an aluminium smelter and a pulp and paper mill were analysed for 106 PAHs, plant diterpenes and other aromatic fraction hydrocarbons. Interpretation using PAH source ratios and multivariate data analysis reveals six principal hydrocarbon sources: PAHs in coke, pitch and emissions from anode combustion from the aluminium smelter, vascular plant terpenes and aromatised terpenes from the pulp and paper mill, petroleum PAHs from shipping and other anthropogenic activities and PAHs from natural plant detritus. Harbour sediments predominantly contain either pitch or pyrogenic PAHs from the smelter, while clams predominantly contain plant derived PAHs and diterpenes from the adjacent pulp mill. PAHs from the smelter have low bioavailability to clams (Biota-Sediment Accumulation Factors; BSAFs <1 for pitch and coke; <10 for anode combustion, decreasing to ∼0.1 for the mass 300 and 302 PAHs), possibly due to binding to pitch or soot carbon matrices. Decreases in PAH isomer ratios between sediments and clams likely reflect a combination of variation in uptake kinetics of petroleum PAHs and compound specific metabolism, with the importance of petroleum PAHs decreasing with increasing molecular weight. Plant derived compounds exhibit little natural bioaccumulation at reference sites, but unsaturated and aromatised diterpenes released from resins by industrial pulping processes are readily accumulated by the clams (BSAFs >500). Thus while most of the smelter associated PAHs in sediments may not be bioavailable to benthic organisms, the plant terpenes (including retene, totarol, ferruginol, manool, dehydroabietane and other plant terpenes that form the chemical defence mechanism of conifers) released by pulp mills are bioavailable and possess demonstrated toxic properties. The large scale release of plant terpenes by some of the many pulp mills located in British Columbia and elsewhere represents a largely undocumented risk to aquatic biota.     

含钾岩石的综合开发利用及其潜在经济价值

含钾岩石泛指含氧化钾、氧化铝较高的一类铝硅酸盐岩石,它潜在着相当大的经济价值,对其进行综合开发利用。可生产出钾肥、金属铝、纯碱以及水泥等产品,既能缓解工农业对钾肥和金属铝的迫切需要,又能创造良好的经济效益,使矿产资源能得到充分合理的利用。     

Fate of aluminium released by sacrificial anodes – Contamination of marine sediments by environmentally available compounds

To protect their steel structures from corrosion by cathodic protection, many harbours use aluminium sacrificial anodes, which induces aluminium release and potential contamination of the surrounding waters and sediments. To study the impact on Al mobility, a natural marine sediment was artificially contaminated with aluminium from different sources: sulphate or chloride salts, or sacrificial anodes. To estimate Al mobility in sediments, single (HCl) and sequential (F6) extractions were performed; they highlighted that aluminium is poorly mobile in natural sediment (HCl-leachable: 2% and F6-leachable: 9%). Contamination by aluminium salts inhibits HCl-leachability (≤ 2%), whereas the Al F6-leachability is intensified up to 18%, suggesting that the additional aluminium is scavenged in a mobile fraction that HCl is not able to solubilise. In case of aluminium anode contamination, sediments present surging Al HCl-leachable (15%) and F6-leachable (32%) fractions, which are related to aluminium mineralogical speciation. Indeed, contrary to the Al naturally present or introduced by salts, Al released by anodes is partly bound to the acid-soluble fraction, probably because of the integration of the released Al into the calcareous deposit produced at the anodes surfaces that finally comes away and gets mixed up with the sediment. The presence of aluminium in the acid-soluble fraction of sediments could have an important environmental impact as this fraction is easily available. Indeed, Al scavenged in the acid-soluble fraction of sediments participates in enhancing Al lability near the sacrificial anodes and may affect the surrounding ecosystems.     

The role of aluminium in the preservation of microbial biosignatures

Demonstrating the biogenicity of presumptive microfossils in the geological record often requires supporting chemical signatures, including isotopic signatures. Understanding the mechanisms that promote the preservation of microbial biosignatures associated with microfossils is fundamental to unravelling the palaeomicrobiological history of the material. Organomineralization of microorganisms is likely to represent the first stages of microbial fossilisation and has been hypothesised to prevent the autolytic degradation of microbial cell envelope structures. In the present study, two distinct fossilisation textures(permineralised microfossils and iron oxide encrusted cell envelopes)identified throughout iron-rich rock samples were analysed using nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry(NanoSIMS). In this system, aluminium is enriched around the permineralised microfossils, while iron is enriched within the intracellularly, within distinct cell envelopes. Remarkably,while cell wall structures are indicated, carbon and nitrogen biosignatures are not preserved with permineralised microfossils. Therefore, the enrichment of aluminium, delineating these microfossils appears to have been critical to their structural preservation in this iron-rich environment. In contrast,NanoSIMS analysis of mineral encrusted cell envelopes reveals that preserved carbon and nitrogen biosignatures are associated with the cell envelope structures of these microfossils. Interestingly, iron is depleted in regions where carbon and nitrogen are preserved. In contrast aluminium appears to be slightly enriched in regions associated with remnant cell envelope structures. The correlation of aluminium with carbon and nitrogen biosignatures suggests the complexation of aluminium with preserved cell envelope structures before or immediately after cell death may have inactivated autolytic activity preventing the rapid breakdown of these organic, macromolecular structures.Combined, these results highlight that aluminium may play an important role in the preservation of microorganisms within the rock record.     

Innovation by co-evolution in natural resource industries: The Norwegian experience

Some resource-based economies become wealthy while others stay poor and Norway belongs to the first category. This paper argues that part of the answer to why Norway has managed to benefit from its rich natural resources is found in the formation of a well-functioning national innovation system. The paper integrates the innovation system approach with a historical approach through the concept of co-evolution. The empirical study investigates how innovation systems evolve in natural resource industries through analysing the co-evolution between industry, knowledge organisations and national policy in the Norwegian aluminium and petroleum sectors. Parallels are found in the development of these two sectors, which are: (i) the deliberate use of concession laws to seize value creation and technological development from foreign direct investments, (ii) the establishment and prioritisation of state-owned companies and (iii) the more or less intentional formation of a national innovation system. The paper points to the relevance of analysing the historical evolution of national innovation systems to understand the creation of their specific path-dependent characteristics, to analyse how policy influences the creation and working of innovation systems, to use a multilevel approach in studies of innovation systems and to consider how innovation processes in different industries are linked in value chains and through knowledge flows.     

Comparative assessment of water treatment using polymeric and inorganic coagulants

Portable water plays a vital role in improving human life, particularly in controlling the spread of diseases. However, problems associated with lack of potable water are still common especially in developing countries including Malawi. Until now little information exists on the effectiveness of available commercial coagulants used by national water boards in Malawi. Therefore, this study was undertaken in Southern Region Water Board (SRWB) to investigate the efficiency of polymeric coagulants (sufdfloc 3850 and algaefloc 19s) in turbidity reduction comparative with inorganic coagulant (aluminium sulphate) at Zomba, Liwonde, Mangochi, Chikwawa and Mulanje Treatment plants. The jar test method was used to determine the effectiveness of the water coagulants. The results revealed that sudfloc 3850 was most effective in reducing turbidity at Mangochi (99.4 ± 0.06%) and Liwonde (97.2 ± 0.04%) using 0.4 mg L⁻¹ flocculant dose. The Zomba, Mulanje and Chikwawa plants gave 19.56 ± 0.03%, 29.23 ± 0.02% and 9.43 ± 0.02% total reductions respectively. Algaefloc 19s afforded the highest turbidity reduction at Liwonde and Mangochi plants (98.66 ± 0.06 and 97.48 ± 0.05% at a dose of 0.4 and 0.6 mg L⁻¹ respectively), while Chikwawa provided the lowest (9.52 ± 0.01%). At the Zomba and Mulanje plants 20.5 ± 0.03% and 28.4 ± 0.04% reductions were obtained respectively. The inorganic flocculant, alum provided a 99.0 ± 0.05% and 98.6 ± 0.04% reduction at a dose of 4.0 mg L⁻¹ and 6.0 mg L⁻¹ at Zomba and Liwonde plants respectively. The lowest reductions in turbidity were achieved at Chikwawa (7.50 ± 0.01%), Mangochi (12.97 ± 0.02%) and Mulanje (25.00 ± 0.02). The best and optimum pH ranges for polymeric and inorganic coagulants were 7.20–7.80 and 7.35 to 7.57 respectively. The results further revealed that sudfloc 3850 and algaefloc 19s achieved faster formation of heavy flocs than alum. At 0.4 mg L⁻¹ flocculant dosage sudfloc 3850 and algaefloc 19s required ten times lower dosages than alum. Therefore, the polymeric coagulants could be used instead of alum, the choice dependant on the type of water.     

含杂硼酸铝晶须的分离精制试验

采用沉降分离方式 ,对含杂硼酸铝晶须进行分离精制 ,得到的硼酸铝晶须产品各项性能指标达到国外同类产品指标 ,并得到沉降分离的最佳工艺条件和操作参数     

Effects of Short‐term and Long‐term Aluminium Stress on Photosynthesis,Respiration, and Reproductive Capacity in a Unicellular Green Flagellate (Euglena gracilis)

Effects of short‐term (1 h exposure) and long‐term (7 d exposure) aluminium stress on photosynthesis and reproductive capacity have been studied in Euglena gracilis strain Z. Following concentrations of Al_tot (added as AlCl₃) were tested: 0.5 mg L^‐1, 1.0 mg L^‐1, 1.5 mg L^‐1, 2.5 mg L^‐1, 5.0 mg L^‐1, 7.5 mg L^‐1, 10.0 mg L^‐1, and 15.0 mg L^‐1 Al, respectively. Growth rates at different aluminium concentrations did not show significant differences, except at 15.0 mg L^‐1Al. Initial respiration was higher in long‐term than in the short‐term experiments. It is supposed that an energy‐dependent mechanism of excretion of aluminium ions has been active in the stressed cells. Consequently, the cells of E. gracilis after long‐term exposure to aluminium are believed to be more acclimatised to the aluminium stress. Photosynthetic efficiency (PE) has been negatively affected by aluminium in all experiments performed. Differences between control algae and those treated with aluminium were significant in all cases. PE in long‐term experiments was in general significantly higher at all concentrations of aluminium studied, compared to the short‐term experiments. The aluminium concentrations tested led only to a general decrease in PE while the level of decrease was not especially concentration‐dependent. In general, aluminium tolerance of E. gracilis can be estimated as low, especially by short‐term exposure. However, good acclimatisation capacity of this green flagellate to aluminium doses by long‐term exposure can be supposed.