Carbons at the heart of questions on energy and environment: A nanostructural approach

The organization of disordered carbons at the nanometer scale, or nanostructure, reveals very precisely their formation conditions, either in Nature or in the laboratory or in industry. Its study allows a better understanding of the properties of such solids. Only High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) allows a direct imaging of the nanostructure, whereas Raman microspectrometry provides quantitative but averaged structural data. Applications of the original coupling of Raman with HRTEM, especially in the fields of Energy and Environment, are numerous and promising. Two examples are given concerning the decontamination of irradiated nuclear graphite waste and detection of hydrocarbons trapped in oil and gas shales. Moreover, the study of wood carbonization led our team to propose a novel Raman-based paleothermometer. This approach finds an unexpected application in archeology (e.g., the study of fire marks in prehistoric caves).     

MULTICOMPONENT DETERMINATIONS BY A MEMBRANE-DISCRIMINATED GAS PHASE ANALYZER AND SUCCESSIVE REGRESSION IN THE FIDUCIARY REGION

A membrane-discriminated gas phase analyzer is proposed for multicomponent determinations. Nitrogengas flows countercurrent through outer and inner channels in a tube-in-tube arrangement. The onlycommunication between the two channels occurs through a 500μm aperture covered by a porous PTFEmembrane. A mixture of organic compounds (up to four components) is injected into the inner channelby a heated backflushed injector and the sample components diffusing into the outer channel aremonitored by a flame ionization detector (FID). A calibration set, consisting of pure components, binary,ternary and quaternary mixtures (a total of 64 samples), provides the known data base: temporal profilesof the FID output as a function of sample composition, Although the overall response behavior is nota linearly additive function of individual analyte concentrations, the use of successive inverse multiplelinear regression (while continually altering the choice of the calibration samples considered for theforward regression, on the basis of the most recent values of the predicted unknown sample composition)is shown to yield analytical results for unknown samples that are in good agreement with their true values.     

Doppler radar sounding of volcanic eruption dynamics at Mount Etna

Besides their common use in atmospheric studies, Doppler radars are promising tools for the active remote sensing of volcanic eruptions but were little applied to this field. We present the observations made with a mid-power UHF Doppler radar (Voldorad) during a 7-h Strombolian eruption at the SE crater of Mount Etna on 11–12 October 1998. Main characteristics of radar echoes are retrieved from analysis of Doppler spectra recorded in the two range gates on either side of the jet axis. From the geometry of the sounding, the contribution of uprising and falling ejecta to each Doppler spectrum can be discriminated. The temporal evolution of total power backscattered by uprising targets is quite similar to the temporal evolution of the volcanic tremor and closely reproduces the overall evolution of the eruption before, during and after its paroxysm. Moreover, during the sharp decrease of eruptive activity following the paroxysm, detailed analysis of video (from camera recording), radar and seismic measurements reveals that radar and video signals start to decrease simultaneously, approximately 2.5 min after the tremor decline. This delay is interpreted as the ascent time through a magma conduit of large gas slugs from a shallow source roughly estimated at about 500 m beneath the SE crater. Detailed analysis of eruptive processes has been also made with Voldorad operating in a high sampling rate mode. Signature of individual outburst is clearly identified on the half part of Doppler spectra corresponding to rising ejecta: temporal variations of the backscattered power exhibit quasi periodic undulations, whereas the maximum velocity measured on each spectrum displays a sharp peak at the onset of each outburst followed by a slow decay with time. Periodicity of power variations (between 3.8 and 5.5 s) is in agreement with the occurrence of explosions visually observed at the SE vent. Maximum vertical velocities of over 160 m s^–1 were measured during the paraoxysmal stage and the renewed activity. Finally, by using a simplified model simulating the radar echoes characteristics, we show that when Voldorad is operating in high sampling rate mode, the power and maximum velocity variations are directly related to the difference in size and velocity of particles crossing the antenna beam.Editorial responsibility: A. Woods     

The mud volcanoes of Pakistan

Marine-geologic investigations on the Arabian Sea by Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR) in 1995 and 1998, and land expeditions in 1998 and 1999 to the coastal regions of the Makran Desert/Pakistan have extended the knowledge of the aerial distribution of mud volcanoes. These structures rise from under-compacted formations within the regional accretionary prism, which is built by the subduction of the oceanic crust of the Arabian Sea and its km-thick sedimentary load. The occurrence of mud volcanoes is limited to the abyssal plain near the accretionary front, to the coastal region of the Makran Desert and to a region in the interior of the Desert to the south to southeast of the so-called Hinglay Synform. The location of mud volcanoes in Pakistan is clearly tied to fault systems. Mud volcanoes are conspicuously absent on the lower slope of the accretionary prism, where thick gas hydrate layers have developed. The presence of large gas plumes emerging from the seafloor landward of the gas hydrate stability zone at water depths of less than 800 m points to a redirection of fluids from depth, which might explain the absence of mud volcanoes along the lower slope.     

云南省煤层气资源勘探开发对外合作

滇东地区有较丰富的煤炭和煤层气资源。中美合作项目"云南恩洪和老厂地区煤层气资源开采对外合作",属我国煤层气勘探开发对外合作项目之一。开展二年来,取得丰硕成果。本文介绍我省的煤层气资源,我国煤层气开发鼓励政策及相关法规,我国煤层气对外合作的基本原则和合作模式,我省煤层气勘探开发合作项目的进展及取得的成果。     

城市与乡村大气中非甲烷烃(NMHCs)差异

在北京工业大学(城市点)和天津市宝邸县新安镇(乡村点)两个观测点进行了大气中非甲烷烃(NMHCs)的现场取样。从2006年4月16日至5月12日,分两批共获取约80个样本,检出55个组分,其中烷烃25个,烯烃19个,芳香烃10个。从非甲烷烃所含成分及其浓度的观测结果可见,城、乡两地大气中总烃(TNMHCs)平均浓度分别是438.1±173.1μg/m~3、193.8±184.4μg/m~3,城市是乡村的2.3倍,而TNMHCs的低值乡村只有城市的1/5。     

Adsorption of NO, SO2 and light hydrocarbons on activated Greek brown coals

Twenty-eight samples of peat, peaty lignites and lignites (of both matrix and xylite-rich lithotypes) and subbituminous coals have been physically activated by pyrolysis. The results show that the surface area of the activated coal samples increases substantially and the higher the carbon content of the samples the higher the surface area.The adsorption capacity of the activated coals for NO, SO₂, C₃H₆ and a mixture of light hydrocarbons (CH₄, C₂H₆, C₃H₈ and C₄H₁₀) at various temperatures was measured on selected samples. The result shows a positive correlation between the surface area and the gas adsorption. In contrast, the gas adsorption is inversely correlated with the temperature. The maximum recorded adsorption values are: NO = 8.22 × 10^− 5 mol/g at 35 °C; SO₂ = 38.65 × 10^− 5 mol/g at 60 °C; C₃H₆ = 38.9 × 10^− 5 mol/g at 35 °C; and light hydrocarbons = 19.24 × 10^− 5 mol/g at 35 °C. Adsorption of C₃H₆ cannot be correlated with either NO or SO₂. However, there is a significant positive correlation between NO and SO₂ adsorptions. The long chain hydrocarbons are preferentially adsorbed on activated lignites as compared to the short chain hydrocarbons.The results also suggest a positive correlation between surface area and the content of telohuminite maceral sub-group above the level of 45%.     

高效液相色谱-紫外光谱分析氢醌-双(β-羟乙基)醚

建立了高效液相色谱-紫外光谱法测定聚氨酯扩链剂氢醌-双(β-羟乙基)醚(HQEE)工业品中HQEE主含量和对苯二酚残留的方法。在氰基柱上,以甲醇-水-1%乙酸溶液(体积比10∶50∶40)为流动相,流速1.0 mL/min时,HQEE、对苯二酚及其他相关杂质得到良好分离,紫外光谱285 nm检测。方法简便、快捷,结果准确可靠,在工业生产中可有效地指导HQEE合成过程的质量控制。     

高效液相色谱法测定贵州铜仁地区优质矿泉水中16种多环芳烃

本文使用高效液相色谱仪对贵州铜仁地区优质矿泉水中16种多环芳烃进行分析测试,研究了测定优质矿泉水中多环芳烃的方法,并进行了方法验证和实际样品测试,对仪器柱温箱温度和萃取溶剂种类等条件进行优化,选出最适条件。建立的检测方法线性关系良好(R2均大于0. 999 0),检出限为0. 002 6 0. 009 8μg/L,16种多环芳烃的回收率为73. 87%116. 16%,替代物十氟联苯的回收率为70. 17%85. 61%,方法精密度(RSD)为0. 85%16. 77%。方法前处理过程简单,有利于实际样品快速分析,在贵州铜仁地区优质矿泉水资源调查项目中发挥重要作用。     

气相色谱法测试土壤中分段石油烃的标准化定量方法初探

目前土壤样品中分段石油烃的分析方法中石油烃包括的碳原子数范围和采用的校准物质不统一,造成不同实验室的量值不具有可比性。为保证不同实验室之间结果的可比性,本文尝试建立一种石油烃相邻碳原子数标准化定量方法。该方法主要包括:(1)规定了石油烃包括的碳原子数范围为气相色谱峰中正己烷和正四十碳烷之间所有的烃(含正己烷);(2)总石油烃(TPH)分为挥发性石油烃(VPH)和半挥发性石油烃(SPH),分别选取碳原子数为6～10的5个正构烷烃作为VPH校准物质,选取碳原子数为10～40的31个正构烷烃作为SPH校准物质。采用平均响应因子法或一次线性回归法,建立校准物质的峰面积-浓度的校准关系;(3)采用相邻峰标准化校准方法,逐一定量所有的目标色谱峰;(4)计算正构烷烃含量、总石油烃含量和任意分段的石油烃含量。该方法为环境样品中石油烃分析方法的标准化建设提供了数据基础。