Hürriyet Polat

A new methodology for removal of boron from water by coal and fly ash

Abstract High levels of boron concentrations in water present a serious problem for domestic and agriculture utilizations.The recent EU drinking water directive defines an upper limit of 1 mgB/l. In addition, most crops are sensitive to boron levels >0.75 mg/1 in irrigation water. The boron problem is magnified by the partial (∼60%) removal of boron in reverse osmosis (RO) desalination due to the poor ionization of boric acid and the accumulation of boron in domestic sewage effluents. Moreover, high levels of boron are found in regional groundwater in some Mediterranean countries, which requires special treatment in order to meet the EU drinking water regulations. Previous attempts to remove boron employed boron-specific ion-exchange resin and several cycles of RO desalination under high pH conditions. Here, we present an alternative methodology for boron removal by using coal and fly ash as adsorbents. We conducted various column and batch experiments that explored the efficiency of boron removal from seawater and desalinated seawater using several types of coal and fly ash materials under controlled conditions (pH, liquid/solid ratio, time of reaction, pre-treatment, regeneration). We examined the effect of these factors on the boron removal capacity and the overall chemical composition of the residual seawater. The results show that the selected coal and fly ash materials are very effective in removing boron such that the rejection ratio of boron can reach 95% of the initial boron content under certain optimal conditions (e.g., pH = 9, L/S = 1 10 , reaction time > 6 h). Our experiments demonstrated that use of glycerin enables regeneration of boron uptake into coal, but the boron uptake capacity of fly ash reduces after several cycles of treatment-reaction. The boron removal is associated with Mg depletion and Ca enrichment in the residual seawater and conversely with relative Mg enrichment and Ca depletion in the residual fly ash We propose that the reaction of Ca-rich fly ash with Mg-rich seawater causes co-precipitation of magnesium hydroxide in which boron is co-precipitated. The new methodology might provide an alternative technique for boron removal in areas where coal and fly ash are abundant.

Physical and chemical interactions in coal flotation

Abstract Coal flotation is a complex process involving several phases (particles, oil droplets and air bubbles). These phases simultaneously interact with each other and with other species such as the molecules of a promoting reagent and dissolved ions in water. The physical and chemical interactions determine the outcome of the flotation process. Physical and chemical interactions between fine coal particles could lead to aggregation, especially for high rank coals. Non-selective particle aggregation could be said to be the main reason for the selectivity problems in coal flotation. It should be addressed by physical (conditioning) or chemical (promoters) pretreatment before or during flotation. Although the interactions between the oil droplets and coal particles are actually favored, stabilization of the oil droplets by small amounts of fine hydrophobic particles may lead to a decrease in selectivity and an increase in oil consumption. These problems could be remedied by use of promoters that modify the coal surface for suitable particle–particle, droplet–particle and particle–bubble contact while emulsifying the oil droplets. The role of promoters may be different for different types of coals, however. They could be employed as modifiers to increase the hydrophobicity of low rank coals whereas their main role might be emulsification and aggregation control for high rank coals. In this paper, a detailed description of the various phases in coal flotation, their physical and chemical interactions with each other in the flotation pulp, the major parameters that affect these interactions and how these interactions, in turn, influence the flotation process are discussed.

Adsorption of PEO/PPO triblock co-polymers and wetting of coal

Abstract The adsorption characteristics of PEO/PPO/PEO triblock co-polymers on coal were investigated using surface tension and contact angle measurements. Although these surfactants have been widely used as wetting agents, it was observed that they increased the hydrophobicity of coal at concentrations below about 10−6 M. Surface tension studies were carried out to explain the reasons for this behavior. The surface tension versus concentration profiles displayed three distinct regions. In region I, surface tension decreased linearly and monomers were proposed to be the dominant species. This region extended to a surfactant concentration of about 10−6 M. In region II, a transition region between regions I and III, dimers, trimers, etc., were considered to form. In region III, micelles formed and surface tension was independent of concentration. The concentration at which monomers associate to form dimers, etc., is referred to as the critical association concentration (cac). The contact angle of coal increased when concentration was raised from low values to the cac. It decreased when the reagent concentration was above the cac. Finally, at concentrations above the cmc, the wetting of coal was complete and contact angle was zero.

Encapsulating fly ash and acidic process waste water in brick structure

Fly ash contains metals such as cadmium, iron, lead, aluminum and zinc in its structure in appreciable amounts. These metals can leach out into surface and ground waters if fly ash is not properly disposed of. A similar problem also exists for acidic process waste waters discharged by numerous industries. The purpose of this study was to utilize such wastes as additives in the production of construction quality bricks for the purpose of waste elimination. The bricks produced were subjected to flexural strength and water retention capacity tests along with heavy metal leaching experiments in order to determine the applicability of the procedure and the best possible recipes. This paper summarizes the results obtained in these tests along with the possible mechanisms involved in stabilizing the two wastes in the brick structure.

Adsorption of Methylene Blue from Aqueous Solution on High Lime Fly Ash: Kinetic, Equilibrium, and Thermodynamic Studies

Kinetic, equilibrium, and thermodynamic studies were performed for the batch adsorption of methylene blue (MB) on the high lime fly ash as a low cost adsorbent material. The studied operating variables were adsorbent amount, contact time, dye concentration, and temperature. The kinetic data were analyzed using the pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order kinetic models and the adsorption kinetic was followed well by the pseudo-second order kinetic model. The equilibrium data were fitted with the Freundlich, Langmuir, and Dubinin Radushkevich (D–R) isotherms and the equilibrium data were found to be well represented by the Freundlich and D–R isotherms. Based on these two isotherms MB is taken by chemical ion exchange and active sites on the high lime fly ash have different affinities to MB molecules. Various thermodynamic parameters such as enthalpy of adsorption (ΔH°), free energy change (ΔG°), and entropy change (ΔS°) were investigated. The positive value of ΔH° and negative value of ΔG° indicate that the adsorption is endothermic and spontaneous. The positive value of ΔS° shows the increased randomness at the solid–liquid interface during the adsorption. A single-stage batch adsorber was also designed based on the Freundlich isotherm for the removal of MB by the high lime fly ash.

ELECTROSTATIC CHARGE ON SPRAY DROPLETS OF AQUEOUS SURFACTANT SOLUTIONS

Abstract Electrostatic charges on individual spray droplets were measured using a refined form of the Millikan oil drop method. The measurement system consisted of three main sections; a droplet generation cell, a settling column and a charge measurement chamber. The trajectories required for calculation of charge were determined using a high-speed motion analyzer coupled to a long-focal-length microscope. Charges on droplets were manipulated by the addition of surface-active agents into the spray solution. Droplet charge was a function of the type and concentration of the surfactant added. For ionic surfactants, it showed a maximum at low surfactant concentrations, decreased with further surfactant addition and was constant after the CMC. The charge on cationic surfactants was always more than that observed with the anionic surfactants. Nonionic surfactants displayed a steady increase in droplet charge with increasing concentration. The charges were lower compared to the ionic surfactants.

Analytical solution of Poisson–Boltzmann equation for interacting plates of arbitrary potentials and same sign

Efficient calculation of electrostatic interactions in colloidal systems is becoming more important with the advent of such probing techniques as atomic force microscopy. Such practice requires solving the nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann equation (PBE). Unfortunately, explicit analytical solutions are available only for the weakly charged surfaces. Analysis of arbitrarily charged surfaces is possible only through cumbersome numerical computations. A compact analytical solution of the one-dimensional PBE is presented for two plates interacting in symmetrical electrolytes. The plates can have arbitrary surface potentials at infinite separation as long they have the same sign. Such a condition covers a majority of the colloidal systems encountered. The solution leads to a simple relationship which permits determination of surface potentials, surface charge densities, and electrostatic pressures as a function of plate separation H for different charging scenarios. An analytical expression is also presented for the potential profile between the plates for a given separation. Comparison of these potential profiles with those obtained by numerical analysis shows the validity of the proposed solution.

Characterization of Airborne Particles and Droplets

Water sprays have been commonly used to suppress airborne dust. Water is doped with surface-active agents to enhance the dust capture efficiency through a reduction of surface tension. Nevertheless, dust collection efficiencies have been less than satisfactory historically.

Effects of Mechanical Treatment on the Formation of α-Al2O3 from Gibbsite

Proceedings of the 8th Conference and Exhibition of the European Ceramic Society; Istanbul; Turkey; 29 June 2003 through 3 July 2003