Study on Emission Spectral Lines of Iron, Fe in Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) on Soil Samples

Determination of silicon dioxide content in bauxite: Comparing the ICP-OES method with the UV-VIS method

In this paper, the ICP-OES method (induced coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry) was used to determine the content of silicon dioxide in bauxite, as an important impurity that affects the quality and application of bauxite in alumina production by the Bayer process. Twenty bauxite samples from seven different deposits were analysed. The results were compared with the reference spectrophotometric UV-VIS method. The mean relative difference between the silicon dioxide content determined by the ICP-OES method and the reference method is found to be 4.88 %. Statistical tests were used to assess the comparability of the two methods, followed by a scatter plot, the Bland Altman, Passing-Bablok, and the "Mountain" plot. Graphical comparisons generally do not show statistically significant differences between methods. The accuracy and precision of the ICP-OES method were verified by using the standard reference material SRM NIST 697, Dominican Bauxite. Recovery and repeatability values, expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD), are within the acceptance criteria. Based on the t-test, there is a statistically significant difference between the mean value of ICP-OES measurements and the certified value of silicon dioxide, which can be attributed to the effect of systematic error of ICP-OES analysis.

Desulphurisation of dibenzothiophene and 4,6–dimethyl dibenzothiophene via enhanced hydrogenation reaction route using RePd–TiO2/SiO2 aerogel catalysts: kinetic parameters estimation and modelling

Re/Pd-TiO2/SiO2 aerogel catalysts were synthesized by using a sol-gel method and supercritical drying in excess solvent and investigated in the reaction of hydrodesulphurisation (HDS) of dibenzothiophene (DBT) and 4,6-dimethyl dibenzothiophene (4,6-DMDBT). Both Re/Pd catalysts, obtained with and without the use of mesitylene in the synthesis step, have shown increased conversions of up to 70 % in the desulphurization of 4,6-DMDBT, when compared to conventional Co/Mo hydroprocessing catalysts. This observation is of importance for conversion of highly refractory 4,6-DMDBT and hydroprocessing to produce ultra-low sulphur diesel fuels, ULSD. In order to quantify the extent of desulphurisation, which proceeds via a hydrogenation route, conversions of DBT and 4,6-DMDBT along with evolution of reaction products characteristic for the direct desulphurisation route and the hydrogenation route were monitored by using a gas chromatography?mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analytical technique. The reaction was performed at 630 K and 6 MPa in a batch catalytic reactor. The experimental results were used in the Hougen-Watson kinetic model describing DBT and 4,6-DMDBT desulphurisation on ? and ? active sites. Kinetic parameters of this complex catalytic kinetics were determined by using a Genetic Algorithm method and minimum deviation function. Values of calculated kinetic parameters and values of the ratio of 3-methylcyclohexyltoluene (MCHT and dimethyl biphenyl (DMBPH) expressed as the MCHT/(MCHT+DMBPH) ratio ranging between 0.66 and 0.94, have confirmed that the hydrogenation route is the dominant route for desulphurisation of 4,6-DMDBT.

Preparation and Characterization of Silver-Iron Bimetallic Nanoparticles on Activated Carbon Using Plasma in Liquid Process

The mono and bi-metallic nanoparticles have conspicuous properties and are widely used in the environment, energy, and medical fields. In this study, bimetallic nanoparticles composed of silver and iron were precipitated on the surface of activated carbon in a single process using plasma in liquid process (PLP). Silver-iron ions and various radicals were actively generated in the aqueous reactant solution by the PLP. Although metals were precipitated on AC depending on the number of precursors added to the aqueous reactant solution, the standard reduction potential of silver ions was higher than that of iron ions, so silver precipitated on AC. The silver precipitate on AC was a mixture of metallic silver and silver oxide, and iron was present as Fe₃O₄. Spherical nanoparticles, 100–120 nm in size, were observed on the surface of the Ag-Fe/AC composite. The composition of the bimetallic nanoparticles could be controlled by considering the ionization tendency and standard reduction potential of metal ions and controlling the concentration of the precursors. The PLP presented in this study can be applied to the preparing method of bimetallic nanoparticle/carbon materials and can be expected to be used in the prepare of energy and environmental materials such as MFC and absorption materials for removing pollutants.