Mineralogical and Geochemical Properties of Greek Evaporites, Associated with Their Prospects of Industrial Use

Greece is considered as one of the most common producers of gypsum-anhydrite in Europe. The low content of impurities of these evaporite minerals, their big reserves and the low cost of logistics costs makes them exploitable and applicable for a range of industrial uses. The current study endeavors to present the petrographic, mineralogical, geochemical and qualitative features of evaporite samples from seven selected localities of western Greece (Zakynthos Island, Filiates-Thesprotia, Etoloakarnania and Kyllini region) and Crete Island. The studied evaporitic rocks are classified as a mixture of gypsum and anhydrite, where gypsum predominates. Other minerals present in minor amounts include celestite ± calcite ± dolomite ± magnesite ± sanidine and quartz. Celestite (SrSO4) was detected in all studied samples. The highest celestite value (13.5%) corresponds to the region of Filiates, indicating that this deposit is prosperous for further research and potential Sr exploitation. Significant focus is also given on the assessment of the evaporite whiteness with respect to their mineralogical and geochemical composition. The aforementioned data aim to serve the dynamic Greek calcium sulphate industry by enhancing the evaporites’ prospects of industrial use, providing potential applications for those not already exploited.

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Geochemical and Mineralogical Characterisation of Historic Zn–Pb Mine Waste, Plombières, East Belgium

Minerals ◽

10.3390/min11010028 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 28

Author(s):

Srećko Bevandić ◽

Rosie Blannin ◽

Jacqueline Vander Auwera ◽

Nicolas Delmelle ◽

David Caterina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Grain Size ◽

Mine Waste ◽

Geophysical Methods ◽

Grain Size Analysis ◽

Size Analysis ◽

Mine Wastes ◽

Metallurgical Waste ◽

High Concentration ◽

Geochemical Properties ◽

Potential Applications

Mine wastes and tailings derived from historical processing may contain significant contents of valuable metals due to processing being less efficient in the past. The Plombières tailings pond in eastern Belgium was selected as a case study to determine mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of the different mine waste materials found at the site. Four types of material were classified: soil, metallurgical waste, brown tailings and yellow tailings. The distribution of the mine wastes was investigated with drill holes, pit-holes and geophysical methods. Samples of the materials were assessed with grain size analysis, and mineralogical and geochemical techniques. The mine wastes dominantly consist of SiO2, Al2O3 and Fe2O3. The cover material, comprising soil and metallurgical waste is highly heterogeneous in terms of mineralogy, geochemistry and grain size. The metallurgical waste has a high concentration of metals (Zn: 0.1 to 24 wt.% and Pb: 0.1 to 10.1 wt.%). In the tailings materials, Pb and Zn vary from 10 ppm to 8.5 wt.% and from 51 ppm to 4 wt.%, respectively. The mining wastes comprises mainly quartz, amorphous phases and phyllosilicates, with minor contents of Fe-oxide and Pb- and Zn-bearing minerals. Based on the mineralogical and geochemical properties, the different potential applications of the four waste material types were determined. Additionally, the theoretical economic potential of Pb and Zn in the mine wastes was estimated.

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Visualization of Surface Acoustic Waves in Thin Liquid Films

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/srep21980 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

R. W. Rambach ◽

J. Taiber ◽

C. M. L. Scheck ◽

C. Meyer ◽

J. Reboud ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Liquid Film ◽

Acoustic Waves ◽

Low Cost ◽

Thin Liquid Film ◽

Surface Acoustic Waves ◽

Liquid Films ◽

Theoretical Description ◽

Propagation Path ◽

Microfluidic Channels ◽

Potential Applications

Abstract We demonstrate that the propagation path of a surface acoustic wave (SAW), excited with an interdigitated transducer (IDT), can be visualized using a thin liquid film dispensed onto a lithium niobate (LiNbO3) substrate. The practical advantages of this visualization method are its rapid and simple implementation, with many potential applications including in characterising acoustic pumping within microfluidic channels. It also enables low-cost characterisation of IDT designs thereby allowing the determination of anisotropy and orientation of the piezoelectric substrate without the requirement for sophisticated and expensive equipment. Here, we show that the optical visibility of the sound path critically depends on the physical properties of the liquid film and identify heptane and methanol as most contrast rich solvents for visualization of SAW. We also provide a detailed theoretical description of this effect.

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Recent Findings in Azaphilone Pigments

Journal of Fungi ◽

10.3390/jof7070541 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (7) ◽

pp. 541

Author(s):

Lúcia P. S. Pimenta ◽

Dhionne C. Gomes ◽

Patrícia G. Cardoso ◽

Jacqueline A. Takahashi

Keyword(s):

Water Solubility ◽

Biological Activities ◽

Low Cost ◽

Scale Up ◽

Structural Diversity ◽

Downstream Processing ◽

Global Market ◽

Yield Improvement ◽

Potential Applications ◽

New Compounds

Filamentous fungi are known to biosynthesize an extraordinary range of azaphilones pigments with structural diversity and advantages over vegetal-derived colored natural products such agile and simple cultivation in the lab, acceptance of low-cost substrates, speed yield improvement, and ease of downstream processing. Modern genetic engineering allows industrial production, providing pigments with higher thermostability, water-solubility, and promising bioactivities combined with ecological functions. This review, covering the literature from 2020 onwards, focuses on the state-of-the-art of azaphilone dyes, the global market scenario, new compounds isolated in the period with respective biological activities, and biosynthetic pathways. Furthermore, we discussed the innovations of azaphilone cultivation and extraction techniques, as well as in yield improvement and scale-up. Potential applications in the food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and textile industries were also explored.

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Color-Variable Photodynamic Antimicrobial Wool/Acrylic Blended Fabrics

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma13184141 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (18) ◽

pp. 4141

Author(s):

Tingting Wang ◽

Wangbingfei Chen ◽

Tingting Dong ◽

Zihao Lv ◽

Siming Zheng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Low Cost ◽

Pathogen Transmission ◽

Cationic Dyes ◽

Light Illumination ◽

Antibacterial Studies ◽

Wool Fibers ◽

Visible Light Illumination ◽

Potential Applications ◽

Dyed Fabrics ◽

Acrylic Fibers

Towards the goal of developing scalable, economical and effective antimicrobial textiles to reduce infection transmission, here we prepared color-variable photodynamic materials comprised of photosensitizer (PS)-loaded wool/acrylic (W/A) blends. Wool fibers in the W/A blended fabrics were loaded with the photosensitizer rose bengal (RB), and the acrylic fibers were dyed with a variety of traditional cationic dyes (cationic yellow, cationic blue and cationic red) to broaden their color range. Investigations on the colorimetric and photodynamic properties of a series of these materials were implemented through CIELab evaluation, as well as photooxidation and antibacterial studies. Generally, the photodynamic efficacy of these dual-dyed fabrics was impacted by both the choice, and how much of the traditional cationic dye was employed in the dyeing of the W/A fabrics. When compared with the PS-only singly-dyed material, RB-W/A, that showed a 99.97% (3.5 log units; p = 0.02) reduction of Staphylococcus aureus under visible light illumination (λ ≥ 420 nm, 60 min), the addition of cationic dyes led to a slight decrease in the photoinactivation ability of the dual-dyed fabrics, but was still able to achieve a 99.3% inactivation of S. aureus. Overall, our findings demonstrate the feasibility and potential applications of low cost and color variable RB-loaded W/A blended fabrics as effective self-disinfecting textiles against pathogen transmission.

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Feasibility of cereal straw for industrial utilization in Minnesota

American Journal of Alternative Agriculture ◽

10.1017/s0889189300008407 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 2-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

N.C. Wagner ◽

S. Ramaswamy ◽

U. Tschirner

Keyword(s):

Animal Feed ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Low Cost ◽

Economic Feasibility ◽

Raw Material ◽

Cereal Straw ◽

Industrial Utilization ◽

Industrial Use ◽

On Farm ◽

And Storage

AbstractA pre-economic feasibility study was undertaken to determine the potential of cereal straw for industrial utilization in Minnesota. Specifically, utilizing straw for pulp and paper manufacture was of interest. The availability of cereal straw fiber supplies at various locations across the state of Minnesota, along with pre-processing issues such as transportation, harvesting, handling, and storage, are discussed and priced. The greatest economic advantage of straw for industrial use appears to be the low cost of the raw material compared to traditional raw materials. This also provides an excellent opportunity for additional income for farmers. The methodology and information provided here should be helpful in evaluating the feasibility of utilizing straw for other industrial purposes in other parts of the world. However, in some Third World countries, long-standing on-farm, traditional uses of cereal straws for fuel, fiber, and animal feed may limit their availability for industrial utilization.

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Synthesis and characterization of hyperbranched poly (sulfone-amine) modified β-cyclodextrin

e-Polymers ◽

10.1515/epoly.2006.6.1.591 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Liang Chen ◽

Peng He ◽

Zhifeng Jia ◽

Xinyuan Zhu ◽

Deyue Yan

Keyword(s):

Drug Delivery ◽

Low Cost ◽

Food Additives ◽

Synthesis And Characterization ◽

Good Solubility ◽

Low Viscosity ◽

Hyperbranched Poly ◽

Potential Applications ◽

Inclusion Ability

AbstractAn economical strategy to prepare hyperbranched poly(sulfone-amine) modified β-cyclodextrins (HPSA-m-CDs) from natural β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and other commercially available materials has been reported. The final product has many good properties of hyperbranched poly(sulfone-amine)s (good solubility, low viscosity etc.), while its inclusion ability can also be well kept. It is a feasible approach to prepare functionalized modified cyclodextrin at very low cost, and may have potential applications in the fields of catalysis, drug delivery, food additives, etc.

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A review of passive self-sensing tag

Sensor Review ◽

10.1108/sr-01-2017-0001 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 37 (3) ◽

pp. 338-345 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Yawei Xu ◽

Lihong Dong ◽

Haidou Wang ◽

Jiannong Jing ◽

Yongxiang Lu

Keyword(s):

Radio Frequency Identification ◽

Large Scale ◽

Low Cost ◽

Integrated Sensor ◽

Content Type ◽

Passive Sensing ◽

Static Information ◽

Potential Applications ◽

Frequency Identification ◽

Identification Tags

Purpose Radio frequency identification tags for passive sensing have attracted wide attention in the area of Internet of Things (IoT). Among them, some tags can sense the property change of objects without an integrated sensor, which is a new trend of passive sensing based on tag. The purpose of this paper is to review recent research on passive self-sensing tags (PSSTs). Design/methodology/approach The PSSTs reported in the past decade are classified in terms of sensing mode, composition and the ways of power supply. This paper presents operation principles of PSSTs and analyzes the characteristics of them. Moreover, the paper focuses on summarizing the latest sensing parameters of PSSTs and their matching equipment. Finally, some potential applications and challenges faced by this emerging technique are discussed. Findings PSST is suitable for long-term and large-scale monitoring compared to conventional sensors because it gets rid of the limitation of battery and has relatively low cost. Also, the static information of objects stored in different PSSTs can be identified by a single reader without touch. Originality/value This paper provides a detailed and timely review of the rapidly growing research in PSST.

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Sintering and Hot-Pressing of Ti2AlC Obtained by SHS Process

Advances in Science and Technology ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/ast.63.282 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 63 ◽

pp. 282-286 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Leszek Chlubny ◽

Jerzy Lis ◽

Mirosław M. Bućko

Keyword(s):

Hot Pressing ◽

High Efficiency ◽

Layer Structure ◽

Low Cost ◽

Max Phases ◽

Fine Powders ◽

High Temperature Synthesis ◽

Low Energy Consumption ◽

Potential Applications ◽

Xrd Method

Some of ternary materials in the Ti-Al-C system are called MAX-phases and are characterised by heterodesmic layer structure. Their specific structure consisting of covalent and metallic chemical bonds influence its semi-ductile features locating them on the boundary between metals and ceramics, which may lead to many potential applications, for example as a part of a ceramic armour. Ti2AlC is one of this nanolaminate materials. Self-propagating High-temperature Synthesis (SHS) was applied to obtain sinterable powders of Ti2AlC Utilization of heat produced in exothermal reaction in adiabatic conditions to sustain process until all substrates are transformed into product is one of the advantages of the method that result in low energy consumption and low cost combined with high efficiency. Different substrates were used to produce fine powders of ternary material. Phase compositions of obtained powder were examined by XRD method. Than selected powders were used for sintering in various temperature both in a presureless sintering and hot-pressing in argon atmosphere. Properties and phase composition of obtained products were examined.

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Pseudoelasticity of Cu-13.8Al-Ni Alloys Containing V and Nb

Advances in Science and Technology ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/ast.59.101 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 59 ◽

pp. 101-107 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Rodinei Medeiros Gomes ◽

Ana Cris R. Veloso ◽

V.T.L. Buono ◽

Severino Jackson Guedes de Lima ◽

Tadeu Antonio de Azevedo Melo

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Shape Memory ◽

Shape Recovery ◽

Cold Water ◽

Low Cost ◽

Tensile Tests ◽

Grain Refiner ◽

Good Shape ◽

Potential Applications ◽

Superelastic Behavior

Polycrystalline copper-based shape memory alloys have been of particular interest in relation to Ni-Ti because of their low cost and good shape memory effect. Nevertheless the absence of a pronounced pseudoelasticity effect restricts the number of potential applications. In this work, the influence of Nb and V on the microstructure and the mechanical properties was investigated. Samples of Cu-13.8 Al-Ni containing V and Nb alloy were prepared by induction and solution treated at 850°C and then further quenched into cold water. The addition of Nb and V promotes the formation of precipitates which act as grain refiner and subsequently improve the mechanical properties. The tensile tests were performed at temperatures slightly inferior to Mf and superior to Af, to investigate the shape recovery and pseudoelasticity, respectively. Based on the analyses of the Cu-13,8Al-2Ni-1Nb (wt%) alloy was detected rupture strains greater than 14%, besides observation of the superelasticity of these alloys and quantification of this property by means of cycling, from 0 to strains between 1 and 7%. The studies performed on alloy Cu-13.8Al- 3,5Ni-1V (wt%) made it possible to determine rupture strains in the order of 3% and its superelastic behavior through cycling for deformations between 1 and 3%.

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A Novel, Low-Cost C-C Composite Heat Sink Material

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-445-57 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 445 ◽

Author(s):

W. Kowbel ◽

V. Chellappa ◽

J.C. Withers

Keyword(s):

Thermal Conductivity ◽

Heat Sink ◽

Low Cost ◽

Mechanical And Thermal Properties ◽

New Class ◽

Dielectric Coatings ◽

Potential Applications ◽

New Material ◽

New Type ◽

Composite Heat

AbstractRapid advances in high power electronics packaging require the development of new heat sink materials. Advanced composites designed to provide thermal expansion control as well as improved thermal conductivity have the potential to provide benefits in the removal of excess heat from electronic devices. Carbon-carbon (C-C) composits are under consideration for several military and space electronic applications including SEM-E electronic boxes. The high cost of C-C composits has greatly hindered their wide spread commercialization. A new manufacturing process has been developed to produce high thermal conductivity (over 400 W/mK) C-C composites at greatly reduced cost (less than $50/lb). This new material has potential applications as both a heat sink and a substrate. Dielectric coatings such as A1N and diamond were applied to this new type of heat sink material. Processing, as well as mechanical and thermal properties of this new class of heat sink material will be presented.

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