scholarly journals Reducing the Magnesium Content from Seawater to Improve Tailing Flocculation: Description by Population Balance Models

Metals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 329
Author(s):  
Gonzalo R. Quezada ◽  
Matías Jeldres ◽  
Norman Toro ◽  
Pedro Robles ◽  
Ricardo I. Jeldres

Experimental assays and mathematical models, through population balance models (PBM), were used to characterize the particle aggregation of mining tailings flocculated in seawater. Three systems were considered for preparation of the slurries: i) Seawater at natural pH (pH 7.4), ii) seawater at pH 11, and iii) treated seawater at pH 11. The treated seawater had a reduced magnesium content in order to avoid the formation of solid complexes, which damage the concentration operations. For this, the pH of seawater was raised with lime before being used in the process—generating solid precipitates of magnesium that were removed by vacuum filtration. The mean size of the aggregates were represented by the mean chord length obtained with the Focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM) technique, and their descriptions, obtained by the PBM, showed an aggregation and a breakage kernel had evolved. The fractal dimension and permeability were included in the model in order to improve the representation of the irregular structure of the aggregates. Then, five parameters were optimized: Three for the aggregation kernel and two for the breakage kernel. The results show that raising the pH from 8 to 11 was severely detrimental to the flocculation performance. Nevertheless, for pH 11, the aggregates slightly exceeded 100 µm, causing undesirable behaviour during the thickening operations. Interestingly, magnesium removal provided a suitable environment to perform the tailings flocculation at alkaline pH, making aggregates with sizes that exceeded 300 µm. Only the fractal dimension changed between pH 8 and treated seawater at pH 11—as reflected in the permeability outcomes. The PBM fitted well with the experimental data, and the parameters showed that the aggregation kernel was dominant at all-polymer dosages. The descriptive capacity of the model might have been utilized as a support in practical decisions regarding the best-operating requirements in the flocculation of copper tailings and water clarification.

Minerals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 782
Author(s):  
Gonzalo R. Quezada ◽  
Matías Jeldres ◽  
Pedro Robles ◽  
Norman Toro ◽  
David Torres ◽  
...  

A population balance model described the flocculation of clay-based mining tailings in treated seawater with reduced magnesium content. For the treatment, 0.06 M of lime was added to the liquor, generating solid magnesium complexes that were subsequently removed by vacuum filtration. Magnesium content varied between 10–1440 ppm when mixing raw seawater with treated seawater. The aggregate size was analysed by the Focused Beam Reflectance Measurement (FBRM) technology. The model follows the dynamics of the aggregation-rupture and it provides a good approximation to the temporal evolution. A decrease in collision efficiency was implemented as an indicator of the polymer depletion, describing the size reduction. Lower magnesium content makes larger aggregates with a higher fractal dimension, but an increase in the concentration of clays reduces both the size of aggregates and the fractal dimension, indicating more open and porous structures, with higher permeability to the passage of fluid. The model efficiently illustrates the experimental data, with R-square (R2) greater than 0.9 and Goodness of Fit (GoF) greater than 95% in most cases, wherein the fitting parameters allowed for analysing the impact of magnesium and clays on the collision efficiency, collision frequency, and fragmentation rate. The model is predictive with few parameters, and it is potentially a powerful tool for water management optimisation.


Metals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 240
Author(s):  
Gonzalo R. Quezada ◽  
Luís Ayala ◽  
Williams H. Leiva ◽  
Norman Toro ◽  
Pedro G. Toledo ◽  
...  

A population balance model (PBM) is used to describe flocculation of particle tailings in seawater at pH 8 for a range of mixing intensities. The size of the aggregates is represented by the mean chord length, determined by the focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM) technique. The PBM follows the dynamics of aggregation and breakage processes underlying flocculation and provides a good approximation to the temporal evolution of aggregate size. The structure of the aggregates during flocculation is described by a constant or time-dependent fractal dimension. The results revealed that the compensations between the aggregation and breakage rates lead to a correct representation of the flocculation kinetics of the tailings of particles in seawater and, in addition, that the representation of the flocculation kinetics in optimal conditions is equally good with a constant or variable fractal dimension. The aggregation and breakage functions and their corresponding parameters are sensitive to the choice of the fractal dimension of the aggregates, whether constant or time dependent, however, under optimal conditions, a constant fractal dimension is sufficient. The model is robust and predictive with a few parameters and can be used to find the optimal flocculation conditions at different mixing intensities, and the optimal flocculation time can be used for a cost-effective evaluation of the quality of the flocculant used.


1994 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 1301-1304
Author(s):  
Jaroslav Nývlt ◽  
Stanislav Žáček

Lead iodide was precipitated by a procedure in which an aqueous solution of potassium iodide at a concentration of 0.03, 0.10 or 0.20 mol l-1 was stirred while an aqueous solution of lead nitrate at one-half concentration was added at a constant rate. The mean size of the PbI2 crystals was determined by evaluating the particle size distribution, which was measured sedimentometrically. The dependence of the mean crystal size on the duration of the experiment exhibited a minimum for any of the concentrations applied. The reason for this is discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Pouryousef ◽  
Erfan Eslami ◽  
Sepehr Shahriarirad ◽  
Sina Zoghi ◽  
Mehdi Emami ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives The current study aimed to evaluate the effects of Ficus carica latex on the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), induced by Leishmania major. A 5% topical gel with F. carica latex was prepared. BALB/c mice were infected by inoculation of amastigotes form of L. major. Thirty BALB/c mice were divided into five groups, where the first group was treated daily, the second group twice per day, and the third group every other day with the 5% topical gel, for 3 weeks. The sizes of the lesions were measured before and during the course of treatment. Results Although the mean size of lesions in the mice group treated with the 5% F. carica gel, especially in the group receiving daily treatment, was less than the mean size of the lesions in the control group, yet, the differences was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The findings of the current study demonstrated that the 5% F. carica latex with a 3-week course of treatment had no considerable effect in recovery or control of CL induced by L. major in the murine model. Using higher concentration of F. carica latex and with longer treatment lengths may increase its efficacy in the treatment of CL.


Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 653
Author(s):  
Shereef Bankole ◽  
Dorrik Stow ◽  
Zeinab Smillie ◽  
Jim Buckman ◽  
Helen Lever

Distinguishing among deep-water sedimentary facies has been a difficult task. This is possibly due to the process continuum in deep water, in which sediments occur in complex associations. The lack of definite sedimentological features among the different facies between hemipelagites and contourites presented a great challenge. In this study, we present detailed mudrock characteristics of the three main deep-water facies based on sedimentological characteristics, laser diffraction granulometry, high-resolution, large area scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the synchrotron X-ray diffraction technique. Our results show that the deep-water microstructure is mainly process controlled, and that the controlling factor on their grain size is much more complex than previously envisaged. Retarding current velocity, as well as the lower carrying capacity of the current, has an impact on the mean size and sorting for the contourite and turbidite facies, whereas hemipelagite grain size is impacted by the natural heterogeneity of the system caused by bioturbation. Based on the microfabric analysis, there is a disparate pattern observed among the sedimentary facies; turbidites are generally bedding parallel due to strong currents resulting in shear flow, contourites are random to semi-random as they are impacted by a weak current, while hemipelagites are random to oblique since they are impacted by bioturbation.


2020 ◽  
pp. 112067212097604
Author(s):  
Reem R Al Huthail ◽  
Yasser H Al-Faky

Objective: To evaluate the effect of chronicity on the size of the ostium after external dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) with intubation. Methods: Design: A retrospective chart review of patients who underwent external DCR with intubation over 10 years from January 2003 at a tertiary hospital. All patients were recruited and examined with rigid nasal endoscope. Results: A total number of 66 (85 eyes) patients were included. The mean age at the time of evaluation was 53.1 years with gender distribution of 54 females (81.8 %). The mean duration ±SD between the date of surgery and the date of evaluation was 33.2 ± 33.6 (6–118 months). Our study showed an overall anatomical and functional success of 98.8% and 95.3%, respectively. The mean size of the ostium (±SD) was 23.0 (±15.7) mm2 (ranging from 1 to 80.4 mm2). The size of the ostium was not a significant factor for failure ( p = 0.907). No statistically significant correlation was found between the long-term duration after surgery and the size of the ostium ( R: 0.025, p = 0.157). Conclusions: Nasal endoscopy after DCR is valuable in evaluating the ostium with no observed potential correlation between the long-term follow-up after surgery and the size of the ostium.


1989 ◽  
Vol 157 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Johnson ◽  
L. Gråbaek ◽  
J. Bohr ◽  
A. Johansen ◽  
L. Sarholt-Kristensen ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTIon implantation at room temperature of lead into aluminium leads to spontaneous phase separation and formation of lead precipitates growing topotactically with the matrix. Unlike the highly pressurised (∼ 1–5 GPa) solid inclusions formed after noble gas implantations, the pressure in the lead precipitates is found to be less than 0.12 GPa.Recently we have observed the intriguing result that the lead inclusions in aluminium exhibit both superheating and supercooling [1]. In this paper we review and elaborate on these results. Small implantation-induced lead precipitates embedded in an aluminium matrix were studied by X-ray diffraction. The (111) Bragg peak originating from the lead crystals was followed during several temperature cycles, from room temperature to 678 K. The melting temperature for bulk lead is 601 K. In the first heating cycle we found a superheating of the lead precipitates of 67 K before melting occurred. During subsequent cooling a supercooling of 21 K below the solidification point of bulk lead was observed. In the subsequent heating cycles this hysteresis at the melting transition was reproducible. The full width of the hysteresis loop slowly decreased to 62 K, while the mean size of the inclusions gradually increased from 14.5 nm to 27 nm. The phenomena of superheating and supercooling are thus most pronounced for the small crystallites. The persistence of the hysteresis loop over successive heating cycles demonstrate that its cause is intrinsic in nature, and it is believed that the superheating originates from the lack of free surfaces of the lead inclusions.


Author(s):  
Jeanne-Marie Krischer ◽  
Karolin Albert ◽  
Alexander Pfaffenroth ◽  
Elena Lopez-Rodriguez ◽  
Clemens Ruppert ◽  
...  

AbstractMechanical ventilation triggers the manifestation of lung injury and pre-injured lungs are more susceptible. Ventilation-induced abnormalities of alveolar surfactant are involved in injury progression. The effects of mechanical ventilation on the surfactant system might be different in healthy compared to pre-injured lungs. In the present study, we investigated the effects of different positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) ventilations on the structure of the blood–gas barrier, the ultrastructure of alveolar epithelial type II (AE2) cells and the intracellular surfactant pool (= lamellar bodies, LB). Rats were randomized into bleomycin-pre-injured or healthy control groups. One day later, rats were either not ventilated, or ventilated with PEEP = 1 or 5 cmH2O and a tidal volume of 10 ml/kg bodyweight for 3 h. Left lungs were subjected to design-based stereology, right lungs to measurements of surfactant proteins (SP−) B and C expression. In pre-injured lungs without ventilation, the expression of SP-C was reduced by bleomycin; while, there were fewer and larger LB compared to healthy lungs. PEEP = 1 cmH2O ventilation of bleomycin-injured lungs was linked with the thickest blood–gas barrier due to increased septal interstitial volumes. In healthy lungs, increasing PEEP levels reduced mean AE2 cell size and volume of LB per AE2 cell; while in pre-injured lungs, volumes of AE2 cells and LB per cell remained stable across PEEPs. Instead, in pre-injured lungs, increasing PEEP levels increased the number and decreased the mean size of LB. In conclusion, mechanical ventilation-induced alterations in LB ultrastructure differ between healthy and pre-injured lungs. PEEP = 1 cmH2O but not PEEP = 5 cmH2O ventilation aggravated septal interstitial abnormalities after bleomycin challenge.


Solar Physics ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Macris ◽  
Th. Prokakis ◽  
D. Dialetis ◽  
R. Muller
Keyword(s):  

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