ANALYSIS OF THE GEOECOLOGICAL SITUATION IN KALUSH: CURRENT SITUATION AND WAYS OF SOLVING THE PROBLEM

Careless economic activity of chemical and mining enterprises of the Kalush-Holyn potassium salts deposit has caused ecological disbalance in a subsurface rock layers. This caused a technogenic disaster in Kalush such as the intensification of dangerous geological processes: flooding and waterlogging of lands, intensification of karst and suffusion processes, deterioration of groundwater and surface water. The study results of the geoecological situation in Kalush using research reports’ materials of the specialized state enterprises and relevant thematic maps; and interpretation of remote sensing data are higlighted in the article. Comprehensive map of the geoecological situation of Kalush was developed in order to visualize the processes associated with the deformation of the earth’s surface in the area of Kalush and other negative phenomena that must be taken into account when planning the development of the city.

Antioxidant Activity of Amino Acid Sodium and Potassium Salts in Vegetable Oils at Frying Temperatures

Previous studies reported that several amino acids had strong antioxidant activity in vegetable oils under frying conditions. In this study, the carboxylic acid group of amino acids was converted to a carboxylate group (-COO-Na+ or -COO-K+), a heating study was conducted with amino acid salts in soybean oil at 180 ºC. Sodium salts of amino acids including alanine, phenylalanine, and proline and disodium glutamate had significantly stronger antioxidant activity than the corresponding amino acids, and potassium salts had stronger antioxidant activity than sodium salts. Potassium salts of alanine and phenylalanine more effectively retained tocopherols in soybean oil than the corresponding amino acids during heating. Phenylalanine potassium salt had stronger antioxidant activity than phenylalanine in other vegetable oils including olive, high oleic soybean, canola, avocado, and corn oils. Phenylalanine potassium salt at 5.5. mM more effectively prevented oil oxidation than tert-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ), a synthetic antioxidant, at its legal concentration limit (0.02%) indicating its feasibility as a new antioxidant for frying.

Performance and Sensitivity Properties of Solid Heterogeneous Rocket Propellant Based on a Binary System of Oxidizers (PSAN and AP)

Solid heterogeneous rocket propellants (SHRP) containing ammonium perchlorate (AP) emit a lot of hydrogen chloride (HCl) during combustion, which poses various environmental issues and makes the detection of the rockets easier. Part of the AP can be replaced by ammonium nitrate (V) (AN), which does not lead to the production of HCl. AN is a commonly used environmentally friendly oxidizer, but it is not usually applied in SHRP due to its disadvantages. One of these disadvantages is a phase transition near room temperature, which causes the density change of AN. Three types of phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (V) (PSAN) with inorganic potassium salts were obtained in order to shift this transition into higher temperatures (above the temperature range of the storage and the usage of SHRP). The SHRP with the PSAN were obtained, and the measurements of the heat of combustion, density, hardness, the sensitivity to mechanical stimuli and the thermomechanical properties were performed. The obtained propellants were characterized by similar operational parameters or were slightly lower than those without the PSAN. This means that AP can be partially replaced without significantly compromising the handling, safety or functionality of the propellants, while increasing the environmental performance of the solution.

Extraction of Potassium from Feldspar by Roasting with CaCl2 Obtained from the Acidic Leaching of Wollastonite-Calcite Ore

Potassium, which is included in certain contents in the structure of K-feldspar minerals, has a very important function in the growth of plants. Turkey hosts the largest feldspar reserves in the world and is by far the leader in feldspar mining. The production of potassium salts from local natural sources can provide great contributions both socially and economically in the agriculture industry along with glass production, cleaning materials, paint, bleaching powders, and general laboratory purposes. In this study, potassium extraction from K-feldspar ore with an 8.42% K2O content was studied using chloridizing (CaCl2) roasting followed by water leaching. Initially, to produce wollastonite and calcite concentrates, froth flotation tests were conducted on wollastonite-calcite ore after comminution. Thus, wollastonite and calcite concentrates with purities of 99.4% and 91.96% were successfully produced. Then, a calcite concentrate was combined with hydrochloric acid (HCl) under optimal conditions of a 1 mol/L HCl acid concentration, a 60 °C leaching temperature, and a 10 min leaching time to produce CaCl2. To bring out the importance of roasting before the dissolution process, different parameters such as roasting temperature, duration, and feldspar—CaCl2 ratios were tested. Under optimal conditions (a 900 °C roasting temperature, a 60 min duration, and a 1:1.5 feldspar—CaCl2 ratio), 98.6% of the potassium was successfully extracted by the water leaching process described in this article.

Biomass burning and marine aerosol processing over the southeast Atlantic Ocean: A TEM single particle analysis

This study characterizes single particle aerosol composition from filters collected during the ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS (ORACLES) and CLoud–Aerosol–Radiation Interaction and Forcing: Year 2017 (CLARIFY-2017) campaigns. In particular the study describes aged biomass burning aerosol (BBA), its interaction with the marine boundary layer and the influence of biomass burning (BB) air on marine aerosol. The study finds evidence of BBA influenced by marine boundary layer processing as well as sea salt influenced by BB air. Secondary chloride aerosols were observed in clean marine air as well as in BB-influenced air in the free troposphere. Higher volatility organic aerosol appears to be associated with increased age of biomass burning plumes, and photolysis may be a mechanism for this increased volatility. Aqueous processing and interaction with the marine boundary layer air may be a mechanism for the presence of sodium on many aged potassium salts. By number, biomass burning potassium salts and modified sea salts are the most observed particles on filter samples. These results suggest that atmospheric processing such as photolysis and cloud processing, rather than BB fuel type, has a major role in the elemental composition and morphology of aged BBA.