Attainable Region Approach in Analyzing the Breakage Behavior of a Bed of Olivine Sand Particles: Optimizing Impact Energy and Particle Size

In this study, we investigated the breakage behavior of a bed of olivine sand particles using a drop-weight impact test, with drop weights of various shapes (oval, cube, and sphere). An Attainable Region (AR) technique, which is a model-free and equipment-independent technique, was then applied to optimize the impact energy during the breakage process and also to get particles in defined particle size classes. The findings revealed that the different drop weights produce products within the three different particle size classes (feed, intermediate, and fine). A higher mass fraction of materials in the fine-sized class (−75 μm) was obtained when the spherical drop weight was used relative to the cubic and oval drop weights. The drop height was found to have a significant influence on the breakage process. The AR technique proved to be a practical approach for optimizing impact energy and particle size during the breakage of a bed of olivine particles, with potential application in sustainable soil stabilization projects.

Increasing Gas–Solids Mass Transfer in Fluidized Beds by Application of Confined Fluidization—A Feasibility Study

Fluidized bed applications where the bed material plays an active role in chemical reactions, e.g. chemical looping combustion, have seen an increase in interest over the past decade. When these processes are to be scaled up to industrial or utility scale mass transfer between the gas and solids phases can become a limitation for conversion. Confined fluidized beds were conceptualized for other purposes in the 1960’s but are yet to be applied to these recent technologies. Here it is investigated if they can prove useful to increase mass transfer but also if they are feasible from other perspectives such as pressure drop increase and solids throughflow. Four spherical packing solids, 6.35–25.4 mm in diameter at two different densities, were tested. For mass transfer experiments the fluidizing air was humidified and the water adsorption rate onto silica gel particles acting as fluidizing solids was measured. Olivine sand was used in further experiments measuring segregation of solids and packing, and maximum vertical crossflow of solids. It was found that mass transfer increased by a factor of 1.9–3.8 with packing solids as compared to a non-packed reference. With high-density packing, fluidizing solids voidage inside the packing was found to be up to 58% higher than in a conventional fluidized bed. Low density packing material favoured its flotsam segregation and with it higher fluidization velocities yield better mixing between packing and fluidizing solids. Maximum vertical cross-flow was found to be significantly higher with low density packing that fluidized, than with stationary high-density packing. Conclusively, the prospect of using confined fluidized beds for improving mass transfer looks promising from both performance and practical standpoints.

Motukoreaite, a new hydrated carbonate, sulphate, and hydroxide of Mg and Al from Auckland, New Zealand

Motukoreaite occurs as relatively abundant, white, clay-like cement in both beach-rock and basaltic volcanic tuffs on the flanks of a small, extinct, late Pleistocene, basaltic cone at Brown's Island (Motukorea), within Waitemata Harbour, Auckland, New Zealand (36° 50′ S., 174° 35′ E.). The occurrence was originally recorded by Bartrum (1941) as ‘beach limestone’ found at two places of the island's shore. The beach-rock consists of a grain-supported fabric of poorly sorted, well-rounded, alkali-olivine basalt pebbles and granules, subangular to sub-rounded fresh olivine sand and abraded sand- and gravel-sized bioclasts in a colourless to pale yellow-green aphanocrystalline matrix of motukoreaite. Additional detritals include quartz, feldspar, and sedimentary rock fragments. Stereoscan examination of the surface of pieces of the cement prised from the beach-rock showed a box-work of plate-like crystals with a hexagonal form in which individuals measured about 3×3×0·02 microns (fig. 1).Wet-chemical analysis of a separate of the cement containing some 5 % quartz and traces of calcite and goethite gives SiO2 5·55, Al2O3 17·87, Fe2O3 0·73, CaO 0·92, MgO 22·98, MnO 0·70, ZnO 0·56, Na2O 0·71, K2O 0·10, CO2 9·32, SO3 10·00, H2O+ 19·62, H2O- 10·35, sum 99·41 %. The unit-cell formula using obtained unit-cell constants and measured specific gravity 1·43) is (Na0·73K0·07)∑0·80(Mg18·13Mn0·32Zn0·21)∑18·66Al11·15(CO3)6·22(SO4)3·97 (OH)51·1927·20H2O. Of several idealized formulae that may be proposed NaMg19Al12(CO3)6.5 (SO4)4(OH)54·28H2O is preferred.