Sample records for bromine thermochemical cycle

  1. Thermochemical cycle analysis using linked CECS72 and HYDRGN computer programs

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Donovan, L. F.

    1977-01-01

    A combined thermochemical cycle analysis computer program was designed. Input to the combined program is the same as input to the thermochemical cycle analysis program except that the extent of the reactions need not be specified. The combined program is designed to be run interactively from a computer time-sharing terminal. This mode of operation allows correction or modification of the cycle to take place during cycle analysis. A group of 13 thermochemical cycles was used to test the combined program.

  2. An analysis of hydrogen production via closed-cycle schemes. [thermochemical processings from water

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chao, R. E.; Cox, K. E.

    1975-01-01

    A thermodynamic analysis and state-of-the-art review of three basic schemes for production of hydrogen from water: electrolysis, thermal water-splitting, and multi-step thermochemical closed cycles is presented. Criteria for work-saving thermochemical closed-cycle processes are established, and several schemes are reviewed in light of such criteria. An economic analysis is also presented in the context of energy costs.

  3. Solar hydrogen production with cerium oxides thermochemical cycle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Binotti, Marco; Di Marcoberardino, Gioele; Biassoni, Mauro; Manzolini, Giampaolo

    2017-06-01

    This paper discusses the hydrogen production using a solar driven thermochemical cycle. The thermochemical cycle is based on nonstoichiometric cerium oxides redox and the solar concentration system is a solar dish. Detailed optical and redox models were developed to optimize the hydrogen production performance as function of several design parameters (i.e. concentration ratio, reactor pressures and temperatures) The efficiency of the considered technology is compared against two commercially available technologies namely PV + electrolyzer and Dish Stirling + electrolyzer. Results show that solar-to-fuel efficiency of 21.2% can be achieved at design condition assuming a concentration ratio around 5000, reduction and oxidation temperatures of 1500°C and 1275 °C. When moving to annual performance, the annual yield of the considered approach can be as high as 16.7% which is about 43% higher than the best competitive technology. The higher performance implies that higher installation costs around 40% can be accepted for the innovative concept to achieve the same cost of hydrogen.

  4. Studies of thermochemical water-splitting cycles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Remick, R. J.; Foh, S. E.

    1980-01-01

    Higher temperatures and more isothermal heat profiles of solar heat sources are developed. The metal oxide metal sulfate class of cycles were suited for solar heat sources. Electrochemical oxidation of SO2 and thermochemical reactions are presented. Electrolytic oxidation of sulfur dioxide in dilute sulfuric acid solutions were appropriate for metal oxide metal sulfate cycles. The cell voltage at workable current densities required for the oxidation of SO2 was critical to the efficient operation of any metal oxide metal sulfate cycle. A sulfur dioxide depolarized electrolysis cell for the splitting of water via optimization of the anode reaction is discussed. Sulfuric acid concentrations of 30 to 35 weight percent are preferred. Platinized platinum or smooth platinum gave the best anode kinetics at a given potential of the five materials examined.

  5. Status of the DOE /STOR/-sponsored national program on hydrogen production from water via thermochemical cycles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Baker, C. E.

    1977-01-01

    A pure thermochemical cycle is a system of linked regenerative chemical reactions which accepts only water and heat and produces hydrogen. Thermochemical cycles are potentially a more efficient and cheaper means of producing hydrogen from water than is the generation of electricity followed by electrolysis. The Energy Storage Systems Division of the Department of Energy is currently funding a national program on thermochemical hydrogen production. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is responsible for the technical management of this program. The goal is to develop a cycle which can potentially operate with an efficiency greater than 40% using a heat source providing a maximum available temperature of 1150 K. A closed bench-scale demonstration of such a cycle would follow. This cycle would be labeled a 'reference cycle' and would serve as a baseline against which future cycles would be compared.

  6. Comparative life cycle assessment of lignocellulosic ethanol production: biochemical versus thermochemical conversion.

    PubMed

    Mu, Dongyan; Seager, Thomas; Rao, P Suresh; Zhao, Fu

    2010-10-01

    Lignocellulosic biomass can be converted into ethanol through either biochemical or thermochemical conversion processes. Biochemical conversion involves hydrolysis and fermentation while thermochemical conversion involves gasification and catalytic synthesis. Even though these routes produce comparable amounts of ethanol and have similar energy efficiency at the plant level, little is known about their relative environmental performance from a life cycle perspective. Especially, the indirect impacts, i.e. emissions and resource consumption associated with the production of various process inputs, are largely neglected in previous studies. This article compiles material and energy flow data from process simulation models to develop life cycle inventory and compares the fossil fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and water consumption of both biomass-to-ethanol production processes. The results are presented in terms of contributions from feedstock, direct, indirect, and co-product credits for four representative biomass feedstocks i.e., wood chips, corn stover, waste paper, and wheat straw. To explore the potentials of the two conversion pathways, different technological scenarios are modeled, including current, 2012 and 2020 technology targets, as well as different production/co-production configurations. The modeling results suggest that biochemical conversion has slightly better performance on greenhouse gas emission and fossil fuel consumption, but that thermochemical conversion has significantly less direct, indirect, and life cycle water consumption. Also, if the thermochemical plant operates as a biorefinery with mixed alcohol co-products separated for chemicals, it has the potential to achieve better performance than biochemical pathway across all environmental impact categories considered due to higher co-product credits associated with chemicals being displaced. The results from this work serve as a starting point for developing full life cycle

  7. Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Lignocellulosic Ethanol Production: Biochemical Versus Thermochemical Conversion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mu, Dongyan; Seager, Thomas; Rao, P. Suresh; Zhao, Fu

    2010-10-01

    Lignocellulosic biomass can be converted into ethanol through either biochemical or thermochemical conversion processes. Biochemical conversion involves hydrolysis and fermentation while thermochemical conversion involves gasification and catalytic synthesis. Even though these routes produce comparable amounts of ethanol and have similar energy efficiency at the plant level, little is known about their relative environmental performance from a life cycle perspective. Especially, the indirect impacts, i.e. emissions and resource consumption associated with the production of various process inputs, are largely neglected in previous studies. This article compiles material and energy flow data from process simulation models to develop life cycle inventory and compares the fossil fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and water consumption of both biomass-to-ethanol production processes. The results are presented in terms of contributions from feedstock, direct, indirect, and co-product credits for four representative biomass feedstocks i.e., wood chips, corn stover, waste paper, and wheat straw. To explore the potentials of the two conversion pathways, different technological scenarios are modeled, including current, 2012 and 2020 technology targets, as well as different production/co-production configurations. The modeling results suggest that biochemical conversion has slightly better performance on greenhouse gas emission and fossil fuel consumption, but that thermochemical conversion has significantly less direct, indirect, and life cycle water consumption. Also, if the thermochemical plant operates as a biorefinery with mixed alcohol co-products separated for chemicals, it has the potential to achieve better performance than biochemical pathway across all environmental impact categories considered due to higher co-product credits associated with chemicals being displaced. The results from this work serve as a starting point for developing full life cycle

  8. Revisiting the BaO2/BaO redox cycle for solar thermochemical energy storage.

    PubMed

    Carrillo, A J; Sastre, D; Serrano, D P; Pizarro, P; Coronado, J M

    2016-03-21

    The barium peroxide-based redox cycle was proposed in the late 1970s as a thermochemical energy storage system. Since then, very little attention has been paid to such redox couples. In this paper, we have revisited the use of reduction-oxidation reactions of the BaO2/BaO system for thermochemical heat storage at high temperatures. Using thermogravimetric analysis, reduction and oxidation reactions were studied in order to find the main limitations associated with each process. Furthermore, the system was evaluated through several charge-discharge stages in order to analyse its possible degradation after repeated cycling. Through differential scanning calorimetry the heat stored and released were also determined. Oxidation reaction, which was found to be slower than reduction, was studied in more detail using isothermal tests. It was observed that the rate-controlling step of BaO oxidation follows zero-order kinetics, although at high temperatures a deviation from Arrhenius behaviour was observed probably due to hindrances to anionic oxygen diffusion caused by the formation of an external layer of BaO2. This redox couple was able to withstand several redox cycles without deactivation, showing reaction conversions close to 100% provided that impurities are previously eliminated through thermal pre-treatment, demonstrating the feasibility of this system for solar thermochemical heat storage.

  9. Methane-methanol cycle for the thermochemical production of hydrogen

    DOEpatents

    Dreyfuss, Robert M.; Hickman, Robert G.

    1976-01-01

    A thermochemical reaction cycle for the generation of hydrogen from water comprising the following sequence of reactions wherein M represents a metal: CH.sub.4 + H.sub.2 O .fwdarw. CO + 3H.sub.2 (1) co + 2h.sub.2 .fwdarw. ch.sub.3 oh (2) ch.sub.3 oh + so.sub.2 + mo .fwdarw. mso.sub.4 + ch.sub.4 (3) mso.sub.4 .fwdarw. mo + so.sub.2 + 1/2o.sub.2 (4) the net reaction is the decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen.

  10. Status of the DOE (STOR)-sponsored national program on hydrogen production from water via thermochemical cycles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Baker, C. E.

    1977-01-01

    The program structure is presented. The activities of the thermochemical cycles program are grouped according to the following categories: (1) specific cycle development, (2) support research and technology, (3) cycle evaluation. Specific objectives and status of on-going activities are discussed. Chemical reaction series for the production of hydrogen are presented. Efficiency and economic evaluations are also discussed.

  11. Innovative solar thermochemical water splitting.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hogan, Roy E. Jr.; Siegel, Nathan P.; Evans, Lindsey R.

    2008-02-01

    Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) is evaluating the potential of an innovative approach for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using two-step thermochemical cycles. Thermochemical cycles are heat engines that utilize high-temperature heat to produce chemical work. Like their mechanical work-producing counterparts, their efficiency depends on operating temperature and on the irreversibility of their internal processes. With this in mind, we have invented innovative design concepts for two-step solar-driven thermochemical heat engines based on iron oxide and iron oxide mixed with other metal oxides (ferrites). The design concepts utilize two sets of moving beds of ferrite reactant material in close proximitymore » and moving in opposite directions to overcome a major impediment to achieving high efficiency--thermal recuperation between solids in efficient counter-current arrangements. They also provide inherent separation of the product hydrogen and oxygen and are an excellent match with high-concentration solar flux. However, they also impose unique requirements on the ferrite reactants and materials of construction as well as an understanding of the chemical and cycle thermodynamics. In this report the Counter-Rotating-Ring Receiver/Reactor/Recuperator (CR5) solar thermochemical heat engine and its basic operating principals are described. Preliminary thermal efficiency estimates are presented and discussed. Our ferrite reactant material development activities, thermodynamic studies, test results, and prototype hardware development are also presented.« less

  12. Solar Thermochemical Energy Storage Through Carbonation Cycles of SrCO3/SrO Supported on SrZrO3.

    PubMed

    Rhodes, Nathan R; Barde, Amey; Randhir, Kelvin; Li, Like; Hahn, David W; Mei, Renwei; Klausner, James F; AuYeung, Nick

    2015-11-01

    Solar thermochemical energy storage has enormous potential for enabling cost-effective concentrated solar power (CSP). A thermochemical storage system based on a SrO/SrCO3 carbonation cycle offers the ability to store and release high temperature (≈1200 °C) heat. The energy density of SrCO3/SrO systems supported by zirconia-based sintering inhibitors was investigated for 15 cycles of exothermic carbonation at 1150 °C followed by decomposition at 1235 °C. A sample with 40 wt % of SrO supported by yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) shows good energy storage stability at 1450 MJ m(-3) over fifteen cycles at the same cycling temperatures. After further testing over 45 cycles, a decrease in energy storage capacity to 1260 MJ m(-3) is observed during the final cycle. The decrease is due to slowing carbonation kinetics, and the original value of energy density may be obtained by lengthening the carbonation steps. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  13. Renewable hydrogen production via thermochemical/electrochemical coupling

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ambrosini, Andrea; Babiniec, Sean Michael; Miller, James E.

    A coupled electrochemical/thermochemical cycle was investigated to produce hydrogen from renewable resources. Like a conventional thermochemical cycle, this cycle leverages chemical energy stored in a thermochemical working material that is reduced thermally by solar energy. However, in this concept, the stored chemical energy only needs to be partially, but not fully, capable of splitting steam to produce hydrogen. To complete the process, a proton-conducting membrane is driven to separate hydrogen as it is produced, thus shifting the thermodynamics toward further hydrogen production. This novel coupled-cycle concept provides several benefits. First, the required oxidation enthalpy of the reversible thermochemical material ismore » reduced, enabling the process to occur at lower temperatures. Second, removing the requirement for spontaneous steam-splitting widens the scope of materials compositions, allowing for less expensive/more abundant elements to be used. Lastly, thermodynamics calculations suggest that this concept can potentially reach higher efficiencies than photovoltaic-to-electrolysis hydrogen production methods. This Exploratory Express LDRD involved assessing the practical feasibility of the proposed coupled cycle. A test stand was designed and constructed and proton-conducting membranes were synthesized. While the full proof of concept was not achieved, the individual components of the experiment were validated and new capabilities that can be leveraged by a variety of programs were developed.« less

  14. System and process for producing fuel with a methane thermochemical cycle

    DOEpatents

    Diver, Richard B.

    2015-12-15

    A thermochemical process and system for producing fuel are provided. The thermochemical process includes reducing an oxygenated-hydrocarbon to form an alkane and using the alkane in a reforming reaction as a reducing agent for water, a reducing agent for carbon dioxide, or a combination thereof. Another thermochemical process includes reducing a metal oxide to form a reduced metal oxide, reducing an oxygenated-hydrocarbon with the reduced metal oxide to form an alkane, and using the alkane in a reforming reaction as a reducing agent for water, a reducing agent for carbon dioxide, or a combination thereof. The system includes a reformer configured to perform a thermochemical process.

  15. Cesium Neonide: Molecule or Thermochemical Exercise?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blake, P. G.; Clack, D. W.

    1982-01-01

    Thermochemical cycles are used to decide which hypothetical compounds might exist and, if not, what is the factor that condemns them to non-existence. Hypothetical compounds of rare gases provide examples of the approach with added historical interest that thermochemical considerations led to prediction and demonstration that XePtF-6 was stable.…

  16. Polyfunctional epoxies. I - Rubber-toughened brominated and nonbrominated formulations for graphite composites. II - Nonrubber versus rubber-toughened brominated formulations for graphite composites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nir, Z.; Gilwee, W. J.; Kourtides, D. A.; Parker, J. A.

    1985-01-01

    A new trifunctional epoxy resin, Tris-(hydroxyphenyl) methane triglycidyl ether, is compared to a state-of-the-art tetraglycidyl 4,4'-diaminodiphenyl methane (TGDDM), in graphite composites. Rubber-toughened brominated formulations of the epoxy resin are compared to nonbrominated ones in terms of their mechanical performance, environmental stability, thermochemical behavior, and flame retardancy. It is shown that the new resin performs almost the same way as the TGDDM does, but has improved glass transition temperature and environmental properties. Brominated polymeric additives (BPA) of different molecular weights are tested as a Br source to flame retardant graphite epoxy composites. The optimal molecular weight of the BPA and its polymeric backbone length are derived and compared with a 10 percent rubber-toughened formulation of the epoxy resin. Results indicate that when the Br content in the graphite composite is increased without the use of rubber, the mechanical properties improved. The use of BPAs as tougheners for graphite composites is also considered.

  17. Life cycle assessment of nuclear-based hydrogen production via thermochemical water splitting using a copper-chlorine (Cu-Cl) cycle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ozbilen, Ahmet Ziyaettin

    The energy carrier hydrogen is expected to solve some energy challenges. Since its oxidation does not emit greenhouse gases (GHGs), its use does not contribute to climate change, provided that it is derived from clean energy sources. Thermochemical water splitting using a Cu-Cl cycle, linked with a nuclear super-critical water cooled reactor (SCWR), which is being considered as a Generation IV nuclear reactor, is a promising option for hydrogen production. In this thesis, a comparative environmental study is reported of the three-, four- and five-step Cu-Cl thermochemical water splitting cycles with various other hydrogen production methods. The investigation uses life cycle assessment (LCA), which is an analytical tool to identify and quantify environmentally critical phases during the life cycle of a system or a product and/or to evaluate and decrease the overall environmental impact of the system or product. The LCA results for the hydrogen production processes indicate that the four-step Cu-Cl cycle has lower environmental impacts than the three- and five-step Cu-Cl cycles due to its lower thermal energy requirement. Parametric studies show that acidification potentials (APs) and global warming potentials (GWPs) for the four-step Cu-Cl cycle can be reduced from 0.0031 to 0.0028 kg SO2-eq and from 0.63 to 0.55 kg CO2-eq, respectively, if the lifetime of the system increases from 10 to 100 years. Moreover, the comparative study shows that the nuclear-based S-I and the four-step Cu-Cl cycles are the most environmentally benign hydrogen production methods in terms of AP and GWP. GWPs of the S-I and the four-step Cu-Cl cycles are 0.412 and 0.559 kg CO2-eq for reference case which has a lifetime of 60 years. Also, the corresponding APs of these cycles are 0.00241 and 0.00284 kg SO2-eq. It is also found that an increase in hydrogen plant efficiency from 0.36 to 0.65 decreases the GWP from 0.902 to 0.412 kg CO 2-eq and the AP from 0.00459 to 0.00209 kg SO2-eq for the

  18. Thermochemical hydrogen production via a cycle using barium and sulfur - Reaction between barium sulfide and water

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ota, K.; Conger, W. L.

    1977-01-01

    The reaction between barium sulfide and water, a reaction found in several sulfur based thermochemical cycles, was investigated kinetically at 653-866 C. Gaseous products were hydrogen and hydrogen sulfide. The rate determining step for hydrogen formation was a surface reaction between barium sulfide and water. An expression was derived for the rate of hydrogen formation.

  19. Thermal tests of a multi-tubular reactor for hydrogen production by using mixed ferrites thermochemical cycle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gonzalez-Pardo, Aurelio; Denk, Thorsten; Vidal, Alfonso

    2017-06-01

    The SolH2 project is an INNPACTO initiative of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, with the main goal to demonstrate the technological feasibility of solar thermochemical water splitting cycles as one of the most promising options to produce H2 from renewable sources in an emission-free way. A multi-tubular solar reactor was designed and build to evaluate a ferrite thermochemical cycle. At the end of this project, the ownership of this plant was transferred to CIEMAT. This paper reviews some additional tests with this pilot plant performed in the Plataforma Solar de Almería with the main goal to assess the thermal behavior of the reactor, evaluating the evolution of the temperatures inside the cavity and the relation between supplied power and reached temperatures. Previous experience with alumina tubes showed that they are very sensitive to temperature and flux gradients, what leads to elaborate an aiming strategy for the heliostat field to achieve a uniform distribution of the radiation inside the cavity. Additionally, the passing of clouds is a phenomenon that importantly affects all the CSP facilities by reducing their efficiency. The behavior of the reactor under these conditions has been studied.

  20. Bromine cycle in subduction zones through in situ Br monitoring in diamond anvil cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bureau, Hélène; Foy, Eddy; Raepsaet, Caroline; Somogyi, Andrea; Munsch, Pascal; Simon, Guilhem; Kubsky, Stefan

    2010-07-01

    The geochemical partitioning of bromine between hydrous haplogranitic melts, initially enriched with respect to Br and aqueous fluids, has been continuously monitored in situ during decompression. Experiments were carried out in diamond anvil cells from 890 °C to room temperature and from 1.7 GPa to room pressure, typically from high P, T conditions corresponding to total miscibility (presence of a supercritical fluid). Br contents were measured in aqueous fluids, hydrous melts and supercritical fluids. Partition coefficients of bromine were characterized at pressure and temperature between fluids, hydrous melts and/or glasses, as appropriate: DBrfluid/melt = (Br) fluid/(Br) melt, ranges from 2.18 to 9.2 ± 0.5 for conditions within the ranges 0.66-1.7 GPa, 590-890 °C; and DBrfluid/glass = (Br) fluid/(Br) glass ranges from 60 to 375 at room conditions. The results suggest that because high pressure melts and fluids are capable of accepting high concentrations of bromine, this element may be efficiently removed from the slab to the mantle source of arc magmas. We show that Br may be highly concentrated in subduction zone magmas and strongly enriched in subduction-related volcanic gases, because its mobility is strongly correlated with that of water during magma degassing. Furthermore, our experimental results suggest that a non negligible part of Br present in the subducted slab may remain in the down-going slab, being transported toward the transition zone. This indicates that the Br cycle in subduction zones is in fact divided in two related but independent parts: (1) a shallower one where recycled Br may leave the slab with a water and silica-bearing "fluid" leading to enriched arc magmas that return Br to the atmosphere. (2) A deeper cycle where Br may be recycled back to the mantle maybe to the transition zone, where it may be present in high pressure water-rich metasomatic fluids.

  1. Synfuels from fusion: using the tandem mirror reactor and a thermochemical cycle to produce hydrogen

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Werner, R.W.

    1982-11-01

    This study is concerned with the following area: (1) the tandem mirror reactor and its physics; (2) energy balance; (3) the lithium oxide canister blanket system; (4) high-temperature blanket; (5) energy transport system-reactor to process; (6) thermochemical hydrogen processes; (7) interfacing the GA cycle; (8) matching power and temperature demands; (9) preliminary cost estimates; (10) synfuels beyond hydrogen; and (11) thermodynamics of the H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/-H/sub 2/O system. (MOW)

  2. Bromine

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ober, J.A.

    2013-01-01

    The element bromine is found principally as a dissolved species in seawater, evaporitic (salt) lakes and underground brines associated with petroleum deposits. Seawater contains about 65 parts per million of bromine or an estimated 907 Gt (100 trillion st). In the Middle East, the highly saline waters of the Dead Sea are estimated to contain 907 Mt (1 billion st) of bromine. Bromine also may be recovered from seawater as a coproduct during evaporation to produce salt.

  3. Carbonate thermochemical cycle for the production of hydrogen

    DOEpatents

    Collins, Jack L [Knoxville, TN; Dole, Leslie R [Knoxville, TN; Ferrada, Juan J [Knoxville, TN; Forsberg, Charles W [Oak Ridge, TN; Haire, Marvin J [Oak Ridge, TN; Hunt, Rodney D [Oak Ridge, TN; Lewis, Jr, Benjamin E [Knoxville, TN; Wymer, Raymond G [Oak Ridge, TN

    2010-02-23

    The present invention is directed to a thermochemical method for the production of hydrogen from water. The method includes reacting a multi-valent metal oxide, water and a carbonate to produce an alkali metal-multi-valent metal oxide compound, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen.

  4. Thermochemical Production of Hydrogen from Water.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bamberger, C. E.; And Others

    1978-01-01

    Discusses the possible advantages of decomposing water by means of thermochemical cycles. Explains that, if energy consumption can be minimized, this method is capable of producing hydrogen more efficiently than electrolysis. (GA)

  5. Process design and economic analysis of the zinc selenide thermochemical hydrogen cycle

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Otsuki, H.H.; Krikorian, O.H.

    1978-09-06

    A detailed preliminary design for a hydrogen production plant has been developed based on an improved version of the ZnSe thermochemical cycle for decomposing water. In the latest version of the cycle, ZnCl/sub 2/ is converted directly to ZnO through high temperature steam hydrolysis. This eliminates the need for first converting ZnCl/sub 2/ to ZnSO/sub 4/ and also slightly reduces the overall heat requirement. Moreover, it broadens the temperature range over which prime heat is required and improves the coupling of the cycle with a nuclear reactor heat source. The ZnSe cycle is driven by a very-high-temperature nuclear reactor (VHTR)more » proposed by Westinghouse that provides a high-temperature (1283 K) helium working gas for process heat and power. The plant is sized to produce 27.3 Mg H/sub 2//h (60,000 lb H/sub 2//h) and requires specially designed equipment to perform the critical reaction steps in the cycle. We have developed conceptual designs for several of the important process steps to make cost estimates, and have obtained a cycle efficiency of about 40% and a hydrogen production cost of about $14/GJ. We believe that the cost is high because input data on reaction rates and equipment lifetimes have been conservatively estimated and the cycle parameters have not been optimized. Nonetheless, this initial analysis serves an important function in delineating areas in the cycle where additional research is needed to increase efficiency and reduce costs in a more advanced version of the cycle.« less

  6. Bromine isotopic signature facilitates de novo sequencing of peptides in free-radical-initiated peptide sequencing (FRIPS) mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Nam, Jungjoo; Kwon, Hyuksu; Jang, Inae; Jeon, Aeran; Moon, Jingyu; Lee, Sun Young; Kang, Dukjin; Han, Sang Yun; Moon, Bongjin; Oh, Han Bin

    2015-02-01

    We recently showed that free-radical-initiated peptide sequencing mass spectrometry (FRIPS MS) assisted by the remarkable thermochemical stability of (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidin-1-yl)oxyl (TEMPO) is another attractive radical-driven peptide fragmentation MS tool. Facile homolytic cleavage of the bond between the benzylic carbon and the oxygen of the TEMPO moiety in o-TEMPO-Bz-C(O)-peptide and the high reactivity of the benzylic radical species generated in •Bz-C(O)-peptide are key elements leading to extensive radical-driven peptide backbone fragmentation. In the present study, we demonstrate that the incorporation of bromine into the benzene ring, i.e. o-TEMPO-Bz(Br)-C(O)-peptide, allows unambiguous distinction of the N-terminal peptide fragments from the C-terminal fragments through the unique bromine doublet isotopic signature. Furthermore, bromine substitution does not alter the overall radical-driven peptide backbone dissociation pathways of o-TEMPO-Bz-C(O)-peptide. From a practical perspective, the presence of the bromine isotopic signature in the N-terminal peptide fragments in TEMPO-assisted FRIPS MS represents a useful and cost-effective opportunity for de novo peptide sequencing. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  7. Bromine

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Apodaca, Lori E.

    2010-01-01

    The entire U.S. production of bromine in 2009 came from underground brines in Arkansas, where it was the leading mineral commodity produced in terms of value. Two companies, Albermarle Corp. and Chemtura Corp., were responsible for bromine recovery. Worldwide, the United States is still the leading producer. However, U.S. dominance has decreased, as countries like China, Israel, Japan and Jordan have strengthened their positions as world producers of elemental bromine.

  8. Life cycle assessment of microalgae to biofuel: Thermochemical processing through hydrothermal liquefaction or pyrolysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bennion, Edward P.

    Microalgae are currently being investigated as a renewable transportation fuel feedstock based on various advantages that include high annual yields, utilization of poor quality land, does not compete with food, and can be integrated with various waste streams. This study focuses on directly assessing the impact of two different thermochemical conversion technologies on the microalgae-to-biofuel process through life cycle assessment. A system boundary of a "well to pump" (WTP) is defined and includes sub-process models of the growth, dewatering, thermochemical bio-oil recovery, bio-oil stabilization, conversion to renewable diesel, and transport to the pump. Models were validated with experimental and literature data and are representative of an industrial-scale microalgae-to-biofuel process. Two different thermochemical bio-oil conversion systems are modeled and compared on a systems level, hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) and pyrolysis. The environmental impact of the two pathways were quantified on the metrics of net energy ratio (NER), defined here as energy consumed over energy produced, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Results for WTP biofuel production through the HTL pathway were determined to be 1.23 for the NER and GHG emissions of -11.4 g CO2 eq (MJ renewable diesel)-1. WTP biofuel production through the pyrolysis pathway results in a NER of 2.27 and GHG emissions of 210 g CO2 eq (MJ renewable diesel)-1. The large environmental impact associated with the pyrolysis pathway is attributed to feedstock drying requirements and combustion of co-products to improve system energetics. Discussion focuses on a detailed breakdown of the overall process energetics and GHGs, impact of modeling at laboratory-scale compared to industrial-scale, environmental impact sensitivity to engineering systems input parameters for future focused research and development, and a comparison of results to literature.

  9. Solar Metal Sulfate-Ammonia Based Thermochemical Water Splitting Cycle for Hydrogen Production

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    T-Raissi, Ali (Inventor); Muradov, Nazim (Inventor); Huang, Cunping (Inventor)

    2014-01-01

    Two classes of hybrid/thermochemical water splitting processes for the production of hydrogen and oxygen have been proposed based on (1) metal sulfate-ammonia cycles (2) metal pyrosulfate-ammonia cycles. Methods and systems for a metal sulfate MSO.sub.4--NH3 cycle for producing H2 and O2 from a closed system including feeding an aqueous (NH3)(4)SO3 solution into a photoctalytic reactor to oxidize the aqueous (NH3)(4)SO3 into aqueous (NH3)(2)SO4 and reduce water to hydrogen, mixing the resulting aqueous (NH3)(2)SO4 with metal oxide (e.g. ZnO) to form a slurry, heating the slurry of aqueous (NH4)(2)SO4 and ZnO(s) in the low temperature reactor to produce a gaseous mixture of NH3 and H2O and solid ZnSO4(s), heating solid ZnSO4 at a high temperature reactor to produce a gaseous mixture of SO2 and O2 and solid product ZnO, mixing the gaseous mixture of SO2 and O2 with an NH3 and H2O stream in an absorber to form aqueous (NH4)(2)SO3 solution and separate O2 for aqueous solution, recycling the resultant solution back to the photoreactor and sending ZnO to mix with aqueous (NH4)(2)SO4 solution to close the water splitting cycle wherein gaseous H2 and O2 are the only products output from the closed ZnSO4--NH3 cycle.

  10. Bromination of Phenol

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Talbot, Christopher

    2013-01-01

    This "Science note" examines the bromination of phenol, a reaction that is commonly taught at A-level and IB (International Baccalaureate) as an example of electrophilic substitution. Phenol undergoes bromination with bromine or bromine water at room temperature. A white precipitate of 2,4,6-tribromophenol is rapidly formed. This…

  11. Bromine-Chlorine Coupling in the Antarctic Ozone Hole

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Danilin, Michael Y.; Sze, Nien-Dak; Ko, Malcolm K. W.; Rodriquez, Jose M.; Prather, Michael J.

    1996-01-01

    The contribution from the chlorine and bromine species in the formation of the Antarctic ozone hole is evaluated. Since chlorine and bromine compounds are of different industrial origin, it is desirable, from a policy point of view, to be able to attribute chlorine-catalyzed loss of ozone with those reactions directly involving chlorine species, and likewise for bromine-catalyzed loss. In the stratosphere, however, most of the chemical families are highly coupled, and, for example, changes in the chlorine abundance will alter the partitioninig in other families and thus the rate of ozone loss. This modeling study examines formation of the Antarctic ozone hole for a wide range of bromine concentrations (5 - 25 pptv) and for chlorine concentrations typical of the last two decades (1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 ppbv). We follow the photochemical evolution of a single parcel of air, typical of the inner Antarctic vortex (50 mbar, 70 deg. S, NO(sub y) = 2 ppbv, with Polar Stratospheric Clouds(PSC)) from August 1 to November 1. For all of these ranges of chlorine and bromine loading, we would predict a substantial ozone hole (local depletion greater than 90%) within the de-nitrified, PSC- perturbed vortex. The contributions of the different catalytic cycles responsible for ozone loss are tabulated. The deep minimum in ozone is driven primarily by the chlorine abundance. As bromine levels decrease, the magnitude of the chlorine-catalyzed ozone loss increases to take up the slack. This is because bromine suppresses ClO by accelerating the conversion of ClO an Cl2O2 back to HCI. For this range of conditions, the local relative efficiency of ozone destruction per bromine atom to that per chlorine atom (alpha-factor) ranges from 33 to 55, decreasing with increase of bromine.

  12. Rubberized, Brominated Epoxies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gilwee, W.; Kourtides, D.; Parker, J.; Nir, Z.

    1985-01-01

    Graphite/epoxy composite materials made with resins containing bromine and rubber additives. New composites tougher and more resistant to fire. Flame resistance increased by introducing bromine via commercial brominated flame-retartant polymeric additives.

  13. Thermodynamic Analysis of the Use a Chemical Heat Pump to Link a Supercritical Water-Cooled Nuclear Reactor and a Thermochemical Water-Splitting Cycle for Hydrogen Production

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Granovskii, Mikhail; Dincer, Ibrahim; Rosen, Marc A.; Pioro, Igor

    Increases in the power generation efficiency of nuclear power plants (NPPs) are mainly limited by the permissible temperatures in nuclear reactors and the corresponding temperatures and pressures of the coolants in reactors. Coolant parameters are limited by the corrosion rates of materials and nuclear-reactor safety constraints. The advanced construction materials for the next generation of CANDU reactors, which employ supercritical water (SCW) as a coolant and heat carrier, permit improved “steam” parameters (outlet temperatures up to 625°C and pressures of about 25 MPa). An increase in the temperature of steam allows it to be utilized in thermochemical water splitting cycles to produce hydrogen. These methods are considered by many to be among the most efficient ways to produce hydrogen from water and to have advantages over traditional low-temperature water electrolysis. However, even lower temperature water splitting cycles (Cu-Cl, UT-3, etc.) require an intensive heat supply at temperatures higher than 550-600°C. A sufficient increase in the heat transfer from the nuclear reactor to a thermochemical water splitting cycle, without jeopardizing nuclear reactor safety, might be effectively achieved by application of a heat pump, which increases the temperature of the heat supplied by virtue of a cyclic process driven by mechanical or electrical work. Here, a high-temperature chemical heat pump, which employs the reversible catalytic methane conversion reaction, is proposed. The reaction shift from exothermic to endothermic and back is achieved by a change of the steam concentration in the reaction mixture. This heat pump, coupled with the second steam cycle of a SCW nuclear power generation plant on one side and a thermochemical water splitting cycle on the other, increases the temperature of the “nuclear” heat and, consequently, the intensity of heat transfer into the water splitting cycle. A comparative preliminary thermodynamic analysis is conducted

  14. Bromine species fluxes from Lake Constance’s catchment, and a preliminary lake mass balance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gilfedder, B. S.; Petri, M.; Wessels, M.; Biester, H.

    2011-06-01

    Bromine was historically termed a cyclic salt in terrestrial freshwater environments due to its perceived conservative cycling between the oceans and the continents. This basic assumption has been challenged recently, with evidence that bromine is involved in dynamic chemical cycles in soils and freshwaters. We present here a study on dissolved bromine species (bromide, organically bound bromine, DOBr) concentrations and fluxes as well as sediment trap bromine levels and fluxes in Lake Constance, a large lake in southern Germany. Water samples were obtained from all major and some minor inflows and outflows over one year, where-after dissolved bromine species were measured by a combination of ICP-MS and ion chromatography coupled to an ICP-MS (IC-ICP-MS). Sediment traps were deployed at two locations for two years with Br, Ti and Zr levels being measured by μ-XRF. 190 t yr -1 of total dissolved bromine (TDBr) was delivered to the lake via 14 rivers and precipitation, with the rivers Alpenrhein (84 t TDBr yr -1) and the Schussen (50 t TDBr yr -1) providing the largest sources. The estimated particulate bromine flux contributed an extra 24-26 t Br yr -1. In comparison, only 40 t TDBr yr -1 was deposited to the lake's catchment by precipitation, and thus ˜80% of the riverine TDBr flux came from soils and rocks. Bromide was the dominant species accounting for, on average, 78% of TDBr concentrations and 93% of TDBr flux to the lake. Despite some high concentrations in the smaller lowland rivers, DOBr was only a minor component of the total riverine bromine flux (˜12 t yr -1, 7%), most of which came from the rivers Schussen, Bregenzer Ach and Argen. In contrast, most of the bromine in the sediment traps was bound to organic matter, and showed a clear seasonal pattern in concentrations, with a maximum in winter and minimum in summer. The summer minimum is thought to be due to dilution of a high Br autochthonous component by low bromine mineral and organic material from

  15. Review of the Two-Step H2O/CO2-Splitting Solar Thermochemical Cycle Based on Zn/ZnO Redox Reactions

    PubMed Central

    Loutzenhiser, Peter G.; Meier, Anton; Steinfeld, Aldo

    2010-01-01

    This article provides a comprehensive overview of the work to date on the two‑step solar H2O and/or CO2 splitting thermochemical cycles with Zn/ZnO redox reactions to produce H2 and/or CO, i.e., synthesis gas—the precursor to renewable liquid hydrocarbon fuels. The two-step cycle encompasses: (1) The endothermic dissociation of ZnO to Zn and O2 using concentrated solar energy as the source for high-temperature process heat; and (2) the non-solar exothermic oxidation of Zn with H2O/CO2 to generate H2/CO, respectively; the resulting ZnO is then recycled to the first step. An outline of the underlying science and the technological advances in solar reactor engineering is provided along with life cycle and economic analyses. PMID:28883361

  16. Thermochemical Users Facility | Bioenergy | NREL

    Science.gov Websites

    collaborate on research and development efforts or to use our equipment to test their materials and processes NREL's thermochemical process integration, scale-up, and piloting research. Schematic diagram of NRELs about NREL's thermochemical process integration, scale-up, and piloting research. Thermochemical

  17. Communication: The electronic entropy of charged defect formation and its impact on thermochemical redox cycles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lany, Stephan

    2018-02-01

    The ideal material for solar thermochemical water splitting, which has yet to be discovered, must satisfy stringent conditions for the free energy of reduction, including, in particular, a sufficiently large positive contribution from the solid-state entropy. By inverting the commonly used relationship between defect formation energy and defect concentration, it is shown here that charged defect formation causes a large electronic entropy contribution manifesting itself as the temperature dependence of the Fermi level. This result is a general feature of charged defect formation and motivates new materials design principles for solar thermochemical hydrogen production.

  18. Communication: The electronic entropy of charged defect formation and its impact on thermochemical redox cycles

    DOE PAGES

    Lany, Stephan

    2018-02-21

    The ideal material for solar thermochemical water splitting, which has yet to be discovered, must satisfy stringent conditions for the free energy of reduction, including, in particular, a sufficiently large positive contribution from the solid-state entropy. By inverting the commonly used relationship between defect formation energy and defect concentration, it is shown here that charged defect formation causes a large electronic entropy contribution manifesting itself as the temperature dependence of the Fermi level. This result is a general feature of charged defect formation and motivates new materials design principles for solar thermochemical hydrogen production.

  19. Communication: The electronic entropy of charged defect formation and its impact on thermochemical redox cycles

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lany, Stephan

    The ideal material for solar thermochemical water splitting, which has yet to be discovered, must satisfy stringent conditions for the free energy of reduction, including, in particular, a sufficiently large positive contribution from the solid-state entropy. By inverting the commonly used relationship between defect formation energy and defect concentration, it is shown here that charged defect formation causes a large electronic entropy contribution manifesting itself as the temperature dependence of the Fermi level. This result is a general feature of charged defect formation and motivates new materials design principles for solar thermochemical hydrogen production.

  20. Thermochemical generation of hydrogen

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lawson, D. D.; Petersen, G. R. (Inventor)

    1982-01-01

    The direct fluid contact heat exchange with H2SO4 at about 330 C prior to high temperature decomposition at about 830 C in the oxygen release step of several thermochemical cycles for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen provides higher heat transfer rates, savings in energy and permits use of cast vessels rather than expensive forged alloy indirect heat exchangers. Among several candidate perfluorocarbon liquids tested, only perfluoropropylene oxide polymers having a degree of polymerization from about 10 to 60 were chemically stable, had low miscibility and vapor pressure when tested with sulfuric acid at temperatures from 300 C to 400 C.

  1. Improved electrolyte for zinc-bromine flow batteries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, M. C.; Zhao, T. S.; Wei, L.; Jiang, H. R.; Zhang, R. H.

    2018-04-01

    Conventional zinc bromide electrolytes offer low ionic conductivity and often trigger severe zinc dendrite growth in zinc-bromine flow batteries. Here we report an improved electrolyte modified with methanesulfonic acid, which not only improves the electrolyte conductivity but also ameliorates zinc dendrite. Experimental results also reveal that the kinetics and reversibility of Zn2+/Zn and Br2/Br- are improved in this modified electrolyte. Moreover, the battery's internal resistance is significantly reduced from 4.9 to 2.0 Ω cm2 after adding 1 M methanesulfonic acid, thus leading to an improved energy efficiency from 64% to 75% at a current density of 40 mA cm-2. More impressively, the battery is capable of delivering an energy efficiency of about 78% at a current density of as high as 80 mA cm-2 when the electrode is replaced by a thermally treated one. Additionally, zinc dendrite growth is found to be effectively suppressed in methanesulfonic acid supported media, which, as a result, enables the battery to be operated for 50 cycles without degradation, whereas the one without methanesulfonic acid suffers from significant decay after only 40 cycles, primarily due to severe zinc dendrite growth. These superior results indicate methanesulfonic acid is a promising supporting electrolyte for zinc-bromine flow batteries.

  2. CFD studies on biomass thermochemical conversion.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yiqun; Yan, Lifeng

    2008-06-01

    Thermochemical conversion of biomass offers an efficient and economically process to provide gaseous, liquid and solid fuels and prepare chemicals derived from biomass. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modeling applications on biomass thermochemical processes help to optimize the design and operation of thermochemical reactors. Recent progression in numerical techniques and computing efficacy has advanced CFD as a widely used approach to provide efficient design solutions in industry. This paper introduces the fundamentals involved in developing a CFD solution. Mathematical equations governing the fluid flow, heat and mass transfer and chemical reactions in thermochemical systems are described and sub-models for individual processes are presented. It provides a review of various applications of CFD in the biomass thermochemical process field.

  3. Thermochemical CO2 splitting via redox cycling of ceria reticulated foam structures with dual-scale porosities.

    PubMed

    Furler, Philipp; Scheffe, Jonathan; Marxer, Daniel; Gorbar, Michal; Bonk, Alexander; Vogt, Ulrich; Steinfeld, Aldo

    2014-06-14

    Efficient heat transfer of concentrated solar energy and rapid chemical kinetics are desired characteristics of solar thermochemical redox cycles for splitting CO2. We have fabricated reticulated porous ceramic (foam-type) structures made of ceria with dual-scale porosity in the millimeter and micrometer ranges. The larger void size range, with dmean = 2.5 mm and porosity = 0.76-0.82, enables volumetric absorption of concentrated solar radiation for efficient heat transfer to the reaction site during endothermic reduction, while the smaller void size range within the struts, with dmean = 10 μm and strut porosity = 0-0.44, increases the specific surface area for enhanced reaction kinetics during exothermic oxidation with CO2. Characterization is performed via mercury intrusion porosimetry, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Samples are thermally reduced at 1773 K and subsequently oxidized with CO2 at temperatures in the range 873-1273 K. On average, CO production rates are ten times higher for samples with 0.44 strut porosity than for samples with non-porous struts. The oxidation rate scales with specific surface area and the apparent activation energy ranges from 90 to 135.7 kJ mol(-1). Twenty consecutive redox cycles exhibited stable CO production yield per cycle. Testing of the dual-scale RPC in a solar cavity-receiver exposed to high-flux thermal radiation (3.8 kW radiative power at 3015 suns) corroborated the superior performance observed in the TGA, yielding a shorter cycle time and a mean solar-to-fuel energy conversion efficiency of 1.72%.

  4. CFD Studies on Biomass Thermochemical Conversion

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Yiqun; Yan, Lifeng

    2008-01-01

    Thermochemical conversion of biomass offers an efficient and economically process to provide gaseous, liquid and solid fuels and prepare chemicals derived from biomass. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modeling applications on biomass thermochemical processes help to optimize the design and operation of thermochemical reactors. Recent progression in numerical techniques and computing efficacy has advanced CFD as a widely used approach to provide efficient design solutions in industry. This paper introduces the fundamentals involved in developing a CFD solution. Mathematical equations governing the fluid flow, heat and mass transfer and chemical reactions in thermochemical systems are described and sub-models for individual processes are presented. It provides a review of various applications of CFD in the biomass thermochemical process field. PMID:19325848

  5. Thermochemical energy storage with ammonia: Aiming for the sunshot cost target

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lavine, Adrienne S.; Lovegrove, Keith M.; Jordan, Joshua; Anleu, Gabriela Bran; Chen, Chen; Aryafar, Hamarz; Sepulveda, Abdon

    2016-05-01

    Thermochemical energy storage has the potential to reduce the cost of concentrating solar thermal power. This paper presents recent advances in ammonia-based thermochemical energy storage (TCES), supported by an award from the U.S. Dept. of Energy SunShot program. Advances have been made in three areas: identification of promising approaches for underground containment of the gaseous products of the dissociation reaction, demonstration that ammonia synthesis can be used to generate steam for a supercritical-steam Rankine cycle, and a preliminary design for integration of the endothermic reactors within a tower receiver. Based on these advances, ammonia-based TCES shows promise to meet the 15/kWht SunShot cost target.

  6. Mineral Resource of the Month: Bromine

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Schnebele, Emily

    2015-01-01

    Bromine, along with mercury, is one of only two elements that are liquid at room temperature. Bromine is a highly volatile and corrosive reddish-brown liquid that evaporates easily and converts to a metal at extreme pressures — above about 540,000 times atmospheric pressure. Bromine occurs in seawater, evaporitic (salt) lakes and underground brines associated with petroleum deposits. 

  7. Solar thermochemical splitting of water to generate hydrogen

    PubMed Central

    Rao, C. N. R.; Dey, Sunita

    2017-01-01

    Solar photochemical means of splitting water (artificial photosynthesis) to generate hydrogen is emerging as a viable process. The solar thermochemical route also promises to be an attractive means of achieving this objective. In this paper we present different types of thermochemical cycles that one can use for the purpose. These include the low-temperature multistep process as well as the high-temperature two-step process. It is noteworthy that the multistep process based on the Mn(II)/Mn(III) oxide system can be carried out at 700 °C or 750 °C. The two-step process has been achieved at 1,300 °C/900 °C by using yttrium-based rare earth manganites. It seems possible to render this high-temperature process as an isothermal process. Thermodynamics and kinetics of H2O splitting are largely controlled by the inherent redox properties of the materials. Interestingly, under the conditions of H2O splitting in the high-temperature process CO2 can also be decomposed to CO, providing a feasible method for generating the industrially important syngas (CO+H2). Although carbonate formation can be addressed as a hurdle during CO2 splitting, the problem can be avoided by a suitable choice of experimental conditions. The choice of the solar reactor holds the key for the commercialization of thermochemical fuel production. PMID:28522461

  8. Thermochemical hydrogen production based on magnetic fusion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krikorian, O. H.; Brown, L. C.

    Preliminary results of a DoE study to define the configuration and production costs for a Tandem Mirror Reactor (TMR) heat source H2 fuel production plant are presented. The TMR uses the D-T reaction to produce thermal energy and dc electrical current, with an Li blanket employed to breed more H-3 for fuel. Various blanket designs are being considered, and the coupling of two of them, a heat pipe blanket to a Joule-boosted decomposer, and a two-temperature zone blanket to a fluidized bed decomposer, are discussed. The thermal energy would be used in an H2SO4 thermochemical cycler to produce the H2. The Joule-boosted decomposer, involving the use of electrically heated commercial SiC furnace elements to transfer process heat to the thermochemical H2 cycle, is found to yield H2 fuel at a cost of $12-14/GJ, which is the projected cost of fossil fuels in 30-40 yr, when the TMR H2 production facility would be operable.

  9. Thermochemical production of hydrogen

    DOEpatents

    Dreyfuss, Robert M.

    1976-07-13

    A thermochemical reaction cycle for the generation of hydrogen from water comprising the following sequence of reactions wherein M represents a metal and Z represents a metalloid selected from the arsenic-antimony-bismuth and selenium-tellurium subgroups of the periodic system: 2MO + Z + SO.sub.2 .fwdarw. MZ + MSO.sub.4 (1) mz + h.sub.2 so.sub.4 .fwdarw. mso.sub.4 + h.sub.2 z (2) 2mso.sub.4 .fwdarw. 2mo + so.sub.2 + so.sub.3 + 1/20.sub.2 (3) h.sub.2 z .fwdarw. z + h.sub.2 (4) h.sub.2 o + so.sub.3 .fwdarw. h.sub.2 so.sub.4 (5) the net reaction is the decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen.

  10. Thermochemical reactor systems and methods

    DOEpatents

    Lipinski, Wojciech; Davidson, Jane Holloway; Chase, Thomas Richard

    2016-11-29

    Thermochemical reactor systems that may be used to produce a fuel, and methods of using the thermochemical reactor systems, utilizing a reactive cylindrical element, an optional energy transfer cylindrical element, an inlet gas management system, and an outlet gas management system.

  11. 40 CFR 721.3085 - Brominated phthalate ester.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Brominated phthalate ester. 721.3085... Substances § 721.3085 Brominated phthalate ester. (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substance identified generically as brominated phthalate ester (PMN P-90-581) is...

  12. 40 CFR 721.3085 - Brominated phthalate ester.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Brominated phthalate ester. 721.3085... Substances § 721.3085 Brominated phthalate ester. (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substance identified generically as brominated phthalate ester (PMN P-90-581) is...

  13. 40 CFR 721.3085 - Brominated phthalate ester.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Brominated phthalate ester. 721.3085... Substances § 721.3085 Brominated phthalate ester. (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substance identified generically as brominated phthalate ester (PMN P-90-581) is...

  14. Horizontal and vertical structure of reactive bromine events probed by bromine monoxide MAX-DOAS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Simpson, William R.; Peterson, Peter K.; Frieß, Udo; Sihler, Holger; Lampel, Johannes; Platt, Ulrich; Moore, Chris; Pratt, Kerri; Shepson, Paul; Halfacre, John; Nghiem, Son V.

    2017-08-01

    Heterogeneous photochemistry converts bromide (Br-) to reactive bromine species (Br atoms and bromine monoxide, BrO) that dominate Arctic springtime chemistry. This phenomenon has many impacts such as boundary-layer ozone depletion, mercury oxidation and deposition, and modification of the fate of hydrocarbon species. To study environmental controls on reactive bromine events, the BRomine, Ozone, and Mercury EXperiment (BROMEX) was carried out from early March to mid-April 2012 near Barrow (Utqiaġvik), Alaska. We measured horizontal and vertical gradients in BrO with multiple-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) instrumentation at three sites, two mobile and one fixed. During the campaign, a large crack in the sea ice (an open lead) formed pushing one instrument package ˜ 250 km downwind from Barrow (Utqiaġvik). Convection associated with the open lead converted the BrO vertical structure from a surface-based event to a lofted event downwind of the lead influence. The column abundance of BrO downwind of the re-freezing lead was comparable to upwind amounts, indicating direct reactions on frost flowers or open seawater was not a major reactive bromine source. When these three sites were separated by ˜ 30 km length scales of unbroken sea ice, the BrO amount and vertical distributions were highly correlated for most of the time, indicating the horizontal length scales of BrO events were typically larger than ˜ 30 km in the absence of sea ice features. Although BrO amount and vertical distribution were similar between sites most of the time, rapid changes in BrO with edges significantly smaller than this ˜ 30 km length scale episodically transported between the sites, indicating BrO events were large but with sharp edge contrasts. BrO was often found in shallow layers that recycled reactive bromine via heterogeneous reactions on snowpack. Episodically, these surface-based events propagated aloft when aerosol extinction was higher (> 0.1 km

  15. Refractory concentrate gold leaching: Cyanide vs. bromine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dadgar, Ahmad

    1989-12-01

    Gold extraction, recovery and economics for two refractory concentrates were investigated using cyanide and bromine reagents. Gold extractions for cyanide leaching (24-48 hours) and bromine leaching (six hours) were the same and ranged from 94 to 96%. Gold recoveries from bromine pregnant solutions using carbon adsorption, ion exchange, solvent extraction, and zinc and aluminum precipitation methods were better than 99.9%. A preliminary economic analysis indicates that chemical costs for cyanidation and bromine process are 11.70 and 11.60 respectively, per tonne of calcine processed.

  16. Graphite fiber intercalation: Dynamics of the bromine intercalation process

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jaworske, D. A.; Zinolabedini, R.

    1985-01-01

    The resistance of pitch-based graphite fibers was monitored, in situ, during a series of bromine intercalation experiments. The threshold pressure for the bromine intercalation of pitch-based fibers was estimated to be 102 torr. When the bromine atmosphere was removed from the reaction chamber, the resistivity of the intercalated graphite fibers increased consistently. This increase was attributed to loss of bromine from the perimeter of the fiber. The loss was confirmed by mapping the bromine concentration across the diameter of single intercalated fibers with either energy dispersive spectroscopy or scanning Auger microscopy. A statistical study comparing fibers intercalated in bromine vapor with fibers intercalated in bromine liquid showed that similar products were obtained with both methods of intercalation.

  17. Hydrogen-bromine fuel cell advance component development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Charleston, Joann; Reed, James

    1988-01-01

    Advanced cell component development is performed by NASA Lewis to achieve improved performance and longer life for the hydrogen-bromine fuel cells system. The state-of-the-art hydrogen-bromine system utilizes the solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) technology, similar to the SPE technology developed for the hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell system. These studies are directed at exploring the potential for this system by assessing and evaluating various types of materials for cell parts and electrode materials for Bromine-hydrogen bromine environment and fabricating experimental membrane/electrode-catalysts by chemical deposition.

  18. 21 CFR 180.30 - Brominated vegetable oil.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... ADDITIVES PERMITTED IN FOOD OR IN CONTACT WITH FOOD ON AN INTERIM BASIS PENDING ADDITIONAL STUDY Specific Requirements for Certain Food Additives § 180.30 Brominated vegetable oil. The food additive brominated... 21 Food and Drugs 3 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Brominated vegetable oil. 180.30 Section 180.30...

  19. Preparation of ionic membranes for zinc/bromine storage batteries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Assink, R. A.; Arnold, C., Jr.

    Zinc/bromine flow batteries are being developed for vehicular and utility load leveling applications. During charge, an aqueous zinc bromide salt is electrolyzed to zinc metal and molecular bromine. During discharge, the zinc and bromine react to again form the zinc bromide salt. One serious disadvantage of the microporous separators presently used in the zinc/bromine battery is that modest amounts of bromine and negatively charged bromine moieties permeate through these materials and react with the zinc anode. This results in partial self-discharge of the battery and low coulombic efficiencies. Our approach to this problem is to impregnate the microporous separators with a soluble cationic polyelectrolyte. In laboratory screening tests a sulfonated polysulfone resin and fully fluorinated sulfonic acid polymer substantially reduced bromine permeation with only modest increases in the area resistance.

  20. High Efficiency Solar Thermochemical Reactor for Hydrogen Production.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    McDaniel, Anthony H.

    2017-09-30

    This research and development project is focused on the advancement of a technology that produces hydrogen at a cost that is competitive with fossil-based fuels for transportation. A twostep, solar-driven WS thermochemical cycle is theoretically capable of achieving an STH conversion ratio that exceeds the DOE target of 26% at a scale large enough to support an industrialized economy [1]. The challenge is to transition this technology from the laboratory to the marketplace and produce hydrogen at a cost that meets or exceeds DOE targets.

  1. Bromine accumulation in acidic black colluvial soils

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martínez Cortizas, Antonio; Ferro Vázquez, Cruz; Kaal, Joeri; Biester, Harald; Costa Casais, Manuela; Taboada Rodríguez, Teresa; Rodríguez Lado, Luis

    2016-02-01

    Recent investigations showed that bromine is incorporated to soil organic matter (SOM), its content increasing with humification. But few research was done on its long-term accumulation and the role played by pedogenetic processes, as those involved in organic matter stabilization. We investigated bromine content and distribution in four deep, acidic, organic-rich, Holocene soils from an oceanic area of Western Europe. Bromine concentrations (93-778 μg g-1) in the silt + clay (<50 μm) fraction were on average 3-times higher than those (17-250 μg g-1) in the fine earth (<2 mm), the former containing almost all bromine (90 ± 5%). Inventories were between 148 and 314 g m-2, indicating a rather large variability in a small area, and total estimated retention was low (6-16%). The degree of SOM bromination, expressed as the Br/C molar ratio, varied between 0.03 and 1.20 mmol Br/mol C. The ratio was highly correlated (n = 23, r2 0.88, p < 0.01) with the age of the SOM for the last ∼12 ka. Partial least squares modeling indicates that bromine concentration depends on the amount of organic matter stabilized as aluminium-OM associations, and to a lesser extent on soil acidity (pH) and iron-OM associations. Thus, at scales of thousands of years, bromine accumulation in acidic soils is linked to the pool of metal-clay-stabilized organic matter.

  2. Kinetics of thermochemical gas-solid reactions important in the Venus sulfur cycle

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fegley, Bruce, Jr.

    1988-01-01

    The thermochemical net reaction CaCO3 + SO2 yields CaSO4 + CO is predicted to be an important sink for incorporation of SO2 into the Venus crust. The reaction rate law was established to understand the dependence of rate on experimental variables such as temperature and partial pressure of SO2, CO2, and O2. The experimental approach was a variant of the thermogravimetric method often employed to study the kinetics of thermochemical gas-solid reactions. Clear calcite crystals were heated at constant temperature in SO2-bearing gas streams for varying time periods. Reaction rate was determined by three independent methods. A weighted linear least squares fit to all rate data yielded a rate equation. Based on the Venera 13, 14 and Vega 2 observations of CaO content of the Venus atmosphere, SO2 at the calculated rate would be removed from the Venus atmosphere in about 1,900,00 years. The most plausible endogenic source of the sulfur needed to replenish atmospheric SO2 is volcanism. The annual amount of erupted material needed for the replenishment depends on sulfur content; three ratios are used to calculate rates ranging from 0.4 to 11 cu km/year. This geochemically derived volcanism rate can be used to test if geophysically derived rates are correct. The work also suggests that Venus is less volcanically active than the Earth.

  3. Thermodynamic analysis of a combined-cycle solar thermal power plant with manganese oxide-based thermochemical energy storage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lei, Qi; Bader, Roman; Kreider, Peter; Lovegrove, Keith; Lipiński, Wojciech

    2017-11-01

    We explore the thermodynamic efficiency of a solar-driven combined cycle power system with manganese oxide-based thermochemical energy storage system. Manganese oxide particles are reduced during the day in an oxygen-lean atmosphere obtained with a fluidized-bed reactor at temperatures in the range of 750-1600°C using concentrated solar energy. Reduced hot particles are stored and re-oxidized during night-time to achieve continuous power plant operation. The steady-state mass and energy conservation equations are solved for all system components to calculate the thermodynamic properties and mass flow rates at all state points in the system, taking into account component irreversibilities. The net power block and overall solar-to-electric energy conversion efficiencies, and the required storage volumes for solids and gases in the storage system are predicted. Preliminary results for a system with 100 MW nominal solar power input at a solar concentration ratio of 3000, designed for constant round-the-clock operation with 8 hours of on-sun and 16 hours of off-sun operation and with manganese oxide particles cycled between 750 and 1600°C yield a net power block efficiency of 60.0% and an overall energy conversion efficiency of 41.3%. Required storage tank sizes for the solids are estimated to be approx. 5-6 times smaller than those of state-of-the-art molten salt systems.

  4. The milling of pristine and brominated P-100 graphite fibers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dillehay, M. E.; Gaier, J. R.

    1986-01-01

    Techniques were developed for the ball milling of pristine and brominated P-100 graphite fibers. Because of the lubrication properties of graphite, large ball loads (50 percent by volume) were required. Use of 2-propanol as a milling medium enhanced the efficiency of the process. Milled brominated P-100 fibers had resistivities which were indistinguishable from milled pristine P-100 fibers. Apparent loss of bromine from the brominated fibers suggests that bromine would not be the intercalate of choice in applications where milled fibers of this type are required. Other intercalates which do not degas may be more appropriate for a milled fiber application. These same results, however, do provide evidence that bromine molecules leave the fiber surface when removed from overpressure of bromine. While exploring possible solvent media for milling purposes, it was found that brominated fibers are stable in a wide variety of organic solvents.

  5. Hybrid Thermochemical/Biological Processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brown, Robert C.

    The conventional view of biorefineries is that lignocellulosic plant material will be fractionated into cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and terpenes before these components are biochemically converted into market products. Occasionally, these plants include a thermochemical step at the end of the process to convert recalcitrant plant components or mixed waste streams into heat to meet thermal energy demands elsewhere in the facility. However, another possibility for converting high-fiber plant materials is to start by thermochemically processing it into a uniform intermediate product that can be biologically converted into a bio-based product. This alternative route to bio-based products is known as hybrid thermochemical/biological processing. There are two distinct approaches to hybrid processing: (a) gasification followed by fermentation of the resulting gaseous mixture of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), and carbon dioxide (CO2) and (b) fast pyrolysis followed by hydrolysis and/or fermentation of the anhydrosugars found in the resulting bio-oil. This article explores this "cart before the horse" approach to biorefineries.

  6. Abiotic Bromination of Soil Organic Matter

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Leri, Alessandra C.; Ravel, Bruce

    Biogeochemical transformations of plant-derived soil organic matter (SOM) involve complex abiotic and microbially mediated reactions. One such reaction is halogenation, which occurs naturally in the soil environment and has been associated with enzymatic activity of decomposer organisms. Building on a recent finding that naturally produced organobromine is ubiquitous in SOM, we hypothesized that inorganic bromide could be subject to abiotic oxidations resulting in bromination of SOM. Through lab-based degradation treatments of plant material and soil humus, we have shown that abiotic bromination of particulate organic matter occurs in the presence of a range of inorganic oxidants, including hydrogen peroxide andmore » assorted forms of ferric iron, producing both aliphatic and aromatic forms of organobromine. Bromination of oak and pine litter is limited primarily by bromide concentration. Fresh plant material is more susceptible to bromination than decayed litter and soil humus, due to a labile pool of mainly aliphatic compounds that break down during early stages of SOM formation. As the first evidence of abiotic bromination of particulate SOM, this study identifies a mechanistic source of the natural organobromine in humic substances and the soil organic horizon. Formation of organobromine through oxidative treatments of plant material also provides insights into the relative stability of aromatic and aliphatic components of SOM.« less

  7. Abiotic Bromination of Soil Organic Matter.

    PubMed

    Leri, Alessandra C; Ravel, Bruce

    2015-11-17

    Biogeochemical transformations of plant-derived soil organic matter (SOM) involve complex abiotic and microbially mediated reactions. One such reaction is halogenation, which occurs naturally in the soil environment and has been associated with enzymatic activity of decomposer organisms. Building on a recent finding that naturally produced organobromine is ubiquitous in SOM, we hypothesized that inorganic bromide could be subject to abiotic oxidations resulting in bromination of SOM. Through lab-based degradation treatments of plant material and soil humus, we have shown that abiotic bromination of particulate organic matter occurs in the presence of a range of inorganic oxidants, including hydrogen peroxide and assorted forms of ferric iron, producing both aliphatic and aromatic forms of organobromine. Bromination of oak and pine litter is limited primarily by bromide concentration. Fresh plant material is more susceptible to bromination than decayed litter and soil humus, due to a labile pool of mainly aliphatic compounds that break down during early stages of SOM formation. As the first evidence of abiotic bromination of particulate SOM, this study identifies a mechanistic source of the natural organobromine in humic substances and the soil organic horizon. Formation of organobromine through oxidative treatments of plant material also provides insights into the relative stability of aromatic and aliphatic components of SOM.

  8. The use of poly-cation oxides to lower the temperature of two-step thermochemical water splitting

    DOE PAGES

    Zhai, Shang; Rojas, Jimmy; Ahlborg, Nadia; ...

    2018-01-01

    We report the discovery of a new class of oxides – poly-cation oxides (PCOs) – that consist of multiple cations and can thermochemically split water in a two-step cycle to produce hydrogen (H 2 ) and oxygen (O 2 ).

  9. Brominated dibenzofurans

    Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS)

    Brominated dibenzofurans ; no CASRN Human health assessment information on a chemical substance is included in the IRIS database only after a comprehensive review of toxicity data , as outlined in the IRIS assessment development process . Sections I ( Health Hazard Assessments for Noncarcinogenic Ef

  10. Process for the thermochemical production of hydrogen

    DOEpatents

    Norman, John H.; Russell, Jr., John L.; Porter, II, John T.; McCorkle, Kenneth H.; Roemer, Thomas S.; Sharp, Robert

    1978-01-01

    Hydrogen is thermochemically produced from water in a cycle wherein a first reaction produces hydrogen iodide and H.sub.2 SO.sub.4 by the reaction of iodine, sulfur dioxide and water under conditions which cause two distinct aqueous phases to be formed, i.e., a lighter sulfuric acid-bearing phase and a heavier hydrogen iodide-bearing phase. After separation of the two phases, the heavier phase containing most of the hydrogen iodide is treated, e.g., at a high temperature, to decompose the hydrogen iodide and recover hydrogen and iodine. The H.sub.2 SO.sub.4 is pyrolyzed to recover sulfur dioxide and produce oxygen.

  11. Climate Impact and Economic Feasibility of Solar Thermochemical Jet Fuel Production.

    PubMed

    Falter, Christoph; Batteiger, Valentin; Sizmann, Andreas

    2016-01-05

    Solar thermochemistry presents a promising option for the efficient conversion of H2O and CO2 into liquid hydrocarbon fuels using concentrated solar energy. To explore the potential of this fuel production pathway, the climate impact and economic performance are analyzed. Key drivers for the economic and ecological performance are thermochemical energy conversion efficiency, the level of solar irradiation, operation and maintenance, and the initial investment in the fuel production plant. For the baseline case of a solar tower concentrator with CO2 capture from air, jet fuel production costs of 2.23 €/L and life cycle greenhouse gas (LC GHG) emissions of 0.49 kgCO2-equiv/L are estimated. Capturing CO2 from a natural gas combined cycle power plant instead of the air reduces the production costs by 15% but leads to LC GHG emissions higher than that of conventional jet fuel. Favorable assumptions for all involved process steps (30% thermochemical energy conversion efficiency, 3000 kWh/(m(2) a) solar irradiation, low CO2 and heliostat costs) result in jet fuel production costs of 1.28 €/L at LC GHG emissions close to zero. Even lower production costs may be achieved if the commercial value of oxygen as a byproduct is considered.

  12. Brominated carbon black: An EDXD study

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Carbone, Marilena; Gontrani, Lorenzo, E-mail: lorenzo.gontrani@uniroma1.it

    2014-06-19

    An energy dispersive X-Ray study of pure and brominated carbon black was carried out. The analysis of the diffraction patterns reveals that the low bromine load (ca.1% mol) is trapped into the structure, without significantly modifying it. This allows the application of the difference methods, widely tested for electrolyte solutions, inorganic matrices containing metals and isomorphic substitutions.

  13. Experimental and thermodynamic study of Co-Fe and Mn-Fe based mixed metal oxides for thermochemical energy storage application

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    André, Laurie; Abanades, Stéphane; Cassayre, Laurent

    2017-06-01

    Metal oxides are potential materials for thermochemical heat storage, and among them, cobalt oxide and manganese oxide are attracting attention. Furthermore, studies on mixed oxides are ongoing, as the synthesis of mixed oxides could be a way to answer the drawbacks of pure metal oxides, such as slow reaction kinetics, loss-in-capacity over cycles or sintering, selected for thermochemical heat storage application. The addition of iron oxide is under investigation and the obtained results are presented. This work proposes a comparison of thermodynamic modelling with experimental data in order to identify the impact of iron oxide addition to cobalt oxide and manganese oxide. Fe addition decreased the redox activity and energy storage capacity of Co3O4, whereas the cycling stability of Mn2O3 was significantly improved with added Fe amounts above 20 mol% while the energy storage capacity was unchanged. The thermodynamic modelling method to predict the behavior of the Mn-Fe-O and Co-Fe-O systems was validated, and the possibility to identify other mixed oxides becomes conceivable, by enabling the selection of transition metals additives for metal oxides destined for thermochemical energy storage applications.

  14. Resist Rolymers. 8. Thermolysis of Bromine Containing Acrylate Polymers.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1987-06-01

    bromine containing polymers is particularly interesting because of their role as proven flame retardants . The bromine ...BrI IC COOH I -co2 (1 CH MeI I Br --- CH 2 ---- The presence of bromine on ester units apparently alters the principal mode of degradation of the...CH2---C C--- I I I I C-O C-O C C=O 0’ OCH2CH2Br 0 0 + ’OCH2CH 2Br (6) As described earlier6 bromoethoxy radical loose bromine atom at

  15. High-temperature thermochemical energy storage based on redox reactions using Co-Fe and Mn-Fe mixed metal oxides

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    André, Laurie; Abanades, Stéphane; Cassayre, Laurent

    2017-09-01

    Metal oxides are potential materials for thermochemical heat storage via reversible endothermal/exothermal redox reactions, and among them, cobalt oxide and manganese oxide are attracting attention. The synthesis of mixed oxides is considered as a way to answer the drawbacks of pure metal oxides, such as slow reaction kinetics, loss-in-capacity over cycles or sintering issues, and the materials potential for thermochemical heat storage application needs to be assessed. This work proposes a study combining thermodynamic calculations and experimental measurements by simultaneous thermogravimetric analysis and calorimetry, in order to identify the impact of iron oxide addition to Co and Mn-based oxides. Fe addition decreased the redox activity and energy storage capacity of Co3O4/CoO, whereas the reaction rate, reversibility and cycling stability of Mn2O3/Mn3O4 was significantly enhanced with added Fe amounts above 15 mol%, and the energy storage capacity was slightly improved. The formation of a reactive cubic spinel explained the improved re-oxidation yield of Mn-based oxides that could be cycled between bixbyite and cubic spinel phases, whereas a low reactive tetragonal spinel phase showing poor re-oxidation was formed below 15 mol% Fe. Thermodynamic equilibrium calculations predict accurately the behavior of both systems. The possibility to identify other suitable mixed oxides becomes conceivable, by enabling the selection of transition metal additives for tuning the redox properties of mixed metal oxides destined for thermochemical energy storage applications.

  16. Deriving an atmospheric budget of total organic bromine using airborne in-situ measurements of brominated hydrocarbons in the Western Pacific during SHIVA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sala, Stephan; Bönisch, Harald; Keber, Timo; Oram, Dave; Mills, Graham; Engel, Andreas

    2014-05-01

    Halogenated hydrocarbons play a major role as precursors for stratospheric ozone depletion. Released from the surface in the troposphere, the halocarbons reach the stratosphere via transport through the tropical tropopause layer. The contribution of the so called very short lived species (VSLS), having atmospheric lifetimes of less than half a year as sources gases for stratospheric bromine is significant. Source gas observations of long-lived bromine compounds and VSLS have so far not been able to explain the amount of bromine derived in the stratosphere from observations of BrO and modeling of the ratio of BrO to total bromine. Due to the short lifetimes and the high atmospheric variability, the representativeness of the available observations of VSLS source gases remains unclear, as these may vary with region and display seasonal variability. During the SHIVA (Stratospheric Ozone: Halogen Impacts in a Varying Atmosphere) project an extensive dataset with over 700 samples of ambient air of all halogen species relevant for the atmospheric budget of total organic bromine (long lived halocarbons: H-1301, H-1211, H-1202, H-2402 and CH3Br, very short lived substances: CHBr3, CH2Br2, CHBr2Cl, CHBrCl2 and CHBrCl) have been collected from onboard the FALCON aircraft in the West Pacific region. Measurements were performed with the newly developed fully-automated in-situ instrument GHOST-MS (Gas chromatograph for the Observation of Tracers - coupled with a Mass Spectrometer) by the Goethe University of Frankfurt and with the onboard whole-air sampler WASP with subsequent ground based state-of-the-art GC/MS analysis by the University of East Anglia. We will present the datasets, compare these to other observation, derive a bromine budget for the West Pacific and derive an estimate of the amount of bromine from VSLS reaching the stratosphere. Using the mean mixing ratios in the upper troposphere of the halocarbons mentioned above, the calculated budget of the total organic

  17. Thermochemical Conversion Techno-Economic Analysis | Bioenergy | NREL

    Science.gov Websites

    Conversion Techno-Economic Analysis Thermochemical Conversion Techno-Economic Analysis NREL's Thermochemical Conversion Analysis team focuses on the conceptual process design and techno-economic analysis , detailed process models, and TEA developed under this project provide insights into the potential economic

  18. 21 CFR 180.30 - Brominated vegetable oil.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION (CONTINUED) FOOD ADDITIVES PERMITTED IN FOOD OR IN CONTACT WITH FOOD ON AN INTERIM BASIS PENDING ADDITIONAL STUDY Specific Requirements for Certain Food Additives § 180.30 Brominated vegetable oil. The food additive brominated vegetable oil may be safely used in accordance with...

  19. Life cycle assessment of hydrogen production from S-I thermochemical process coupled to a high temperature gas reactor

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Giraldi, M. R.; Francois, J. L.; Castro-Uriegas, D.

    The purpose of this paper is to quantify the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated to the hydrogen produced by the sulfur-iodine thermochemical process, coupled to a high temperature nuclear reactor, and to compare the results with other life cycle analysis (LCA) studies on hydrogen production technologies, both conventional and emerging. The LCA tool was used to quantify the impacts associated with climate change. The product system was defined by the following steps: (i) extraction and manufacturing of raw materials (upstream flows), (U) external energy supplied to the system, (iii) nuclear power plant, and (iv) hydrogen production plant. Particular attention wasmore » focused to those processes where there was limited information from literature about inventory data, as the TRISO fuel manufacture, and the production of iodine. The results show that the electric power, supplied to the hydrogen plant, is a sensitive parameter for GHG emissions. When the nuclear power plant supplied the electrical power, low GHG emissions were obtained. These results improve those reported by conventional hydrogen production methods, such as steam reforming. (authors)« less

  20. 40 CFR 721.775 - Brominated aromatic com-pound (generic name).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Brominated aromatic com-pound (generic... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.775 Brominated aromatic com-pound (generic name). (a) Chemical... as a brominated aromatic compound (PMN P-84-824) is subject to reporting under this section for the...

  1. Fate of higher brominated PBDEs in lactating cows.

    PubMed

    Kierkegaard, Amelie; Asplund, Lillemor; de Wit, Cynthia A; McLachlan, Michael S; Thomas, Gareth O; Sweetman, Andrew J; Jones, Kevin C

    2007-01-15

    Dietary intake studies of lower brominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs) have shown that fish and animal products are important vectors of human exposure, but almost no data exist for higher brominated BDEs. Therefore, the fate of hepta- to decaBDEs was studied in lactating cows exposed to a naturally contaminated diet by analyzing feed, feces, and milk samples from a previous mass balance study of PCB. Tissue distribution was studied in one cow slaughtered after the experiment. BDE-209 was the dominant congener in feed, organs, adipose tissues, and feces, but not in milk. In contrast to PCBs and lower brominated BDEs, concentrations of hepta- to decaBDEs in adipose tissue were 9-80 times higher than in milk fat and the difference increased with degree of bromination/log K(OW). The congener profiles in adipose tissue and feed differed; BDE-207, BDE-196, BDE-197, and BDE-182 accumulated to a surprisingly greater extent in the fat compared to their isomers, suggesting metabolic debromination of BDE-209 to these BDEs. The results indicate that meat rather than dairy product consumption may be an important human exposure route to higher brominated BDEs.

  2. Structure and functionality of bromine doped graphite.

    PubMed

    Hamdan, Rashid; Kemper, A F; Cao, Chao; Cheng, H P

    2013-04-28

    First-principles calculations are used to study the enhanced in-plane conductivity observed experimentally in Br-doped graphite, and to study the effect of external stress on the structure and functionality of such systems. The model used in the numerical calculations is that of stage two doped graphite. The band structure near the Fermi surface of the doped systems with different bromine concentrations is compared to that of pure graphite, and the charge transfer between carbon and bromine atoms is analyzed to understand the conductivity change along different high symmetry directions. Our calculations show that, for large interlayer separation between doped graphite layers, bromine is stable in the molecular form (Br2). However, with increased compression (decreased layer-layer separation) Br2 molecules tend to dissociate. While in both forms, bromine is an electron acceptor. The charge exchange between the graphite layers and Br atoms is higher than that with Br2 molecules. Electron transfer to the Br atoms increases the number of hole carriers in the graphite sheets, resulting in an increase of conductivity.

  3. Brominated Flame Retardants

    EPA Science Inventory

    Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) belong to a large class of compounds known as organohalogens. BFRs are currently the largest marketed flame retardant group due to their high performance efficiency and low cost. In the commercial market, more than 75 different BFRs are recogniz...

  4. Airborne measurements of organic bromine compounds in the Pacific tropical tropopause layer

    PubMed Central

    Navarro, Maria A.; Atlas, Elliot L.; Saiz-Lopez, Alfonso; Rodriguez-Lloveras, Xavier; Kinnison, Douglas E.; Lamarque, Jean-Francois; Tilmes, Simone; Filus, Michal; Harris, Neil R. P.; Meneguz, Elena; Ashfold, Matthew J.; Manning, Alistair J.; Cuevas, Carlos A.; Schauffler, Sue M.; Donets, Valeria

    2015-01-01

    Very short-lived brominated substances (VSLBr) are an important source of stratospheric bromine, an effective ozone destruction catalyst. However, the accurate estimation of the organic and inorganic partitioning of bromine and the input to the stratosphere remains uncertain. Here, we report near-tropopause measurements of organic brominated substances found over the tropical Pacific during the NASA Airborne Tropical Tropopause Experiment campaigns. We combine aircraft observations and a chemistry−climate model to quantify the total bromine loading injected to the stratosphere. Surprisingly, despite differences in vertical transport between the Eastern and Western Pacific, VSLBr (organic + inorganic) contribute approximately similar amounts of bromine [∼6 (4−9) parts per thousand] to the stratospheric input at the tropical tropopause. These levels of bromine cause substantial ozone depletion in the lower stratosphere, and any increases in future abundances (e.g., as a result of aquaculture) will lead to larger depletions. PMID:26504212

  5. Electrical and galvanomagnetic properties of nanoporous carbon samples impregnated with bromine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Danishevskii, A. M.; Popov, V. V.; Kyutt, R. N.; Gordeev, S. K.

    2013-07-01

    Nanoporous carbon samples with a large specific surface area can be filled with heavier elements or their compounds, which makes it possible to investigate the interaction of their electronic subsystems with carbon. One of the elements convenient for filling pores of carbon materials is bromine. Impregnation of nanoporous carbon samples with bromine causes the occurrence of the processes of micropore filling, monolayer adsorption, and intercalation. It has been found that samples impregnated with bromine substantially change their electrical and galvanomagnetic properties, and these changes depend on the structure of the samples. It has been shown that, if in the skeleton of a porous carbon sample there is a fraction of graphite clusters, the impregnation of the sample with bromine increases the concentration of charged carriers (holes). But when the sample has a quasi-amorphous structure, the injection of bromine into the sample leads to the appearance of a certain concentration of electrons in addition to charged mobile holes of the initial sample; i.e., the electrical conductivity becomes bipolar. In the former case, bromine molecules intercalate graphite clusters and, since bromine is an acceptor during intercalation of graphite, the hole concentration in the carbon skeleton network increases. In the latter case, bromine molecules can only be adsorbed on pore walls. As a result, the adsorption interaction between the electron shells of bromine molecules and the carbon surface leads to the formation of a donor layer near the surface and to the generation of electrons in the carbon skeleton network.

  6. Study of the liquid vapor equilibrium in the bromine-hydrobromic acid-water system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Benizri, R.; Lessart, P.; Courvoisier, P.

    1984-01-01

    A glass ebullioscope was built and at atmospheric pressure, liquid-vapor equilibria relative to the Br2-HBr-H2O system, in the concentration range of interest for evaluation of the Mark 13 cycle was studied. Measurements were performed for the brome-azeotrope (HBr-H2O) pseudo-binary system and for the ternary system at temperatures lower than 125 C and in the bromine concentration range up to 13% wt.

  7. Observations of Inland Snowpack-driven Bromine Chemistry near the Brooks Range, Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peterson, P.; Pöhler, D.; Sihler, H.; Zielcke, J.; S., General; Friess, U.; Platt, U.; Simpson, W. R.; Nghiem, S. V.; Shepson, P. B.; Stirm, B. H.; Pratt, K.

    2017-12-01

    The snowpack produces high amounts of reactive bromine in the polar regions during spring. The resulting atmospheric bromine chemistry depletes boundary layer ozone to near-zero levels and alters oxidation of atmospheric pollutants, particularly elemental mercury. To improve our understanding of the spatial extent of this bromine chemistry in Arctic coastal regions, the Purdue Airborne Laboratory for Atmospheric Research (ALAR), equipped with the Heidelberg Imaging differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) instrument, measured the spatial distribution of BrO, an indicator of active bromine chemistry, over northern Alaska during the March 2012 BRomine Ozone Mercury Experiment (BROMEX). Here we show that this bromine chemistry, commonly associated with snow-covered sea ice regions in the Arctic Ocean, is active 200 km inland in the foothills of the Brooks Range. Profiles retrieved from limb-viewing measurements show this event was located near the snowpack surface, with measured BrO mole ratios of 20 pmol mol-1 in a 500 m thick layer. This observed bromine chemistry is likely enabled by deposition of transported sea salt aerosol or gas phase bromine species from prior activation events to the snowpack. These observations of halogen activation hundreds of km from the coast suggest the impacts of this springtime bromine chemistry are not restricted to sea ice regions and directly adjacent coastal regions.

  8. Detection of bromine monoxide in a volcanic plume.

    PubMed

    Bobrowski, N; Hönninger, G; Galle, B; Platt, U

    2003-05-15

    The emission of volcanic gases usually precedes eruptive activity, providing both a warning signal and an indication of the nature of the lava soon to be erupted. Additionally, volcanic emissions are a significant source of gases and particles to the atmosphere, influencing tropospheric and stratospheric trace-gas budgets. Despite some halogen species having been measured in volcanic plumes (mainly HCl and HF), little is known about bromine compounds and, in particular, gas-phase reactive bromine species. Such species are especially important in the stratosphere, as reactive bromine-despite being two orders of magnitude less abundant than chlorine-accounts for about one-third of halogen-catalysed ozone depletion. In the troposphere, bromine-catalysed complete ozone destruction has been observed to occur regularly during spring in the polar boundary layers as well as in the troposphere above the Dead Sea basin. Here we report observations of BrO and SO2 abundances in the plume of the Soufrière Hills volcano (Montserrat) in May 2002 by ground-based multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy. Our estimate of BrO emission leads us to conclude that local ozone depletion and small ozone 'holes' may occur in the vicinity of active volcanoes, and that the amount of bromine emitted from volcanoes might be sufficiently large to play a role not only in the stratosphere, but also in tropospheric chemistry.

  9. Toxic effects of brominated indoles and phenols on zebrafish embryos.

    PubMed

    Kammann, U; Vobach, M; Wosniok, W

    2006-07-01

    Organobromine compounds in the marine environment have been the focus of growing attention in past years. In contrast to anthropogenic brominated flame retardants, other brominated compounds are produced naturally, e.g., by common polychaete worms and algae. Brominated phenols and indoles assumed to be of biogenic origin have been detected in water and sediment extracts from the German Bight. These substances as well as some of their isomers have been tested with the zebrafish embryo test and were found to cause lethal as well as nonlethal malformations. The zebrafish test was able to detect a log K(OW)-related toxicity for bromophenols, suggesting nonpolar narcosis as a major mode of action. Different effect patterns could be observed for brominated indoles and bromophenols. The comparison of effective concentrations in the zebrafish embryo test with the concentrations determined in water samples suggests the possibility that brominated indoles may affect early life stages of marine fish species in the North Sea.

  10. Reassessment of the OHZ process for the thermochemical decomposition of water. Final report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Findl, E.; Kulesa, F.; Strickland, G.

    1983-08-01

    A two-step thermochemical process to sequentially produce hydrogen and oxygen from water by the use of a cation-exchanged zeolite, cycled over a temperature range of 25/sup 0/ to 600/sup 0/C, was reassessed at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). Based on the work of Kasai and Bishop (Union Carbide Corp., 1976), C.C.S. Associates (CCSA) performed a preliminary plant-design study for the OHZ (oxygen-hydrogen-zeolite) process, and was responsible for a few laboratory tests of the zeolite. The results of the BNL's more detailed studies showed that although the thermochemical phenomenon is valid, it is neither practical nor a cost-effective method of producing hydrogenmore » from water. Experimental findings were based on tests of indium-exchanged mordenite zeolite (10 grams, as powder) without carrier gas. The cost reassessment, which was made without using any of BNL's experimental data, showed that the hydrogen costs projected by CCSA were low by a factor of about six (2-h cycle time). The corrected costs, $46 to 50/10/sup 6/ Btu H/sub 2/, are about twice those predicted for electrolytic hydrogen ($24/10/sup 6/ Btu). Corrected costs for a cycle time of 4 hours were $54 to 58/10/sup 6/ Btu. This reassessment, which is based on a realistic review of CCSA's preliminary process design, has shown that the corrected costs projected for OHZ hydrogen are so high that no further consideration should be given to development of the concept. 6 references, 14 figures, 6 tables.« less

  11. Brominated Luciferins Are Versatile Bioluminescent Probes

    DOE PAGES

    Steinhardt, Rachel C.; Rathbun, Colin M.; Krull, Brandon T.; ...

    2016-12-08

    Here, we report a set of brominated luciferins for bioluminescence imaging. These regioisomeric scaffolds were accessed by using a common synthetic route. All analogues produced light with firefly luciferase, although varying levels of emission were observed. Differences in photon output were analyzed by computation and photophysical measurements. The brightest brominated luciferin was further evaluated in cell and animal models. At low doses, the analogue outperformed the native substrate in cells. The remaining luciferins, although weak emitters with firefly luciferase, were inherently capable of light production and thus potential substrates for orthogonal mutant enzymes.

  12. Temporal effects in porcine skin following bromine vapor exposure.

    PubMed

    Price, Jennifer A; Rogers, James V; Wendling, Morgan Q S; Plahovinsak, Jennifer L; Perry, Mark R; Reid, Frances M; Kiser, Robyn C; Graham, John S

    2011-09-01

    Bromine is an industrial chemical that causes severe cutaneous burns. When selecting or developing effective treatments for bromine burns, it is important to understand the molecular mechanisms of tissue damage and wound healing. This study investigated the effect of cutaneous bromine vapor exposure on gene expression using a weanling swine burn model by microarray analysis. Ventral abdominal sites were exposed to a mean calculated bromine vapor concentration of 0.51 g/L for 7 or 17 min. At 6 h, 48 h, and 7 days post-exposure, total RNA from skin samples was isolated, processed, and analyzed with Affymetrix GeneChip® Porcine Genome Arrays (N = 3 per experimental group). Differences in gene expression were observed with respect to exposure duration and sampling time. Ingenuity Pathways Analysis (IPA) revealed four common biological functions (cancer, cellular movement, cell-to-cell signaling and interaction, and tissue development) among the top ten functions of each experimental group, while canonical pathway analysis revealed 9 genes (ARG2, CCR1, HMOX1, ATF2, IL-8, TIMP1, ESR1, HSPAIL, and SELE) that were commonly shared among four significantly altered signaling pathways. Among these, the transcripts encoding HMOX1 and ESR1 were identified using IPA as common potential therapeutic targets for Phase II/III clinical trial or FDA-approved drugs. The present study describes the transcriptional responses to cutaneous bromine vapor exposure identifying molecular networks and genes that could serve as targets for developing therapeutics for bromine-induced skin injury.

  13. 40 CFR 180.519 - Bromide ion and residual bromine; tolerances for residues.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Bromide ion and residual bromine... Tolerances § 180.519 Bromide ion and residual bromine; tolerances for residues. (a) General. The food additives, bromide ion and residual bromine, may be present in water, potable in accordance with the...

  14. 40 CFR 180.519 - Bromide ion and residual bromine; tolerances for residues.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Bromide ion and residual bromine... Tolerances § 180.519 Bromide ion and residual bromine; tolerances for residues. (a) General. The food additives, bromide ion and residual bromine, may be present in water, potable in accordance with the...

  15. Thermochemical conversion of waste tyres-a review.

    PubMed

    Labaki, Madona; Jeguirim, Mejdi

    2017-04-01

    A review of the energy recovery from waste tyres is presented and focuses on the three thermochemical processes used to valorise waste tyres: pyrolysis, gasification, and combustion/incineration. After recalling the chemical composition of tyres, the thermogravimetric behaviours of tyres or their components under different atmospheres are described. Different kinetic studies on the thermochemical processes are treated. Then, the three processes were investigated, with a particular attention given to the gasification, due to the information unavailability on this process. Pyrolysis is a thermochemical conversion to produce a hydrocarbon rich gas mixture, condensable liquids or tars, and a carbon-rich solid residue. Gasification is a form of pyrolysis, carried out at higher temperatures and under given atmosphere (air, steam, oxygen, carbon dioxide, etc.) in order to yield mainly low molecular weight gaseous products. Combustion is a process that needs a fuel and an oxidizer with an ignition system to produce heat and/or steam. The effects of various process parameters such as temperature, heating rate, residence time, catalyst addition, etc. on the energy efficiency and the products yields and characteristics are mainly reviewed. These thermochemical processes are considered to be the more attractive and practicable methods for recovering energy and material from waste tyres. For the future, they are the main promising issue to treat and valorise used tyres. However, efforts should be done in developing more efficient technical systems.

  16. Biomass for thermochemical conversion: targets and challenges

    PubMed Central

    Tanger, Paul; Field, John L.; Jahn, Courtney E.; DeFoort, Morgan W.; Leach, Jan E.

    2013-01-01

    Bioenergy will be one component of a suite of alternatives to fossil fuels. Effective conversion of biomass to energy will require the careful pairing of advanced conversion technologies with biomass feedstocks optimized for the purpose. Lignocellulosic biomass can be converted to useful energy products via two distinct pathways: enzymatic or thermochemical conversion. The thermochemical pathways are reviewed and potential biotechnology or breeding targets to improve feedstocks for pyrolysis, gasification, and combustion are identified. Biomass traits influencing the effectiveness of the thermochemical process (cell wall composition, mineral and moisture content) differ from those important for enzymatic conversion and so properties are discussed in the language of biologists (biochemical analysis) as well as that of engineers (proximate and ultimate analysis). We discuss the genetic control, potential environmental influence, and consequences of modification of these traits. Improving feedstocks for thermochemical conversion can be accomplished by the optimization of lignin levels, and the reduction of ash and moisture content. We suggest that ultimate analysis and associated properties such as H:C, O:C, and heating value might be more amenable than traditional biochemical analysis to the high-throughput necessary for the phenotyping of large plant populations. Expanding our knowledge of these biomass traits will play a critical role in the utilization of biomass for energy production globally, and add to our understanding of how plants tailor their composition with their environment. PMID:23847629

  17. Estimation of the residual bromine concentration after disinfection of cooling water by statistical evaluation.

    PubMed

    Megalopoulos, Fivos A; Ochsenkuehn-Petropoulou, Maria T

    2015-01-01

    A statistical model based on multiple linear regression is developed, to estimate the bromine residual that can be expected after the bromination of cooling water. Make-up water sampled from a power plant in the Greek territory was used for the creation of the various cooling water matrices under investigation. The amount of bromine fed to the circuit, as well as other important operational parameters such as concentration at the cooling tower, temperature, organic load and contact time are taken as the independent variables. It is found that the highest contribution to the model's predictive ability comes from cooling water's organic load concentration, followed by the amount of bromine fed to the circuit, the water's mean temperature, the duration of the bromination period and finally its conductivity. Comparison of the model results with the experimental data confirms its ability to predict residual bromine given specific bromination conditions.

  18. Moving bed reactor for solar thermochemical fuel production

    DOEpatents

    Ermanoski, Ivan

    2013-04-16

    Reactors and methods for solar thermochemical reactions are disclosed. Embodiments of reactors include at least two distinct reactor chambers between which there is at least a pressure differential. In embodiments, reactive particles are exchanged between chambers during a reaction cycle to thermally reduce the particles at first conditions and oxidize the particles at second conditions to produce chemical work from heat. In embodiments, chambers of a reactor are coupled to a heat exchanger to pre-heat the reactive particles prior to direct exposure to thermal energy with heat transferred from reduced reactive particles as the particles are oppositely conveyed between the thermal reduction chamber and the fuel production chamber. In an embodiment, particle conveyance is in part provided by an elevator which may further function as a heat exchanger.

  19. The African and Pacific Superplumes and Thermochemical Piles and Their Relationship to Supercontinent Pangea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhong, S.; Leng, W.; Zhang, N.; McNamara, A. K.

    2008-12-01

    The long-wavelength structure for the present-day Earth's mantle is characterized by circum-Pacific subduction and the antipodal African and Pacific superplumes. The African and Pacific superplumes are anchored on two major thermochemical piles that extend from the core-mantle boundary (CMB) to possibly >500 km above CMB. These two superplumes are where most of large igneous provinces (LIPs) and plume-related volcanism are originated in the last 250 Ma. The thermochemical piles may provide distinct geochemical signatures observed in oceanic island basalts, although it remains controversial whether the piles consist of primordial mantle materials or recycled crust and lithosphere. Geodynamic modeling has demonstrated that the main structural features of the mantle including the circum-Pacific subduction, African and Pacific superplumes, and the thermochemical piles, are closely related to mantle convection associated with plate motion history for the last 120 Ma. However, outstanding questions remain. When did the African and Pacific superplumes and thermochemical piles start to take the current forms? How stable and stationary have they been in the mantle? How are they related to the observations of tectonics and volcanism priori to 120 Ma ago? Our recent studies on long-wavelength mantle convection and supercontinent cycles suggest that the African and Pacific superplumes and thermochemical piles are dynamic features and that they may move laterally in response to mantle flow associated with surface plate motion, such as past subduction and convergence between Laurentia and Gondwana. In particular, our studies suggest that the African superplume and pile did not form until Laurentia and Gondwana collided to form Pangea, while the Pacific anomaly may have been there for a longer time. Our results also suggest that, after lengthy convergence between Laurentia and Gondwana that pushed away the pile materials away from the African hemisphere, later subduction

  20. Thermochemical Conversion: Using Heat and Catalysts to Make Biofuels and Bioproducts

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    None

    2013-07-29

    This fact sheet discusses the Bioenergy Technologies Office's thermochemical conversion critical technology goal. And, how through the application of heat, robust thermochemical processes can efficiently convert a broad range of biomass.

  1. Lifecycle assessment of microalgae to biofuel: Comparison of thermochemical processing pathways

    DOE PAGES

    Bennion, Edward P.; Ginosar, Daniel M.; Moses, John; ...

    2015-01-16

    Microalgae are currently being investigated as a renewable transportation fuel feedstock based on various advantages that include high annual yields, utilization of poor quality land, does not compete with food, and can be integrated with various waste streams. This study focuses on directly assessing the impact of two different thermochemical conversion technologies on the microalgae to biofuel process through life cycle assessment. A system boundary of a “well to pump” (WTP) is defined and includes sub-process models of the growth, dewatering, thermochemical bio-oil recovery, bio-oil stabilization, conversion to renewable diesel, and transport to the pump. Models were validated with experimentalmore » and literature data and are representative of an industrial-scale microalgae to biofuel process. Two different thermochemical bio-oil conversion systems are modeled and compared on a systems level, hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) and pyrolysis. The environmental impact of the two pathways were quantified on the metrics of net energy ratio (NER), defined here as energy consumed over energy produced, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Results for WTP biofuel production through the HTL pathway were determined to be 1.23 for the NER and GHG emissions of -11.4 g CO 2-eq (MJ renewable diesel) -1. WTP biofuel production through the pyrolysis pathway results in a NER of 2.27 and GHG emissions of 210 g CO2 eq (MJ renewable diesel)-1. The large environmental impact associated with the pyrolysis pathway is attributed to feedstock drying requirements and combustion of co-products to improve system energetics. Discussion focuses on a detailed breakdown of the overall process energetics and GHGs, impact of modeling at laboratory- scale compared to industrial-scale, environmental impact sensitivity to engineering systems input parameters for future focused research and development and a comparison of results to literature.« less

  2. A method to remove intercalates from bromine and iodine intercalated carbon fibers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hung, Ching-Cheh

    1993-01-01

    Upon exposure to room-temperature fluorine, intercalated carbon fibers (containing either bromine alone or iodine and bromine together) become heavier and less stable. For Amoco P-100 graphitized carbon fibers which were intercalated with 18 percent bromine by weight, 1 hr of fluorine exposure results in a large weight increase, but causes only a small decrease in thermal stability. More than l hr of fluorine exposure time results in small additional increases in fiber weight, but significant further decreases in fiber thermal stability. Such phenomena do not occur if the fluorine exposure is at 250 C. These observations suggest the mechanism that at room temperature, fluorine is absorbed quickly by the intercalated fibers and intercalated slowly into the fibers. Most of the original intercalates are replaced by fluorine in the process of fluorine intercalation. Under an inert environment, the bromine intercalated fibers are much more thermally stable. After 800 C vacuum heating for two weeks, the brominated fibers lost about 45 percent of their bromine, and their resistivity increased from 64 omega-cm to a range of 95 to 170 micro omega-cm. This is still much lower than the 300 micro omega-cm value for pristine P-100. For practical purposes, in order to preserve their thermal stability, brominated fibers need to be protected from exposure to fluorine at room temperature, or to any intercalate at a temperature where, upon direct contact to graphite, an intercalation compound can easily be formed.

  3. A Simulation of Bromoform's Contribution to Stratospheric Bromine

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nielsen, J. Eric; Douglass, Anne R.; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

    2000-01-01

    Many chlorinated and brominated compounds that are inert in the troposphere are destroyed in the stratosphere and act as an in-situ source of stratospheric reactive chlorine and bromine. Other halogenated compounds that are reactive in the troposphere might contribute to the stratosphere's halogen budget in two ways. First, like their unreactive companions, rapid convective transport might carry them to the upper troposphere and make them available for subsequent advection by the mean circulation into the stratosphere before they are oxidized or photolyzed. Second, it is more likely that they are destroyed in the troposphere, and the chlorine and bromine that is released might then be transported to the stratosphere. We evaluate the relative influence of these processes on stratospheric bromine in a three-dimensional chemistry and transport model which simulates the distribution of bromoform (CHBr3). CHBr3 is parameterized as a short-lived, ocean-surface source gas whose destruction by photolysis and reaction with hydroxyl (OH) in the troposphere and stratosphere yields inorganic bromine (Br(sub y)). Many of the observed features of CHBr3 are simulated well, and comparisons with observations are used to show that the model represents aspects of transport in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere that are critical to the evaluation. In particular, the model maintains the observed troposphere-stratosphere distinctness in transport pathways and reproduces the observed seasonal dependence of the mixture of air in the middle- and high-latitude lowermost stratosphere. We estimate that adding CHBr3 to models which already include the long-lived organic brominated compounds (halons and methyl bromide) will increase the simulated stratospheric mass of Br(sub y) by about 15 percent. In-situ stratospheric destruction of CHBr3 produces Br(sub y) in amounts which are comparable to that transported into the stratosphere after photolysis and oxidation of CHBr3 in the

  4. INTRODUCTION TO BROMINATED FLAME RETARDANTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are a large and diverse class of major industrial products used to provide fire safety. Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), Hexabromocylocodecane (HBCD), and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) are the major commercial compounds. TBBPA is a react...

  5. Method and apparatus for maintaining the pH in zinc-bromine battery systems

    DOEpatents

    Grimes, Patrick G.

    1985-09-10

    A method and apparatus for maintaining the pH level in a zinc-bromine battery features reacting decomposition hydrogen with bromine in the presence of a catalyst. The catalyst encourages the formation of hydrogen and bromine ions. The decomposition hydrogen is therefore consumed, alloying the pH of the system to remain substantially at a given value.

  6. 40 CFR 721.775 - Brominated aromatic com-pound (generic name).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    .... Requirements as specified in § 721.80 (j) (use as an additive flame retardant for plastics) and (q). (iv... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Brominated aromatic com-pound (generic... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.775 Brominated aromatic com-pound (generic name). (a) Chemical...

  7. 40 CFR 721.775 - Brominated aromatic com-pound (generic name).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    .... Requirements as specified in § 721.80 (j) (use as an additive flame retardant for plastics) and (q). (iv... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Brominated aromatic com-pound (generic... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.775 Brominated aromatic com-pound (generic name). (a) Chemical...

  8. 40 CFR 721.775 - Brominated aromatic com-pound (generic name).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    .... Requirements as specified in § 721.80 (j) (use as an additive flame retardant for plastics) and (q). (iv... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Brominated aromatic com-pound (generic... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.775 Brominated aromatic com-pound (generic name). (a) Chemical...

  9. Oxidation of mercury by bromine in the subtropical Pacific free troposphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gratz, L. E.; Ambrose, J. L.; Jaffe, D. A.; Shah, V.; Jaeglé, L.; Stutz, J.; Festa, J.; Spolaor, M.; Tsai, C.; Selin, N. E.; Song, S.; Zhou, X.; Weinheimer, A. J.; Knapp, D. J.; Montzka, D. D.; Flocke, F. M.; Campos, T. L.; Apel, E.; Hornbrook, R.; Blake, N. J.; Hall, S.; Tyndall, G. S.; Reeves, M.; Stechman, D.; Stell, M.

    2015-12-01

    Mercury is a global toxin that can be introduced to ecosystems through atmospheric deposition. Mercury oxidation is thought to occur in the free troposphere by bromine radicals, but direct observational evidence for this process is currently unavailable. During the 2013 Nitrogen, Oxidants, Mercury and Aerosol Distributions, Sources and Sinks campaign, we measured enhanced oxidized mercury and bromine monoxide in a free tropospheric air mass over Texas. We use trace gas measurements, air mass back trajectories, and a chemical box model to confirm the origin and chemical history of the sampled air mass. We find the presence of elevated oxidized mercury to be consistent with oxidation of elemental mercury by bromine atoms in this subsiding upper tropospheric air mass within the subtropical Pacific High, where dry atmospheric conditions are conducive to oxidized mercury accumulation. Our results support the role of bromine as the dominant oxidant of mercury in the upper troposphere.

  10. A cross-fostering analysis of bromine ion concentration in rats that inhaled 1-bromopropane vapor.

    PubMed

    Ishidao, Toru; Fueta, Yukiko; Ueno, Susumu; Yoshida, Yasuhiro; Hori, Hajime

    2016-06-16

    Inhaled 1-bromopropane decomposes easily and releases bromine ion. However, the kinetics and transfer of bromine ion into the next generation have not been clarified. In this work, the kinetics of bromine ion transfer to the next generation was investigated by using cross-fostering analysis and a one-compartment model. Pregnant Wistar rats were exposed to 700 ppm of 1-bromopropane vapor for 6 h per day during gestation days (GDs) 1-20. After birth, cross-fostering was performed between mother exposure groups and mother control groups, and the pups were subdivided into the following four groups: exposure group, postnatal exposure group, gestation exposure group, and control group. Bromine ion concentrations in the brain were measured temporally. Bromine ion concentrations in mother rats were lower than those in virgin rats, and the concentrations in fetuses were higher than those in mothers on GD20. In the postnatal period, the concentrations in the gestation exposure group decreased with time, and the biological half-life was 3.1 days. Conversely, bromine ion concentration in the postnatal exposure group increased until postnatal day 4 and then decreased. This tendency was also observed in the exposure group. A one-compartment model was applied to analyze the behavior of bromine ion concentration in the brain. By taking into account the increase of body weight and change in the bromine ion uptake rate in pups, the bromine ion concentrations in the brains of the rats could be estimated with acceptable precision.

  11. Mutagenic Azo Dyes, Rather Than Flame Retardants, Are the Predominant Brominated Compounds in House Dust.

    PubMed

    Peng, Hui; Saunders, David M V; Sun, Jianxian; Jones, Paul D; Wong, Chris K C; Liu, Hongling; Giesy, John P

    2016-12-06

    Characterization of toxicological profiles by use of traditional targeted strategies might underestimate the risk of environmental mixtures. Unbiased identification of prioritized compounds provides a promising strategy for meeting regulatory needs. In this study, untargeted screening of brominated compounds in house dust was conducted using a data-independent precursor isolation and characteristic fragment (DIPIC-Frag) approach, which used data-independent acquisition (DIA) and a chemometric strategy to detect peaks and align precursor ions. A total of 1008 brominated compound peaks were identified in 23 house dust samples. Precursor ions and formulas were identified for 738 (73%) of the brominated compounds. A correlation matrix was used to cluster brominated compounds; three large groups were found for the 140 high-abundance brominated compounds, and only 24 (17%) of these compounds were previously known flame retardants. The predominant class of unknown brominated compounds was predicted to consist of nitrogen-containing compounds. Following further validation by authentic standards, these compounds (56%) were determined to be novel brominated azo dyes. The mutagenicity of one major component was investigated, and mutagenicity was observed at environmentally relevant concentrations. Results of this study demonstrated the existence of numerous unknown brominated compounds in house dust, with mutagenic azo dyes unexpectedly being identified as the predominant compounds.

  12. Utilization of oxidation reactions for the spectrophotometric determination of captopril using brominating agents

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    El-Didamony, Akram M.; Erfan, Eman A. H.

    2010-03-01

    Three simple, accurate and sensitive methods (A-C) for the spectrophotometric assay of captopril (CPL) in bulk drug, in dosage forms and in the presence of its oxidative degradates have been described. The methods are based on the bromination of captopril with a solution of excess brominating mixture in hydrochloric acid medium. After bromination, the excess brominating mixture is followed by the estimation of surplus bromine by three different reaction schemes. In the first method (A), the determination of the residual bromine is based on its ability to bleach the indigo carmine dye and measuring the absorbance at 610 nm. Method B, involves treating the unreacted bromine with a measured excess of iron(II) and the remaining iron(II) is complexed with 1,10-phenanthroline and the increase in absorbance is measured at 510 nm. In method (C), the surplus bromine is treated with excess of iron(II) and the resulting iron(III) is complexed with thiocyanate and the absorbance is measured at 478 nm. In all the methods, the amount of bromine reacted corresponds to the drug content. The different experimental parameters affecting the development and stability of the color are carefully studied and optimized. Beer's law is valid within a concentration range of 0.4-6.0, 0.4-2.8 and 1.2-4.8 μg mL -1 for methods A, B and C, respectively. The calculated apparent molar absorptivity was found to be 5.16 × 10 4, 9.95 × 10 4 and 1.74 × 10 5 L mol -1 cm -1, for methods A, B and C, respectively. Sandell's sensitivity, correlation coefficients, detection and quantification limits are also reported. No interference was observed from common additives found in pharmaceutical preparations. The proposed methods are successfully applied to the determination of CPL in the tablet formulations with mean recoveries of 99.94-100.11% and the results were statistically compared with those of a reference method by applying Student's t- and F-test.

  13. Utilization of oxidation reactions for the spectrophotometric determination of captopril using brominating agents.

    PubMed

    El-Didamony, Akram M; Erfan, Eman A H

    2010-03-01

    Three simple, accurate and sensitive methods (A-C) for the spectrophotometric assay of captopril (CPL) in bulk drug, in dosage forms and in the presence of its oxidative degradates have been described. The methods are based on the bromination of captopril with a solution of excess brominating mixture in hydrochloric acid medium. After bromination, the excess brominating mixture is followed by the estimation of surplus bromine by three different reaction schemes. In the first method (A), the determination of the residual bromine is based on its ability to bleach the indigo carmine dye and measuring the absorbance at 610 nm. Method B, involves treating the unreacted bromine with a measured excess of iron(II) and the remaining iron(II) is complexed with 1,10-phenanthroline and the increase in absorbance is measured at 510 nm. In method (C), the surplus bromine is treated with excess of iron(II) and the resulting iron(III) is complexed with thiocyanate and the absorbance is measured at 478 nm. In all the methods, the amount of bromine reacted corresponds to the drug content. The different experimental parameters affecting the development and stability of the color are carefully studied and optimized. Beer's law is valid within a concentration range of 0.4-6.0, 0.4-2.8 and 1.2-4.8 microg mL(-1) for methods A, B and C, respectively. The calculated apparent molar absorptivity was found to be 5.16x10(4), 9.95x10(4) and 1.74x10(5)L mol(-1) cm(-1), for methods A, B and C, respectively. Sandell's sensitivity, correlation coefficients, detection and quantification limits are also reported. No interference was observed from common additives found in pharmaceutical preparations. The proposed methods are successfully applied to the determination of CPL in the tablet formulations with mean recoveries of 99.94-100.11% and the results were statistically compared with those of a reference method by applying Student's t- and F-test. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. PCBs, PBBs and Brominated Flame Retardants

    EPA Science Inventory

    This chapter introduces selected organohalogen chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB5), polychiorinated biphenyls (PBBs), and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) with emphasis on the background, physicochemical properties, environmental levels, health effects and possib...

  15. Marine bacterial degradation of brominated methanes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Goodwin, K.D.; Lidstrom, M.E.; Oremland, R.S.

    1997-01-01

    Brominated methanes are ozone-depleting compounds whose natural sources include marine algae such as kelp. Brominated methane degradation by bacteria was investigated to address whether bacterial processes might effect net emission of these compounds to the atmosphere. Bacteria in seawater collected from California kelp beds degraded CH2Br2 but not CHBr3. Specific inhibitors showed that methanotrophs and nitrifiers did not significantly contribute to CH2Br2 removal. A seawater enrichment culture oxidized 14CH2Br2 to 14CO2 as well as 14CH3Br to 14CO2. The rates of CH2Br2 degradation in laboratory experiments suggest that bacterial degradation of CH2Br2 in a kelp bed accounts for <1% of the CH2Br2 produced by the kelp. However, the half-life of CH2Br2 due to bacterial removal appears faster than hydrolysis and within an order of magnitude of volatilization to the atmosphere.Brominated methanes are ozone-depleting compounds whose natural sources include marine algae such as kelp. Brominated methane degradation by bacteria was investigated to address whether bacterial processes might effect net emission of these compounds to the atmosphere. Bacteria in seawater collected from California kelp beds degraded CH2Br2 but not CHBr3. Specific inhibitors showed that methanotrophs and nitrifiers did not significantly contribute to CH2Br2 removal. A seawater enrichment culture oxidized 14CH2Br2 to 14CO2 as well as 14CH3Br to 14CO2. The rates of CH2Br2 degradation in laboratory experiments suggest that bacterial degradation of CH2Br2 in a kelp bed accounts for <1% of the CH2Br2 produced by the kelp. However, the half-life of CH2Br2 due to bacterial removal appears faster than hydrolysis and within an order of magnitude of volatilization to the atmosphere.

  16. 40 CFR 721.10416 - Brominated polyphenyl ether (generic) (P-11-264).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ...) (P-11-264). 721.10416 Section 721.10416 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.10416 Brominated polyphenyl ether (generic) (P-11-264). (a) Chemical... as brominated polyphenyl ether (PMN P-11-264) is subject to reporting under this section for the...

  17. 40 CFR 721.10416 - Brominated polyphenyl ether (generic) (P-11-264).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ...) (P-11-264). 721.10416 Section 721.10416 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.10416 Brominated polyphenyl ether (generic) (P-11-264). (a) Chemical... as brominated polyphenyl ether (PMN P-11-264) is subject to reporting under this section for the...

  18. 40 CFR 721.10416 - Brominated polyphenyl ether (generic) (P-11-264).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ...) (P-11-264). 721.10416 Section 721.10416 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.10416 Brominated polyphenyl ether (generic) (P-11-264). (a) Chemical... as brominated polyphenyl ether (PMN P-11-264) is subject to reporting under this section for the...

  19. A thermochemical-biochemical hybrid processing of lignocellulosic biomass for producing fuels and chemicals.

    PubMed

    Shen, Yanwen; Jarboe, Laura; Brown, Robert; Wen, Zhiyou

    2015-12-01

    Thermochemical-biological hybrid processing uses thermochemical decomposition of lignocellulosic biomass to produce a variety of intermediate compounds that can be converted into fuels and chemicals through microbial fermentation. It represents a unique opportunity for biomass conversion as it mitigates some of the deficiencies of conventional biochemical (pretreatment-hydrolysis-fermentation) and thermochemical (pyrolysis or gasification) processing. Thermochemical-biological hybrid processing includes two pathways: (i) pyrolysis/pyrolytic substrate fermentation, and (ii) gasification/syngas fermentation. This paper provides a comprehensive review of these two hybrid processing pathways, including the characteristics of fermentative substrates produced in the thermochemical stage and microbial utilization of these compounds in the fermentation stage. The current challenges of these two biomass conversion pathways include toxicity of the crude pyrolytic substrates, the inhibition of raw syngas contaminants, and the mass-transfer limitations in syngas fermentation. Possible approaches for mitigating substrate toxicities are discussed. The review also provides a summary of the current efforts to commercialize hybrid processing. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. A Multistep Synthesis Incorporating a Green Bromination of an Aromatic Ring

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cardinal, Pascal; Greer, Brandon; Luong, Horace; Tyagunova, Yevgeniya

    2012-01-01

    Electrophilic aromatic substitution is a fundamental topic taught in the undergraduate organic chemistry curriculum. A multistep synthesis that includes a safer and greener method for the bromination of an aromatic ring than traditional bromination methods is described. This experiment is multifaceted and can be used to teach students about…

  1. Biodegradation of brominated and organophosphorus flame retardants.

    PubMed

    Waaijers, Susanne L; Parsons, John R

    2016-04-01

    Brominated flame retardants account for about 21% of the total production of flame retardants and many of these have been identified as persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic. Nevertheless, debromination of these chemicals under anaerobic conditions is well established, although this can increase their toxicity. Consequently, the production and use of these chemicals has been restricted and alternative products have been developed. Many of these are brominated compounds and share some of the disadvantages of the chemicals they are meant to replace. Therefore, other, nonbrominated, flame retardants such as organophosphorus compounds are also being used in increasing quantities, despite the fact that knowledge of their biodegradation and environmental fate is often lacking. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Heavy Atom Effect of Bromine Significantly Enhances Exciton Utilization of Delayed Fluorescence Luminogens.

    PubMed

    Gan, Shifeng; Hu, Shimin; Li, Xiang-Long; Zeng, Jiajie; Zhang, Dongdong; Huang, Tianyu; Luo, Wenwen; Zhao, Zujin; Duan, Lian; Su, Shi-Jian; Tang, Ben Zhong

    2018-05-23

    Raising triplet exciton utilization of pure organic luminescent materials is of significant importance for efficiency advancement of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Herein, by introducing bromine atom(s) onto a typical molecule (bis(carbazol-9-yl)-4,5-dicyanobenzene) with thermally activated delayed fluorescence, we demonstrate that the heavy atom effect of bromine can increase spin-orbit coupling and promote the reverse intersystem crossing, which endow the molecules with more distinct delayed fluorescence. In consequence, the triplet exciton utilization is improved greatly with the increase of bromine atoms, affording apparently advanced external quantum efficiencies of OLEDs. Utilizing the enhancement effect of bromine atoms on delayed fluorescence should be a simple and promising design concept for efficient organic luminogens with high exciton utilization.

  3. Fundamental mechanisms of DNA radiosensitization: damage induced by low-energy electrons in brominated oligonucleotide trimers.

    PubMed

    Park, Yeunsoo; Polska, Katarzyna; Rak, Janusz; Wagner, J Richard; Sanche, Léon

    2012-08-16

    The replacement of nucleobases with brominated analogs enhances DNA radiosensitivity. We examine the chemistry of low-energy electrons (LEEs) in this sensitization process by experiments with thin films of the oligonucleotide trimers TBrXT, where BrX = 5-BrU (5-bromouracil), 5-BrC (5-bromocytosine), 8-BrA (8-bromoadenine), or 8-BrG (8-bromoguanine). The products induced from irradiation of thin (∼ 2.5 nm) oligonucleotide films, with 10 eV electrons, under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) are analyzed by HPLC-UV. The number of damaged brominated trimers ranges from about 12 to 15 × 10(-3) molecules per incident electron, whereas under the identical conditions, these numbers drop to 4-7 × 10(-3) for the same, but nonbrominated oligonucleotides. The results of HPLC analysis show that the main degradation pathway of trinucleotides containing brominated bases involve debromination (i.e., loss of the bromine atom and its replacement with a hydrogen atom). The electron-induced sum of products upon bromination increases by factors of 2.1 for the pyrimidines and 3.2 for the purines. Thus, substitution of any native nucleobase with a brominated one in simple models of DNA increases LEE-induced damage to DNA and hence its radiosensitivity. Furthermore, besides the brominated pyrimidines that have already been tested in clinical trials, brominated purines not only appear to be promising sensitizers for radiotherapy, but could provide a higher degree of radiosensitization.

  4. Complete Reductive Dehalogenation of Brominated Biphenyls by Anaerobic Microorganisms in Sediment

    PubMed Central

    Bedard, Donna L.; Van Dort, Heidi M.

    1998-01-01

    We sought to determine whether microorganisms from the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated sediment in Woods Pond (Lenox, Mass.) could dehalogenate brominated biphenyls. The PCB dechlorination specificities for the microorganisms in this sediment have been well characterized. This allowed us to compare the dehalogenation specificities for brominated biphenyls and chlorinated biphenyls within a single sediment. Anaerobic sediment microcosms were incubated separately at 25°C with 16 different mono- to tetrabrominated biphenyls (350 μM) and disodium malate (10 mM). Samples were extracted and analyzed by gas chromatography with an electron capture detector and a mass spectrometer detector at various times for up to 54 weeks. All of the tested brominated biphenyls were dehalogenated. For most congeners, including 2,6-dibromobiphenyl (26-BB) and 24-25-BB, the dehalogenation began within 1 to 2 weeks. However, for 246-BB and 2-2-BB, debromination was first observed at 7 and 14 weeks, respectively. Most intermediate products did not persist, but when 2-2-BB was produced as a dehalogenation product, it persisted for at least 15 weeks before it was dehalogenated to 2-BB and then to biphenyl. The dehalogenation specificities for brominated and chlorinated biphenyls were similar: meta and para substituents were generally removed first, and ortho substituents were more recalcitrant. However, the brominated biphenyls were better dehalogenation substrates than the chlorinated biphenyls. All of the tested bromobiphenyls, including those with ortho and unflanked meta and para substituents, were ultimately dehalogenated to biphenyl, whereas their chlorinated counterparts either were not dehalogenation substrates or were only partially dehalogenated. Our data suggest that PCB-dechlorinating microorganisms may be able to dehalogenate brominated biphenyls and may exhibit a relaxed specificity for these substrates. PMID:16349530

  5. Brominated flame retardant: environmental and exposed individuals' health impact.

    PubMed

    Dufour, Patrice; Charlier, Corinne

    2017-04-01

    Since Antiquity, men have used chemicals to protect their goods against fire. Effective and easy to use, brominated flame retardants are used since decades massively in plastic industry. Such like other organohalogenated compounds, brominated flame retardants are very persistent in the environment and able to accumulate along the food chain. Many authors highlight their presence in the environment, in many animal species and in the human serum. Worryingly, man is exposed as soon as the pregnancy and then by the breastfeeding. This exposition may have consequence on our health. Many studies (in vitro, in vivo or epidemiologic) highlight brominated flame retardant negative effects on the endocrine system, mainly on the thyroid function but also on the reproduction, the neurodevelopment in the children and on the metabolism with increasing diabetes risk. If authorities and some big enterprises are aware about the problematic, new studies are needed to confirm previous results, elucidate endocrine disrupting mechanisms and highlight hypothetical synergies with other pollutants such like PCBs.

  6. Brominated Flame Retardants and Perfluorinated Chemicals

    EPA Science Inventory

    Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) belong to a large class of chemicals known as organohalogens. It is believed that both BFRs and PFCs saved lives by reducing flammability of materials commonly used and bactericidal (biocidal) properties. Thes...

  7. Brominated flame retardants as food contaminants

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    This book chapter reviews analytical methods for the three major brominated flame retardant (BFR) classes in use today, tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBP-A), hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a "legacy" BFR no longer in use, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), and a...

  8. A comparison of the bromination dynamics of various carbon and graphite fibers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gaier, James R.

    1987-01-01

    The electrical resistance of four grades of pitch-based graphite fibers and three experimental organic vapor-derived fibers was determined in situ during bromination and subsequent exposure to ambient laboratory air. The results show that the least graphitic pitch-based fiber does not brominate significantly, and that bromination and debrominaton reactions proceed much slower for vapor-derived fibers than for pitch-based ones. It is suggested that this decreased reacton rate is primarily due to the differences in graphene plane orientation between the fiber types. The results also imply that the vapor-derived and pitch-based fibers produce true intercalation compounds.

  9. 40 CFR 721.10625 - Distillation bottoms, alkylated benzene by-product, brominated and bromo diphenyl alkane (generic).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... benzene by-product, brominated and bromo diphenyl alkane (generic). 721.10625 Section 721.10625 Protection... Distillation bottoms, alkylated benzene by-product, brominated and bromo diphenyl alkane (generic). (a... generically as distillation bottoms, alkylated benzene by-product, brominated and bromo diphenyl alkane (PMNs...

  10. 40 CFR 721.10625 - Distillation bottoms, alkylated benzene by-product, brominated and bromo diphenyl alkane (generic).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... benzene by-product, brominated and bromo diphenyl alkane (generic). 721.10625 Section 721.10625 Protection... Distillation bottoms, alkylated benzene by-product, brominated and bromo diphenyl alkane (generic). (a... generically as distillation bottoms, alkylated benzene by-product, brominated and bromo diphenyl alkane (PMNs...

  11. Bromine partitioning between olivine and melt at OIB source conditions: Indication for volatile recycling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Joachim, Bastian; Ruzié, Lorraine; Burgess, Ray; Pawley, Alison; Clay, Patricia L.; Ballentine, Christopher J.

    2016-04-01

    Halogens play a key role in our understanding of volatile transport processes in the Earth's mantle. Their moderate (fluorine) to highly (iodine) incompatible and volatile behavior implies that their distribution is influenced by partial melting, fractionation and degassing processes as well as fluid mobilities. The heavy halogens, particularly bromine and iodine, are far more depleted in the Earth's mantle than expected from their condensation temperature (Palme and O'Neill 2014), so that their very low abundances in basalts and peridotites (ppb-range) make it analytically challenging to investigate their concentrations in Earth's mantle reservoirs and their behavior during transport processes (Pyle and Mather, 2009). We used a new experimental technique, which combines the irradiation technique (Johnson et al. 2000), laser ablation and conventional mass spectrometry. This enables us to present the first experimentally derived bromine partition coefficient between olivine and melt. Partitioning experiments were performed at 1500° C and 2.3 GPa, a P-T condition that is representative for partial melting processes in the OIB source region (Davis et al. 2011). The bromine partition coefficient between olivine and silicate melt at this condition has been determined to DBrol/melt = 4.37•10-4± 1.96•10-4. Results show that bromine is significantly more incompatible than chlorine (˜1.5 orders of magnitude) and fluorine (˜2 orders of magnitude) due to its larger ionic radius. We have used our bromine partitioning data to estimate minimum bromine abundances in EM1 and EM2 source regions. We used minimum bromine bulk rock concentrations determined in an EM1 (Pitcairn: 1066 ppb) and EM2 (Society: 2063 ppb) basalt (Kendrick et al. 2012), together with an estimated minimum melt fraction of 0.01 in OIB source regions (Dasgupta et al. 2007). The almost perfect bromine incompatibility results in minimum bromine abundances in EM1 and EM2 OIB source regions of 11 ppb and 20

  12. BROMINATED FLAME RETARDANTS: CAUSE FOR CONCERN?

    EPA Science Inventory

    Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) have routinely been added to consumer products for several decades in a successful effort to reduce fire-related injury and property damage. Recently, concern for this emerging class of chemicals has risen due to the occurrence of several class...

  13. Observations of Bromine Chloride (BrCl) at an Arctic Coastal Site

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McNamara, S. M.; Garner, N.; Wang, S.; Raso, A. R. W.; Thanekar, S.; Fuentes, J. D.; Shepson, P. B.; Pratt, K.

    2017-12-01

    Chlorine and bromine chemistry in the Arctic boundary layer have significant impacts on tropospheric ozone depletion and the fates of atmospheric pollutants such as methane, a greenhouse gas, and mercury. However, there is sparse understanding of halogen production and removal pathways due to a lack of observations. Here, we report chemical ionization mass spectrometry measurements of bromine chloride (BrCl) observed at Utqiaġvik (Barrow), AK during March-May 2016. Over the course of the three-month study, two distinct BrCl diurnal trends were identified, and production mechanisms were explored using 0-dimensional modeling, constrained by a suite of reactive halogen measurements. The findings in this work highlight coupled chlorine and bromine chemistry, as well as halogen activation pathways in the Arctic.

  14. Brominated flame retardants and perfluorinated chemicals

    EPA Science Inventory

    Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) belong to a class of chemicals known as organohalogens. It is believed that use of both BFRs and PFCs has resulted in lives saved by reducing flammability of materials commonly used and also due to their bacte...

  15. Intro to NREL's Thermochemical Pilot Plant

    ScienceCinema

    Magrini, Kim

    2018-02-13

    NREL's Thermochemical Pilot Plant converts biomass into higher hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals.NREL is researching biomass pyrolysis. The lab is examining how to upgrade bio-oils via stabilization. Along with this, NREL is developing the engineering system requirements for producing these fuels and chemicals at larger scales.

  16. 40 CFR 721.10280 - Benzene ethenyl-, polymer with 1,3-butadiene, brominated.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Benzene ethenyl-, polymer with 1,3... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.10280 Benzene ethenyl-, polymer with 1,3-butadiene, brominated. (a... benzene ethenyl-, polymer with 1,3-butadiene, brominated (PMN P-10-476; CAS No. 1195978-93-8)) is subject...

  17. 40 CFR 721.10280 - Benzene ethenyl-, polymer with 1,3-butadiene, brominated.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Benzene ethenyl-, polymer with 1,3... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.10280 Benzene ethenyl-, polymer with 1,3-butadiene, brominated. (a... benzene ethenyl-, polymer with 1,3-butadiene, brominated (PMN P-10-476; CAS No. 1195978-93-8)) is subject...

  18. Levels of brominated diphenylether, dibenzo-P-dioxin, and dibenzofuran in flue gases of a municipal waste combustor

    EPA Science Inventory

    Due to the extensive use of brominated flame retardants (BFRs), including brominated diphenylether (BDE) formulations, for various domestic and industrial applications, the presence of brominated chemicals in the waste stream is to be expected for decades. As much as 40% to 50% o...

  19. Bromine release from blowing snow and its impact on tropospheric chemistry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Griffiths, Paul; Yang, Xin; Abraham, N. Luke; Archibald, Alexander; Pyle, John

    2016-04-01

    In the last two decades, significant depletion of boundary layer ozone (ozone depletion events, ODEs) has been observed in both Arctic and Antarctic spring. ODEs are attributed to catalytic destruction by bromine radicals (Br plus BrO), especially during bromine explosion events (BEs), when high concentrations of BrO periodically occur. The source of bromine and the mechanism that sustains the high BrO levels are still the subject of study. Recent work by Pratt et al. (2013) posits Br2 production within saline snow and sea ice which leads to sudden ODEs. Previously, Yang et al. (2008) suggested snow could provide a source of (depleted) sea-salt aerosol if wicked from the surface of ice. They suggest that rapid depletion of bromide from the aerosol will constitute a source of photochemical Bry. Given the large sea ice extent in polar regions, this may constitute a significant source of sea salt and bromine in the polar lower atmosphere. While bromine release from blowing snow is perhaps less likely to trigger sudden ODEs, it may make a contribution to regional scale processes affecting ozone levels. Currently, the model parameterisations of Yang et al. assumes that rapid release of bromine occurs from fresh snow on sea ice during periods of strong wind. The parameterisation depends on an assumed sea-salt aerosol distribution generated via sublimation of the snow above the boundary layer, as well as taking into account the salinity of the snow. In this work, we draw on recent measurements by scientists from the British Antarctic Survey during a cruise aboard the Polarstern in the southern oceans. This has provided an extensive set of measurements of the chemical and physical characteristics of blowing snow over sea ice, and of the aerosol associated with it. Based on the observations, we have developed an improved parameterisation of the release of bromine from blowing snow. The paper presents results from the simulation performed using the United Kingdom Chemistry

  20. Room-Temperature Fluorine-Induced Decrease in the Stability of Bromine and Iodine Intercalated Carbon Fibers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hung, Ching-Cheh

    1995-01-01

    Upon exposure to room-temperature fluorine, intercalated carbon fibers (containing either bromine alone or iodine and bromine together) become heavier and less stable. For Amoco P-100 graphitized carbon fibers, which were intercalated with 18 wt percent bromine, 1 hour of fluorine exposure resulted in a large weight increase but caused only a small decrease in thermal stability. An additional 89 hours of fluorine exposure time resulted in small additional increases in fiber weight, but significant further decreases in fiber thermal stability. Such phenomena of weight increase and stability decrease do not occur if the intercalated fibers are exposed to 250 C fluorine. These observations suggest that, at room temperature, fluorine is absorbed quickly by the intercalated fibers and is intercalated slowly into the fibers. Most of the original intercalates are replaced by fluorine in the process of fluorine intercalation. In an inert environment, the bromine intercalated fibers are much more thermally stable. After 800 C vacuum heating for 2 weeks, the brominated fibers lost about 45% of their bromine, and their resistivity increased from 64 mu(Omega)-cm to a range of 95-170 mu(Omega)-cm. This is still much lower than the value of 300 mu(Omega)-cm for pristine P-100. For practical purposes, to preserve their thermal stability, brominated fibers need to be protected from exposure to fluorine at room temperature or to any intercalate at a temperature where, upon direct contact with graphite, an intercalation compound can easily be formed.

  1. Surface Response of Brominated Carbon Media on Laser and Thermal Excitation: Optical and Thermal Analysis Study.

    PubMed

    Multian, Volodymyr V; Kinzerskyi, Fillip E; Vakaliuk, Anna V; Grishchenko, Liudmyla M; Diyuk, Vitaliy E; Boldyrieva, Olga Yu; Kozhanov, Vadim O; Mischanchuk, Oleksandr V; Lisnyak, Vladyslav V; Gayvoronsky, Volodymyr Ya

    2017-12-01

    The present study is objected to develop an analytical remote optical diagnostics of the functionalized carbons surface. Carbon composites with up to 1 mmol g -1 of irreversibly adsorbed bromine were produced by the room temperature plasma treatment of an activated carbon fabric (ACF) derived from polyacrylonitrile textile. The brominated ACF (BrACF) was studied by elastic optical scattering indicatrix analysis at wavelength 532 nm. The obtained data were interpreted within results of the thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and temperature programmed desorption mass spectrometry. The bromination dramatically reduces the microporosity producing practically non-porous material, while the incorporated into the micropores bromine induces the dielectric and structural impact on surface polarizability and conductivity due to the charging effect. We have found that the elastic optical scattering in proper solid angles in the forward and the backward hemispheres is sensitive to the kind of the bromine bonding, e.g., physical adsorption or chemisorption, and the bromination level, respectively, that can be utilized for the express remote fabrication control of the nanoscale carbons with given interfaces.

  2. Obtaining the Iodine Value of Various Oils via Bromination with Pyridinium Tribromide

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simurdiak, Michael; Olukoga, Olushola; Hedberg, Kirk

    2016-01-01

    A laboratory exercise was devised that allows students to rapidly and fairly accurately determine the iodine value of oleic acid. This method utilizes the addition of elemental bromine to the unsaturated bonds in oleic acid, due to bromine's relatively fast reaction rate compared to that of the traditional Wijs solution method. This method also…

  3. Remarkable Regioselective Position-10 Bromination of Bacteriopyropheophorbide-a and Ring-B Reduced Pyropheophorbide-a

    PubMed Central

    Ethirajan, Manivannan; Joshi, Penny; William, White H.; Ohkubo, Kei; Fukuzumi, Shunichi; Pandey, Ravindra K.

    2011-01-01

    Both bacteriopyropheophorbide-a and ring-B reduced pyropheophorbide-a on reacting with NBS (N-bromosuccinamide) undergo electrophilic bromination to provide 10-bromo analogs. The electronic nature of the substituents present at position-3 did not make any difference in regioselective outcome of the brominated products. These relatively stable brominated chlorins and bacteriochlorins provide an easy way of introducing a wide variety of functionalities, which could be extremely useful in developing improved agents for biomedical applications and supramolecular chemistry. PMID:21417431

  4. Electrochemical performance and transport properties of a Nafion membrane in a hydrogen-bromine cell environment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Baldwin, Richard S.

    1987-01-01

    The overall energy conversion efficiency of a hydrogen-bromine energy storage system is highly dependent upon the characteristics and performance of the ion-exchange membrane utilized as a half-cell separator. The electrochemical performance and transport properties of a duPont Nafion membrane in an aqueous HBr-Br2 environment were investigated. Membrane conductivity data are presented as a function of HBr concentration and temperature for the determination of ohmic voltage losses across the membrane in an operational cell. Diffusion-controlled bromine permeation rates and permeabilities are presented as functions of solution composition and temperature. Relationships between the degree of membrane hydration and the membrane transport characteristics are discussed. The solution chemistry of an operational hydrogen-bromine cell undergoing charge from 45% HBr to 5% HBr is discussed, and, based upon the experimentally observed bromine permeation behavior, predicted cell coulombic losses due to bromine diffusion through the membrane are presented as a function of the cell state-of-charge.

  5. Remarkable regioselective position-10 bromination of bacteriopyropheophorbide-a and ring-B reduced pyropheophorbide-a.

    PubMed

    Ethirajan, Manivannan; Joshi, Penny; William, White H; Ohkubo, Kei; Fukuzumi, Shunichi; Pandey, Ravindra K

    2011-04-15

    Both bacteriopyropheophorbide-a and ring-B reduced pyropheophorbide-a on reacting with NBS (N-bromosuccinamide) undergo electrophilic bromination to provide 10-bromo analogs. The electronic nature of the substituents present at position-3 did not make any difference in the regioselective outcome of the brominated products. These relatively stable brominated chlorins and bacteriochlorins provide an easy way of introducing a wide variety of functionalities, which could be extremely useful in developing improved agents for biomedical applications and supramolecular chemistry. © 2011 American Chemical Society

  6. Improving the interlaminar shear strength of carbon fiber-epoxy composites through carbon fiber bromination

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jaworske, Donald A.; Maciag, Carolyn

    1987-01-01

    The use of bromine to improve the interlaminar shear strength of PAN-based carbon fibers was investigated. Composite test specimens fabicated from brominated T-300 fibers and a MY720 matrix exhibited on average a 30% improvement in ILSS over their pristine counterparts. Mass, electrical resistivity, density, contact angle, and scanning Auger microscopy results suggested a mechanism in which the bromine was covalently bonded to the surface of the fiber, and this resulted in an increased van der Waal's adhesion between fiber and matrix.

  7. Enhanced ozone loss by active inorganic bromine chemistry in the tropical troposphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Le Breton, Michael; Bannan, Thomas J.; Shallcross, Dudley E.; Khan, M. Anwar; Evans, Mathew J.; Lee, James; Lidster, Richard; Andrews, Stephen; Carpenter, Lucy J.; Schmidt, Johan; Jacob, Daniel; Harris, Neil R. P.; Bauguitte, Stephane; Gallagher, Martin; Bacak, Asan; Leather, Kimberley E.; Percival, Carl J.

    2017-04-01

    Bromine chemistry, particularly in the tropics, has been suggested to play an important role in tropospheric ozone loss although a lack of measurements of active bromine species impedes a quantitative understanding of its impacts. Recent modelling and measurements of bromine monoxide (BrO) by Wang et al. (2015) have shown current models under predict BrO concentrations over the Pacific Ocean and allude to a missing source of BrO. Here, we present the first simultaneous aircraft measurements of atmospheric bromine monoxide, BrO (a radical that along with atomic Br catalytically destroys ozone) and the inorganic Br precursor compounds HOBr, BrCl and Br2 over the Western Pacific Ocean from 0.5 to 7 km. The presence of 0.17-1.64 pptv BrO and 3.6-8 pptv total inorganic Br from these four species throughout the troposphere causes 10-20% of total ozone loss, and confirms the importance of bromine chemistry in the tropical troposphere; contributing to a 6 ppb decrease in ozone levels due to halogen chemistry. Observations are compared with a global chemical transport model and find that the observed high levels of BrO, BrCl and HOBr can be reconciled by active multiphase oxidation of halide (Br- and Cl-) by HOBr and ozone in cloud droplets and aerosols. Measurements indicate that 99% of the instantaneous free Br in the troposphere up to 8 km originates from inorganic halogen photolysis rather than from photolysis of organobromine species.

  8. Bromine incorporation factors for trihalomethane formation for the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio Rivers

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Rathbun, R.E.

    1996-01-01

    The bromine incorporation factor describes the distribution of the four trihalomethane compounds in the mixture formed when a natural water is chlorinated. This factor was determined for the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio Rivers by chlorinating water samples at three levels each of pH and free chlorine concentration. Samples were collected during the summer, fall, and spring seasons of the year at 12 sites on the Mississippi River from Minneapolis, MN, to New Orleans, LA, and on the Missouri and Ohio Rivers 1.6 kilometers upstream from their confluences with the Mississippi. The bromine incorporation factor increased as the bromide concentration increased, and decreased as the pH, initial free-chlorine and dissolved organic-carbon concentrations increased. Variation of the bromine incorporation factor with distance along the Mississippi River approximately paralleled the variation of the bromide concentration with distance along the river, with the Missouri River samples having the highest bromine incorporation factors for all combinations of pH and free-chlorine concentration.

  9. Fundamentally Addressing Bromine Storage through Reversible Solid-State Confinement in Porous Carbon Electrodes: Design of a High-Performance Dual-Redox Electrochemical Capacitor.

    PubMed

    Yoo, Seung Joon; Evanko, Brian; Wang, Xingfeng; Romelczyk, Monica; Taylor, Aidan; Ji, Xiulei; Boettcher, Shannon W; Stucky, Galen D

    2017-07-26

    Research in electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) and rechargeable batteries is converging to target systems that have battery-level energy density and capacitor-level cycling stability and power density. This research direction has been facilitated by the use of redox-active electrolytes that add faradaic charge storage to increase energy density of the EDLCs. Aqueous redox-enhanced electrochemical capacitors (redox ECs) have, however, performed poorly due to cross-diffusion of soluble redox couples, reduced cycle life, and low operating voltages. In this manuscript, we propose that these challenges can be simultaneously met by mechanistically designing a liquid-to-solid phase transition of oxidized catholyte (or reduced anolyte) with confinement in the pores of electrodes. Here we demonstrate the realization of this approach with the use of bromide catholyte and tetrabutylammonium cation that induces reversible solid-state complexation of Br 2 /Br 3 - . This mechanism solves the inherent cross-diffusion issue of redox ECs and has the added benefit of greatly stabilizing the reactive bromine generated during charging. Based on this new mechanistic insight on the utilization of solid-state bromine storage in redox ECs, we developed a dual-redox EC consisting of a bromide catholyte and an ethyl viologen anolyte with the addition of tetrabutylammonium bromide. In comparison to aqueous and organic electric double-layer capacitors, this system enhances energy by factors of ca. 11 and 3.5, respectively, with a specific energy of ∼64 W·h/kg at 1 A/g, a maximum power density >3 kW/kg, and cycling stability over 7000 cycles.

  10. Bromination of Marine Dissolved Organic Matter following Full Scale Electrochemical Ballast Water Disinfection.

    PubMed

    Gonsior, Michael; Mitchelmore, Carys; Heyes, Andrew; Harir, Mourad; Richardson, Susan D; Petty, William Tyler; Wright, David A; Schmitt-Kopplin, Philippe

    2015-08-04

    An extensively diverse array of brominated disinfection byproducts (DBPs) were generated following electrochemical disinfection of natural coastal/estuarine water, which is one of the main treatment methods currently under consideration for ballast water treatment. Ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometry revealed 462 distinct brominated DBPs at a relative abundance in the mass spectra of more than 1%. A brominated DBP with a relative abundance of almost 22% was identified as 2,2,4-tribromo-5-hydroxy-4-cyclopentene-1,3-dione, which is an analogue to several previously described 2,2,4-trihalo-5-hydroxy-4-cyclopentene-1,3-diones in drinking water. Several other brominated molecular formulas matched those of other known brominated DBPs, such as dibromomethane, which could be generated by decarboxylation of dibromoacetic acid during ionization, dibromophenol, dibromopropanoic acid, dibromobutanoic acid, bromohydroxybenzoic acid, bromophenylacetic acid, bromooxopentenoic acid, and dibromopentenedioic acid. Via comparison to previously described chlorine-containing analogues, bromophenylacetic acid, dibromooxopentenoic acid, and dibromopentenedioic acid were also identified. A novel compound at a 4% relative abundance was identified as tribromoethenesulfonate. This compound has not been previously described as a DBP, and its core structure of tribromoethene has been demonstrated to show toxicological implications. Here we show that electrochemical disinfection, suggested as a candidate for successful ballast water treatment, caused considerable production of some previously characterized DBPs in addition to novel brominated DBPs, although several hundred compounds remain structurally uncharacterized. Our results clearly demonstrate that electrochemical and potentially direct chlorination of ballast water in estuarine and marine systems should be approached with caution and the concentrations, fate, and toxicity of DBP need to be further characterized.

  11. Hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers exhibit different activities on thyroid hormone receptors depending on their degree of bromination

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ren, Xiao-Min, E-mail: rxm200318@gmail.com; Guo, Liang-Hong, E-mail: LHGuo@rcees.ac.cn; Gao, Yu, E-mail: francesscototti@gmail.com

    2013-05-01

    Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been shown to disrupt thyroid hormone (TH) functions in experimental animals, and one of the proposed disruption mechanisms is direct binding of hydroxylated PBDE (OH-PBDE) to TH receptors (TRs). However, previous data on TH receptor binding and TH activity of OH-PBDEs were very limited and sometimes inconsistent. In the present paper, we examined the binding potency of ten OH-PBDEs with different degrees of bromination to TR using a fluorescence competitive binding assay. The results showed that the ten OH-PBDEs bound to TR with potency that correlated to their bromination level. We further examined their effectmore » on TR using a coactivator binding assay and GH3 cell proliferation assay. Different TR activities of OH-PBDEs were observed depending on their degree of bromination. Four low-brominated OH-PBDEs (2′-OH-BDE-28, 3′-OH-BDE-28, 5-OH-BDE-47, 6-OH-BDE-47) were found to be TR agonists, which recruited the coactivator peptide and enhanced GH3 cell proliferation. However, three high-brominated OH-PBDEs (3-OH-BDE-100, 3′-OH-BDE-154, 4-OH-BDE-188) were tested to be antagonists. Molecular docking was employed to simulate the interactions of OH-PBDEs with TR and identify the structural determinants for TR binding and activity. According to the docking results, low-brominated OH-PBDEs, which are weak binders but TR agonists, bind with TR at the inner side of its binding pocket, whereas high-brominated compounds, which are potent binders but TR antagonists, reside at the outer region. These results indicate that OH-PBDEs have different activities on TR (agonistic or antagonistic), possibly due to their different binding geometries with the receptor. - Highlights: ► Thyroid hormone (TH) activity of OH-PBDEs with different Br number was evaluated. ► Four different experimental approaches were employed to investigate the mechanism. ► Low-brominated OH-PBDEs were agonists, but high-brominated ones were

  12. HEALTH EFFECTS OF BROMINATED FLAME RETARDANTS (BFRS)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Abstract Brominated flame retardant use has increased dramatically in order to provide fire safety to consumers. However, there is growing concern about widespread environmental contamination and potential health risks from some of these products. The most used products...

  13. Quantitative Thermochemical Measurements in High-Pressure Gaseous Combustion

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kojima, Jun J.; Fischer, David G.

    2012-01-01

    We present our strategic experiment and thermochemical analyses on combustion flow using a subframe burst gating (SBG) Raman spectroscopy. This unconventional laser diagnostic technique has promising ability to enhance accuracy of the quantitative scalar measurements in a point-wise single-shot fashion. In the presentation, we briefly describe an experimental methodology that generates transferable calibration standard for the routine implementation of the diagnostics in hydrocarbon flames. The diagnostic technology was applied to simultaneous measurements of temperature and chemical species in a swirl-stabilized turbulent flame with gaseous methane fuel at elevated pressure (17 atm). Statistical analyses of the space-/time-resolved thermochemical data provide insights into the nature of the mixing process and it impact on the subsequent combustion process in the model combustor.

  14. 2011 Biomass Program Platform Peer Review. Thermochemical Conversion

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Grabowski, Paul E.

    This document summarizes the recommendations and evaluations provided by an independent external panel of experts at the 2011 U.S. Department of Energy Biomass Program’s Thermochemical Conversion Platform Review meeting.

  15. Functionalized Poly(3-hexylthiophene)s via Lithium–Bromine Exchange

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) is one of the most extensively investigated conjugated polymers and has been employed as the active material in many devices including field-effect transistors, organic photovoltaics and sensors. As a result, methods to further tune the properties of P3HT are desirable for specific applications. Herein, we report a facile postpolymerization modification strategy to functionalize the 4-position of commercially available P3HT in two simple steps–bromination of the 4-position of P3HT (Br–P3HT) followed by lithium−bromine exchange and quenching with an electrophile. We achieved near quantitative lithium–bromine exchange with Br–P3HT, which requires over 100 thienyl lithiates to be present on a single polymer chain. The lithiated-P3HT is readily combined with functional electrophiles, resulting in P3HT derivatives with ketones, secondary alcohols, trimethylsilyl (TMS) group, fluorine, or an azide at the 4-position. We demonstrated that the azide-modified P3HT could undergo Cu-catalyzed or Cu-free click chemistry, significantly expanding the complexity of the structures that can be appended to P3HT using this method. PMID:25620811

  16. Characterization of unknown brominated disinfection byproducts during chlorination using ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Haifeng; Zhang, Yahe; Shi, Quan; Zheng, Hongdie; Yang, Min

    2014-03-18

    Brominated disinfection byproducts (Br-DBPs), formed from the reaction of disinfectant(s) with natural organic matter in the presence of bromide in raw water, are generally more cytotoxic and genotoxic than their chlorinated analogues. To date, only a few Br-DBPs in drinking water have been identified, while a significant portion of Br-DBPs in drinking water is still unknown. In this study, negative ion electrospray ionization ultrahigh resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI FT-ICR MS) was used to characterize unknown Br-DBPs in artificial drinking water. In total, 441 formulas for one-bromine-containing products and 37 formulas for two-bromine-containing products, most of which had not been previously reported, were detected in the chlorinated sample. Most Br-DBPs have corresponding chlorine-containing analogues with identical CHO composition. In addition, on-resonance collision-induced dissociation (CID) of single ultrahigh resolved bromine containing mass peaks was performed in the ICR cell to isolate single bromine-containing components in a very complex natural organic matter spectrum and provide structure information. Relatively abundant neutral loss of CO2 was observed in MS-MS spectra, indicating that the unknown Br-DBPs are rich in carboxyl groups. The results demonstrate that the ESI FT-ICR MS method could provide valuable molecular composition and structure information on unknown Br-DBPs.

  17. Sea ice and pollution-modulated changes in Greenland ice core methanesulfonate and bromine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maselli, Olivia J.; Chellman, Nathan J.; Grieman, Mackenzie; Layman, Lawrence; McConnell, Joseph R.; Pasteris, Daniel; Rhodes, Rachael H.; Saltzman, Eric; Sigl, Michael

    2017-01-01

    Reconstruction of past changes in Arctic sea ice extent may be critical for understanding its future evolution. Methanesulfonate (MSA) and bromine concentrations preserved in ice cores have both been proposed as indicators of past sea ice conditions. In this study, two ice cores from central and north-eastern Greenland were analysed at sub-annual resolution for MSA (CH3SO3H) and bromine, covering the time period 1750-2010. We examine correlations between ice core MSA and the HadISST1 ICE sea ice dataset and consult back trajectories to infer the likely source regions. A strong correlation between the low-frequency MSA and bromine records during pre-industrial times indicates that both chemical species are likely linked to processes occurring on or near sea ice in the same source regions. The positive correlation between ice core MSA and bromine persists until the mid-20th century, when the acidity of Greenland ice begins to increase markedly due to increased fossil fuel emissions. After that time, MSA levels decrease as a result of declining sea ice extent but bromine levels increase. We consider several possible explanations and ultimately suggest that increased acidity, specifically nitric acid, of snow on sea ice stimulates the release of reactive Br from sea ice, resulting in increased transport and deposition on the Greenland ice sheet.

  18. METHOD OF SEPARATING URANIUM, PLUTONIUM AND FISSION PRODUCTS BY BROMINATION AND DISTILLATION

    DOEpatents

    Jaffey, A.H.; Seaborg, G.T.

    1958-12-23

    The method for separation of plutonium from uranium and radioactive fission products obtained by neutron irradiation of uranlum consists of reacting the lrradiated material with either bromine, hydrogen bromide, alumlnum bromide, or sulfur and bromine at an elevated temperature to form the bromides of all the elements, then recovering substantlally pure plutonium bromide by dlstillatlon in combinatlon with selective condensatlon at prescribed temperature and pressure.

  19. Release of Oxidized Bromine Species From Diatoms: Implication for the Polar Troposphere and Oceanic Polyhalomethane Production

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Manley, S. L.; Hill, V. L.

    2006-12-01

    Marine and ice diatoms are known producers of polybromomethanes. These trace gases produced from ice algae have been implicated as a source of photochemically active bromine involved in polar surface ozone depletion events. A more dominant source of reactive bromine, however, has been attributed to the reaction on ice particles and in sea spray aerosols of atmospherically derived HOBr with bromide and chloride to produce the dihalogens Br2 and BrCl. We have measured the release of oxidized bromine species (Brox = HOBr, Br2, Br3-1) from polar and temperate diatoms. The highest rates were measured from Porosira glaciales (CCMP 651). Release rates are range from 0.84 to 180 fmoles bromine/hour/cell depending on the species or an approximate maximum of 950 nmoles bromine/mg chl a/hr (P. glaciales). The flux from the diatoms is 0.1 to 7.5 nmoles bromine/cm2 diatom surface/hr. This release occurs from an extracellular bromoperoxidase when a suitable organic substrate is absent. At 0.84 mM bromide (average seawater concentration), the optimal pH for Brox release is 6.5, which is the putative pH of the apoplastic space, and the optimal H2O2 concentration is 250 nM. Based on these results, it is estimated that the amount of bromine released from ice algae as Brox is 10 to 200 times greater than the release of bromine as bromoform from ice algae. The Brox so produced could participate in the abiotic formation of dihalogens in sea ice. Also, Brox released from diatoms may react with specific components of DOC, if present, to indirectly produce polybromomethanes both in sea ice and seawater. The amount of polyhalomethanes produced is not only dependent on the algal species present but also on the composition of DOC.

  20. Constraints on core-mantle boundary topography from models of thermal and thermochemical convection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deschamps, Frédéric; Rogister, Yves; Tackley, Paul J.

    2018-01-01

    Mantle flow induces dynamic topography at the core-mantle boundary (CMB), with distribution and amplitude that depend on details of the flow. To assess whether observations of CMB topography can give constraints on deep mantle structure, we determine CMB dynamic topography associated with different models of mantle convection, including thermochemical and purely thermal models. We investigate the influence of key controlling parameters, specifically the thermal viscosity ratio (ΔηT) and, for thermochemical models, the density contrast (ΔρC) and viscosity ratio (ΔηC) between primordial and regular materials. In purely thermal models, plume clusters induce positive topography with an amplitude that decreases with increasing ΔηT. In thermochemical models with moderate density contrasts, around 100-200 kg m-3, reservoirs of dense material induce depressions in CMB topography, surrounded by a ridge of positive topography. The average depression depth and ridge height increase with increasing ΔρC and ΔηC, but decrease with increasing ΔηT. We find that for purely thermal models or thermochemical models with ΔρC ˜ 90 kg m-3 and less, the long-wavelength (spherical harmonic degrees up to l = 4) dynamic topography and shear wave velocity anomalies predicted by thermochemical distributions anticorrelate. By contrast, for models with ΔρC ≥ 100 kg m-3 and ΔηC > 1, long-wavelength dynamic topography and shear wave velocity anomalies correlate well. This potentially provides a test to infer the nature, that is, either purely or mostly thermal (ΔρC ≤ 100 kg m-3 m-3) or strongly thermochemical (ΔρC ≥ 100 kg m-3), of the low shear wave velocity provinces observed by global tomographic images. The presence of post-perovskite, provided that its viscosity is similar to that of bridgmanite, does not alter these conclusions.

  1. Polar boundary layer bromine explosion and ozone depletion events in the chemistry-climate model EMAC v2.52: implementation and evaluation of AirSnow algorithm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Falk, Stefanie; Sinnhuber, Björn-Martin

    2018-03-01

    Ozone depletion events (ODEs) in the polar boundary layer have been observed frequently during springtime. They are related to events of boundary layer enhancement of bromine. Consequently, increased amounts of boundary layer volume mixing ratio (VMR) and vertical column densities (VCDs) of BrO have been observed by in situ observation, ground-based as well as airborne remote sensing, and from satellites. These so-called bromine explosion (BE) events have been discussed serving as a source of tropospheric BrO at high latitudes, which has been underestimated in global models so far. We have implemented a treatment of bromine release and recycling on sea-ice- and snow-covered surfaces in the global chemistry-climate model EMAC (ECHAM/MESSy Atmospheric Chemistry) based on the scheme of Toyota et al. (2011). In this scheme, dry deposition fluxes of HBr, HOBr, and BrNO3 over ice- and snow-covered surfaces are recycled into Br2 fluxes. In addition, dry deposition of O3, dependent on temperature and sunlight, triggers a Br2 release from surfaces associated with first-year sea ice. Many aspects of observed bromine enhancements and associated episodes of near-complete depletion of boundary layer ozone, both in the Arctic and in the Antarctic, are reproduced by this relatively simple approach. We present first results from our global model studies extending over a full annual cycle, including comparisons with Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) satellite BrO VCDs and surface ozone observations.

  2. HEALTH ASPECTS OF BROMINATED FLAME RETARDANTS (BFRS)

    EPA Science Inventory

    In order to reduce the societal costs of fires, flammability standards have been set for consumer products and equipment. Flame retardants containing bromine have constituted the largest share of this market due both to their efficiency and cost. While there are at least 75 dif...

  3. Multi-scale visualization and characterization of lignocellulosic plant cell wall deconstruction during thermochemical pretreatment

    Treesearch

    Shishir P. S. Chundawat; Bryon S. Donohoe; Leonardo da Costa Sousa; Thomas Elder; Umesh P. Agarwal; Fachuang Lu; John Ralph; Michael E. Himmel; Venkatesh Balan; Bruce E. Dale

    2011-01-01

    Deconstruction of lignocellulosic plant cell walls to fermentable sugars by thermochemical and/or biological means is impeded by several poorly understood ultrastructural and chemical barriers. A promising thermochemical pretreatment called ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX) overcomes the native recalcitrance of cell walls through subtle morphological and physicochemical...

  4. TEA: A Code Calculating Thermochemical Equilibrium Abundances

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blecic, Jasmina; Harrington, Joseph; Bowman, M. Oliver

    2016-07-01

    We present an open-source Thermochemical Equilibrium Abundances (TEA) code that calculates the abundances of gaseous molecular species. The code is based on the methodology of White et al. and Eriksson. It applies Gibbs free-energy minimization using an iterative, Lagrangian optimization scheme. Given elemental abundances, TEA calculates molecular abundances for a particular temperature and pressure or a list of temperature-pressure pairs. We tested the code against the method of Burrows & Sharp, the free thermochemical equilibrium code Chemical Equilibrium with Applications (CEA), and the example given by Burrows & Sharp. Using their thermodynamic data, TEA reproduces their final abundances, but with higher precision. We also applied the TEA abundance calculations to models of several hot-Jupiter exoplanets, producing expected results. TEA is written in Python in a modular format. There is a start guide, a user manual, and a code document in addition to this theory paper. TEA is available under a reproducible-research, open-source license via https://github.com/dzesmin/TEA.

  5. BROMINATED FLAME RETARDANTS: WHY DO WE CARE?

    EPA Science Inventory

    Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) save lives and property by preventing the spread of fires or delaying the time of flashover, enhancing the time people have to escape. The worldwide production of BFRs exceeded 200,000 metric tons in 2003 placing them in the high production vol...

  6. Physicochemical properties of selected polybrominated diphenyl ethers and extension of the UNIFAC model to brominated aromatic compounds.

    PubMed

    Kuramochi, Hidetoshi; Maeda, Kouji; Kawamoto, Katsuya

    2007-04-01

    The aqueous solubilities (S(w)) at various temperatures from 283 K to 308 K and 1-octanol/water partition coefficients (K(ow)) for four polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs: 4,4'-dibromodiphenyl ether (BDE-15), 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47), 2,2',4,4',5-pentabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-99), and 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-153)) were measured by the generator column method. The S(w) and K(ow) data revealed the effect of bromine substitution and basic structure on S(w) and K(ow). To estimate the infinite dilution activity coefficients (gamma(i)(w,infinity)) of the PBDEs in water from the S(w) data, enthalpies of fusion and melting points for those compounds were measured with a differential scanning calorimeter. Henry's Law constants (H(w)) of the PBDEs were derived from the determined gamma(i)(w,infinity) and literature vapor pressure data. Some physicochemical characteristics of PBDEs were also suggested by comparing the present property data with that of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, brominated phenols and brominated benzenes in past studies. Furthermore, in order to represent different phase equilibria including solubility and partition equilibrium for other brominated aromatic compounds using the UNIFAC model, a pair of UNIFAC group interaction parameters between the bromine and water group were determined from the S(w) and K(ow) data of PBDEs and brominated benzenes. The ability of the determined parameters to represent both properties of brominated aromatics was evaluated.

  7. Microwave assisted extraction of iodine and bromine from edible seaweed for inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry determination.

    PubMed

    Romarís-Hortas, Vanessa; Moreda-Piñeiro, Antonio; Bermejo-Barrera, Pilar

    2009-08-15

    The feasibility of microwave energy to assist the solubilisation of edible seaweed samples by tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) has been investigated to extract iodine and bromine. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has been used as a multi-element detector. Variables affecting the microwave assisted extraction/solubilisation (temperature, TMAH volume, ramp time and hold time) were firstly screened by applying a fractional factorial design (2(5-1)+2), resolution V and 2 centre points. When extracting both halogens, results showed statistical significance (confidence interval of 95%) for TMAH volume and temperature, and also for the two order interaction between both variables. Therefore, these two variables were finally optimized by a 2(2)+star orthogonal central composite design with 5 centre points and 2 replicates, and optimum values of 200 degrees C and 10 mL for temperature and TMAH volume, respectively, were found. The extraction time (ramp and hold times) was found statistically non-significant, and values of 10 and 5 min were chosen for the ramp time and the hold time, respectively. This means a fast microwave heating cycle. Repeatability of the over-all procedure has been found to be 6% for both elements, while iodine and bromine concentrations of 24.6 and 19.9 ng g(-1), respectively, were established for the limit of detection. Accuracy of the method was assessed by analyzing the NIES-09 (Sargasso, Sargassum fulvellum) certified reference material (CRM) and the iodine and bromine concentrations found have been in good agreement with the indicative values for this CRM. Finally, the method was applied to several edible dried and canned seaweed samples.

  8. Dynamics of Compressible Convection and Thermochemical Mantle Convection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Xi

    The Earth's long-wavelength geoid anomalies have long been used to constrain the dynamics and viscosity structure of the mantle in an isochemical, whole-mantle convection model. However, there is strong evidence that the seismically observed large low shear velocity provinces (LLSVPs) in the lowermost mantle are chemically distinct and denser than the ambient mantle. In this thesis, I investigated how chemically distinct and dense piles influence the geoid. I formulated dynamically self-consistent 3D spherical convection models with realistic mantle viscosity structure which reproduce Earth's dominantly spherical harmonic degree-2 convection. The models revealed a compensation effect of the chemically dense LLSVPs. Next, I formulated instantaneous flow models based on seismic tomography to compute the geoid and constrain mantle viscosity assuming thermochemical convection with the compensation effect. Thermochemical models reconcile the geoid observations. The viscosity structure inverted for thermochemical models is nearly identical to that of whole-mantle models, and both prefer weak transition zone. Our results have implications for mineral physics, seismic tomographic studies, and mantle convection modelling. Another part of this thesis describes analyses of the influence of mantle compressibility on thermal convection in an isoviscous and compressible fluid with infinite Prandtl number. A new formulation of the propagator matrix method is implemented to compute the critical Rayleigh number and the corresponding eigenfunctions for compressible convection. Heat flux and thermal boundary layer properties are quantified in numerical models and scaling laws are developed.

  9. Determination of brominated flame retardants and brominated dioxins in fish collected from three regions of Japan.

    PubMed

    Ashizuka, Yuki; Nakagawa, Reiko; Hori, Tsuguhide; Yasutake, Daisuke; Tobiishi, Kazuhiro; Sasaki, Kumiko

    2008-02-01

    The concentrations of brominated dioxins which are polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins/polybrominated dibenzofurans (PBDD/DFs) and mono-bromo polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) were investigated in a total of 45 fish samples collected from three regions in Japan. In the brominated dioxins, 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-heptabromodibenzofuran (HpBDF) was the most abundant congener, and it was found in seven fish samples at 0.10-25.6 pg/g wet weight (ww). The highest concentration of 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpBDF was found in the pike eel. Regarding other congeners, 2,3,7,8-tetrabromodibenzo-p-dioxin was detected in the sea bream at 0.02 pg/g ww, and 2,3,7,8-tetrabromodibenzofuran was detected in the conger eel at 0.03 pg/g ww. 3-Bromo-2,7,8-trichlorodibenzofuran was detected in the Sardinella zunasi and the conger eel at 0.01 pg/g ww and 0.02 pg/g ww, respectively. Using toxic equivalency factors of chlorinated dioxins, we calculated the PBDD/DFs concentrations of these fish samples at 0.001-0.256 pg TEQ/g ww. PBDEs were detected in all of the fish samples. The concentrations of total PBDEs were 0.01-2.88 ng/g ww. The seerfish and the yellowtail containd PBDEs in high concentrations. The most dominant congener in most of the fish was 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromo diphenyl ether. TBBPA was detected in 29 fish samples at 0.01-0.11 ng/g ww. The mean level of TBBPA was about one-tenth or less of the total level of PBDEs. A good correlation was obtained between total PBDEs and fat content. On the other hand, no correlation was obtained between TBBPA and fat content. The daily intakes from fish were estimated to be 0.58 ng/kg body weight (bw)/day for total PBDEs, 0.03 ng/kg bw/day for TBBPA, and 0.01 pg TEQ/kg bw/day for brominated dioxins in the case assuming that the average bw of a Japanese adult person is 50 kg and that the average fish consumption is 82 g/day. For PBDEs, the provisionally calculated value was much less

  10. Eosinophils generate brominating oxidants in allergen-induced asthma

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Weijia; Samoszuk, Michael K.; Comhair, Suzy A.A.; Thomassen, Mary Jane; Farver, Carol F.; Dweik, Raed A.; Kavuru, Mani S.; Erzurum, Serpil C.; Hazen, Stanley L.

    2000-01-01

    Eosinophils promote tissue injury and contribute to the pathogenesis of allergen-triggered diseases like asthma, but the chemical basis of damage to eosinophil targets is unknown. We now demonstrate that eosinophil activation in vivo results in oxidative damage of proteins through bromination of tyrosine residues, a heretofore unrecognized pathway for covalent modification of biologic targets in human tissues. Mass spectrometric studies demonstrated that 3-bromotyrosine serves as a specific “molecular fingerprint” for proteins modified through the eosinophil peroxidase-H2O2 system in the presence of plasma levels of halides. We applied a localized allergen challenge to model the effects of eosinophils and brominating oxidants in human lung injury. Endobronchial biopsy specimens from allergen-challenged lung segments of asthmatic, but not healthy control, subjects demonstrated significant enrichments in eosinophils and eosinophil peroxidase. Baseline levels of 3-bromotyrosine in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) proteins from mildly allergic asthmatic individuals were modestly but not statistically significantly elevated over those in control subjects. After exposure to segmental allergen challenge, lung segments of asthmatics, but not healthy control subjects, exhibited a >10-fold increase in BAL 3-bromotyrosine content, but only two- to threefold increases in 3-chlorotyrosine, a specific oxidation product formed by neutrophil- and monocyte-derived myeloperoxidase. These results identify reactive brominating species produced by eosinophils as a distinct class of oxidants formed in vivo. They also reveal eosinophil peroxidase as a potential therapeutic target for allergen-triggered inflammatory tissue injury in humans. PMID:10811853

  11. The toxicity of brominated and mixed-halogenated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans: An overview

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Weber, L.W.D.; Greim, H.

    1997-02-21

    Brominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans can be formed under laboratory conditions by pyrolysis of flame retardants based on polybrominated biphenyls and biphenyl ethers. Their occurrence in the environment, however, is due to combustion processes such as municipal waste incineration and internal combustion engines. As these processes generally take place in the presence of an excess of chlorine, predominantly mixed brominated and chlorinated compounds have been identified so far in environmental samples. Brominated dibenzo-p-dioxins or dibenzofurans bind to the cytosolic Ah receptor about as avidly as their chlorinated congeners and induce hepatic microsomal enzymes with comparable potency. The same holds true formore » mixed brominated-chlorinated compounds. Gross pathologic symptoms-hypothyroidism, thymic atrophy, wasting of body mass, lethality-also occur at doses that, on a molar concentration basis, are virtually identical to those seen with the chlorinated compounds. Their potency to induce malformations in mice following prenatal exposure is equivalent to that of chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans. Possible activities as (co)carcinogens and endocrine disrupters have not been evaluated, but are likely to exist. Considering the overall similarity in action of chlorinated and brominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans, environmental and health assessment should be based on molar body burdens without discrimination for the nature of the halogen. 107 refs., 1 fig., 7 tabs.« less

  12. Experimental Demonstration of the Thermochemical Reduction of Ceria in a Solar Aerosol Reactor

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    We report on the experimental demonstration of an aerosol solar reactor for the thermal reduction of ceria, as part of a thermochemical redox cycle for splitting H2O and CO2. The concept utilizes a cavity-receiver enclosing an array of alumina tubes, each containing a downward gravity-driven aerosol flow of ceria particles countercurrent to an inert sweep gas flow for intrinsic separation of reduced ceria and oxygen. A 2 kWth lab-scale prototype with a single tube was tested under radiative fluxes approaching 4000 suns, yielding reaction extents of up to 53% of the thermodynamic equilibrium at 1919 K within residence times below 1 s. Upon thermal redox cycling, fresh primary particles of 2.44 μm mean size initially formed large agglomerates of 1000 μm mean size, then sintered into stable particles of 150 μm mean size. The reaction extent was primarily limited by heat transfer for large particles/agglomerates (mean size > 200 μm) and by the gas phase advection of product O2 for smaller particles. PMID:27853339

  13. Experimental Demonstration of the Thermochemical Reduction of Ceria in a Solar Aerosol Reactor.

    PubMed

    Welte, Michael; Barhoumi, Rafik; Zbinden, Adrian; Scheffe, Jonathan R; Steinfeld, Aldo

    2016-10-12

    We report on the experimental demonstration of an aerosol solar reactor for the thermal reduction of ceria, as part of a thermochemical redox cycle for splitting H 2 O and CO 2 . The concept utilizes a cavity-receiver enclosing an array of alumina tubes, each containing a downward gravity-driven aerosol flow of ceria particles countercurrent to an inert sweep gas flow for intrinsic separation of reduced ceria and oxygen. A 2 kW th lab-scale prototype with a single tube was tested under radiative fluxes approaching 4000 suns, yielding reaction extents of up to 53% of the thermodynamic equilibrium at 1919 K within residence times below 1 s. Upon thermal redox cycling, fresh primary particles of 2.44 μm mean size initially formed large agglomerates of 1000 μm mean size, then sintered into stable particles of 150 μm mean size. The reaction extent was primarily limited by heat transfer for large particles/agglomerates (mean size > 200 μm) and by the gas phase advection of product O 2 for smaller particles.

  14. Recycling of plastic waste: Screening for brominated flame retardants (BFRs).

    PubMed

    Pivnenko, K; Granby, K; Eriksson, E; Astrup, T F

    2017-11-01

    Flame retardants are chemicals vital for reducing risks of fire and preventing human casualties and property losses. Due to the abundance, low cost and high performance of bromine, brominated flame retardants (BFRs) have had a significant share of the market for years. Physical stability on the other hand, has resulted in dispersion and accumulation of selected BFRs in the environment and receiving biota. A wide range of plastic products may contain BFRs. This affects the quality of waste plastics as secondary resource: material recycling may potentially reintroduce the BFRs into new plastic product cycles and lead to increased exposure levels, e.g. through use of plastic packaging materials. To provide quantitative and qualitative data on presence of BFRs in plastics, we analysed bromophenols (tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), dibromophenols (2,4- and 2,6-DBP) and 2,4,6-tribromophenol (2,4,6-TBP)), hexabromocyclododecane stereoisomers (α-, β-, and γ-HBCD), as well as selected polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in samples of household waste plastics, virgin and recycled plastics. A considerable number of samples contained BFRs, with highest concentrations associated with acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS, up to 26,000,000ngTBBPA/g) and polystyrene (PS, up to 330,000ng∑HBCD/g). Abundancy in low concentrations of some BFRs in plastic samples suggested either unintended addition in plastic products or degradation of higher molecular weight BFRs. The presence of currently restricted flame retardants (PBDEs and HBCD) identified in the plastic samples illustrates that circular material flows may be contaminated for extended periods. The screening clearly showed a need for improved documentation and monitoring of the presence of BFRs in plastic waste routed to recycling. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Ultrasound-assisted green bromination of N-cinnamoyl amino acid amides - Structural characterization and antimicrobial evaluation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stoykova, Boyka; Chochkova, Maya; Ivanova, Galya; Markova, Nadezhda; Enchev, Venelin; Tsvetkova, Iva; Najdenski, Hristo; Štícha, Martin; Milkova, Tsenka

    2017-05-01

    N-phenylpropenoyl amino acid amides have been brominated using two alternative sonochemically activated green chemistry procedures. The first synthetic procedure has involved an ultrasound assisted bromination in an aqueous medium using ionic liquid as a catalyst of the reaction, whereas in the second one an in situ formation of Br2 via oxidation of HBr by H2O2 has been used. For comparison, the conventional bromination procedure was also used. The newly brominated compounds were characterized by appropriate analytical techniques. A detailed NMR spectroscopic analysis and quantum chemical calculations using Density Functional Theory (DFT) methods have been used to define the stereochemistry of the products. The results confirmed the physicochemical identity and similar yields of the products obtained by the three synthetic procedures employed, and reveal the co-existence of two diastereoisomeric forms of the newly synthesized products. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of the dibrominated amides were evaluated.

  16. Electron stimulated desorption of anions from native and brominated single stranded oligonucleotide trimers

    PubMed Central

    Polska, Katarzyna; Rak, Janusz; Bass, Andrew D.; Cloutier, Pierre; Sanche, Léon

    2013-01-01

    We measured the low energy electron stimulated desorption (ESD) of anions from thin films of native (TXT) and bromine monosubstituted (TBrXT) oligonucleotide trimers deposited on a gold surface (T = thymidine, X = T, deoxycytidine (C), deoxyadenosine (A) or deoxyguanosine (G), Br = bromine). The desorption of H−, CH3−/NH−, O−/NH2−, OH−, CN−, and Br− was induced by 0 to 20 eV electrons. Dissociative electron attachment, below 12 eV, and dipolar dissociation, above 12 eV, are responsible for the formation of these anions. The comparison of the results obtained for the native and brominated trimers suggests that the main pathways of TBrXT degradation correspond to the release of the hydride and bromide anions. Significantly, the presence of bromine in oligonucleotide trimers blocks the electron-induced degradation of nuclobases as evidenced by a dramatic decrease in CN− desorption. An increase in the yields of OH− is also observed. The debromination yield of particular oligonucleotides diminishes in the following order: BrdU > BrdA > BrdG > BrdC. Based on these results, 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine appears to be the best radiosensitizer among the studied bromonucleosides. PMID:22360262

  17. Electron stimulated desorption of anions from native and brominated single stranded oligonucleotide trimers.

    PubMed

    Polska, Katarzyna; Rak, Janusz; Bass, Andrew D; Cloutier, Pierre; Sanche, Léon

    2012-02-21

    We measured the low energy electron stimulated desorption (ESD) of anions from thin films of native (TXT) and bromine monosubstituted (TBrXT) oligonucleotide trimers deposited on a gold surface (T = thymidine, X = T, deoxycytidine (C), deoxyadenosine (A) or deoxyguanosine (G), Br = bromine). The desorption of H(-), CH(3)(-)/NH(-), O(-)/NH(2)(-), OH(-), CN(-), and Br(-) was induced by 0 to 20 eV electrons. Dissociative electron attachment, below 12 eV, and dipolar dissociation, above 12 eV, are responsible for the formation of these anions. The comparison of the results obtained for the native and brominated trimers suggests that the main pathways of TBrXT degradation correspond to the release of the hydride and bromide anions. Significantly, the presence of bromine in oligonucleotide trimers blocks the electron-induced degradation of nuclobases as evidenced by a dramatic decrease in CN(-) desorption. An increase in the yields of OH(-) is also observed. The debromination yield of particular oligonucleotides diminishes in the following order: BrdU > BrdA > BrdG > BrdC. Based on these results, 5-bromo-2(')-deoxyuridine appears to be the best radiosensitizer among the studied bromonucleosides. © 2012 American Institute of Physics

  18. Electron stimulated desorption of anions from native and brominated single stranded oligonucleotide trimers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Polska, Katarzyna; Rak, Janusz; Bass, Andrew D.; Cloutier, Pierre; Sanche, Léon

    2012-02-01

    We measured the low energy electron stimulated desorption (ESD) of anions from thin films of native (TXT) and bromine monosubstituted (TBrXT) oligonucleotide trimers deposited on a gold surface (T = thymidine, X = T, deoxycytidine (C), deoxyadenosine (A) or deoxyguanosine (G), Br = bromine). The desorption of H-, CH3-/NH-, O-/NH2-, OH-, CN-, and Br- was induced by 0 to 20 eV electrons. Dissociative electron attachment, below 12 eV, and dipolar dissociation, above 12 eV, are responsible for the formation of these anions. The comparison of the results obtained for the native and brominated trimers suggests that the main pathways of TBrXT degradation correspond to the release of the hydride and bromide anions. Significantly, the presence of bromine in oligonucleotide trimers blocks the electron-induced degradation of nuclobases as evidenced by a dramatic decrease in CN- desorption. An increase in the yields of OH- is also observed. The debromination yield of particular oligonucleotides diminishes in the following order: BrdU > BrdA > BrdG > BrdC. Based on these results, 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine appears to be the best radiosensitizer among the studied bromonucleosides.

  19. 21 CFR 180.30 - Brominated vegetable oil.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 3 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Brominated vegetable oil. 180.30 Section 180.30 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION (CONTINUED) FOOD ADDITIVES PERMITTED IN FOOD OR IN CONTACT WITH FOOD ON AN...

  20. Thermochemical water decomposition processes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chao, R. E.

    1974-01-01

    Thermochemical processes which lead to the production of hydrogen and oxygen from water without the consumption of any other material have a number of advantages when compared to other processes such as water electrolysis. It is possible to operate a sequence of chemical steps with net work requirements equal to zero at temperatures well below the temperature required for water dissociation in a single step. Various types of procedures are discussed, giving attention to halide processes, reverse Deacon processes, iron oxide and carbon oxide processes, and metal and alkali metal processes. Economical questions are also considered.

  1. SUNgas: Thermochemical Approaches to Solar Fuels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Davidson, Jane

    2013-04-01

    Solar energy offers an intelligent solution to reduce anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases and to meet an expanding global demand for energy. A transformative change from fossil to solar energy requires collection, storage, and transport of the earth's most abundant but diffuse and intermittent source of energy. One intriguing approach for harvest and storage of solar energy is production of clean fuels via high temperature thermochemical processes. Concentrated solar energy is the heat source and biomass or water and carbon dioxide are the feedstocks. Two routes to produce fuels using concentrated solar energy and a renewable feed stock will be discussed: gasification of biomass or other carbonaceous materials and metal oxide cycles to produce synthesis gas. The first and most near term route to solar fuels is to gasify biomass. With conventional gasification, air or oxygen is supplied at fuel-rich levels to combust some of the feedstock and in this manner generate the energy required for conversion to H2 and CO. The partial-combustion consumes up to 40% of the energetic value of the feedstock. With air combustion, the product gas is diluted by high levels of CO2 and N2. Using oxygen reduces the product dilution, but at the expense of adding an oxygen plant. Supplying the required heat with concentrated solar radiation eliminates the need for partial combustion of the biomass feedstock. As a result, the product gas has an energetic value greater than that of the feedstock and it is not contaminated by the byproducts of combustion. The second promising route to solar fuels splits water and carbon dioxide. Two-step metal-oxide redox cycles hold out great potential because they the temperature required to achieve a reasonable degree of dissociation is lower than direct thermal dissociation and O2 and the fuel are produced in separate steps. The 1^st step is the endothermic thermal dissociation of the metal oxide to the metal or lower-valence metal oxide. The 2

  2. Analysis of thermo-chemical nonequilibrium models for carbon dioxide flows

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rock, Stacey G.; Candler, Graham V.; Hornung, Hans G.

    1992-01-01

    The aerothermodynamics of thermochemical nonequilibrium carbon dioxide flows is studied. The chemical kinetics models of McKenzie and Park are implemented in separate three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics codes. The codes incorporate a five-species gas model characterized by a translational-rotational and a vibrational temperature. Solutions are obtained for flow over finite length elliptical and circular cylinders. The computed flowfields are then employed to calculate Mach-Zehnder interferograms for comparison with experimental data. The accuracy of the chemical kinetics models is determined through this comparison. Also, the methodology of the three-dimensional thermochemical nonequilibrium code is verified by the reproduction of the experiments.

  3. Degradation of brominated flame retardant in computer housing plastic by supercritical fluids.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yanmin; Zhang, Fu-Shen

    2012-02-29

    The degradation process of brominated flame retardant (BFR) and BFR-containing waste computer housing plastic in various supercritical fluids (water, methanol, isopropanol and acetone) was investigated. The results showed that the debromination and degradation efficiencies, final products were greatly affected by the solvent type. Among the four tested solvents, isopropanol was the most suitable solvent for the recovery of oil from BFR-containing plastic for its (1) excellent debromination effectiveness (debromination efficiency 95.7%), (2) high oil production (60.0%) and (3) mild temperature and pressure requirements. However, in this case, the removed bromine mostly existed in the oil. Introduction of KOH into the sc-isopropanol could capture almost all the inorganic bromine from the oil thus bromine-free oil could be obtained. Furthermore, KOH could enhance the depolymerization of the plastic. The obtained oil mainly consisted of single- and duplicate-ringed aromatic compounds in a carbon range of C9-C17, which had alkyl substituents or aliphatic bridges, such as butyl-benzene, (3-methylbutyl)-benzene, 1,1'-(1,3-propanediyl)bis benzene. Phenol, alkyl phenols and esters were the major oxygen-containing compounds in the oil. This study provides an efficient approach for debromination and simultaneous recovering valuable chemicals from BFR-containing plastic in e-waste. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Effective Heat and Mass Transport Properties of Anisotropic Porous Ceria for Solar Thermochemical Fuel Generation

    PubMed Central

    Haussener, Sophia; Steinfeld, Aldo

    2012-01-01

    High-resolution X-ray computed tomography is employed to obtain the exact 3D geometrical configuration of porous anisotropic ceria applied in solar-driven thermochemical cycles for splitting H2O and CO2. The tomography data are, in turn, used in direct pore-level numerical simulations for determining the morphological and effective heat/mass transport properties of porous ceria, namely: porosity, specific surface area, pore size distribution, extinction coefficient, thermal conductivity, convective heat transfer coefficient, permeability, Dupuit-Forchheimer coefficient, and tortuosity and residence time distributions. Tailored foam designs for enhanced transport properties are examined by means of adjusting morphologies of artificial ceria samples composed of bimodal distributed overlapping transparent spheres in an opaque medium. PMID:28817039

  5. Lignin structural alterations in thermochemical pretreatments with limited delignification

    DOE PAGES

    Pu, Yunqiao; Hu, Fan; Huang, Fang; ...

    2015-08-02

    Lignocellulosic biomass has a complex and rigid cell wall structure that makes biomass recalcitrant to biological and chemical degradation. Among the three major structural biopolymers (i.e., cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin) in plant cell walls, lignin is considered the most recalcitrant component and generally plays a negative role in the biochemical conversion of biomass to biofuels. The conversion of biomass to biofuels through a biochemical platform usually requires a pretreatment stage to reduce the recalcitrance. Pretreatment renders compositional and structural changes of biomass with these changes ultimately govern the efficiency of the subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis. Dilute acid, hot water, steam explosion,more » and ammonia fiber expansion pretreatments are among the leading thermochemical pretreatments with a limited delignification that can reduce biomass recalcitrance. Practical applications of these pretreatment are rapidly developing as illustrated by recent commercial scale cellulosic ethanol plants. While these thermochemical pretreatments generally lead to only a limited delignification and no significant change of lignin content in the pretreated biomass, the lignin transformations that occur during these pretreatments and the roles they play in recalcitrance reduction is an important research aspect. This review highlights recent advances in our understanding of lignin alterations during these limited delignification thermochemical pretreatments, with emphasis on lignin chemical structures, molecular weights, and redistributions in the pretreated biomass.« less

  6. Bromine atom production and chain propagation during springtime Arctic ozone depletion events in Barrow, Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thompson, Chelsea R.; Shepson, Paul B.; Liao, Jin; Huey, L. Greg; Cantrell, Chris; Flocke, Frank; Orlando, John

    2017-03-01

    Ozone depletion events (ODEs) in the Arctic are primarily controlled by a bromine radical-catalyzed destruction mechanism that depends on the efficient production and recycling of Br atoms. Numerous laboratory and modeling studies have suggested the importance of heterogeneous recycling of Br through HOBr reaction with bromide on saline surfaces. On the other hand, the gas-phase regeneration of bromine atoms through BrO-BrO radical reactions has been assumed to be an efficient, if not dominant, pathway for Br reformation and thus ozone destruction. Indeed, it has been estimated that the rate of ozone depletion is approximately equal to twice the rate of the BrO self-reaction. Here, we use a zero-dimensional, photochemical model, largely constrained to observations of stable atmospheric species from the 2009 Ocean-Atmosphere-Sea Ice-Snowpack (OASIS) campaign in Barrow, Alaska, to investigate gas-phase bromine radical propagation and recycling mechanisms of bromine atoms for a 7-day period during late March. This work is a continuation of that presented in Thompson et al. (2015) and utilizes the same model construct. Here, we use the gas-phase radical chain length as a metric for objectively quantifying the efficiency of gas-phase recycling of bromine atoms. The gas-phase bromine chain length is determined to be quite small, at < 1.5, and highly dependent on ambient O3 concentrations. Furthermore, we find that Br atom production from photolysis of Br2 and BrCl, which is predominately emitted from snow and/or aerosol surfaces, can account for between 30 and 90 % of total Br atom production. This analysis suggests that condensed-phase production of bromine is at least as important as, and at times greater than, gas-phase recycling for the occurrence of Arctic ODEs. Therefore, the rate of the BrO self-reaction is not a sufficient estimate for the rate of O3 depletion.

  7. Effects of sequential treatment with fluorine and bromine on graphite fibers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hung, Ching-Cheh; Stahl, Mark; Maciag, Carolyn; Slabe, Melissa

    1987-01-01

    Three pitch based graphite fibers with different degrees of graphitization and one polyacryonitrile (PAN) based carbon fiber from Amoco Corporation were treated with 1 atm, room temperature fluorine gas for 90 hrs. Fluorination resulted in higher electrical conductivity for all pitch fibers. Further bromination after ambient condition defluorination resulted in further increases in electrical defluorination conductivity for less graphitized, less structurally ordered pitch fibers (P-55) which contain about 3% fluorine by weight before bromination. This product can be stable in 200 C air, or 100% humidity at 60 C. Due to its low cost, this less graphitized fiber may be useful for industrial application, such as airfoil deicer materials. The same bromination process, however, resulted in conductivity decreases for fluorine rich, more graphitized, structurally oriented pitch fibers (P-100 and P-75). Such decreases in electrical conductivity were partially reversed by heating the fibers at 185 C in air. Differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) data indicated that the more graphitized fibers (P-100) contained BrF3, whereas the less graphitized fibers (P-55) did not.

  8. [Total dietary exposure assessment of emerging brominated flame retardants in Beijing].

    PubMed

    Lü, Surong; Niu, Yumin; Zhang, Jing; Shao, Bing; Du, Zhenxia

    2016-05-01

    To estimate the exposure characteristic of six emerging brominated flame retardant for Beijing residents by dietary intake. 2,3,5,6-tetrabromo-p-xylene (pTBX), pentabromotoluene (PBT), 1, 2, 3, 4, 5-pentabromo-6- ethylbenzene (PBEB), hexahromobenzene (HBB), hexachlorocyclopentadienyl- dibromocyclooctane (DBHCTD) and 1,2-bis(2 ,4 ,6-tribromo phenoxy) ethane (BTBPE) were detected by atmospheric pressure gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (APGC-MS/MS) in total dietary samples from Beijing. Dietary intake assessments of human exposure were carried out according to results of determination. PBT, PBEB, HBB and BTBPE were occurred with concentration between 1.2-29.4 pg/g wet weight. The detection rates of HBB and BTBPE in animal--origin samples were higher than those in plant-origin samples, and there were significant differences (P < 0.05). The exposure level of Beijing residents to six emerging brominated flame retardants were 296.8 pg/(kg-d). The exposure level of emerging brominated flame retardants by dietary intake in Beijing is relatively low, and meat is the main source of BTBPE dietary intake.

  9. Brominating activity of the seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum: Impact on the biosphere

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wever, R.; Tromp, M.G.M.; Krenn, B.E.

    Macroalgae are an important source of volatile halogenated organic compounds, such as bromoform and dibromomethane. The mechanism by which these compounds are formed is still elusive. The authors report that the brown seaweeds Laminaria saccharina, Laminaria digitata, Fucus vesiculosis, Pelvetia canaliculata, and Ascophyllum nodosum and the red seaweeds Chondrus crispus and Plocamium hamatum contain bromoperoxidases. The intact plants are able to brominate exogeneous organic compounds when H{sub 2}O{sub 2} and Br{sup {minus}} are added to seawater. Further, the authors show that the brominating activity of the brown macroalga A. nodosum, which contains a vanadium bromoperoxidase located on the thallus surface,more » occurs when the plant is exposed to light and not in the dark. The rate of bromination of exogenous organic compounds in seawater by this plant is 68 nmol (g of wet alga){sup {minus}1} h{sup {minus}1}. HOBr is a strong biocidal agent and the authors propose that the formation of HOBr by this seaweed is part of a host defense system.« less

  10. TEA: A CODE CALCULATING THERMOCHEMICAL EQUILIBRIUM ABUNDANCES

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Blecic, Jasmina; Harrington, Joseph; Bowman, M. Oliver, E-mail: jasmina@physics.ucf.edu

    2016-07-01

    We present an open-source Thermochemical Equilibrium Abundances (TEA) code that calculates the abundances of gaseous molecular species. The code is based on the methodology of White et al. and Eriksson. It applies Gibbs free-energy minimization using an iterative, Lagrangian optimization scheme. Given elemental abundances, TEA calculates molecular abundances for a particular temperature and pressure or a list of temperature–pressure pairs. We tested the code against the method of Burrows and Sharp, the free thermochemical equilibrium code Chemical Equilibrium with Applications (CEA), and the example given by Burrows and Sharp. Using their thermodynamic data, TEA reproduces their final abundances, but withmore » higher precision. We also applied the TEA abundance calculations to models of several hot-Jupiter exoplanets, producing expected results. TEA is written in Python in a modular format. There is a start guide, a user manual, and a code document in addition to this theory paper. TEA is available under a reproducible-research, open-source license via https://github.com/dzesmin/TEA.« less

  11. Evaluation of chemical, thermobaric and thermochemical pre-treatment on anaerobic digestion of high-fat cattle slaughterhouse waste.

    PubMed

    Harris, Peter W; Schmidt, Thomas; McCabe, Bernadette K

    2017-11-01

    This work aimed to enhance the anaerobic digestion of fat-rich dissolved air flotation (DAF) sludge through chemical, thermobaric, and thermochemical pre-treatment methods. Soluble chemical oxygen demand was enhanced from 16.3% in the control to 20.84% (thermobaric), 40.82% (chemical), and 50.7% (thermochemical). Pre-treatment altered volatile fatty acid concentration by -64% (thermobaric), 127% (chemical) and 228% (thermochemical). Early inhibition was reduced by 20% in the thermochemical group, and 100% in the thermobaric group. Specific methane production was enhanced by 3.28% (chemical), 8.32% (thermobaric), and 8.49% (thermochemical) as a result of pre-treatment. Under batch digestion, thermobaric pre-treatment demonstrated the greatest improvement in methane yield with respect to degree of pre-treatment applied. Thermobaric pre-treatment was also the most viable for implementation at slaughterhouses, with potential for heat-exchange to reduce pre-treatment cost. Further investigation into long-term impact of pre-treatments in semi-continuous digestion experiments will provide additional evaluation of appropriate pre-treatment options for high-fat slaughterhouse wastewater. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  12. Bromine monoxide emissions from Kilauea volcano - Hawai`i

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Salerno, G. G.; Oppenheimer, C.; Tsanev, V. I.; Sutton, A. J.; Elias, T.

    2009-12-01

    Since the first detection of bromine monoxide (BrO) in volcanic plumes, there has been considerable interest in the atmospheric synthesis and impact of reactive halogens in volcanic plumes. We report here the first observations of BrO in the volcanic plume emitted from the summit of Kilauea volcano. We present data collected in 2007, 2008 and 2009 at Pu`u`O`o and Halema`uma`u crater by ground-based Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS). In 2007, we did not detect any bromine compounds either from the summit or from the Pu`u`O`o plume. However, in 2008 and 2009, we found a good correlation between BrO and SO2 (SO2/BrO molar ratios of ~2000 and ~400) in the plume emitted by the new vent opened at Halema`uma`u crater in March 2008. We discuss the observed variations in BrO production and SO2/BrO ratios over time and contrasting the volcano summit and the east rift zone emissions (with respect to the two-stage degassing long recognized at Kilauea). Factors accounting for the variability include plume age and eruptive style. The presence of BrO in the plume from the new vent in Halema`uma`u crater might depend either on the high temperature from near-surface magma or vent geometry, combined with strong ultraviolet radiation promoting the ”bromine explosion”. Our BrO results significantly extend the global catalogue of volcanic reactive halogen degassing including, for the first time, data representing a hot-spot setting.

  13. Monitoring of WEEE plastics in regards to brominated flame retardants using handheld XRF

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Aldrian, Alexia, E-mail: alexia.aldrian@unileoben.ac.at; Ledersteger, Alfred, E-mail: a.ledersteger@saubermacher.at; Pomberger, Roland, E-mail: roland.pomberger@unileoben.ac.at

    Highlights: • Specification of an empirical factor for conversion from bromine to PBB and PBDE. • The handheld XRF device was validated for this particular application. • A very large number of over 4600 pieces of monitor housings was analysed. • The recyclable fraction mounts up to 85% for TV but only 53% of PC waste plastics. • A high percentage of pieces with bromine contents of over 50,000 ppm was obtained. - Abstract: This contribution is focused on the on-site determination of the bromine content in waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), in particular waste plastics from television setsmore » (TV) and personal computer monitors (PC) using a handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) device. The described approach allows the examination of samples in regards to the compliance with legal specifications for polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) directly after disassembling and facilitates the sorting out of plastics with high contents of brominated flame retardants (BFRs). In all, over 3000 pieces of black (TV) and 1600 pieces of grey (PC) plastic waste were analysed with handheld XRF technique for this study. Especially noticeable was the high percentage of pieces with a bromine content of over 50,000 ppm for TV (7%) and PC (39%) waste plastics. The applied method was validated by comparing the data of handheld XRF with results obtained by GC–MS. The results showed the expected and sufficiently accurate correlation between these two methods. It is shown that handheld XRF technique is an effective tool for fast monitoring of large volumes of WEEE plastics in regards to BFRs for on-site measurements.« less

  14. Electron stimulated desorption of anions from native and brominated single stranded oligonucleotide trimers

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Polska, Katarzyna; Rak, Janusz; Bass, Andrew D.

    2012-02-21

    We measured the low energy electron stimulated desorption (ESD) of anions from thin films of native (TXT) and bromine monosubstituted (TBrXT) oligonucleotide trimers deposited on a gold surface (T = thymidine, X = T, deoxycytidine (C), deoxyadenosine (A) or deoxyguanosine (G), Br = bromine). The desorption of H{sup -}, CH{sub 3}{sup -}/NH{sup -}, O{sup -}/NH{sub 2}{sup -}, OH{sup -}, CN{sup -}, and Br{sup -} was induced by 0 to 20 eV electrons. Dissociative electron attachment, below 12 eV, and dipolar dissociation, above 12 eV, are responsible for the formation of these anions. The comparison of the results obtained for themore » native and brominated trimers suggests that the main pathways of TBrXT degradation correspond to the release of the hydride and bromide anions. Significantly, the presence of bromine in oligonucleotide trimers blocks the electron-induced degradation of nuclobases as evidenced by a dramatic decrease in CN{sup -} desorption. An increase in the yields of OH{sup -} is also observed. The debromination yield of particular oligonucleotides diminishes in the following order: BrdU > BrdA > BrdG > BrdC. Based on these results, 5-bromo-2{sup '}-deoxyuridine appears to be the best radiosensitizer among the studied bromonucleosides.« less

  15. Kinetics of aerobic cometabolic biodegradation of chlorinated and brominated aliphatic hydrocarbons: A review.

    PubMed

    Jesus, João; Frascari, Dario; Pozdniakova, Tatiana; Danko, Anthony S

    2016-05-15

    This review analyses kinetic studies of aerobic cometabolism (AC) of halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbons (HAHs) from 2001-2015 in order to (i) compare the different kinetic models proposed, (ii) analyse the estimated model parameters with a focus on novel HAHs and the identification of general trends, and (iii) identify further research needs. The results of this analysis show that aerobic cometabolism can degrade a wide range of HAHs, including HAHs that were not previously tested such as chlorinated propanes, highly chlorinated ethanes and brominated methanes and ethanes. The degree of chlorine mineralization was very high for the chlorinated HAHs. Bromine mineralization was not determined for studies with brominated aliphatics. The examined research period led to the identification of novel growth substrates of potentially high interest. Decreasing performance of aerobic cometabolism were found with increasing chlorination, indicating the high potential of aerobic cometabolism in the presence of medium- and low-halogenated HAHs. Further research is needed for the AC of brominated aliphatic hydrocarbons, the potential for biofilm aerobic cometabolism processes, HAH-HAH mutual inhibition and the identification of the enzymes responsible for each aerobic cometabolism process. Lastly, some indications for a possible standardization of future kinetic studies of HAH aerobic cometabolism are provided. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Brominated flame retardants and perfluorinated chemicals- Vet Tox

    EPA Science Inventory

    Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) belong to a class of chemicals known as organohalogens. It is believed that use of both BFRs and PFCs has resulted in lives saved by reducing flammability of materials commonly used and also due to their bacte...

  17. Solar High Temperature Water-Splitting Cycle with Quantum Boost

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Taylor, Robin; Davenport, Roger; Talbot, Jan

    A sulfur family chemical cycle having ammonia as the working fluid and reagent was developed as a cost-effective and efficient hydrogen production technology based on a solar thermochemical water-splitting cycle. The sulfur ammonia (SA) cycle is a renewable and sustainable process that is unique in that it is an all-fluid cycle (i.e., with no solids handling). It uses a moderate temperature solar plant with the solar receiver operating at 800°C. All electricity needed is generated internally from recovered heat. The plant would operate continuously with low cost storage and it is a good potential solar thermochemical hydrogen production cycle formore » reaching the DOE cost goals. Two approaches were considered for the hydrogen production step of the SA cycle: (1) photocatalytic, and (2) electrolytic oxidation of ammonium sulfite to ammonium sulfate in aqueous solutions. Also, two sub-cycles were evaluated for the oxygen evolution side of the SA cycle: (1) zinc sulfate/zinc oxide, and (2) potassium sulfate/potassium pyrosulfate. The laboratory testing and optimization of all the process steps for each version of the SA cycle were proven in the laboratory or have been fully demonstrated by others, but further optimization is still possible and needed. The solar configuration evolved to a 50 MW(thermal) central receiver system with a North heliostat field, a cavity receiver, and NaCl molten salt storage to allow continuous operation. The H2A economic model was used to optimize and trade-off SA cycle configurations. Parametric studies of chemical plant performance have indicated process efficiencies of ~20%. Although the current process efficiency is technically acceptable, an increased efficiency is needed if the DOE cost targets are to be reached. There are two interrelated areas in which there is the potential for significant efficiency improvements: electrolysis cell voltage and excessive water vaporization. Methods to significantly reduce water evaporation are

  18. Assessing thermochemical data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Holmes, John L.; Aubry, Christiane; Wang, Xian

    2007-11-01

    This paper describes, with examples, a critical assessment of thermochemical data for some small molecules and free radicals. The available heats of formation, [Delta]fH° (all 298 K values). for simple alkyl hydroperoxides and di-alkyl peroxides were compared and new data are provided. The [Delta]fH° values, all ±5 kJ/mol, are: CH3OOH, -135; CH3CH2OOH, -168; n-C3H7OOH, -189; s-C3H7OOH, -205; t-C4H9OOH, -240; CH3OOCH3, -132; CH3CH2OOCH3, -165; C2H5OOC2H5, -198; n-C3H7OOn-C3H7, -240; s-C3H7OOs-C3H7, -272; t-C4H9OOt-C4H9, -342. These are consistent with established O-O bond dissociation energies and with additivity considerations. [Delta]fH° values for the corresponding alkoxy radicals are also addressed. A similar survey was applied to the homologous n-alkyl aldehydes, C2 to C8, for which recommended [Delta]fH° values, all ±1.5 kJ/mol, are: -166.5, -189, -207.5, -227, -248, -268 and -289, respectively. Particular attention was given to [Delta]fH°(CH3CO) = -10.3 ± 1.8 kJ/mol. The current NIST WebBook datum, [Delta]fH°(CS) = 280.3 kJ/mol, is arguably the best value, being consistent with related thermochemical data. Finally the [Delta]fH° values for the allylic free radicals CH2CHCH2, 174 ± 3 kJ/mol, CH2CHCH(OH), 4.5 ± 4 kJ/mol, and (CH2CH)2C(OH), 37 ± 4 kJ/mol, derived from experimental data and results of computational chemistry are described, together with some related homolytic bond strengths.

  19. Effect of various types of thermochemical processing of sewage sludges on phosphorus speciation, solubility, and fertilization performance.

    PubMed

    Steckenmesser, Daniel; Vogel, Christian; Adam, Christian; Steffens, Diedrich

    2017-04-01

    Sewage sludge has one of the highest phosphorus (P) recovery potentials of all waste materials. Therefore, P-recycling from sewage sludge could contribute to closing the P-cycle. Recently, various thermal processes for P-recovery have been developed, but there is still a demand for information on the effect of different process parameters (e.g. additives and temperature) on P-speciation and especially on the fertilization performance. In the present study, two common methods (low-temperature conversion at 400-500°C and thermochemical treatment at 950°C) were investigated and combined to produce highly bioavailable P-fertilizers from two different types of sewage sludge based on chemical phosphorus precipitation (Chem-P) and enhanced biological phosphorus removal (Bio-P). The results of P-fractionation, X-ray diffraction analysis, and pot experiments with maize showed that Bio-P sludges attain high P-plant-availability after treatment at low temperatures (400°C). In contrast, Chem-P sludges can adequately be treated at higher temperatures under reductive conditions with sodium additives to form highly bioavailable calcium-sodium-phosphate. Additionally, also highly heavy-metal contaminated sludges can be thermochemically treated at high temperatures to achieve the legal requirements for fertilizers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Thermochemical water decomposition. [hydrogen separation for energy applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Funk, J. E.

    1977-01-01

    At present, nearly all of the hydrogen consumed in the world is produced by reacting hydrocarbons with water. As the supply of hydrocarbons diminishes, the problem of producing hydrogen from water alone will become increasingly important. Furthermore, producing hydrogen from water is a means of energy conversion by which thermal energy from a primary source, such as solar or nuclear fusion of fission, can be changed into an easily transportable and ecologically acceptable fuel. The attraction of thermochemical processes is that they offer the potential for converting thermal energy to hydrogen more efficiently than by water electrolysis. A thermochemical hydrogen-production process is one which requires only water as material input and mainly thermal energy, or heat, as an energy input. Attention is given to a definition of process thermal efficiency, the thermodynamics of the overall process, the single-stage process, the two-stage process, multistage processes, the work of separation and a process evaluation.

  1. Thermochemical energy storage: Proceedings from the International Seminar on hermochemical Energy Storage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wettermark, G.

    1980-10-01

    Energy storage problems are explored. Tomorrow's energy sources will provide a continuous flow of energy. Matching supply and demand will necessitate a wide range of storage capabilities. For storing heat thermochemical and economic solutions may take advantage of the various options inherent in this kind of storage, namely heat pumping, transport of heat and direct conversion to other desired forms of energy such as electricity and mechanical work. There is a need to regularly summarize the knowledge and research in the field of thermochemical energy storage in different parts of the world.

  2. Anti-Inflammatory Activity and Structure-Activity Relationships of Brominated Indoles from a Marine Mollusc

    PubMed Central

    Ahmad, Tarek B.; Rudd, David; Smith, Joshua; Kotiw, Michael; Mouatt, Peter; Seymour, Lisa M.; Liu, Lei; Benkendorff, Kirsten

    2017-01-01

    Marine molluscs are rich in biologically active natural products that provide new potential sources of anti-inflammatory agents. Here we used bioassay guided fractionation of extracts from the muricid Dicathais orbita to identify brominated indoles with anti-inflammatory activity, based on the inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) and tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in calcium ionophore-stimulated 3T3 ccl-92 fibroblasts. Muricid brominated indoles were then compared to a range of synthetic indoles to determine structure-activity relationships. Both hypobranchial gland and egg extracts inhibited the production of NO significantly with IC50 of 30.8 and 40 μg/mL, respectively. The hypobranchial gland extract also inhibited the production of TNFα and PGE2 with IC50 of 43.03 µg/mL and 34.24 µg/mL, respectively. The purified mono-brominated indole and isatin compounds showed significant inhibitory activity against NO, TNFα, and PGE2, and were more active than dimer indoles and non-brominated isatin. The position of the bromine atom on the isatin benzene ring significantly affected the activity, with 5Br > 6Br > 7Br. The mode of action for the active hypobranchial gland extract, 6-bromoindole, and 6-bromoisatin was further tested by the assessment of the translocation of nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 mouse macrophage. The extract (40 µg/mL) significantly inhibited the translocation of NFκB in the LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages by 48.2%, whereas 40 µg/mL of 6-bromoindole and 6-bromoistain caused a 60.7% and 63.7% reduction in NFκB, respectively. These results identify simple brominated indoles as useful anti-inflammatory drug leads and support the development of extracts from the Australian muricid D. orbita, as a new potential natural remedy for the treatment of inflammation. PMID:28481239

  3. Pulse radiolysis studies of the reactions of bromine atoms and dimethyl sulfoxide bromine atom complexes with alcohols

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sumiyoshi, Takashi; Fujiyoshi, Ryoko; Katagiri, Miho; Sawamura, Sadashi

    2007-05-01

    Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO)-Br complexes were generated by pulse radiolysis of DMSO/bromomethane mixtures and the formation mechanism and spectral characteristics of the formed complexes were investigated in detail. The rate constant for the reaction of bromine atoms with DMSO and the extinction coefficient of the complex were obtained to be 4.6×10 9 M -1 s -1 and 6300 M -1 cm -1 at the absorption maximum of 430 nm. Rate constants for the reaction of bromine atoms with a series of alcohols were determined in CBrCl 3 solutions applying a competitive kinetic method using the DMSO-Br complex as the reference system. The obtained rate constants were ˜10 8 M -1 s -1, one or two orders larger than those reported for highly polar solvents. Rate constants of DMSO-Br complexes with alcohols were determined to be ˜ 10 7 M -1 s -1. A comparison of the reactivities of Br atoms and DMSO-Br complexes with those of chlorine atoms and chlorine atom complexes which are ascribed to hydrogen abstracting reactants strongly indicates that hydrogen abstraction from alcohols is not the rate determining step in the case of Br atoms and DMSO-Br complexes.

  4. Hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers exhibit different activities on thyroid hormone receptors depending on their degree of bromination.

    PubMed

    Ren, Xiao-Min; Guo, Liang-Hong; Gao, Yu; Zhang, Bin-Tian; Wan, Bin

    2013-05-01

    Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been shown to disrupt thyroid hormone (TH) functions in experimental animals, and one of the proposed disruption mechanisms is direct binding of hydroxylated PBDE (OH-PBDE) to TH receptors (TRs). However, previous data on TH receptor binding and TH activity of OH-PBDEs were very limited and sometimes inconsistent. In the present paper, we examined the binding potency of ten OH-PBDEs with different degrees of bromination to TR using a fluorescence competitive binding assay. The results showed that the ten OH-PBDEs bound to TR with potency that correlated to their bromination level. We further examined their effect on TR using a coactivator binding assay and GH3 cell proliferation assay. Different TR activities of OH-PBDEs were observed depending on their degree of bromination. Four low-brominated OH-PBDEs (2'-OH-BDE-28, 3'-OH-BDE-28, 5-OH-BDE-47, 6-OH-BDE-47) were found to be TR agonists, which recruited the coactivator peptide and enhanced GH3 cell proliferation. However, three high-brominated OH-PBDEs (3-OH-BDE-100, 3'-OH-BDE-154, 4-OH-BDE-188) were tested to be antagonists. Molecular docking was employed to simulate the interactions of OH-PBDEs with TR and identify the structural determinants for TR binding and activity. According to the docking results, low-brominated OH-PBDEs, which are weak binders but TR agonists, bind with TR at the inner side of its binding pocket, whereas high-brominated compounds, which are potent binders but TR antagonists, reside at the outer region. These results indicate that OH-PBDEs have different activities on TR (agonistic or antagonistic), possibly due to their different binding geometries with the receptor. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Distribution of copper, silver and gold during thermal treatment with brominated flame retardants

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Oleszek, Sylwia, E-mail: sylwia_oleszek@yahoo.com; Institute of Environmental Engineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 34 M. Sklodowska-Curie St., 41-819 Zabrze; Grabda, Mariusz, E-mail: mariusz@mail.tagen.tohoku.ac.jp

    2013-09-15

    Highlights: • Copper, silver and gold during thermal treatment with brominated flame retardants. • Distribution of copper, silver and gold during thermal processing. • Thermodynamic considerations of the bromination reactions. - Abstract: The growing consumption of electric and electronic equipment results in creating an increasing amount of electronic waste. The most economically and environmentally advantageous methods for the treatment and recycling of waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) are the thermal techniques such as direct combustion, co-combustion with plastic wastes, pyrolysis and gasification. Nowadays, this kind of waste is mainly thermally treated in incinerators (e.g. rotary kilns) to decompose themore » plastics present, and to concentrate metals in bottom ash. The concentrated metals (e.g. copper, precious metals) can be supplied as a secondary raw material to metal smelters, while the pyrolysis of plastics allows the recovery of fuel gases, volatilising agents and, eventually, energy. Indeed, WEEE, such as a printed circuit boards (PCBs) usually contains brominated flame retardants (BFRs). From these materials, hydrobromic acid (HBr) is formed as a product of their thermal decomposition. In the present work, the bromination was studied of copper, silver and gold by HBr, originating from BFRs, such as Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and Tetrabromobisphenol A-Tetrabromobisophenol A diglycidyl ether (TTDE) polymer; possible volatilization of the bromides formed was monitored using a thermo-gravimetric analyzer (TGA) and a laboratory-scale furnace for treating samples of metals and BFRs under an inert atmosphere and at a wide range of temperatures. The results obtained indicate that up to about 50% of copper and silver can evolve from sample residues in the form of volatile CuBr and AgBr above 600 and 1000 °C, respectively. The reactions occur in the molten resin phase simultaneously with the decomposition of the brominated resin

  6. Electrophilic aromatic substitution of catechins: Bromination and benzylation

    Treesearch

    G.W. McGraw; Richard W. Hemingway

    1982-01-01

    Relative yields of C-6, C-8. and C-6 and C-8 substituted catechins obtained from the reaction of (+)-catechin or 3',4',5-7-tetra-O-methyl-(+)-catechin with pyridinium hydrobromide-perbromide, bromine, p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, or o-hydroxybenzyl alcohol showed differing selectivities depending upon the...

  7. TSCA Work Plan Chemical Technical Supplement – Physicochemical Properties and Environmental Fate of the Brominated Phthalates Cluster (BPC) Chemicals

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    TSCA Work Plan Chemical Technical Supplement – Physicochemical Properties and Environmental Fate of the Brominated Phthalates Cluster (BPC) Chemicals -- Brominated Phthalates Cluster Flame Retardants.

  8. Application of thermochemical modeling to aircraft interior polymeric materials

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1982-06-01

    This report summarizes the results from a twelve-month study of the feasibility of applying certain basic concepts in the thermochemical modeling to aircraft cabin fire safety. The concepts developed earlier on a NASA-sponsored program were applied t...

  9. Canadian Arctic sea ice reconstructed from bromine in the Greenland NEEM ice core.

    PubMed

    Spolaor, Andrea; Vallelonga, Paul; Turetta, Clara; Maffezzoli, Niccolò; Cozzi, Giulio; Gabrieli, Jacopo; Barbante, Carlo; Goto-Azuma, Kumiko; Saiz-Lopez, Alfonso; Cuevas, Carlos A; Dahl-Jensen, Dorthe

    2016-09-21

    Reconstructing the past variability of Arctic sea ice provides an essential context for recent multi-year sea ice decline, although few quantitative reconstructions cover the Holocene period prior to the earliest historical records 1,200 years ago. Photochemical recycling of bromine is observed over first-year, or seasonal, sea ice in so-called "bromine explosions" and we employ a 1-D chemistry transport model to quantify processes of bromine enrichment over first-year sea ice and depositional transport over multi-year sea ice and land ice. We report bromine enrichment in the Northwest Greenland Eemian NEEM ice core since the end of the Eemian interglacial 120,000 years ago, finding the maximum extension of first-year sea ice occurred approximately 9,000 years ago during the Holocene climate optimum, when Greenland temperatures were 2 to 3 °C above present values. First-year sea ice extent was lowest during the glacial stadials suggesting complete coverage of the Arctic Ocean by multi-year sea ice. These findings demonstrate a clear relationship between temperature and first-year sea ice extent in the Arctic and suggest multi-year sea ice will continue to decline as polar amplification drives Arctic temperatures beyond the 2 °C global average warming target of the recent COP21 Paris climate agreement.

  10. Comparative study of the formation of brominated disinfection byproducts in UV/persulfate and UV/H2O2 oxidation processes in the presence of bromide.

    PubMed

    Wang, Lu; Ji, Yuefei; Lu, Junhe; Kong, Deyang; Yin, Xiaoming; Zhou, Quansuo

    2017-10-01

    The objective of this research was to compare the transformation of Br - and formation of brominated byproducts in UV/persulfate (PS) and UV/H 2 O 2 processes. It was revealed that Br - was efficiently transformed to free bromine which reacted with humic acid (HA) or dihydroxybenzoic acid resulting in the formation of brominated byproducts such as bromoacetic acids (BAAs) in UV/PS system. In contrast, no free bromine and brominated byproducts could be detected in UV/H 2 O 2 system, although the oxidization of Br - was evident. We presumed that the oxidation of Br - by hydroxyl radicals led to the formation of bromine radicals. However, the bromine radical species could be immediately reduced back to Br - by H 2 O 2 before coupling to each other to form free bromine, which explains the undetection of free bromine and BAAs in UV/H 2 O 2 . In addition to free bromine, we found that the phenolic functionalities in HA molecules, which served as the principal reactive sites for free chlorine attack, could be in situ generated when HA was exposed to free radicals. This study demonstrates that UV/H 2 O 2 is more suitable than UV/PS for the treatment of environmental matrices containing Br - . Graphical abstract Graphical abstract.

  11. A new brominated polymeric additive for flame retardant glass-filled polybutylene terephthalate

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nir, Z.; Kourtides, D. A.; Parker, J. A.; Bar-Yaacov, Y.; Minke, R.; Touval, I.

    1982-01-01

    Attention is called to the undesirable effects (poor ultraviolet light stability and blooming) sometimes introduced by brominated flame retarders. A brominated polymeric additive (BPA) with little or none of these undesirable side effects is compared with decabromobiphenyl oxide (DBBPO). The additive bears the product name F-2300. It is found to be more easily dispersed than DBBPO. The F-2300 is as effective as the DBBPO in the oxygen index test. The improved efficiency of the F-2300 may be explained by its better dispersion in polybutylene terephthalate (PBT). Glass-filled PBT containing F-2300 is found to be more resistant to UV degradation than DBBPO-containing formulas. Formulations with F-2300 therefore have a longer useful outdoor life. F-2300 is a diglycidyl-type polymer containing 50 percent aromatically bound bromine. Its melting point is 112 C, and it is stable up to 372 C. It is pointed out that since its melts at a relatively low temperature, it can be introduced into the formulation as a large agglomerate and still be dispersed evenly throughout the polymer.

  12. Combustion and inorganic bromine emission of waste printed circuit boards in a high temperature furnace

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ni Mingjiang, E-mail: xiaohanxi_2@163.com; Xiao Hanxi; Chemistry and Chemical Engineering School, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan

    2012-03-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The combustion efficiency of waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) depends on temperature, excess air factor, and high temperature zone residence time. Temperature has the most significant impact. Under the proposed condition, combustion of waste PCBs alone is quite complete within the furnace. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer High temperature prompts a more complete bromine release and conversion. When temperature is high enough, 99.9% organobrominated compounds, the potential precursors for brominated dixoins formation, are destroyed efficiently and convert to inorganic bromine in flue gas, as HBr and Br{sub 2}. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Temperature has crucial influence over the inhibition of HBr conversion to Br{sub 2},more » while the oxygen partial pressure plays a reverse role in the conversion to a very small extent. Increasing temperature will decrease the volume percentage ratio of Br{sub 2}/HBr in flue gas greatly. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The thermodynamic equilibrium approach of bromine conversion was investigated. The two forms of inorganic bromine in flue gas substantially reach thermodynamic equilibrium within 0.25 s. Under the proposed operating condition, the reaction of Br transfer and conversion finish. - Abstract: High temperature combustion experiments of waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) were conducted using a lab-scale system featuring a continuously-fed drop tube furnace. Combustion efficiency and the occurrence of inorganic bromine (HBr and Br{sub 2}) were systematically studied by monitoring the main combustion products continuously. The influence of furnace temperature (T) was studied from 800 to 1400 Degree-Sign C, the excess air factor (EAF) was varied from 1.2 to 1.9 and the residence time in the high temperature zone (RT{sub HT}) was set at 0.25, 0.5, or 0.75 s. Combustion efficiency depends on temperature, EAF and RT{sub HT}; temperature has the most significant effect. Conversion of

  13. Comprehensive characterisation of sewage sludge for thermochemical conversion processes - Based on Singapore survey.

    PubMed

    Chan, Wei Ping; Wang, Jing-Yuan

    2016-08-01

    Recently, sludge attracted great interest as a potential feedstock in thermochemical conversion processes. However, compositions and thermal degradation behaviours of sludge were highly complex and distinctive compared to other traditional feedstock led to a need of fundamental research on sludge. Comprehensive characterisation of sludge specifically for thermochemical conversion was carried out for all existing Water Reclamation Plants in Singapore. In total, 14 sludge samples collected based on the type, plant, and batch categorisation. Existing characterisation methods for physical and chemical properties were analysed and reviewed using the collected samples. Qualitative similarities and quantitative variations of different sludge samples were identified and discussed. Oxidation of inorganic in sludge during ash forming analysis found to be causing significant deviations on proximate and ultimate analysis. Therefore, alternative parameters and comparison basis including Fixed Residues (FR), Inorganic Matters (IM) and Total Inorganics (TI) were proposed for better understanding on the thermochemical characteristics of sludge. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Polyfunctional epoxies - Different molecular weights of brominated polymeric additives as flame retardants in graphite composites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nir, Z.; Gilwee, W. J.; Kourtides, D. A.; Parker, J. A.

    1983-01-01

    The imparting of flame retardancy to graphite-reinforced composites without incurring mechanical property deterioration is investigated for the case of an experimental, trifunctional epoxy resin incorporating brominated polymeric additives (BPAs) of the diglycidyl type. Such mechanical properties as flexural strength and modulus, and short beam shear strength, were measured in dry and in hot/wet conditions, and the glass transition temperature, flammability, and water absorption were measured and compared with nonbromilated systems. Another comparison was made with a tetrafunctional epoxy system. The results obtained are explained in terms of differences in the polymeric backbone length of the bromine carrier polymer. BPAs are found to be a reliable bromine source for fire inhibition in carbon-reinforced composites without compromise of mechanical properties.

  15. Biomass thermochemical gasification: Experimental studies and modeling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumar, Ajay

    The overall goals of this research were to study the biomass thermochemical gasification using experimental and modeling techniques, and to evaluate the cost of industrial gas production and combined heat and power generation. This dissertation includes an extensive review of progresses in biomass thermochemical gasification. Product gases from biomass gasification can be converted to biopower, biofuels and chemicals. However, for its viable commercial applications, the study summarizes the technical challenges in the gasification and downstream processing of product gas. Corn stover and dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS), a non-fermentable byproduct of ethanol production, were used as the biomass feedstocks. One of the objectives was to determine selected physical and chemical properties of corn stover related to thermochemical conversion. The parameters of the reaction kinetics for weight loss were obtained. The next objective was to investigate the effects of temperature, steam to biomass ratio and equivalence ratio on gas composition and efficiencies. DDGS gasification was performed on a lab-scale fluidized-bed gasifier with steam and air as fluidizing and oxidizing agents. Increasing the temperature resulted in increases in hydrogen and methane contents and efficiencies. A model was developed to simulate the performance of a lab-scale gasifier using Aspen Plus(TM) software. Mass balance, energy balance and minimization of Gibbs free energy were applied for the gasification to determine the product gas composition. The final objective was to optimize the process by maximizing the net energy efficiency, and to estimate the cost of industrial gas, and combined heat and power (CHP) at a biomass feedrate of 2000 kg/h. The selling price of gas was estimated to be 11.49/GJ for corn stover, and 13.08/GJ for DDGS. For CHP generation, the electrical and net efficiencies were 37 and 86%, respectively for corn stover, and 34 and 78%, respectively for DDGS. For

  16. Bromination of aromatic compounds by residual bromide in sodium chloride matrix modifier salt during heated headspace GC/MS analysis.

    PubMed

    Fine, Dennis D; Ko, Saebom; Huling, Scott

    2013-12-15

    Analytical artifacts attributed to the bromination of toluene, xylenes, and trimethylbenzenes were found during the heated headspace gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of aqueous samples. The aqueous samples were produced from Fenton-like chemical oxidation reactions and contained aromatic compounds, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and ferric sulfate. Prior to GC/MS headspace analysis, the samples were acidified (pH<2), and sodium chloride was amended to the headspace vial as a matrix modifier. The brominated artifacts were generated during heated headspace analysis. Further, when samples were spiked with a mixture of volatile chlorinated and aromatic compounds (50 µg/L), poor spike recoveries of toluene and xylenes occurred, and in some cases complete loss of trimethylbenzenes and naphthalene resulted. Where poor recovery of aromatic spike compounds occurred, brominated aromatic compounds were found. The only significant source of bromine in the reaction scheme is the bromide typically present (<0.01% w/w) in the sodium chloride amended to the samples. Conversely, brominated artifacts were absent when a buffered salt mixture composed of sodium chloride and potassium phosphate dibasic/monobasic was used as a matrix modifier and raised the sample pH (pH~6). This indicated that the brominated artifacts resulted from the reaction of the aromatic compounds with BrCl, which was formed by the reaction of H2O2, chloride, and bromide under acidic conditions. An alternative matrix modifier salt is recommended that prevents the bromination reaction and avoids these deleterious effects on sample integrity during headspace analysis. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  17. Approximate thermochemical tables for some C-H and C-H-O species

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bahn, G. S.

    1973-01-01

    Approximate thermochemical tables are presented for some C-H and C-H-O species and for some ionized species, supplementing the JANAF Thermochemical Tables for application to finite-chemical-kinetics calculations. The approximate tables were prepared by interpolation and extrapolation of limited available data, especially by interpolations over chemical families of species. Original estimations have been smoothed by use of a modification for the CDC-6600 computer of the Lewis Research Center PACl Program which was originally prepared for the IBM-7094 computer Summary graphs for various families show reasonably consistent curvefit values, anchored by properties of existing species in the JANAF tables.

  18. Definitive Ideal-Gas Thermochemical Functions of the H216O Molecule

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Furtenbacher, Tibor; Szidarovszky, Tamás; Hrubý, Jan; Kyuberis, Aleksandra A.; Zobov, Nikolai F.; Polyansky, Oleg L.; Tennyson, Jonathan; Császár, Attila G.

    2016-12-01

    A much improved temperature-dependent ideal-gas internal partition function, Qint(T), of the H216O molecule is reported for temperatures between 0 and 6000 K. Determination of Qint(T) is principally based on the direct summation technique involving all accurate experimental energy levels known for H216O (almost 20 000 rovibrational energies including an almost complete list up to a relative energy of 7500 cm-1), augmented with a less accurate but complete list of first-principles computed rovibrational energy levels up to the first dissociation limit, about 41 000 cm-1 (the latter list includes close to one million bound rovibrational energy levels up to J = 69, where J is the rotational quantum number). Partition functions are developed for ortho- and para-H216O as well as for their equilibrium mixture. Unbound rovibrational states of H216O above the first dissociation limit are considered using an approximate model treatment. The effect of the excited electronic states on the thermochemical functions is neglected, as their contribution to the thermochemical functions is negligible even at the highest temperatures considered. Based on the high-accuracy Qint(T) and its first two moments, definitive results, in 1 K increments, are obtained for the following thermochemical functions: Gibbs energy, enthalpy, entropy, and isobaric heat capacity. Reliable uncertainties (approximately two standard deviations) are estimated as a function of temperature for each quantity determined. These uncertainties emphasize that the present results are the most accurate ideal-gas thermochemical functions ever produced for H216O. It is recommended that the new value determined for the standard molar enthalpy increment at 298.15 K, 9.904 04 ± 0.000 01 kJ mol-1, should replace the old CODATA datum, 9.905 ± 0.005 kJ mol-1.

  19. One-Pot Synthesis of a bis-Pocket Corrole through a 14-fold Bromination Reaction

    DOE PAGES

    Norheim, Hans-Kristian; Schneider, Christian; Gagnon, Kevin J.; ...

    2017-02-14

    For a one-pot protocol, effecting 14-fold bromination with elemental bromine, has afforded copper β-octabromo-meso-tris(2,6-dibromo-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)corrole, a new bis-pocket metallocorrole. The Cu complex underwent smooth demetalation under reductive conditions, affording the free corrole ligand, which in turn could be readily complexed to Mn III and Au III. Finally, a single-crystal X-ray structure was obtained for the MnIII complex.

  20. Improving the Thermochemical Energy Storage Performance of the Mn2 O3 /Mn3 O4 Redox Couple by the Incorporation of Iron.

    PubMed

    Carrillo, Alfonso J; Serrano, David P; Pizarro, Patricia; Coronado, Juan M

    2015-06-08

    Redox cycles of manganese oxides (Mn2 O3 /Mn3 O4 ) are a promising alternative for thermochemical heat storage systems coupled to concentrated solar power plants as manganese oxides are abundant and inexpensive materials. Although their cyclability for such a purpose has been proved, sintering processes, related to the high-temperature conditions at which charge-discharge cycles are performed, generally cause a cycle-to-cycle decrease in the oxidation rate of Mn3 O4 . To guarantee proper operation, both reactions should present stable reaction rates. In this study, it has been demonstrated that the incorporation of Fe, which is also an abundant material, into the manganese oxides improves the redox performance of this system by increasing the heat storage density, narrowing the redox thermal hysteresis, and, above all, stabilizing and enhancing the oxidation rate over long-term operation, which counteracts the negative effects caused by sintering, although its presence is not avoided. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. A comparison of the bromination dynamics of pitch-based and vapor-grown graphite fibers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gaier, J. R.

    1986-01-01

    The electrical resistance of pitch based P-100 fibers and experimental organic vapor grown fibers was recorded in-situ during bromination and subsequent exposure to ambient laboratory air. The results indicate that the bromination and debromination reactions proceed much slower for vapor grown fibers than for pitch based. While this may be due in part to the larger diameter of the vapor grown fibers, the majority of the effect can probably be attributed to the differences in graphene plane orientation between the fiber types. Although the reactions are slower in the vapor grown than in the pitch based fibers, the extent of reaction as measured by the change in electrical resistance is essentially the same, with comparable (or larger) decreases in resistivity. The bromination reaction proceeds with one or more plateaus in the resistance versus time curves, which suggests staging and strengthens the argument that these fibers produce true intercalation compounds.

  2. Crystallographic Fragment Based Drug Discovery: Use of a Brominated Fragment Library Targeting HIV Protease

    PubMed Central

    Tiefenbrunn, Theresa; Forli, Stefano; Happer, Meaghan; Gonzalez, Ana; Tsai, Yingssu; Soltis, Michael; Elder, John H.; Olson, Arthur J.; Stout, C. David

    2013-01-01

    A library of 68 brominated fragments was screened against a new crystal form of inhibited HIV-1 protease in order to probe surface sites in soaking experiments. Often fragments are weak binders with partial occupancy, resulting in weak, difficult-to-fit electron density. The use of a brominated fragment library addresses this challenge, as bromine can be located unequivocally via anomalous scattering. Data collection was carried out in an automated fashion using AutoDrug at SSRL. Novel hits were identified in the known surface sites: 3-bromo-2,6-dimethoxybenzoic acid (Br6) in the flap site, and 1-bromo-2-naphthoic acid (Br27) in the exosite, expanding the chemistry of known fragments for development of higher affinity potential allosteric inhibitors. At the same time, mapping the binding sites of a number of weaker binding Br-fragments provides further insight into the nature of these surface pockets. PMID:23998903

  3. Closed cycle ion exchange method for regenerating acids, bases and salts

    DOEpatents

    Dreyfuss, Robert M.

    1976-01-01

    A method for conducting a chemical reaction in acidic, basic, or neutral solution as required and then regenerating the acid, base, or salt by means of ion exchange in a closed cycle reaction sequence which comprises contacting the spent acid, base, or salt with an ion exchanger, preferably a synthetic organic ion-exchange resin, so selected that the counter ions thereof are ions also produced as a by-product in the closed reaction cycle, and then regenerating the spent ion exchanger by contact with the by-product counter ions. The method is particularly applicable to closed cycle processes for the thermochemical production of hydrogen.

  4. Thermochemical conversion of microalgal biomass into biofuels: a review.

    PubMed

    Chen, Wei-Hsin; Lin, Bo-Jhih; Huang, Ming-Yueh; Chang, Jo-Shu

    2015-05-01

    Following first-generation and second-generation biofuels produced from food and non-food crops, respectively, algal biomass has become an important feedstock for the production of third-generation biofuels. Microalgal biomass is characterized by rapid growth and high carbon fixing efficiency when they grow. On account of potential of mass production and greenhouse gas uptake, microalgae are promising feedstocks for biofuels development. Thermochemical conversion is an effective process for biofuel production from biomass. The technology mainly includes torrefaction, liquefaction, pyrolysis, and gasification. Through these conversion technologies, solid, liquid, and gaseous biofuels are produced from microalgae for heat and power generation. The liquid bio-oils can further be upgraded for chemicals, while the synthesis gas can be synthesized into liquid fuels. This paper aims to provide a state-of-the-art review of the thermochemical conversion technologies of microalgal biomass into fuels. Detailed conversion processes and their outcome are also addressed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Tropospheric Bromine Chemistry: Implications for Present and Pre-industrial Ozone and Mercury

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Parella, J. P.; Jacob, D. J.; Liang, Q.; Zhang, Y.; Mickley, L. J.; Miller, B.; Evans, M. J.; Yang, X.; Pyle, J. A.; Theys, N.; hide

    2012-01-01

    We present a new model for the global tropospheric chemistry of inorganic bromine (Bry) coupled to oxidant-aerosol chemistry in the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model (CTM). Sources of tropospheric Bry include debromination of sea-salt aerosol, photolysis and oxidation of short-lived bromocarbons, and transport from the stratosphere. Comparison to a GOME-2 satellite climatology of tropospheric BrO columns shows that the model can reproduce the observed increase of BrO with latitude, the northern mid-latitudes maximum in winter, and the Arctic maximum in spring. This successful simulation is contingent on the HOBr + HBr reaction taking place in aqueous aerosols and ice clouds. Bromine chemistry in the model decreases tropospheric ozone mixing ratios by <1-8 nmol/mol (6.5% globally), with the largest effects in the northern extratropics in spring. The global mean tropospheric OH concentration decreases by 4 %. Inclusion of bromine chemistry improves the ability of global models (GEOS-Chem and p-TOMCAT) to simulate observed 19th-century ozone and its seasonality. Bromine effects on tropospheric ozone are comparable in the present-day and pre-industrial atmospheres so that estimates of anthropogenic radiative forcing are minimally affected. Br atom concentrations are 40% higher in the pre-industrial atmosphere due to lower ozone, which would decrease by a factor of 2 the atmospheric lifetime of elemental mercury against oxidation by Br. This suggests that historical anthropogenic mercury emissions may have mostly deposited to northern mid-latitudes, enriching the corresponding surface reservoirs. The persistent rise in background surface ozone at northern mid-latitudes during the past decades could possibly contribute to the observations of elevated mercury in subsurface waters of the North Atlantic.

  6. Brominated flame retardants and the formation of dioxins and furans in fires and combustion.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Mengmei; Buekens, Alfons; Li, Xiaodong

    2016-03-05

    The widespread use and increasing inventory of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) have caused considerable concern, as a result of BFRs emissions to the environment and of the formation of both polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PBDD/Fs) and mixed polybromochloro-dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PBCDD/Fs or PXDD/Fs). Structural similarities between PBDD/Fs and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) suggest the existence of comparable formation pathways of both PBDD/Fs and PCDD/Fs, yet BFRs also act as specific precursors to form additional PBDD/Fs. Moreover, elementary bromine (Br2) seems to facilitate chlorination by bromination of organics, followed by Br/Cl-exchange based on displacement through the more reactive halogen. Overall, PBDD/Fs form through three possible pathways: precursor formation, de novo formation, and dispersion of parts containing BFRs as impurities and surviving a fire or other events. The present review summarises the formation mechanisms of both brominated (PBDD/Fs) and mixed dioxins (PXDD/Fs with X=Br or Cl) from BFRs, recaps available emissions data of PBDD/Fs and mixed PXDD/Fs from controlled waste incineration, uncontrolled combustion sources and accidental fires, and identifies and analyses the effects of several local factors of influence, affecting the formation of PBDD/Fs and mixed PXDD/Fs during BFRs combustion. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Thermochemical analyses of the oxidative vaporization of metals and oxides by oxygen molecules and atoms

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kohl, F. J.; Leisz, D. M.; Fryburg, G. C.; Stearns, C. A.

    1977-01-01

    Equilibrium thermochemical analyses are employed to describe the vaporization processes of metals and metal oxides upon exposure to molecular and atomic oxygen. Specific analytic results for the chromium-, platinum-, aluminum-, and silicon-oxygen systems are presented. Maximum rates of oxidative vaporization predicted from the thermochemical considerations are compared with experimental results for chromium and platinum. The oxidative vaporization rates of chromium and platinum are considerably enhanced by oxygen atoms.

  8. PILOT-SCALE STUDIES ON THE EFFECT OF BROMINE ADDITION ON THE EMISSIONS OF CHLORINATED ORGANIC COMBUSTION BY-PRODUCTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The paper reports on a study to evaluate organic combustion by-product emissions while feeding varying amounts of bromine (Br) and chlorine (Cl) into a pilot-scale incinerator burning surrogate waste materials. (NOTE: Adding brominated organic compounds to a pilot-scale incinerat...

  9. Nuclear orientation of antimony and bromine isotopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barham, Christopher G.

    The technique of Low Temperature Nuclear Orientation has been used to study neutron deficient antimony and bromine isotopes. The antimony and bromine isotopes were produced using Daresbury Laboratory's Nuclear Sctructure Facility by the reactions [28]Si([93]Nb) and [28]Si([54]Fe) respectively, both at 150 MeV. Further anisotropy measurements on [72.74m,75]Br at lower temperature have been used to extend previous data. The magnetic moment of [72]Br has been limited to be within the range 0.54mu[N]

  10. CHEETAH: A next generation thermochemical code

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fried, L.; Souers, P.

    1994-11-01

    CHEETAH is an effort to bring the TIGER thermochemical code into the 1990s. A wide variety of improvements have been made in Version 1.0. We have improved the robustness and ease of use of TIGER. All of TIGER`s solvers have been replaced by new algorithms. We find that CHEETAH solves a wider variety of problems with no user intervention (e.g. no guesses for the C-J state) than TIGER did. CHEETAH has been made simpler to use than TIGER; typical use of the code occurs with the new standard run command. CHEETAH will make the use of thermochemical codes more attractivemore » to practical explosive formulators. We have also made an extensive effort to improve over the results of TIGER. CHEETAH`s version of the BKW equation of state (BKWC) is able to accurately reproduce energies from cylinder tests; something that other BKW parameter sets have been unable to do. Calculations performed with BKWC execute very quickly; typical run times are under 10 seconds on a workstation. In the future we plan to improve the underlying science in CHEETAH. More accurate equations of state will be used in the gas and the condensed phase. A kinetics capability will be added to the code that will predict reaction zone thickness. Further ease of use features will eventually be added; an automatic formulator that adjusts concentrations to match desired properties is planned.« less

  11. Mono- and di-bromo platinum(IV) prodrugs via oxidative bromination: synthesis, characterization, and cytotoxicity.

    PubMed

    Xu, Zoufeng; Wang, Zhigang; Yiu, Shek-Man; Zhu, Guangyu

    2015-12-14

    Platinum(IV)-based anticancer prodrugs have attracted much attention due to their relative inertness under physiological conditions, being activated inside cells, and their capacity for functionalization with a variety of small-molecule or macromolecule moieties. Novel asymmetric platinum(IV) compounds synthesized through expedient and unique methods are desired. Here we utilize N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) and carry out oxidative bromination on platinum(II) drugs, namely cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin, to obtain asymmetric and mono-bromo platinum(IV) prodrugs. Different solvents are used to obtain various compounds, and the compounds are further functionalized. Di-bromo compounds are also obtained through NBS-directed oxidative bromination in ethanol. The crystal structures of representative compounds are discussed, and the reduction potentials of some compounds are examined. A cytotoxicity test shows that the mono- and di-bromo platinum(IV) compounds are active against human ovarian cancer cells. Our study enriches the family of asymmetric platinum(IV) prodrugs and provides with a convenient strategy to obtain brominated platinum(IV) complexes.

  12. Crystallographic fragment-based drug discovery: use of a brominated fragment library targeting HIV protease.

    PubMed

    Tiefenbrunn, Theresa; Forli, Stefano; Happer, Meaghan; Gonzalez, Ana; Tsai, Yingssu; Soltis, Michael; Elder, John H; Olson, Arthur J; Stout, Charles D

    2014-02-01

    A library of 68 brominated fragments was screened against a new crystal form of inhibited HIV-1 protease in order to probe surface sites in soaking experiments. Often, fragments are weak binders with partial occupancy, resulting in weak, difficult-to-fit electron density. The use of a brominated fragment library addresses this challenge, as bromine can be located unequivocally via anomalous scattering. Data collection was carried out in an automated fashion using AutoDrug at SSRL. Novel hits were identified in the known surface sites: 3-bromo-2,6-dimethoxybenzoic acid (Br6) in the flap site and 1-bromo-2-naphthoic acid (Br27) in the exosite, expanding the chemistry of known fragments for development of higher affinity potential allosteric inhibitors. At the same time, mapping the binding sites of a number of weaker binding Br-fragments provides further insight into the nature of these surface pockets. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  13. System for thermochemical hydrogen production

    DOEpatents

    Werner, R.W.; Galloway, T.R.; Krikorian, O.H.

    1981-05-22

    Method and apparatus are described for joule boosting a SO/sub 3/ decomposer using electrical instead of thermal energy to heat the reactants of the high temperature SO/sub 3/ decomposition step of a thermochemical hydrogen production process driven by a tandem mirror reactor. Joule boosting the decomposer to a sufficiently high temperature from a lower temperature heat source eliminates the need for expensive catalysts and reduces the temperature and consequent materials requirements for the reactor blanket. A particular decomposer design utilizes electrically heated silicon carbide rods, at a temperature of 1250/sup 0/K, to decompose a cross flow of SO/sub 3/ gas.

  14. Solar thermochemical process interface study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1984-01-01

    The design and analyses of a subsystem of a hydrogen production process are described. The process is based on solar driven thermochemical reactions. The subject subsystem receives sulfuric acid of 60% concentration at 100 C, 1 atm pressure. The acid is further concentrated, vaporized, and decomposed (at a rate of 122 g moles/sec H2SO4) into SO2, O2, and water. The produce stream is cooled to 100 C. Three subsystem options, each being driven by direct solar energy, were designed and analyzed. The results are compared with a prior study case in which solar energy was provided indirectly through a helium loop.

  15. Solar thermochemical processing system and method

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wegeng, Robert S.; Humble, Paul H.; Krishnan, Shankar

    A solar thermochemical processing system is disclosed. The system includes a first unit operation for receiving concentrated solar energy. Heat from the solar energy is used to drive the first unit operation. The first unit operation also receives a first set of reactants and produces a first set of products. A second unit operation receives the first set of products from the first unit operation and produces a second set of products. A third unit operation receives heat from the second unit operation to produce a portion of the first set of reactants.

  16. Water Footprint and Land Requirement of Solar Thermochemical Jet-Fuel Production.

    PubMed

    Falter, Christoph; Pitz-Paal, Robert

    2017-11-07

    The production of alternative fuels via the solar thermochemical pathway has the potential to provide supply security and to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. H 2 O and CO 2 are converted to liquid hydrocarbon fuels using concentrated solar energy mediated by redox reactions of a metal oxide. Because attractive production locations are in arid regions, the water footprint and the land requirement of this fuel production pathway are analyzed. The water footprint consists of 7.4 liters per liter of jet fuel of direct demand on-site and 42.4 liters per liter of jet fuel of indirect demand, where the dominant contributions are the mining of the rare earth oxide ceria, the manufacturing of the solar concentration infrastructure, and the cleaning of the mirrors. The area-specific productivity is found to be 33 362 liters per hectare per year of jet fuel equivalents, where the land coverage is mainly due to the concentration of solar energy for heat and electricity. The water footprint and the land requirement of the solar thermochemical fuel pathway are larger than the best power-to-liquid pathways but an order of magnitude lower than the best biomass-to-liquid pathways. For the production of solar thermochemical fuels arid regions are best-suited, and for biofuels regions of a moderate and humid climate.

  17. Selective and Efficient Generation of ortho-Brominated para-Substituted Phenols in ACS-Grade Methanol.

    PubMed

    Georgiev, David; Saes, Bartholomeus W H; Johnston, Heather J; Boys, Sarah K; Healy, Alan; Hulme, Alison N

    2016-01-13

    The mono ortho-bromination of phenolic building blocks by NBS has been achieved in short reaction times (15-20 min) using ACS-grade methanol as a solvent. The reactions can be conducted on phenol, naphthol and biphenol substrates, giving yields of >86% on gram scale. Excellent selectivity for the desired mono ortho-brominated products is achieved in the presence of 10 mol % para-TsOH, and the reaction is shown to be tolerant of a range of substituents, including CH3, F, and NHBoc.

  18. Ability of thermochemical calculation to treat organic peroxides

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Osmont, Antoine; Baudin, Gérard; Genetier, Marc

    2017-06-01

    Since 3 years, the CEA Gramat is developing a new thermochemical code, called SIAME, funded by DGA to help French defense industry at conceiving new explosives compositions. It enables the calculation of CJ detonation and deflagration points and combustion of explosives. The accuracy of the code has been checked on several compositions containing PETN, RDX, HMX, TNT, NTO. The error on the velocity of detonation is 3%. To enlarge the domain of validity of the code, organic peroxides have been considered. It is known that thermochemical simulation is in failure regarding compounds as simple as hydrogen peroxide. The computed velocity of detonation is 5720 m/s when shock planar impact gives 6150 m/s. The same discrepancy is found for TATP, with a calculated value at 5870 m/s when 5290 has been measured. Detonation velocity of TATP has been measured at two different densities. These velocities agree with other published values. A closer look at the enthalpy of formation of TATP has revealed that it comes from an article of 1932. Ab initio computations have given a totally different value, leading to better agreement with experiment.

  19. ENHANCED FORMATION OF CHLORINATED PICS BY THE ADDITION OF BROMINE

    EPA Science Inventory

    A systematic series of experiments were performed on a pilot-scale rotary kiln incinerator simulator in which liquid surrogate wastes containing varied levels of chlorine and bromine were burned. The surrogate wastes used were a series of mixtures of methylene chloride and methyl...

  20. Unintentional production of persistent chlorinated and brominated organic pollutants during iron ore sintering processes.

    PubMed

    Li, Sumei; Liu, Guorui; Zheng, Minghui; Liu, Wenbin; Li, Jinhui; Wang, Mei; Li, Changliang; Chen, Yuan

    2017-06-05

    Iron ore sintering (SNT) processes are major sources of unintentionally produced chlorinated persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs). However, few studies of emissions of brominated POPs, such as polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PBDD/Fs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), during SNT have been performed. Stack gas and fly ash samples from six typical SNT plants in China were collected and analyzed to determine the concentrations and profiles of PCDD/Fs, PCBs, PCNs, PBDD/Fs, and PBDEs, as well as any correlations among these compounds. The PCDD/F, PCB, PCN, PBDD/F, and PBDE emission factors were 2.47, 0.61, 552, 0.32, and 107μgt -1 , respectively (109, 4.07, 10.4, 4.41 and 0.02ng toxic equivalents t -1 , respectively). PCBs were the most abundant compounds by mass, while PCNs were the next most abundant, contributing 51% and 42% to the total POP concentration, respectively. However, PCDD/Fs were the dominant contributors to the chlorinated and brominated POP toxic equivalent concentrations, contributing 89% to the total toxic equivalent concentration. The PCDD/F and other chlorinated and brominated POP concentrations were positively correlated, indicating that chlorinated and brominated POP emissions could be synergistically decreased using the best available technologies/best environmental practices already developed for PCDD/Fs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Integrated solar thermochemical reaction system for steam methane reforming

    DOE PAGES

    Zheng, Feng; Diver, Rich; Caldwell, Dustin D.; ...

    2015-06-05

    Solar-aided upgrade of the energy content of fossil fuels, such as natural gas, can provide a near-term transition path towards a future solar-fuel economy and reduce carbon dioxide emission from fossil fuel consumption. Both steam and dry reforming a methane-containing fuel stream have been studied with concentrated solar power as the energy input to drive the highly endothermic reactions but the concept has not been demonstrated at a commercial scale. Under a current project with the U.S. Department of Energy, PNNL is developing an integrated solar thermochemical reaction system that combines solar concentrators with micro- and meso-channel reactors and heatmore » exchangers to accomplish more than 20% solar augment of methane higher heating value. The objective of our three-year project is to develop and prepare for commercialization such solar reforming system with a high enough efficiency to serve as the frontend of a conventional natural gas (or biogas) combined cycle power plant, producing power with a levelized cost of electricity less than 6¢/kWh, without subsidies, by the year 2020. In this paper, we present results from the first year of our project that demonstrated a solar-to-chemical energy conversion efficiency as high as 69% with a prototype reaction system.« less

  2. Variable dual carbon-bromine stable isotope fractionation during enzyme-catalyzed reductive dehalogenation of brominated ethenes.

    PubMed

    Woods, Angela; Kuntze, Kevin; Gelman, Faina; Halicz, Ludwik; Nijenhuis, Ivonne

    2018-01-01

    The potential of compound-specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) to characterize biotransformation of brominated organic compounds (BOCs) was assessed and compared to chlorinated analogues. Sulfurospirillum multivorans and Desulfitobacterium hafniense PCE-S catalyzed the dehalogenation of tribromoethene (TBE) to either vinyl bromide (VB) or ethene, respectively. Significantly lower isotope fractionation was observed for TBE dehalogenation by S. multivorans (ε C  = -1.3 ± 0.2‰) compared to D. hafniense (ε C  = -7.7 ± 1.5‰). However, higher fractionation was observed for dibromoethene (DBE) dehalogenation by S. multivorans (ε C  = -16.8 ± 1.8‰ and -21.2 ± 1.6‰ for trans- and cis-1,2- (DBE) respectively), compared to D. hafniense PCE-S (ε C  = -9.5 ± 1.2‰ and -14.5 ± 0.7‰ for trans-1,2-DBE and cis-1,2-DBE, respectively). Significant, but similar, bromine fractionation was observed for for S. multivorans (ε Br  = -0.53 ± 0.15‰, -1.03 ± 0.26‰, and -1.18 ± 0.13‰ for trans-1,2-DBE, cis-1,2-DBE and TBE, respectively) and D. hafniense PCE-S (ε Br  = -0.97 ± 0.28‰, -1.16 ± 0.36‰, and -1.34 ± 0.32‰ for cis-1,2-DBE, TBE and trans-1,2-DBE, respectively). Variable CBr dual-element slopes were estimated at Λ (ε C /ε Br ) = 1.03 ± 0.2, 17.9 ± 5.8, and 29.9 ± 11.0 for S. multivorans debrominating TBE, cis-1,2-DBE and trans-1,2-DBE, respectively, and at 7.14 ± 1.6, 8.27 ± 3.7, and 8.92 ± 2.4 for D. hafniense PCE-S debrominating trans-1,2-DBE, TBE and cis-1,2-DBE, respectively. A high variability in isotope fractionation, which was substrate property related, was observed for S. multivorans but not D. hafniense, similar as observed for chlorinated ethenes, and may be due to rate-limiting steps preceding the bond-cleavage or differences in the reaction mechanism. Overall, significant isotope fractionation was observed and, therefore, CSIA can be applied to monitor the

  3. Removal of brominated flame retardant from electrical and electronic waste plastic by solvothermal technique.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Cong-Cong; Zhang, Fu-Shen

    2012-06-30

    Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in electrical and electronic (E&E) waste plastic are toxic, bioaccumulative and recalcitrant. In the present study, tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) contained in this type of plastic was tentatively subjected to solvothermal treatment so as to obtain bromine-free plastic. Methanol, ethanol and isopropanol were examined as solvents for solvothermal treatment and it was found that methanol was the optimal solvent for TBBPA removal. The optimum temperature, time and liquid to solid ratio for solvothermal treatment to remove TBBPA were 90°C, 2h and 15:1, respectively. After the treatment with various alcohol solvents, it was found that TBBPA was finally transferred into the solvents and bromine in the extract was debrominated catalyzed by metallic copper. Bisphenol A and cuprous bromide were the main products after debromination. The morphology and FTIR properties of the plastic were generally unchanged after the solvothermal treatment indicating that the structure of the plastic maintained after the process. This work provides a clean and applicable process for BFRs-containing plastic disposal. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Thermochemical properties of flame gases from fine wildland fuels

    Treesearch

    Frank A. Albini

    1979-01-01

    Describes a theoretical model for calculating thermochemical properties of the gaseous fuel that burns in the free flame at the edge of a spreading fire in fine forest fuels. Predicted properties are the heat of combustion, stoichiometric air/fuel mass ratio, mass-averaged temperature, and mass fraction of unburned fuel in the gas mixture emitted from the flame-...

  5. The separation of waste printed circuit board by dissolving bromine epoxy resin using organic solvent.

    PubMed

    Zhu, P; Chen, Y; Wang, L Y; Zhou, M; Zhou, J

    2013-02-01

    Separation of waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) has been a bottleneck in WPCBs resource processing. In this study, the separation of WPCBs was performed using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a solvent. Various parameters, which included solid to liquid ratio, temperature, WPCB sizes, and time, were studied to understand the separation of WPCBs by dissolving bromine epoxy resin using DMSO. Experimental results showed that the concentration of dissolving the bromine epoxy resin increased with increasing various parameters. The optimum condition of complete separation of WPCBs was solid to liquid ratio of 1:7 and WPCB sizes of 16 mm(2) at 145°C for 60 min. The used DMSO was vapored under the decompression, which obtained the regenerated DMSO and dissolved bromine epoxy resin. This clean and non-polluting technology offers a new way to separate valuable materials from WPCBs and prevent the environmental pollution of waste printed circuit boards effectively. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Reaction of bromine and chlorine with phenolic compounds and natural organic matter extracts--Electrophilic aromatic substitution and oxidation.

    PubMed

    Criquet, Justine; Rodriguez, Eva M; Allard, Sebastien; Wellauer, Sven; Salhi, Elisabeth; Joll, Cynthia A; von Gunten, Urs

    2015-11-15

    Phenolic compounds are known structural moieties of natural organic matter (NOM), and their reactivity is a key parameter for understanding the reactivity of NOM and the disinfection by-product formation during oxidative water treatment. In this study, species-specific and/or apparent second order rate constants and mechanisms for the reactions of bromine and chlorine have been determined for various phenolic compounds (phenol, resorcinol, catechol, hydroquinone, phloroglucinol, bisphenol A, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, gallic acid, hesperetin and tannic acid) and flavone. The reactivity of bromine with phenolic compounds is very high, with apparent second order rate constants at pH 7 in the range of 10(4) to 10(7) M(-1) s(-1). The highest value was recorded for the reaction between HOBr and the fully deprotonated resorcinol (k = 2.1 × 10(9) M(-1) s(-1)). The reactivity of phenolic compounds is enhanced by the activating character of the phenolic substituents, e.g. further hydroxyl groups. With the data set from this study, the ratio between the species-specific rate constants for the reactions of chlorine versus bromine with phenolic compounds was confirmed to be about 3000. Phenolic compounds react with bromine or chlorine either by oxidation (electron transfer, ET) or electrophilic aromatic substitution (EAS) processes. The dominant process mainly depends on the relative position of the hydroxyl substituents and the possibility of quinone formation. While phenol, p-hydroxybenzoic acid and bisphenol A undergo EAS, hydroquinone, catechol, gallic acid and tannic acid, with hydroxyl substituents in ortho or para positions, react with bromine by ET leading to quantitative formation of the corresponding quinones. Some compounds (e.g. phloroglucinol) show both partial oxidation and partial electrophilic aromatic substitution and the ratio observed for the pathways depends on the pH. For the reaction of six NOM extracts with bromine, electrophilic aromatic substitution

  7. The NBS Reaction: A Simple Explanation for the Predominance of Allylic Substitution over Olefin Addition by Bromine at Low Concentrations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wamser, Carl C.; Scott, Lawrence T.

    1985-01-01

    Examines mechanisms related to use of N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) for bromination at an allylic position. Also presents derived rate laws for three possible reactions of molecular bromine with an alkene: (1) free radical substitution; (2) free radical addition; and (3) electrophilic addition. (JN)

  8. Thermo-Chemical Conversion of Microwave Activated Biomass Mixtures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barmina, I.; Kolmickovs, A.; Valdmanis, R.; Vostrikovs, S.; Zake, M.

    2018-05-01

    Thermo-chemical conversion of microwave activated wheat straw mixtures with wood or peat pellets is studied experimentally with the aim to provide more effective application of wheat straw for heat energy production. Microwave pre-processing of straw pellets is used to provide a partial decomposition of the main constituents of straw and to activate the thermo-chemical conversion of wheat straw mixtures with wood or peat pellets. The experimental study includes complex measurements of the elemental composition of biomass pellets (wheat straw, wood, peat), DTG analysis of their thermal degradation, FTIR analysis of the composition of combustible volatiles entering the combustor, the flame temperature, the heat output of the device and composition of the products by comparing these characteristics for mixtures with unprocessed and mw pre-treated straw pellets. The results of experimental study confirm that mw pre-processing of straw activates the thermal decomposition of mixtures providing enhanced formation of combustible volatiles. This leads to improvement of the combustion conditions in the flame reaction zone, completing thus the combustion of volatiles, increasing the flame temperature, the heat output from the device, the produced heat energy per mass of burned mixture and decreasing at the same time the mass fraction of unburned volatiles in the products.

  9. BROMINATED FLAME RETARDANTS: WHAT WE KNOW, AND WHAT WE DON’T

    EPA Science Inventory

    Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) represent a large and diverse class of high volume industrial chemicals which have been developed to provide fire safety. There are many other BFRs which have been used and are under development. Historically, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) ...

  10. BROMINATED FLAME RETARDANTS: WHAT WE KNOW, AND WHAT WE DON�T

    EPA Science Inventory

    Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) represent a large and diverse class of high volume industrial chemicals which have been developed to provide fire safety. There are many other BFRs which have been used and are under development. Historically, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) w...

  11. In vivo speciation studies and antioxidant properties of bromine in Laminaria digitata reinforce the significance of iodine accumulation for kelps

    PubMed Central

    Küpper, Frithjof C.; Carpenter, Lucy J.; Leblanc, Catherine; Toyama, Chiaki; Uchida, Yuka; Maskrey, Benjamin H.; Robinson, Joanne; Verhaeghe, Elodie F.; Malin, Gill; Luther, George W.; Kroneck, Peter M. H.; Kloareg, Bernard; Meyer-Klaucke, Wolfram; Muramatsu, Yasuyuki; Megson, Ian L.; Potin, Philippe; Feiters, Martin C.

    2013-01-01

    The metabolism of bromine in marine brown algae remains poorly understood. This contrasts with the recent finding that the accumulation of iodide in the brown alga Laminaria serves the provision of an inorganic antioxidant – the first case documented from a living system. The aim of this study was to use an interdisciplinary array of techniques to study the chemical speciation, transformation, and function of bromine in Laminaria and to investigate the link between bromine and iodine metabolism, in particular in the antioxidant context. First, bromine and iodine levels in different Laminaria tissues were compared by inductively coupled plasma MS. Using in vivo X-ray absorption spectroscopy, it was found that, similarly to iodine, bromine is predominantly present in this alga in the form of bromide, albeit at lower concentrations, and that it shows similar behaviour upon oxidative stress. However, from a thermodynamic and kinetic standpoint, supported by in vitro and reconstituted in vivo assays, bromide is less suitable than iodide as an antioxidant against most reactive oxygen species except superoxide, possibly explaining why kelps prefer to accumulate iodide. This constitutes the first-ever study exploring the potential antioxidant function of bromide in a living system and other potential physiological roles. Given the tissue-specific differences observed in the content and speciation of bromine, it is concluded that the bromide uptake mechanism is different from the vanadium iodoperoxidase-mediated uptake of iodide in L. digitata and that its function is likely to be complementary to the iodide antioxidant system for detoxifying superoxide. PMID:23606364

  12. Thermochemical conversion of biomass storage covers to reduce ammonia emissions from dairy manure Thermochemical conversion of biomass storage covers to reduce ammonia emissions from dairy manure

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Manure storages, and in particular those storing digested manure, are a source of ammonia (NH3) emissions. Permeable manure storage covers can reduce NH3 emissions, however performance can decline as they degrade. Thermochemical conversion of biomass through pyrolysis and steam treatment could incre...

  13. Cascading pressure reactor and method for solar-thermochemical reactions

    DOEpatents

    Ermanoski, Ivan

    2017-11-14

    Reactors and methods for solar thermochemical reactions are disclosed. The reactors and methods include a cascade of reduction chambers at successively lower pressures that leads to over an order of magnitude pressure decrease compared to a single-chambered design. The resulting efficiency gains are substantial, and represent an important step toward practical and efficient solar fuel production on a large scale.

  14. Life-Cycle Assessment of a Distributed-Scale Thermochemical Bioenergy Conversion System

    Treesearch

    Hongmei Gu; Richard Bergman

    2016-01-01

    Expanding bioenergy production from woody biomass has the potential to decrease net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve the energy security of the United States. Science-based and internationally accepted life-cycle assessment (LCA) is an effective tool for policy makers to make scientifically informed decisions on expanding renewable energy production from...

  15. Advances in Instrumental Analysis of Brominated Flame Retardants: Current Status and Future Perspectives

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    This review aims to highlight the recent advances and methodological improvements in instrumental techniques applied for the analysis of different brominated flame retardants (BFRs). The literature search strategy was based on the recent analytical reviews published on BFRs. The main selection criteria involved the successful development and application of analytical methods for determination of the target compounds in various environmental matrices. Different factors affecting chromatographic separation and mass spectrometric detection of brominated analytes were evaluated and discussed. Techniques using advanced instrumentation to achieve outstanding results in quantification of different BFRs and their metabolites/degradation products were highlighted. Finally, research gaps in the field of BFR analysis were identified and recommendations for future research were proposed. PMID:27433482

  16. On the thermo-chemical origin of the stratified region at the top of the Earth's core

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nakagawa, Takashi

    2018-03-01

    I developed a combined model of the thermal and chemical evolution of the Earth's core and investigated its influence on a thermochemically stable region beneath the core-mantle boundary (CMB). The chemical effects of the growing stable region are caused by the equilibrium chemical reaction between silicate and the metallic core. The thermal effects can be characterized by the growth of the sub-isentropic shell, which may have a rapid growth rate compared to that of the chemically stable region. When the present-day CMB heat flow was varied, the origin of the stable region changed from chemical to thermochemical to purely thermal because the rapid growth of the sub-isentropic shell can replace the chemically stable region. Physically reasonable values of the present-day CMB heat flow that can maintain the geodynamo action over 4 billion years should be between 8 and 11 TW. To constrain the thickness of the thermochemically stable region beneath the CMB, the chemical diffusivity is important and should be ∼O(10-8) m2/s to obtain a thickness of the thermochemically stable region beneath the CMB consistent with that inferred from geomagnetic secular variations (140 km). However, the strength of the stable region found in this study is too high to be consistent with the constraint on the stability of the stable region inferred from geomagnetic secular variations.

  17. Thermochemical recovery of heat contained in flue gases by means of bioethanol conversion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pashchenko, D. I.

    2013-06-01

    In the present paper consideration is being given to the use of bioethanol in the schemes of thermochemical recovery of heat contained in exit flue gases. Schematic diagrams illustrate the realization of thermochemical heat recovery by implementing ethanol steam conversion and conversion of ethanol by means of products of its complete combustion. The feasibility of attaining a high degree of recovery of heat contained in flue gases at the moderate temperature (up to 450°C) of combustion components is demonstrated in the example of the energy balance of the system for thermochemical heat recovery. The simplified thermodynamic analysis of the process of ethanol steam conversion was carried out in order to determine possible ranges of variation of process variables (temperature, pressure, composition) of a reaction mixture providing the efficient heat utilization. It was found that at the temperature above 600 K the degree of ethanol conversion is near unity. The equilibrium composition of products of reaction of ethanol steam conversion has been identified for different temperatures at which the process occurs at the ratio H2O/EtOH = 1 and at the pressure of 0.1 MPa. The obtained results of calculation agree well with the experimental data.

  18. Brominated flame retardants and organochlorine pollutants in eggs of little owls (Athene noctua) from Belgium.

    PubMed

    Jaspers, Veerle; Covaci, Adrian; Maervoet, Johan; Dauwe, Tom; Voorspoels, Stefan; Schepens, Paul; Eens, Marcel

    2005-07-01

    Residues of brominated diphenylethers (PBDEs), organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in 40 eggs of little owls (Athene noctua), a terrestrial top predator from Belgium. The major organohalogens detected were PCBs (median 2,600 ng/g lipid, range 790-23 000 ng/g lipid). PCB 153,138/163, 170, 180 and 187 were the predominant congeners and constituted 71% of total sum PCBs. PBDEs were measurable in all samples, but their concentrations were much lower than for PCBs, with a range from 29-572 ng/g lipid (median 108 ng/g lipid). The most prevalent PBDE congeners in little owl egg samples were BDE 47, 99 and 153. This profile differs from the profile in marine bird species, for which BDE 47 was the dominant congener, indicating that terrestrial birds may be more exposed to higher brominated BDE congeners than marine birds. The fully brominated BDE 209 could be detected in one egg sample (17 ng/g lipid), suggesting that higher brominated BDEs may accumulate in terrestrial food chains. Brominated biphenyl (BB) 153 was determined in all egg samples, with levels ranging from 0.6 to 5.6 ng/g lipid (median 1.3 ng/g lipid). Additionally, hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) could be identified and quantified in only two eggs at levels of 20 and 50 ng/g lipid. OCPs were present at low concentrations, suggesting a rather low contamination of the sampled environment with OCPs (median concentrations of sum DDTs: 826 ng/g lipid, sum chlordanes: 1,016 ng/g lipid, sum HCHs: 273 ng/g lipid). Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and octachlorostyrene (OCS) were also found at low median levels of 134 and 3.4 ng/g lipid, respectively. Concentrations of most analytes were significantly higher in eggs collected from deserted nests in comparison to addled (unhatched) eggs, while eggshell thickness did not differ between deserted and addled eggs. No significant correlations were found between eggshell thickness and the analysed organohalogens.

  19. XAS AND XPS CHARACTERIZATION OF MERCURY BINDING ON BROMINATED ACTIVATED CARBON

    EPA Science Inventory

    Brominated powdered activated carbon sorbents have been shown to e quite effective for mercury capture when injected into the flue gas duct at coal-fired power plants and are especially useful when buring Western low-chlorine subbituminous coals. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (X...

  20. Monitoring of WEEE plastics in regards to brominated flame retardants using handheld XRF.

    PubMed

    Aldrian, Alexia; Ledersteger, Alfred; Pomberger, Roland

    2015-02-01

    This contribution is focused on the on-site determination of the bromine content in waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), in particular waste plastics from television sets (TV) and personal computer monitors (PC) using a handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) device. The described approach allows the examination of samples in regards to the compliance with legal specifications for polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) directly after disassembling and facilitates the sorting out of plastics with high contents of brominated flame retardants (BFRs). In all, over 3000 pieces of black (TV) and 1600 pieces of grey (PC) plastic waste were analysed with handheld XRF technique for this study. Especially noticeable was the high percentage of pieces with a bromine content of over 50,000ppm for TV (7%) and PC (39%) waste plastics. The applied method was validated by comparing the data of handheld XRF with results obtained by GC-MS. The results showed the expected and sufficiently accurate correlation between these two methods. It is shown that handheld XRF technique is an effective tool for fast monitoring of large volumes of WEEE plastics in regards to BFRs for on-site measurements. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. High-flux solar-driven thermochemical dissociation of CO2 and H2O using nonstoichiometric ceria.

    PubMed

    Chueh, William C; Falter, Christoph; Abbott, Mandy; Scipio, Danien; Furler, Philipp; Haile, Sossina M; Steinfeld, Aldo

    2010-12-24

    Because solar energy is available in large excess relative to current rates of energy consumption, effective conversion of this renewable yet intermittent resource into a transportable and dispatchable chemical fuel may ensure the goal of a sustainable energy future. However, low conversion efficiencies, particularly with CO(2) reduction, as well as utilization of precious materials have limited the practical generation of solar fuels. By using a solar cavity-receiver reactor, we combined the oxygen uptake and release capacity of cerium oxide and facile catalysis at elevated temperatures to thermochemically dissociate CO(2) and H(2)O, yielding CO and H(2), respectively. Stable and rapid generation of fuel was demonstrated over 500 cycles. Solar-to-fuel efficiencies of 0.7 to 0.8% were achieved and shown to be largely limited by the system scale and design rather than by chemistry.

  2. Toxicity comparison of chlorinated and brominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in industrial source samples by HRGC/HRMS and enzyme immunoassay

    EPA Science Inventory

    Limited information is available on the applicability of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin/furan (PCDD/F) toxicity assays to their brominated counterparts: polybrominated dibenzo-p-dixoins/furans (PBDDs/Fs). We estimated the toxicity of mixtures of chlorinated, brominated, and mi...

  3. Design of bipolar, flowing-electrolyte zinc-bromine electric-vehicle battery systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Malachesky, P. A.; Bellows, R. J.; Einstein, H. E.; Grimes, P. G.; Newby, K.; Young, A.

    1983-01-01

    The integration of bipolar, flowing electrolyte zinc-bromine technology into a viable electric vehicle battery system requires careful analysis of the requirements placed on the battery system by the EV power train. In addition to the basic requirement of an appropriate battery voltage and power density, overall battery system energy efficiency must also be considered and parasitic losses from auxiliaries such as pumps and shunt current protection minimized. An analysis of the influence of these various factors on zinc-bromine EV battery system design has been carried out for two types of EV propulsion systems. The first of these is a nominal 100V dc system, while the second is a high voltage (200V dc) system as might be used with an advanced design ac propulsion system. Battery performance was calculated using an experimentally determined relationship which expresses battery voltage as a function of current density and state-of-charge.

  4. Analysis of reactive bromine production and ozone depletion in the Arctic boundary layer using 3-D simulations with GEM-AQ: inference from synoptic-scale patterns

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Toyota, K.; McConnell, J. C.; Lupu, A.; Neary, L.; McLinden, C. A.; Richter, A.; Kwok, R.; Semeniuk, K.; Kaminski, J. W.; Gong, S.-L.; Jarosz, J.; Chipperfield, M. P.; Sioris, C. E.

    2011-04-01

    Episodes of high bromine levels and surface ozone depletion in the springtime Arctic are simulated by an online air-quality model, GEM-AQ, with gas-phase and heterogeneous reactions of inorganic bromine species and a simple scheme of air-snowpack chemical interactions implemented for this study. Snowpack on sea ice is assumed to be the only source of bromine to the atmosphere and to be capable of converting relatively stable bromine species to photolabile Br2 via air-snowpack interactions. A set of sensitivity model runs are performed for April 2001 at a horizontal resolution of approximately 100 km×100 km in the Arctic, to provide insights into the effects of temperature and the age (first-year, FY, versus multi-year, MY) of sea ice on the release of reactive bromine to the atmosphere. The model simulations capture much of the temporal variations in surface ozone mixing ratios as observed at stations in the high Arctic and the synoptic-scale evolution of areas with enhanced BrO column amount ("BrO clouds") as estimated from satellite observations. The simulated "BrO clouds" are in modestly better agreement with the satellite measurements when the FY sea ice is assumed to be more efficient at releasing reactive bromine to the atmosphere than on the MY sea ice. Surface ozone data from coastal stations used in this study are not sufficient to evaluate unambiguously the difference between the FY sea ice and the MY sea ice as a source of bromine. The results strongly suggest that reactive bromine is released ubiquitously from the snow on the sea ice during the Arctic spring while the timing and location of the bromine release are largely controlled by meteorological factors. It appears that a rapid advection and an enhanced turbulent diffusion associated with strong boundary-layer winds drive transport and dispersion of ozone to the near-surface air over the sea ice, increasing the oxidation rate of bromide (Br-) in the surface snow. Also, if indeed the surface

  5. Theoretical and Experimental Flow Cell Studies of a Hydrogen-Bromine Fuel Cell, Part 1. M.S. Thesis. Final Report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Savinell, R. F.; Fritts, S. D.

    1986-01-01

    There is increasing interest in hydrogen-bromine fuel cells as both primary and regenerative energy storage systems. One promising design for a hydrogen-bromine fuel cell is a negative half cell having only a gas phase, which is separated by a cationic exchange membrane from a positive half cell having an aqueous electrolyte. The hydrogen gas and the aqueous bromide solution are stored external to the cell. In order to calculate the energy storage capacity and to predict and assess the performance of a single cell, the open circuit potential (OCV) must be estimated for different states of change, under various conditions. Theoretical expressions were derived to estimate the OCV of a hydrogen-bromine fuel cell. In these expressions temperature, hydrogen pressure, and bromine and hydrobromic acid concentrations were taken into consideration. Also included are the effects of the Nafion membrance separator and the various bromide complex species. Activity coefficients were taken into account in one of the expressions. The sensitivity of these parameters on the calculated OCV was studied.

  6. Thermochemical energy storage for a lunar base

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Perez-Davis, Marla E.; Mckissock, Barbara I.; Difilippo, Frank

    1992-01-01

    A thermochemical solar energy storage concept involving the reversible reaction CaO + H2O yields Ca(OH)2 is proposed as a power system element for a lunar base. The operation and components of such a system are described. The CaO/H2O system is capable of generating electric power during both the day and night. Mass of the required amount of CaO is neglected since it is obtained from lunar soil. Potential technical problems, such as reactor design and lunar soil processing, are reviewed.

  7. Pregnant Women's perceptions of exposure to brominated flame retardants.

    PubMed

    Lane, A; Goodyer, C G; Rab, F; Ashley, J M; Sharma, S; Hodgson, A; Nisker, J

    2016-12-01

    Recent media reports on human studies associating brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in household products in pregnancy with urogenital anomalies in boys and endocrine disruption in both sexes. We sought to explore the perceptions of pregnant women of brominated flame retardant (BFR) exposure, in light of recent media reports on the adverse health effects of BFR exposure prenatally. Pregnant women were recruited for interviews through posters and pamphlets in prenatal clinics, prenatal fairs and community centres. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim for Charmaz-based qualitative analysis supported by NVIVO 10™. Theoretical sufficiency was reached after analyzing the interviews of 23 pregnant women. Themes co-constructed were: I-Lack of Awareness of BFRs; II-Factors Influencing BFR Exposure; III-Responsibility; IV-Informed Choice. Almost all participants felt it was difficult to make informed choices to avoid BFRs, and wanted communication from clinicians and regulation from governments regarding decreasing BFR exposure. Pregnant women in Canada may be unaware of the potential risks of exposure to BFRs. Professional organizations and governments should further study risk associated with BFR exposure in pregnancy and provide educational materials for pregnant women and clinicians regarding BFR exposure.

  8. Study of the formation of thermochemical laser-induced periodic surface structures on Cr, Ti, Ni and NiCr films under femtosecond irradiation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dostovalov, A. V.; Korolkov, V. P.; Terentyev, V. S.; Okotrub, K. A.; Dultsev, F. N.; Babin, S. A.

    2017-07-01

    The formation of femtosecond laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS's) on Cr, Ti, Ni and NiCr films (with different Cr contents) is investigated. It is established that thermochemical LIPSS's with periods of 950, 930 and 980 nm are formed, respectively, on the surfaces of titanium, chromium, and nichrome (with a chromium content of 20%); however, thermochemical LIPSS's are not formed on the surfaces of nickel and nichrome with a low chromium content, although Raman data indicate that oxidation occurs in all cases. A weakly ordered ablated structure with a period of 250-300 nm is found to be formed on oxidised areas of thermochemical LIPSS's in the case of chromium and nichrome (80/20). Experimental data on selective etching of thermochemical LIPSS's on titanium and chromium films are presented.

  9. Bromine incorporation into five DBP classes upon chlorination of water with extremely low SUVA values.

    PubMed

    Hong, Huachang; Yan, Xiaoqing; Song, Xuhui; Qin, Yanyan; Sun, Hongjie; Lin, Hongjun; Chen, Jianrong; Liang, Yan

    2017-07-15

    The main objective of this study was to assess the effects of disinfection conditions on bromine incorporation into disinfection by-products (DBPs) during chlorination of water with low specific UV absorbance (SUVA). Five classes of DBPs were included: trihalomethanes (THMs), dihaloacetic acids (di-HAAs), trihaloacetic acids (tri-HAAs), dihaloacetonitriles (DHANs) and trihalonitromethanes (THNMs). Results showed that the bromine utilization in DBPs formation was positive related with reaction time, pH and temperature. On the other hand, the bromine substitution factors (BSFs) of DBPs were generally increased with pH (except tri-HAAs) and bromide concentration, but decreased with the reaction time, temperature and chlorine dose. Moreover, the BSFs values varied with DBP classes with the ranking being as following: THNMs≫DHANs≫tri-HAAs>THM≈di-HAAs. These results were mostly similar with the references, yet the pH effect on BSFs as well as the rank of BSFs for different DBP classes may differ with the specific UV absorbance of organic matter. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Integration of Bromine and Cyanogen Bromide Generators for the Continuous-Flow Synthesis of Cyclic Guanidines.

    PubMed

    Glotz, Gabriel; Lebl, René; Dallinger, Doris; Kappe, C Oliver

    2017-10-23

    A continuous-flow process for the in situ on-demand generation of cyanogen bromide (BrCN) from bromine and potassium cyanide that makes use of membrane-separation technology is described. In order to circumvent the handling, storage, and transportation of elemental bromine, a continuous bromine generator using bromate-bromide synproportionation can optionally be attached upstream. Monitoring and quantification of BrCN generation was enabled through the implementation of in-line FTIR technology. With the Br 2 and BrCN generators connected in series, 0.2 mmol BrCN per minute was produced, which corresponds to a 0.8 m solution of BrCN in dichloromethane. The modular Br 2 /BrCN generator was employed for the synthesis of a diverse set of biologically relevant five- and six-membered cyclic amidines and guanidines. The set-up can either be operated in a fully integrated continuous format or, where reactive crystallization is beneficial, in semi-batch mode. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  11. Observations of Circumstellar Thermochemical Equilibrium: The Case of Phosphorus

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Milam, Stefanie N.; Charnley, Steven B.

    2011-01-01

    We will present observations of phosphorus-bearing species in circumstellar envelopes, including carbon- and oxygen-rich shells 1. New models of thermochemical equilibrium chemistry have been developed to interpret, and constrained by these data. These calculations will also be presented and compared to the numerous P-bearing species already observed in evolved stars. Predictions for other viable species will be made for observations with Herschel and ALMA.

  12. Microbial degradation of the brominated flame retardant TBNPA by groundwater bacteria: laboratory and field study.

    PubMed

    Balaban, Noa; Bernstein, Anat; Gelman, Faina; Ronen, Zeev

    2016-08-01

    In the present study, the biodegradation of the brominated flame retardant tribromoneopentylalcohol (TBNPA) by a groundwater enrichment culture was investigated using a dual carbon ((13)C/(12)C)- bromine ((81)Br/(79)Br) stable isotope analysis. An indigenous aerobic bacterial consortium was enriched from the polluted groundwater underlying an industrial site in the northern Negev Desert, Israel, where TBNPA is an abundant pollutant. Aerobic biodegradation was shown to be rapid, with complete debromination within a few days, whereas anaerobic biodegradation was not observed. Biodegradation under aerobic conditions was accompanied by a significant carbon isotope effect with an isotopic enrichment factor of ɛCbulk = -8.8‰ ± 1.5‰, without any detectable bromine isotope fractionation. It was found that molecular oxygen is necessary for biodegradation to occur, suggesting an initial oxidative step. Based on these results, it was proposed that H abstraction from the C-H bond is the first step of TBNPA biodegradation under aerobic conditions, and that the C-H bond cleavage results in the formation of unstable intermediates, which are rapidly debrominated. A preliminary isotopic analysis of TBNPA in the groundwater underlying the industrial area revealed that there are no changes in the carbon and bromine isotope ratio values downstream of the contamination source. Considering that anoxic conditions prevail in the groundwater of the contaminated site, the lack of isotope shifts in TBNPA indicates the lack of TBNPA biodegradation in the groundwater, in accordance with our findings. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Tuning the structure of CsCaI3:Eu via substitution of bromine for iodine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Loyd, M.; Lindsey, A.; Stand, L.; Zhuravleva, M.; Melcher, C. L.; Koschan, M.

    2017-06-01

    CsCaI3:Eu is a promising scintillator material that can be grown from the melt, but undergoes a tetragonal to orthorhombic phase transition upon cooling at 255 °C, causing twinning and cloudiness. The purpose of this work is to suppress this solid to solid phase transition in the CsCaI3:Eu scintillator, which has a light yield of ∼40000 ph/MeV and energy resolution at 662 keV of ∼4%, by halide replacement to form the compound CsCaBrxI3-x. Crystals 8 cm3 in volume were grown using the vertical Bridgman method with varying bromine content from x = 0.2 to x = 1, resulting in improved transparency for crystals with bromine content x > 0.6. Powder X-ray diffraction data coupled with differential scanning calorimetry and radioluminescence measurements were used to investigate structural modifications, melting point dependence and spectral emission dependence on the bromine/iodine ratio. Partial replacement of iodine by bromine improves optical quality and scintillation properties by stabilizing the structure, rendering it useful for isotope identification for national security applications. The composition CsCaBr0.8I2.2:Eu was determined to be the best combination of improved structure and performance, and larger 22 and 38 mm Ø crystals were grown for further evaluation. Large size slabs of these crystals showed good crystal quality and improved performance over CsCaI3Eu with 8.4% and 9.5% energy resolution at 662 keV, respectively.

  14. A kinetic and thermochemical database for organic sulfur and oxygen compounds.

    PubMed

    Class, Caleb A; Aguilera-Iparraguirre, Jorge; Green, William H

    2015-05-28

    Potential energy surfaces and reaction kinetics were calculated for 40 reactions involving sulfur and oxygen. This includes 11 H2O addition, 8 H2S addition, 11 hydrogen abstraction, 7 beta scission, and 3 elementary tautomerization reactions, which are potentially relevant in the combustion and desulfurization of sulfur compounds found in various fuel sources. Geometry optimizations and frequencies were calculated for reactants and transition states using B3LYP/CBSB7, and potential energies were calculated using CBS-QB3 and CCSD(T)-F12a/VTZ-F12. Rate coefficients were calculated using conventional transition state theory, with corrections for internal rotations and tunneling. Additionally, thermochemical parameters were calculated for each of the compounds involved in these reactions. With few exceptions, rate parameters calculated using the two potential energy methods agreed reasonably, with calculated activation energies differing by less than 5 kJ mol(-1). The computed rate coefficients and thermochemical parameters are expected to be useful for kinetic modeling.

  15. Inorganic Iodine and Bromine in the Tropical Upper Troposphere/Lower Stratosphere Derived From Balloon Borne Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dorf, M.; Butz, A.; Camy-Peyret, C.; Chipperfield, M.; Kreycy, S.; Kritten, L.; Prados-Roman, C.; Pfeilsticker, K.

    2008-12-01

    Due to the ozone destroying capabilities of bromine and iodine bearing compounds, the stratospheric budget of inorganic bromine and iodine is of major interest for modeling ozone depletion and assessing the future evolution of the ozone layer. In particular the contribution of very short lived substances (VSLS) to the bromine budget has recently been shown to enhance ozone depletion in mid-latitudes and polar regions. So far, iodine species have not been unambiguously detected in the stratosphere with upper limits for total inorganic iodine (Iy) of about 0.1 ppt. However, observations are sparse and mainly restricted to mid- and high-latitudes. Here, we assess the budget of iodine and bromine in the tropical Upper Troposphere/ Lower Stratosphere (UT/LS) where the halogen source gases enter the stratosphere and supply the stratosphere with halogen species. We report on two stratospheric balloon flights of the LPMA/DOAS (Limb Profile Monitor of the Atmosphere/Differential Optical Absorption Spectrometer) payload from a tropical station in northern Brazil (5°S, 43°W) in June 2005 and June 2008. There, the LPMA/DOAS payload conducted spectroscopic direct sun measurements in the UV/visible and infrared spectral range during balloon ascent and in solar occultation geometry. The LPMA/DOAS observations allow for the retrieval of IO and OIO from their absorption features in the visible spectral range. Neither species could be detected unambiguously with detection limits ranging between 0.01 and 0.2 ppt in the UT/LS. Constraining a stratospheric chemistry model by the inferred detection limits for IO and OIO, yields an upper limit for Iy of 0.1 to 0.3 ppt. Implications for stratospheric ozone are discussed on the basis of model studies. BrO is inferred from absorption bands in the UV spectral range yielding the first BrO vertical profile in the tropical UT/LS. For the balloon flight in June 2005, total inorganic bromine (Bry) is estimated to (21.5 ± 2.5) ppt in 4.5-year

  16. An antisymmetric cell structure for high-performance zinc bromine flow battery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Yongbeom; Jeon, Joonhyeon

    2017-12-01

    Zinc-bromine flow batteries (ZBBs) remain a problem of designing a cell with high coulombic efficiency and stability. This problem is caused intrinsically by different phase transition in each side of the half-cells during charge-discharge process. This paper describes a ZBB with an antisymmetric cell structure, which uses anode and cathode with different surface morphologies, for high-discharge capacity and reliability. The structure of the antisymmetric ZBB cell contains a carbon-surface electrode and a carbon-volume electrode in zinc and bromine half cells, respectively. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this proposed ZBB cell structure, Cyclic Voltammetry measurement is performed on a graphite foil and a carbon felt which are used as the surface and electrodes. Charge and discharge cyclic operations are also carried out with symmetric and antisymmetric ZBB cells combined with the two electrode types. Experimental results show that the arrangement of antisymmetric cell structure in ZBB provides a solution to the high performance and durability.

  17. Overview of current biological and thermo-chemical treatment technologies for sustainable sludge management.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Linghong; Xu, Chunbao Charles; Champagne, Pascale; Mabee, Warren

    2014-07-01

    Sludge is a semi-solid residue produced from wastewater treatment processes. It contains biodegradable and recalcitrant organic compounds, as well as pathogens, heavy metals, and other inorganic constituents. Sludge can also be considered a source of nutrients and energy, which could be recovered using economically viable approaches. In the present paper, several commonly used sludge treatment processes including land application, composting, landfilling, anaerobic digestion, and combustion are reviewed, along with their potentials for energy and product recovery. In addition, some innovative thermo-chemical techniques in pyrolysis, gasification, liquefaction, and wet oxidation are briefly introduced. Finally, a brief summary of selected published works on the life cycle assessment of a variety of sludge treatment and end-use scenarios is presented in order to better understand the overall energy balance and environmental burdens associated with each sludge treatment pathway. In all scenarios investigated, the reuse of bioenergy and by-products has been shown to be of crucial importance in enhancing the overall energy efficiency and reducing the carbon footprint. © The Author(s) 2014.

  18. Thermochemical Modeling of Nonequilibrium Oxygen Flows

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Neitzel, Kevin Joseph

    The development of hypersonic vehicles leans heavily on computational simulation due to the high enthalpy flow conditions that are expensive and technically challenging to replicate experimentally. The accuracy of the nonequilibrium modeling in the computer simulations dictates the design margin that is required for the thermal protection system and flight dynamics. Previous hypersonic vehicles, such as Apollo and the Space Shuttle, were primarily concerned with re-entry TPS design. The strong flow conditions of re-entry, involving Mach numbers of 25, quickly dissociate the oxygen molecules in air. Sustained flight, hypersonic vehicles will be designed to operate in Mach number ranges of 5 to 10. The oxygen molecules will not quickly dissociate and will play an important role in the flow field behavior. The development of nonequilibrium models of oxygen is crucial for limiting modeling uncertainty. Thermochemical nonequilibrium modeling is investigated for oxygen flows. Specifically, the vibrational relaxation and dissociation behavior that dominate the nonequilibrium physics in this flight regime are studied in detail. The widely used two-temperature (2T) approach is compared to the higher fidelity and more computationally expensive state-to-state (STS) approach. This dissertation utilizes a wide range of rate sources, including newly available STS rates, to conduct a comprehensive study of modeling approaches for hypersonic nonequilibrium thermochemical modeling. Additionally, the physical accuracy of the computational methods are assessed by comparing the numerical results with available experimental data. The numerical results and experimental measurements present strong nonequilibrium, and even non-Boltzmann behavior in the vibrational energy mode for the sustained hypersonic flight regime. The STS approach is able to better capture the behavior observed in the experimental data, especially for stronger nonequilibrium conditions. Additionally, a reduced order

  19. 40 CFR 721.10670 - Bromine, manufacture of, by-products from, distillation residues.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... from, distillation residues. 721.10670 Section 721.10670 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL..., distillation residues. (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substance identified generically as bromine, manufacture of, by-products from, distillation residues (PMN P...

  20. 40 CFR 721.10670 - Bromine, manufacture of, by-products from, distillation residues.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... from, distillation residues. 721.10670 Section 721.10670 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL..., distillation residues. (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substance identified generically as bromine, manufacture of, by-products from, distillation residues (PMN P...

  1. Bromine-doped DWNTs: A Molecular Faraday Cage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Gugang; Margine, Roxana; Gupta, Rajeev; Crespi, Vincent; Eklund, Peter; Sumanasekera, Gamini; Bandow, Shunji; Iijima, S.

    2003-03-01

    Raman scattering is used to probe the charge transfer distribution in Bromine-doped double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWNT). Using 1064 nm and 514.5 nm laser excitation we are able to study the charge-transfer sensitive phonons in the inner ( (5,5)) and outer ( (10,10)) tubes of the double-walled pair. The experimental results are compared to our tight binding band structure calculations that include a self-consistent electrostatic term sensitive to the average net charge density on each tube. Upon doping, the nanotube tangential and radial Raman bands from the outer (primary) tubes were observed to shift dramatically to higher frequencies, consistent with a C-C bond contraction driven by the acceptor-doping. The peak intensities of these bands significantly decreased with increasing doping exposure, and they eventually vanished, consistent with a deep depression in the Fermi energy that extinguishes the resonant Raman effect. Interestingly, at the same time, we observed little or no change for the tangential and radial Raman features identified with the inner (secondary) tubes during the bromine doping. Our electronic structure calculations show that the charge distribution between the outer and inner tubes depends on doping level and also, to some extent, on specific tube chirality combinations. In general, in agreement with experiment, the calculations find a very small net charge on the inner tube, consistent with a "Molecular Faraday Effect", e.g., a DWNT of (10, 10)/ (5, 5) configuration that exhibits 0.5 holes/Å total charge transfer, has only 0.04 holes/Å on the inner (secondary) tube.

  2. Third millenium ideal gas and condensed phase thermochemical database for combustion (with update from active thermochemical tables).

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Burcat, A.; Ruscic, B.; Chemistry

    2005-07-29

    The thermochemical database of species involved in combustion processes is and has been available for free use for over 25 years. It was first published in print in 1984, approximately 8 years after it was first assembled, and contained 215 species at the time. This is the 7th printed edition and most likely will be the last one in print in the present format, which involves substantial manual labor. The database currently contains more than 1300 species, specifically organic molecules and radicals, but also inorganic species connected to combustion and air pollution. Since 1991 this database is freely available onmore » the internet, at the Technion-IIT ftp server, and it is continuously expanded and corrected. The database is mirrored daily at an official mirror site, and at random at about a dozen unofficial mirror and 'finger' sites. The present edition contains numerous corrections and many recalculations of data of provisory type by the G3//B3LYP method, a high-accuracy composite ab initio calculation. About 300 species are newly calculated and are not yet published elsewhere. In anticipation of the full coupling, which is under development, the database started incorporating the available (as yet unpublished) values from Active Thermochemical Tables. The electronic version now also contains an XML file of the main database to allow transfer to other formats and ease finding specific information of interest. The database is used by scientists, educators, engineers and students at all levels, dealing primarily with combustion and air pollution, jet engines, rocket propulsion, fireworks, but also by researchers involved in upper atmosphere kinetics, astrophysics, abrasion metallurgy, etc. This introductory article contains explanations of the database and the means to use it, its sources, ways of calculation, and assessments of the accuracy of data.« less

  3. A hybrid water-splitting cycle using copper sulfate and mixed copper oxides

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schreiber, J. D.; Remick, R. J.; Foh, S. E.; Mazumder, M. M.

    1980-01-01

    The Institute of Gas Technology has derived and developed a hybrid thermochemical water-splitting cycle based on mixed copper oxides and copper sulfate. Similar to other metal oxide-metal sulfate cycles that use a metal oxide to 'concentrate' electrolytically produced sulfuric acid, this cycle offers the advantage of producing oxygen (to be vented) and sulfur dioxide (to be recycled) in separate steps, thereby eliminating the need of another step to separate these gases. The conceptual process flow-sheet efficiency of the cycle promises to exceed 50%. It has been completely demonstrated in the laboratory with recycled materials. Research in the electrochemical oxidation of sulfur dioxide to produce sulfuric acid and hydrogen performed at IGT indicates that the cell performance goals of 200 mA/sq cm at 0.5 V will be attainable using relatively inexpensive electrode materials.

  4. Contribution of synthetic and naturally occurring organobromine compounds to bromine mass in marine organisms.

    PubMed

    Wan, Yi; Jones, Paul D; Wiseman, Steve; Chang, Hong; Chorney, Dave; Kannan, Kurunthachalam; Zhang, Kun; Hu, Jian-Ying; Khim, Jong Seong; Tanabe, Shinsuke; Lam, Michael H W; Giesy, John P

    2010-08-15

    An extraction, separation, and purification method was developed for the identification and quantification of total bromine (TBr), extractable organobromine (EOBr), and five classes of identified EOBrs. Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) was utilized to quantify EOBr and TBr. The method was then applied to liver samples of tuna, albatross, and polar bear collected from remote marine locations. Polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), bromophenols (BRPs), hydroxylated (OH-) and methoxylated (MeO-) PBDEs were analyzed as identified EOBr. The majority of the bromine in these marine organisms was nonextractable or inorganic, with EOBr accounting for 10-28% of the TBr. Of the identified EOBr, in tuna and albatross, naturally occurring compounds, including MeO-PBDEs, OH-PBDEs, and BPRs, were prevalent. However, the identifiable EOBr in polar bears consisted primarily of synthetic compounds, including PBDEs and PBBs. Overall, 0.08-0.11% and 0.008-0.012% of EOBr and TBr, respectively, were identified. The proportion of EOBr that was identified in marine organisms was relatively small compared to the proportions for organofluorine and organochlorine compounds. This could be related to the great diversity of naturally occurring organobromine compounds in the environment. Naturally occurring brominated fatty acids were estimated to be the predominant compounds in the EOBr fraction.

  5. Quantitative structure-activity relationship modeling on in vitro endocrine effects and metabolic stability involving 26 selected brominated flame retardants.

    PubMed

    Harju, Mikael; Hamers, Timo; Kamstra, Jorke H; Sonneveld, Edwin; Boon, Jan P; Tysklind, Mats; Andersson, Patrik L

    2007-04-01

    In this work, quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) were developed to aid human and environmental risk assessment processes for brominated flame retardants (BFRs). Brominated flame retardants, such as the high-production-volume chemicals polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), tetrabromobisphenol A, and hexabromocyclododecane, have been identified as potential endocrine disruptors. Quantitative structure-activity relationship models were built based on the in vitro potencies of 26 selected BFRs. The in vitro assays included interactions with, for example, androgen, progesterone, estrogen, and dioxin (aryl hydrocarbon) receptor, plus competition with thyroxine for its plasma carrier protein (transthyretin), inhibition of estradiol sulfation via sulfotransferase, and finally, rate of metabolization. The QSAR modeling, a number of physicochemical parameters were calculated describing the electronic, lipophilic, and structural characteristics of the molecules. These include frontier molecular orbitals, molecular charges, polarities, log octanol/water partitioning coefficient, and two- and three-dimensional molecularproperties. Experimental properties were included and measured for PBDEs, such as their individual ultraviolet spectra (200-320 nm) and retention times on three different high-performance liquid chromatography columns and one nonpolar gas chromatography column. Quantitative structure-activity relationship models based on androgen antagonism and metabolic degradation rates generally gave similar results, suggesting that lower-brominated PBDEs with bromine substitutions in ortho positions and bromine-free meta- and para positions had the highest potencies and metabolic degradation rates. Predictions made for the constituents of the technical flame retardant Bromkal 70-5DE found BDE 17 to be a potent androgen antagonist and BDE 66, which is a relevant PBDE in environmental samples, to be only a weak antagonist.

  6. Cyclic thermochemical process for producing hydrogen using cerium-titanium compounds

    DOEpatents

    Bamberger, C.E.

    A thermochemical cyclic process for producing hydrogen employs the reaction between ceric oxide and titanium dioxide to form cerium titanate and oxygen. The titanate is treated with an alkali metal hydroxide to give hydrogen, ceric oxide, an alkali metal titanate and water. Alkali metal titanate and water are boiled to give titanium dioxide which, along with ceric oxide, is recycled.

  7. Cyclic thermochemical process for producing hydrogen using cerium-titanium compounds

    DOEpatents

    Bamberger, Carlos E.

    1980-01-01

    A thermochemical cyclic process for producing hydrogen employs the reaction between ceric oxide and titanium dioxide to form cerium titanate and oxygen. The titanate is treated with an alkali metal hydroxide to give hydrogen, ceric oxide, an alkali metal titanate and water. Alkali metal titanate and water are boiled to give titanium dioxide which, along with ceric oxide, is recycled.

  8. Materials-Related Aspects of Thermochemical Water and Carbon Dioxide Splitting: A Review

    PubMed Central

    Roeb, Martin; Neises, Martina; Monnerie, Nathalie; Call, Friedemann; Simon, Heike; Sattler, Christian; Schmücker, Martin; Pitz-Paal, Robert

    2012-01-01

    Thermochemical multistep water- and CO2-splitting processes are promising options to face future energy problems. Particularly, the possible incorporation of solar power makes these processes sustainable and environmentally attractive since only water, CO2 and solar power are used; the concentrated solar energy is converted into storable and transportable fuels. One of the major barriers to technological success is the identification of suitable active materials like catalysts and redox materials exhibiting satisfactory durability, reactivity and efficiencies. Moreover, materials play an important role in the construction of key components and for the implementation in commercial solar plants. The most promising thermochemical water- and CO2-splitting processes are being described and discussed with respect to further development and future potential. The main materials-related challenges of those processes are being analyzed. Technical approaches and development progress in terms of solving them are addressed and assessed in this review.

  9. Surface thermochemical effects on TPS-coupled aerothermodynamics in hypersonic Martian gas flow

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Xiaofeng; Gui, Yewei; Tang, Wei; Du, Yanxia; Liu, Lei; Xiao, Guangming; Wei, Dong

    2018-06-01

    This paper deals with the surface thermochemical effects on TPS-coupled aerothermodynamics in hypersonic Martian gas flow. An interface condition with finite-rate thermochemistry was established to balance the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes solver and TPS thermal response solver, and a series of coupled simulations of chemical non-equilibrium aerothermodynamics and structure heat transfer with various surface catalycities were performed for hypersonic Mars entries. The analysis of surface thermochemistry reveals that the surface chemical reactions have great contribution to aerodynamic heating, and the temperature-dependence of finite-rate catalysis highly influences the evolution of the coupling aerodynamic heating in the coupling process. For fixed free stream parameters with proper catalytic excitation energy, a "leap" phenomenon of the TPS-coupled heat flux with the coupling time appears in the initial stage of the coupling process, due to the strong thermochemical effects on the TPS surface.

  10. Assessment of PCDD/F and PBDD/F Emissions from Coal-fired Power Plants during Injection of Brominated Activated Carbon for Mercury Control

    EPA Science Inventory

    The effect of the injection of brominated powdered activated carbon (Br-PAC) on the emission of brominated and chlorinated dioxins and furans in coal combustion flue gas has been evaluated. The tests were performed at two U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) demonstration sites where ...

  11. Thermochemical Compatibility and Oxidation Resistance of Advanced LWR Fuel Cladding

    DOE PAGES

    Besmann, T. M.; Yamamoto, Y.; Unocic, K. A.

    2016-06-21

    We assessed the thermochemical compatibility of potential replacement cladding materials for zirconium alloys in light water reactors. Considered were FeCrAl steel (similar to Kanthal APMT), Nb-1%Zr (similar to PWC-11), and a hybrid SiC-composite with a metallic barrier layer. The niobium alloy was also seen as requiring an oxidation protective layer, and a diffusion silicide was investigated. Metallic barrier layers for the SiC-composite reviewed included a FeCrAl alloy, Nb-1%Zr, and chromium. Thermochemical calculations were performed to determine oxidation behavior of the materials in steam, and for hybrid SiC-composites possible interactions between the metallic layer and SiC. Additionally, experimental exposures of SiC-alloymore » reaction couples at 673K, 1073K, and 1273K for 168 h in an inert atmosphere were made and microanalysis performed. Whereas all materials were determined to oxidize under higher oxygen partial pressures in the steam environment, these varied by material with expected protective oxides forming. Finally, the computed and experimental results indicate the formation of liquid phase eutectic in the FeCrAl-SiC system at the higher temperatures.« less

  12. Entropy production in mesoscopic stochastic thermodynamics: nonequilibrium kinetic cycles driven by chemical potentials, temperatures, and mechanical forces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qian, Hong; Kjelstrup, Signe; Kolomeisky, Anatoly B.; Bedeaux, Dick

    2016-04-01

    Nonequilibrium thermodynamics (NET) investigates processes in systems out of global equilibrium. On a mesoscopic level, it provides a statistical dynamic description of various complex phenomena such as chemical reactions, ion transport, diffusion, thermochemical, thermomechanical and mechanochemical fluxes. In the present review, we introduce a mesoscopic stochastic formulation of NET by analyzing entropy production in several simple examples. The fundamental role of nonequilibrium steady-state cycle kinetics is emphasized. The statistical mechanics of Onsager’s reciprocal relations in this context is elucidated. Chemomechanical, thermomechanical, and enzyme-catalyzed thermochemical energy transduction processes are discussed. It is argued that mesoscopic stochastic NET in phase space provides a rigorous mathematical basis of fundamental concepts needed for understanding complex processes in chemistry, physics and biology. This theory is also relevant for nanoscale technological advances.

  13. Evaluation of a New Disinfection Approach: Efficacy of Chlorine and Bromine Halogenated Contact Disinfection for Reduction of Viruses and Microcystin Toxin

    PubMed Central

    Coulliette, Angela D.; Peterson, Lauren A.; Mosberg, Joshua A. W.; Rose, Joan B.

    2010-01-01

    Contaminated drinking water is responsible for causing diarrheal diseases that kill millions of people a year. Additionally, toxin-producing blue-green algae associated with diarrhea and neurologic effects continues to be an issue for many drinking water supplies. Disinfection has been used to reduce these risks. A novel gravity-fed household drinking water system with canisters containing N-halamine bromine or chlorine media was challenged with MS2 bacteriophage and microcystin. Chlorine and bromine systems were effective against this virus, with an mean ± SE reduction of 2.98 ± 0.26 log10 and 5.02 ± 0.19 log10, respectively. Microcystin toxin was reduced by 27.5% and 88.5% to overall mean ± SE concentrations of 1,600 ± 98 ng/L and 259 ± 50 ng/L for the chlorine and bromine canisters, respectively. Only the bromine units consistently produced microcystin effluent < 1,000 ng/L (the World Health Organization recommended level) when challenged with 2,500 ng/L and consistently surpassed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency virus reduction goal of 99.99%. PMID:20134006

  14. Neutralization and Acid Dissociation of Hydrogen Carbonate Ion: A Thermochemical Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koga, Nobuyoshi; Shigedomi, Kana; Kimura, Tomoyasu; Tatsuoka, Tomoyuki; Mishima, Saki

    2013-01-01

    A laboratory inquiry into the thermochemical relationships in the reaction between aqueous solutions of NaHCO[subscript 3] and NaOH is described. The enthalpy change for this reaction, delta[subscript r]H, and that for neutralization of strong acid and NaOH(aq), delta[subscript n]H, are determined calorimetrically; the explanation for the…

  15. Determination of fluorine, chlorine and bromine in household products by means of oxygen bomb combustion and ion chromatography.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Shuai; Zhao, Tianbo; Wang, Jia; Qu, Xiaoling; Chen, Wei; Han, Yin

    2013-01-01

    A method for routine determination of fluorine, chlorine and bromine in household products was developed and validated. In this work, halogen analyses were made based on oxygen bomb combustion followed by ion chromatography (IC). The chromatographic analysis was performed by an IonPac AS19 hydroxide-selective anion-exchange column, a reagent free ion chromatograph eluent generator and an anion self-regenerating suppressor in 10 min. The response was linear (r ≥ 0.9995) in the entire investigated domain. The limit of detection for the halogens was in the range of 2 to 9 × 10(-3) mg/L and the limit of quantification was lower than 8 mg/Kg with 20 µL of injection volume. The certified reference material of ERM-EC 681k was pretreated using an oxygen bomb combustion procedure to demonstrate the precision of the proposed method. The quantitative analysis results obtained by IC for the target elements were 797 ± 9 mg/Kg chlorine and 786 ± 25 mg/Kg bromine, which were in good agreement with the certified values of 800 ± 4 mg/Kg chlorine, 770 ± 5 mg/Kg bromine for ERM-EC 681k, respectively. This validated method was successfully applied for the analysis of fluorine, chlorine and bromine in household product samples, and the variation of halogen contained among the tested samples was remarkable.

  16. CHEETAH: A fast thermochemical code for detonation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fried, L.E.

    1993-11-01

    For more than 20 years, TIGER has been the benchmark thermochemical code in the energetic materials community. TIGER has been widely used because it gives good detonation parameters in a very short period of time. Despite its success, TIGER is beginning to show its age. The program`s chemical equilibrium solver frequently crashes, especially when dealing with many chemical species. It often fails to find the C-J point. Finally, there are many inconveniences for the user stemming from the programs roots in pre-modern FORTRAN. These inconveniences often lead to mistakes in preparing input files and thus erroneous results. We are producingmore » a modern version of TIGER, which combines the best features of the old program with new capabilities, better computational algorithms, and improved packaging. The new code, which will evolve out of TIGER in the next few years, will be called ``CHEETAH.`` Many of the capabilities that will be put into CHEETAH are inspired by the thermochemical code CHEQ. The new capabilities of CHEETAH are: calculate trace levels of chemical compounds for environmental analysis; kinetics capability: CHEETAH will predict chemical compositions as a function of time given individual chemical reaction rates. Initial application: carbon condensation; CHEETAH will incorporate partial reactions; CHEETAH will be based on computer-optimized JCZ3 and BKW parameters. These parameters will be fit to over 20 years of data collected at LLNL. We will run CHEETAH thousands of times to determine the best possible parameter sets; CHEETAH will fit C-J data to JWL`s,and also predict full-wall and half-wall cylinder velocities.« less

  17. Determination of bromine in selected polymer materials by a wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometric method - Critical thickness problem and solutions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gorewoda, Tadeusz; Mzyk, Zofia; Anyszkiewicz, Jacek; Charasińska, Jadwiga

    2015-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop an accurate method for the determination of bromine in polymer materials using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry when the thickness of the sample is less than the bromine critical thickness (tc) value. This is particularly important for analyzing compliance with the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive. Mathematically and experimentally estimated tc values in polyethylene and cellulose matrixes were up to several millimeters. Four methods were developed to obtain an accurate result. These methods include the addition of an element with a high mass absorption coefficient, the measurement of the total bromine contained in a defined volume of the sample, the exploitation of tube-Rayleigh line intensities and using the Br-Lβ line.

  18. Brominated VSLSs in and over the East Pacific During the Halocarbon Air-Sea Transect - Pacific Cruise (HalocAST-P)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Y.; Yvon-Lewis, S. A.; Hu, L.; Smith, R. W.; Shen, L.; Bianchi, T. S.; Campbell, L.

    2010-12-01

    Brominated very short lived substances (VSLSs), such as bromoform (CHBr3), dibromomethane (CH2Br2), dibromochloromethane (CHClBr2), and dichlorobromomethane (CHBrCl2) can potentially supply a significant amount of inorganic bromine (Bry) to the troposphere and lower stratosphere. Bromine radicals are 50 - 100 times more efficient in depleting ozone (O3) than chlorine radicals; therefore, these compounds are important to the ozone chemistry in the atmosphere. CHBr3, CH2Br2, CHClBr2 and CHBrCl2 are thought to be produced mainly by phytoplankton in the open ocean. During the Halocarbon Air-Sea Transect - Pacific (HalocAST - P) cruise we examined the distributions of halocarbons in the East Pacific Ocean and in the overlying atmosphere. The cruise started from Punta Arenas, Chile on March 29, and finished at Seattle, WA, United States on April 29 2010. Continuous underway measurements of the atmospheric and surface seawater concentrations along with depth profiles of CHBr3, CH2Br2, CHClBr2, CHBrCl2, and a suite of other halogenated compounds were measured over a large cross latitudinal transect. The brominated VSLS measured during this cruise generally exhibit a correlation with chlorophyll a, supporting biogenic production as the predominate source for these compounds in the open ocean. Here, we will be discussing air and seawater concentrations, saturation anomalies, fluxes, and depth profiles for CHBr3, CH2Br2, CHClBr2, and CHBrCl2. Cyanobacteria counts, pigment compositions, nutrient and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in the water column were also measured and serve as useful tools for understanding the biological production of these brominated VSLSs.

  19. Uncertainty quantification of crustal scale thermo-chemical properties in Southeast Australia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mather, B.; Moresi, L. N.; Rayner, P. J.

    2017-12-01

    The thermo-chemical properties of the crust are essential to understanding the mechanical and thermal state of the lithosphere. The uncertainties associated with these parameters are connected to the available geophysical observations and a priori information to constrain the objective function. Often, it is computationally efficient to reduce the parameter space by mapping large portions of the crust into lithologies that have assumed homogeneity. However, the boundaries of these lithologies are, in themselves, uncertain and should also be included in the inverse problem. We assimilate geological uncertainties from an a priori geological model of Southeast Australia with geophysical uncertainties from S-wave tomography and 174 heat flow observations within an adjoint inversion framework. This reduces the computational cost of inverting high dimensional probability spaces, compared to probabilistic inversion techniques that operate in the `forward' mode, but at the sacrifice of uncertainty and covariance information. We overcome this restriction using a sensitivity analysis, that perturbs our observations and a priori information within their probability distributions, to estimate the posterior uncertainty of thermo-chemical parameters in the crust.

  20. In search of stratospheric bromine oxide

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lestrade, John Patrick

    1986-01-01

    The Imaging Spectrometric Observatory (ISO) is capable of recording spectra in the wavelength range of 200 to 12000 Angstroms. Data from a recent Spacelab 1 ATLAS mission has imaged the terrestrial airglow at tangent ray heights of 90 and 150 km. These data contain information about trace atmospheric constituents such as bromine oxide (BrO), hydroxyl (OH), and chlorine dioxide (OClO). The abundances of these species are critical to stratospheric models of catalytic ozone destruction. Heretofore, very few observations were made especially for BrO. Software was developed to purge unwanted solar features from the airglow spectra. The next step is a measure of the strength of the emission features for BrO. The final analysis will yield the scale height of this important compound.

  1. Brominated Flame Retardants in Sediments of Four Coastal Lagoons of Yucatan, Mexico.

    PubMed

    Valenzuela-Sánchez, I S; Gold-Bouchot, G; Hernández-Núñez, E; Barrientos-Medina, R C; Garza-Gisholt, E; Zapata-Pérez, O

    2018-05-02

    We examined the sediments of four coastal lagoons (Ria Lagartos, Bocas de Dzilam, Laguna de Chelem and Ria Celestun) from the state of Yucatan, Mexico, for three widely used commercial polybrominated diphenyl ethers formulations (penta-, octa- and deca-BDE). The most commonly found congeners in all four lagoons were BDEs 47, 99 and 100 (all in the penta-BDE formulation) and BDE209 (deca-BDE formulation). The greatest variety and highest concentrations of brominated flame retardants were found in Ria Lagartos, which also showed the highest BDE 100 concentration (24.129 ng/g). Hexabromocyclododecane was found in all lagoons, but at lower concentrations than those of the various polybrominated diphenyl ethers. Dispersal routes of these compounds are discussed, such as a ring of sinkholes (cenotes) adjacent to the lagoons. Moreover, electronic waste is a serious problem because municipal landfills have been the primary disposal method for these wastes and therefore represent a reservoir of brominated fire retardants.

  2. Determination of soluble bromine in an extra-high-pressure mercury discharge lamp by sodium hydroxide decomposition-suppressed ion chromatography.

    PubMed

    Mitsumata, Hiroshi; Mori, Toshio; Maeda, Tatsuo; Kita, Yoshiyuki; Kohatsu, Osamu

    2006-02-01

    We have established a simple method for assaying the quantity of soluble bromine in the discharge tubes of an extra-high-pressure mercury discharge lamp. Each discharge tube is destroyed in 5 ml of 10 mM sodium hydroxide, and the recovered sodium hydroxide solution is analyzed by suppressed-ion chromatography using gradient elution. We have clarified that this method can assay less than 1 microg of soluble bromine in a discharge tube.

  3. Dermal uptake of three brominated phenols: tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), tetrabromobisphenol A bis(2,3-dibromopropyl ether) (TBBPA-BDBPE), and 2,4,6-tribromophenol (TBP).

    EPA Science Inventory

    Three brominated phenols, TBBPA, TBBPA-BDBPE, and TBP, were assayed to determine dermal absorption and penetrance. All three chemicals are high production volume brominated flame retardants (BFR) used in consumer products, resulting in ubiquitous human exposure. TBBPA, a reactive...

  4. Detailed modeling of the atmospheric degradation mechanism of very-short lived brominated species

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krysztofiak, G.; Catoire, V.; Poulet, G.; Marécal, V.; Pirre, M.; Louis, F.; Canneaux, S.; Josse, B.

    2012-11-01

    Detailed chemical reaction schemes for the atmospheric degradations of the very short-lived species (VSLS) bromoform (CHBr3) and dibromomethane (CH2Br2) have been established. These degradation schemes have been implemented in the meteorological/tracer transport model CATT-BRAMS used in the present case as pseudo one-dimensional model with chemistry of CH4, CO, HOx, NOx, NOy and Ox. They include the main possible reactions of the intermediate brominated peroxy radicals RO2 (with R = CH2Br, CHBr2 and CBr3) for which the most likely reaction pathways with HO2 have been found using ab initio computational calculations. The full degradation schemes have been run for two well-defined realistic scenarios, “clean” atmosphere and “moderately” NOy-polluted atmosphere, as representative of a tropical coastal region where these VSLS natural emissions are expected to be important. The Henry's law constants of the brominated organics products have been estimated by using the Bond Contribution Method (BCM; Meylan and Howard, 1991) or the Molecular Connectivity Index (MCI; Nirmalakhandan and Speece, 1988). Using these constants, the least soluble species formed from the VSLS degradation are found to be CBr2O, CHBrO, CBr3O2NO2, CHBr2O2NO2, BrO, BrONO2 and HOBr, which leads those to be potentially transported into the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) in case of deep convection and contribute to stratospheric bromine additionally to the original substances. For bromoform and dibromomethane degradation, the moderate NOy pollution increases the production of the least soluble species and thus approximately doubles the bromine quantity potentially able to reach the TTL (from 22.5% to 43% for CHBr3 and from 8.8% to 20.2% for CH2Br2). The influence of the reactions of the RO2 radicals with HO2, CH3O2 and NO2 on the nature and abundance of the stable intermediate and end-products has been tested for CHBr3 degradation. As a result, the reactions of the RO2 radicals with NO2 have no

  5. Dehalogenation of arenes via SN2 reactions at bromine: competition with nucleophilic aromatic substitution.

    PubMed

    Gronert, Scott; Garver, John M; Nichols, Charles M; Worker, Benjamin B; Bierbaum, Veronica M

    2014-11-21

    The gas-phase reactions of carbon- and nitrogen-centered nucleophiles with polyfluorobromobenzenes were examined in a selected-ion flow tube (SIFT) and modeled computationally at the MP2/6-31+G(d,p)//MP2/6-31+G(d) level. In the gas-phase experiments, rate constants and branching ratios were determined. The carbon nucleophiles produce expected nucleophilic aromatic substitution (SNAr) and proton transfer products along with unexpected products that result from SN2 reactions at the bromine center (polyfluorophenide leaving group). With nitrogen nucleophiles, the SN2 at bromine channel is suppressed. In the SNAr channels, the "element effect" is observed, and fluoride loss competes with bromide loss. The computational modeling indicates that all the substitution barriers are well below the entrance channel and that entropy and dynamics effects control the product distributions.

  6. Nonequilibrium thermo-chemical calculations using a diagonal implicit scheme

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Imlay, Scott T.; Roberts, Donald W.; Soetrisno, Moeljo; Eberhardt, Scott

    1991-01-01

    A recently developed computer program for hypersonic vehicle flow analysis is described. The program uses a diagonal implicit algorithm to solve the equations of viscous flow for a gas in thermochemical nonequilibrium. The diagonal scheme eliminates the expense of inverting large block matrices that arise when species conservation equations are introduced. The program uses multiple zones of grids patched together and includes radiation wall and rarefied gas boundary conditions. Solutions are presented for hypersonic flows of air and hydrogen air mixtures.

  7. Superior bactericidal activity of N-bromine compounds compared to their N-chlorine analogues can be reversed under protein load.

    PubMed

    Gottardi, W; Klotz, S; Nagl, M

    2014-06-01

    To investigate and compare the bactericidal activity (BA) of active bromine and chlorine compounds in the absence and presence of protein load. Quantitative killing tests against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were performed both in the absence and in the presence of peptone with pairs of isosteric active chlorine and bromine compounds: hypochlorous and hypobromous acid (HOCl and HOBr), dichloro- and dibromoisocyanuric acid, chlorantine and bromantine (1,3-dibromo- and 1,3 dichloro-5,5-dimethylhydantoine), chloramine T and bromamine T (N-chloro- and N-bromo-4-methylbenzenesulphonamide sodium), and N-chloro- and N-bromotaurine sodium. To classify the bactericidal activities on a quantitative basis, an empirical coefficient named specific bactericidal activity (SBA), founded on the parameters of killing curves, was defined: SBA= mean log reductions/(mean exposure times x concentration) [mmol 1(-1) min (-1)]. In the absence of peptone, tests with washed micro-organisms revealed a throughout higher BA of bromine compounds with only slight differences between single substances. This was in contrast to chlorine compounds, whose killing times differed by a factor of more than four decimal powers. As a consequence, also the isosteric pairs showed according differences. In the presence of peptone, however, bromine compounds showed an increased loss of BA, which partly caused a reversal of efficacy within isosteric pairs. In medical practice, weakly oxidizing active chlorine compounds like chloramines have the highest potential as topical anti-infectives in the presence of proteinaceous material (mucous membranes, open wounds). Active bromine compounds, on the other hand, have their chance at insensitive body regions with low organic matter, for example skin surfaces. The expected protein load is one of the most important parameters for selection of a suited active halogen compound. © 2014 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  8. Ceria-based electrospun fibers for renewable fuel production via two-step thermal redox cycles for carbon dioxide splitting.

    PubMed

    Gibbons, William T; Venstrom, Luke J; De Smith, Robert M; Davidson, Jane H; Jackson, Gregory S

    2014-07-21

    Zirconium-doped ceria (Ce(1-x)Zr(x)O2) was synthesized through a controlled electrospinning process as a promising approach to cost-effective, sinter-resistant material structures for high-temperature, solar-driven thermochemical redox cycles. To approximate a two-step redox cycle for solar fuel production, fibrous Ce(1-x)Zr(x)O2 with relatively low levels of Zr-doping (0 < x < 0.1) were cycled in an infrared-imaging furnace with high-temperature (up to 1500 °C) partial reduction and lower-temperature (∼800 °C) reoxidation via CO2 splitting to produce CO. Increases in Zr content improve reducibility and sintering resistance, and, for x≤ 0.05, do not significantly slow reoxidation kinetics for CO production. Cycle stability of the fibrous Ce(1-x)Zr(x)O2 (with x = 0.025) was assessed for a range of conditions by measuring rates of O2 release during reduction and CO production during reoxidation and by assessing post-cycling fiber crystallite sizes and surface areas. Sintering increases with reduction temperature but occurs primarily along the fiber axes. Even after 108 redox cycles with reduction at 1400 °C and oxidation with CO2 at 800 °C, the fibers maintain their structure with surface areas of ∼0.3 m(2) g(-1), higher than those observed in the literature for other ceria-based structures operating at similarly high temperature conditions. Total CO production and peak production rate stabilize above 3.0 mL g(-1) and 13.0 mL min(-1) g(-1), respectively. The results show the potential for electrospun oxides as sinter-resistant material structures with adequate surface area to support rapid CO2 splitting in solar thermochemical redox cycles.

  9. Sensitive Spectrophotometric Determination of Atenolol in Pharmaceutical Formulations Using Bromate-Bromide Mixture as an Eco-Friendly Brominating Agent

    PubMed Central

    Prashanth, Kudige N.; Basavaiah, Kanakapura

    2012-01-01

    Three simple and sensitive spectrophotometric methods are proposed for the determination of atenolol (ATN) in bulk drug and tablets. The methods are based on the bromination of ATN by the bromine generated in situ by the action of the acid on the bromate–bromide mixture followed by the determination of unreacted bromine by reacting with a fixed amount of either meta-cresol purple (MCP) and measuring the absorbance at 540 nm (method A) and 445 nm (method B) or erioglaucine (EGC) and measuring the absorbance at 630 nm (method C). Beer's law is valid within the concentration ranges of 1.0–20.0, 2.0–40.0 and 1.0–8.0 μg/mL for method A, method B and method C, respectively. The calculated molar absorptivities were found to be 1.20×104, 4.51×103 and 3.46 × 104  L/mol · cm for method A, method B and method C, respectively. Sandell's sensitivity values, correlation coefficients, limits of detection and quantification are also reported. Recovery results were statistically compared with those of a reference method by applying Student's t- and F-test. The novelty of the present study is the measurement of two different colors using MCP, that is, red-pink color of MCP in acid medium at 540 nm and yellowish-orange color of brominated MCP at 445 nm. PMID:22567567

  10. Method for thermochemical decomposition of water

    DOEpatents

    Abraham, Bernard M.; Schreiner, Felix

    1977-01-11

    Water is thermochemically decomposed to produce hydrogen by the following sequence of reactions: KI, NH.sub.3, CO.sub. 2 and water in an organic solvent such as ethyl or propyl alcohol are reacted to produce KHCO 3 and NH.sub.4 I. The KHCO.sub.3 is thermally decomposed to K.sub.2 CO.sub.3, H.sub.2 O and CO.sub.2, while the NH.sub.4 I is reacted with Hg to produce HgI.sub.2, NH.sub.3 and H.sub.2. The K.sub.2 CO.sub.3 obtained by calcining KHCO.sub.3 is then reacted with HgI.sub.2 to produce Hg, KI, CO and O.sub.2. All products of the reaction are recycled except hydrogen and oxygen.

  11. EFFECT OF BROMIDE ION IN WATER TREATMENT. 2. A LITERATURE REVIEW OF OZONE AND BROMIDE ION INTERACTIONS AND THE FORMATION OF ORGANIC BROMINE COMPOUNDS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Where bromide ion is found in water used as a source of drinking water, and chlorination is used for disinfection, bromide ion is oxidized to bromine and can result in the formation of organic bromine compounds. There are presently no treatment techniques available for economic r...

  12. The thermochemical structure and evolution of Earth's mantle: constraints and numerical models.

    PubMed

    Tackley, Paul J; Xie, Shunxing

    2002-11-15

    Geochemical observations place several constraints on geophysical processes in the mantle, including a requirement to maintain several distinct reservoirs. Geophysical constraints limit plausible physical locations of these reservoirs to a thin basal layer, isolated deep 'piles' of material under large-scale mantle upwellings, high-viscosity blobs/plums or thin strips throughout the mantle, or some combination of these. A numerical model capable of simulating the thermochemical evolution of the mantle is introduced. Preliminary simulations are more differentiated than Earth but display some of the proposed thermochemical processes, including the generation of a high-mu mantle reservoir by recycling of crust, and the generation of a high-(3)He/(4)He reservoir by recycling of residuum, although the resulting high-(3)He/(4)He material tends to aggregate near the top, where mid-ocean-ridge melting should sample it. If primitive material exists as a dense basal layer, it must be much denser than subducted crust in order to retain its primitive (e.g. high-(3)He) signature. Much progress is expected in the near future.

  13. Thermochemical pretreatments for enhancing succinic acid production from industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.).

    PubMed

    Gunnarsson, Ingólfur B; Kuglarz, Mariusz; Karakashev, Dimitar; Angelidaki, Irini

    2015-04-01

    The aim of this study was to develop an efficient thermochemical method for treatment of industrial hemp biomass, in order to increase its bioconversion to succinic acid. Industrial hemp was subjected to various thermochemical pretreatments using 0-3% H2SO4, NaOH or H2O2 at 121-180°C prior to enzymatic hydrolysis. The influence of the different pretreatments on hydrolysis and succinic acid production by Actinobacillus succinogenes 130Z was investigated in batch mode, using anaerobic bottles and bioreactors. Enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation of hemp material pretreated with 3% H2O2 resulted in the highest overall sugar yield (73.5%), maximum succinic acid titer (21.9 g L(-1)), as well as the highest succinic acid yield (83%). Results obtained clearly demonstrated the impact of different pretreatments on the bioconversion efficiency of industrial hemp into succinic acid. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  14. Occurrence of brominated flame retardants in black thermo cups and selected kitchen utensils purchased on the European market.

    PubMed

    Samsonek, J; Puype, F

    2013-01-01

    In order to screen for the presence of a recycled polymer waste stream from waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE), a market survey was conducted on black plastic food-contact articles (FCA). An analytical method was applied combining X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) with thermal desorption gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (thermal desorption GC-MS). Firstly, XRF spectrometry was applied to distinguish bromine-positive samples. Secondly, bromine-positive samples were submitted for identification by thermal desorption GC-MS. Generally, the bromine-positive samples contained mainly technical decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE). Newer types of BFRs such as tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), tetrabromobisphenol A bis(2,3-dibromopropyl), ether (TBBPA-BDBPE) and decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE), replacing the polybrominated diphenyleters (PBDEs) and polybrominated diphenyls (PBBs), were also identified. In none of the tested samples were PBBs or hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) found. Polymer identification was carried out using Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy measurement (FTIR) on all samples. The results indicate that polypropylene-polyethylene copolymers (PP-PE) and mainly styrene-based food-contact materials, such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) have the highest risk of containing BFRs.

  15. Inorganic bromine in organic molecular crystals: Database survey and four case studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nemec, Vinko; Lisac, Katarina; Stilinović, Vladimir; Cinčić, Dominik

    2017-01-01

    We present a Cambridge Structural Database and experimental study of multicomponent molecular crystals containing bromine. The CSD study covers supramolecular behaviour of bromide and tribromide anions as well as halogen bonded dibromine molecules in crystal structures of organic salts and cocrystals, and a study of the geometries and complexities in polybromide anion systems. In addition, we present four case studies of organic structures with bromide, tribromide and polybromide anions as well as the neutral dibromine molecule. These include the first observed crystal with diprotonated phenazine, a double salt of phenazinium bromide and tribromide, a cocrystal of 4-methoxypyridine with the neutral dibromine molecule as a halogen bond donor, as well as bis(4-methoxypyridine)bromonium polybromide. Structural features of the four case studies are in the most part consistent with the statistically prevalent behaviour indicated by the CSD study for given bromine species, although they do exhibit some unorthodox structural features and in that indicate possible supramolecular causes for aberrations from the statistically most abundant (and presumably most favourable) geometries.

  16. Simulation of dual carbon-bromine stable isotope fractionation during 1,2-dibromoethane degradation.

    PubMed

    Jin, Biao; Nijenhuis, Ivonne; Rolle, Massimo

    2018-06-01

    We performed a model-based investigation to simultaneously predict the evolution of concentration, as well as stable carbon and bromine isotope fractionation during 1,2-dibromoethane (EDB, ethylene dibromide) transformation in a closed system. The modelling approach considers bond-cleavage mechanisms during different reactions and allows evaluating dual carbon-bromine isotopic signals for chemical and biotic reactions, including aerobic and anaerobic biological transformation, dibromoelimination by Zn(0) and alkaline hydrolysis. The proposed model allowed us to accurately simulate the evolution of concentrations and isotope data observed in a previous laboratory study and to successfully identify different reaction pathways. Furthermore, we illustrated the model capabilities in degradation scenarios involving complex reaction systems. Specifically, we examined (i) the case of sequential multistep transformation of EDB and the isotopic evolution of the parent compound, the intermediate and the reaction product and (ii) the case of parallel competing abiotic pathways of EDB transformation in alkaline solution.

  17. In vivo comparison of simultaneous versus sequential injection technique for thermochemical ablation in a porcine model.

    PubMed

    Cressman, Erik N K; Shenoi, Mithun M; Edelman, Theresa L; Geeslin, Matthew G; Hennings, Leah J; Zhang, Yan; Iaizzo, Paul A; Bischof, John C

    2012-01-01

    To investigate simultaneous and sequential injection thermochemical ablation in a porcine model, and compare them to sham and acid-only ablation. This IACUC-approved study involved 11 pigs in an acute setting. Ultrasound was used to guide placement of a thermocouple probe and coaxial device designed for thermochemical ablation. Solutions of 10 M acetic acid and NaOH were used in the study. Four injections per pig were performed in identical order at a total rate of 4 mL/min: saline sham, simultaneous, sequential, and acid only. Volume and sphericity of zones of coagulation were measured. Fixed specimens were examined by H&E stain. Average coagulation volumes were 11.2 mL (simultaneous), 19.0 mL (sequential) and 4.4 mL (acid). The highest temperature, 81.3°C, was obtained with simultaneous injection. Average temperatures were 61.1°C (simultaneous), 47.7°C (sequential) and 39.5°C (acid only). Sphericity coefficients (0.83-0.89) had no statistically significant difference among conditions. Thermochemical ablation produced substantial volumes of coagulated tissues relative to the amounts of reagents injected, considerably greater than acid alone in either technique employed. The largest volumes were obtained with sequential injection, yet this came at a price in one case of cardiac arrest. Simultaneous injection yielded the highest recorded temperatures and may be tolerated as well as or better than acid injection alone. Although this pilot study did not show a clear advantage for either sequential or simultaneous methods, the results indicate that thermochemical ablation is attractive for further investigation with regard to both safety and efficacy.

  18. Leaching of brominated flame retardants from TV housing plastics in the presence of dissolved humic matter.

    PubMed

    Choi, Ki-In; Lee, Suk-Hui; Osako, Masahiro

    2009-01-01

    In this study, we investigated the contents of several brominated compounds in TV molding plastics, as well as their leaching characteristics in the presence of DHM. The PBDE content was about 3% of the sample weight, and deca-BDE was the most abundant homologue, accounting for over 80% of the total amount. TBBPA, PBPs and PBBs content was 8100, 4700 and 250 ng/g, respectively. Despite no detection of most of the lower brominated DEs in distilled water, most homologues could be detected in DHM solution, and their solubility increased according to the contact time; those of highly brominated compounds increased to 10 times their maximum solubility in distilled water. Especially, contrary to the relatively faster equilibrium in distilled water, BFR solubility in DHM solution was maintained even after 20 days. In addition, a modified first-order model adequately reflected rapid desorption for each compound in the initial period, but slow desorption afterwards. From an overall perspective, it is clear that hydrophobic BFRs can leach out to a great extent in the presence of DHM, which is a matter of great concern in E&E waste as the potential contaminant source of BFRs, especially in landfills and open dump sites that provide the perfect conditions for exposure of BFRs to abundant DHM.

  19. Degradation of Polymeric Brominated Flame Retardants: Development of an Analytical Approach Using PolyFR and UV Irradiation.

    PubMed

    Koch, Christoph; Dundua, Alexander; Aragon-Gomez, Jackelyn; Nachev, Milen; Stephan, Susanne; Willach, Sarah; Ulbricht, Mathias; Schmitz, Oliver J; Schmidt, Torsten C; Sures, Bernd

    2016-12-06

    Many well-established methods for studying the degradation of brominated flame retardants are not useful when working with polymeric and water insoluble species. An example for this specific class of flame retardants is PolyFR (polymeric flame retardant; CAS No 1195978-93-8), which is used as a substituent for hexabromocyclododecane. Although it has been on the market for two years now, almost no information is available about its long time behavior in the environment. Within this study, we focus on how to determine a possible degradation of both pure PolyFR as well as PolyFR in the final insulation product, expanded polystyrene foam. Therefore, we chose UV radiation followed by analyses of the total bromine content at different time points via ICP-MS and identified possible degradation products such as 2,4,6-tribromophenol through LC-MS. These results were then linked with measurements of the adsorbable organically bound bromine and total organic carbon in order to estimate their concentrations. With respect to the obtained 1 H NMR, GPC, and contact angle results, the possibility for further degradation was discussed, as UV irradiation can influence the decomposition of molecules in combination with other environmental factors like biodegradation.

  20. Iodine and Bromine Distributions in Pore Waters: A Comparison Between Permafrost and Marine Gas Hydrate Fields

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tomaru, H.; Fehn, U.; Lu, Z.

    2005-12-01

    Iodine and, to a lesser degree, bromine are commonly enriched in waters associated with hydrocarbons. The concentrations of these halogens and their ratios can thus be used to identify potential source formations for hydrocarbons such as gas hydrates. While the largest reservoir of gas hydrates is found in marine sediments, permafrost locations are also an important source of gas hydrates. We measured iodine and bromine concentrations in pore waters associated with gas hydrates in the Mallik exploration well, a permafrost location in the Mackenzie delta, Northwest Territory, Canada and compared them to results from gas hydrates in marine sediments. Gas hydrates are found in the Mallik site in two horizons below the permafrost layer which reaches a depth of about 600 m in this location. We measured concentrations in samples collected from depths between 850 and 1150 m. Large sections of the test well have iodine concentrations around 1 μM, but the concentrations increase to values between 10 and 20 μM at the gas hydrate horizons. Bromine concentrations show a similar pattern, with maxima reaching values between 700 and 800 μM. Although iodine concentrations are considerably higher than in seawater (0.4 μM), they are much lower than in marine gas hydrate locations such as Nankai (200 μM); Blake Ridge (2 mM) or Hydrate Ridge (2.5 mM). Bromine concentrations at Mallik do not reach the seawater value (840 μM) in contrast to marine hydrate locations where Br is enriched by factors of four or more compared to seawater. Chlorine concentrations at Mallik are close to that of seawater, in this case similar to the marine hydrate locations. The comparison between marine hydrate locations and Mallik suggests that the organic sources responsible for the methane at Mallik are considerably different from those in marine situations. Since iodine concentrations are generally higher in marine organisms than in terrestrial organisms, the relatively low concentrations of iodine

  1. Thermochemical cyclic system for decomposing H/sub 2/O and/or CO/sub 2/ by means of cerium-titanium-sodium-oxygen compounds

    DOEpatents

    Bamberger, C.E.

    1980-04-24

    A thermochemical closed cyclic process for the decomposition of water and/or carbon dioxide to hydrogen and/or carbon monoxide begins with the reaction of ceric oxide (CeO/sub 2/), titanium dioxide (TiO/sub 2/) and sodium titanate (Na/sub 2/TiO/sub 3/) to form sodium cerous titanate (NaCeTi/sub 2/O/sub 6/) and oxygen. Sodium cerous titanate (NaCeTi/sub 2/O/sub 6/) reacted with sodium carbonate (Na/sub 2/CO/sub 3/) in the presence of steam, produces hydrogen. The same reaction, in the absence of steam, produces carbon monoxide. The products, ceric oxide and sodium titanate, obtained in either case, are treated with carbon dioxide and water to produce ceric oxide, titanium dioxide, sodium titanate, and sodium bicarbonate. After dissolving sodium bicarbonate from the mixture in water, the remaining insoluble compounds are used as starting materials for a subsequent cycle. The sodium bicarbonate can be converted to sodium carbonate by heating and returned to the cycle.

  2. Thermochemical cyclic system for decomposing H.sub.2 O and/or CO.sub.2 by means of cerium-titanium-sodium-oxygen compounds

    DOEpatents

    Bamberger, Carlos E.

    1982-01-01

    A thermochemical closed cyclic process for the decomposition of water and/or carbon dioxide to hydrogen and/or carbon monoxide begins with the reaction of ceric oxide (CeO.sub.2), titanium dioxide (TiO.sub.2) and sodium titanate (Na.sub.2 TiO.sub.3) to form sodium cerous titanate (NaCeTi.sub.2 O.sub.6) and oxygen. Sodium cerous titanate (NaCeTi.sub.2 O.sub.6) reacted with sodium carbonate (Na.sub.2 CO.sub.3) in the presence of steam, produces hydrogen. The same reaction, in the absence of steam, produces carbon monoxide. The products, ceric oxide and sodium titanate, obtained in either case, are treated with carbon dioxide and water to produce ceric oxide, titanium dioxide, sodium titanate, and sodium bicarbonate. After dissolving sodium bicarbonate from the mixture in water, the remaining insoluble compounds are used as starting materials for a subsequent cycle. The sodium bicarbonate can be converted to sodium carbonate by heating and returned to the cycle.

  3. METABOLISM OF BROMINATED FLAME RETARDANTS IN HUMAN ASTROCYTES AND EFFECTS ON THYROID HORMONE HOMEOSTASIS

    EPA Science Inventory

    In this proposed study, hydroxylated PBDEs and brominated phenols likely will be formed in astrocytes as a result of cytochrome p450-mediated metabolism. Previous studies have shown that polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) affect the regulation of thyroid hormones at the bloo...

  4. Thermochemical study of the system Fe-As-S

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Barton, P.B.

    1969-01-01

    The results of Toulmin and Barton (1964) for the Fe-S system have been combined with a series of new measurements on As-bearing assemblages in the 500??-850??C temperature range to derive data on the free energies, enthalpies, and entropies of formation for arsenopyrite, loellingite, orpiment, realgar, FeAs, and Fe2As. The enthalpies and free energies of formation of orpiment and realgar are only approximately one-half as large as indicated in recent compilations of thermochemical data (Wagman et al., 1965). Data are also presented for the covariation of activity of S2(g) with temperature and composition of the sulfur-arsenic liquid. ?? 1969.

  5. Thermochemical generation of hydrogen and oxygen from water

    DOEpatents

    Robinson, Paul R.; Bamberger, Carlos E.

    1981-01-01

    A thermochemical cyclic process for the production of hydrogen exploits the reaction between sodium manganate (NaMnO.sub.2) and titanium dioxide (TiO.sub.2) to form sodium titanate (Na.sub.2 TiO.sub.3), manganese (II) titanate (MnTiO.sub.3) and oxygen. The titanate mixture is treated with sodium hydroxide, in the presence of steam, to form sodium titanate, sodium manganate (III), water and hydrogen. The sodium titanate-manganate (III) mixture is treated with water to form sodium manganate (III), titanium dioxide and sodium hydroxide. Sodium manganate (III) and titanium dioxide are recycled following dissolution of sodium hydroxide in water.

  6. Thermochemical generation of hydrogen and oxygen from water

    DOEpatents

    Robinson, Paul R.; Bamberger, Carlos E.

    1982-01-01

    A thermochemical cyclic process for the production of hydrogen exploits the reaction between sodium manganate (NaMnO.sub.2) and titanium dioxide (TiO.sub.2) to form sodium titanate (Na.sub.2 TiO.sub.3), manganese (II) titanate (MnTiO.sub.3) and oxygen. The titanate mixture is treated with sodium hydroxide, in the presence of steam, to form sodium titanate, sodium manganate (III), water and hydrogen. The sodium titanate-manganate (III) mixture is treated with water to form sodium manganate (III), titanium dioxide and sodium hydroxide. Sodium manganate (III) and titanium dioxide are recycled following dissolution of sodium hydroxide in water.

  7. Fabrication of aerogel capsule, bromine-doped capsule, and modified gold cone in modified target for the Fast Ignition Realization Experiment (FIREX) Project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nagai, Keiji; Yang, H.; Norimatsu, T.; Azechi, H.; Belkada, F.; Fujimoto, Y.; Fujimura, T.; Fujioka, K.; Fujioka, S.; Homma, H.; Ito, F.; Iwamoto, A.; Jitsuno, T.; Kaneyasu, Y.; Nakai, M.; Nemoto, N.; Saika, H.; Shimoyama, T.; Suzuki, Y.; Yamanaka, K.; Mima, K.

    2009-09-01

    The development of target fabrication for the Fast Ignition Realization EXperiment (FIREX) Project is described in this paper. For the first stage of the FIREX Project (FIREX-I), the previously designed target has been modified by using a bromine-doped ablator and coating the inner gold cone with a low-density material. A high-quality bromine-doped capsule without vacuoles was fabricated from bromine-doped deuterated polystyrene. The gold surface was coated with a low-density material by electrochemical plating. For the cryogenic fuel target, a brand new type of aerogel material, phloroglucinol/formaldehyde (PF), was investigated and encapsulated to meet the specifications of 500 µm diameter and 20 µm thickness, with 30 nm nanopores. Polystyrene-based low-density materials were investigated and the relationship between the crosslinker content and the nanopore structure was observed.

  8. Catalytic and electrocatalytic hydrogenolysis of brominated diphenyl ethers.

    PubMed

    Bonin, Pascale M L; Edwards, Patrick; Bejan, Dorin; Lo, Chun Chi; Bunce, Nigel J; Konstantinov, Alexandre D

    2005-02-01

    Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants due to their use as additive flame-retardants. Conventional catalytic hydrogenolysis in methanol solution and electrocatalytic hydrogenolysis in aqueous methanol were examined as methods for debrominating mono- and di-bromodiphenyl ethers, as well as a commercial penta-PBDE mixture, in each case using palladium on alumina as the catalyst. Electrocatalytic hydrogenolysis employed a divided flow-through batch cell, with reticulated vitreous carbon cathodes and IrO2/Ti dimensionally stable anodes. Both methods gave efficient sequential debromination, with essentially complete removal of bromine from the PBDEs, but the electrocatalytic method was limited by the poor solubility of PBDEs in aqueous methanol.

  9. Optimum performance of explosives in a quasistatic detonation cycle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baker, Ernest L.; Stiel, Leonard I.

    2017-01-01

    Analyses were conducted on the behavior of explosives in a quasistatic detonation cycle. This type of cycle has been proposed for the determination of the maximum work that can be performed by the explosive. The Jaguar thermochemical equilibrium program enabled the direct analyses of explosive performance at the various steps in the detonation cycle. In all cases the explosive is initially detonated to a point on the Hugoniot curve for the reaction products. The maximum useful work that can be obtained from the explosive is equal to the P-V work on the isentrope for expansion after detonation to atmospheric pressure, minus one-half the square of the particle velocity at the detonation point. This quantity is calculated form the internal energy of the explosive at the initial and final atmospheric temperatures. Cycle efficiencies (net work/ heat added) are also calculated with these procedures. For several explosives including TNT, RDX, and aluminized compositions, maximum work effects were established through the Jaguar calculations for Hugoniot points corresponding to C-J, overdriven, underdriven and constant volume detonations. Detonation to the C-J point is found to result in the maximum net work in all cases.

  10. Catalytic degradation of brominated flame retardants by copper oxide nanoparticles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dror, I.; Yecheskel, Y.; Berkowitz, B.

    2013-12-01

    Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) have been added to various products like plastic, textile, electronics and synthetic polymers at growing rates. In spite of the clear advantages of reducing fire damages, many of these BFRs may be released to the environment after their beneficial use which may lead to contamination of water resources. In this work we present the catalytic degradation of two brominated flame retardants (BFRs), tribromoneopentyl alcohol (TBNPA) and 2,4 dibromophenol (2,4-DBP) by copper oxide nanoparticles (nCuO) in aqueous solution. The degradation kinetics, the debromination, and the formation of intermediates by nCuO catalysis are compared to Fenton oxidation and to reduction by nano zero-valent iron (nZVI). The two studied BFRs are shown to degrade fully by the nCuO system within hours to days. Shorter reaction times showed differences in reaction pathways and kinetics for the two compounds. The 2,4-DBP showed faster degradation than TBNPA, by nCuO catalysis. Relatively high resistance to degradation was recorded for 2,4-DBP with nZVI, yielding 20% degradation after 24 h, while the TBNPA was degraded by 85% within 12 hours. A catalytic mechanism for radical generation and BFR degradation by nCuO is proposed. It is further suggested that H2O2 plays an essential role in the activation of the catalyst.

  11. In situ flow cell for combined X-ray absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and mass spectrometry at high photon energies under solar thermochemical looping conditions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rothensteiner, Matthäus; Jenni, Joel; Emerich, Hermann; Bonk, Alexander; Vogt, Ulrich F.; van Bokhoven, Jeroen A.

    2017-08-01

    An in situ/operando flow cell for transmission mode X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and combined XAS/XRD measurements in a single experiment under the extreme conditions of two-step solar thermochemical looping for the dissociation of water and/or carbon dioxide was developed. The apparatus exposes materials to relevant conditions of both the auto-reduction and the oxidation sub-steps of the thermochemical cycle at ambient temperature up to 1773 K and enables determination of the composition of the effluent gases by online quadrupole mass spectrometry. The cell is based on a tube-in-tube design and is heated by means of a focusing infrared furnace. It was tested successfully for carbon dioxide splitting. In combined XAS/XRD experiments with an unfocused beam, XAS measurements were performed at the Ce K edge (40.4 keV) and XRD measurements at 64.8 keV and 55.9 keV. Furthermore, XRD measurements with a focused beam at 41.5 keV were carried out. Equimolar ceria-hafnia was auto-reduced in a flow of argon and chemically reduced in a flow of hydrogen/helium. Under reducing conditions, all cerium(iv) was converted to cerium(iii) and a cation-ordered pyrochlore-type structure was formed, which was not stable upon oxidation in a flow of carbon dioxide.

  12. In situ flow cell for combined X-ray absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and mass spectrometry at high photon energies under solar thermochemical looping conditions.

    PubMed

    Rothensteiner, Matthäus; Jenni, Joel; Emerich, Hermann; Bonk, Alexander; Vogt, Ulrich F; van Bokhoven, Jeroen A

    2017-08-01

    An in situ/operando flow cell for transmission mode X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and combined XAS/XRD measurements in a single experiment under the extreme conditions of two-step solar thermochemical looping for the dissociation of water and/or carbon dioxide was developed. The apparatus exposes materials to relevant conditions of both the auto-reduction and the oxidation sub-steps of the thermochemical cycle at ambient temperature up to 1773 K and enables determination of the composition of the effluent gases by online quadrupole mass spectrometry. The cell is based on a tube-in-tube design and is heated by means of a focusing infrared furnace. It was tested successfully for carbon dioxide splitting. In combined XAS/XRD experiments with an unfocused beam, XAS measurements were performed at the Ce K edge (40.4 keV) and XRD measurements at 64.8 keV and 55.9 keV. Furthermore, XRD measurements with a focused beam at 41.5 keV were carried out. Equimolar ceria-hafnia was auto-reduced in a flow of argon and chemically reduced in a flow of hydrogen/helium. Under reducing conditions, all cerium(iv) was converted to cerium(iii) and a cation-ordered pyrochlore-type structure was formed, which was not stable upon oxidation in a flow of carbon dioxide.

  13. Ab Initio Computations and Active Thermochemical Tables Hand in Hand: Heats of Formation of Core Combustion Species.

    PubMed

    Klippenstein, Stephen J; Harding, Lawrence B; Ruscic, Branko

    2017-09-07

    The fidelity of combustion simulations is strongly dependent on the accuracy of the underlying thermochemical properties for the core combustion species that arise as intermediates and products in the chemical conversion of most fuels. High level theoretical evaluations are coupled with a wide-ranging implementation of the Active Thermochemical Tables (ATcT) approach to obtain well-validated high fidelity predictions for the 0 K heat of formation for a large set of core combustion species. In particular, high level ab initio electronic structure based predictions are obtained for a set of 348 C, N, O, and H containing species, which corresponds to essentially all core combustion species with 34 or fewer electrons. The theoretical analyses incorporate various high level corrections to base CCSD(T)/cc-pVnZ analyses (n = T or Q) using H 2 , CH 4 , H 2 O, and NH 3 as references. Corrections for the complete-basis-set limit, higher-order excitations, anharmonic zero-point energy, core-valence, relativistic, and diagonal Born-Oppenheimer effects are ordered in decreasing importance. Independent ATcT values are presented for a subset of 150 species. The accuracy of the theoretical predictions is explored through (i) examination of the magnitude of the various corrections, (ii) comparisons with other high level calculations, and (iii) through comparison with the ATcT values. The estimated 2σ uncertainties of the three methods devised here, ANL0, ANL0-F12, and ANL1, are in the range of ±1.0-1.5 kJ/mol for single-reference and moderately multireference species, for which the calculated higher order excitations are 5 kJ/mol or less. In addition to providing valuable references for combustion simulations, the subsequent inclusion of the current theoretical results into the ATcT thermochemical network is expected to significantly improve the thermochemical knowledge base for less-well studied species.

  14. Measurement and human exposure assessment of brominated flame retardants in household products from South China.

    PubMed

    Chen, She-Jun; Ma, Yun-Juan; Wang, Jing; Tian, Mi; Luo, Xiao-Jun; Chen, Da; Mai, Bi-Xian

    2010-04-15

    Brominated flame retardants (BFRs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) were examined in household products in the Pearl River Delta, South China, including electronic appliances, furniture and upholstery, car interiors, and raw materials for electronics. The concentrations of PBDEs derived from penta-BDE mixture were much lower (<111 ng/g) than those for octa- and deca-BDE commercially derived PBDEs, with maximum values of 15,107 and 1,603,343 ng/g, respectively, in all the household products. Our findings suggest the recycling of old electronic products and their reuse might be also a potential important source of discontinued PBDEs to the environment. DBDPE was found in 20.0% of all the samples, ranging from 311 to 268,230 ng/g. PBDE congener profiles in both the household products and raw materials suggest that some less brominated BDEs in the environment may be derived from the decomposition of higher brominated PBDEs in PBDE-containing products in process of the manufacturing, use and/or recycling. Human exposure to PBDEs from household products via inhalation ranged from 175 to 612 pg/kg bw day, accounting for a small proportion of the total daily exposure via indoor inhalation. Despite the low deleterious risk associated with household products with regard to PBDEs, they are of special concern because of the relatively higher exposures observed for young children and further work is required. 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Thermochemical hydrolysis of macroalgae Ulva for biorefinery: Taguchi robust design method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiang, Rui; Linzon, Yoav; Vitkin, Edward; Yakhini, Zohar; Chudnovsky, Alexandra; Golberg, Alexander

    2016-06-01

    Understanding the impact of all process parameters on the efficiency of biomass hydrolysis and on the final yield of products is critical to biorefinery design. Using Taguchi orthogonal arrays experimental design and Partial Least Square Regression, we investigated the impact of change and the comparative significance of thermochemical process temperature, treatment time, %Acid and %Solid load on carbohydrates release from green macroalgae from Ulva genus, a promising biorefinery feedstock. The average density of hydrolysate was determined using a new microelectromechanical optical resonator mass sensor. In addition, using Flux Balance Analysis techniques, we compared the potential fermentation yields of these hydrolysate products using metabolic models of Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae wild type, Saccharomyces cerevisiae RN1016 with xylose isomerase and Clostridium acetobutylicum. We found that %Acid plays the most significant role and treatment time the least significant role in affecting the monosaccharaides released from Ulva biomass. We also found that within the tested range of parameters, hydrolysis with 121 °C, 30 min 2% Acid, 15% Solids could lead to the highest yields of conversion: 54.134-57.500 gr ethanol kg-1 Ulva dry weight by S. cerevisiae RN1016 with xylose isomerase. Our results support optimized marine algae utilization process design and will enable smart energy harvesting by thermochemical hydrolysis.

  16. The individual and cumulative effect of brominated flame retardant and polyvinylchloride (PVC) on thermal degradation of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) copolymer.

    PubMed

    Brebu, Mihai; Bhaskar, Thallada; Murai, Kazuya; Muto, Akinori; Sakata, Yusaku; Uddin, Md Azhar

    2004-08-01

    Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) copolymers without and with a polybrominated epoxy type flame retardant were thermally degraded at 450 degrees C alone (10 g) and mixed with polyvinylchloride (PVC) (8 g/2 g). Gaseous and liquid products of degradation were analysed by various gas chromatographic methods (GC with TCD, FID, AED, MSD) in order to determine the individual and cumulative effect of bromine and chlorine on the quality and quantity of degradation compounds. It was found that nitrogen, chlorine, bromine and oxygen are present as organic compounds in liquid products, their quantity depends on the pyrolysed polymer or polymer mixture. Bromophenol and dibromophenols were the main brominated compounds that come from the flame retardant. 1-Chloroethylbenzene was the main chlorine compound observed in liquid products. It was also determined that interactions appear at high temperatures during decomposition between the flame retardant, PVC and the ABS copolymer.

  17. Evaluation of the performance of MP4-based procedures for a wide range of thermochemical and kinetic properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Li-Juan; Wan, Wenchao; Karton, Amir

    2016-11-01

    We evaluate the performance of standard and modified MPn procedures for a wide set of thermochemical and kinetic properties, including atomization energies, structural isomerization energies, conformational energies, and reaction barrier heights. The reference data are obtained at the CCSD(T)/CBS level by means of the Wn thermochemical protocols. We find that none of the MPn-based procedures show acceptable performance for the challenging W4-11 and BH76 databases. For the other thermochemical/kinetic databases, the MP2.5 and MP3.5 procedures provide the most attractive accuracy-to-computational cost ratios. The MP2.5 procedure results in a weighted-total-root-mean-square deviation (WTRMSD) of 3.4 kJ/mol, whilst the computationally more expensive MP3.5 procedure results in a WTRMSD of 1.9 kJ/mol (the same WTRMSD obtained for the CCSD(T) method in conjunction with a triple-zeta basis set). We also assess the performance of the computationally economical CCSD(T)/CBS(MP2) method, which provides the best overall performance for all the considered databases, including W4-11 and BH76.

  18. Optimized structure and thermochemical properties of flavonoids determined by the CHIH(medium) DFT model chemistry versus experimental techniques

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mendoza-Wilson, Ana María.; Lardizabal-Gutiérrez, Daniel; Torres-Moye, Enrique; Fuentes-Cobas, Luis; Balandrán-Quintana, René R.; Camacho-Dávila, Alejandro; Quintero-Ramos, Armando; Glossman-Mitnik, Daniel

    2007-12-01

    The purpose of this work was to evaluate the accuracy of the CHIH(medium)-DFT model chemistry (PBEg/CBSB2 ∗∗//PBEg/CBSB4) in the determination of the optimized structure and thermochemical properties of heterocyclic systems of medium size such as flavonoids, wherefore were selected three of the most abundant flavonoids in vegetable tissues, and which posses the higher antioxidant activity: quercetin, (+)-catechin and cyanidin. As reference systems were employed three cyclic compounds: phenol, catechol and resorcinol. The thermochemical properties evaluated were enthalpy of formation, bond dissociation enthalpy (BDE) and ionization potential (IP), following the scheme of isodesmic reactions. The theoretical results were compared with experimental data generated by X-ray diffraction and calorimetric techniques realized in part by us, whereas other data were taken from the literature. The results obtained in this work reveal that the CHIH(medium)-DFT model chemistry represents an accurate computational tool to calculate structural and thermochemical properties in the studied flavonoid and reference compounds. The average absolute deviation of enthalpy of formation for reference compounds was 3.0 kcal/mol, 2.64 kcal/mol for BDE, and 2.97 kcal/mol for IP.

  19. Impact of biogenic very short-lived bromine on the Antarctic ozone hole during the 21st century

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fernandez, Rafael Pedro; Kinnison, Douglas E.; Lamarque, Jean-Francois; Tilmes, Simone; Saiz-Lopez, Alfonso

    2017-04-01

    Active bromine released from the photochemical decomposition of biogenic very short-lived bromocarbons (VSLBr) enhances stratospheric ozone depletion. Based on a dual set of 1960-2100 coupled chemistry-climate simulations (i.e. with and without VSLBr), we show that the maximum Antarctic ozone hole depletion increases by up to 14% when natural VSLBr are considered, in better agreement with ozone observations. The impact of the additional 5 pptv VSLBr on Antarctic ozone is most evident in the periphery of the ozone hole, producing an expansion of the ozone hole area of 5 million km2, which is equivalent in magnitude to the recently estimated Antarctic ozone healing due to the implementation of the Montreal Protocol. We find that the inclusion of VSLBr in CAM-Chem does not introduce a significant delay of the modelled ozone return date to 1980 October levels, but instead affect the depth and duration of the simulated ozone hole. Our analysis further shows that total bromine-catalysed ozone destruction in the lower stratosphere surpasses that of chlorine by year 2070, and indicates that natural VSLBr chemistry would dominate Antarctic ozone seasonality before the end of the 21st century. This work suggests a large influence of biogenic bromine on the future Antarctic ozone layer.

  20. Process development for elemental recovery from PGM tailings by thermochemical treatment: Preliminary major element extraction studies using ammonium sulphate as extracting agent.

    PubMed

    Mohamed, Sameera; van der Merwe, Elizabet M; Altermann, Wladyslaw; Doucet, Frédéric J

    2016-04-01

    Mine tailings can represent untapped secondary resources of non-ferrous, ferrous, precious, rare and trace metals. Continuous research is conducted to identify opportunities for the utilisation of these materials. This preliminary study investigated the possibility of extracting major elements from South African tailings associated with the mining of Platinum Group Metals (PGM) at the Two Rivers mine operations. These PGM tailings typically contain four major elements (11% Al2O3; 12% MgO; 22% Fe2O3; 34% Cr2O3), with lesser amounts of SiO2 (18%) and CaO (2%). Extraction was achieved via thermochemical treatment followed by aqueous dissolution, as an alternative to conventional hydrometallurgical processes. The thermochemical treatment step used ammonium sulphate, a widely available, low-cost, recyclable chemical agent. Quantification of the efficiency of the thermochemical process required the development and optimisation of the dissolution technique. Dissolution in water promoted the formation of secondary iron precipitates, which could be prevented by leaching thermochemically-treated tailings in 0.6M HNO3 solution. The best extraction efficiencies were achieved for aluminium (ca. 60%) and calcium (ca. 80%). 35% iron and 32% silicon were also extracted, alongside chromium (27%) and magnesium (25%). Thermochemical treatment using ammonium sulphate may therefore represent a promising technology for extracting valuable elements from PGM tailings, which could be subsequently converted to value-added products. However, it is not element-selective, and major elements were found to compete with the reagent to form water-soluble sulphate-metal species. Further development of this integrated process, which aims at achieving the full potential of utilisation of PGM tailings, is currently underway. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Dioxin-like activity of brominated dioxins as individual compounds or mixtures in in vitro reporter gene assays with rat and mouse hepatoma cell lines.

    PubMed

    Suzuki, G; Nakamura, M; Michinaka, C; Tue, N M; Handa, H; Takigami, H

    2017-10-01

    In vitro reporter gene assays detecting dioxin-like compounds have been developed and validated since the middle 1990's, and applied to the determination of dioxin-like activities in various samples for their risk management. Data on characterizing the potency of individual brominated dioxins and their activity in mixture with chlorinated dioxins are still limited on the cell-based assay. This study characterized the dioxin-like activities of the 32 brominated dioxins, such as polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins, polybrominated dibenzofurans (PBDFs), coplanar polybrominated biphenyls, mixed halogenated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PXDFs), as a sole component or in a mixture by DR-CALUX (dioxin-responsive chemically activated luciferase expression) using the rat hepatoma H4IIE cell line and XDS-CALUX (xenobiotic detection systems-chemically activated luciferase expression) assays using the mouse hepatoma H1L6.1 cell line. The 2,3,7,8-TCDD-relative potencies (REPs) of most of the brominated dioxins were within a factor of 10 of the WHO toxicity equivalency factor (WHO-TEF) for the chlorinated analogues. The REPs of a few PXDFs were an order of magnitude higher than the corresponding WHO-TEFs, indicating their toxicological importance. Results with reconstituted mixtures suggest that the activity of brominated and chlorinated dioxins in both CALUX assays was dose-additive. Thus, obtained results indicated the applicability of the CALUX assays as screening tools of brominated dioxins together with their chlorinated analogues. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Distribution of copper, silver and gold during thermal treatment with brominated flame retardants.

    PubMed

    Oleszek, Sylwia; Grabda, Mariusz; Shibata, Etsuro; Nakamura, Takashi

    2013-09-01

    The growing consumption of electric and electronic equipment results in creating an increasing amount of electronic waste. The most economically and environmentally advantageous methods for the treatment and recycling of waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) are the thermal techniques such as direct combustion, co-combustion with plastic wastes, pyrolysis and gasification. Nowadays, this kind of waste is mainly thermally treated in incinerators (e.g. rotary kilns) to decompose the plastics present, and to concentrate metals in bottom ash. The concentrated metals (e.g. copper, precious metals) can be supplied as a secondary raw material to metal smelters, while the pyrolysis of plastics allows the recovery of fuel gases, volatilising agents and, eventually, energy. Indeed, WEEE, such as a printed circuit boards (PCBs) usually contains brominated flame retardants (BFRs). From these materials, hydrobromic acid (HBr) is formed as a product of their thermal decomposition. In the present work, the bromination was studied of copper, silver and gold by HBr, originating from BFRs, such as Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and Tetrabromobisphenol A-Tetrabromobisophenol A diglycidyl ether (TTDE) polymer; possible volatilization of the bromides formed was monitored using a thermo-gravimetric analyzer (TGA) and a laboratory-scale furnace for treating samples of metals and BFRs under an inert atmosphere and at a wide range of temperatures. The results obtained indicate that up to about 50% of copper and silver can evolve from sample residues in the form of volatile CuBr and AgBr above 600 and 1000°C, respectively. The reactions occur in the molten resin phase simultaneously with the decomposition of the brominated resin. Gold is resistant to HBr and remains unchanged in the residue. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Deriving freshwater safety thresholds for hexabromocyclododecane and comparison of toxicity of brominated flame retardants.

    PubMed

    Dong, Liang; Zheng, Lei; Yang, Suwen; Yan, Zhenguang; Jin, Weidong; Yan, Yuhong

    2017-05-01

    Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is a brominated flame retardant used throughout the world. It has been detected in various environmental media and has been shown toxic to aquatic life. The toxic effects of HBCD to aquatic organisms in Chinese freshwater ecosystems are discussed here. Experiments were conducted with nine types of acute toxicity testing and three types of chronic toxicity testing. After comparing a range of species sensitivity distribution models, the optimal model of Bull III was used to derive the safety thresholds for HBCD. The acute safety threshold and the chronic safety threshold of HBCD for Chinese freshwater organisms were found to be 2.32mg/L and 0.128mg/L, respectively. Both values were verified by the methods of the Netherlands and the United States. HBCD was found to be less toxic compared to other widely used brominated flame retardants. The present results provide valuable information for revision of the water quality standard of HBCD in China. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Observations and Thermochemical Calculations for Hot-Jupiter Atmospheres

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blecic, Jasmina; Harrington, Joseph; Bowman, M. Oliver; Cubillos, Patricio; Stemm, Madison

    2015-01-01

    I present Spitzer eclipse observations for WASP-14b and WASP-43b, an open source tool for thermochemical equilibrium calculations, and components of an open source tool for atmospheric parameter retrieval from spectroscopic data. WASP-14b is a planet that receives high irradiation from its host star, yet, although theory does not predict it, the planet hosts a thermal inversion. The WASP-43b eclipses have signal-to-noise ratios of ~25, one of the largest among exoplanets. To assess these planets' atmospheric composition and thermal structure, we developed an open-source Bayesian Atmospheric Radiative Transfer (BART) code. My dissertation tasks included developing a Thermochemical Equilibrium Abundances (TEA) code, implementing the eclipse geometry calculation in BART's radiative transfer module, and generating parameterized pressure and temperature profiles so the radiative-transfer module can be driven by the statistical module.To initialize the radiative-transfer calculation in BART, TEA calculates the equilibrium abundances of gaseous molecular species at a given temperature and pressure. It uses the Gibbs-free-energy minimization method with an iterative Lagrangian optimization scheme. Given elemental abundances, TEA calculates molecular abundances for a particular temperature and pressure or a list of temperature-pressure pairs. The code is tested against the original method developed by White at al. (1958), the analytic method developed by Burrows and Sharp (1999), and the Newton-Raphson method implemented in the open-source Chemical Equilibrium with Applications (CEA) code. TEA, written in Python, is modular, documented, and available to the community via the open-source development site GitHub.com.Support for this work was provided by NASA Headquarters under the NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship Program, grant NNX12AL83H, by NASA through an award issued by JPL/Caltech, and through the Science Mission Directorate's Planetary Atmospheres Program, grant

  5. Theoretical performance of hydrogen-bromine rechargeable SPE fuel cell

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Savinell, Robert F.; Fritts, S. D.

    1987-01-01

    A mathematical model was formulated to describe the performance of a hydrogen-bromine fuel cell. Porous electrode theory was applied to the carbon felt flow-by electrode and was coupled to theory describing the solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) system. Parametric studies using the numerical solution to this model were performed to determine the effect of kinetic, mass transfer, and design parameters on the performance of the fuel cell. The results indicate that the cell performance is most sensitive to the transport properties of the SPE membrane. The model was also shown to be a useful tool for scale-up studies.

  6. Influence of the Stefan Flow on Heat Transfer in the System "Gas-Solid Particle" in Thermochemical Conversion of a Solid Fuel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pechenegov, Yu. Ya.; Mrakin, A. N.

    2017-09-01

    Recommendations are presented on calculating interphase heat transfer in gas-disperse systems of plants for thermochemical conversion of ground solid fuel. An analysis is made of the influence of the gas release of fuel particles on the heat transfer during their heating. It is shown that in the processes of thermal treatment of oil shales, the presence of gas release reduces substantially the intensity of interphase heat transfer compared to the heat transfer in the absence of thermochemical decomposition of the solid phase.

  7. Estimating Equivalency of Explosives Through A Thermochemical Approach

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Maienschein, J L

    2002-07-08

    The Cheetah thermochemical computer code provides an accurate method for estimating the TNT equivalency of any explosive, evaluated either with respect to peak pressure or the quasi-static pressure at long time in a confined volume. Cheetah calculates the detonation energy and heat of combustion for virtually any explosive (pure or formulation). Comparing the detonation energy for an explosive with that of TNT allows estimation of the TNT equivalency with respect to peak pressure, while comparison of the heat of combustion allows estimation of TNT equivalency with respect to quasi-static pressure. We discuss the methodology, present results for many explosives, andmore » show comparisons with equivalency data from other sources.« less

  8. Using the parallelogram approach to estimate human percutaneous bioavailability for novel & legacy brominated flame retardants

    EPA Science Inventory

    (This is an extended abstract. The following text was taken from the Discussion and Conclusion section.) Humans are frequently exposed to brominated flame retardants (BFRs), especially via dermal contact with contaminated dust. Human and rat skin data were integrated using a pa...

  9. Solar thermochemical reactor, methods of manufacture and use thereof and thermogravimeter

    DOEpatents

    Klausner, James F.; Petrasch, Joerg

    2017-06-06

    A solar thermochemical reactor contains an outer member, an inner member disposed within an outer member, wherein the outer member surrounds the inner member and wherein the outer member has an aperture for receiving solar radiation. An inner cavity and an outer cavity are formed by the inner member and outer member and a reactive material that is capable of being magnetically stabilized is disposed in the outer cavity between the inner member and the outer member.

  10. The mercury species and their association with carbonaceous compositions, bromine and iodine in PM2.5 in Shanghai.

    PubMed

    Duan, Lian; Xiu, Guangli; Feng, Ling; Cheng, Na; Wang, Chenggang

    2016-03-01

    PM2.5 samples were collected in south Shanghai from November 2013 to October 2014. The species of particulate bounded mercury (PBM), including hydrochloric soluble particle-phase mercury (HPM), element soluble particle-phase mercury (EPM) and residual soluble particle-phase mercury (RPM), were determined in PM2.5. The chemical composition of PM2.5 including organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC), total bromine and iodine were also analyzed. The results showed that the annual average concentration of PBM was 0.30 ± 0.31 ng m(-3) and 0.34 ± 0.32 ng m(-3) in winter, 0.31 ± 0.19 ng m(-3) in spring, 0.30 ± 0.45 ng m(-3) in fall and 0.28 ± 0.17 ng m(-3) in summer. HPM took the highest fraction 51.2% in PBM, followed by RPM 27.7% and EPM 21.1%. EC positively correlated to particle mercury, especially in winter (r = 0.70), the same for OC in winter (r = 0.72), which indicated that the carbonaceous composition may affect the transformation of Hg in the atmosphere. Mercury species showed different correlations with bromine and iodine in the four seasons. The strongest correlation between bromine, iodine and mercury was found in spring and fall, respectively. Bromine showed the stronger correlation with total mercury and speciated particle mercury than iodine. In addition, the days were classified into haze and non-haze days based on the visibility and relative humidity, while the ratio of HPM in haze days was much higher than that in non-haze days. EC strongly correlated with PBM during haze and non-haze days while OC only positively correlated with PBM in non-haze days, this may indicate that the different carbonaceous part may affect PBM differently. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Magnetic trapping of cold bromine atoms.

    PubMed

    Rennick, C J; Lam, J; Doherty, W G; Softley, T P

    2014-01-17

    Magnetic trapping of bromine atoms at temperatures in the millikelvin regime is demonstrated for the first time. The atoms are produced by photodissociation of Br2 molecules in a molecular beam. The lab-frame velocity of Br atoms is controlled by the wavelength and polarization of the photodissociation laser. Careful selection of the wavelength results in one of the pair of atoms having sufficient velocity to exactly cancel that of the parent molecule, and it remains stationary in the lab frame. A trap is formed at the null point between two opposing neodymium permanent magnets. Dissociation of molecules at the field minimum results in the slowest fraction of photofragments remaining trapped. After the ballistic escape of the fastest atoms, the trapped slow atoms are lost only by elastic collisions with the chamber background gas. The measured loss rate is consistent with estimates of the total cross section for only those collisions transferring sufficient kinetic energy to overcome the trapping potential.

  12. Brominated flame retardants in food and environmental samples from a production area in China: concentrations and human exposure assessment.

    PubMed

    Li, Peng; Wu, Hui; Li, Qiuxu; Jin, Jun; Wang, Ying

    2015-11-01

    Human exposure to brominated flame retardants (BFRs: decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE209), decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), hexabromobenzene (HBB), pentabromoethylbenzene (PBEB), pentabromotoluene (PBT), 1,2,3,4,5-pentabromobenzene (PBBz), and 2,3,5,6-tetrabromo-p-xylene (TBX)) in a brominated flame retardant production area (Weifang, Shandong Province, China) was estimated. Thirty food samples, 14 air samples, and 13 indoor dust samples were analyzed. BDE209 and DBDPE were the dominant BFRs in all samples. Higher alternative brominated flame retardant (including DBDPE, HBB, PBEB, PBT, PBBz, and TBX) concentrations were found in vegetables than in fish and meat; thus, plant-original foods might be important alternative BFR sources in the study area. The BDE209 and alternative BFR concentrations in air were 1.5×10(4) to 2.2×10(5) and 620 to 3.6×10(4) pg/m3, respectively. Mean total BFR exposures through the diet, inhalation, and indoor dust ingestion were 570, 3000, and 69 ng/d, respectively (16, 82, and 2% of total intake, respectively). Inhalation was the dominant BFR source except for DBDPE, for which diet dominated. BDE209 contributed 85% of the total BFR intake in the study area.

  13. Brominated flame retardants in the surrounding soil of two manufacturing plants in China: Occurrence, composition profiles and spatial distribution.

    PubMed

    Li, Wen-Long; Liu, Li-Yan; Zhang, Zi-Feng; Song, Wei-Wei; Huo, Chun-Yan; Qiao, Li-Na; Ma, Wan-Li; Li, Yi-Fan

    2016-06-01

    Surface soil samples were collected surrounding two brominated flame retardants (BFRs) manufacturing plants in China in August 2014 and analyzed for 23 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and 8 novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs). BDE209 and decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE) were the predominant compounds in soil with the median levels of 1600 and 560 ng/g dw, respectively. The PBDEs profiles in soil samples were consistent with that of commercial product (comDecaBDE). The percentage contributions to total PBDEs decreased from higher to lower brominated homologues. Lower concentrations of NBFRs (excluding DBDPE) were detected in soil surrounding the two plants, suggesting they are byproducts or degradation products of the manufacturing activities. The concentrations of most BFRs dropped exponentially within 3-5 km of the manufacturing plants, suggesting recent deposition of these compounds to the soil. Directional distribution indicated that PBDEs and DBDPE concentrations were highest in the north direction of Plants 1. Three-day air parcel forward trajectories confirmed that the air parcel was responsible for the higher concentration of BFRs in the soil of north direction of the plant. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Active Thermochemical Tables: Sequential Bond Dissociation Enthalpies of Methane, Ethane, and Methanol and the Related Thermochemistry

    DOE PAGES

    Ruscic, Branko

    2015-03-31

    Active Thermochemical Tables (ATcT) thermochemistry for the sequential bond dissociations of methane, ethane, and methanol systems were obtained by analyzing and solving a very large thermochemical network (TN). Values for all possible C–H, C–C, C–O, and O–H bond dissociation enthalpies at 298.15 K (BDE 298) and bond dissociation energies at 0 K (D 0) are presented. The corresponding ATcT standard gas-phase enthalpies of formation of the resulting CH n, n = 4–0 species (methane, methyl, methylene, methylidyne, and carbon atom), C 2H n, n = 6–0 species (ethane, ethyl, ethylene, ethylidene, vinyl, ethylidyne, acetylene, vinylidene, ethynyl, and ethynylene), and COHmore » n, n = 4–0 species (methanol, hydroxymethyl, methoxy, formaldehyde, hydroxymethylene, formyl, isoformyl, and carbon monoxide) are also presented. The ATcT thermochemistry of carbon dioxide, water, hydroxyl, and carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen atoms is also included, together with the sequential BDEs of CO 2 and H 2O. The provenances of the ATcT enthalpies of formation, which are quite distributed and involve a large number of relevant determinations, are analyzed by variance decomposition and discussed in terms of principal contributions. The underlying reasons for periodic appearances of remarkably low and/or unusually high BDEs, alternating along the dissociation sequences, are analyzed and quantitatively rationalized. The present ATcT results are the most accurate thermochemical values currently available for these species.« less

  15. Brominated and organophosphate flame retardants target different neurodevelopmental stages, characterized with embryonic neural stem cells and neuronotypic PC12 cells.

    PubMed

    Slotkin, Theodore A; Skavicus, Samantha; Stapleton, Heather M; Seidler, Frederic J

    2017-09-01

    In addition to their activity as endocrine disruptors, brominated and organophosphate flame retardants are suspected to be developmental neurotoxicants, although identifying their specific mechanisms for that activity has been elusive. In the current study, we evaluated the effects of several flame retardants on neurodifferentiation using two in vitro models that assess distinct "decision nodes" in neural cell development: embryonic rat neural stem cells (NSCs), which evaluate the origination of neurons and glia from precursors, and rat neuronotypic PC12 cells, which characterize a later stage where cells committed to a neuronal phenotype undergo neurite outgrowth and neurotransmitter specification. In NSCs, both brominated and organophosphate flame retardants diverted the phenotype in favor of glia and away from formation of neurons, leading to an increased glia/neuron ratio, a common hallmark of the in vivo effects of neurotoxicants. For this early decision node, the brominated flame retardants were far more potent than the organophosphates. In PC12 cells, the brominated flame retardants were far less effective, whereas tris (1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate, an organophosphate, was more effective. Thus, the two classes of flame retardants differentially impact the two distinct vulnerable periods of neurodifferentiation. Furthermore, the effects on neurodifferentiation were separable from outright cytotoxicity, an important requirement in establishing a specific effect of these agents on neural cell development. These results reinforce the likelihood that flame retardants act as developmental neurotoxicants via direct effects on neural cell differentiation, over and above other activities that can impact nervous system development, such as endocrine disruption. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Thermochemical hydrolysis of macroalgae Ulva for biorefinery: Taguchi robust design method

    PubMed Central

    Jiang, Rui; Linzon, Yoav; Vitkin, Edward; Yakhini, Zohar; Chudnovsky, Alexandra; Golberg, Alexander

    2016-01-01

    Understanding the impact of all process parameters on the efficiency of biomass hydrolysis and on the final yield of products is critical to biorefinery design. Using Taguchi orthogonal arrays experimental design and Partial Least Square Regression, we investigated the impact of change and the comparative significance of thermochemical process temperature, treatment time, %Acid and %Solid load on carbohydrates release from green macroalgae from Ulva genus, a promising biorefinery feedstock. The average density of hydrolysate was determined using a new microelectromechanical optical resonator mass sensor. In addition, using Flux Balance Analysis techniques, we compared the potential fermentation yields of these hydrolysate products using metabolic models of Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae wild type, Saccharomyces cerevisiae RN1016 with xylose isomerase and Clostridium acetobutylicum. We found that %Acid plays the most significant role and treatment time the least significant role in affecting the monosaccharaides released from Ulva biomass. We also found that within the tested range of parameters, hydrolysis with 121 °C, 30 min 2% Acid, 15% Solids could lead to the highest yields of conversion: 54.134–57.500 gr ethanol kg−1 Ulva dry weight by S. cerevisiae RN1016 with xylose isomerase. Our results support optimized marine algae utilization process design and will enable smart energy harvesting by thermochemical hydrolysis. PMID:27291594

  17. Ceria based inverse opals for thermochemical fuel production: Quantification and prediction of high temperature behavior

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Casillas, Danielle Courtney

    Solar energy has the potential to supply more than enough energy to meet humanity's energy demands. Here, a method for thermochemical solar energy storage through fuel production is presented. A porous non-stoichiometric oxide, ceria, undergoes partial thermal reduction and oxidation with concentrated solar energy as a heat source, and water as an oxidant. The resulting yields for hydrogen fuel and oxygen are produced in two discrete steps, while the starting material maintains its original phase. Ordered porosity has been shown superior to random porosity for thermochemical fuel production applications, but stability limits for these structures are currently undefined. Ceria-based inverse opals are currently being investigated to assess the architectural influence on thermochemical hydrogen production. Low tortuosity and continuous interconnected pore network allow for facile gas transport and improved reaction kinetics. Ceria-based ordered materials have recently been shown to increase maximum hydrogen production over non-ordered porous ceria. Thermal stability of ordered porosity was quantified using quantitative image analysis. Fourier analysis was applied to SEM images of the material. The algorithm results in an order parameter gamma that describes the degree of long range order maintained by these structures, where gamma>4 signifies ordered porosity. According to this metric, a minimum zirconium content of 20 atomic percent (at%) is necessary for these architectures to survive aggressive annealing up to 1000°C. Zirconium substituted ceria (ZSC) with Zr loadings in excess of 20at% developed undesired tetragonal phases. Through gamma, we were able to find a balance between the benefit of zirconium additions on structural stability and its negative impact on phase. This work demonstrates the stability of seemingly delicate architectures, and the operational limit for ceria based inverse opals to be 1000°C for 1microm pore size. Inverse opals having sub

  18. Possible role of electric forces in bromine activation during polar boundary layer ozone depletion and aerosol formation events

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tkachenko, Ekaterina

    2017-11-01

    This work presents a hypothesis about the mechanism of bromine activation during polar boundary layer ozone depletion events (ODEs) as well as the mechanism of aerosol formation from the frost flowers. The author suggests that ODEs may be initiated by the electric-field gradients created at the sharp tips of ice formations as a result of the combined effect of various environmental conditions. According to the author's estimates, these electric-field gradients may be sufficient for the onset of point or corona discharges followed by generation of high local concentrations of the reactive oxygen species and initiation of free-radical and redox reactions. This process may be responsible for the formation of seed bromine which then undergoes further amplification by HOBr-driven bromine explosion. The proposed hypothesis may explain a variety of environmental conditions and substrates as well as poor reproducibility of ODE initiation observed by researchers in the field. According to the author's estimates, high wind can generate sufficient conditions for overcoming the Rayleigh limit and thus can initiate ;spraying; of charged aerosol nanoparticles. These charged aerosol nanoparticles can provoke formation of free radicals, turning the ODE on. One can also envision a possible emission of halogen ion as a result of the ;electrospray; process analogous to that of electrospray ionization mass-spectrometry.

  19. Impact of biogenic very short-lived bromine on the Antarctic ozone hole during the 21st century

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fernandez, Rafael P.; Kinnison, Douglas E.; Lamarque, Jean-Francois; Tilmes, Simone; Saiz-Lopez, Alfonso

    2017-02-01

    Active bromine released from the photochemical decomposition of biogenic very short-lived bromocarbons (VSLBr) enhances stratospheric ozone depletion. Based on a dual set of 1960-2100 coupled chemistry-climate simulations (i.e. with and without VSLBr), we show that the maximum Antarctic ozone hole depletion increases by up to 14 % when natural VSLBr are considered, which is in better agreement with ozone observations. The impact of the additional 5 pptv VSLBr on Antarctic ozone is most evident in the periphery of the ozone hole, producing an expansion of the ozone hole area of ˜ 5 million km2, which is equivalent in magnitude to the recently estimated Antarctic ozone healing due to the implementation of the Montreal Protocol. We find that the inclusion of VSLBr in CAM-Chem (Community Atmosphere Model with Chemistry, version 4.0) does not introduce a significant delay of the modelled ozone return date to 1980 October levels, but instead affects the depth and duration of the simulated ozone hole. Our analysis further shows that total bromine-catalysed ozone destruction in the lower stratosphere surpasses that of chlorine by the year 2070 and indicates that natural VSLBr chemistry would dominate Antarctic ozone seasonality before the end of the 21st century. This work suggests a large influence of biogenic bromine on the future Antarctic ozone layer.

  20. ENHANCED FORMATION OF DIOXINS AND FURANS FROM COMBUSTION DEVICES BY ADDITION OF TRACE QUANTITIES OF BROMINE

    EPA Science Inventory

    Past pilot-scale experimental studies have shown a dramatic increase in the formation of certain chlorinated products of incomplete combustion (PICs) caused by the addition of trace amounts of bromine (Br). Emissions of trichloroethylene and tetrachloorethylene, generated as PICs...

  1. Ab Initio Computations and Active Thermochemical Tables Hand in Hand: Heats of Formation of Core Combustion Species

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Klippenstein, Stephen J.; Harding, Lawrence B.; Ruscic, Branko

    Here, the fidelity of combustion simulations is strongly dependent on the accuracy of the underlying thermochemical properties for the core combustion species that arise as intermediates and products in the chemical conversion of most fuels. High level theoretical evaluations are coupled with a wide-ranging implementation of the Active Thermochemical Tables (ATcT) approach to obtain well-validated high fidelity predictions for the 0 K heat of formation for a large set of core combustion species. In particular, high level ab initio electronic structure based predictions are obtained for a set of 348 C, N, O, and H containing species, which corresponds tomore » essentially all core combustion species with 34 or fewer electrons. The theoretical analyses incorporate various high level corrections to base CCSD(T)/cc-pVnZ analyses (n = T or Q) using H 2, CH 4, H 2O, and NH 3 as references. Corrections for the complete-basis-set limit, higher-order excitations, anharmonic zeropoint energy, core–valence, relativistic, and diagonal Born–Oppenheimer effects are ordered in decreasing importance. Independent ATcT values are presented for a subset of 150 species. The accuracy of the theoretical predictions is explored through (i) examination of the magnitude of the various corrections, (ii) comparisons with other high level calculations, and (iii) through comparison with the ATcT values. The estimated 2σ uncertainties of the three methods devised here, ANL0, ANL0-F12, and ANL1, are in the range of ±1.0–1.5 kJ/mol for single-reference and moderately multireference species, for which the calculated higher order excitations are 5 kJ/mol or less. In addition to providing valuable references for combustion simulations, the subsequent inclusion of the current theoretical results into the ATcT thermochemical network is expected to significantly improve the thermochemical knowledge base for less-well studied species.« less

  2. Ab Initio Computations and Active Thermochemical Tables Hand in Hand: Heats of Formation of Core Combustion Species

    DOE PAGES

    Klippenstein, Stephen J.; Harding, Lawrence B.; Ruscic, Branko

    2017-07-31

    Here, the fidelity of combustion simulations is strongly dependent on the accuracy of the underlying thermochemical properties for the core combustion species that arise as intermediates and products in the chemical conversion of most fuels. High level theoretical evaluations are coupled with a wide-ranging implementation of the Active Thermochemical Tables (ATcT) approach to obtain well-validated high fidelity predictions for the 0 K heat of formation for a large set of core combustion species. In particular, high level ab initio electronic structure based predictions are obtained for a set of 348 C, N, O, and H containing species, which corresponds tomore » essentially all core combustion species with 34 or fewer electrons. The theoretical analyses incorporate various high level corrections to base CCSD(T)/cc-pVnZ analyses (n = T or Q) using H 2, CH 4, H 2O, and NH 3 as references. Corrections for the complete-basis-set limit, higher-order excitations, anharmonic zeropoint energy, core–valence, relativistic, and diagonal Born–Oppenheimer effects are ordered in decreasing importance. Independent ATcT values are presented for a subset of 150 species. The accuracy of the theoretical predictions is explored through (i) examination of the magnitude of the various corrections, (ii) comparisons with other high level calculations, and (iii) through comparison with the ATcT values. The estimated 2σ uncertainties of the three methods devised here, ANL0, ANL0-F12, and ANL1, are in the range of ±1.0–1.5 kJ/mol for single-reference and moderately multireference species, for which the calculated higher order excitations are 5 kJ/mol or less. In addition to providing valuable references for combustion simulations, the subsequent inclusion of the current theoretical results into the ATcT thermochemical network is expected to significantly improve the thermochemical knowledge base for less-well studied species.« less

  3. The Effect of Representing Bromine from VSLS on the Simulation and Evolution of Antarctic Ozone

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Oman, Luke D.; Douglass, Anne R.; Salawitch, Ross J.; Canty, Timothy P.; Ziemke, Jerald R.; Manyin, Michael

    2016-01-01

    We use the Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry Climate Model (GEOSCCM), a contributor to both the 2010 and 2014 WMO Ozone Assessment Reports, to show that inclusion of 5 parts per trillion (ppt) of stratospheric bromine(Br(sub y)) from very short lived substances (VSLS) is responsible for about a decade delay in ozone hole recovery. These results partially explain the significantly later recovery of Antarctic ozone noted in the 2014 report, as bromine from VSLS was not included in the 2010 Assessment. We show multiple lines of evidence that simulations that account for VSLS Br(sub y) are in better agreement with both total column BrO and the seasonal evolution of Antarctic ozone reported by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASAs Aura satellite. In addition, the near zero ozone levels observed in the deep Antarctic lower stratospheric polar vortex are only reproduced in a simulation that includes this Br(sub y) source from VSLS.

  4. The Effect of Representing Bromine from VSLS on the Simulation and Evolution of Antarctic Ozone

    PubMed Central

    Oman, Luke D.; Douglass, Anne R.; Salawitch, Ross J.; Canty, Timothy P.; Ziemke, Jerald R.; Manyin, Michael

    2018-01-01

    We use the Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry-Climate Model (GEOSCCM), a contributor to both the 2010 and 2014 WMO Ozone Assessment Reports, to show that inclusion of 5 parts per trillion (ppt) of stratospheric bromine (Bry) from very short-lived substances (VSLS) is responsible for about a decade delay in ozone hole recovery. These results partially explain the significantly later recovery of Antarctic ozone noted in the 2014 report, as bromine from VSLS was not included in the 2010 Assessment. We show multiple lines of evidence that simulations that account for VSLS Bry are in better agreement with both total column BrO and the seasonal evolution of Antarctic ozone reported by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA’s Aura satellite. In addition, the near zero ozone levels observed in the deep Antarctic lower stratospheric polar vortex are only reproduced in a simulation that includes this Bry source from VSLS. PMID:29551840

  5. Breast cancer among women in Michigan following exposure to brominated flame retardants

    PubMed Central

    Terrell, Metrecia L; Rosenblatt, Karin A; Wirth, Julie; Cameron, Lorraine L; Marcus, Michele

    2017-01-01

    In this updated follow-up, we investigated the breast cancer experience among women in Michigan exposed to brominated flame retardants, some 30 years following exposure. Michigan residents were enrolled in a study cohort after exposure to polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) through the consumption of contaminated food products. PBB concentrations were measured in serum at the time of enrolment. Cancer experience was determined by linkage to the Michigan Cancer Registry. We conducted a nested case–control study that included 51 women diagnosed with breast cancer during 1974–2004 and 202 age-matched controls. While the data suggest an increase in breast cancer risk with higher PBB exposure, this did not reach statistical significance. The OR of having breast cancer among women with PBB concentrations ≥10 ng/mL compared to women with PBB concentrations at or below the limit of detection of 1 ng/mL was 2.60, 95% CI 0.93 to 7.27, (p=0.07), when adjusted for age and family history of cancer in a first-degree female relative. It remains important to examine exposure to brominated chemicals and possible health effects, and to continue following the cancer experience of participants in this study. PMID:27312402

  6. Dissolved organic matter composition drives the marine production of brominated very short-lived substances.

    PubMed

    Liu, Yina; Thornton, Daniel C O; Bianchi, Thomas S; Arnold, William A; Shields, Michael R; Chen, Jie; Yvon-Lewis, Shari A

    2015-03-17

    Brominated very short-lived substances (BrVSLS), such as bromoform, are important trace gases for stratospheric ozone chemistry. These naturally derived trace gases are formed via bromoperoxidase-mediated halogenation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in seawater. Information on DOM type in relation to the observed BrVSLS concentrations in seawater, however, is scarce. We examined the sensitivity of BrVSLS production in relation to the presence of specific DOM moieties. A total of 28 model DOM compounds in artificial seawater were treated with vanadium bromoperoxidase (V-BrPO). Our results show a clear dependence of BrVSLS production on DOM type. In general, molecules that comprise a large fraction of the bulk DOM pool did not noticeably affect BrVSLS production. Only specific cell metabolites and humic acid appeared to significantly enhance BrVSLS production. Amino acids and lignin phenols suppressed enzyme-mediated BrVSLS production and may instead have formed halogenated nonvolatile molecules. Dibromomethane production was not observed in any experiments, suggesting it is not produced by the same pathway as the other BrVSLS. Our results suggest that regional differences in DOM composition may explain the observed BrVSLS concentration variability in the global ocean. Ultimately, BrVSLS production and concentrations are likely affected by DOM composition, reactivity, and cycling in the ocean.

  7. Dynamics of brominated flame retardants removal in contaminated wastewater sewage sludge under anaerobic conditions.

    PubMed

    Stiborova, Hana; Vrkoslavova, Jana; Pulkrabova, Jana; Poustka, Jan; Hajslova, Jana; Demnerova, Katerina

    2015-11-15

    Disposal of solid waste to landfills from waste water sewage treatment plants (WWTPs) serves as a potential source of contamination by polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD). Native microbial communities have been found to degrade a variety of xenobiotics, such as PBDEs and HBCDs. This study investigates the potential of autochthonous microflora to remove 11 PBDE congeners and HBCDs in waste water sludge under anaerobic conditions. Laboratory microcosms were constructed with sewage sludge from the WWTPs of Hradec Kralove and Brno. BDE 209 was detected as the prevailing congener in concentrations 685 and 1403 ng/g dw and the total amounts of 10 lower PBDEs (BDE 28, 47, 49, 66, 85, 99, 100, 153, 154, 183) were 605 and 205 ng/g dw in sludge from Hradec Kralove and Brno, respectively. The levels of HBCD were detected in both sludge lower than 24 ng/g dw. The experiment was carried out for 15 months. After three months of incubation, HBCD was completely degraded to below detection limits. In sewage from both WWTPs, the higher brominated DEs were removed faster than the lower brominated congeners. One exception was tri-BDE, which was degraded completely within 15 months of cultivation. A significant increase in congener tetra-BDE 49 concentrations was observed over the course of the experiment in all tested sewage. The relative distribution of individual congeners among all PBDEs changed after 15 months of the incubation in favour of lower brominated congeners. This indicates that debromination is the major mechanism of anaerobic biodegradation. Despite of the increase of BDE 49, the overall removal of all 11 PBDEs achieved the levels of 47.4 and 68.7% in samples from WWTPs Hradec Kralove and Brno, respectively. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Characterisation of agroindustrial solid residues as biofuels and potential application in thermochemical processes.

    PubMed

    Virmond, Elaine; De Sena, Rennio F; Albrecht, Waldir; Althoff, Christine A; Moreira, Regina F P M; José, Humberto J

    2012-10-01

    In the present work, selected agroindustrial solid residues from Brazil - biosolids from meat processing wastewater treatment and mixture of sawdust with these biosolids; residues from apple and orange juice industries; sugarcane bagasse; açaí kernels (Euterpe oleracea) and rice husk - were characterised as solid fuels and an evaluation of their properties, including proximate and ultimate composition, energy content, thermal behaviour, composition and fusibility of the ashes was performed. The lower heating value of the biomasses ranged from 14.31 MJkg(-1) to 29.14 MJkg(-1), on a dry and ash free basis (daf), all presenting high volatile matter content, varying between 70.57 wt.% and 85.36 wt.% (daf) what improves the thermochemical conversion of the solids. The fouling and slagging tendency of the ashes was predicted based on the fuel ash composition and on the ash fusibility correlations proposed in the literature, which is important to the project and operation of biomass conversion systems. The potential for application of the Brazilian agroindustrial solid residues studied as alternative energy sources in thermochemical processes has been identified, especially concerning direct combustion for steam generation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. CSP ELEMENTS: High-Temperature Thermochemical Storage with Redox-Stable Perovskites for Concentrating Solar Power

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jackson, Gregory S; Braun, Robert J; Ma, Zhiwen

    This project was motivated by the potential of reducible perovskite oxides for high-temperature, thermochemical energy storage (TCES) to provide dispatchable renewable heat for concentrating solar power (CSP) plants. This project sought to identify and characterize perovskites from earth-abundant cations with high reducibility below 1000 °C for coupling TCES of solar energy to super-critical CO2 (s-CO2) plants that operate above temperature limits (< 600 °C) of current molten-salt storage. Specific TCES > 750 kJ/kg for storage cycles between 500 and 900 °C was targeted with a system cost goal of $15/kWhth. To realize feasibility of TCES systems based on reducible perovskites,more » our team focused on designing and testing a lab-scale concentrating solar receiver, wherein perovskite particles capture solar energy by fast O2 release and sensible heating at a thermal efficiency of 90% and wall temperatures below 1100 °C. System-level models of the receiver and reoxidation reactor coupled to validated thermochemical materials models can assess approaches to scale-up a full TCES system based on reduction/oxidation cycles of perovskite oxides at large scales. After characterizing many Ca-based perovskites for TCES, our team identified strontium-doped calcium manganite Ca1-xSrxMnO3-δ (with x ≤ 0.1) as a composition with adequate stability and specific TCES capacity (> 750 kJ/kg for Ca0.95Sr0.05MnO3-δ) for cycling between air at 500 °C and low-PO2 (10-4 bar) N2 at 900 °C. Substantial kinetic tests demonstrated that resident times of several minutes in low-PO2 gas were needed for these materials to reach the specific TCES goals with particles of reasonable size for large-scale transport (diameter dp > 200 μm). On the other hand, fast reoxidation kinetics in air enables subsequent rapid heat release in a fluidized reoxidation reactor/ heat recovery unit for driving s-CO2 power plants. Validated material thermochemistry coupled to radiation and convective

  10. Coupled thermochemical, isotopic evolution and heat transfer simulations in highly irradiated UO2 nuclear fuel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Piro, M. H. A.; Banfield, J.; Clarno, K. T.; Simunovic, S.; Besmann, T. M.; Lewis, B. J.; Thompson, W. T.

    2013-10-01

    Predictive capabilities for simulating irradiated nuclear fuel behavior are enhanced in the current work by coupling thermochemistry, isotopic evolution and heat transfer. Thermodynamic models that are incorporated into this framework not only predict the departure from stoichiometry of UO2, but also consider dissolved fission and activation products in the fluorite oxide phase, noble metal inclusions, secondary oxides including uranates, zirconates, molybdates and the gas phase. Thermochemical computations utilize the spatial and temporal evolution of the fission and activation product inventory in the pellet, which is typically neglected in nuclear fuel performance simulations. Isotopic computations encompass the depletion, decay and transmutation of more than 2000 isotopes that are calculated at every point in space and time. These computations take into consideration neutron flux depression and the increased production of fissile plutonium near the fuel pellet periphery (i.e., the so-called “rim effect”). Thermochemical and isotopic predictions are in very good agreement with reported experimental measurements of highly irradiated UO2 fuel with an average burnup of 102 GW d t(U)-1. Simulation results demonstrate that predictions are considerably enhanced when coupling thermochemical and isotopic computations in comparison to empirical correlations. Notice: This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC, under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the U.S. Department of Energy. The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, world-wide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes.

  11. Comparative studies on thermochemical characterization of corn stover pretreated by white-rot and brown-rot fungi.

    PubMed

    Zeng, Yelin; Yang, Xuewei; Yu, Hongbo; Zhang, Xiaoyu; Ma, Fuying

    2011-09-28

    The effects of white-rot and brown-rot fungal pretreatment on the chemical composition and thermochemical conversion of corn stover were investigated. Fungus-pretreated corn stover was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis to characterize the changes in chemical composition. Differences in thermochemical conversion of corn stover after fungal pretreatment were investigated using thermogravimetric and pyrolysis analysis. The results indicated that the white-rot fungus Irpex lacteus CD2 has great lignin-degrading ability, whereas the brown-rot fungus Fomitopsis sp. IMER2 preferentially degrades the amorphous regions of the cellulose. The biopretreatment favors thermal decomposition of corn stover. The weight loss of IMER2-treated acid detergent fiber became greater, and the oil yield increased from 32.7 to 50.8%. After CD2 biopretreatment, 58% weight loss of acid detergent lignin was achieved and the oil yield increased from 16.8 to 26.8%.

  12. Molecular simulations and density functional theory calculations of bromine in clathrate hydrate phases

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dureckova, Hana, E-mail: houci059@uottawa.ca; Woo, Tom K., E-mail: tom.woo@uottawa.ca; Alavi, Saman, E-mail: saman.alavi@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca

    Bromine forms a tetragonal clathrate hydrate structure (TS-I) very rarely observed in clathrate hydrates of other guest substances. The detailed structure, energetics, and dynamics of Br{sub 2} and Cl{sub 2} in TS-I and cubic structure I (CS-I) clathrate hydrates are studied in this work using molecular dynamics and quantum chemical calculations. X-ray diffraction studies show that the halogen-water–oxygen distances in the cages of these structures are shorter than the sum of the van der Waals radii of halogen and oxygen atoms. This suggests that the stabilizing effects of halogen bonding or other non-covalent interactions (NCIs) may contribute to the formationmore » of the unique tetragonal bromine hydrate structure. We performed molecular dynamics simulations of Br{sub 2} and Cl{sub 2} clathrate hydrates using our previously developed five-site charge models for the dihalogen molecules [Dureckova et al. Can. J. Chem. 93, 864 (2015)] which reproduce the computed electrostatic potentials of the dihalogens and account for the electropositive σ-hole of the halogen bond donor (the dihalogen). Analysis of the radial distribution functions, enthalpies of encapsulation, velocity and orientation autocorrelation functions, and polar angle distributions are carried out for Br{sub 2} and Cl{sub 2} guests in various cages to contrast the properties of these guests in the TS-I and CS-I phases. Quantum chemical partial geometry optimizations of Br{sub 2} and Cl{sub 2} guests in the hydrate cages using the M06-2X functional give short halogen-water distances compatible with values observed in X-ray diffraction experiments. NCI plots of guest-cage structures are generated to qualitatively show the relative strength of the non-bonding interactions between dihalogens and water molecules. The differences between behaviors of Br{sub 2} and Cl{sub 2} guests in the hydrate cages may explain why bromine forms the unique TS-I phase.« less

  13. Simultaneous Evaluation of Different Types of Kinetic Traces of a Complex System: Kinetics and Mechanism of the Tetrathionate-Bromine Reaction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Varga, Dénes; Horváth, Attila K.

    2009-08-01

    The bromine-tetrathionate reaction has been studied in the presence of phosphoric acid/dihydrogen phosphate buffer at T = 25 ± 0.1 °C and at I = 0.5 M ionic strength with both stopped-flow technique and a conventional diode array spectrophotometer. The stoichiometry of the reaction was found to be S4O62- + 7Br2 + 10H2O → 4SO42- + 14Br- + 20H+ in bromine excess, but no unambiguous stoichiometry can be established in tetrathionate excess because elementary sulfur as well as hydrogen sulfide are also present in appreciable amounts besides the major product sulfate. It has also been shown that the reaction has two well-separable kinetic phases in an excess of tetrathionate. Rapid disappearance of bromine was observed in the early stage of the reaction followed by a much slower spectral change in the UV region that can be attributed to the disappearance of an absorbing species having much stronger light absorption than that of tetrathionate in the given wavelength range. Two different types of kinetic curves measured by two different instruments have been evaluated simultaneously that led us to suggest and discuss a 10-step model.

  14. Thermochemical factors affecting the dehalogenation of aromatics.

    PubMed

    Sadowsky, Daniel; McNeill, Kristopher; Cramer, Christopher J

    2013-12-17

    Halogenated aromatics are one of the largest chemical classes of environmental contaminants, and dehalogenation remains one of the most important processes by which these compounds are degraded and detoxified. The thermodynamic constraints of aromatic dehalogenation reactions are thus important for understanding the feasibility of such reactions and the redox conditions necessary for promoting them. Accordingly, the thermochemical properties of the (poly)fluoro-, (poly)chloro-, and (poly)bromobenzenes, including standard enthalpies of formation, bond dissociation enthalpies, free energies of reaction, and the redox potentials of Ar-X/Ar-H couples, were investigated using a validated density functional protocol combined with continuum solvation calculations when appropriate. The results highlight the fact that fluorinated aromatics stand distinct from their chloro- and bromo- counterparts in terms of both their relative thermodynamic stability toward dehalogenation and how different substitution patterns give rise to relevant properties, such as bond strengths and reduction potentials.

  15. Effects of Dopant Metal Variation and Material Synthesis Method on the Material Properties of Mixed Metal Ferrites in Yttria Stabilized Zirconia for Solar Thermochemical Fuel Production

    DOE PAGES

    Leonard, Jeffrey; Reyes, Nichole; Allen, Kyle M.; ...

    2015-01-01

    Mixed metal ferrites have shown much promise in two-step solar-thermochemical fuel production. Previous work has typically focused on evaluating a particular metal ferrite produced by a particular synthesis process, which makes comparisons between studies performed by independent researchers difficult. A comparative study was undertaken to explore the effects different synthesis methods have on the performance of a particular material during redox cycling using thermogravimetry. This study revealed that materials made via wet chemistry methods and extended periods of high temperature calcination yield better redox performance. Differences in redox performance between materials made via wet chemistry methods were minimal and thesemore » demonstrated much better performance than those synthesized via the solid state method. Subsequently, various metal ferrite samples (NiFe 2 O 4 , MgFe 2 O 4 , CoFe 2 O 4 , and MnFe 2 O 4 ) in yttria stabilized zirconia (8YSZ) were synthesized via coprecipitation and tested to determine the most promising metal ferrite combination. It was determined that 10 wt.% CoFe 2 O 4 in 8YSZ produced the highest and most consistent yields of O 2 and CO. By testing the effects of synthesis methods and dopants in a consistent fashion, those aspects of ferrite preparation which are most significant can be revealed. More importantly, these insights can guide future efforts in developing the next generation of thermochemical fuel production materials.« less

  16. Predictive models for water sources with high susceptibility for bromine-containing disinfection by-product formation: implications for water treatment.

    PubMed

    Watson, Kalinda; Farré, Maria José; Birt, James; McGree, James; Knight, Nicole

    2015-02-01

    This study examines a matrix of synthetic water samples designed to include conditions that favour brominated disinfection by-product (Br-DBP) formation, in order to provide predictive models suitable for high Br-DBP forming waters such as salinity-impacted waters. Br-DBPs are known to be more toxic than their chlorinated analogues, in general, and their formation may be favoured by routine water treatment practices such as coagulation/flocculation under specific conditions; therefore, circumstances surrounding their formation must be understood. The chosen factors were bromide concentration, mineral alkalinity, bromide to dissolved organic carbon (Br/DOC) ratio and Suwannee River natural organic matter concentration. The relationships between these parameters and DBP formation were evaluated by response surface modelling of data generated using a face-centred central composite experimental design. Predictive models for ten brominated and/or chlorinated DBPs are presented, as well as models for total trihalomethanes (tTHMs) and total dihaloacetonitriles (tDHANs), and bromide substitution factors for the THMs and DHANs classes. The relationships described revealed that increasing alkalinity and increasing Br/DOC ratio were associated with increasing bromination of THMs and DHANs, suggesting that DOC lowering treatment methods that do not also remove bromide such as enhanced coagulation may create optimal conditions for Br-DBP formation in waters in which bromide is present.

  17. Impact of biogenic very short-lived bromine on the Antarctic ozone hole during the 21st century

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fernandez, Rafael P.; Kinnison, Douglas E.; Lamarque, Jean -Francois

    Active bromine released from the photochemical decomposition of biogenic very short-lived bromocarbons (VSL Br) enhances stratospheric ozone depletion. Based on a dual set of 1960–2100 coupled chemistry–climate simulations (i.e. with and without VSL Br), we show that the maximum Antarctic ozone hole depletion increases by up to 14 % when natural VSL Br are considered, which is in better agreement with ozone observations. The impact of the additional 5 pptv VSL Br on Antarctic ozone is most evident in the periphery of the ozone hole, producing an expansion of the ozone hole area of ~5 million km 2, which is equivalentmore » in magnitude to the recently estimated Antarctic ozone healing due to the implementation of the Montreal Protocol. We find that the inclusion of VSL Br in CAM-Chem (Community Atmosphere Model with Chemistry, version 4.0) does not introduce a significant delay of the modelled ozone return date to 1980 October levels, but instead affects the depth and duration of the simulated ozone hole. Our analysis further shows that total bromine-catalysed ozone destruction in the lower stratosphere surpasses that of chlorine by the year 2070 and indicates that natural VSL Br chemistry would dominate Antarctic ozone seasonality before the end of the 21st century. As a result, this work suggests a large influence of biogenic bromine on the future Antarctic ozone layer.« less

  18. Impact of biogenic very short-lived bromine on the Antarctic ozone hole during the 21st century

    DOE PAGES

    Fernandez, Rafael P.; Kinnison, Douglas E.; Lamarque, Jean -Francois; ...

    2017-02-03

    Active bromine released from the photochemical decomposition of biogenic very short-lived bromocarbons (VSL Br) enhances stratospheric ozone depletion. Based on a dual set of 1960–2100 coupled chemistry–climate simulations (i.e. with and without VSL Br), we show that the maximum Antarctic ozone hole depletion increases by up to 14 % when natural VSL Br are considered, which is in better agreement with ozone observations. The impact of the additional 5 pptv VSL Br on Antarctic ozone is most evident in the periphery of the ozone hole, producing an expansion of the ozone hole area of ~5 million km 2, which is equivalentmore » in magnitude to the recently estimated Antarctic ozone healing due to the implementation of the Montreal Protocol. We find that the inclusion of VSL Br in CAM-Chem (Community Atmosphere Model with Chemistry, version 4.0) does not introduce a significant delay of the modelled ozone return date to 1980 October levels, but instead affects the depth and duration of the simulated ozone hole. Our analysis further shows that total bromine-catalysed ozone destruction in the lower stratosphere surpasses that of chlorine by the year 2070 and indicates that natural VSL Br chemistry would dominate Antarctic ozone seasonality before the end of the 21st century. As a result, this work suggests a large influence of biogenic bromine on the future Antarctic ozone layer.« less

  19. OMI observations of bromine monoxide emissions from salt lakes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suleiman, R. M.; Chance, K.; Liu, X.; Gonzalez Abad, G.; Kurosu, T. P.

    2015-12-01

    In this study, we analyze bromine monoxide (BrO) data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) over various salt lakes. We used OMI data from 2005 to 2014 to investigate BrO signatures from salt lakes. The salt lakes regions we cover include Dead Sea; Salt Lake City, US; Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia; and Namtso, Tibet. Elevated signatures of BrO was found in July and August BrO monthly averages over the Dead Sea. Similar results were found in the BrO monthly averages for August 2006 for the Bolivian Salt Flats. We present a detailed description of the retrieval algorithm for the OMI operational bromine monoxide (BrO) product. The algorithm is based on direct fitting of radiances from 319.0-347.5 nm, within the UV-2 channel of OMI. Radiances are modeled from the solar irradiance, attenuated by contributions from the target gas and interfering gases, rotational Raman scattering, additive and multiplicative closure polynomials and a common mode spectrum. The common mode spectra (one per cross-track position, computed on-line) are the average of several hundred fitting residuals. They include any instrument effects that are unrelated to molecular scattering and absorption cross sections. The BrO retrieval uses albedo- and wavelength-dependent air mass factors (AMFs), which have been pre-computed using climatological BrO profiles. The wavelength-dependent AMF is applied pre-fit to the BrO cross-sections so that vertical column densities are retrieved directly. We validate OMI BrO with ground-based measurements from three stations (Harestua, Lauder, and Barrow) and with chemical transport model simulations. We analyze the global distribution and seasonal variation of BrO and investigate BrO emissions from volcanoes and salt lakes.

  20. Brominated Flame Retardants: Spatial and Temporal Trends in the Environment and Biota from the Pacific Basin Countries

    EPA Science Inventory

    Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are used as additive or reactive components in a variety of polymers including high-impact polystyrene and epoxy resins, commercial products such as computers, electronics and electrical equipment, thermal insulation, textiles and furniture foam...

  1. Stable bromine isotopic composition of methyl bromide released from plant matter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Horst, Axel; Holmstrand, Henry; Andersson, Per; Thornton, Brett F.; Wishkerman, Asher; Keppler, Frank; Gustafsson, Örjan

    2014-01-01

    Methyl bromide (CH3Br) emitted from plants constitutes a natural source of bromine to the atmosphere, and is a component in the currently unbalanced global CH3Br budget. In the stratosphere, CH3Br contributes to ozone loss processes. Studies of stable isotope composition may reduce uncertainties in the atmospheric CH3Br budget, but require well-constrained isotope fingerprints of the source end members. Here we report the first measurements of stable bromine isotopes (δ81Br) in CH3Br from abiotic plant emissions. Incubations of both KBr-fortified pectin, a ubiquitous cell-stabilizing macromolecule, and of a natural halophyte (Salicornia fruticosa), yielded an enrichment factor (ε) of -2.00 ± 0.23‰ (1σ, n = 8) for pectin and -1.82 ± 0.02‰ (1σ, n = 4) for Salicornia (the relative amount of the heavier 81Br was decreased in CH3Br compared to the substrate salt). For short incubations, and up to 10% consumption of the salt substrate, this isotope effect was similar for temperatures from 30 up to 300 °C. For longer incubations of up to 90 h at 180 °C the δ81Br values increased from -2‰ to 0‰ for pectin and to -1‰ for Salicornia. These δ81Br source signatures of CH3Br formation from plant matter combine with similar data for carbon isotopes to facilitate multidimensional isotope diagnostics of the CH3Br budget.

  2. Bromine Incorporation in Regulated and Emerging DBPs and the Relative Predominance of Mono, Di and Trihalogenated DBPs - SLIDES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Examination of bromine incorporation in emerging DBPs vs that of regulated DBPs Study of predominance of di- vs trihalogenated species in different DBP classes Better understand and characterize exposure to DBPs of health concern

  3. ACUTE POSTNATAL EXPOSURE TO BROMINATED DIPHENYLETHER 47 DELAYS NEUROMOTOR ONTOGENY AND ALTERS MOTOR ACTIVITY IN MICE

    EPA Science Inventory

    Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are widely used commercial flame retardants that are accumulating in the environment. 2,2’,4,4’-Brominated diphenyl ether (BDE 47) is a very stable congener of this group and has been shown to accumulate in humans. PBDEs may interfere with...

  4. Evaluation energy efficiency of bioconversion knot rejects to ethanol in comparison to other thermochemically pretreated biomass.

    PubMed

    Wang, Zhaojiang; Qin, Menghua; Zhu, J Y; Tian, Guoyu; Li, Zongquan

    2013-02-01

    Rejects from sulfite pulp mill that otherwise would be disposed of by incineration were converted to ethanol by a combined physical-biological process that was comprised of physical refining and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). The energy efficiency was evaluated with comparison to thermochemically pretreated biomass, such as those pretreated by dilute acid (DA) and sulfite pretreatment to overcome recalcitrance of lignocelluloses (SPORL). It was observed that the structure deconstruction of rejects by physical refining was indispensable to effective bioconversion but more energy intensive than that of thermochemically pretreated biomass. Fortunately, the energy consumption was compensated by the reduced enzyme dosage and the elevated ethanol yield. Furthermore, adjustment of disk-plates gap led to reduction in energy consumption with negligible influence on ethanol yield. In this context, energy efficiency up to 717.7% was achieved for rejects, much higher than that of SPORL sample (283.7%) and DA sample (152.8%). Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Use of PIXE to measure serum copper, zinc, selenium, and bromine in patients with hematologic malignancies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beguin, Y.; Bours, V.; Delbrouck, J.-M.; Robaye, G.; Roelandts, I.; Fillet, G.; Weber, G.

    1990-04-01

    The use of PIXE allowed for a simultaneous determination of serum copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), selenium (Se) and bromine (Br), in various groups of patients with hematologic malignancies. In 78 patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia, it was observed that (1) serum Se was significantly lower than in healthy controls and correlated inversely with the tumor burden; (2) serum bromine was normal at diagnosis but dropped dramatically after intensive chemotherapy, before recovering progressively over a period of months; and (3) pretreatment serum copper and zinc were significant prognostic factors of the chance to achieve a complete remission. In 50 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, it was observed that (1) serum Cu and Cu/Zn ratio were useful indices of the disease activity, which were independent of a nonspecific acute phase reaction; and (2) Zn deficiency could contribute to immune dysfunction. In 119 patients with myeloproliferative disorders or myelodysplasic syndromes, serum Cu and Zn levels were mostly dependent on nonspecific factors, such as age and inflammation.

  6. Improvements on high-precision measurement of bromine isotope ratios by multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Wei, Hai-Zhen; Jiang, Shao-Yong; Zhu, Zhi-Yong; Yang, Tao; Yang, Jing-Hong; Yan, Xiong; Wu, He-Pin; Yang, Tang-Li

    2015-10-01

    A new, feasible procedure for high-precision bromine isotope analysis using multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) is described. With a combination of HR mass resolution mode and accurate optimization of the Zoom Optics parameters (Focus Quad: -1.30; Zoom Quad: 0.00), the challenging problem of the isobaric interferences ((40)Ar(38)ArH(+) and (40)Ar(40)ArH(+)) in the measurement of bromine isotopes ((79)Br(+), (81)Br(+)) has been effectively solved. The external reproducibility of the measured (81)Br/(79)Br ratios in the selected standard reference materials ranged from ±0.03‰ to ±0.14‰, which is superior to or equivalent to the best results from previous contributions. The effect of counter cations on the Br(+) signal intensity and the instrumental-induced mass bias was evaluated as the loss of HBr aerosol in nebulizer and potential diffusive isotope fractionations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Electrospun Nafion®/Polyphenylsulfone Composite Membranes for Regenerative Hydrogen Bromine Fuel Cells.

    PubMed

    Park, Jun Woo; Wycisk, Ryszard; Pintauro, Peter N; Yarlagadda, Venkata; Van Nguyen, Trung

    2016-02-29

    The regenerative H₂/Br₂-HBr fuel cell, utilizing an oxidant solution of Br₂ in aqueous HBr, shows a number of benefits for grid-scale electricity storage. The membrane-electrode assembly, a key component of a fuel cell, contains a proton-conducting membrane, typically based on the perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) ionomer. Unfortunately, the high cost of PFSA membranes and their relatively high bromine crossover are serious drawbacks. Nanofiber composite membranes can overcome these limitations. In this work, composite membranes were prepared from electrospun dual-fiber mats containing Nafion ® PFSA ionomer for facile proton transport and an uncharged polymer, polyphenylsulfone (PPSU), for mechanical reinforcement, and swelling control. After electrospinning, Nafion/PPSU mats were converted into composite membranes by softening the PPSU fibers, through exposure to chloroform vapor, thus filling the voids between ionomer nanofibers. It was demonstrated that the relative membrane selectivity, referenced to Nafion ® 115, increased with increasing PPSU content, e.g., a selectivity of 11 at 25 vol% of Nafion fibers. H₂-Br₂ fuel cell power output with a 65 μm thick membrane containing 55 vol% Nafion fibers was somewhat better than that of a 150 μm Nafion ® 115 reference, but its cost advantage due to a four-fold decrease in PFSA content and a lower bromine species crossover make it an attractive candidate for use in H₂/Br₂-HBr systems.

  8. Natural solar photolysis of total organic chlorine, bromine and iodine in water.

    PubMed

    Abusallout, Ibrahim; Hua, Guanghui

    2016-04-01

    Municipal wastewater has been increasingly used to augment drinking water supplies due to the growing water scarcity. Wastewater-derived disinfection byproducts (DBPs) may negatively affect the aquatic ecosystems and human health of downstream communities during water reuse. The objective of this research was to determine the degradation kinetics of total organic chlorine (TOCl), bromine (TOBr) and iodine (TOI) in water by natural sunlight irradiation. Outdoor solar photolysis experiments were performed to investigate photolytic degradation of the total organic halogen (TOX) formed by fulvic acid and real water and wastewater samples. The results showed that TOX degradation by sunlight irradiation followed the first-order kinetics with half-lives in the range of 2.6-10.7 h for different TOX compounds produced by fulvic acid. The TOX degradation rates were generally in the order of TOI > TOBr ≅ TOCl(NH2Cl) > TOCl(Cl2). High molecular weight TOX was more susceptible to solar photolysis than corresponding low molecular weight halogenated compounds. The nitrate and sulfite induced indirect TOX photolysis rates were less than 50% of the direct photolysis rates under the conditions of this study. Fulvic acid and turbidity in water reduced TOX photodegradation. These results contribute to a better understanding of the fate of chlorinated, brominated and iodinated DBPs in surface waters. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  9. Improving Students' Chemical Literacy Levels on Thermochemical and Thermodynamics Concepts through a Context-Based Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cigdemoglu, Ceyhan; Geban, Omer

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was to delve into the effect of context-based approach (CBA) over traditional instruction (TI) on students' chemical literacy level related to thermochemical and thermodynamics concepts. Four eleventh-grade classes with 118 students in total taught by two teachers from a public high school in 2012 fall semester were enrolled…

  10. Inhibition and induction of aromatase (CYP19) activity by brominated flame retardants in H295R human adrenocortical carcinoma cells.

    PubMed

    Cantón, Rocío F; Sanderson, J Thomas; Letcher, Robert J; Bergman, Ake; van den Berg, Martin

    2005-12-01

    Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are persistent and ubiquitous chemicals in the environment, and they are found at increasing levels in tissues of wildlife and humans. Previous in vitro studies with the BFR class of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs) have shown endocrine-disrupting properties. Our study assessed the potential effects of nineteen BDEs, five hydroxylated BDEs (OH-BDEs), one methoxylated BDE (CH(3)O-BDE), tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA), its dibromopropane ether derivative (TBBPA-DBPE), and the brominated phenols/anisols 2,4,6-tribromophenol (TBP), 4-bromophenol (4BP) and 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA) on the catalytic activity of the steroidogenic enzyme aromatase (CYP19) in H295R human adrenocortical carcinoma cells. Effects were studied in the concentration range from 0.5 to 7.5 microM; exposures were for 24 h. Both 6-OH-BDE47 and 6-OH-BDE99 showed an inhibitory effect on aromatase activity at concentrations >2.5 microM and >5 microM, respectively. However, 6-OH-BDE47 also caused a statistically significant increase in cytotoxicity (based on mitochondrial MTT reduction and lactate dehydrogenase-leakage [LDH]) at concentrations >2.5 microM that could explain in part the apparent inhibitory effect on aromatase activity. Compared to 6-OH-BDE47, the methoxy analog (6-CH(3)O-BDE47) did not elicit a cytotoxic effect, whereas significant inhibition of aromatase remained. TBP caused a concentration-dependent induction of aromatase activity between 0.5 and 7.5 microM (with a maximum of 3.8-fold induction at 7.5 microM). This induction was not observed when a OH- group replaced the CH(3)O- group or when bromine atoms adjacent to this OH- group were absent. These in vitro results provide a basis for studies of more detailed structure-activity relationships between these brominated compounds and the modulation of aromatase activity.

  11. Static Thermochemical Model of COREX Melter Gasifier

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Srishilan, C.; Shukla, Ajay Kumar

    2018-02-01

    COREX is one of the commercial smelting reduction processes. It uses the finer size ore and semi-soft coal instead of metallurgical coke to produce hot metal from iron ore. The use of top gas with high calorific value as a by-product export gas makes the process economical and green. The predictive thermochemical model of the COREX process presented here enables rapid computation of process parameters such as (1) required amount of ore, coal, and flux; (2) amount of slag and gas generated; and (3) gas compositions (based on the raw material and desired hot metal quality). The model helps in predicting the variations in process parameters with respect to the (1) degree of metallization and (2) post-combustion ratio for given raw material conditions. In general reduction in coal, flux, and oxygen, the requirement is concomitant with an increase in the degree of metallization and post-combustion ratio. The model reported here has been benchmarked using industrial data obtained from the JSW Steel Plant, India.

  12. Maternal exposure to brominated flame retardants and infant Apgar scores.

    PubMed

    Terrell, Metrecia L; Hartnett, Kathleen P; Lim, Hyeyeun; Wirth, Julie; Marcus, Michele

    2015-01-01

    Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and other persistent organic pollutants have been associated with adverse health outcomes in humans and may be particularly toxic to the developing fetus. We investigated the association between in utero polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposures and infant Apgar scores in a cohort of Michigan residents exposed to PBB through contaminated food after an industrial accident. PBB and PCB concentrations were measured in serum at the time the women were enrolled in the cohort. PBB concentrations were also estimated at the time of conception for each pregnancy using a validated elimination model. Apgar scores, a universal measure of infant health at birth, measured at 1 and 5min, were taken from birth certificates for 613 offspring born to 330 women. Maternal PCB concentrations at enrollment were not associated with below-median Apgar scores in this cohort. However, maternal PBB exposure was associated with a dose-related increase in the odds of a below-median Apgar score at 1min and 5min. Among infants whose mothers had an estimated PBB at conception above the limit of detection of 1 part per billion (ppb) to <2.5ppb, the odds ratio=2.32 (95% CI: 1.22-4.40); for those with PBB⩾2.5ppb the OR=2.62 (95% CI: 1.38-4.96; test for trend p<0.01). Likewise, the odds of a below-median 5min Apgar score increased with higher maternal PBB at conception. It remains critical that future studies examine possible relationships between in utero exposures to brominated compounds and adverse health outcomes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Maternal exposure to brominated flame retardants and infant Apgar Scores

    PubMed Central

    Terrell, Metrecia L.; Hartnett, Kathleen P.; Lim, Hyeyeun; Wirth, Julie; Marcus, Michele

    2014-01-01

    Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and other persistent organic pollutants have been associated with adverse health outcomes in humans and may be particularly toxic to the developing fetus. We investigated the association between in utero polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposures and infant Apgar scores in a cohort of Michigan residents exposed to PBB through contaminated food after an industrial accident. PBB and PCB concentrations were measured in serum at the time the women were enrolled in the cohort. PBB concentrations were also estimated at the time of conception for each pregnancy using a validated elimination model. Apgar scores, a universal measure of infant health at birth, measured at 1 and 5 minutes, were taken from birth certificates for 613 offspring born to 330 women. Maternal PCB concentrations at enrollment were not associated with below–median Apgar scores in this cohort. However, maternal PBB exposure was associated with a dose–related increase in the odds of a below–median Apgar score at 1 minute and 5 minutes. Among infants whose mothers had an estimated PBB at conception above the limit of detection of 1 part per billion, the odds ratio was 2.32 (95 % CI: 1.22– 4.40); for those with PBB ≥ 2.5 ppb the OR=2.62 (95% CI: 1.38-4.96; test for trend p< 0.01). Likewise, the odds of a below–median 5–minute Apgar increased with higher maternal PBB at conception. It remains critical that future studies examine possible relationships between in utero exposures to brominated compounds and adverse health outcomes. PMID:25203650

  14. Analysis of Efficiency of the Ship Propulsion System with Thermochemical Recuperation of Waste Heat

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cherednichenko, Oleksandr; Serbin, Serhiy

    2018-03-01

    One of the basic ways to reduce polluting emissions of ship power plants is application of innovative devices for on-board energy generation by means of secondary energy resources. The combined gas turbine and diesel engine plant with thermochemical recuperation of the heat of secondary energy resources has been considered. It is suggested to conduct the study with the help of mathematical modeling methods. The model takes into account basic physical correlations, material and thermal balances, phase equilibrium, and heat and mass transfer processes. The paper provides the results of mathematical modeling of the processes in a gas turbine and diesel engine power plant with thermochemical recuperation of the gas turbine exhaust gas heat by converting a hydrocarbon fuel. In such a plant, it is possible to reduce the specific fuel consumption of the diesel engine by 20%. The waste heat potential in a gas turbine can provide efficient hydrocarbon fuel conversion at the ratio of powers of the diesel and gas turbine engines being up to 6. When the diesel engine and gas turbine operate simultaneously with the use of the LNG vapor conversion products, the efficiency coefficient of the plant increases by 4-5%.

  15. Bromine Incorporation in Regulated and Emerging DBPs and the Relative Predominance of Mono-, Di-, and Trihalogenated DBPs

    EPA Science Inventory

    Brominated disinfection by-products (DBPs) (in general) appear to be more cytotoxic and genotoxic than the chlorinated species, and some of the dihalogenated species are more toxic than the trihalogenated analogues; however, many of the more toxic species are not routinely measur...

  16. Year-round records of sea salt, gaseous, and particulate inorganic bromine in the atmospheric boundary layer at coastal (Dumont d'Urville) and central (Concordia) East Antarctic sites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Legrand, Michel; Yang, Xin; Preunkert, Susanne; Theys, Nicolas

    2016-01-01

    Multiple year-round records of bulk and size-segregated compositions of aerosol were obtained at the coastal Dumont d'Urville (DDU) and inland Concordia sites located in East Antarctica. They document the sea-salt aerosol load and composition including, for the first time in Antarctica, the bromide depletion of sea-salt aerosol relative to sodium with respect to seawater. In parallel, measurements of bromide trapped in mist chambers and denuder tubes were done to investigate the concentrations of gaseous inorganic bromine species. These data are compared to simulations done with an off-line chemistry transport model, coupled with a full tropospheric bromine chemistry scheme and a process-based sea-salt production module that includes both sea-ice-sourced and open-ocean-sourced aerosol emissions. Observed and simulated sea-salt concentrations sometime differ by up to a factor of 2 to 3, particularly at DDU possibly due to local wind pattern. In spite of these discrepancies, both at coastal and inland Antarctica, the dominance of sea-ice-related processes with respect to open ocean emissions for the sea-salt aerosol load in winter is confirmed. For summer, observations and simulations point out sea salt as the main source of gaseous inorganic bromine species. Investigations of bromide in snow pit samples do not support the importance of snowpack bromine emissions over the Antarctic Plateau. To evaluate the overall importance of the bromine chemistry over East Antarctica, BrO simulations were also discussed with respect data derived from GOME-2 satellite observations over Antarctica.

  17. Chlorination by-products in drinking water and menstrual cycle function.

    PubMed

    Windham, Gayle C; Waller, Kirsten; Anderson, Meredith; Fenster, Laura; Mendola, Pauline; Swan, Shanna

    2003-06-01

    We analyzed data from a prospective study of menstrual cycle function and early pregnancy loss to explore further the effects of trihalomethanes (THM) on reproductive end points. Premenopausal women ((italic)n(/italic) = 403) collected urine samples daily during an average of 5.6 cycles for measurement of steroid metabolites that were used to define menstrual parameters such as cycle and phase length. Women were asked about consumption of various types of water as well as other habits and demographics. A THM level was estimated for each cycle based on residence and quarterly measurements made by water utilities during a 90-day period beginning 60 days before the cycle start date. We found a monotonic decrease in mean cycle length with increasing total THM (TTHM) level; at > 60 microg/L, the adjusted decrement was 1.1 days [95% confidence interval (CI), -1.8 to -0.40], compared with less than or equal to 40 microg/L. This finding was also reflected as a reduced follicular phase length (difference -0.94 day; 95% CI, -1.6 to -0.24). A decrement in cycle and follicular phase length of 0.18 days (95% CI, -0.29 to -0.07) per 10 microg/L unit increase in TTHM concentration was found. There was little association with luteal phase length, menses length, or cycle variability. Examining the individual THMs by quartile, we found the greatest association with chlorodibromomethane or the sum of the brominated compounds. Incorporating tap water consumption showed a similar pattern of reduced cycle length with increasing TTHM exposure. These findings suggest that THM exposure may affect ovarian function and should be confirmed in other studies.

  18. Dissociation rate of bromine diatomics in an argon heat bath

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Razner, R.; Hopkins, D.

    1973-01-01

    The evolution of a collection of 300 K bromine diatomics embedded in a heat bath of argon atoms at 1800 K was studied by computer, and a dissociation-rate constant for the reaction Br2 + BR + Ar yields Br + Ar was determined. Previously published probability distributions for energy and angular momentum transfers in classical three-dimensional Br2-Ar collisions were used in conjunction with a newly developed Monte Carlo scheme for this purpose. Results are compared with experimental shock-tube data and the predictions of several other theoretical models. A departure from equilibrium is obtained which is significantly greater than that predicted by any of these other theories.

  19. Environmental analysis of higher brominated diphenyl ethers and decabromodiphenyl ethane.

    PubMed

    Kierkegaard, Amelie; Sellström, Ulla; McLachlan, Michael S

    2009-01-16

    Methods for environmental analysis of higher brominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), in particular decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE209), and the recently discovered environmental contaminant decabromodiphenyl ethane (deBDethane) are reviewed. The extensive literature on analysis of BDE209 has identified several critical issues, including contamination of the sample, degradation of the analyte during sample preparation and GC analysis, and the selection of appropriate detection methods and surrogate standards. The limited experience with the analysis of deBDethane suggests that there are many commonalities with BDE209. The experience garnered from the analysis of BDE209 over the last 15 years will greatly facilitate progress in the analysis of deBDethane.

  20. Experimental aspects of the thermochemical conversion of solar energy - Decarbonation of CaCO3

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Flamant, G.; Hernandez, D.; Bonet, C.; Traverse, J.-P.

    1980-01-01

    The feasibility of thermochemical conversion of concentrated solar energy is investigated. Consideration is given to heterogeneous systems in the range 500-1500 C. A reaction volume is on a laboratory scale about 30 cu cm. An experimental set-up selected is a fluid bed and a rotary kiln. An endothermal reaction, namely, decarbonation of CaCO3, is selected as a possible application for solar power plants.

  1. Chicago's Sanitary and Ship Canal sediment: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, brominated flame retardants, and organophosphate esters.

    PubMed

    Peverly, Angela A; O'Sullivan, Colin; Liu, Liang-Ying; Venier, Marta; Martinez, Andres; Hornbuckle, Keri C; Hites, Ronald A

    2015-09-01

    The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) links the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River starting in downtown Chicago. In addition to storm water, the CSSC receives water from Chicago's wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). Such effluents are known to be sources of organic pollutants to water and sediment. Therefore in 2013, we collected 10 sediment samples from the CSSC and measured the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), brominated flame retardants, and organophosphate esters (OPEs). Geometric mean concentrations of the summed concentrations of 16 PAHs ranged from 11,000 to 420,000 ng/g dw, with the highest concentrations located at each end of the canal. Total PCB concentrations had a geometric mean of 1,400 ± 500 ng/g dw. Brominated flame retardants were separated into two groups: polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and non-PBDEs. Concentrations of PBDEs and those of the non-PBDE flame retardants had a geometric average of 83 ± 19 and 7.0 ± 5.8 ng/g dw, respectively. The summed concentrations of 8 OPEs ranged from 470 to 2,800 ng/g dw, with the highest concentration detected at a site located downstream of the Stickney water reclamation plant. Using ANOVA results, some hypotheses on sources to the CSSC could be formulated: downtown Chicago is probably a source of PAHs, the Cal-Sag Channel may be a source of PCBs, and neither the WWTP nor the Cal-Sag Channel seem to be significant sources of brominated flame retardants or OPEs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Neurobehavioral function and low-level exposure to brominated flame retardants in adolescents: a cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Kiciński, Michał; Viaene, Mineke K; Den Hond, Elly; Schoeters, Greet; Covaci, Adrian; Dirtu, Alin C; Nelen, Vera; Bruckers, Liesbeth; Croes, Kim; Sioen, Isabelle; Baeyens, Willy; Van Larebeke, Nicolas; Nawrot, Tim S

    2012-11-14

    Animal and in vitro studies demonstrated a neurotoxic potential of brominated flame retardants, a group of chemicals used in many household and commercial products to prevent fire. Although the first reports of detrimental neurobehavioral effects in rodents appeared more than ten years ago, human data are sparse. As a part of a biomonitoring program for environmental health surveillance in Flanders, Belgium, we assessed the neurobehavioral function with the Neurobehavioral Evaluation System (NES-3), and collected blood samples in a group of high school students. Cross-sectional data on 515 adolescents (13.6-17 years of age) was available for the analysis. Multiple regression models accounting for potential confounders were used to investigate the associations between biomarkers of internal exposure to brominated flame retardants [serum levels of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners 47, 99, 100, 153, 209, hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA)] and cognitive performance. In addition, we investigated the association between brominated flame retardants and serum levels of FT3, FT4, and TSH. A two-fold increase of the sum of serum PBDE's was associated with a decrease of the number of taps with the preferred-hand in the Finger Tapping test by 5.31 (95% CI: 0.56 to 10.05, p = 0.029). The effects of the individual PBDE congeners on the motor speed were consistent. Serum levels above the level of quantification were associated with an average decrease of FT3 level by 0.18 pg/mL (95% CI: 0.03 to 0.34, p = 0.020) for PBDE-99 and by 0.15 pg/mL (95% CI: 0.004 to 0.29, p = 0.045) for PBDE-100, compared with concentrations below the level of quantification. PBDE-47 level above the level of quantification was associated with an average increase of TSH levels by 10.1% (95% CI: 0.8% to 20.2%, p = 0.033), compared with concentrations below the level of quantification. We did not observe effects of PBDE's on neurobehavioral domains other than the

  3. Characterization of Three Tetrabromobisphenol-S Derivatives in Mollusks from Chinese Bohai Sea: A Strategy for Novel Brominated Contaminants Identification

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Ai-Feng; Tian, Yong; Yin, Nuo-Ya; Yu, Miao; Qu, Guang-Bo; Shi, Jian-Bo; Du, Yu-Guo; Jiang, Gui-Bin

    2015-07-01

    Identification of novel brominated contaminants in the environment, especially the derivatives and byproducts of brominated flame retardants (BFRs), has become a wide concern because of their adverse effects on human health. Herein, we qualitatively and quantitatively identified three byproducts of tetrabromobisphenol-S bis(2,3-dibromopropyl ether) (TBBPS-BDBPE), including TBBPS mono(allyl ether) (TBBPS-MAE), TBBPS mono(2-bromoallyl ether) (TBBPS-MBAE) and TBBPS mono(2,3-dibromopropyl ether) (TBBPS-MDBPE) as novel brominated contaminants. Meanwhile, the mass spectra and analytical method for determination of TBBPS-BDBPE byproducts were presented for the first time. The detectable concentrations (dry weight) of TBBPS-MAE, TBBPS-MBAE and TBBPS-MDBPE were in the ranges 28-394 μg/g in technical TBBPS-BDBPE and 0.1-4.1 ng/g in mollusks collected from the Chinese Bohai Sea. The detection frequencies in mollusk samples were 5%, 39%, 95% for TBBPS-MAE, TBBPS-MBAE and TBBPS-MDBPE, respectively, indicating their prevailing in the environment. The results showed that they could be co-produced and leaked into the environment with production process, and might be more bioaccumulative and toxic than TBBPS-BDBPE. Therefore, the production and use of TBBPS derivatives lead to unexpected contamination to the surrounding environment. This study also provided an effective approach for identification of novel contaminants in the environment with synthesized standards and Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry.

  4. Thermo-Chemical Convection in Europa's Icy Shell with Salinity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Han, L.; Showman, A. P.

    2005-01-01

    Europa's icy surface displays numerous pits, uplifts, and chaos terrains that have been suggested to result from solid-state thermal convection in the ice shell, perhaps aided by partial melting. However, numerical simulations of thermal convection show that plumes have insufficient buoyancy to produce surface deformation. Here we present numerical simulations of thermochemical convection to test the hypothesis that convection with salinity can produce Europa's pits and domes. Our simulations show that domes (200-300 m) and pits (300-400 m) comparable to the observations can be produced in an ice shell of 15 km thick with 5-10% compositional density variation if the maximum viscosity is less than 10(exp 18) Pa sec. Additional information is included in the original extended abstract.

  5. Coupled thermo-chemical boundary conditions in double-diffusive geodynamo models at arbitrary Lewis numbers.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bouffard, M.

    2016-12-01

    Convection in the Earth's outer core is driven by the combination of two buoyancy sources: a thermal source directly related to the Earth's secular cooling, the release of latent heat and possibly the heat generated by radioactive decay, and a compositional source due to the crystallization of the growing inner core which releases light elements into the liquid outer core. The dynamics of fusion/crystallization being dependent on the heat flux distribution, the thermochemical boundary conditions are coupled at the inner core boundary which may affect the dynamo in various ways, particularly if heterogeneous conditions are imposed at one boundary. In addition, the thermal and compositional molecular diffusivities differ by three orders of magnitude. This can produce significant differences in the convective dynamics compared to pure thermal or compositional convection due to the potential occurence of double-diffusive phenomena. Traditionally, temperature and composition have been combined into one single variable called codensity under the assumption that turbulence mixes all physical properties at an "eddy-diffusion" rate. This description does not allow for a proper treatment of the thermochemical coupling and is certainly incorrect within stratified layers in which double-diffusive phenomena can be expected. For a more general and rigorous approach, two distinct transport equations should therefore be solved for temperature and composition. However, the weak compositional diffusivity is technically difficult to handle in current geodynamo codes and requires the use of a semi-Lagrangian description to minimize numerical diffusion. We implemented a "particle-in-cell" method into a geodynamo code to properly describe the compositional field. The code is suitable for High Parallel Computing architectures and was successfully tested on two benchmarks. Following the work by Aubert et al. (2008) we use this new tool to perform dynamo simulations including

  6. Brominated flame retardants in waste electrical and electronic equipment: substance flows in a recycling plant.

    PubMed

    Morf, Leo S; Tremp, Josef; Gloor, Rolf; Huber, Yvonne; Stengele, Markus; Zennegg, Markus

    2005-11-15

    Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are synthetic additives mainly used in electrical and electronic appliances and in construction materials. The properties of some BFRs are typical for persistent organic pollutants, and certain BFRs, in particular some polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), are suspected to cause adverse health effects. Global consumption of the most demanded BFRs, i.e., penta-, octa-, and decaBDE, tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), and HBCD, has doubled in the 1990s. Only limited and rather uncertain data are available regarding the occurrence of BFRs in consumer goods and waste fractions as well as regarding emissions during use and disposal. The knowledge of anthropogenic substance flows and stocks is essential for early recognition of environmental impacts and effective chemicals management. In this paper, actual levels of penta-, octa-, and decaBDE, TBBPA, and HBCD in waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) as a major carrier of BFRs are presented. These BFRs have been determined in products of a modern Swiss recycling plant applying gas chromatography/electron capture detection and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis. A substance flow analysis (SFA) technique has been used to characterize the flows of target substances in the recycling process from the bulk WEEE input into the output products. Average concentrations in small size WEEE, representing the relevant electric and electronic appliances in WEEE, sampled in 2003 amounted to 34 mg/kg for pentaBDE, 530 mg/kg for octaBDE, 510 mg/kg for decaBDE, 1420 mg/kg for TBBPA (as an additive), 17 mg/kg for HBCD, 5500 mg/kg for bromine, and 1700 mg/kg for antimony. In comparison to data that have been calculated by SFA for Switzerland from literature for the 1990s, these measured concentrations in small size WEEE were 7 times higher for pentaBDE, unexpectedly about 50% lower for decaBDE, and agreed fairly well for TBBPA (as an additive) and

  7. Turning manure into biochar through thermochemical conversion has the potential to become an exciting new way to handle waste

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The livestock sector remains vigilant to address effective manure treatment that also safeguards natural resources. Livestock operations must balance business concerns, efficient energy management and environmental stewardship. Fortunately, thermochemical conversion technologies for converting lives...

  8. PILOT-SCALE STUDIES ON THE EFFECT OF BROMINE ADDITION ON THE EMISSIONS OF CHLORINATED ORGANIC COMBUSTION BY-PRODUCTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The addition of brominated organic compounds to the feed of a pilot-scale incinerator burning chlorinated waste has been found previously, under some circumstances, to enhance emissions of volatile and semivolatile organic chlorinated products of incomplete combustion (PiCs) incl...

  9. COMPUTATIONAL INVESTIGATION OF CHEMICAL REACTIVITY IN RELATION TO BIOACTIVATION AND TOXICITY ACROSS CLASSES OF HALOORGANICS: BROMINATION VS. CHLORINATION

    EPA Science Inventory

    COMPUTATIONAL INVESTIGATION OF CHEMICAL REACTIVITY IN RELATION TO BIOACTIV A TION AND TOXICITY ACROSS CLASSES OF HALOORGANICS: BROMINATION VS. CHLORINATION.

    Halogenation is a common feature of many classes of environmental contaminants, and often plays a crucial role in po...

  10. Thermodynamics and performance of the Mg-H-F system for thermochemical energy storage applications.

    PubMed

    Tortoza, Mariana S; Humphries, Terry D; Sheppard, Drew A; Paskevicius, Mark; Rowles, Matthew R; Sofianos, M Veronica; Aguey-Zinsou, Kondo-Francois; Buckley, Craig E

    2018-01-24

    Magnesium hydride (MgH 2 ) is a hydrogen storage material that operates at temperatures above 300 °C. Unfortunately, magnesium sintering occurs above 420 °C, inhibiting its application as a thermal energy storage material. In this study, the substitution of fluorine for hydrogen in MgH 2 to form a range of Mg(H x F 1-x ) 2 (x = 1, 0.95, 0.85, 0.70, 0.50, 0) composites has been utilised to thermodynamically stabilise the material, so it can be used as a thermochemical energy storage material that can replace molten salts in concentrating solar thermal plants. These materials have been studied by in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, temperature-programmed-desorption mass spectrometry and Pressure-Composition-Isothermal (PCI) analysis. Thermal analysis has determined that the thermal stability of Mg-H-F solid solutions increases proportionally with fluorine content, with Mg(H 0.85 F 0.15 ) 2 having a maximum rate of H 2 desorption at 434 °C, with a practical hydrogen capacity of 4.6 ± 0.2 wt% H 2 (theoretical 5.4 wt% H 2 ). An extremely stable Mg(H 0.43 F 0.57 ) 2 phase is formed upon the decomposition of each Mg-H-F composition of which the remaining H 2 is not released until above 505 °C. PCI measurements of Mg(H 0.85 F 0.15 ) 2 have determined the enthalpy (ΔH des ) to be 73.6 ± 0.2 kJ mol -1 H 2 and entropy (ΔS des ) to be 131.2 ± 0.2 J K -1 mol -1 H 2 , which is slightly lower than MgH 2 with ΔH des of 74.06 kJ mol -1 H 2 and ΔS des = 133.4 J K -1 mol -1 H 2 . Cycling studies of Mg(H 0.85 F 0.15 ) 2 over six absorption/desorption cycles between 425 and 480 °C show an increased usable cycling temperature of ∼80 °C compared to bulk MgH 2 , increasing the thermal operating temperatures for technological applications.

  11. Bromine is an essential trace element for assembly of collagen IV scaffolds in tissue development and architecture

    PubMed Central

    McCall, A. Scott; Cummings, Christopher F.; Bhave, Gautam; Vanacore, Roberto; Page-McCaw, Andrea; Hudson, Billy G.

    2014-01-01

    Summary Bromine is ubiquitously present in animals as ionic bromide (Br−) yet has no known essential function. Herein, we demonstrate that Br− is a required cofactor for peroxidasin-catalyzed formation of sulfilimine crosslinks, a post-translational modification essential for tissue development and architecture found within the collagen IV scaffold of basement membranes (BMs). Bromide, converted to hypobromous acid, forms a bromosulfonium-ion intermediate that energetically selects for sulfilimine formation. Dietary Br-deficiency is lethal in Drosophila while Br-replenishment restores viability, demonstrating its physiologic requirement. Importantly, Br-deficient flies phenocopy the developmental and BM defects observed in peroxidasin mutants and indicate a functional connection between Br−, collagen IV, and peroxidasin. We establish that Br− is required for sulfilimine formation within collagen IV, an event critical for BM assembly and tissue development. Thus, bromine is an essential trace element for all animals and its deficiency may be relevant to BM alterations observed in nutritional and smoking related disease. PMID:24906154

  12. Electrospun Nafion ®/Polyphenylsulfone composite membranes for regenerative Hydrogen bromine fuel cells

    DOE PAGES

    Park, Jun; Wycisk, Ryszard; Pintauro, Peter N.; ...

    2016-02-29

    Here, the regenerative H 2/Br 2-HBr fuel cell, utilizing an oxidant solution of Br 2 in aqueous HBr, shows a number of benefits for grid-scale electricity storage. The membrane-electrode assembly, a key component of a fuel cell, contains a proton-conducting membrane, typically based on the perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) ionomer. Unfortunately, the high cost of PFSA membranes and their relatively high bromine crossover are serious drawbacks. Nanofiber composite membranes can overcome these limitations. In this work, composite membranes were prepared from electrospun dual-fiber mats containing Nafion ® PFSA ionomer for facile proton transport and an uncharged polymer, polyphenylsulfone (PPSU), for mechanicalmore » reinforcement, and swelling control. After electrospinning, Nafion/PPSU mats were converted into composite membranes by softening the PPSU fibers, through exposure to chloroform vapor, thus filling the voids between ionomer nanofibers. It was demonstrated that the relative membrane selectivity, referenced to Nafion ® 115, increased with increasing PPSU content, e.g., a selectivity of 11 at 25 vol% of Nafion fibers. H 2-Br 2 fuel cell power output with a 65 m thick membrane containing 55 vol% Nafion fibers was somewhat better than that of a 150 m Nafion ® 115 reference, but its cost advantage due to a four-fold decrease in PFSA content and a lower bromine species crossover make it an attractive candidate for use in H 2/Br 2-HBr systems.« less

  13. Brominated flame retardants and Dechloranes in European and American eels from glass to silver life stages.

    PubMed

    Sühring, Roxana; Byer, Jonathan; Freese, Marko; Pohlmann, Jan-Dag; Wolschke, Hendrik; Möller, Axel; Hodson, Peter V; Alaee, Mehran; Hanel, Reinhold; Ebinghaus, Ralf

    2014-12-01

    The populations of American (Anguilla rostrata) and European eels (Anguilla anguilla) have been declining rapidly in the last decades. Organic contaminants are suspected to be one of the possible causes for the decline; however, so far there have been few investigations of the uptake of specific compounds by different life cycle stages (e.g. freshwater or marine stage) and how the contamination patterns develop throughout the eel's life cycle. In the present study we measured concentrations of polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs), alternate brominated flame retardants (alternate BFRs) and Dechloranes (Decs) in different life stages of European and American eels to compare the contamination patterns and their development throughout the eel's life cycle. In general, concentrations of flame retardants (FRs) were similar to or higher in American than in European eels, and a greater number of FRs were detected. PBDE congeners that are characteristic of the Penta-PBDE formulation were the most abundant FRs in all adult eels as well as American glass eels. In European glass eels the alternate BFR 2,3-dibromopropyl-2,4,6-tribromophenylether (DPTE) and Dechlorane Plus were the dominating FRs, with average concentrations of 1.1±0.31 ng g(-1) ww and up to 0.32 ng g(-1) ww respectively. Of the PBDEs BDE-183 was the most abundant congener in European glass eels. Low concentrations (less than 10% of the total contamination) of Tetra and Penta-PBDEs in juvenile European eels indicated that bans of technical Penta-PBDE in the European Union are effective. Enrichment of PBDEs was observed over the life stages of both European and American eels. However, a greater relative contribution of PBDEs to the sum FR contamination in American eels indicated an on-going exposure to these substances. High contributions of alternate BFRs in juvenile eels indicated an increased use of these substances in recent years. Concentrations seemed to be driven primarily by location, rather than life

  14. Bromine Incorporation in Regulated and Emerging DBPs and the Relative Predominance of Mono-, Di-, and Trihalogenated DBPs (Proceedings Paper)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Previous research has shown that bromine incorporation into trihalogenated acetic acids (TXAAs) was similar to that of the trihalomethanes (THMs). Likewise, occurrence data for other trihalogenated DBPs (e.g., halonitromethanes [HNMs], haloacetaldehydes [HAs]) showed similar or ...

  15. Evaluation energy efficiency of bioconversion knot rejects to ethanol in comparison to other thermochemically pretreated biomass

    Treesearch

    Zhaojiang Wang; Menghua Qin; J.Y. Zhu; Guoyu Tian; Zongquan Li

    2013-01-01

    Rejects from sulfite pulp mill that otherwise would be disposed of by incineration were converted to ethanol by a combined physical–biological process that was comprised of physical refining and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). The energy efficiency was evaluated with comparison to thermochemically pretreated biomass, such as those pretreated by...

  16. Biochar potential evaluation of palm oil wastes through slow pyrolysis: Thermochemical characterization and pyrolytic kinetic studies.

    PubMed

    Lee, Xin Jiat; Lee, Lai Yee; Gan, Suyin; Thangalazhy-Gopakumar, Suchithra; Ng, Hoon Kiat

    2017-07-01

    This research investigated the potential of palm kernel shell (PKS), empty fruit bunch (EFB) and palm oil sludge (POS), abundantly available agricultural wastes, as feedstock for biochar production by slow pyrolysis (50mLmin -1 N 2 at 500°C). Various characterization tests were performed to establish the thermochemical properties of the feedstocks and obtained biochars. PKS and EFB had higher lignin, volatiles, carbon and HHV, and lower ash than POS. The thermochemical conversion had enhanced the biofuel quality of PKS-char and EFB-char exhibiting increased HHV (26.18-27.50MJkg -1 ) and fixed carbon (53.78-59.92%), and decreased moisture (1.03-2.26%). The kinetics of pyrolysis were evaluated by thermogravimetry at different heating rates (10-40°C). The activation energies determined by Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose and Flynn-Wall-Ozawa models were similar, and comparable with literature data. The findings implied that PKS and EFB are very promising sources for biochars synthesis, and the obtained chars possessed significant biofuel potential. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Inertial effects on thermochemically driven convection and hydromagnetic dynamos in a spherical shell

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Šimkanin, Ján; Kyselica, Juraj; Guba, Peter

    2018-03-01

    We investigate the thermochemical convection and hydromagnetic dynamos in a spherical shell using the so-called codensity formulation with different buoyancy sources: the secular cooling from the mantle, the buoyancy sources due to the solidification at the inner core boundary and the combination of the two sources. Numerical simulations of the fully non-linear problem are performed using the PARODY code. In the thermochemical regime, we find that when the Prandtl numbers are lower than Ekman numbers, inertial convection is preferred, while the large-scale columnar convection is preferred otherwise. Unlike the large-scale convection, the inertial convection is found to be almost independent of the nature of driving buoyancy source. Moreover, the codensity field evolves to a new, radially symmetric stationary state. At the Ekman numbers much smaller than the Prandtl numbers, we have obtained the westward equatorial zonal flow in the chemically driven regime, while for the other cases zonal flows are eastward near the equator. In the dynamo regime, inertial convection is preferred when the Prandtl numbers are lower than Ekman numbers and the generated dipolar magnetic fields oscillate from the polar region to the mid-latitudes and back. In this case, the generated magnetic fields are independent of the type of buoyancy source. At the Prandtl numbers greater than Ekman numbers, both dipolar and hemispherical dynamos are found.

  18. Analysis of Bromination of Ethylbenzene Using a 45 MHz NMR Spectrometer: An Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory Experiment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Isaac-Lam, Meden F.

    2014-01-01

    A 45 MHz benchtop NMR spectrometer is used to identify the structures and determine the amount of 1-bromoethylbenzene and 1,1-dibromoethylbenzene produced from free-radical bromination of ethylbenzene. The experiment is designed for nonchemistry majors, specifically B.S. Biology students, in a predominantly undergraduate institution with…

  19. Brominated plastic equation of state measurements using laser driven shocks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Koenig, M.; Benuzzi, A.; Faral, B.; Krishnan, J.; Boudenne, J. M.; Jalinaud, T.; Rémond, C.; Decoster, A.; Batani, D.; Beretta, D.; Hall, T. A.

    1998-03-01

    In order for brominated plastic (CHBr) to be used in future large lasers, such as the National Ignition Facility, capsule design, and equation of state (EOS) data are needed to address uncertainties in modeling. We have performed CHBr EOS measurements using the impedance matching technique. Laser beams spatially smoothed, and giving a spot size of 400 μm and intensities ⩽5×1013W/cm2, produced high-quality shock waves allowing the simultaneous measurements of the shock velocities in two materials, one used as reference. Results are compared to other experiments and to EOS calculations. We obtained very good agreement with the theoretical curve for pressures ranging from 1 to 3 Mbar.

  20. Development of a noncompetitive phage anti-immunocomplex assay for brominated diphenyl ether 47

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Hee-Joo; Rossotti, Martin A.; Ahn, Ki Chang; González-Sapienza, Gualberto G.; Gee, Shirley J.; Musker, Ruthie; Hammock, Bruce D.

    2010-01-01

    We present a new application of the noncompetitive phage anti-immunocomplex assay (PHAIA) by converting an existing competitive assay to a versatile noncompetitive sandwich-type format using immunocomplex binding phage-borne peptides to detect the brominated flame retardant, brominated diphenyl ether 47 (BDE 47). Three phage-displayed 9-mer disulfide-constrained peptides that recognize the BDE 47–polyclonal antibody immunocomplex were isolated. The resulting PHAIAs showed variable sensitivities, and the most sensitive peptide had a dose–response curve with an SC50 (concentration of analyte producing 50% saturation of the signal) of 0.7 ng/ml BDE 47 and a linear range of 0.3–2 ng/ml, which was nearly identical to the best heterologous competitive format (IC50 of 1.8 ng/ml, linear range of 0.4–8.5/ml). However, the PHAIA was 1400-fold better than homologous competitive assay. The validation of the PHAIA with extracts of house furniture foam as well as human and calf sera spiked with BDE 47 showed overall recovery of 80–113%. The PHAIA was adapted to a dipstick format (limit of detection of 3.0 ng/ml), and a blind test with six random extracts of local house furniture foams showed that the results of the PHAIA and dipstick assay were consistent, giving the same positive and negative detection. PMID:20152791

  1. Regenerative Carbonate-Based Thermochemical Energy Storage System for Concentrating Solar Power

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gangwal, Santosh; Muto, Andrew

    Southern Research has developed a thermochemical energy storage (TCES) technology that utilizes the endothermic-exothermic reversible carbonation of calcium oxide (lime) to store thermal energy at high-temperatures, such as those achieved by next generation concentrating solar power (CSP) facilities. The major challenges addressed in the development of this system include refining a high capacity, yet durable sorbent material and designing a low thermal resistance low-cost heat exchanger reactor system to move heat between the sorbent and a heat transfer fluid under conditions relevant for CSP operation (e.g., energy density, reaction kinetics, heat flow). The proprietary stabilized sorbent was developed by Precisionmore » Combustion, Inc. (PCI). A factorial matrix of sorbent compositions covering the design space was tested using accelerated high throughput screening in a thermo-gravimetric analyzer. Several promising formulations were selected for more thorough evaluation and one formulation with high capacity (0.38 g CO 2/g sorbent) and durability (>99.7% capacity retention over 100 cycles) was chosen as a basis for further development of the energy storage reactor system. In parallel with this effort, a full range of currently available commercial and developmental heat exchange reactor systems and sorbent loading methods were examined through literature research and contacts with commercial vendors. Process models were developed to examine if a heat exchange reactor system and balance of plant can meet required TCES performance and cost targets, optimizing tradeoffs between thermal performance, exergetic efficiency, and cost. Reactor types evaluated included many forms, from microchannel reactor, to diffusion bonded heat exchanger, to shell and tube heat exchangers. The most viable design for application to a supercritical CO 2 power cycle operating at 200-300 bar pressure and >700°C was determined to be a combination of a diffusion bonded heat exchanger

  2. Small mammal populations in Maryland meadows during four years of herbicide (brominal®) applications

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Clark, D.R.; Moulton, C.A.; Hines, J.E.; Hoffman, D.J.

    1996-01-01

    The herbicide Brominal® was applied at the recommended rate to one plot in each of three paired 0.6-ha plots; the other three plots were used as controls. Plots were sprayed once in the fall of 1988 and 1989 and twice in the spring of 1990 and 1991. Small mammals were trapped three times during each activity season (April-October) to obtain population estimates before and after spraying and in the spring preceding fall spraying or the fall following spring spraying. Population estimates immediately after spraying gave no evidence of direct mortality. By 1991, dicot vegetation on treated plots was suppressed and mean numbers of meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) were less than on control plots. Because meadow voles favor dicots over monocots in their diet, reduced availability of dicots may have been related to the smaller vole population estimates. Species diversity of small mammals was negatively correlated with size of vole populations, but was not different between treated and control plots. Brominal apparently induced opaque corneas in nine voles. The condition was found in two voles too small to have been conceived at the time of the last previous spray nearly 8 months earlier, suggesting exposure to residue alone.

  3. Dissolution of brominated epoxy resins by dimethyl sulfoxide to separate waste printed circuit boards.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Ping; Chen, Yan; Wang, Liangyou; Qian, Guangren; Zhang, Wei Jie; Zhou, Ming; Zhou, Jin

    2013-03-19

    Improved methods are required for the recycling of waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs). In this study, WPCBs (1-1.5 cm(2)) were separated into their components using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) at 60 °C for 45 min and a metallographic microscope was used to verify their delamination. An increased incubation time of 210 min yielded a complete separation of WPCBs into their components, and copper foils and glass fibers were obtained. The separation time decreased with increasing temperature. When the WPCB size was increased to 2-3 cm(2), the temperature required for complete separation increased to 90 °C. When the temperature was increased to 135 °C, liquid photo solder resists could be removed from the copper foil surfaces. The DMSO was regenerated by rotary decompression evaporation, and residues were obtained. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermal analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to verify that these residues were brominated epoxy resins. From FT-IR analysis after the dissolution of brominated epoxy resins in DMSO it was deduced that hydrogen bonding may play an important role in the dissolution mechanism. This novel technology offers a method for separating valuable materials and preventing environmental pollution from WPCBs.

  4. Levels and distribution of brominated flame retardants in the soil of Harbin in China.

    PubMed

    Wang, Xu; Ren, Nanqi; Qi, Hong; Ma, Wanli; Li, Yifan

    2009-01-01

    This study reports the presence of brominated flame retardants in the topsoil in and around Harbin, a city in northeastern China. Samples of soil were collected from 17 locations in 2006, and the levels of 9 polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs 17, 28, 47, 66, 99, 100, 153, 154, and 183) ranged from 2.45 to 55.9 pg/g dry weight (dw) with a mean of 26.3 pg/g dw. These levels are very low comparing with those for some cities in Europe and USA. BDE 209 and hexabromocyclododecane were the two dominant congeners, with mean concentrations of 520 pg/g dw and 1750 pg/g dw, respectively. The concentrations of the total nine PBDE congeners clearly decreased from urban areas to background, but the compositions of individual congeners differed. Proportions of heavier congeners decreased while those of lighter congeners increased, along urban-rural-background transect, providing evidence for an urban fractionation effect. Correlation analysis indicated similar sources for PBDEs, hexabromocyclododecane, and 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)-ethane from urban areas but pentabromoethylbenzene was probably present due to long-range atmospheric transport. Principal component analysis was used to determine the characteristics of the relationships among these brominated flame retardants in the field.

  5. Synthesis of brominated acenaphthylenes and their flame-retardant effects on ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Morita, Y.; Hagiwara, M.

    1982-09-01

    Bromoacenaphthylenes and their condensates as flame-retardant reagents were synthesized by bromination of acenaphthylene using ZnCl/sub 2/ - CF/sub 3/COOH or FeCl/sub 3/ as catalysts and subsequent dehydrobromination. The chief components were identified as bromoacenaphthylene monomers when ZnCl/sub 2/ - CF/sub 3/COOH were used, and as their condensates (mostly trimers) in the case of FeCl/sub 3/. Their performance as flame-retardant reagents for ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM) was evaluated by measuring the oxygen index of finished compounds, and flammability by a vertical flammability test based on UL-94-VO. Both the monomers and the condensates demonstrated high flame-retardant effectiveness. The high efficiency was attributed tomore » their excellent dispersity in the base polymer and their characteristic thermal decomposition behavior. In thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), they decomposed in a very wide range of temperature (ca.200-560/sup 0/C), which covers the decomposition range of EPDM. This was attributed to the existence of bromines of different thermal stabilities in one molecule. This paper is a part of a series of studies to develop new flame retardants which can give high flame retardancy as well as stabilty against ionizing radiation to EPDM.« less

  6. Formation of brominated phenolic contaminants from natural manganese oxides-catalyzed oxidation of phenol in the presence of Br(.).

    PubMed

    Lin, Kunde; Song, Lianghui; Zhou, Shiyang; Chen, Da; Gan, Jay

    2016-07-01

    Brominated phenolic compounds (BPCs) are a class of persistent and potentially toxic compounds ubiquitously present in the aquatic environment. However, the origin of BPCs is not clearly understood. In this study, we investigated the formation of BPCs from natural manganese oxides (MnOx)-catalyzed oxidation of phenol in the presence of Br(-). Experiments at ambient temperature clearly demonstrated that BPCs were readily produced via the oxidation of phenol by MnOx in the presence of Br(-). In the reaction of MnOx sand with 0.213 μmol/L phenol and 0.34 mmol/L Br(-) for 10 min, more than 60% of phenol and 56% of Br(-) were consumed to form BPCs. The yield of BPCs increased with increasing concentrations of phenol and Br(-). Overall, a total of 14 BPCs including simple bromophenols (4-bromophenol, 2,4-dibromophenol, and 2,4,6-tribromophenol), hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (OH-PBDEs), and hydroxylated polybrominated biphenyls (OH-PBBs) were identified. The production of BPCs increased with increasing concentrations of Br(-) or phenol. It was deduced that Br(-) was first oxidized to form active bromine, leading to the subsequent bromination of phenol to form bromophenols. The further oxidation of bromophenols by MnOx resulted in the formation of OH-PBDEs and OH-PBBs. In view of the ubiquity of phenol, Br(-), and MnOx in the environment, MnOx-mediated oxidation may play a role on the natural production of BPCs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Characterization of Three Tetrabromobisphenol-S Derivatives in Mollusks from Chinese Bohai Sea: A Strategy for Novel Brominated Contaminants Identification

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Ai-feng; Tian, Yong; Yin, Nuo-ya; Yu, Miao; Qu, Guang-bo; Shi, Jian-bo; Du, Yu-guo; Jiang, Gui-bin

    2015-01-01

    Identification of novel brominated contaminants in the environment, especially the derivatives and byproducts of brominated flame retardants (BFRs), has become a wide concern because of their adverse effects on human health. Herein, we qualitatively and quantitatively identified three byproducts of tetrabromobisphenol-S bis(2,3-dibromopropyl ether) (TBBPS-BDBPE), including TBBPS mono(allyl ether) (TBBPS-MAE), TBBPS mono(2-bromoallyl ether) (TBBPS-MBAE) and TBBPS mono(2,3-dibromopropyl ether) (TBBPS-MDBPE) as novel brominated contaminants. Meanwhile, the mass spectra and analytical method for determination of TBBPS-BDBPE byproducts were presented for the first time. The detectable concentrations (dry weight) of TBBPS-MAE, TBBPS-MBAE and TBBPS-MDBPE were in the ranges 28–394 μg/g in technical TBBPS-BDBPE and 0.1–4.1 ng/g in mollusks collected from the Chinese Bohai Sea. The detection frequencies in mollusk samples were 5%, 39%, 95% for TBBPS-MAE, TBBPS-MBAE and TBBPS-MDBPE, respectively, indicating their prevailing in the environment. The results showed that they could be co-produced and leaked into the environment with production process, and might be more bioaccumulative and toxic than TBBPS-BDBPE. Therefore, the production and use of TBBPS derivatives lead to unexpected contamination to the surrounding environment. This study also provided an effective approach for identification of novel contaminants in the environment with synthesized standards and Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry. PMID:26130450

  8. Bromination of Aromatic Compounds by Residual Bromide in Sodium Chloride Matrix Modifier Salt During Heated Headspace GC/MS Analysis

    EPA Science Inventory

    Analytical artifacts attributed to the bromination of toluene, xylenes, and trimethylbenzenes were found during the heated headspace gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of aqueous samples. The aqueous samples were produced from Fenton-like chemical oxidation rea...

  9. Rapid Formation of Molecular Bromine from Deliquesced NaBr Aerosol in the Presence of Ozone and UV Light

    EPA Science Inventory

    The formation of gas-phase bromine from aqueous sodium bromide aerosols is investigated through a combination of chamber experiments and chemical kinetics modeling. Experiments show that Br2(g) is produced rapidly from deliquesced NaBr aerosols in the presence of OH radicals prod...

  10. Neurobehavioral function and low-level exposure to brominated flame retardants in adolescents: a cross-sectional study

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Animal and in vitro studies demonstrated a neurotoxic potential of brominated flame retardants, a group of chemicals used in many household and commercial products to prevent fire. Although the first reports of detrimental neurobehavioral effects in rodents appeared more than ten years ago, human data are sparse. Methods As a part of a biomonitoring program for environmental health surveillance in Flanders, Belgium, we assessed the neurobehavioral function with the Neurobehavioral Evaluation System (NES-3), and collected blood samples in a group of high school students. Cross-sectional data on 515 adolescents (13.6-17 years of age) was available for the analysis. Multiple regression models accounting for potential confounders were used to investigate the associations between biomarkers of internal exposure to brominated flame retardants [serum levels of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners 47, 99, 100, 153, 209, hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA)] and cognitive performance. In addition, we investigated the association between brominated flame retardants and serum levels of FT3, FT4, and TSH. Results A two-fold increase of the sum of serum PBDE’s was associated with a decrease of the number of taps with the preferred-hand in the Finger Tapping test by 5.31 (95% CI: 0.56 to 10.05, p = 0.029). The effects of the individual PBDE congeners on the motor speed were consistent. Serum levels above the level of quantification were associated with an average decrease of FT3 level by 0.18 pg/mL (95% CI: 0.03 to 0.34, p = 0.020) for PBDE-99 and by 0.15 pg/mL (95% CI: 0.004 to 0.29, p = 0.045) for PBDE-100, compared with concentrations below the level of quantification. PBDE-47 level above the level of quantification was associated with an average increase of TSH levels by 10.1% (95% CI: 0.8% to 20.2%, p = 0.033), compared with concentrations below the level of quantification. We did not observe effects of

  11. Multiscale modeling and experimental interpretation of perovskite oxide materials in thermochemical energy storage and conversion for application in concentrating solar power

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Albrecht, Kevin J.

    Decarbonization of the electric grid is fundamentally limited by the intermittency of renewable resources such as wind and solar. Therefore, energy storage will play a significant role in the future of grid-scale energy generation to overcome the intermittency issues. For this reason, concentrating solar power (CSP) plants have been a renewable energy generation technology of interest due to their ability to participate in cost effective and efficient thermal energy storage. However, the ability to dynamically dispatch a CSP plant to meet energy demands is currently limited by the large quantities of sensible thermal energy storage material needed in a molten salt plant. Perovskite oxides have been suggested as a thermochemical energy storage material to enhance the energy storage capabilities of particle-based CSP plants, which combine sensible and chemical modes of energy storage. In this dissertation, computational models are used to establish the thermochemical energy storage potential of select perovskite compositions, identify system configurations that promote high values of energy storage and solar-to-electric efficiency, assess the kinetic and transport limitation of the chemical mode of energy storage, and create receiver and reoxidation reactor models capable of aiding in component design. A methodology for determining perovskite thermochemical energy storage potential is developed based on point defect models to represent perovskite non-stoichiometry as a function of temperature and gas phase oxygen partial pressure. The thermodynamic parameters necessary for the model are extracted from non-stoichiometry measurements by fitting the model using an optimization routine. The procedure is demonstrated for Ca0.9Sr0.1MnO 3-d which displayed combined energy storage values of 705.7 kJ/kg -1 by cycling between 773 K and 0.21 bar oxygen to 1173 K and 10 -4 bar oxygen. Thermodynamic system-level models capable of exploiting perovskite redox chemistry for energy

  12. The Conceptual Design of an Integrated Nuclearhydrogen Production Plant Using the Sulfur Cycle Water Decomposition System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Farbman, G. H.

    1976-01-01

    A hydrogen production plant was designed based on a hybrid electrolytic-thermochemical process for decomposing water. The sulfur cycle water decomposition system is driven by a very high temperature nuclear reactor that provides 1,283 K helium working gas. The plant is sized to approximately ten million standard cubic meters per day of electrolytically pure hydrogen and has an overall thermal efficiently of 45.2 percent. The economics of the plant were evaluated using ground rules which include a 1974 cost basis without escalation, financing structure and other economic factors. Taking into account capital, operation, maintenance and nuclear fuel cycle costs, the cost of product hydrogen was calculated at $5.96/std cu m for utility financing. These values are significantly lower than hydrogen costs from conventional water electrolysis plants and competitive with hydrogen from coal gasification plants.

  13. Doped calcium manganites for advanced high-temperature thermochemical energy storage

    DOE PAGES

    Babiniec, Sean M.; Coker, Eric N.; Miller, James E.; ...

    2015-12-16

    Developing efficient thermal storage for concentrating solar power plants is essential to reducing the cost of generated electricity, extending or shifting the hours of operation, and facilitating renewable penetration into the grid. Perovskite materials of the CaB xMn 1-xO 3-δ family, where B = Al or Ti, promise improvements in cost and energy storage density over other perovskites currently under investigation. Thermogravimetric analysis of the thermal reduction and reoxidation of these materials was used to extract equilibrium thermodynamic parameters. Lastly, the results demonstrate that these novel thermochemical energy storage media display the highest reaction enthalpy capacity for perovskites reported tomore » date, with a reaction enthalpy of 390 kJ/kg, a 56% increase over previously reported compositions.« less

  14. Occurrence of PBDEs and other alternative brominated flame retardants in sludge from wastewater treatment plants in Korea.

    PubMed

    Lee, Sunggyu; Song, Geum-Ju; Kannan, Kurunthachalam; Moon, Hyo-Bang

    2014-02-01

    Studies on the occurrence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and other alternative brominated flame retardants in the environment are scarce. In this study, PBDEs and non-PBDE brominated flame retardants (NBFRs), including decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) and 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane (BTBPE), were measured in sludge collected from three types of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Korea. Total concentrations of PBDEs (∑PBDE) in sludge ranged from 298 to 48,000 (mean: 3240) ng/g dry weight. Among 10 NBFRs analyzed, DBDPE and BTBPE were the only ones detected in sludge samples. Concentrations of DBDPE and BTBPE ranged from 1) of DBDPE/BDE 209 were found in sludge from I-WWTPs, reflecting a shift in the usage pattern of BFRs by the Korean industry. The nationwide annual emission fluxes of ∑PBDE, DBDPE and BTBPE via WWTPs to the environment were estimated to be 7400, 480, and 3.7 kg/year, respectively. This is the first study on the occurrence of alternative brominated flame retardants in sludge from Korea. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Surface Engineering of Bromine-Based Plasma Polymer Films: A Step toward High Thiol Density Containing Organic Coatings.

    PubMed

    Thiry, Damien; Pouyanne, Matthias; Cossement, Damien; Hemberg, Axel; Snyders, Rony

    2018-06-18

    Nowadays, the development of synthetic methods regarding the fabrication of -SH containing organic coatings continues to attract a considerable attention. Among the potential techniques, the plasma polymerization appears as one of the most promising method but the difficulty to control the chemical composition of the layers is highly limiting. In this context, in this work, we report on an original method combining dry and wet chemistry approaches in view of selectively incorporating -SH functions in organic coatings. Our strategy is based on the (i) synthesis of a bromine-containing plasma polymer film, followed by (ii) a selective grafting of dithiol-based molecule on C-Br bond. Investigating the plasma polymerization process has revealed that, in our experimental window, the load of energy in the discharge has little influence on the chemical composition as well as on the cross-linking degree of the layers. This behavior is explained by considering the concomitant influence of the gas-phase reactions and the supply of energy to the growing film through ion bombardment. With regard to the functionalization strategy, based on comparative X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements, it has been unambiguously demonstrated that a selective reaction between propanedithiol and the C-Br bond acting as the reactive center takes place resulting in the removing of the bromine atom and the incorporation of -SH groups in the PPF. Depending on the grafting reaction duration, the relative proportion of carbon bearing the -SH group is found to evolve from 4 to 6%. On the other hand, the dissolution of unbounded bromine-based species in the liquid medium during the grafting procedure is also evidenced. The whole set of our results clearly demonstrates the attractiveness of our strategy paving the way for new development in the fabrication of -SH-rich-containing organic thin films.

  16. Bromine release during Plinian eruptions along the Central American Volcanic Arc

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hansteen, T. H.; Kutterolf, S.; Appel, K.; Freundt, A.; Perez-Fernandez, W.; Wehrmann, H.

    2010-12-01

    Volcanoes of the Central American Volcanic Arc (CAVA) have produced at least 72 highly explosive eruptions within the last 200 ka. The eruption columns of all these “Plinian” eruptions reached well into the stratosphere such that their released volatiles may have influenced atmospheric chemistry and climate. While previous research has focussed on the sulfur and chlorine emissions during such large eruptions, we here present measurements of the heavy halogen bromine by means of synchrotron radiation induced micro-XRF microanalysis (SR-XRF) with typical detection limits at 0.3 ppm (in Fe rich standard basalt ML3B glass). Spot analyses of pre-eruptive glass inclusions trapped in minerals formed in magma reservoirs were compared with those in matrix glasses of the tephras, which represent the post-eruptive, degassed concentrations. The concentration difference between inclusions and matrix glasses, multiplied by erupted magma mass determined by extensive field mapping, yields estimates of the degassed mass of bromine. Br is probably hundreds of times more effective in destroying ozone than Cl, and can accumulate in the stratosphere over significant time scales. Melt inclusions representing deposits of 22 large eruptions along the CAVA have Br contents between 0.5 and 13 ppm. Br concentrations in matrix glasses are nearly constant at 0.4 to 1.5 ppm. However, Br concentrations and Cl/Br ratios vary along the CAVA. The highest values of Br contents (>8 ppm) and lowest Cl/Br ratios (170 to 600) in melt inclusions occur across central Nicaragua and southern El Salvador, and correlate with bulk-rock compositions of high Ba/La > 85 as well as low La/Yb <5. Thus we observe the maximum magmatic Br-concentrations in the segements of the arc. where the input of sediment and water into the subduction system is largest and the melting column is longest. The largest eruptive emissions of Br into the atmosphere, however, occurred in Guatemala due to the large magnitude of

  17. Theoretical performance of hydrogen-bromine rechargeable SPE fuel cell. [Solid Polymer Electrolyte

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Savinell, R. F.; Fritts, S. D.

    1988-01-01

    A mathematical model was formulated to describe the performance of a hydrogen-bromine fuel cell. Porous electrode theory was applied to the carbon felt flow-by electrode and was coupled to theory describing the solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) system. Parametric studies using the numerical solution to this model were performed to determine the effect of kinetic, mass transfer, and design parameters on the performance of the fuel cell. The results indicate that the cell performance is most sensitive to the transport properties of the SPE membrane. The model was also shown to be a useful tool for scale-up studies.

  18. An efficient and fast analytical procedure for the bromine determination in waste electrical and electronic equipment plastics.

    PubMed

    Taurino, R; Cannio, M; Mafredini, T; Pozzi, P

    2014-01-01

    In this study, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy was used, in combination with micro-Raman spectroscopy, for a fast determination of bromine concentration and then of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) compounds in waste electrical and electronic equipments. Different samples from different recycling industries were characterized to evaluate the sorting performances of treatment companies. This investigation must be considered of prime research interest since the impact of BFRs on the environment and their potential risk on human health is an actual concern. Indeed, the new European Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS 2011/65/EU) demands that plastics with BFRs concentration above 0.1%, being potential health hazards, are identified and eliminated from the recycling process. Our results show the capability and the potential of Raman spectroscopy, together with XRF analysis, as effective tools for the rapid detection of BFRs in plastic materials. In particular, the use of these two techniques in combination can be considered as a promising method suitable for quality control applications in the recycling industry.

  19. Development of a practical photochemical energy storage system. Quarterly report. [Interconversion between norbornadiene and quadricyclene for thermochemical heat storage

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hautala, R.R.; Kutal, C.R.

    1977-06-15

    Research on polymeric organic sensitizers and polymeric inorganic sensitizers for the conversion of norbornadine to quadricyclene and catalysts for the conversion of quadricyclene to norbornadine is described. The interconversion of norbornadine and quadricyclene is studied for its possible use for thermochemical solar energy storage. (WHK)

  20. The effect of brominated flame retardants on neurotransmitter uptake into rat brain synaptosomes and vesicles.

    PubMed

    Mariussen, Espen; Fonnum, Frode

    2003-01-01

    The environmental levels of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are increasing, but little is known about their toxic effects. In this paper, we show that some of the most important BFRs in commercial use today, have a neurotoxicological potential. Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA) inhibit plasma membrane uptake of the neurotransmitters dopamine, glutamate and gamma-amino-n-butyric acid (GABA) at a concentration level similar to what previously found for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and even for ecstasy. The IC(50) value for HBCD on dopamine uptake was 4 microM, and the IC(50) values for TBBPA were 9, 6 and 16 microM for dopamine, glutamate and GABA, respectively. HBCD also inhibited glutamate uptake at low concentrations, but never achieved more than 50% inhibition. The inhibition was primarily due to their effect on the membrane potential, measured by the membrane potential marker tetraphenylphosphonium bromide (TPP(+)). Other brominated flame retardants such as octaBDE and decaBDE did not have any effects on uptake. TBBPA, HBCD and even the pentabrominated diphenylether mixture (pentaBDE, DE-71, Great Lakes) also inhibited the vesicular uptake of dopamine with an IC(50) value of 3, 3 and 8 microM, respectively. The neurotoxicological consequences of these findings for environmental contaminants such as BFRs and PCBs are discussed.

  1. Material Analysis of Coated Siliconized Silicon Carbide (SiSiC) Honeycomb Structures for Thermochemical Hydrogen Production

    PubMed Central

    Neises-von Puttkamer, Martina; Simon, Heike; Schmücker, Martin; Roeb, Martin; Sattler, Christian; Pitz-Paal, Robert

    2013-01-01

    In the present work, thermochemical water splitting with siliconized silicon carbide (SiSiC) honeycombs coated with a zinc ferrite redox material was investigated. The small scale coated monoliths were tested in a laboratory test-rig and characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with corresponding micro analysis after testing in order to characterize the changes in morphology and composition. Comparison of several treated monoliths revealed the formation of various reaction products such as SiO2, zircon (ZrSiO4), iron silicide (FeSi) and hercynite (FeAl2O4) indicating the occurrence of various side reactions between the different phases of the coating as well as between the coating and the SiSiC substrate. The investigations showed that the ferrite is mainly reduced through reaction with silicon (Si), which is present in the SiSiC matrix, and silicon carbide (SiC). These results led to the formulation of a new redox mechanism for this system in which Zn-ferrite is reduced through Si forming silicon dioxide (SiO2) and through SiC forming SiO2 and carbon monoxide. A decline of hydrogen production within the first 20 cycles is suggested to be due to the growth of a silicon dioxide and zircon layer which acts as a diffusion barrier for the reacting specie. PMID:28809316

  2. Material Analysis of Coated Siliconized Silicon Carbide (SiSiC) Honeycomb Structures for Thermochemical Hydrogen Production.

    PubMed

    Neises-von Puttkamer, Martina; Simon, Heike; Schmücker, Martin; Roeb, Martin; Sattler, Christian; Pitz-Paal, Robert

    2013-01-31

    In the present work, thermochemical water splitting with siliconized silicon carbide (SiSiC) honeycombs coated with a zinc ferrite redox material was investigated. The small scale coated monoliths were tested in a laboratory test-rig and characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with corresponding micro analysis after testing in order to characterize the changes in morphology and composition. Comparison of several treated monoliths revealed the formation of various reaction products such as SiO₂, zircon (ZrSiO₄), iron silicide (FeSi) and hercynite (FeAl₂O₄) indicating the occurrence of various side reactions between the different phases of the coating as well as between the coating and the SiSiC substrate. The investigations showed that the ferrite is mainly reduced through reaction with silicon (Si), which is present in the SiSiC matrix, and silicon carbide (SiC). These results led to the formulation of a new redox mechanism for this system in which Zn-ferrite is reduced through Si forming silicon dioxide (SiO₂) and through SiC forming SiO₂ and carbon monoxide. A decline of hydrogen production within the first 20 cycles is suggested to be due to the growth of a silicon dioxide and zircon layer which acts as a diffusion barrier for the reacting specie.

  3. Rubber-toughened polyfunctional epoxies - Brominated vs nonbrominated formulated for graphite composites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nir, Z.; Gilwee, W. J.; Kourtides, D. A.; Parker, J. A.

    1983-01-01

    A new, commercially available, trifunctional epoxy resin (tris-(hydroxyphenyl)-methane triglycidyl ether) was modified with synthetic rubber to increase the impact resistance of epoxy/graphite composites. These composites were reinforced with commercially available satin-weave carbon cloth using two formulations of epoxies (brominated and nonbrominated) containing various amounts of carboxy-terminated butadience acrylonitrile (CTBN) rubber that had been prereacted with epoxy resin. The impact resistance was determined by measuring the interlaminar shear strength of the composites after impact. The mechanical properties, such as flexural strength and modulus at room temperature and at 93 C, were also determined. Measurements were taken of the flammability and glass transition temperature (Tg); and a thermal-gravimetric analysis was made.

  4. Are individual NOEC levels safe for mixtures? A study on mixture toxicity of brominated flame-retardants in the copepod Nitocra spinipes.

    PubMed

    Breitholtz, Magnus; Nyholm, Jenny Rattfelt; Karlsson, Jenny; Andersson, Patrik L

    2008-07-01

    In aquatic ecosystems organisms are exposed to mixtures of pollutants. Still, risk assessment focuses almost exclusively on effect characterization of individual substances. The main objective of the current study was therefore to study mixture toxicity of a common group of industrial substances, i.e., brominated flame-retardants (BFRs), in the harpacticoid copepod Nitocra spinipes. Initially, 10 BFRs with high hydrophobicity but otherwise varying chemical characteristics were selected based on multivariate chemical characterization and tested individually for effects on mortality and development using a partial life cycle test (six days) where silica gel is used as a carrier of the hydrophobic substances. Based on these findings, six of the 10 BFRs were mixed in a series of NOEC proportions (which were set to 0.008, 0.04, 0.2, 1, and five times the NOEC concentrations for each individual BFR), loaded on silica gel and tested in a full life cycle test (26 days). Significantly increased mortality was observed in N. spinipes after six and 26 days exposure at a NOEC proportion that equals the NOEC LDR value (x1) for each BFR in the mixture (p=0.0015 and p=0.0105, respectively). At the NOECx5 proportion all animals were dead. None of the other NOEC proportions caused significant negative responses related to development and reproduction. This shows that low concentrations of individual substances can cause toxicity if exposed in mixtures, which highlights the need to consider mixture toxicity to a greater extent in regulatory work.

  5. Development of life cycle water footprints for the production of fuels and chemicals from algae biomass.

    PubMed

    Nogueira Junior, Edson; Kumar, Mayank; Pankratz, Stan; Oyedun, Adetoyese Olajire; Kumar, Amit

    2018-09-01

    This study develops life cycle water footprints for the production of fuels and chemicals via thermochemical conversion of algae biomass. This study is based on two methods of feedstock production - ponds and photobioreactors (PBRs) - and four conversion pathways - fast pyrolysis, hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), conventional gasification, and hydrothermal gasification (HTG). The results show the high fresh water requirement for algae production and the necessity to recycle harvested water or use alternative water sources. To produce 1 kg of algae through ponds, 1564 L of water are required. When PBRs are used, only 372 L water are required; however, the energy requirements for PBRs are about 30 times higher than for ponds. From a final product perspective, the pathway based on the gasification of algae biomass was the thermochemical conversion method that required the highest amount of water per MJ produced (mainly due to its low hydrogen yield), followed by fast pyrolysis and HTL. On the other hand, HTG has the lowest water footprint, mainly because the large amount of electricity generated as part of the process compensates for the electricity used by the system. Performance in all pathways can be improved through recycling channels. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Continuous thermochemical conversion process to produce oil from swine manure

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ocfemia, K.; Zhang, Y.; Funk, T.; Christianson, L.; Chen, S.

    2004-01-01

    Thermochemical conversion (TCC) of livestock manure is a novel technology that has shown very promising results in treating waste and producing oil. A batch TCC system that was previously developed successfully converted 70% of swine manure volatile solids to oil and reduced manure chemical oxygen demand by ??? 75%. The necessary retention time to achieve an oil product was largely dependent on the operating temperature. The highest oil production efficiency was 80% of the volatile solids (or 70 wt % of the total solids). The average carbon and hydrogen contents were ??? 72 and 9%, respectively. The heating values for 80% of the oil products ranged from 32,000 to 36,700 kJ/kg. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the AWMA 97th Annual Conference and Exhibition (Indianapolis, IN 6/22-25/2004).

  7. Mapping the Earth's thermochemical and anisotropic structure using global surface wave data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khan, A.; Boschi, L.; Connolly, J. A. D.

    2011-01-01

    We have inverted global fundamental mode and higher-order Love and Rayleigh wave dispersion data jointly, to find global maps of temperature, composition, and radial seismic anisotropy of the Earth's mantle as well as their uncertainties via a stochastic sampling-based approach. We apply a self-consistent thermodynamic method to systematically compute phase equilibria and physical properties (P and S wave velocity, density) that depend only on composition (in the Na2-CaO-FeO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 model system), pressure, and temperature. Our 3-D maps are defined horizontally by 27 different tectonic regions and vertically by a number of layers. We find thermochemical differences between oceans and continents to extend down to ˜250 km depth, with continents and cratons appearing chemically depleted (high magnesium number (Mg #) and Mg/Si ratio) and colder (>100°C) relative to oceans, while young oceanic lithosphere is hotter than its intermediate age and old counterparts. We find what appears to be strong radial S wave anisotropy in the upper mantle down to ˜200 km, while there seems to be little evidence for shear anisotropy at greater depths. At and beneath the transition zone, 3-D heterogeneity is likely uncorrelated with surface tectonics; as a result, our tectonics-based parameterization is tenuous. Despite this weakness, constraints on the gross average thermochemical and anisotropic structure to ˜1300 km depth can be inferred, which appear to indicate that the compositions of the upper (low Mg# and high Mg/Si ratio) and lower mantle (high Mg# and low Mg/Si ratio) might possibly be distinct.

  8. Brominated flame retardants: a novel class of developmental neurotoxicants in our environment?

    PubMed

    Eriksson, P; Jakobsson, E; Fredriksson, A

    2001-09-01

    Brominated flame retardants are a novel group of global environmental contaminants. Within this group the polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) constitute one class of many that are found in electrical appliances, building materials, and textiles. PBDEs are persistent compounds that appear to have an environmental dispersion similar to that of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). Levels of PBDEs are increasing in mother's milk while other organohalogens have decreased in concentration. We studied for developmental neurotoxic effects two polybrominated diphenyl ethers, 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (PBDE 47) and 2,2',4,4',5-pentabromodiphenyl ether (PBDE 99)--congeners that dominate in environmental and human samples--together with another frequently used brominated flame retardant, tetrabromo-bis-phenol-A (TBBPA). The compounds were given to 10-day-old NMRI male mice, as follows: PBDE 47, 0.7 mg (1.4 micromol), 10.5 mg (21.1 micromol)/kg body weight (bw); PBDE 99, 0.8 mg (1.4 micromol), 12.0 mg (21.1 micromol)/kg bw; TBBPA, 0.75 mg (1.4 micromol), 11.5 mg (21.1 micromol)/kg bw. Mice serving as controls received 10 mL/kg bw of the 20% fat emulsion vehicle in the same manner. The present study has shown that neonatal exposure to PBDE 99 and PBDE 47 can cause permanent aberrations in spontaneous behavior, evident in 2- and 4-month-old animals. This effect together with the habituation capability was more pronounced with increasing age, and the changes were dose-response related. Furthermore, neonatal exposure to PBDE 99 also affected learning and memory functions in adult animals. These are developmental defects that have been detected previously in connection with PCBs.

  9. Using a Laboratory Inquiry with High School Students to Determine the Reaction Stoichiometry of Neutralization by a Thermochemical Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Journal of Chemical Education, 2015

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents the design and practical application of a laboratory inquiry at high school chemistry level for systematic chemistry learning, as exemplified by a thermochemical approach to the reaction stoichiometry of neutralization using Job's method of continuous variation. In the laboratory inquiry, students are requested to propose the…

  10. Determination of legacy and novel brominated flame retardants in dust from end of life office equipment and furniture from Pretoria, South Africa.

    PubMed

    Nkabinde, Sylvia N; Okonkwo, Jonathan O; Olukunle, Olubiyi I; Daso, Adegbenro P

    2018-05-01

    Indoor dust is known to be a source of human exposure to brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and these consists of the legacy polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), total hexabromocyclododecane (T-HBCDD) and the "Novel or alternate" Brominated flame retardants (NBFRs). In this study, x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyser was employed to measure elemental bromine contents in office furniture and electronics as the first indication of the possible presence of BFRs. To investigate the possible BFRs present, a total of 21 dust samples were collected from surfaces of electronic equipment and office furniture and were analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The concentrations of ∑ 7 BDE- congeners ranged from 50 to 3346ngng -1 . Of the ∑ 7 BDE congeners analysed, BDE-209, -183 and -99 were the most dominant congeners. The concentrations observed ranged from bromine levels obtained using portable XRF and the BFRs detected using GC-MS (r=0.0073, p=0.076). The observed trend may be attributed to various factors including the sample matrix analysed and the number of BFRs analysed. The observed trend is consistent with those reported from other studies. Copyright

  11. Comparison of seven types of thermo-chemical pretreatments on the structural features and anaerobic digestion of sunflower stalks.

    PubMed

    Monlau, F; Barakat, A; Steyer, J P; Carrere, H

    2012-09-01

    Sunflower stalks can be used for the production of methane, but their recalcitrant structure requires the use of thermo-chemical pretreatments. Two thermal (55 and 170°C) and five thermo-chemical pretreatments (NaOH, H(2)O(2), Ca(OH)(2), HCl and FeCl(3)) were carried out, followed by anaerobic digestion. The highest methane production (259 ± 6 mL CH(4)g(-1) VS) was achieved after pretreatment at 55°C with 4% NaOH for 24h. Acidic pretreatments at 170°C removed more than 90% of hemicelluloses and uronic acids whereas alkaline and oxidative pretreatments were more effective in dissolving lignin. However, no pretreatment was effective in reducing the crystallinity of cellulose. Methane production rate was positively correlated with the amount of solubilized matter whereas methane potential was negatively correlated with the amount of lignin. Considering that the major challenge is obtaining increased methane potential, alkaline pretreatments can be recommended in order to optimize the anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic substrates. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Field and Satellite Observations of the Formation and Distribution of Arctic Atmospheric Bromine Above a Rejuvenated Sea Ice Cover

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nghiem, Son V.; Rigor, Ignatius G.; Richter, Andreas; Burrows, John P.; Shepson, Paul B.; Bottenheim, Jan; Barber, David G.; Steffen, Alexandra; Latonas, Jeff; Wang, Feiyue; hide

    2012-01-01

    Recent drastic reduction of the older perennial sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has resulted in a vast expansion of younger and saltier seasonal sea ice. This increase in the salinity of the overall ice cover could impact tropospheric chemical processes. Springtime perennial ice extent in 2008 and 2009 broke the half-century record minimum in 2007 by about one million km2. In both years seasonal ice was dominant across the Beaufort Sea extending to the Amundsen Gulf, where significant field and satellite observations of sea ice, temperature, and atmospheric chemicals have been made. Measurements at the site of the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Amundsen ice breaker in the Amundsen Gulf showed events of increased bromine monoxide (BrO), coupled with decreases of ozone (O3) and gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), during cold periods in March 2008. The timing of the main event of BrO, O3, and GEM changes was found to be consistent with BrO observed by satellites over an extensive area around the site. Furthermore, satellite sensors detected a doubling of atmospheric BrO in a vortex associated with a spiral rising air pattern. In spring 2009, excessive and widespread bromine explosions occurred in the same region while the regional air temperature was low and the extent of perennial ice was significantly reduced compared to the case in 2008. Using satellite observations together with a Rising-Air-Parcel model, we discover a topographic control on BrO distribution such that the Alaskan North Slope and the Canadian Shield region were exposed to elevated BrO, whereas the surrounding mountains isolated the Alaskan interior from bromine intrusion.

  13. Levels, distribution and human exposure of new non-BDE brominated flame retardants in the indoor dust of China.

    PubMed

    Qi, Hong; Li, Wen-Long; Liu, Li-Yan; Zhang, Zi-Feng; Zhu, Ning-Zheng; Song, Wei-Wei; Ma, Wan-Li; Li, Yi-Fan

    2014-12-01

    Indoor environment is an important source of human exposure to several toxicants, such as brominated flame retardants. This study presents the concentrations of 22 Non-BDE brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) in 81 indoor dust samples from 23 provinces across China in the winter of 2010. The concentrations of ΣNBFRs ranged from 6.3 to 20,000 ng/g, with a median concentration of 720 ng/g. DBDPE was the dominated compound, followed by HBCD and BEHTBP. Significant differences of concentrations were found between samples from rural and urban areas, and between family and public houses, indicating different applications of NBFRs. The geographical distribution of NBFRs highlighted several hotspots in North China, suggesting the influence of room temperature (heating). The exposure via dust ingestion of NBFRs was 3.8-14 times higher than that of dermal absorption. The toddlers demonstrated the highest exposure dose (9.6 ng/kg-bw/day) of NBFRs through indoor dust among all life stages. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. New developments of the CARTE thermochemical code: A two-phase equation of state for nanocarbons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dubois, Vincent; Pineau, Nicolas

    2016-01-01

    We developed a new equation of state (EOS) for nanocarbons in the thermodynamic range of high explosives detonation products (up to 50 GPa and 4000 K). This EOS was fitted to an extensive database of thermodynamic properties computed by molecular dynamics simulations of nanodiamonds and nano-onions with the LCBOPII potential. We reproduced the detonation properties of a variety of high explosives with the CARTE thermochemical code, including carbon-poor and carbon-rich explosives, with excellent accuracy.

  15. Levels of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in honey samples from different geographic regions.

    PubMed

    Mohr, Susana; García-Bermejo, Angel; Herrero, Laura; Gómara, Belén; Costabeber, Ijoni Hilda; González, María José

    2014-02-15

    Concentrations of 17 brominated flame retardants (BFRs), including two "novel" BFRs (1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane, BTBPE and decabromodiphenylethane, DBDPE), have been determined to be in 35 commercial honey samples from Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia and Morocco. The results revealed the presence of low amounts (betweenbrominated PBDEs, principally BDE-47, found in honey samples from Slovenia, Spain and Portugal. Meanwhile the most abundant BFRs found in Brazilian and Moroccan honeys were the two novel BFRs (BTBPE and DBDPE). The detection of BFRs in honeys from different countries highlights the risk that their presence poses to the health of humans and wildlife since honey is a non-fatty natural product that is highly consumed all over the world. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Bromine, chlorine and sulfur emission into the free troposphere from a Rift volcano

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bobrowski, N.; Giuffrida, G. B.; Tedeso, D.; Yalire, M. M.; Galle, B.

    2007-12-01

    In June 2007 spectroscopic measurements were carried out at the crater rim of the Niyragongo volcano located 15 km north of the city Goma, North Kivu region (DRC). Niyragongo volcano belongs to the Virunga volcanic chain and it is associated with the Western branch of the Great Rift Valley. The volcanism at Niyragongo is caused by the rifting of the Earth's crust where two parts of the African plates are breaking apart. Niyragongo is a 3470 m high stratovolcano, which a large summit crater usually containing a lava lake inside and it is considered one of the most active volcanoes in Africa. Satellite measurements show an extremely large sulphur dioxide plume since May 2002, and it is considered one of the biggest sulphur dioxide sources on Earth. The ground - based remote sensing technique - MAX-DOAS (Multi Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy) using scattered sunlight has been applied during a one week field trip on top of the crater rim of Niyragongo volcano to measure nitrogen oxide, halogen oxides and sulphur dioxide. The used Mini-MAX-DOAS is a lightweight, compact, robust instrument and has very low power consumption which allows to be deployed over several days with some small lead batteries. The measurements provide valuable information of the chemical composition as well its variability within the volcanic plume of the lava lake and allowed also studying chemical transformation processes of the halogens inside the plume. Bromine-sulphur and chlorine-sulphur ratios were investigated and a minimal bromine and chlorine emission flux estimation will be presented.

  17. Estimates of thermochemical relaxation lengths behind normal shock waves relevant to manned lunar and Mars return missions, the aeroassist flight experiment, and Mars entry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Howe, John T.

    1991-01-01

    Thermochemical relaxation distances behind the strong normal shock waves associated with vehicles that enter the Earth atmosphere upon returning from a manned lunar or Mars mission are estimated. The relaxation distances for a Mars entry are estimated as well, in order to highlight the extent of the relaxation phenomena early in currently envisioned space exploration studies. The thermochemical relaxation length for the Aeroassist Flight Experiment is also considered. These estimates provide an indication as to whether finite relaxation needs to be considered in subsequent detailed analyses. For the Mars entry, relaxation phenomena that are fully coupled to the flow field equations are used. The relaxation-distance estimates can be scaled to flight conditions other than those discussed.

  18. Brominated flame retardants and seafood safety: a review.

    PubMed

    Cruz, Rebeca; Cunha, Sara C; Casal, Susana

    2015-04-01

    Brominated flame retardants (BFRs), frequently applied to industrial and household products to make them less flammable, are highly persistent in the environment and cause multi-organ toxicity in human and wildlife. Based on the review of BFRs presence in seafood published from 2004 to 2014, it is clear that such pollutants are not ideally controlled as the surveys are too restricted, legislation inexistent for some classes, the analytical methodologies diversified, and several factors as food processing and eating habits are generally overlooked. Indeed, while a seafood rich diet presents plenty of nutritional benefits, it can also represent a potential source of these environmental contaminants. Since recent studies have shown that dietary intake constitutes a main route of human exposure to BFRs, it is of major importance to review and enhance these features, since seafood constitutes a chief pathway for human exposure and biomagnification of priority environmental contaminants. In particular, more objective studies focused on the variability factors behind contamination levels, and subsequent human exposure, are necessary to support the necessity for more restricted legislation worldwide. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Brominated flame retardant levels in human milk and serum from MAMA study participants: Correlations over time, matrix, and with questionnaire results

    EPA Science Inventory

    Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are synthetic, lipophilic, and bioaccumulative compounds used to prevent the combustion of a variety of items including electronics and furniture. There are 75 classes of BFRs, two of which are the polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and the polybrom...

  20. Development of the hybrid sulfur cycle for use with concentrated solar heat. I. Conceptual design

    DOE PAGES

    Gorensek, Maximilian B.; Corgnale, Claudio; Summers, William A.

    2017-07-27

    We propose a detailed conceptual design of a solar hybrid sulfur (HyS) cycle. Numerous design tradeoffs, including process operating conditions and strategies, methods of integration with solar energy sources, and solar design options were considered. A baseline design was selected, and process flowsheets were developed. Pinch analyses were performed to establish the limiting energy efficiency. Detailed material and energy balances were completed, and a full stream table prepared. Design assumptions include use of: location in the southwest US desert, falling particle concentrated solar receiver, indirect heat transfer via pressurized helium, continuous operation with thermal energy storage, liquid-fed electrolyzer with PBImore » membrane, and bayonet-type acid decomposer. Thermochemical cycle efficiency for the HyS process was estimated to be 35.0%, LHV basis. The solar-to-hydrogen (STH) energy conversion ratio was 16.9%. This thus exceeds the Year 2015 DOE STCH target of STH >10%, and shows promise for meeting the Year 2020 target of 20%.« less

  1. Development of the hybrid sulfur cycle for use with concentrated solar heat. I. Conceptual design

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gorensek, Maximilian B.; Corgnale, Claudio; Summers, William A.

    We propose a detailed conceptual design of a solar hybrid sulfur (HyS) cycle. Numerous design tradeoffs, including process operating conditions and strategies, methods of integration with solar energy sources, and solar design options were considered. A baseline design was selected, and process flowsheets were developed. Pinch analyses were performed to establish the limiting energy efficiency. Detailed material and energy balances were completed, and a full stream table prepared. Design assumptions include use of: location in the southwest US desert, falling particle concentrated solar receiver, indirect heat transfer via pressurized helium, continuous operation with thermal energy storage, liquid-fed electrolyzer with PBImore » membrane, and bayonet-type acid decomposer. Thermochemical cycle efficiency for the HyS process was estimated to be 35.0%, LHV basis. The solar-to-hydrogen (STH) energy conversion ratio was 16.9%. This thus exceeds the Year 2015 DOE STCH target of STH >10%, and shows promise for meeting the Year 2020 target of 20%.« less

  2. Unraveling multiple phases of sulfur cycling during the alteration of ancient ultramafic oceanic lithosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schwarzenbach, Esther M.; Gill, Benjamin C.; Johnston, David T.

    2018-02-01

    Ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems - characterized by ongoing serpentinization reactions - exert an important influence on the global sulfur cycle. Extensive water-rock interaction causes elemental exchange between seawater and the oceanic lithosphere, effectively removing sulfate from seawater through both abiogenic and biogenic processes. Here, we use bulk rock multiple sulfur isotope signatures (32S, 33S, 34S) and in situ sulfide analyses together with petrographic observations to track the sulfur cycling processes and the hydrothermal evolution of ancient peridotite-hosted hydrothermal systems. We investigate serpentinized peridotites from the Northern Apennine ophiolite in Italy and the Santa Elena ophiolite in Costa Rica and compare those with the Iberian Margin (Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 149 and 173) and the 15°20‧N Fracture Zone along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (ODP Leg 209). In situ measurements of sulfides in the Northern Apennine serpentinites preserve a large range in δ34Ssulfide of -33.8 to +13.3‰ with significant heterogeneities within single sulfide grains and depending on mineralogy. Detailed mineralogical investigation and comparison with bulk rock Δ33Ssulfide and in situ δ34Ssulfide data implies a thermal evolution of the system from high temperatures (∼350 °C) that allowed thermochemical sulfate reduction and input of hydrothermal sulfide to lower temperatures (<120 °C) that permitted microbial activity. The change in temperature regime is locally preserved in individual samples and correlates with the progressive uplift and exposure of mantle rock associated with detachment faulting along a mid-ocean ridge spreading center. The Santa Elena peridotites preserve distinct signatures for fluid circulation at high temperatures with both closed system thermochemical sulfate reduction and input of mafic-derived sulfur. In addition, the peridotites provide strong evidence that low Ca2+ concentrations in peridotite-hosted systems can

  3. Controlled Chemical Patterns with ThermoChemical NanoLithography (TCNL)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carroll, Keith; Giordano, Anthony; Wang, Debin; Kodali, Vamsi; King, W. P.; Marder, S. R.; Riedo, E.; Curtis, J. E.

    2012-02-01

    Many research areas, both fundamental and applied, rely upon the ability to organize non-trivial assemblies of molecules on surfaces. In this work, we introduce a significant extension of ThermoChemical NanoLithography (TCNL), a high throughput chemical patterning technique that uses temperature-driven chemical reactions localized near the tip of a thermal cantilever. By combining a chemical kinetics based model with experiments, we have developed a protocol for varying the concentration of surface bound molecules. The result is an unprecedented ability to fabricate extremely complex patterns comprised of varying chemical concentrations, as demonstrated by sinusoidal patterns of amine groups with varying pitches (˜5-15 μm) and the replication of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa with dimensions of ˜30 x 40 μm^2. Programmed control of the chemical reaction rate should have widespread applications for a technique which has already been shown to nanopattern various substrates including graphene nanowires, piezoelectric crystals, and optoelectronic materials.

  4. Nitrogenous disinfection byproducts in English drinking water supply systems: Occurrence, bromine substitution and correlation analysis.

    PubMed

    Bond, Tom; Templeton, Michael R; Mokhtar Kamal, Nurul Hana; Graham, Nigel; Kanda, Rakesh

    2015-11-15

    Despite the recent focus on nitrogenous disinfection byproducts in drinking water, there is limited occurrence data available for many species. This paper analyses the occurrence of seven haloacetonitriles, three haloacetamides, eight halonitromethanes and cyanogen chloride in 20 English drinking water supply systems. It is the first survey of its type to compare bromine substitution factors (BSFs) between the haloacetamides and haloacetonitriles. Concentrations of the dihalogenated haloacetonitriles and haloacetamides were well correlated. Although median concentrations of these two groups were lower in chloraminated than chlorinated surface waters, median BSFs for both in chloraminated samples were approximately double those in chlorinated samples, which is significant because of the higher reported toxicity of the brominated species. Furthermore, median BSFs were moderately higher for the dihalogenated haloacetamides than for the haloacetonitriles. This indicates that, while the dihalogenated haloacetamides were primarily generated from hydrolysis of the corresponding haloacetonitriles, secondary formation pathways also contributed. Median halonitromethane concentrations were remarkably unchanging for the different types of disinfectants and source waters: 0.1 μg · mgTOC(-1) in all cases. Cyanogen chloride only occurred in a limited number of samples, yet when present its concentrations were higher than the other N-DBPs. Concentrations of cyanogen chloride and the sum of the halonitromethanes were not correlated with any other DBPs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. The NOx dependence of bromine chemistry in the Arctic atmospheric boundary layer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Custard, K. D.; Thompson, C. R.; Pratt, K. A.; Shepson, P. B.; Liao, J.; Huey, L. G.; Orlando, J. J.; Weinheimer, A. J.; Apel, E.; Hall, S. R.; Flocke, F.; Mauldin, L.; Hornbrook, R. S.; Pöhler, D.; S., General; Zielcke, J.; Simpson, W. R.; Platt, U.; Fried, A.; Weibring, P.; Sive, B. C.; Ullmann, K.; Cantrell, C.; Knapp, D. J.; Montzka, D. D.

    2015-09-01

    Arctic boundary layer nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO2 + NO) are naturally produced in and released from the sunlit snowpack and range between 10 to 100 pptv in the remote background surface layer air. These nitrogen oxides have significant effects on the partitioning and cycling of reactive radicals such as halogens and HOx (OH + HO2). However, little is known about the impacts of local anthropogenic NOx emission sources on gas-phase halogen chemistry in the Arctic, and this is important because these emissions can induce large variability in ambient NOx and thus local chemistry. In this study, a zero-dimensional photochemical kinetics model was used to investigate the influence of NOx on the unique springtime halogen and HOx chemistry in the Arctic. Trace gas measurements obtained during the 2009 OASIS (Ocean - Atmosphere - Sea Ice - Snowpack) field campaign at Barrow, AK were used to constrain many model inputs. We find that elevated NOx significantly impedes gas-phase halogen radical-based depletion of ozone, through the production of a variety of reservoir species, including HNO3, HO2NO2, peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), BrNO2, ClNO2 and reductions in BrO and HOBr. The effective removal of BrO by anthropogenic NOx was directly observed from measurements conducted near Prudhoe Bay, AK during the 2012 Bromine, Ozone, and Mercury Experiment (BROMEX). Thus, while changes in snow-covered sea ice attributable to climate change may alter the availability of molecular halogens for ozone and Hg depletion, predicting the impact of climate change on polar atmospheric chemistry is complex and must take into account the simultaneous impact of changes in the distribution and intensity of anthropogenic combustion sources. This is especially true for the Arctic, where NOx emissions are expected to increase because of increasing oil and gas extraction and shipping activities.

  6. The NOx dependence of bromine chemistry in the Arctic atmospheric boundary layer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Custard, K. D.; Thompson, C. R.; Pratt, K. A.; Shepson, P. B.; Liao, J.; Huey, L. G.; Orlando, J. J.; Weinheimer, A. J.; Apel, E.; Hall, S. R.; Flocke, F.; Mauldin, L.; Hornbrook, R. S.; Pöhler, D.; General, S.; Zielcke, J.; Simpson, W. R.; Platt, U.; Fried, A.; Weibring, P.; Sive, B. C.; Ullmann, K.; Cantrell, C.; Knapp, D. J.; Montzka, D. D.

    2015-03-01

    Arctic boundary layer nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO2 + NO) are naturally produced in and released from the sunlit snowpack and range between 10 to 100 pptv in the remote background surface layer air. These nitrogen oxides have significant effects on the partitioning and cycling of reactive radicals such as halogens and HOx (OH + HO2). However, little is known about the impacts of local anthropogenic NOx emission sources on gas-phase halogen chemistry in the Arctic, and this is important because these emissions can induce large variability in ambient NOx and thus local chemistry. In this study, a zero-dimensional photochemical kinetics model was used to investigate the influence of NOx on the unique springtime halogen and HOx chemistry in the Arctic. Trace gas measurements obtained during the 2009 OASIS (Ocean-Atmosphere-Sea Ice-Snowpack) field campaign at Barrow, AK were used to constrain many model inputs. We find that elevated NOx significantly impedes gas-phase radical chemistry, through the production of a variety of reservoir species, including HNO3, HO2NO2, peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), BrNO2, ClNO2 and reductions in BrO and HOBr, with a concomitant, decreased net O3 loss rate. The effective removal of BrO by anthropogenic NOx was directly observed from measurements conducted near Prudhoe Bay, AK during the 2012 Bromine, Ozone, and Mercury Experiment (BROMEX). Thus, while changes in snow-covered sea ice attributable to climate change may alter the availability of molecular halogens for ozone and Hg depletion, predicting the impact of climate change on polar atmospheric chemistry is complex and must take into account the simultaneous impact of changes in the distribution and intensity of anthropogenic combustion sources. This is especially true for the Arctic, where NOx emissions are expected to increase because of increasing oil and gas extraction and shipping activities.

  7. Thermochemical characterization of some thermally stable thermoplastic and thermoset polymers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kourtides, D. A.; Gilwee, W. J., Jr.; Parker, J. A.

    1979-01-01

    The thermochemical and flammability properties of some thermally stable polymers considered for use in aircraft interiors are described. The properties studied include: (1) thermomechanical properties such as glass transition and melt temperature; (2) dynamic thermogravimetric analysis in anaerobic environment; (3) flammability properties such as oxygen index, flame spread, and smoke evolution; and (4) selected physical properties. The thermoplastic polymers evaluated include polyphenylene sulfide, polyaryl sulfone, 9,9-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-fluorene polycarbonate-poly(dimethylsiloxane) and polyether sulfone. The thermoset polymers evaluated include epoxy, bismaleimide, a modified phenolic, and polyaromatic melamine resin. These resins were primarily used in the fabrication of glass-reinforced prepregs for the construction of experimental panels. Test results and relative rankings of some of the flammability parameters are presented, and the relationship of the molecular structure, char yield, and flammability properties of these polymers are discussed.

  8. Potential for thermochemical conversion of biomass residues from the integrated sugar-ethanol process - Fate of ash and ash-forming elements.

    PubMed

    Dirbeba, Meheretu Jaleta; Brink, Anders; DeMartini, Nikolai; Zevenhoven, Maria; Hupa, Mikko

    2017-06-01

    In this work, potential for thermochemical conversion of biomass residues from an integrated sugar-ethanol process and the fate of ash and ash-forming elements in the process are presented. Ash, ash-forming elements, and energy flows in the process were determined using mass balances and analyses of eight different biomass samples for ash contents, elemental compositions, and heating values. The results show that the ash content increases from the sugarcane to the final residue, vinasse. The cane straw, which is left in the field, contains one-third of the energy and 25% of the K and Cl while the vinasse contains 2% of the energy and 40% of the K and Cl in the cane. K and Cl in biomass fuels cause corrosion and fouling problems in boilers and gasifiers. Over 85% of these elements in the straw are water soluble indicating that water leaching would improve it for utilization in thermochemical conversion. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. A comparison of the virucidal properties of chlorine, chlorine dioxide, bromine chloride and iodine.

    PubMed Central

    Taylor, G. R.; Butler, M.

    1982-01-01

    Chlorine dioxide, bromine chloride and iodine were compared with chlorine as virucidal agents. Under optimal conditions all disinfectants were effective at low concentrations, but each disinfectant responded differently to acidity and alkalinity. Disinfection by chlorine was impaired by the presence of ammonia, but the other disinfectants retained much of their potency. Disinfection of poliovirus by iodine resulted in structural changes in the virions as seen by electron micrroscopy, but the other disinfectants were able to inactivate poliovirus without causing any apparent structural changes. Images Plate 1 PMID:6290566

  10. The chemistry of bromine in the stratosphere: Influence of a new rate constant for the reaction BrO + HO2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pirre, Michel; Marceau, Francois J.; Lebras, Georges; Maguin, Francoise; Poulet, Gille; Ramaroson, Radiela

    1994-01-01

    The impact of new laboratory data for the reaction BrO + HO2 yields HOBr + O2 in the depletion of global stratospheric ozone has been estimated using a one-dimensional photochemical model taking into account the heterogeneous reaction on sulphate aerosols which converts N2O5 into HNO3. Assuring an aerosol loading 2 times as large as the 'background' and a reaction probability of 0.1 for the above heterogeneous reaction, the 6 fold increase in the measured rate constant for the reaction of BrO with HO2 increases the computed depletion of global ozone produced by 20 ppt of total bromine from 2.01 percent to 2.36 percent. The use of the higher rate constant increases the HOBr mixing ratio and makes the bromine partitioning and the ozone depletion very sensitive to the branching ratio of the potential channel forming HBr in the BrO + HO2 reaction.

  11. Occurrence and human exposure to brominated and organophosphorus flame retardants via indoor dust in a Brazilian city.

    PubMed

    Cristale, Joyce; Aragão Belé, Tiago Gomes; Lacorte, Silvia; Rodrigues de Marchi, Mary Rosa

    2018-06-01

    Indoor dust is considered an important human exposure route to flame retardants (FRs), which has arised concern due the toxic properties of some of these substances. In this study, ten organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs), eight polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and four new brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) were determined in indoor dust from different places in Araraquara-SP (Brazil). The sampled places included houses, apartments, offices, primary schools and cars. The analysis of the sample extracts was performed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and two ionization techniques were used (electron ionization - EI; electron capture negative ionization - ECNI). OPFRs were the most abundant compounds and tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP), tris(phenyl) phosphate (TPHP), tris(1,3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate (TDCIPP) and tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP) were present at the highest concentrations. Among the brominated FRs, the most ubiquitous compounds were BDE-209, bis(2-ethylhexyl) tetrabromophthalate (BEH-TEBP) and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE). Statistical analysis revealed that there were differences among dust typologies for TBOEP, TDCIPP, ethylhexyl diphenyl phosphate (EHDPHP), BDE-209, 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (EH-TBB), BEH-TEBP and DBDPE, which were attributed to different construction materials in each particular environment and to the age of the buildings. The highest levels of brominated FRs were observed in offices, TBOEP was at high concentration in primary schools, and TDCIPP was at high concentration in cars. A preliminary risk assessment revealed that toddlers were exposed to TBOEP levels higher than the reference dose when considering the worst case scenario. The results obtained in this study showed for the first time that although Brazil does not regulate the use of FRs, these substances are present in indoor dust at levels similar to the observed in countries that have strict fire safety

  12. Bromine and Chlorine in Aerosols and Fly Ash when Co-Firing Solid Recovered Fuel, Spruce Bark and Paper Mill Sludge in a 80MWth BFB Boiler

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vainikka, P.; Silvennoinen, J.; Yrjas, P.; Frantsi, A.; Hietanen, L.; Hupa, M.; Taipale, R.

    Aerosol and fly ash sampling was carried out at a 80MWth bubbling fluidised bed (BFB) boiler plant co-firing solid recovered fuel (SRF), spruce bark and paper mill wastewater sludge in two experimental conditions. The SRF-Bark ratio in the fuel mix was kept constant at 50%-50% on dry mass basis in both experiments but two sludge proportions were used: 15% and 4% on dry mass basis. Aerosol samples were collected from the superheater region of the boiler furnace and fly ash from the electrostatic precipitator (ESP). Na, K, Cl and S were found to be in mainly water soluble compounds in the aerosols sampled by means of a Dekati type Low Pressure Impactor (DLPI). Bromine was found in several weight percentages in aerosols and it was amongst the main elements in some of the samples collected. Bromine is assumed to mainly originate from flame retarded plastics and textiles in the SRF. According to the measurements, the fate of Br seems to be analogous to the other main halogen, Cl, and its conversion from fuel to aerosols was high, indicating a strong tendency to form bromine salts.

  13. Effect of bromide in a surface water intake on the formation of brominated trihalomethanes at a public water system treatment plant

    EPA Science Inventory

    This project is a collaborative drinking water research study. EPA is evaluating water samples collected by PWS operators in order to investigate relationships between bromide in source water and the formation of brominated DBPs in finished drinking water. This study will includ...

  14. Using Kalman Filter Chemical Data Assimilation to Study Ozone Catalytic Loss Cycles in January 1992

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lary, David J.

    2002-01-01

    This paper presents for the first time a global study of the ozone catalytic destruction cycles operating in the stratosphere using a stratospheric analyses for January 1992. The chemical analyses were produced using a Kalman filter data assimilation system. Because a major component of the variability of trace gases is due to the atmospheric motions the analyses have been cast in a flow-tracking coordinate system that moves with the large scale flow pattern. Particular attention is paid to the kinetic aspects of these cycles such as the rate limiting step and chain length. Although it is an important kinetic parameter, the chain length of the various cycles is seldom considered when the various catalytic cycles are discussed. This survey highlights that in the low stratosphere the cycles involving HO2 and halogens (notably bromine) are particularly important. In approximate order of effectiveness the most important ozone loss cycles in the polar lower stratosphere are the BrO/ClO, HO2/BrO, and OH/HO2 cycles. The ClO/ClO cycle clearly delineates the regions of chlorine activation. The chain length of the HO2/ClO, OH/HO2, Br/BrO, and ClO/NO2, clearly delineate the vortex edge region. The chain length of the BrO/NO2 and Cl/NO2 cycles highlight the regions of chemical processing outside the vortex where streamers of chemically processed air are stripped-off and transported away from the vortex. This is also true in the very low stratosphere for the Cl/ClO and BrO/ClO cycles.

  15. Co3O4-based honeycombs as compact redox reactors/heat exchangers for thermochemical storage in the next generation CSP plants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pagkoura, Chrysoula; Karagiannakis, George; Halevas, Eleftherios; Konstandopoulos, Athanasios G.

    2016-05-01

    Over the last years, several research groups have focused on developing efficient thermochemical heat storage (THS) systems, in-principle capable of being coupled with next generation high temperature Concentrated Solar Power plants. Among systems studied, the Co3O4/CoO redox system is a promising candidate. Currently, research efforts extend beyond basic level identification of promising materials to more application-oriented approaches aiming at validation of THS performance at pilot scale reactors. The present work focuses on the investigation of cobalt oxide based honeycomb structures as candidate reactors/heat exchangers to be employed for such purposes. In the evaluation conducted and presented here, cobalt oxide-based structures with different composition and geometrical characteristics were subjected to redox cycles in the temperature window between 800 and 1000°C under air flow. Basic aspects related to redox performance of each system are briefly discussed but the main focus lies on the evaluation of the segments structural stability after multi-cyclic operation. The latter is based on macroscopic visual observation and also supplemented by pre- (i.e. fresh samples) and post-characterization (i.e. after long term exposure) of extruded honeycombs via combined mercury porosimetry and SEM analysis.

  16. An experimental test plan for the characterization of molten salt thermochemical properties in heat transport systems

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pattrick Calderoni

    2010-09-01

    Molten salts are considered within the Very High Temperature Reactor program as heat transfer media because of their intrinsically favorable thermo-physical properties at temperatures starting from 300 C and extending up to 1200 C. In this context two main applications of molten salt are considered, both involving fluoride-based materials: as primary coolants for a heterogeneous fuel reactor core and as secondary heat transport medium to a helium power cycle for electricity generation or other processing plants, such as hydrogen production. The reference design concept here considered is the Advanced High Temperature Reactor (AHTR), which is a large passively safe reactormore » that uses solid graphite-matrix coated-particle fuel (similar to that used in gas-cooled reactors) and a molten salt primary and secondary coolant with peak temperatures between 700 and 1000 C, depending upon the application. However, the considerations included in this report apply to any high temperature system employing fluoride salts as heat transfer fluid, including intermediate heat exchangers for gas-cooled reactor concepts and homogenous molten salt concepts, and extending also to fast reactors, accelerator-driven systems and fusion energy systems. The purpose of this report is to identify the technical issues related to the thermo-physical and thermo-chemical properties of the molten salts that would require experimental characterization in order to proceed with a credible design of heat transfer systems and their subsequent safety evaluation and licensing. In particular, the report outlines an experimental R&D test plan that would have to be incorporated as part of the design and operation of an engineering scaled facility aimed at validating molten salt heat transfer components, such as Intermediate Heat Exchangers. This report builds on a previous review of thermo-physical properties and thermo-chemical characteristics of candidate molten salt coolants that was generated as

  17. DETERMINATION OF BROMATE IN THE PRESENCE OF BROMINATED HALOACETIC ACIDS BY ION CHROMATOGRAPHY WITH INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA MASS SPECTROMETRIC DETECTION

    EPA Science Inventory

    Bromate is a disinfection by product (DBP) in drinking water that is formed during the ozonation of a source water containing bromide. Brominated haloacetic acids are DBPs that are anions at near -neutral phs. The anion character of bromoacetic acid (pKa=2.7) is similar to bromat...

  18. Deriving an atmospheric budget of total organic bromine using airborne in-situ measurements from the Western Pacific during SHIVA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sala, S.; Bönisch, H.; Keber, T.; Oram, D. E.; Mills, G.; Engel, A.

    2014-02-01

    During the SHIVA (Stratospheric Ozone: Halogen Impacts in a Varying Atmosphere) project an extensive dataset of all halogen species relevant for the atmospheric budget of total organic bromine has been collected in the West Pacific region using the FALCON aircraft operated by the German Aerospace agency DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt) covering a vertical range from the planetary boundary layer up to the ceiling altitude of the aircraft of 13 km. In total, more than 700 measurements were performed with the newly developed fully-automated in-situ instrument GHOST-MS (Gas cHromatograph for the Observation of Tracers - coupled with a Mass Spectrometer) by the Goethe University of Frankfurt (GUF) and with the onboard whole-air sampler WASP with subsequent ground based state-of-the-art GC/MS analysis by the University of East Anglia (UEA). Both instruments yield good agreement for all major (CHBr3 and CH2Br2) and minor (CHBrCl, CHBrCl2 and CHBr2Cl) VSLS (very short-lived substances), at least at the level of their 2 σ measurement uncertainties. In contrast to the suggestion that the Western Pacific could be a major source region for VSLS (Pyle et al., 2011), we found only slightly enhanced mixing ratios of brominated halogen source gases relative to the levels reported in Montzka et al. (2011) for other tropical regions. A budget for total organic bromine, including all four halons,CH3Br and the VSLS, is derived for the upper troposphere, the input region for the TTL and thus also for the stratosphere, compiled from the SHIVA dataset. With exception of the two minor VSLS CHBrCl2 and CHBr2Cl, excellent agreement with the values reported in Montzka et al. (2011) is found, while being slightly higher than previous studies from our group based on balloon-borne measurements.

  19. Sono-bromination of aromatic compounds based on the ultrasonic advanced oxidation processes.

    PubMed

    Fujita, Mitsue; Lévêque, Jean-Marc; Komatsu, Naoki; Kimura, Takahide

    2015-11-01

    A novel, mild "sono-halogenation" of various aromatic compounds with potassium halide was investigated under ultrasound in a biphasic carbon tetrachloride/water medium. The feasibility study was first undertaken with the potassium bromide and then extended to chloride and iodide analogues. This methodology could be considered as a new expansion of the ultrasonic advanced oxidation processes (UAOPs) into a synthetic aspect as the developed methodology is linked to the sonolytic disappearance of carbon tetrachloride. Advantages of the present method are not only that the manipulation of the bromination is simple and green, but also that the halogenating agents used are readily available, inexpensive, and easy-handling. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Final Report UCLA-Thermochemical Storage with Anhydrous Ammonia

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lavine, Adrienne

    challenge associated with storage of gas phase components. 3. While this project is primarily concerned with high-temperature heat recovery and methods to store the gaseous components, it is also important to consider the feasibility of the entire system. Consequently, an additional goal was to perform analysis to show the feasibility of integrating endothermic reactors within a tower receiver. A conceptual design of an ammonia dissociation receiver/reactor has been developed that fits into the same size cylindrical envelope as the molten salt receiver in SAM, and has the same design thermal capacity. The calculated thermal efficiency of this receiver is 94.6%. Thus, this investigation has established the technical feasibility of a surround field tower system using ammonia dissociation. With these challenges addressed, we proceeded to design a full-scale synthesis and heat recovery system. A model was developed and validated by comparison with our experimental data. A parametric study showed, among other things, the importance of using small tube diameters and spacing to enhance heat transfer. Multi-parameter optimization was used to find a design that minimizes the wall material volume. Finally, cost estimation shows that the ammonia system has good prospects of meeting the Sunshot 15(USD)/kWht target: estimated costs of the entire synthesis system for the 220 MWt plant with 6 hours of storage are 13(USD)/kWht using salt cavern storage and 18(USD)/kWht using shaft drilling. Costs per kWht are even lower with more hours of storage. With the established technology of ammonia synthesis as a starting point, the successes of the project have mitigated technical risks associated with high-temperature synthesis reaction, underground storage, and tower receiver design. Estimated costs are less than 15(USD)/kWht with salt cavern storage. It is now possible to map a time line to commercial deployment that is likely to be shorter and less risky than other thermochemical cycles under

  1. Brominated flame retardants as possible endocrine disrupters.

    PubMed

    Darnerud, P O

    2008-04-01

    Brominated flame retardants (BFR) are endocrine disrupters in experimental systems, both in vitro and in vivo. Although BFR effects on thyroid hormones are well confirmed, studies of effects on oestrogen/androgen systems are fewer but today growing in numbers. The effects of BFR on other hormone systems are still unknown. Hormonal effect levels in animals start from ca 1 mg/kg b.w., but there are exceptions: effects on spermatogenesis, suggesting hormonal causes, have been observed at a low dose (60 microg/kg b.w.) of a polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congener, BDE-99. It could be concluded that hormonal effects are of importance in risk assessment, and in some cases where effects are seen at low levels safety margins may be insufficient. One additional uncertainty is the lack of reliable human data that could be used to support animal BFR observations. In spite of the recent regulation of PBDE production, levels of both PBDE and of other BFR groups are still present in environmental samples. Thus, we have to deal with the possible effects of human BFR exposure for times to come. In order to reduce BFR exposure, the routes of exposure should be carefully examined and ways to reduce levels in major exposure routes considered.

  2. Oxidation of Bromide to Bromine by Ruthenium(II) Bipyridine-Type Complexes Using the Flash-Quench Technique.

    PubMed

    Tsai, Kelvin Yun-Da; Chang, I-Jy

    2017-07-17

    Six ruthenium complexes, [Ru(bpy) 3 ] 2+ (1), [Ru(bpy) 2 (deeb)] 2+ (2), [Ru(deeb) 2 (dmbpy)] 2+ (3), [Ru(deeb) 2 (bpy)] 2+ (4), [Ru(deeb) 3 ] 2+ (5), and [Ru(deeb) 2 (bpz)] 2+ (6) (bpy: 2,2'-bipyridine; deeb: 4,4'-diethylester-2,2'-bipyridine; dmbpy: 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine, bpz: 2,2'-bipyrazine), have been employed to sensitize photochemical oxidation of bromide to bromine. The oxidation potential for complexes 1-6 are 1.26, 1.36, 1.42, 1.46, 1.56, and 1.66 V vs SCE, respectively. The bimolecular rate constants for the quenching of complexes 1-6 by ArN 2 + (bromobenzenediazonium) are determined as 1.1 × 10 9 , 1.6 × 10 8 , 1.4 × 10 8 , 1.2 × 10 8 , 6.4 × 10 7 , and 8.9 × 10 6 M -1 s -1 , respectively. Transient kinetics indicated that Br - reacted with photogenerated Ru(III) species at different rates. Bimolecular rate constants for the oxidation of Br - by the Ru(III) species derived from complexes 1-5 are observed as 1.2 × 10 8 , 1.3 × 10 9 , 4.0 × 10 9 , 4.8 × 10 9 , and 1.1 × 10 10 , M -1 s -1 , respectively. The last reaction kinetics observed in the three-component system consisting of a Ru sensitizer, quencher, and bromide is shown to be independent of the Ru sensitizer. The final product was identified as bromine by its reaction with hexene. The last reaction kinetics is assigned to the disproportionation reaction of Br 2 -• ions, for which the rate constant is determined as 5 × 10 9 M -1 s -1 . Though complex 6 has the highest oxidation potential in the Ru(II)/Ru(III) couple, its excited state fails to react with ArN 2 + sufficiently for subsequent reactions. The Ru(III) species derived from complex 1 reacts with Br - at the slowest rate. Complexes 2-5 are excellent photosensitizers to drive photooxidation of bromide to bromine.

  3. A multi-model intercomparison of halogenated very short-lived substances (TransCom-VSLS): linking oceanic emissions and tropospheric transport for a reconciled estimate of the stratospheric source gas injection of bromine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hossaini, R.; Patra, P. K.; Leeson, A. A.; Krysztofiak, G.; Abraham, N. L.; Andrews, S. J.; Archibald, A. T.; Aschmann, J.; Atlas, E. L.; Belikov, D. A.; Bönisch, H.; Carpenter, L. J.; Dhomse, S.; Dorf, M.; Engel, A.; Feng, W.; Fuhlbrügge, S.; Griffiths, P. T.; Harris, N. R. P.; Hommel, R.; Keber, T.; Krüger, K.; Lennartz, S. T.; Maksyutov, S.; Mantle, H.; Mills, G. P.; Miller, B.; Montzka, S. A.; Moore, F.; Navarro, M. A.; Oram, D. E.; Pfeilsticker, K.; Pyle, J. A.; Quack, B.; Robinson, A. D.; Saikawa, E.; Saiz-Lopez, A.; Sala, S.; Sinnhuber, B.-M.; Taguchi, S.; Tegtmeier, S.; Lidster, R. T.; Wilson, C.; Ziska, F.

    2016-07-01

    The first concerted multi-model intercomparison of halogenated very short-lived substances (VSLS) has been performed, within the framework of the ongoing Atmospheric Tracer Transport Model Intercomparison Project (TransCom). Eleven global models or model variants participated (nine chemical transport models and two chemistry-climate models) by simulating the major natural bromine VSLS, bromoform (CHBr3) and dibromomethane (CH2Br2), over a 20-year period (1993-2012). Except for three model simulations, all others were driven offline by (or nudged to) reanalysed meteorology. The overarching goal of TransCom-VSLS was to provide a reconciled model estimate of the stratospheric source gas injection (SGI) of bromine from these gases, to constrain the current measurement-derived range, and to investigate inter-model differences due to emissions and transport processes. Models ran with standardised idealised chemistry, to isolate differences due to transport, and we investigated the sensitivity of results to a range of VSLS emission inventories. Models were tested in their ability to reproduce the observed seasonal and spatial distribution of VSLS at the surface, using measurements from NOAA's long-term global monitoring network, and in the tropical troposphere, using recent aircraft measurements - including high-altitude observations from the NASA Global Hawk platform. The models generally capture the observed seasonal cycle of surface CHBr3 and CH2Br2 well, with a strong model-measurement correlation (r ≥ 0.7) at most sites. In a given model, the absolute model-measurement agreement at the surface is highly sensitive to the choice of emissions. Large inter-model differences are apparent when using the same emission inventory, highlighting the challenges faced in evaluating such inventories at the global scale. Across the ensemble, most consistency is found within the tropics where most of the models (8 out of 11) achieve best agreement to surface CHBr3 observations

  4. Active Thermochemical Tables: The Adiabatic Ionization Energy of Hydrogen Peroxide.

    PubMed

    Changala, P Bryan; Nguyen, T Lam; Baraban, Joshua H; Ellison, G Barney; Stanton, John F; Bross, David H; Ruscic, Branko

    2017-11-22

    The adiabatic ionization energy of hydrogen peroxide (HOOH) is investigated, both by means of theoretical calculations and theoretically assisted reanalysis of previous experimental data. Values obtained by three different approaches: 10.638 ± 0.012 eV (purely theoretical determination), 10.649 ± 0.005 eV (reanalysis of photoelectron spectrum), and 10.645 ± 0.010 eV (reanalysis of photoionization spectrum) are in excellent mutual agreement. Further refinement of the latter two values to account for asymmetry of the rotational profile of the photoionization origin band leads to a reduction of 0.007 ± 0.006 eV, which tends to bring them into even closer alignment with the purely theoretical value. Detailed analysis of this fundamental quantity by the Active Thermochemical Tables approach, using the present results and extant literature, gives a final estimate of 10.641 ± 0.006 eV.

  5. Enhancing anaerobic digestibility and phosphorus recovery of dairy manure through microwave-based thermochemical pretreatment.

    PubMed

    Jin, Ying; Hu, Zhenhu; Wen, Zhiyou

    2009-08-01

    Anaerobic digestion and struvite precipitation are two effective ways of treating dairy manure for recovering biogas and phosphorus. Anaerobic digestion of dairy manure is commonly limited by slow fiber degradation, while struvite precipitation is limited by the availability of orthophosphate. The aim of this work is to study the possibility of using microwave-based thermochemical pretreatment to simultaneously enhance manure anaerobic digestibility (through fiber degradation) and struvite precipitation (through phosphorus solubilization). Microwave heating combined with different chemicals (NaOH, CaO, H(2)SO(4), or HCl) enhanced solubilization of manure and degradation of glucan/xylan in dairy manure. However, sulfuric acid-based pretreatment resulted in a low anaerobic digestibility, probably due to the sulfur inhibition and Maillard side reaction. The pretreatments released 20-40% soluble phosphorus and 9-14% ammonium. However, CaO-based pretreatment resulted in lower orthophosphate releases and struvite precipitation efficiency as calcium interferes with phosphate to form calcium phosphate. Collectively, microwave heating combined with NaOH or HCl led to a high anaerobic digestibility and phosphorus recovery. Using these two chemicals, the performance of microwave- and conventional-heating in thermochemical pretreatment was further compared. The microwave heating resulted in a better performance in terms of COD solubilization, glucan/xylan reduction, phosphorus solubilization and anaerobic digestibility. Lastly, temperature and heating time used in microwave treatment were optimized. The optimal values of temperature and heating time were 147 degrees C and 25.3 min for methane production, and 135 degrees C and 26 min for orthophosphate release, respectively.

  6. Feasibility of Iodine and Bromine analysis in Genesis AloS collectors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pravdivtseva, O.; Meshik, A.; Hohenberg, C. M.; Burnett, D. S.

    2011-12-01

    Comparison of solar, meteoritic and terrestrial elemental abundances provides understanding of the formation and evolution of the solar system. Yet, the majority of the solar abundances are based on meteoritic values [1-6]. As a continuation of our noble gas measurements of the Solar Wind (SW) [7] we attempted to evaluate the possibility of SW-iodine and SW-bromine analyses in the Genesis Solar Wind Aluminum on Sapphire collectors (AloS) using the conversions: 127I(n,γβ)128Xe, 79Br(n,γβ)80Kr and 81Br(n,γβ)82Kr. To estimate the extent of terrestrial halogen contamination in Genesis collectors, several flown fragments of AloS were submerged in methanol (for 1 hour and for 48 hours), rinsed, dried, sealed under vacuum in fused quartz ampoules and irradiated at the Missouri University Research Reactor receiving fluence ˜ 2E+19 thermal neutrons/cm2. Single step laser extraction using 1064 nm laser ablation of 0.7 cm2 area demonstrated clear signature of solar wind as indicated by 129Xe/132Xe = 1.045 ± 0.005, while 128Xe/132Xe = 1.01 ± 0.03 had a 12-fold excess compared to the solar value. Longer washing apparently reduces iodine contamination 4 times, implying that it is surface correlated. Krypton analysis showed 17% excess in 82Kr and 3-fold excess in 80Kr in agreement with their production ratio. A longer 48-hour washing reduced Br contamination 50 times. In order to better separate SW halogens from ubiquitous terrestrial contamination we employed a depth-profiling of AloS using 266 nm laser ablation. Laser beam power was increased in 12 consecutive steps using a combination of controlled defocusing and attenuation by a polarizing beamsplitter. Depth profile analysis revealed that terrestrial halogen contamination is present at the surface and at the interface between Al and sapphire substrate and is more pronounced for iodine, as indicated by 128Xe/132Xe ratio that is higher than atmospheric and solar wind values in all 12 rasters. While washing procedure

  7. Removal of endocrine-disrupting chemicals during ozonation of municipal sewage with brominated byproducts control.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Heqing; Yamada, Harumi; Tsuno, Hiroshi

    2008-05-01

    The decomposition of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) including estrone (E1), 17beta-estradiol (E2), estriol (E3), nonylphenol (NP), and bisphenol A (BPA) during ozonation of municipal sewage grabbed from the outlets of primary sedimentation tanks was studied through laboratory-scale experiments. A newly developed in vitro bioassay called nuclear receptor-ligand assay and GC-MS were both utilized to respectively determine the estrogenicity and individual EDCs in the wastewater samples. The original estrogenicity, expressed as the E2 equivalent concentration (EEQC), in the primary effluents was 315-1018 ng/L. Results indicate that the EEQC can be reduced rapidly to below 10 ng/L after ozonation. The appearance of 0.1 mg/L dissolved ozone (DO3), which corresponds to a consumed ozone amount of 0.4 mg per initial TOC (total organic carbon) of wastewater samples, was an appropriate operational parameter to simultaneously achieve efficient EDC removal and control of BrO3- and total organic bromine (TOBr). The presence of suspended solids in the range of 38-67 mg/L exhibited no obvious impact on the removal of nonsorbed estrogenicity. A complete decomposition of E2, E3 and BPA was achieved once 0.1 mg/L DO3 appeared in the primary effluent. The oxidative decomposition of NP was relatively less efficient with a residual concentration of 100 ng/L. This work investigates the feasibility of EDC removal and brominated byproduct control during ozonation of original municipal sewage prior to biological treatment.

  8. BrO and inferred Bry profiles over the western Pacific: relevance of inorganic bromine sources and a Bry minimum in the aged tropical tropopause layer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Koenig, Theodore K.; Volkamer, Rainer; Baidar, Sunil; Dix, Barbara; Wang, Siyuan; Anderson, Daniel C.; Salawitch, Ross J.; Wales, Pamela A.; Cuevas, Carlos A.; Fernandez, Rafael P.; Saiz-Lopez, Alfonso; Evans, Mathew J.; Sherwen, Tomás; Jacob, Daniel J.; Schmidt, Johan; Kinnison, Douglas; Lamarque, Jean-François; Apel, Eric C.; Bresch, James C.; Campos, Teresa; Flocke, Frank M.; Hall, Samuel R.; Honomichl, Shawn B.; Hornbrook, Rebecca; Jensen, Jørgen B.; Lueb, Richard; Montzka, Denise D.; Pan, Laura L.; Reeves, J. Michael; Schauffler, Sue M.; Ullmann, Kirk; Weinheimer, Andrew J.; Atlas, Elliot L.; Donets, Valeria; Navarro, Maria A.; Riemer, Daniel; Blake, Nicola J.; Chen, Dexian; Huey, L. Gregory; Tanner, David J.; Hanisco, Thomas F.; Wolfe, Glenn M.

    2017-12-01

    We report measurements of bromine monoxide (BrO) and use an observationally constrained chemical box model to infer total gas-phase inorganic bromine (Bry) over the tropical western Pacific Ocean (tWPO) during the CONTRAST field campaign (January-February 2014). The observed BrO and inferred Bry profiles peak in the marine boundary layer (MBL), suggesting the need for a bromine source from sea-salt aerosol (SSA), in addition to organic bromine (CBry). Both profiles are found to be C-shaped with local maxima in the upper free troposphere (FT). The median tropospheric BrO vertical column density (VCD) was measured as 1.6×1013 molec cm-2, compared to model predictions of 0.9×1013 molec cm-2 in GEOS-Chem (CBry but no SSA source), 0.4×1013 molec cm-2 in CAM-Chem (CBry and SSA), and 2.1×1013 molec cm-2 in GEOS-Chem (CBry and SSA). Neither global model fully captures the C-shape of the Bry profile. A local Bry maximum of 3.6 ppt (2.9-4.4 ppt; 95 % confidence interval, CI) is inferred between 9.5 and 13.5 km in air masses influenced by recent convective outflow. Unlike BrO, which increases from the convective tropical tropopause layer (TTL) to the aged TTL, gas-phase Bry decreases from the convective TTL to the aged TTL. Analysis of gas-phase Bry against multiple tracers (CFC-11, H2O / O3 ratio, and potential temperature) reveals a Bry minimum of 2.7 ppt (2.3-3.1 ppt; 95 % CI) in the aged TTL, which agrees closely with a stratospheric injection of 2.6 ± 0.6 ppt of inorganic Bry (estimated from CFC-11 correlations), and is remarkably insensitive to assumptions about heterogeneous chemistry. Bry increases to 6.3 ppt (5.6-7.0 ppt; 95 % CI) in the stratospheric "middleworld" and 6.9 ppt (6.5-7.3 ppt; 95 % CI) in the stratospheric "overworld". The local Bry minimum in the aged TTL is qualitatively (but not quantitatively) captured by CAM-Chem, and suggests a more complex partitioning of gas-phase and aerosol Bry species than previously recognized. Our data

  9. Evaluation of the effect of brominated flame retardants on hemoglobin oxidation and hemolysis in human erythrocytes.

    PubMed

    Jarosiewicz, Monika; Duchnowicz, Piotr; Włuka, Anna; Bukowska, Bożena

    2017-11-01

    Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are widely used in many everyday products. Numerous studies have shown that BFRs can be released into the environment. Environmental pollution with these compounds raises concerns about their potentially adverse health effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), tetrabromobisphenol S (TBBPS), 2,4-dibromophenol (2,4-DBP), 2,4,6- tribromophenol (2,4,6-TBP) and pentabromophenol (PBP) on hemolysis induction and hemoglobin oxidation in human erythrocytes. The erythrocytes were incubated with selected BFRs in a wide concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 100 μg/ml for 24 h, 48 h and 72 h. All compounds studied, exhibited hemolytic potential and induced methemoglobin formation. Hemolytic and oxidative potential of BFRs increased along with the increasing concentrations of the compounds studied and elongation of the incubation time. Our study showed that both the number of aromatic rings and the number of bromine atoms in the molecule of the compounds examined influence hemoglobin oxidation and damage to the cellular membrane. Furthermore, we may conclude that 2,4-DBP is potentially most toxic compound because it causes statistically significant changes at the lowest concentration, while the highest toxicity at the highest concentrations was noted for TBBPA. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Release of chlorinated, brominated and mixed halogenated dioxin-related compounds to soils from open burning of e-waste in Agbogbloshie (Accra, Ghana).

    PubMed

    Tue, Nguyen Minh; Goto, Akitoshi; Takahashi, Shin; Itai, Takaaki; Asante, Kwadwo Ansong; Kunisue, Tatsuya; Tanabe, Shinsuke

    2016-01-25

    Although complex mixtures of dioxin-related compounds (DRCs) can be released from informal e-waste recycling, DRC contamination in African e-waste recycling sites has not been investigated. This study examined the concentrations of DRCs including chlorinated, brominated, mixed halogenated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs, PBDD/Fs, PXDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) in surface soil samples from the Agbogbloshie e-waste recycling site in Ghana. PCDD/F and PBDD/F concentrations in open burning areas (18-520 and 83-3800 ng/g dry, respectively) were among the highest reported in soils from informal e-waste sites. The concentrations of PCDFs and PBDFs were higher than those of the respective dibenzo-p-dioxins, suggesting combustion and PBDE-containing plastics as principal sources. PXDFs were found as more abundant than PCDFs, and higher brominated analogues occurred at higher concentrations. The median total WHO toxic equivalent (TEQ) concentration in open burning soils was 7 times higher than the U.S. action level (1000 pg/g), with TEQ contributors in the order of PBDFs>PCDD/Fs>PXDFs. DRC emission to soils over the e-waste site as of 2010 was estimated, from surface soil lightness based on the correlations between concentrations and lightness, at 200mg (95% confidence interval 93-540 mg) WHO-TEQ over three years. People living in Agbogbloshie are potentially exposed to high levels of not only chlorinated but also brominated DRCs, and human health implications need to be assessed in future studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Copper(II)-mediated thermolysis of alginates: a model kinetic study on the influence of metal ions in the thermochemical processing of macroalgae

    PubMed Central

    Rowbotham, J. S.; Dyer, P. W.; Greenwell, H. C.; Selby, D.; Theodorou, M. K.

    2013-01-01

    Thermochemical processing methods such as pyrolysis are of growing interest as a means of converting biomass into fuels and commodity chemicals in a sustainable manner. Macroalgae, or seaweed, represent a novel class of feedstock for pyrolysis that, owing to the nature of the environments in which they grow coupled with their biochemistry, naturally possess high metal contents. Although the impact of metals upon the pyrolysis of terrestrial biomass is well documented, their influence on the thermochemical conversion of marine-derived feeds is largely unknown. Furthermore, these effects are inherently difficult to study, owing to the heterogeneous character of natural seaweed samples. The work described in this paper uses copper(II) alginate, together with alginic acid and sodium alginate as model compounds for exploring the effects of metals upon macroalgae thermolysis. A thermogravimetric analysis–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic study revealed that, unusually, Cu2+ ions promote the onset of pyrolysis in the alginate polymer, with copper(II) alginate initiating rapid devolatilization at 143°C, 14°C lower than alginic acid and 61°C below the equivalent point for sodium alginate. Moreover, this effect was mirrored in a sample of wild Laminaria digitata that had been doped with Cu2+ ions prior to pyrolysis, thus validating the use of alginates as model compounds with which to study the thermolysis of macroalgae. These observations indicate the varying impact of different metal species on thermochemical behaviour of seaweeds and offer an insight into the pyrolysis of brown macroalgae used in phytoremediation of metal-containing waste streams. PMID:24427515

  12. Two-dimensional on-line detection of brominated and iodinated volatile organic compounds by ECD and ICP-MS after GC separation.

    PubMed

    Schwarz, A; Heumann, K G

    2002-09-01

    Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was coupled to a gas chromatographic (GC) system with electron capture detector (ECD), which enables relatively easy characterization and quantification of brominated and iodinated (halogenated) volatile organic compounds (HVOCs) in aquatic and air samples. The GC-ECD system is connected in series with an ICP-MS by a directly heated transfer line and an outlet port-hole for elimination of the ECD make-up gas during ignition of the plasma. The hyphenated GC-ECD/ICP-MS system provides high selectivity and sensitivity for monitoring individual HVOCs under fast chromatographic conditions. The ECD is most sensitive for the detection of chlorinated and brominated but the ICP-MS for iodinated compounds. The greatest advantage of the use of an ICP-MS is its element-specific detection, which allows clear identification of compounds in most cases. The absolute detection limits for ICP-MS are 0.5 pg for iodinated, 10 pg for brominated, and 50 pg for chlorinated HVOCs with the additional advantage that calibration is almost independent on different compounds of the same halogen. In contrast to that detection limits for ECD vary for the different halogenated compounds and lie in the range of 0.03-11 pg. The two-dimensional GC-ECD/ICP-MS instrumentation is compared with electron impact mass spectrometry (EI-MS) and microwave induced plasma atomic emission detection (MIP-AED). Even if EI-MS has additional power in identifying unknown peaks by its scan mode, the detection limits are much higher compared with GC-ECD/ICP-MS, whereas the selective ion monitoring mode (SIM) reaches similar detection limits. The MIP-AED detection limits are at the same level as EI-MS in the scan mode.

  13. Bromine catalyzed conversion of S-tert-butyl groups into versatile and, for self-assembly processes accessible, acetyl-protected thiols.

    PubMed

    Blaszczyk, Alfred; Elbing, Mark; Mayor, Marcel

    2004-10-07

    The facile and efficient conversion of a tert-butyl protecting group to an acetyl protecting group for thiols by catalytic amounts of bromine in acetyl chloride and the presence of acetic acid has been developed. The fairly mild reaction conditions are of particular interest for new protecting group strategies for sulfur functionalised target structures. Copyright 2004 The Royal Society of Chemistry

  14. Direct spectral analysis and determination of high content of carcinogenic bromine in bread using UV pulsed laser induced breakdown spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Mehder, A O; Gondal, Mohammed A; Dastageer, Mohamed A; Habibullah, Yusuf B; Iqbal, Mohammed A; Oloore, Luqman E; Gondal, Bilal

    2016-01-01

    Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was applied for the detection of carcinogenic elements like bromine in four representative brands of loaf bread samples and the measured bromine concentrations were 352, 157, 451, and 311 ppm, using Br I (827.2 nm) atomic transition line as the finger print atomic transition. Our LIBS system is equipped with a pulsed laser of wavelength 266 nm with energy 25 mJ pulse(-1), 8 ns pulse duration, 20 Hz repetition rate, and a gated ICCD camera. The LIBS system was calibrated with the standards of known concentrations in the sample (bread) matrix and such plot is linear in 20-500 ppm range. The capability of our system in terms of limit of detection and relative accuracy with respect to the standard inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) technique was evaluated and these values were 5.09 ppm and 0.01-0.05, respectively, which ensures the applicability of our system for Br trace level detection, and LIBS results are in excellent agreement with that of ICPMS results.

  15. Active Thermochemical Tables: The Adiabatic Ionization Energy of Hydrogen Peroxide

    DOE PAGES

    Changala, P. Bryan; Nguyen, T. Lam; Baraban, Joshua H.; ...

    2017-09-07

    The adiabatic ionization energy of hydrogen peroxide (HOOH) is investigated, both by means of theoretical calculations and theoretically-assisted reanalysis of previous experimental data. Values obtained by three different approaches: 10.638 ± 0.012 eV (purely theoretical determination), 10.649 ± 0.005 eV (reanalysis of photoelectron spectrum) and 10.645 ± 0.010 eV (reanalysis of photoionization spectrum) are in excellent mutual agreement. Further refinement of the latter two values to account for asymmetry of the rotational profile of the photoionization origin band leads to a reduction of 0.007 ± 0.006 eV, which tends to bring them into even closer alignment with the purely theoreticalmore » value. As a result, detailed analysis of this fundamental quantity by the Active Thermochemical Tables (ATcT) approach, using the present results and extant literature, gives a final estimate of 10.641 ± 0.006 eV.« less

  16. Bromine in plastic consumer products - Evidence for the widespread recycling of electronic waste.

    PubMed

    Turner, Andrew; Filella, Montserrat

    2017-12-01

    A range of plastic consumer products and components thereof have been analysed by x-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry in a low density mode for Br as a surrogate for brominated flame retardant (BFR) content. Bromine was detected in about 42% of 267 analyses performed on electronic (and electrical) samples and 18% of 789 analyses performed on non-electronic samples, with respective concentrations ranging from 1.8 to 171,000μgg -1 and 2.6 to 28,500μgg -1 . Amongst the electronic items, the highest concentrations of Br were encountered in relatively small appliances, many of which predated 2005 (e.g. a fan heater, boiler thermostat and smoke detector, and various rechargers, light bulb collars and printed circuit boards), and usually in association with Sb, a component of antimony oxide flame retardant synergists, and Pb, a heavy metal additive and contaminant. Amongst the non-electronic samples, Br concentrations were highest in items of jewellery, a coffee stirrer, a child's puzzle, a picture frame, and various clothes hangers, Christmas decorations and thermos cup lids, and were often associated with the presence of Sb and Pb. These observations, coupled with the presence of Br at concentrations below those required for flame-retardancy in a wider range of electronic and non-electronic items, are consistent with the widespread recycling of electronic plastic waste. That most Br-contaminated items were black suggests the current and recent demand for black plastics in particular is met, at least partially, through this route. Given many Br-contaminated items would evade the attention of the end-user and recycler, their disposal by conventional municipal means affords a course of BFR entry into the environment and, for food-contact items, a means of exposure to humans. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. A Dual-Stimuli-Responsive Sodium-Bromine Battery with Ultrahigh Energy Density.

    PubMed

    Wang, Faxing; Yang, Hongliu; Zhang, Jian; Zhang, Panpan; Wang, Gang; Zhuang, Xiaodong; Cuniberti, Gianaurelio; Feng, Xinliang

    2018-06-01

    Stimuli-responsive energy storage devices have emerged for the fast-growing popularity of intelligent electronics. However, all previously reported stimuli-responsive energy storage devices have rather low energy densities (<250 Wh kg -1 ) and single stimuli-response, which seriously limit their application scopes in intelligent electronics. Herein, a dual-stimuli-responsive sodium-bromine (Na//Br 2 ) battery featuring ultrahigh energy density, electrochromic effect, and fast thermal response is demonstrated. Remarkably, the fabricated Na//Br 2 battery exhibits a large operating voltage of 3.3 V and an energy density up to 760 Wh kg -1 , which outperforms those for the state-of-the-art stimuli-responsive electrochemical energy storage devices. This work offers a promising approach for designing multi-stimuli-responsive and high-energy rechargeable batteries without sacrificing the electrochemical performance. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  18. Effect of lightning strike on bromine intercalated graphite fiber/epoxy composites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gaier, James R.; Slabe, Melissa E.; Brink, Norman O.

    1991-01-01

    Laminar composites were fabricated from pristine and bromine intercalated pitch based graphite fibers. It was found that laminar composites could be fabricated using either pristine or intercalated graphite fibers using standard fabrication techniques. The intercalated graphite fiber composites had electrical properties which were markedly improved over both the corresponding pitch based and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) based composites. Despite composites resistivities more than an order of magnitude lower for pitch based fiber composites, the lightning strike resistance was poorer than that of the Pan based fiber composites. This leads to the conclusion that the mechanical properties of the pitch fibers are more important than electrical or thermal properties in determining the lightning strike resistance. Based on indicated lightning strike tolerance for high elongation to failure materials, the use of vapor grown, rather than pitch based graphite fibers appears promising.

  19. Physiological effects of brominated flame retardants on NC/Nga mice.

    PubMed

    Tanaka, Michitaka; Inoue, Ken-Ichiro; Shimada, Akinori; Takano, Hirohisa

    2018-02-01

    Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are used as an additive or reactive components in various materials. Regarding their health concerns, their immunotoxicity have not been clarified yet. In the current study, we examined the effects of systemic exposure to two types of BFRs, DE71 and DE79, on pathophysiologic traits of murine atopic dermatitis (AD). Male NC/Nga mice were repeatedly injected intraperitoneally with DE71 and DE79 and/or mite allergen (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus: Dp) into their right ears. Thereafter, clinical scores, macroscopic findings of inflammatory foci, and Ig values in serum were examined. Both DEs significantly aggravated clinical scores induced by mite allergen including skin dryness and edema. Total IgE titer was significantly greater in the Dp + DE79 group than in the Dp group. Taken together, exposure to BFRs can exacerbate AD-like skin lesions related to mite allergen in mice. The accentuating effects may be mediated, at least in part, through hyperproduction of IgE.

  20. Thermochemical analysis of intermolecular interactions between N-acetylglycine and polyols in aqueous solutions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mezhevoi, I. N.; Badelin, V. G.

    2017-05-01

    The integral enthalpies of dissolution Δsol H m for N-acetylglycine in aqueous solutions of glycerol, ethylene glycol and 1,2-propylene glycol are measured via solution calorimetry. The standard enthalpies of dissolution (Δsol H 0) and transfer (Δtr H 0) for N-acetylglycine from water to aqueous solutions of polyhydric alcohols are calculated from experimental data. Positive values of enthalpy coefficients of pair interactions h xy for amino acids and polyol molecules are calculated using the McMillan-Mayer theory. The results are discussed using an approach for evaluating different types of interactions in ternary systems and the effect the structural features of interacting biomolecules have on the thermochemical characteristics of N-acetylglycine dissolution.