Neutral Salt Action. I. The Effect of Neutral Salts on the Velocity of the Reaction 2Fe(CN)6≡+ 3I-→ 2Fe(CN)6[UNK]+ I3-

REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) regulations demand for an expedient discovery of a Cr(VI)-free alternative corrosion protection for light alloys even though the green alternatives might never be as cheap as current harmful technologies. In the present work, flash- plasma electrolytic oxidation coatings (FPEO) with the process duration < 90 s are developed on AZ31B alloy in varied mixtures of silicate-, phosphate-, aluminate-, and fluoride-based alkaline electrolytes implementing current density and voltage limits. The overall evaluation of the coatings’ anticorrosion performance (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), neutral salt spray test (NSST), paintability) shows that from nine optimized FPEO recipes, two (based on phosphate, fluoride, and aluminate or silicate mixtures) are found to be an adequate substitute for commercially used Cr(VI)-based conversion coating (CCC). The FPEO coatings with the best corrosion resistance consume a very low amount of energy (~1 kW h m−2 µm−1). It is also found that the lower the energy consumption of the FPEO process, the better the corrosion resistance of the resultant coating. The superb corrosion protection and a solid environmentally friendly outlook of PEO-based corrosion protection technology may facilitate the economic justification for industrial end-users of the current-consuming process as a replacement of the electroless CCC process.

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Application of Commercial Surface Pretreatments on the Formation of Cerium Conversion Coating (CeCC) over High-Strength Aluminum Alloys 2024-T3 and 7075-T6

Metals ◽

10.3390/met11060930 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 930

Author(s):

Juan Jesús Alba-Galvín ◽

Leandro González-Rovira ◽

Francisco Javier Botana ◽

Maria Lekka ◽

Francesco Andreatta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Electrochemical Impedance ◽

Salt Spray ◽

Aluminum Matrix ◽

Optical Emission ◽

High Strength ◽

Chemical Conversion ◽

Conversion Coating ◽

Neutral Salt ◽

Corrosion Properties ◽

Surface Pretreatment

The selection of appropriate surface pretreatments is one of the pending issues for the industrial application of cerium-based chemical conversion coatings (CeCC) as an alternative for toxic chromate conversion coating (CrCC). A two-step surface pretreatment based on commercial products has been successfully used here to obtain CeCC on AA2024-T3 and AA7075-T6. Specimens processed for 1 to 15 min in solutions containing CeCl3 and H2O2 have been studied by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX), glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GDOES), potentiodynamic linear polarization (LP), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and neutral salt spray (NSS) tests. SEM-EDX showed that CeCC was firstly observed as deposits, followed by a general coverage of the surface with the formation of cracks where the coating was getting thicker. GDOES confirmed an increase of the CeCC thickness as the deposition proceed, the formation of CeCC over 7075 being faster than over 2024. There was a Ce-rich layer in both alloys and an aluminum oxide/hydroxide layer on 7075 between the upper Ce-rich layer and the aluminum matrix. According to LP and EIS, CeCC in all samples offered cathodic protection and comparable degradation in chloride-containing media. Finally, the NSS test corroborated the anti-corrosion properties of the CeCC obtained after the commercial pretreatments employed.

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Effect of pyrolysis temperature on Si release of alkali-enhanced Si-rich biochar and plant response

Biochar ◽

10.1007/s42773-021-00112-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Meng Wang ◽

Negar D. Tafti ◽

Jim J. Wang ◽

Xudong Wang

Keyword(s):

Rice Straw ◽

Rice Husk ◽

Pyrolysis Temperature ◽

Weak Acid ◽

Rice Grain ◽

Neutral Salt ◽

Salt Solutions ◽

Plant Disease Control ◽

Si Content ◽

Lower Temperature

AbstractRecent studies have shown that silicon (Si) dissolution from biochar may be influenced by the pyrolysis temperature. In addition, the enhancement of biochar by treatment with alkali has been proposed to produce a Si source that can be used for environmentally friendly plant disease control. In this study, biochars from rice straw and rice husk pretreated with KOH, CaO and K2CO3 and then pyrolyzed at 350, 450 and 550 °C were prepared to evaluate the effects of pyrolysis temperature on Si release and plant uptake from alkali-enhanced Si-rich biochar. Extractable Si and dissolution Si from the prepared biochars were assessed by different short-term chemical methods and long-term (30-day) release in dilute acid and neutral salt solutions, respectively, along with a rice potting experiment in greenhouse. For both rice straw- and husk-derived alkali-enhanced biochars (RS-10KB and HS-10K2B, respectively), increasing the pyrolysis temperature from 350 to 550 °C generally had the highest extractable Si and increased Si content extracted by 5-day sodium carbonate and ammonium nitrate (5dSCAN) designated for fertilizer Si by 61–142%, whereas non-enhanced biochars had more extractable Si at 350 °C. The alkali-enhanced biochars produced at 550 °C pyrolysis temperature also released 82–172% and 27–79% more Si than that of 350 °C produced biochar in unbuffered weak acid and neutral salt solutions, respectively, over 30 days. In addition, alkali-enhanced biochars, especially that derived from rice husk at 550 °C facilitated 6–21% greater Si uptake by rice and 44–101% higher rice grain yields than lower temperature biochars, non-enhanced biochars, or conventional Si fertilizers (wollastonite and silicate calcium slag). Overall, this study demonstrated that 550 °C is more efficient than lower pyrolysis temperature for preparing alkali-enhanced biochar to improve Si release for plant growth.

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