Water - Compacted Na-Bentonite Interaction in Simulated Nuclear Fuel Disposal Conditions: the Role of Accessory Minerals

1993 ◽  
Vol 333 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Melamed ◽  
P. Pitkänen

ABSTRACTIn an earlier laboratory study1, ion exchange processes and smectite alteration were investigated through the interaction between compacted Na-bentonite (Volclay MX-80) and simulated granitic groundwater solutions. The change of montmorillonite from Na- to Ca-rich was found to be the major alteration process in the bentonite. In the water, a concentration decrease in Ca, Mg and K, and an increase in Na, HCO3 and SO4 were recorded. The total amount of Ca available in the water, however, was found insufficient to account for the recorded formation of Ca-smectite, and it is therefore assumed that the accessory Ca-bearing minerals in the bentonite provide the fundamental source of these cations.X-ray powder diffraction analyses and microscope observations of the bentonite samples were re-conducted. Quartz, feldspars, pyrite, calcite and traces of gypsum were revealed as the primary accessories. In reacted samples, goethite and siderite are found as the secondary mineral products in association with corroded pyrite grains, while calcite and gypsum tend to disappear. From these results it is assumed that the oxygen present in the water and bentonite pore space promotes the oxidation of pyrite (dissolved) and the precipitation of goethite. The pore water pH decreases and calcite is partly dissolved. Through the dissolution, the bulk amount of Ca ions in addition to those arising by diffusion from the water is provided. Some of the reaction-released bicarbonate and Fe2+ re-precipitate in the bentonite as siderite, while the rest (as also SO4 ions) diffuse into the water.Though the relative oxygen content in the experiment may be considered higher than that of the repository concept for nuclear fuel disposal (interaction in a semi-closed system with high water/bentonite ratio), the near field geochemistry predictions imply limited oxidizing conditions, which will be characterized by the above-described processes in sulphide-bearing bentonite and occur for some time after the sealing of the repository.

1964 ◽  
Vol 12 (02) ◽  
pp. 471-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Rodríguez-Erdmann

SummaryThe rôle of the clotting system in the pathogenesis of the generalized Shwartzman reaction (gSr) has been stressed in recent years. The clotting system is activated ubiquitously and as a result of it, fibrin is deposited intravascularly and a haemorrhagic diathesis develops. Evidence is presented herein, that endotoxin does not activate purified prothrombin, nor does endotoxin influence the convertion of prothrombin when it is activated in the presence of purified platelet-factor 3 (or caephalin) purified Ac-G (factor V) and Ca-ions.The trigger mechanism of the gSr also seems to be in the so-called prephase of clotting mechanism. Data are presented, which show that endotoxin activates the Hageman factor in vitro. The importance of this clotting factor and of platelet-factor 3 is discussed. Also the rôle played by the RES and cardiodynamic and vascular components are taken in consideration in the discussion.


Author(s):  
Shaun Blanchard

This book sheds further light on the nature of church reform and the roots of the Second Vatican Council (1962–65) through a study of eighteenth-century Catholic reformers who anticipated the Council. The most striking of these examples is the Synod of Pistoia (1786), the high-water mark of late Jansenism. Most of the reforms of the Synod were harshly condemned by Pope Pius VI in the bull Auctorem fidei (1794), and late Jansenism was totally discredited in the ultramontane nineteenth-century Church. Nevertheless, much of the Pistoian agenda—such as an exaltation of the role of bishops, an emphasis on infallibility as a gift to the entire Church, religious liberty, a simpler and more comprehensible liturgy that incorporates the vernacular, and the encouragement of lay Bible reading and Christocentric devotions—was officially promulgated at Vatican II. The career of Bishop Scipione de’ Ricci (1741–1810) and the famous Synod he convened are investigated in detail. The international reception (and rejection) of the Synod sheds light on why these reforms failed, and the criteria of Yves Congar are used to judge the Pistoian Synod as “true or false reform.” This book proves that the Synod was a “ghost” present at Vatican II. The council fathers struggled with, and ultimately enacted, many of the same ideas. This study complexifies the story of the roots of the Council and Pope Benedict XVI’s “hermeneutic of reform,” which seeks to interpret Vatican II as in “continuity and discontinuity on different levels” with past teaching and practice.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1283
Author(s):  
Vasileios Ziogas ◽  
Georgia Tanou ◽  
Giasemi Morianou ◽  
Nektarios Kourgialas

Among the various abiotic stresses, drought is the major factor limiting crop productivity worldwide. Citrus has been recognized as a fruit tree crop group of great importance to the global agricultural sector since there are 140 citrus-producing countries worldwide. The majority of citrus-producing areas are subjected to dry and hot summer weather, limited availability of water resources with parallel low-quality irrigation water due to increased salinity regimes. Citrus trees are generally classified as “salt-intolerant” with high water needs, especially during summer. Water scarcity negatively affects plant growth and impairs cell metabolism, affecting the overall tree growth and the quality of produced fruit. Key factors that overall attempt to sustain and withstand the negative effect of salinity and drought stress are the extensive use of rootstocks in citriculture as well as the appropriate agronomical and irrigation practices applied. This review paper emphasizes and summarizes the crucial role of the above factors in the sustainability of citriculture.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 424-432
Author(s):  
Hongkai Zhao ◽  
Kehan Zhang ◽  
Shoupeng Rui ◽  
Peipei Zhao

AbstractIn the present contribution, an environmental-friendly and cost-effective adsorbent was reported for soil treatment and desertification control. A novel foam gel material was synthesized here by the physical foaming in the absence of catalyst. By adopting modified microcrystalline cellulose and chitosan as raw materials and sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS) as foaming agent, a microcrystalline cellulose/chitosan blend foam gel was synthesized. It is expected to replace polymers derived from petroleum for agricultural applications. In addition, a systematical study was conducted on the adsorbability, water holding capacity and re-expansion performance of foam gel in deionized water and brine under different SDS concentrations (2%–5%) as well as adsorption time. To be specific, the adsorption capacity of foam gel was up to 105g/g in distilled water and 54g/g in brine, indicating a high water absorption performance. As revealed from the results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis, both the amino group of chitosan and the aldehyde group modified by cellulose were involved. According to the results of Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis, the foam gel was found to exhibit an interconnected pore network with uniform pore space. As suggested by Bet analysis, the macroporous structure was formed in the sample, and the pore size ranged from 0 to 170nm. The mentioned findings demonstrated that the foam gel material of this study refers to a potential environmental absorbent to improve soil and desert environments. It can act as a powerful alternative to conventional petroleum derived polymers.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Tapuwa Marapara

<p>During the last two decades there has been increasing interest in the role of forests and wetlands as flood mitigating tools due to growing concerns regarding the sustainability of many traditional engineering flood defences such as dykes, sea walls and dams. In forests, the role is facilitated by the interaction between trees, soil and water. Specifically trees reduce surface runoff and prevent flooding through increased evapotranspiration and canopy interception and enhance physical and hydraulic properties of soil that are critical for the absorption and retention of flood waters by the soil. It is increasingly realised that the answer to flood mitigation is not a blanket recommendation to “plant trees”. This is because the role of trees varies spatially and temporally as a function of climate, topography, rainfall properties, soil type and condition, catchment scale and geology, among others. For example, where trees are present in wetlands, particularly forested wetlands, the mechanisms by which trees interact with soil and water are similar to that in forests but because of a high water table, the impact of trees may be reduced. Therefore, the mere presence of forests and forested wetlands will not necessarily deliver flood risk management.  The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of trees as flood mitigating tools under various bio-geo climatic factors in forests and forested wetland environments. Three forms of investigation were followed to fulfil this purpose.  A detailed literature review was carried out to assess the role of trees and forests as flood mitigation tools under changing climate, topography, species type, rainfall properties, soil type and condition, catchment scale and geology. A field experiment was carried out to collect data and analyse the effect of trees on soil physical and hydraulic properties that include bulk density, saturated hydraulic conductivity, soil organic carbon, soil moisture content, matric potential and soil moisture retention in a previously forested wetland undergoing restoration in New Zealand. A spatially explicit decision support tool, the Land Use Capability Indicator (LUCI) was then used to determine appropriate areas where intervention can be targeted to optimise the role of trees as flood mitigating tools in previously forested wetlands undergoing restoration.  The detailed review identified a major data gap in the role of trees under hydric conditions (high water table), along with uncertainties on their effectiveness in large catchments (>˜40 km²) and in extreme rainfall events. The field experiment provided the first set of soil hydrology data from an ephemeral wetland in New Zealand showing the benefits of newly established trees in improving hydraulic conductivity of soils. The soil hydrology data is a useful baseline for continuous monitoring of the forested wetlands undergoing restoration. The use of the Land Use Capability Indicator was its first application for the optimisation of flood mitigation in a forested wetland. Its suggested target areas are not necessarily conducive for survival of some tree species, although if suitable species are established, flood risk mitigation could be maximised. Further research on what native species are best for what conditions and in what combinations is recommended, to increase survival in the proposed target areas.</p>


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Rainer Fiedler ◽  
Jürgen Augustin ◽  
Nicole Wrage-Mönnig ◽  
Gerald Jurasinski ◽  
Bertram Gusovius ◽  
...  

Abstract. Biogas digestate (BD) is increasingly used as organic fertiliser, but has a high potential for NH3 losses. Its proposed injection into soils as a counter-measure has been suggested to promote the generation of N2O, leading to a potential trade-off. Furthermore, the effect on N2 losses after injection of BD into soil has not yet been evaluated. We performed a simulated BD injection experiment in a helium-oxygen atmosphere to examine the influence of soil substrate (loamy sand, clayey silt), water-filled pore space (WFPS; 35, 55, 75 %), temperature (2° C, 15° C) and application rate (0, 160, 320 kg N ha−1) as a proxy for row spacing of injection on the emissions of N2O, N2, and CO2. To determine the potential capacity for these gaseous losses, we incubated under anaerobic conditions by purging with helium for the last 24 h of incubation. N2O and N2 emissions as well as the N2 / (N2O + N2) ratio depended on soil type and increased with WFPS and temperature, indicating a crucial role of soil gas diffusivity for the formation of these gases in agricultural soils. However, the emissions did not increase with the application rate of BD, i.e. a broader spacing of injection slits, probably due to an inhibitory effect of the high NH4+ content of BD. Our results suggest that the risk of N2O and N2 losses even after injection of relatively large amounts of BD seems to be small for dry to wet sandy soils and acceptable when regarding simultaneously reduced NH3 emissions for dry silty soils.


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