Pilot-Scale Feasibility Study for the Stabilization of Coal Tailings via Microbially-Induced Calcite Precipitation

Sustainable long-term solutions to managing tailings storage facilities (TSFs) are integral for mines to operate in a safe and environmentally responsible manner. The long-term storage of subaqueous tailings can pose significant safety, environmental, and economic risks, therefore alternative containment strategies for maintaining geochemical stability of reactive materials must be explored. In this study, the physical and geochemical stabilization of coal tailings using microbial induced calcite precipitation (MICP) was evaluated at a laboratory pilot scale. Three application techniques simulated commonly used agricultural approaches and equipment that could be deployed for field-scale treatment: spraying on treatment solutions with irrigation sprinklers, mixing tailings and treatment solutions with a rototiller, and distributing treatment solutions via shallow trenches using an excavator ripper. Test cells containing 1.0 x 1.0 x 0.5m of tailings were treated with ureolytic bacteria (Sporosarcina pasteurii) and cementation solutions composed of urea and calcium chloride for 28 days. Penetrometer tests were performed following incubation to evaluate the extent of cementation. The spray-on application method showed the greatest strength improvement, with in an increase in surface strength of more than 50% for the 28-day testing period. The distribution of treatment solution using trenches was found to be less effective and resulted in greater variability in particle size distribution of treated tailings and would not be recommended for use in the field. The use of rototilling equipment provided a homogenous distribution of treatment solution, however, the disruption to the tailings material was less effective for facilitating effective cementation. Bacterial plate counts of soil samples indicated that S. pasteurii cultures remained viable in a tailings environment for 28 days at 18˚C and near-neutral pH. The treatment was also found to stabilize the pH of tailings porewater sampled over the 28-day incubation period, suggesting the potential for the treatment to provide short-term geochemical stability under unsaturated conditions.

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS OF CONCHOIDAL STRAIGHT SPUR GEARS WITH INCREASED LOADING CAPACITY. THE THEORY

The article is devoted to the actual problem of increasing the performance indicators of machine gear drives. To solve this problem, in the article proposed to use a conchoidal engagement made with a shifting of the reference profile and special contact conditions. A feature of the proposed engagement is that it is less sensitive to manufacturing and assembly errors compared to conventional conchoidal engagement. As a result of theoretical studies, the performance indicators of such an engagement were determined. This made it possible to determine the level of load during further experimental tests of new gears. Contact strength and meshing losses were selected as performance indicators subject to further experimental verification. The ratios of these indicators, calculated for conchoidal spur gears with convex-convex contact, made with a shifting of the reference profile, with similar involute ones, are theoretically determined. Comparative analysis of performance indicators was carried out for gears of involute and conchoidal engagement with the same parameters and shifting of the reference profile. It was found that for experimental conchoidal drives with shifting, the maximum load is 1.2 times higher than that of a similar involute drive with shifting, and the loss in engagement is 21% less. A rational area of application of the new gearing is machine drives for high power transmissions. Keywords: spur gears, conchoidal gearing, profile shift, convex-convex contact, meshing characteristics, teeth surface strength, gearing power loss

Influence of ultrasonic treatment on the change of monocrystalline silicon defective region

The article presents the results of an experimental study of ultrasonic action on monocrystalline silicon samples. The influence of the processing modes on the surface strength of the material under study was found.

Discrete element modeling of planetary ice analogs: mechanical behavior upon sintering

Potentially habitable icy Ocean Worlds, such as Enceladus and Europa, are scientifically compelling worlds in the solar system and high-priority exploration targets. Future robotic exploration of Enceladus and Europa by in-situ missions would require a detailed understanding of the surface material and of the complex lander-surface interactions during locomotion or sampling. To date, numerical modeling approaches that provide insights into the icy terrain’s mechanical behavior have been lacking. In this work, we present a Discrete Element Model of porous planetary ice analogs that explicitly describes the microstructure and its evolution upon sintering. The model dimension is tuned following a Pareto-optimality analysis, the model parameters’ influence on the sample strength is investigated using a sensitivity analysis, and the model parameters are calibrated to experiments using a probabilistic method. The results indicate that the friction coefficient and the cohesion energy density at the particle-scale govern the macroscopic properties of the porous ice. Our model reveals a good correspondence between the macroscopic and bond strength evolutions, suggesting that the strengthening of porous ice results from the development of a large-scale network due to inter-particle bonding. This work sheds light on the multi-scale nature of the mechanics of planetary ice analogs and points to the importance of understanding surface strength evolution upon sintering to design robust robotic systems. Graphic abstract

Research on the physical properties of calcium sulfate whisker and the effects of its addition on paper and its printing performance

In this investigation, softwood pulp and bleached wheat straw pulp were used as raw materials, and Calcium Sulfate Whiskers (CSW) were used as fillers. Based on the structural properties and characteristics of CSW, the printing properties of the paper with CSW, such as whiteness, opacity, pH value, uniformity, Z-direction tensile strength and surface strength, were analyzed. The results showed that CSW has low solubility, high retention and fiber-like appearance. The whiteness of the paper is the best when the filling amount of CSW is 20 %. The paper opacity of softwood pulp increases significantly, and the opacity of bleached wheat straw pulp decreases significantly when CSW is more than 30 %. The addition reduces pH and surface strength of the paper. The evenness of the paper does not change obviously. The Z-direction tensile strength of the paper decreases in the softwood paper, but increases obviously in the bleached wheat straw paper.

Physical Alteration and Color Change of Granite Subjected to High Temperature

Cylindrical specimens obtained from the monzogranite host rock of the National Radioactive Waste Repository of Hungary were tested at room temperature and 250 °C, 500 °C, and 750 °C of heat treatment. Reflectance spectra (color), bulk density, Duroskop surface hardness, and ultrasound-wave velocity values were measures before and after thermal stress. According to CIE L*a*b* colorimetric characteristics, the specimens’ color became brighter and yellower after the heat treatment. At 750 °C, a significant volume increase was recorded linked to the formation of macro-cracks, and it also led to the drop in bulk density. Smaller temperature treatment (250 °C) caused a minor decrease in density (−1.3%), which is higher than the reduction of density at 500 °C (−0.8%). Duroskop surface strength showed a slight decrease until 500 °C, and then a drastic decline at 750 °C. P- and S-wave velocity values tend to decrease uniformly and significantly from room temperature to 750 °C. P-wave velocity and Duroskop values have a high exponential correlation at elevated temperatures. Physical alterations originated from the differential thermal-induced expansion of minerals, the formation of micro-cracks. Mineralogical changes at higher temperatures also contribute to the volume change and the loss in strength.

A durable coating to prevent stress corrosion effects on the surface strength of annealed glass

The durability of an innovative polymeric coating recently developed by the authors to prevent stress corrosion in annealed glass is herein examined. The coating, having functional graded properties through the thickness, is optimised to provide a very good adhesion with glass and an excellent hydrophobic behavior on the side exposed to the environment, thus creating a good barrier to humidity, which is the triggering agent for stress corrosion. Three scenarios are analysed in terms of ageing: (i) cyclic loading, accomplished by subjecting coated samples to repetitive loading; (ii) natural weathering, performed by exposing coated samples to atmospheric agents; (iii) artificial weathering, carried out by exposing coated specimens to fluorescent UV lamps, heat and water. The durability of the coating is assessed indirectly, on the base of its residual effectiveness in preventing stress corrosion, by comparing the bending strength, obtained with the coaxial double ring test, of aged coated glass specimens with that of un-coated and freshly coated specimens. The obtained results prove that the proposed formulation is almost insensitive to cyclic loading, maintains a very good performance in case of natural weathering, whereas is slightly more sensitive to artificial weathering.

Impact-crater ejecta on Bennu indicate a surface with very low strength

A planetary surface’s resistance to change is generally described as its “strength” (units of stress). The surface strength of small, rubble-pile asteroids, which consist of fragments of larger bodies that were collisionally disrupted, is poorly constrained due to their wide departure from terrestrial analogs. Here, we report the observation of an ejecta deposit surrounding an impact crater that limits the maximum surface strength of the near-Earth rubble-pile asteroid (101955) Bennu. The presence of this deposit implies that ejecta were mobilized with velocities less than the escape velocity of Bennu, 20 cm/s. Because ejecta velocities increase with surface strength, the ejecta deposit can only be explained if the effective strength of the surface material near the crater is exceedingly low, ≤100 Pa. This is three orders of magnitude below values commonly used for asteroid surfaces, but is supported by previous observations of an artificial impact crater on a similar asteroid, Ryugu. Our findings indicate a mobile surface that has likely been renewed multiple times since Bennu’s initial assembly and have far-reaching implications for interpreting observations of Bennu and other rubble piles.