The main types of hypergolic propellants used at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) are hydrazine (HZ) and monomethylhydrazine (MMH). HZ and MMH are classified as hazardous materials and they are also known to be potentially carcinogenic to humans; therefore, handling these substances and their waste is strictly regulated. The wastes streams from HZ and MMH have been estimated to be the main hazardous wastes streams at KSC. Currently at KSC these wastes are first neutralized using citric acid and then they are transported on public roads for incineration as hazardous materials. A new method using alpha ketoglutaric acid (AKGA) was proposed to treat HZ and MMH wastes. From the reaction of AKGA with HZ and MMH two stable products are formed, 1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-6-oxo-3-pyridazinecarboxylic acid (PCA) and lmethyl-1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-6-oxo-3-pyridazinecarboxylic acid (mPCA), respectively. The cost of purchasing AKGA is greater than the cost of purchasing citric acid; thus, AKGA can only become a cost effective alternative for the treatment of HZ and MMH wastes if the products of the reactions (PCA and mPCA) can be safely disposed of into the sewage system without affecting the treatment efficiency and effluent quality of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). In this research mPCA and PCA were analyzed for acute toxicity using fish and crustaceans as well as their effect on the wastewater treatment efficiency and viability using AS microbes, and their biodegradability by AS organisms. Acute toxicity on fish and crustaceans was investigated according to the methods for acute toxicity by USEPA (USEPA Method EPA- 821-R-02-012) using Ceriodaphnia dubia (96 hours) and Pimephales promelas (96 hours) as the test organisms. The effect of mPCA and PCA in the treatment efficiency and viability were iii estimated from respiration inhibition tests (USEPA Method OCSPP 850.3300) and heterotrophic plate counts (HPCs). Lastly, the biodegradability of mPCA and PCA was assessed using the Closed Bottle Test (USEPA Method OPPTS 835.3110). For mPCA, the 96 hours LC50 for C. dubia was estimated at 0.77 ± 0.06 g/L (with a 95% confidence level) and the NOEC was estimated at 0.5 g/L. For P. promelas, the LC50 was above 1.5 g/L but it was noticed that mPCA had an effect on their behavior. Abnormal behavior observed included loss of equilibrium and curved spine. The NOEC on the fish was estimated at 0.75 g/L. PCA did not exhibit a significant mortality on fish or crustaceans. The LC50 of PCA in P. promelas and C. dubia was > 1.5 g/L and the NOEC was 1.5 g/L for both organisms. An Inhibitory effect on the heterotrophic respiration of activated sludge organisms was not observed after exposing them for 180-min to PCA and mPCA at concentrations of up to 1.5 g/L compared to the blank controls. Overall the impact of PCA and mPCA on total respiration rates was small, and only observed at 1,500 mg/L if at all. The difference was apparently caused by inhibition of nitrification rather than heterotrophic inhibition. However due to the variability observed in the measurements of the replicates, it is not possible to firmly conclude that PCA or mPCA at 1,500 mg/L was inhibitory to nitrification. Based on the results from the HPCs, mPCA and PCA did not affect the viability of heterotrophic organisms at 750 mg/L. In the BOD-like closed bottle test using a diluted activated sludge mixed liquor sample, the AS microorganisms were capable of biodegrading up to 67% of a 2 mg/L concentration of PCA (with respect to its theoretical oxygen demand, or ThOD) in 28 days. No biodegradation was observed in the samples containing 2 and 5 mg/L of mPCA after 28 days of incubation using a diluted activated sludge mixed liquor sample as inoculum. iv The results of this study show that mPCA is more toxic than PCA to Ceriodaphnia dubia and Pimephales promelas. However neither mPCA nor PCA had an effect on the heterotrophic respiration of an AS mixed liquor sample at 1.5 g/L and there was probably no significant inhibition of the nitrification respiration. Samples of PCA and mPCA at 2 and 5 mg/L could not be completely degraded (with respect to their total theoretical oxygen demand) by dilute AS biomass during a 28 day incubation period. mPCA did not show significant degradation in the two different biodegradation tests performed.

Parmi les procédés de stockage d’hydrogène étudiés actuellement, le stockage solide de l’hydrogène dans les hydrures chimiques, associée à sa génération par une réaction de solvolyse, est une technologie prometteuse. La première partie de cette thèse s’articule donc autour de l’étude de la solvolyse de deux composés étudiés ces dernières années, le borohydrure de sodium NaBH4 et l’ammoniaborane NH3BH3. Le dégagement contrôlé d’hydrogène peut alors se faire par des réactions d’hydrolyse. La comparaison de la cinétique de la réaction d’hydrolyse du NaBH4 avec celle de la méthanolyse du NaBH4 nous a permis de décrire ces réactions avec le modèle de Langmuir-Hinshelwood. Concernant la réaction d’hydrolyse du NH3BH3, nos recherches se sont focalisées sur la préparation in situ de catalyseurs présentant de fortes activitéspar l’étude des hydrolyses spontanées et catalysées de mélanges NH3BH3-NaBH4. La seconde partie de la thèse est consacrée au développement d’un nouveau système N2H4BH3-eau pour la génération d’hydrogène. Les premiers essais, réalisés avec des métaux de transition comme catalyseur, nous ont permis de mettre en évidence que cette réaction se faisait en deux étapes catalytiques, l’hydrolyse de BH3, puis la décomposition de N2H4.Une faible sélectivité pour la décomposition complète de N2H4 étant atteinte dans ces conditions, la suite de l’étude a porté sur la préparation de catalyseurs sélectifs. La stratégie adoptée a été l’utilisation de matériaux bimétalliques Ni-Pt. La sélectivité de la réaction est alors dépendante de la teneur en Pt et une sélectivité maximum de 93 % pour la seconde étape de la réaction a été obtenue avec Ni0,89Pt0,11 / Hydrogen use as a potential alternative solution to fossil fuels is hindered by engineering problems, its storage being one of the most prominent. Various storage methods are under investigation but solid-state storage in chemical hydrides appears to be convenient with regards to their storage capacities, safety and cost. The first part of this thesis deals with the solvolysis reaction of two well known compounds, sodium borohydride NaBH4 and ammonia borane NH3BH3. The hydrogen can be easily released by hydrolysis at ambient temperature. We focused on understanding the kinetics and reaction mechanisms of NaBH4 hydrolysis. Thus, we compared this reaction with NaBH4 methanolysis, and found that the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model well captures the kinetics of the reaction. Concerning the NH3BH3 hydrolysis reaction, we concentrated our efforts on the in situ preparation of highly-active catalysts. This was achieved by studying the spontaneous and catalyzed hydrolysis of NaBH4-NH3BH3 mixtures. The second part of the thesis is dedicated to the development of the N2H4BH3-water system for hydrogen generation. Initial tests using transition metals as catalysts allowed us to determine that the reaction takes place in two steps, the hydrolysis of BH3 and the N2H4 decomposition. Since Rh as catalyst exhibits only a 29 % selectivity for the complete decomposition of N2H4, the strategy was set up to use Ni-Pt bimetallic nanoparticles. It has been found that the selectivity for the reaction is dependent on the Pt content in the Ni-Pt alloy and a selectivity of 93 % was reached in the presence of Ni0,89Pt0,11 nanoparticles

Ce travail est consacré à l'étude du procédé de synthèse, d'extraction et de purification d'une hydrazine exocyclique à applications cosmétiques, la N-aminopyrrolidine (NAPY). Dans un premier temps, l'optimisation des conditions de synthèse par la voie Raschig e été conduite en étudiant l'influence de deux paramètres, rapport molaire des réactifs (NH2Cl, pyrrolidine) et la température, sur le rendement de la réaction. Les solutions brutes de synthèse étant très diluées (≈5%g en NAPY), l'extraction et la purification du produit utile sont souvent liées à des opérations successives de démixtion et de distillation. La détermination de ces conditions de séparation requière alors la connaissance des propriétés thermodynamiques des équilibres entre phases impliqués dans ces opérations unitaires. L'optimisation de la démixtion nécessite alors l'étude du système ternaire solide-liquide-liquide NaOH/Pyrrolidine/Eau. Trois coupes isothermes isobares ont été complètement déterminées, par ATI (Analyse Thermique Isopléthique) combinée à des dosages chimiques. La méthode du diamètre et des modules a été mise au point pour la détermination du point critique de la courbe de démixtion. Les opérations de distillation mettent en jeu le système ternaire NAPY/Pyrrolidine/Eau. Le binaire limite liquide-vapeur Eau/Pyrrolidine a été déterminé par ébulliométrie à la pression atmosphérique. Pour essayer de mieux comprendre les interactions hétéromoléculaires ayant lieu en phase liquide, deux autres binaire liquide-vapeur eau/amine ont été obtenus. L'étude su système ternaire liquide-vapeur nous a permis de déduire deux schémas de distillation possibles. Une fois les conditions de synthèse et d'extraction définies et un schéma de procédé a été proposé, la NAPY est obtenue conforme aux spécifications cosmétiques

<div>Hydrous hydrazine (N₂H₄·H₂O) is a promising hydrogen carrier for convenient storage and transportation owing to its high hydrogen content (8.0 wt%), low material cost and stable liquid state at ambient temperature. Particularly, generation of only nitrogen as byproduct, in addition to hydrogen, thus obviating the need for on-board collection system for recycling, ability to generate hydrogen at moderate temperatures (20-80 °C) which correspond to the operating temperature of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), and easy recharging using current infrastructure of liquid fuels make hydrous hydrazine a promising hydrogen source for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). Since hydrogen can be generated from catalytic hydrazine decomposition, the development of active, selective and cost-effective catalysts, which enhance the complete decomposition (N₂H₄ → N₂+2H₂) and simultaneously suppress the incomplete decomposition (3N₂H₄ → 4NH₃+N₂), remains a significant challenge.</div><div>In this dissertation, CeO₂ powders and various Ni-based catalysts for hydrous hydrazine decomposition were prepared using solution combustion synthesis (SCS) technique and investigated. SCS is a widely employed technique to synthesize nanoscale materials such as oxides, metals, alloys and sulfides, owing to its simplicity, low cost of precursors, energy- and time-efficiency. In addition, product properties can be effectively tailored by adjusting various synthesis parameters which affect the combustion process.</div><div>The first and second parts of this work (Chapters 2 and 3) are devoted to investigating the correlation between the synthesis parameters, combustion characteristics and properties of the resulting powder. A series of CeO₂, which is a widely used material for various catalytic applications and a promising catalyst support for hydrous hydrazine decomposition, and Ni/CeO₂ nanopowders as model catalysts for the target reaction were synthesized using conventional SCS technique. This demonstrated that crystallite size, surface property and concentration of defects in CeO₂ structure which strongly influence the catalytic performance, can be effectively controlled by varying the synthesis parameters such as metal precursor (oxidizer) type, reducing agent (fuel), fuel-to-oxidizer ratio and amount of gas generating agent. The tailored CeO₂ powder exhibited small CeO₂ crystallite size (7.9 nm) and high surface area (88 m²/g), which is the highest value among all prior reported SCS-derived CeO₂ powders. The Ni/CeO₂ catalysts synthesized with 6 wt% Ni loading, hydrous hydrazine fuel and fuel-to-oxidizer ratio of 2 showed 100% selectivity for hydrogen generation and the highest activity (34.0 h^-1 at 50 ºC) among all prior reported catalysts containing Ni alone for hydrous hydrazine decomposition. This superior performance of the Ni/CeO₂ catalyst is attributed to small Ni particle size, large pore size and moderate defect concentration.</div><div>As the next step, SCS technique was used to develop more efficient and cost-effective catalysts for hydrous hydrazine decomposition. In the third part (Chapter 4), noble-metal-free NiCu/CeO₂ catalysts were synthesized and investigated. The characterization results indicated that the addition of Cu to Ni/CeO₂ exhibits a synergistic effect to generate significant amounts of defects in the CeO₂ structure which promotes catalytic activity. The 13 wt% Ni_0.5Cu_0.5/CeO₂ catalysts showed 100% H₂ selectivity and 5.4-fold higher activity (112 h^-1 at 50 ºC) as compared to the 13 wt% Ni/CeO₂ (20.7 h^-1). This performance is also superior to that of most reported non-noble metal catalysts and is even comparable to several noble metal-based catalysts. In the fourth part (Chapter 5), low Pt loading NiPt/CeO₂ catalysts were studied. The modified SCS technique was developed and applied to prepare NiPt/CeO₂ catalysts, that overcomes the typical problem of conventional SCS which leads to deficiency of Pt at catalyst surface due to the diffusion of Pt into bulk CeO₂. The Ni_0.6Pt_0.4/CeO₂ catalysts with 1 wt% Pt loading exhibited high activity (1017 h^-1 at 50 ºC) along with 100% H₂ selectivity owing to the optimum composition of NiPt alloy, high metal dispersion and a large amount of CeO₂ defects. Its activity is higher than most of the reported NiPt-based catalysts which typically contain high Pt loading (3.6-42 wt%).</div><div>Next, the intrinsic kinetics of hydrous hydrazine decomposition over the NiPt/CeO₂ catalysts, which are necessary for efficient design and optimization of the hydrous hydrazine-based hydrogen generator system, were investigated (Chapter 6). From the experimental data obtained at different reaction temperatures, the intrinsic kinetic model based on the Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism was established. The developed model</div><div>provides good predictions with the experimental data, especially over a wide range of initial reactant concentration, describing well the variation of reaction order from low to</div><div>high reactant concentration.</div><div>Finally, the conclusions of the dissertation and recommendations for future work are summarized in Chapter 7.</div>

The aim of this study is to demonstrate the possibility of production of nanocables as an alternative to the other one dimensional metal/polymer composite structures like nanowires and nanorods. There is no certain definition of nanocables / however they could be considered as assemblies of nanowires. Nanocable structure can be defined as a core-shell structure formed by a polymeric shell and a metal core that runs continuously within this shell. To produce nanocables, two main steps were carried out. Firstly, monodispersed silver metal nanoparticles to be aligned within the cable core were produced. Investigations on reduction reactions in the presence of strong and weak reducing agents and different capping agents revealed the importance of the kinetics of reduction in the production of monodispersed nanoparticles. Use of capping agents to give a positive reduction potential, resulted in the slow reduction rates that was critical for fine tuning of the final particle sizes between 1-10 nm. Hydrazine hydrate and oleylamine/ oleic acid systems were used as strong and weak reducing agents, respectively. By using weak reducing agent, monodisperse spherical silver nanoparticles with the diameter of 2.7 nm were produced. It was shown that particles with controlled diameter and size distribution can be obtained by tuning the system parameters. Secondly, particles produced as such were electrospun within the core of the polymer nanofibers and long continuous nanocables were produced. Polyvinyl pyrrolidone and polycaprolactone were used in shell part of nanocables. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy (SPR) analyses were carried out in order to understand the mechanism by which the nanoparticles were reduced and for further characterization of the product.

Orientador: Devaney Ribeiro do Carmo / Banca: Newton Luiz Dias Filho / Banca: Jeosadaque José de Sene / Resumo: O objetivo deste trabalho esta resumido através de três etapas. 1 - A primeira etapa consistiu em funcionalizar e caracterizar a sílica gel com grupos 3- aminopropiltrietoxisilano. Nesta etapa o material obtido (Si) foi caracterizado por técnicas de Ressonância Magnética Nuclear no estado sólido (24Si e 13C) e espectroscopia vibracional (FTIR). 2- Numa segunda etapa promoveu-se a adsorção de íons de cobre (II) e de cobalto (II) na superfície da sílica (Si). Os materiais obtidos (SiCu e SiCo) foram caracterizados por espectroscopia vibracional e voltametria cíclica. 3- Na terceira etapa reagiu-se os materiais preparados (SiCu e SiCo) com nitroprussiato de sódio para formar os complexos binucleares (SiCuNP e SiCoNP). Estes materiais também foram caracterizados por espectroscopia vibracional e voltametria cíclica. Estes materiais foram utilizados na construção do eletrodo de pasta de grafite e testados na oxidação eletrocatalítica de substâncias biologicamente importantes tais como a hidrazina e N-acetilcisteína sendo empregado para isto a técnica de voltametria cíclica. Observou-se que o eletrodo de SiCuNP apresentam dois pares redox nos potenciais (Em)1 = 0,34 V e (Em)2 = 0,76 V vs Ag/AgCl, O primeiro foi atribuído ao processo de oxidação do par Cu(I)/Cu(II) e o segundo ao processo de oxidação Fe(II)(CN)5NO / Fe(III)(CN)5NO do complexo binuclear. O sistema SiCoNP foram observados dois pares redox distintos com os seguintes potenciais médios (Em); (Em)1 = 0,29 V e (Em)2 = 0,56 V vs Ag/AgCl, o primeiro foi atribuído ao processo redox do par Co(II)/Co(III) e o segundo ao processo redox Fe(II)(CN)5NO / Fe(III)(CN)5NO do complexo binuclear formado. O sistema SiCuNP foi sensível a concentração de hidrazina apresentando um limite de detecção e sensibilidade amperométrica de 3,07×10-4 mol L-1 e 5,84×10-6 A / mol L-1... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The objective of this work is summarized in three stages. 1 - The first stage functionalizes and characterizes the silica gel with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane groups. At this stage the material obtained (Si) was characterized by solid state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance techniques (24Si and 13C) and vibrational spectroscopy (FTIR). 2 - The second stage promotes the adsorption of copper (II) and cobalt (II) ions on the surface of the silica (Si). The materials obtained (SiCu and SiCo) were characterized by vibrational spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. 3 - The third stage prepares the reaction of the materials (SiCu and SiCo) with sodium nitroprusside to form the binuclear complex (SiCuNP and SiCoNP). These materials were characterized by vibrational spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. These materials were used to construct the electrode carbon paste and were tested for electrocatalytic oxidation of biologically important substances such as hydrazine and N-acetylcysteine using the cyclic voltammetry technique. It was observed that the electrode SiCuNP has two redox pairs in the potential (Em)1 = 0.34 V and (Em)2 = 0.76 V vs. Ag/AgCl, the first was attributed to the oxidation process of the pair Cu(I)/Cu(II) and the second to the oxidation process Fe(II)(CN)5NO / Fe(III)(CN)5NO of the binuclear complex. For the SiCoNP system, two distinct redox couples were observed with the following mean potentials (Em); (Em)1 = 0.29 V and (Em)2 = 0.56 V vs Ag/AgCl, the first one was assigned to the redox process of the Co(II)/Co(III) pair and the second one to the redox process Fe(II)(CN)5NO / Fe(III)(CN)5NO of the binuclear complex formed. The SiCuNP system was sensitive to the hydrazine concentration, exhibiting a detection limit and amperometric sensitivity of 3.07×10-4 mol L-1 and 5.84×10-6 A / mol L-1 respectively and was also... (Summary complete electronic access click below) / Mestre

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-19T12:56:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Luiza Maria Ferreira Dantas.pdf: 554629 bytes, checksum: e52ab366e6eca5730a202673574f26b5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-08-22 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / In this work, the determination of hydrazine (N2H4) in aqueous solutions was investigated by voltammetric techniques on pyrolytic graphite electrodes (GP) before and after modification with iron tetra-pyridinoporphyrazine (FeTPyPz). The modified electrode GP/FeTPyPz presented higher oxidation currents and better voltammetric profiles in comparison with the unmodified electrodes. This modified electrode exhibited two reversible peaks attributed to the redox processes: Fe(I)TPyPz/Fe(II)TPyPz and Fe(II)TPyPz/Fe(III)TPyPz. The pH optimization conditions were performed in solutions prepared by the mixture of different proportions of 0.1 mol L-1 sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and 0.1 mol L-1 phosphate buffer solutions in order to obtain solutions with pH varying from 7 to 13. In order to increase the sensitivity for hydrazine oxidation, three voltammetric techniques were tested: cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV). The best results were provided by the latter one and the optimized conditions for hydrazine determinations were: i) electrolyte: 0,1 mol L-1 NaOH solution; ii) frequency: 30 s-1; pulse amplitude: 50 mV and scan increment: 8 mV. Under such conditions, the modified electrodes provided linear responses ranging from 5 up to 111 μmol L-1, with detection and quantification limits of 0.82 μmol L-1 and 2.7 μmol L-1, respectively. The investigated sensor presented relative standard deviation values for repeatability and reproducibility lower from 5%. The sensor was applied to analyze boiler water samples and a recovery average of 116 % was found. / Neste trabalho, a determinação de hidrazina (N2H4) em solução aquosa foi investigada com o uso de técnicas voltamétricas sobre eletrodos de grafite pirolítico (GP), antes e após a modificação com tetrapiridinoporfirazina de ferro (FeTPyPz). O eletrodo modificado GP/FeTPyPz apresentou correntes de oxidação da N2H4 mais acentuadas e com melhor perfil voltamétrico em relação ao eletrodo não modificado. Este eletrodo modificado apresentou dois picos reversíveis atribuídos aos processos redox: Fe(I)TPyPz/Fe(II)TPyPz e Fe(II)TPyPz/Fe(III)TPyPz. As condições de otimização do pH foram realizados em soluções preparadas através da mistura de diferentes proporções de solução de hidróxido de sódio (NaOH) 0,1 mol Lfi1 e tampão fosfato (KH2PO4) 0,1 mol Lfi1, a fim de obter soluções com pH variando de 7 a 13. Com o objetivo de aumentar a sensibilidade para a oxidação de hidrazina, testou-se três técnicas voltamétricas: voltametria cíclica (CV), voltametria de pulso diferencial (DPV), e voltametria de onda quadrada (SWV). Os melhores resultados foram obtitos através da técnica SWV e as condições otimizadas para a determinação de hidrazina foram: i) eletrólito: solução NaOH 0,1 mol Lfi1, ii) frequência de 30 sfi1, amplitude de pulso de 40 mV e incremento de varredura de 8 mV. Sob tais circunstâncias, o eletrodo modificado forneceu uma resposta linear entre 5 e 111 fimol Lfi1, com limite de detecção e quantificação de 0,82 fimol Lfi1 e 2,7 fimol Lfi1, respectivamente. O sensor investigado apresentou valores de desvio padrão relativo para estudos de repetibilidade da amostra e do sensor abaixo de 5%. O sensor foi aplicado em amostras de águas de caldeira e apresentou média de recuperação de 116%.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-19T12:56:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTACAO WENDELL.pdf: 1449569 bytes, checksum: 3293ccaefc405f2d45f32533547f901d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-07-05 / A ruthenium (III) hexacyanoferrate film was anchored with Nafion® on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode and tested in Britton-Robinson buffer ionic strength of 0.1 mol L-1 and pH = 1.8 at room temperature. The cyclic voltammograms of the electrode with the film showed four pair peaks with a surface-confined characteristic and they also indicated that the film is strongly dependent on the solution pH. The ruthenium (III) hexacyanoferrate film showed an excellent electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of hydrazine. The electrocatalytic oxidation of hydrazine was studied by cyclic voltammetry, rotating disk electrode voltammetry and chronoamperometry techniques. It has been observed that the oxidation of hydrazine to nitrogen occurs at a potential where oxidation is not observed at the bare glassy carbon electrode. The overall number of electrons involved in the catalytic oxidation of hydrazine was determined by cyclic voltammetry and rotating disk electrode experiments. A Tafel plots indicated a one-electron charge transfer process to be the rate-limiting step and the overall number of electrons involved in the catalytic oxidation of hydrazine was found to be four. It has been shown that the catalytic oxidation of hydrazine obeys fist-order kinetics with respect to hydrazine concentration. The diffusion coefficient of hydrazine was also estimated using chronoamperometry, presenting a value of 1,2 x 10-5 cm2 s-1. / Um filme de hexacianoferrato de rutênio (III) foi ancorado com Nafion® na superfície de um eletrodo de carbono vítreo e testado em tampão Britton- Robinson com força iônica de 0,1 mol L-1e pH = 1,8 à temperatura ambiente. Voltamogramas cíclicos do eletrodo com o filme mostraram quatro pares de picos com características de espécies confinadas na superfície do eletrodo. A resposta eletroquímica do filme de hexacianoferrato de rutênio (III) apresentou alta dependência do pH da solução e excelente atividade eletrocatalítica para a oxidação de hidrazina. O estudo eletrocatalítico foi realizado por voltametria cíclica, eletrodo de disco rotatório e cronoamperometria. Foi observado que a oxidação de hidrazina a nitrogênio acontece em uma região de potencial onde a oxidação não é observada para o eletrodo de carbono vítreo sem o filme de hexacianoferrato de rutênio (III). O número total de elétrons envolvidos na oxidação catalítica da hidrazina foi determinado por experimentos de voltametria cíclica e eletrodo de disco rotatório. Diagramas de Tafel indicaram que a reação de oxidação eletrocatalítica da hidrazina envolve um número total de quatro elétrons, sendo que um elétron é envolvido no processo de transferência de carga na etapa determinante da reação. Os resultados indicaram que a oxidação eletrocatalítica de hidrazina obedece a uma cinética de primeira ordem com relação à concentração da hidrazina. O coeficiente difusional da hidrazina foi também estimado usando cronoamperometria apresentando um valor de 1,2 x 10-5 cm2 s-1.

[pt] No Brasil está em larga expansão o uso de geração de eletricidade por termoeléctricas. Na geração de eletricidade por usinas térmicas são utilizados grandes quantidades de água e produtos químicos, que após utilização geram efluentes. A hidrazina é um produto químico usado para controle de corrosão em águas de caldeiras, sistemas de vapor e outros sistemas de usinas térmicas que após utilização acaba incorporada aos efluentes líquidos destas usinas. Com intuito de promover uma sistemática de controle de efluentes produzidos nas usinas, procurou-se, nesta dissertação, estudar efluentes contendo hidrazina com enfoque tecnológico. O processo abordado neste estudo consistiu no tratamento de efluentes contendo hidrazina, utilizando peróxido de hidrogênio com auxílio de catalisador de íons de cobre, para decomposição da hidrazina. Os ensaios foram feitos em laboratório, utilizando-se efluentes sintéticos com concentrações pré- determinadas de hidrazina que variaram entre 10 e 100 mg/L, com controle do pH que variou em 7 e 9,5, temperatura fixada em 220C, com adição de concentrações calculadas de peróxido de hidrogênio e catalisador de sulfato de cobre. Concluiu-se que o processo é viável para reduzir a concentração de hidrazina em efluentes a níveis inferiores aos limites da legislação (1 mg/L), utilizando-se quantidades estequiométricas de peróxido de hidrogênio em conjunto com sulfato de cobre em concentrações de 1 mg/L de Cu 2+ como catalisador, em efluentes com pH 9,5, a temperatura ambiente, em tempos inferiores a 30 minutos. Assim sendo, o trabalho mostrou-se adequado para satisfazer as condições de descarte de efluentes em águas brasileiras de acordo com a resolução CONAMA 20, carta P-031/01 cláusula 2 artigo V, de 9 de Fevereiro de 2001. / [en] In Brazil, the use of energy produced by power plant generators is in expansion. Power plants use large quantities of water and chemical products that after use end up in effluents. Hydrazine is used in water systems for corrosion control, because of its excelents oxygen scavenging capacity. The present work was conducted to study the treatment of effluents containing hydrazine, under a technological approach, with the purpose of contributing to a systematic of effluents control in power stations. The process studied in this work was the decomposition of hydrazine with hydrogen peroxid in presence catalyst cooper íon. The experiments were made in laboratory scale, using synthetic effluents with initial concentration of hydrazine at the levels 10 and 100 mg/L, with initial pH values 7 and 9,5, temperature fixed at 220C, with addition of st oichiometric amounts of hydrogen peroxide, with and without addition of cooper ion catalyst. It was conclued that the process its viable for reduction of hydrazine concentration in effluents with pH 9,5, below to levels under legislation (1mg/L), using stoichiometric amounts of hydrogen peroxide together with 1 mg/L of cooper ion, in times less that 30 minutes and ambient temperature. Therefore this work showed that the process is adequate in satisfying the Brazilian legislation for discharge of effluents into water bodies according to regulation CONAMA 20, letter P-031/01 clause 2 article V, 09 February 2001.

Compostos com alto conteúdo de hidrogênio, tais como hidrazina (N2H4) e íons borohidreto (BH4-), apresentam grande potencialidade como combustíveis em células a combustível ou em reformadores eletroquímicos para a geração de hidrogênio, uma vez que apresentam alta densidade de energia. Além disso, as reações de eletro-oxidação dessas espécies podem ser catalisadas por metais não nobres como Ni e Co, em eletrólito alcalino. Dessa forma, este projeto de pesquisa teve como objetivo a síntese e a investigação da atividade eletrocatalítica de eletrocatalisadores formados por nanopartículas de níquel e cobalto e por níquel em combinação com outro metal também ativo, como a platina, representados genericamente por NiO/C, Co3O4/C NiO-Pt/C, para a eletro-oxidação de hidrazina e de íons borohidreto. Os resultados eletroquímicos mostraram maiores atividades eletrocatalíticas, tanto para a eletro-oxidação de hidrazina quanto para íons borohidreto, para Co3O4/C em relação ao NiO/C, mas evidenciaram maior estabilidade para NiO/C. Tanto para NiO/C como para NiO-Pt/C, os experimentos mostraram que, em potenciais logo acima do de circuito aberto, a atividade eletrocatalítica origina-se da coexistência de espécies de Ni0 ou Pt0 e Ni-OH superficiais, onde a reação de eletro-oxidação de hidrazina é catalisada com efeito sinérgico bifuncional relacionado ao acoplamento de Ni-H ou Pt-H, gerado pela adsorção dissociativa de hidrazina (ou borohidreto), e Ni-OH, gerado pela descarga de OH- em baixos potenciais. Em altos sobrepotenciais, as correntes faradaicas aumentam significativamente e, para as duas reações, é proposto uma mecanismo de mediação de elétrons, no qual a hidrazina ou os íons borohidreto reduzem quimicamente o óxido de níquel ou de cobalto, com a geração de produtos destes combustíveis, e isto é seguido pela eletro-oxidação do metal, induzido pelo alto potencial do eletrodo, fechando o ciclo de mediação. Resultados de experimentos de DEMS online (Differential Electrochemical Mass Spectrometry), tanto para NiO/C ou Co3O4/C, quanto para NiO-Pt/C (somente para hidrazina neste caso), mostraram que as correntes faradaicas são seguidas pela geração do produto principal (N2 para o caso de hidrazina; BO2- para o borohidreto, sendo que este último não pode ser detectado por DEMS) em baixos sobrepotenciais e, em altos sobrepotenciais, o sinal do produto principal é acompanhado pelos sinais de H2 e de NH3, com comportamento similar. Este resultado evidencia que a reação de eletro-oxidação completa de hidrazina ou de íons borohidreto ocorre em maior extensão somente em baixos sobrepotenciais, sendo que, em altos sobrepotenciais, onde se tem a formação de óxidos de níquel ou de cobalto, as reações operam em maior extensão por vias incompletas de eletro-oxidação, para as quais tem-se a mediação de elétrons como mecanismo reacional. / High hydrogen content compounds, such as hydrazine (N2H4) and borohydride ion (BH4-) exhibit high prospect as fuel for fuel cells or electrochemical reformers for hydrogen generation, since they present high energy density. Moreover, their electro-oxidation reactions can be catalyzed on non-noble electrocatalysts, such as Ni and Co, in alkaline electrolyte. In this way, this project aimed the synthesis and the investigation of the electro-catalytic activity of nickel, cobalt and nickel/platinum nanoparticles based electrocatalysts, named as NiO/C, Co3O4/C and NiO-Pt/C, for hydrazine and borohydride electro-oxidation reactions. Electrochemical results showed high electrocatalytic activity of Co3O4/C for both reactions, (hydrazine and borohydride electro-oxidation), however NiO/C showed more stability. For both NiO/C and or NiO-Pt/C, the experiments showed that under potentials slightly above the open-circuit potential, the electrocatalytic activity comes from the co-existence of Ni0, Pt0 and Ni-OH on the surface. The hydrazine electro-oxidation reaction is catalyzed by a bi-functional synergistic effect related to the Ni-H or Pt-H coupling generated from dissociative adsorption of hydrazine (or borohydride), and Ni-OH, produced by OH- discharge in low potentials. In high overpotentials, the faradaic currents increase significantly for both reactions. An electron-mediated mechanism is proposed for this condition, where the hydrazine or borohydride ions reduces chemically the nickel or cobalt oxide, producing the reaction products from these fuels and, this is followed by the metal electro-oxidation, induced by the high potential of the electrode, completing the mediation cycle. For all electrocatalysts (only hydrazine for NiO-Pt/C), online DEMS (Differential Electrochemical Mass Spectrometry) results showed that the faradaic currents keep up with by the generation of the main product, in low potentials (N2 for hydrazine and BO2- for borohydride, but this last one cannot be detected by DEMS). In high overpotentials, the main product signal is followed by the signals, with similar behavior, of H2 and NH3. This result evidences that the complete hydrazine and borohydride electro-oxidation reactions preferentially occur in low overpotentials, whereas, in high overpotentials, when the nickel or cobalt oxides are present, the reactions occurs preferentially by incomplete pathways, in an electron-mediated mechanism.