The Electrochemical Activation (ECA) of water is introduced as a novel refinement of conventional electrochemical processes and the unique features and attributes are evaluated against the universal principles that have described the electrolytic processes to date. While the novel and patented novel reactor design retains the capacity to generate products common to conventional electrolysis, it also manipulates the properties of the reagent solutions to achieve an anomalous Oxidation-Reduction potential (ORP or REDOX) that cannot be replicated by traditional chemical and physical interventions. As a contemporary development in the field, the technology continues to undergo rigorous assessment and while not all of its theoretical aspects have been exhaustively interrogated, its undisputed biocidal efficacy has been widely established. Microbial vitality has been shown to be directly dependent upon the confluence of a diverse variety of physical and chemical environmental conditions. Fundamentally important in this regard is the electronic balance or REDOX potential of the microbial environment. The intricate balance of metabolic pathways that maintain cellular integrity underwrites the measures of irritability required for sustained viability. Aside from the direct effects of the conventional electrolysis products, overt electronic disruption of the immediate microbial environment initiates a cascade of secondary and largely independent autocidal molecular events which compromise the fundamental integrity of the microbe and leads to cell death. The distinctive capacity to impart unique physicochemical attributes to the ECA derived solutions also facilitates the characterisation of the same outside of the conventional physicochemical and gravimetric measures. These adjunct measures display a substantial relationship with the predictability of antimicrobial effect, and the direct relationship between inactivation of a defined microbial bioload and the titratable measures of REDOX capacity have been shown to describe a repeatable benchmark. The use of ultra-microscopy to investigate the impact of the ECA products on bacterial cell structures has shown this tool to have distinctive merit in the imaging and thus refined description of the consequences of exposure to biocidal solutions. The distinctive differences of the ECA solutions relative to conventional antibacterial compounds would suggest a heightened suitability for application in conditions where the efficacy of conventional biocidal compounds had been limited. Aeroslisation of the ECA solutions for the decontamination of airspaces challenged with tuberculosis pathogens revealed that despite initial success, further refinements to the application model will be required to meet the unresolved challenges. The health care benefits associated with the application of the ECA solutions in a medical environment substantiate the merits for the adoption of the technology as a complementary remedy for the management of nosocomial infections. The relative novelty of the technology in the commercial domain will raise questions regarding the potential for resistance development, and it has been proposed that the distinctive mechanism of biocidal action will not contribute to diminished bacterial susceptibility, as it does not reveal any cross- or co-resistance when assessed against multiple antibiotic resistant strains. These benefits are further reinforced by the capacity to install the technology for both onsite and on-demand availability, and being derived from natural ingredients (salt and water) the ECA solutions are regarded as safe and compatible for general in-contact use. Notwithstanding the multiple benefits that the technology may provide, further assessments into materials compatibility as well as potential by-products formation following environmental exposure are imperative before the unfettered adoption of this technology as a cost-effective, safe and reliable alternative to conventional disinfection can be promoted. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Microbiology and Plant Pathology / unrestricted

Fluorine gas is produced industrially by electrolysing hydrogen fluoride in a potassium acid fluoride electrolyte. Fluorine is produced at the carbon anode, while hydrogen is produced at the mild-steel cathode. The fluorine produced has a wide range of uses, most notably in the nuclear industry where it is used to separate 235U and 238U. The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) is a producer of fluorine and requested an investigation into the hydrodynamics of their electrolysis cells as part of a larger national initiative to beneficiate more of South Africa’s large fluorspar deposits. Due to the extremely corrosive and toxic environment inside a typical fluorine electrolysis reactor, the fluid dynamics in the reactor are not understood well enough. The harsh conditions make detailed experimental investigation of the reactors extremely dangerous. The objective of this project is to construct a model that can accurately predict the physical processes involved in the production of fluorine gas. The results of the simulation will be compared to experimental results from tests done on a lab-scale reactor. A good correlation between reality and the simulacrum would mean engineers and designers can interrogate the inner operation of said reactors safely, effortlessly and economically. This contribution reports a time-dependent simulation of a fluorine-producing electrolysis reactor. COMSOL Multiphysics was used as a tool to construct a two dimensional model where the charge-, heat-, mass- and momentum transfer were fully coupled in one transient simulation. COMSOL is a finite element analysis software package. It enables the user to specify the dimensions of his/her investigation and specify a set of partial differential equations, boundary conditions and starting values. These equations can be coupled to ensure that the complex interaction between the various physical phenomena can be taken into account - an absolute necessity in a model as complex as this one. Results produced include a set of time dependent graphics where the charge-, heat-, mass- and momentum transfer inside the reactor and their development can be visualized clearly. The average liquid velocity in the reactor was also simulated and it was found that this value stabilises after around 90 s. The results of each transfer module are also shown at 100 s, where it is assumed that the simulation has achieved a quasi-steady state. The reactor, on which the model is based, is currently under construction and will be operated under the same conditions as specified in the model. The reactor, constructed of stainless steel, has a transparent side window through which both electrodes can clearly be seen. Thus the bubble formation and flow in the reactor can be studied effectively. Temperature will be measured with a set of thermocouples imbedded in PTFE throughout the reactor. The electric field will similarly be measured using electric induction probes. / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Chemical Engineering / unrestricted

Plasma electrolytic oxidation, or PEO, is a surface modification process for the production of ceramic oxide coatings upon substrates of metals such as aluminium, magnesium and titanium. Two methodologies for the quantitative study of electrical breakdown (discharge) events observed during plasma electrolytic oxidation processes were developed and are described in this work. One method presented involves direct measurement of electrical breakdowns during production of an oxide coating within an industrial scale PEO processing arrangement. The second methodology involves the generation and measurement of electrical breakdown events through coatings pre-deposited using full scale PEO processing equipment. The power supply used in the second technique is generally of much lower power output than the system used to initially generate the sample coatings. The application of these techniques was demonstrated with regard to PEO coating generation on aluminium substrates. Measurements of the probability distributions of discharge event characteristics are presented for the discharge initiation voltage; discharge peak current; event total duration; peak instantaneous power; charge transferred by the event and the energy dissipated by the discharge. Discharge events are shown to increase in scale with the voltage applied during the breakdown, and correlations between discharge characteristics such as peak discharge current and event duration are also detailed. Evidence was obtained which indicated a probabilistic dependence of the voltage required to initiate discharge events. Through the scaling behaviour observed for the discharge events, correspondence between the two measurement techniques is demonstrated. The complementary nature of the datasets obtainable from different techniques for measurement of PEO discharge event electrical characteristics is discussed with regards to the effects of interactions between concurrently active discharge events during large scale PEO processing.

Orientadores: Claudia Longo, Ennio Peres da Silva / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Química / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-22T05:12:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rapelli_RubiaMunhoz_M.pdf: 19025999 bytes, checksum: de01222afac6e67c3ed6789e8e3c5baa (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Resumo: Com a motivação de aumentar a eficiência de catodos para a eletrólise alcalina da água, investigaram-se as propriedades de eletrodos de níquel fosco e níquel-zinco poroso na reação de desprendimento de hidrogênio (RDH). O eletrodo de Ni fosco foi preparado pela eletrodeposição de um filme de Ni em substrato de aço carbono. No eletrodo de Ni-Zn, depositou-se inicialmente um filme de ca. 5 mm de Ni fosco e a seguir um codepósito de Ni-Zn. A seguir, os eletrodos foram mantidos por 24 h em solução aquosa de NaOH. Os filmes resultantes, com espessura de ca. 20 mm, apresentaram estrutura cristalina e superfície uniforme. Análises por microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV) revelaram que o filme de Ni era constituído por grãos piramidais; no filme de Ni-Zn, identificaram-se partículas arredondadas em uma superfície porosa e com rachaduras. A superfície porosa resultou da remoção parcial do Zn, confirmada em mapeamento por energia dispersiva de raios X (EDS), devido à formação de hidróxidos solúveis durante o tratamento alcalino. As propriedades eletroquímicas, investigadas a 25 °C em solução aquosa de KOH por voltametria cíclica, medidas de Tafel e espectroscopia de impedância eletroquímica revelaram que, comparado ao eletrodo de Ni, o eletrodo de Ni-Zn poroso apresentou maiores valores de constante de transferência de carga (0,34 e 0,46) e densidade de corrente de troca (1,4 e 5,5 mA cm), além de menores valores para a resistência à transferência de carga (120 e 85 W ) e sobrepotencial para a RDH. O desempenho dos eletrodos como catodos na eletrólise alcalina da água foi avaliado sob controle galvanostático a -100 mA cm, em modo intermitente, por 88 h (ciclos de 8 h em 11 dias). Inicialmente, os potenciais de operação corresponderam a -1,5 e -1,3 V para os eletrodos de Ni e de Ni-Zn poroso; o sobrepotencial para a RDH variou no período, e, após 88 h, resultou em -1,53 e -1,43 V respectivamente. Análises por MEV revelaram alterações na morfologia dos filmes, principalmente para o eletrodo poroso; no mapeamento por EDS, observou-se menor teor de Zn e identificou-se a presença de óxidos. De modo geral, conclui-se que o eletrodo de Ni-Zn poroso pode ser considerado um catodo promissor para aplicação em eletrolisadores, por apresentar menor gasto de energia que o eletrodo de Ni para manter uma dada produção de hidrogênio / Abstract: Motivated to improve the efficiency of cathodes for alkaline water electrolysis, the properties of nickel Watts and porous nickel-zinc electrodes for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) were investigated. The Ni Watts electrode was prepared by electrodepositing a Ni film on a carbon steel substrate. Preparation of the Ni-Zn electrode comprised firstly the deposition of a Ni film (5 mm thick) followed by the co-deposition of Ni-Zn. The electrodes were then maintained for 24 h at NaOH aqueous solution. The resulting films, ca. 20 mm thick, exhibited crystalline structure and uniform surface. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the Ni film consisted of pyramidal grains; for the Ni-Zn film, rounded particles were identified in a porous surface with cracks. The porous surface resulted from the partial Zn removal, as confirmed by mapping energy dispersive X-ray (EDS), due to the production of soluble hydroxides during the alkaline treatment. The electrochemical properties, investigated at 25 °C in aqueous KOH solution by cyclic voltammetry, Tafel measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed that, compared to the Ni Watts electrode, the porous Ni-Zn electrode exhibited higher values for the charge transfer constant (0.34 and 0.46) and exchange current density (1.4 and 5.5 mA cm), and lower values for the resistance to charge transfer (120 and 85 W) and overpotential for the HER. The electrodes performance as cathodes in alkaline water electrolysis was evaluated under galvanostatic control at -100 mA cm, in intermittent mode, for 88 h (8 h cycles, 11 days). Initially, the operating potential corresponded to -1.5 and -1.3 V for Ni and Ni-Zn porous electrodes; the HER overpotential varied in the period and, after 88 h, resulted in -1.53 and -1, 43 V respectively. SEM analysis revealed morphological changes for the films surface, mainly for the porous electrode. From EDS mapping, a lower Zn concentration was observed; also, oxides were identified. Thus, the porous Ni-Zn electrode can be considered a promising cathode for electrolyzers since, when compared to the Ni Watts electrode, lower energy is necessary to maintain the hydrogen production under galvanostatic control / Mestrado / Físico-Química / Mestra em Química

Carbon dioxide is a viable resource, if used as a raw material for bioprocessing. It is abundant and can be collected as a byproduct from industrial processes. Globally, photosynthetic organisms utilize around 6’000 TW (terawatt) of solar energy to fix ca. 800 Gt (gigaton) of CO2 in the planets largest carbon-capture process. Photosynthesis combines light harvesting, charge separation, catalytic water splitting, generation of reduction equivalents (NADH), energy (ATP) production and CO2 fixation into one highly interconnected and regulated process. While this simplicity makes photosynthetic production of commodity interesting, yet photosynthesis suffers from low energy efficiency, which translates in an extensive footprint for solar biofuels production conditions that store < 2% of solar energy. Electron transfer processes form the core of photosynthesis. At moderate light intensity, the electron transport chains reach maximum transfer rates and only work when photons are at appropriate wavelengths, rendering the process susceptible to oxidative damage, which leads to photo-inhibition and loss of efficiency. Based on our fundamental analysis of the specialized tasks in photosynthesis, we aimed to optimize the efficiency of these processes separately, then combine them in an artificial photosynthesis (AP) process that surpasses the low efficiency of natural photosynthesis. Therefore, by combining photovoltaic light harvesting with electrolytic water splitting or CO2 reduction in combination with microbiological conversion of electrochemical products to higher valuable compounds, we developed an electro-microbial carbon capture and conversion setups that capture CO2 into the targeted bioplastic; polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB). Based on the type of the electrochemical products, and the microorganism that either (i) convert products formed by electrochemical reduction of CO2, e.g. formate (using inorganic cathodes), or (ii) use electrochemically produced H2 to reduce CO2 into higher compounds (autotrophy), three AP setups were designed: one-pot, two-pot, and three-pot setups. We evaluated the kinetic (microbial uptake and conversion, electrochemical reduction) and thermodynamics (efficiencies) of the separate processes, and the overall process efficiency of AP compared to photosynthesis. We address the influence of several parameters on efficiencies and time-space yields, e.g. salinity, pH, electrodes, media, partial pressures of H2 and CO2. These data provide a valuable basis to establish a highly efficient and continuous AP process in the future.

The subject of this Master Thesis is construction of hydrogen generator for automotive industry. The objective is to design system which is able to produce required amount of gas. The master thesis includes basic analysis of situation, mathematical equations of electrolytic process and procedure of mechanical design according required power of generator. The next part is design of power control system of hydrogen generator based on informations from automobile. The last part describes power supply of whole system with electric energy. The output of the Master Thesis is the whole design of hydrogen generator including sensor system and control system. The thesis also includes suggestions for next improvements and research.

The thesis deals with water electrolysis focusing in particular on pulse electrolysis. The theoretical part characterizes hydrogen and its properties as well as the ways of its use and storage. It also analysis various methods of hydrogen generation. It examines in details water electrolysis and its energetic and chemical balance. There is also an evaluation of water electrolysis efficiency and its improvement followed by pulse electrolysis description. Laboratory equipment for direct current and pulsed direct current hydrogen production are suggested. Theoretical expectations are tested experimentally. Finally the thesis presents the results of measurements, compares and summarizes the data. It points out the contribution of this type of electrolysis with its effectiveness. It proposes uses of electrolysis and the subsequent research.

This thesis deals with the oxidative degradation of the active pharmaceutical substance ticagrelor, which is used together with acetylsalicylic acid as a prevention against atherothrombotic events in adult patients. In this thesis, oxidation was studied both in the traditional way using hydrogen peroxide and the new electrochemical approach. The oxidation was performed with a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide at 50 řC in various solvents. An electrochemical method for the oxidation of ticagrelor was developed as part of the thesis. This method was then optimized to achieve the highest possible oxidation efficiency. The thesis also investigated the effect of excipients on the oxidation rate. Degradation products were evaluated using the ultra-high performance liquid chromatography. The structures of all the degradation products formed were identified using a QDA mass detector. Key words: UPLC, electrolysis, degradation studies, pharmaceuticals

Shortage of potable water is a problem that affects many nations in the world and it will aggravate in a near future if pertinent actions are not carried out. Decrease in consumption, improvements in water distribution systems to avoid losses and more efficient water treatment processes are some actions that can be implemented to attack this problem. Membrane technology and biological processes are used in wastewater treatment to achieve high water quality standards. Some other technologies, besides water treatment, attempt to obtain energy from organic wastes present in water. In this study, a proof-of-concept was accomplished demonstrating that a Microbial Electrolysis Cell can be fully integrated with a Membrane Bioreactor to achieve wastewater treatment and harvest energy. Conductive hollow fiber membranes made of nickel functioned as both filter material for treated water reclamation and as a cathode to catalyze hydrogen production reaction. The produced hydrogen was subsequently converted into methane by hydrogenotrophic methanogens. Organic removal was 98.9% irrespective of operation mode. Maximum volumetric hydrogen production rate was 0.2 m3/m3d, while maximum current density achieved was 6.1 A/m2 (based on cathode surface area). Biofouling, an unavoidable phenomenon in traditional MBRs, can be minimized in this system through self-cleaning approach of hybrid membranes by hydrogen production. The increased rate of hydrogen evolution at high applied voltage (0.9 V) reduces the membrane fouling. Improvements can be done in the system to make it as a promising net energy positive technology for the low strength wastewater treatment.

No description available.