Hydrotalcite (HTC) was intercalated with different aromatic carboxylic acids via two synthesis methods: reconstruction and co-precipitation. The reconstruction method involves the rehydration of the products of LDH calcination. The co-precipitation method involves the addition of a base to solutions containing a mixture of the MII and MIII ions found in the metallic layers of an LDH. The intercalated compounds were then compounded with flexible grade PVC to see if these compounds had any effect on the heat stability of the PVC. Complete intercalation of these stabilisers did not occur; however layered double hydroxides did form for almost every synthesis. The organic acids that were to be intercalated were also present in every synthesised stabiliser. Neat hydrotalcite was the best overall stabiliser with an early stability time of 32.40 min and a final or long term stability time of 106.51 min. The best modified layered double hydroxide (LDH) in terms of early stability was 4-hydroxybenzoic acid + HTC synthesised with the reconstruction method. This stabiliser had an early stability time of 25.40 min. The best performing modified stabiliser in terms of late stability was salicylic acid + HTC synthesised with the co-precipitation method. This stabiliser had a late stability time of 71.32 min. The highly activating nature of the hydroxyl substituent group should make hydrotalcites intercalated with hydroxybenzoic acids good free radical scavengers. The substituent group positions that give the best PVC heat stability are the ortho and para positions. The pKa 2 value for an organic acid may be used as a selection parameter for intercalation into hydrotalcite. If a high pKa 2 value organic acid is intercalated into hydrotalcite, the resulting compound will have good PVC heat stabilisation properties. / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Chemical Engineering / MEng / Unrestricted

Eliminating calcium chloride and replacing whole casein with k-casein eliminated clouding and sharpened diffusion boundaries in casein-agar gels used for the estimation of residual milk clotting enzymes in curd and whey. It also eliminated the need for a highly purified calcium-free agar. The substrate contained .54 percent k-casein, 3.6 percent sodium acetate, .73 percent bacto-agar and 95.13 percent water. The pH was adjusted to 5.9 with .lN hydrochloric acid. Proteases derived from Mucor pusillus var Lindt, Mucor Miehei and Endothia parasitica, as well as rennet, procine and bovine pepsins were used at recommended levels to set milk for Cheddar cheese manufacture. Whey samples from each lot were taken at draining and adjusted to pH 5.2, 5.6, 6.0, 6.2, 6.6 and 7.0 prior to being heated to 68.3C, 71.1C and 73.9C for .25, .5, 1, 5, and 10 minutes. Enzyme activities were assayed before and after heating. Mucor miehei protease was the most heat stable at all pH values followed by Mucor pusillus protease, rennet, bovine pepsin, E. parasitica protease and porcine pepsin. The heat stability of all enzymes except E. parasitica protease decreased with increasing pH, E. parasitica protease decreased with decreasing pH. All enzymes were inactivated at the minimum heat treatment at pH 7.0 except E. parasitica protease which was most stable at that pH. At pH 5.2 M. miehei protease persisted after a 10 minute treatment at 73.9C.