Submitted in fulfilment of the Degree of Master of Engineering in Chemical Engineering, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017. / A pertinent issue facing the materials industry is that of the lifespan of materials when exposed to certain solvents/ environments. Limitations to the applications of materials require further research into understanding their failure mechanisms and how such problems can be addressed in terms of re-engineering such materials to be more durable. PVC and HDPE are two common polymers used extensively in industrial applications. Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo simulations were used to simulate systems of PVC and HDPE with methanol, respectively. The temperatures used in this work were 25, 30 and 40 oC and all systems were at atmospheric pressure. Laboratory tests were used to complement simulations for analysis purposes. Results showed an increase in temperature resulted in a decrease in the overall clustering in both polymers although PVC displayed a greater decrease than HDPE. Linear clustering dominated over other forms of clustering with increases in temperature, with dimers being the most prevalent topology type. The results of this study suggest that the presence of chlorine atoms in PVC may not directly affect clustering of absorbed methanol, and their effect may instead be indirect by means of altering the accessible free volume within the polymer. Swelling was also investigated in the simulated systems and it was found that PVC displayed a greater degree of swelling than HDPE despite its lower rate of clustering. The effect of cluster radius on the cluster analysis was also considered. / M

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Poly(vinyl chloride)(PVC) wire and cable insulation has poor thermal stability, causing the plasticizer to separate from the PVC chain and produce an oily residue, lowering the tensile elongation at break and thus increasing brittleness. We have added 4 wt.% of three different types of cross-linking agents and antioxidants, as well as mixtures of both, to improve the thermal stability of the plasticizer and tensile properties of PVC after thermal exposure. We performed tensile tests, tribological tests, profilometry, scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and water absorption determination before and after thermal exposure at 136 ℃ for 1 week. After adding the agents, elongation at break increased by 10 to 20 % while the wear rate and water absorption were lower than for the control sample. Less voids are seen in the SEM images after adding these two kinds of agents. The thermal resistance of the PVC cable insulation is best enhanced by combinations of cross-linking agents and antioxidants.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether chlorinated polymers such as polyvinylchloride (PVC) and polyvinylidenechloride (PVDC) degrade in a fretting interface. Polymer coated 52100 steel balls are fretted against a polished 1045 steel plate for 30 minutes in air and nitrogen at 25-30 percent and greater than 95 percent relative humidity. ESCA analysis is used to determine interface chemistry and help conclude that the color formation observed in the polymer coating is due to polymer degradation. Additional tests of thermally stabilized PVC on a steel plate supported this theory and aided in understanding the polymers performance in the interface. Experiments with the “pure” PVC on a glass plate showed that iron at the interface can initiate and catalyzes the polymer degradation. The effects of the different atmospheres, as well as the effect of humidity is also presented. / M.S.

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Este trabalho avalia a viabilidade técnica da obtenção de compósitos lignocelulósicos de PVC, utilizando-se resíduo de Pinus elliottii e Pinus taeda como fibra de reforço. Foi desenvolvido um processo simples e economicamente viável de tratamento de resíduos industriais desta madeira, processo este baseado na secagem e revestimento das partículas com lubrificantes funcionais e agentes de acoplamento utilizados como aditivos na indústria do PVC, bem como no uso de equipamentos tradicionais da indústria de processamento deste termoplástico. Foram avaliados os efeitos da incorporação do resíduo de madeira em concentrações variáveis e do tipo de agente de tratamento superficial utilizado na processabilidade do composto de PVC, bem como em propriedades finais do compósito. Verificou-se que a incorporação de frações mássicas crescentes de fibra lignocelulósica à matriz de PVC afeta de maneira significativa diversas propriedades do compósito, notadamente processabilidade e desempenho mecânico. / This work evaluates the technical viability of the of lignocellulosic vinyl composites, using residues of Pinus elliottii and Pinus taeda as the reinforcement fiber. A simple and economically viable process for the treatment of these industrial residues was developed. The process includes sieving, drying and treating the wood particles. Treatment is made with functional lubricants and coupling agents used as additives in the PVC industry. Processing was performed using traditional equipment available in the Brazilian PVC processing industry. The effect on the processability of the variable concentrations of the residues incorporated and the type of agent used for treatment had been evaluated, as well as in the final properties of the composite. It was verified that the incorporation of increasing mass fractions of the lignocellulosic fiber into the PVC matrix affects significantly diverse properties of the composite, notably processability and mechanical performance.

Este trabalho avalia a viabilidade técnica da obtenção de compósitos lignocelulósicos de PVC, utilizando-se resíduo de Pinus elliottii e Pinus taeda como fibra de reforço. Foi desenvolvido um processo simples e economicamente viável de tratamento de resíduos industriais desta madeira, processo este baseado na secagem e revestimento das partículas com lubrificantes funcionais e agentes de acoplamento utilizados como aditivos na indústria do PVC, bem como no uso de equipamentos tradicionais da indústria de processamento deste termoplástico. Foram avaliados os efeitos da incorporação do resíduo de madeira em concentrações variáveis e do tipo de agente de tratamento superficial utilizado na processabilidade do composto de PVC, bem como em propriedades finais do compósito. Verificou-se que a incorporação de frações mássicas crescentes de fibra lignocelulósica à matriz de PVC afeta de maneira significativa diversas propriedades do compósito, notadamente processabilidade e desempenho mecânico. / This work evaluates the technical viability of the of lignocellulosic vinyl composites, using residues of Pinus elliottii and Pinus taeda as the reinforcement fiber. A simple and economically viable process for the treatment of these industrial residues was developed. The process includes sieving, drying and treating the wood particles. Treatment is made with functional lubricants and coupling agents used as additives in the PVC industry. Processing was performed using traditional equipment available in the Brazilian PVC processing industry. The effect on the processability of the variable concentrations of the residues incorporated and the type of agent used for treatment had been evaluated, as well as in the final properties of the composite. It was verified that the incorporation of increasing mass fractions of the lignocellulosic fiber into the PVC matrix affects significantly diverse properties of the composite, notably processability and mechanical performance.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:42:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MarconiSFO_DISSERT.pdf: 4822002 bytes, checksum: 2debc2b37aed6dad6d1e0bb06a153e64 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-07-31 / The underground natural gas found associated or not with oil is characterized by a mixture of hydrocarbons and residual components such as carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen gas (N2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S), called contaminants. The H2S especially promotes itself as a contaminant of natural gas to be associated with corrosion of pipelines, to human toxicity and final applications of Natural Gas (NG). The sulfur present in the GN must be fully or partially removed in order to meet the market specifications, security, transport or further processing. There are distinct and varied methods of desulfurization of natural gas processing units used in Natural Gas (UPGN). In order to solve these problems have for example the caustic washing, absorption, the use of membranes and adsorption processes is costly and great expenditure of energy. Arises on such findings, the need for research to active processes of economic feasibility and efficiency. This work promoted the study of the adsorption of sulfide gas in polymer matrices hydrogen pure and modified. The substrates of Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and sodium alginate (NaALG) were coated with vanadyl phosphate compounds (VOPO4.2H2O), vanadium pentoxide (V2O5), rhodamine B (C28H31N2O3Cl) and ions Co2+ and Cu2+, aiming to the adsorption of hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S). The adsorption tests were through a continuous flow of H2S in a column system (fixed bed reactor) adsorption on a laboratory scale. The techniques used to characterize the adsorbents were Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), the X-ray diffraction (XRD) electron microscopy (SEM). Such work indicates, the results obtained, the adsorbents modified PMMA, PVC and NaALG have a significant adsorptive capacity. The matrix that stood out and had the best adsorption capacity, was to ALG modified Co2+ with a score of 12.79 mg H2S / g matrix / O g?s natural encontrado no subsolo associado ou n?o ao petr?leo se caracteriza por uma mistura de hidrocarbonetos e componentes residuais tais como o di?xido de carbono (CO2), o g?s nitrog?nio (N2) e o sulfeto de hidrog?nio (H2S), denominados de contaminantes. O H2S em especial se promove como contaminante do g?s natural por estar associado ? corros?o de dutos (gasodutos), ? toxidade humana e a aplica??es finais do G?s Natural (GN). O teor de enxofre presente no GN deve ser totalmente ou parcialmente removido, visando atender as especifica??es de mercado, seguran?a, transporte ou processamento posterior. H? distintos e variados m?todos de dessulfuriza??o do g?s natural usados nas Unidades de Processamento do G?s Natural (UPGN). Visando solucionar tais problemas temos como exemplo a lavagem c?ustica, a absor??o, o uso de membranas e a adsor??o, sendo processos onerosos e com grande disp?ndio energ?tico. Surge, diante de tais constata??es, a necessidade de pesquisa de processos ativos de viabilidade econ?mica e efici?ncia. O presente trabalho promoveu o estudo da adsor??o do g?s sulfeto de hidrogr?nio em matrizes polim?ricas puras e modificadas. Os substratos de Poli(cloreto de vinila) (PVC), Poli(metacrilato de metila) (PMMA) e alginato de s?dio (NaALG), foram recobertos com os compostos de fosfato de vanadila (VOPO4.2H2O), pent?xido de van?dio (V2O5), rodamina B (C28H31N2O3Cl) e os ?ons Co2+ e Cu2+, objetivando-se a adsor??o do g?s sulfeto de hidrog?nio (H2S). Os ensaios de adsor??o se deram atrav?s de um fluxo cont?nuo de H2S em um sistema de coluna (reator de leito fixo) de adsor??o em escala de laborat?rio. As t?cnicas utilizadas para a caracteriza??o dos adsorventes foram ? espectroscopia de infravermelho (FTIR), a an?lise termogravimetria (TG), a fluoresc?ncia de raios X (FRX), o difra??o de raios X (DRX), a microscopia eletr?nica de varredura (MEV). Tal trabalho indica, pelos resultados obtidos, que os adsorventes modificados de PMMA, PVC e NaALG t?m uma capacidade adsortiva significativa. A matriz que se destacou e apresentou a melhor capacidade de adsor??o, foi a de ALG modificada com Co2+ tendo um resultado de 12,79 mg de H2S/g de matriz