The purpose of this work was to recover uranium from residue originating from the production of molybdenum -99. Carbonate solutions containing hydrogen peroxide or oxygen gas as oxidants were used as leachants. Experimental parameters included: different peroxide and carbonate concentrations, dissolution time and temperature. Results indicate complete dissolution of the residue at 60 oC, after thirty minutes, in ammonium carbonate solution enriched with hydrogen peroxide. Almost two hours were needed to achieve the same extent in the presence of oxygen. The yield and rate of uranium extraction were found to increase as a function of both temperature, in the range of 25-60 oC, and hydrogen peroxide concentration. The leaching kinetics were determined for various leaching conditions and the activation energy was found to be 45.5kJ/mol. The order of reaction with respect to uranium concentration was found to be unity. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering / unrestricted

Roztoky Intrusive Center (33-28 Ma) is connected with tertiary volcanic activity in the territory of the Bohemian Massif (Czech Republic). It is located in the České středohoří volcanic complex on the tectonic line of the Ohře rift. The aim of this work was to petrologically describe local rocks and to verify the possible connection of the Roztoky Intrusive Center (RIC) with carbonatite magmatism, as could be suggested by the presence of alkaline rocks including their exotic types (essexites, monzodiorites, sodalitic syenites,…). It is assumed that there is a hidden carbonatite intrusion under the RIC caldera structure, which may also indicate geophysical manifestations of two hidden gravimetric minimas. In a detailed exploration of a drill core from the R-2 borehole from the 1960s, a petrographic rocks composition of a part of the caldera filling was described, including new find of xenolite of carbonatite in 286,5 m of R-2 borehole. By means of geochemical and micro-probe analyzes the well material including carbonatite was examined in detail. Carbonate mineralization with high REE contents was found in carbonatite, but also in the exocontact of the previously described silicocarbonatite (Rapprich et al. 2017). The discovery of carbonatite xenolite and the presence of minerals with high concentrations of...

The laboratory-made apparatus for electrophoretic separations in short capillaries has been tested. The basic functions of the apparatus (separation efficiency, resolution, migration time) have been tested using mixture of K+ and Na+ ions. The model mixture of basic amino-acids (arginine, lysine, histidine and its derivatives, 3-methylhistidine and 1-methylhistidine) has also been separated and detected using contactless conductometric detector. Histidine in real sample of urine has also been determined. Keywords: capillary electrophoresis, short capillary, alkaline aminoacids

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>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Mining has a lengthy history in South Africa, and subsequent beneficiation processes have been conducted with little regard for the environment, thus leaving the land with un-rehabilitated abandoned mines. Currently, most of these abandoned mine sites are no longer operational and they continuously contaminate soil, air and water resources in various areas where mining took place. This study looks at the treatment of contaminated mine water using the Dispersed Alkaline Substrates (DAS) which is a new South African technology that uses a variety of substrates to neutralize and raise the pH of mine water while lowering the solubility of potentially dangerous metals.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The depletion of fossil fuel resources such as coal and the concern of climatic change arising from the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) and global warming [1] lead to the identification of the 'hydrogen economy' as one of the renewable energy sources and possible futuristic energy conversion solution. Sources of hydrogen as fuel such as water through electrolysis and liquid organic fuel (Hydrogen carriers) have been found as potential game-changers and received increased attention, due to its low-carbon emission.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Power generation in South Africa depends majorly on the combustion of coal and the increasing demand for energy due to industrialisation and population growth signifies the continuous consumption of coal. During this process, a by-product known as coal fly ash (CFA) is generated which poses several environmental issues. The common management of the waste involves the disposal of CFA in landfills or the direct disposal to open uncultured lands, thus contaminating water bodies by the leaching of constituent CFA metals and salts that render arable land uncultivable.

The master thesis discusses the alkali-activation of aluminosilicate material (metakaolin), specifies the main components of geopolymer mixture, evaluates the influence of geopolymer mixture composition and the influence of other factors on final properties of geopolymer. Results of the mechanical properties and microstructure of the geopolymer pastes made out of metakaolin activated by various amounts (50–110 % by weight of metakaolin) of liquid water glass (with varying modulus from 0,5 to 3,0) or NaOH as well as KOH solution are presented in the experimental part.

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Cellulosic fibers sized from the macro-scale to the nano-scale were prepared hierarchically from kenaf bast fibers using chemicals. The process began with a hermetical alkaline retting followed by a bleaching treatment. The bleached fibers were hydrolyzed using inorganic acid, from which microfibers and cellulose nanowhiskers (CNWs) were fabricated. Inorganic nanoparticle impregnation (INI) was used to treat the retted fibers for the improvement of the interfacial compatibility between the fiber and polypropylene (PP) matrix. The retted fibers and INI-treated fibers were used as reinforcement for the PP polymer composites. Film casting process was used to make CNW/PVA composites. The hermetical retting process used in this study produced fibers with high cellulose contents (81-92%) by removing the lignin and hemicelluloses. Higher retting temperature resulted in higher fiber surface hardness and elastic moduli. The tensile strengths and tensile moduli of the fibers decreased as the temperature increased. The SEM images showed the micropores in the cell wall structure for the fibers retted at over 130°C, providing the possibility to anchor nanoparticles into the cell wall. Surface morphology of the INI-treated fibers was examined with SEM, and showed that the CaCO3 nanoparticle crystals grew onto the fiber surface. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was used to verify the CaCO3 particle deposits on the fiber surface. As the size scale of the fibers decreased, the fiber crystallinity increased from 49.9% (retted fibers) to 83.9% (CNWs). About 23% á-cellulose in the raw kenaf bast fibers had been converted into CNWs. The retted fibers without INI treatment had poor compatibility with the polypropylene matrix. The INI treatment improved the compatibility between the fibers and the PP matrix, resulting in an improvement in kenaf fiber/PP composite tensile moduli and tensile strengths. The CNWs prepared from kenaf bast fiber gave excellent reinforcement for PVA composites. A nine percent increase of CNWs in the CNW/PVA composites yielded significant improvements in tensile strength and modulus of about 46% and 152%, respectively, compared with pure PVA.