• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.45 no.2
• /
• pp.211-218
• /
• 2013

Large quantities of irradiated graphite waste from graphite-moderated nuclear reactors exist and are expected to increase in the case of High Temperature Reactor (HTR) deployment [1,2]. This situation indicates the need for a graphite waste management strategy. Of greatest concern for long-term disposal of irradiated graphite is carbon-14 ($^{14}C$), with a half-life of 5730 years. Fachinger et al. [2] have demonstrated that thermal treatment of irradiated graphite removes a significant fraction of the $^{14}C$, which tends to be concentrated on the graphite surface. During thermal treatment, graphite surface carbon atoms interact with naturally adsorbed oxygen complexes to create $CO_x$ gases, i.e. "gasify" graphite. The effectiveness of this process is highly dependent on the availability of adsorbed oxygen compounds. The quantity and form of adsorbed oxygen complexes in pre- and post-irradiated graphite were studied using Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and Xray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) in an effort to better understand the gasification process and to apply that understanding to process optimization. Adsorbed oxygen fragments were detected on both irradiated and unirradiated graphite; however, carbon-oxygen bonds were identified only on the irradiated material. This difference is likely due to a large number of carbon active sites associated with the higher lattice disorder resulting from irradiation. Results of XPS analysis also indicated the potential bonding structures of the oxygen fragments removed during surface impingement. Ester- and carboxyl-like structures were predominant among the identified oxygen-containing fragments. The indicated structures are consistent with those characterized by Fanning and Vannice [3] and later incorporated into an oxidation kinetics model by El-Genk and Tournier [4]. Based on the predicted desorption mechanisms of carbon oxides from the identified compounds, it is expected that a majority of the graphite should gasify as carbon monoxide (CO) rather than carbon dioxide ($CO_2$). Therefore, to optimize the efficiency of thermal treatment the graphite should be heated to temperatures above the surface decomposition temperature increasing the evolution of CO [4].

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
• /
• 1998.05a
• /
• pp.107-107
• /
• 1998

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.383-390
• /
• 2012

For the cost-effective biological nitrogen removal (BNR) process whose characteristics of influent have low COD/N ratios, the automatic control system for the addition of external carbon based on oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) data in an anoxic reactor has been developed. In this study, it was carried out with a pilot-scale Bardenpho process which was consisted of anoxic 1, aerobic 1, aerobic 2, anoxic 2, aerobic 3 tank and clarifier. Firstly, the correlation coefficient ($R^2$) of the dosage of external carbon source and ORP value was about 0.97. Consequently, the automatic control system using ORP showed that the dosage of external carbon source was decreased by about 20% compared with a stable dosage of 75 mg/L based on the COD/N ratio of the anoxic influent.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.268-272
• /
• 2002

Kinetic experiments on the biological oxidation of $Fe^{2＋}$ by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans were conducted by measuring the total organic carbon content. The total organic carbon in the solution was determined with different initial concentrations of $Fe^{2＋}$(4, 9, 15, and 20 mg/ml). The growth of At. ferrooxidans and substrate utilization were described by the Monod expression. The total organic carbon was found to be an indicator of the biomass concentration and thus may be effectively utilized for estimating cell growth rates in kinetic model development.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.34 no.7
• /
• pp.2105-2110
• /
• 2013

Carbon-fiber-supported NiO catalytic filters for oxidation of volatile organic compounds were prepared by electroless Ni-P plating and subsequent annealing processes. Surface structure and crystallinity of NiO film on carbon fiber could be modified by post-annealing at different temperatures (500 and $650^{\circ}C$). Catalytic thermal decompositions of toluene over these catalytic filters were investigated. $500^{\circ}C$-annealed sample showed a higher catalytic reactivity toward toluene decomposition than $650^{\circ}C$-annealed one under same conditions, despite of its lower surface area and toluene adsorption capacity. X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies suggest that amorphous structures of NiO on $500^{\circ}C$-annealed catalyst caused the higher reactivity for oxidation of toluene than that of $650^{\circ}C$-annealed sample with a higher crystallinity.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.22-29
• /
• 2000

Although C/C composites have excellent mechanical properties at high temperature, the disadvantage of oxidation in air restricts their applications. Thus a lot of investments have been studied to improve this drawback. In this study, SiC used as a thermal protective coating material possesses almost the same expansion coefficient compared to that of carbon, so SiC was coated on 4D C/C composites by Pack-Cementation process. For SiC-coated C/C composites, optical microscopy observations were performed to estimate the conversion mechanism involved and air oxidation tests were also performed to evaluate the improvement of oxidation resistance. Afterwards the optimum conditions of coating process were estimated from the results of several analysis and tests.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2013.02a
• /
• pp.133-133
• /
• 2013

For both oxygen reduction (ORR) and hydrogen oxidation reactions (HOR) of proton electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), alloying Pt with another transition metal usually results in a higher activity relative to pure Pt, mainly due to electronic modification of Pt and bifunctional behaviour of alloy surface for ORR and HOR, respectively. However, activity and stability are closely related to the preparation of alloy nanoparticles. Preparation conditions of alloy nanoparticles have strong influence on surface composition, oxidation state, nanoparticle size, shape, and contamination, which result from a large difference in redox priority of metal precursors, intrinsic properties of metals, increasedreactivity of nanocrystallites, and interactions with constituents for the synthesis such as solvent, stabilizer, and reducing agent, etc. Carbon-supported Pt-Ni alloy nanoparticles were prepared by the borohydride reduction method in anhydrous solvent. Pt-Ru alloy nanoparticles supported on carbon black were also prepared by the similar synthetic method to that of Pt-Ni. Since electrocatalytic reactions are strongly dependent on the surface structure of metal catalysts, the atom-leveled design of the surface structure plays a significant role in a high catalytic activity and the utilization of electrocatalysts. Therefore, surface-modified electrocatalysts have attracted much attention due to their unique structure and new electronic and electrocatalytic properties. The carbon-supported Au and Pd nanoparticles were adapted as the substrate and the successive reduction process was used for depositing Pt and PtM (M=Ru, Pd, and Rh) bimetallic elements on the surface of Au and Pd nanoparticles. Distinct features of the overlayers for electrocatalytic activities including methanol oxidation, formic acid oxidation, and oxygen reduction were investigated.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2013.02a
• /
• pp.217-217
• /
• 2013

Carbon-fiber-supported NiO catalytic filters for oxidation of volatile organic compounds were prepared by electroless Ni-P plating and subsequent annealing processes. Surface structure and crystallinity of NiO film on carbon fiber could be modified by post-annealing at different temperatures (500 and $650^{\circ}C$. Catalytic thermal decompositions of toluene over these catalytic filters were investigated. $500^{\circ}C$ annealed sample showed a higher catalytic reactivity toward toluene decomposition than $650^{\circ}C$ annealed one under same conditions, despite of its lower surface area and toluene adsorption capacity. X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies suggested that amorphous structures of NiO on $500^{\circ}C$ annealed catalyst caused the higher reactivity for oxidation of toluene than that of $650^{\circ}C$ annealed sample with a higher crystallinity.

• Carbon letters
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.96-101
• /
• 2010

Dispersion of the functionalized multiwalled nanotubes (MWNT) in the polyurethane (PU) matrix and DC conductivity of the MWNT/PU composites are investigated with the oxidation conditions, the kind of surfactants and their content. First, the most optimal surfactant type and its critical micelle concentration in the MWNT suspension are determined as a cationic surfactant, benzalkonium chloride (BKC) of 0.6 wt.% to the MWNT content from DEA and FESEM results. All the MWNT oxidized under several conditions are negatively charged and functionalized with carboxylic group, whereas the degree of damage is different from oxidation conditions. In addition, each MWNT/PU composite derived from several oxidation conditions shows different DC conductivity at a characteristic MWNT content. It is found that in order to enhance DC conductivity of the polymeric composites containing the oxidized MWNT the better dispersion of MWNT should be obtained by effective functionalities and surfactant adsorption with preserving the intrinsic geometry of pristine MWNT.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.8 no.6
• /
• pp.725-730
• /
• 1999

The advanced oxidation process (AOP) using ozone combined with hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet treatment were evaluated for biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (EDOC) formation and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal. Oxidation treatment were conducted alone or combination with ozone, hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet processes. Ozone dosage of ozone process was varied from $0.5mg/l{\ell}\cdot}min$ to $5mg/{\ell}{\cdot}min$. Ozone/hydrogen peroxide process was done using $20mg/{\ell}{\cdot}min$ of hydrogen peroxide concentration. Ozone/ultraviolet process was irradiated with $12mW/cm^2$ of density and 254nm. Ozone dosage was varied from $0.5mg/{\ell}{\cdot}min$ to $5mg/{\ell}{\cdot}min$ at the ozone/hydrogen peroxide and ozone/ultraviolet processes too. Contact time of all the process was 20 minutes. Oxidation treatment were performed on microfiltration effluent samples. BDOC formation was reached to an optimum at ozone dosage of $1.5mg/{\ell}{\cdot}min$ in the ozone/hydrogen peroxide process and $1mg/{\ell}{\cdot}min$ in ozone/ultraviolet process, after which BDOC formation was decreased at higher ozone dosages. But BDOC formation was increased with ozone dosages increasing in ozone process. The efficiency of DOC removal was higher AOPs than ozone process. Ozone/ultraviolet proces was the highest for DOC removal efficiency in each process. THMFP. removal efficiency by ozone/ultraviolet process was higher than that by each of ozone process and ozone/hydrogen peroxide process.