• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.67-79
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• 1996

Clay soils typically have low hydraulic conductivities in the presence of high polarity pore fluid, such as water. Low polarity fluids, such as hydrocarbon fuels and halogenated organic solvents, typically cannot migrate into clay pores because they cannot displace the pore water. Oxygenated additives in gasoline, such as alcohols and methyl-tert-butyl ether, are increasingly used to control air pollution emissions. These relatively polar and highly water-soluble compounds may facilitate displacement of pore water and enhance migration of fuels and solvents through clay-rich soil strata. In the reported research, the migration of gasoline-alcohol fuel mixtures (gasohol) through consolidated clay was examined. Prepared kaolinite clay samples were consolidated from slurry, and various combinations of gasoline, alcohol, and water were applied to the clays under 152 Pa gauge pressure. Movement of the fluids into the clay samples was monitored by measur ing displaced pore fluid and by magnetic resonance imaging of the samples. The structures of selected samples were examined using environmental scanning electron microscopy. Results of the research suggest that alcohol added to hydrocarbon fuels can enhance migration through some clays significantly. Gasoline did not migrate appreciably into water saturated clay, even after 14 days under pressure. The gasohol mixture migrated readily into the clay in only 20 minutes. Increased hydraulic conductivity of the clay in the presence of gasohol is hypothesized to be due to the collapse of the clays pore structure when ethanol is present, creating larger pores. Increasing pore diameter decreases the capillary pressure needed for the gasohol to replace water and allows gasohol to migrate through the clay.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.544-554
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• 1995

Pool boiling of dilute aqueous solutions of polyethylene oxide polymer has been experimentally investigated for the purpose of understanding the physical mechanisms of the suppression of vapor explosions in this polymer solution. Tn solid spheres of 22.2mm and 9.5mm-diameter ore heat-ed and quenched in the polymer solutions of various concentrations at 3$0^{\circ}C$. The results showed that minimum film boiling temperature($\Delta$ $T_{MFB}$) in this highly-subcooled liquid rapidly decreased from over $700^{\circ}C$ for pure water to about 15$0^{\circ}C$ as the polymer concentration was increased up to 300ppm for 22.2mm sphere, and it decreased to 35$0^{\circ}C$ for 9.5mm sphere. This large decrease of minimum film boiling temperature in this aqueous polymer solution may explain its ability to suppress spontaneous vapor explosions. Also, tests with applying a pressure wave showed that the vapor film behaved more stable against an external disturbance at higher polymer concentrations. These observations together with the experimental evidences of vapor explosion suppression in dilute polymer solutions suggest that the application of polymeric additives such as polyethylene oxide as low as 300ppm to reactor emergency coolant be considered to prevent or mitigate energetic fuel-coolant interactions during severe reactor accidents.s.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.552-558
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• 2023

Levulinic acid (LA) is a valuable chemical used in fuel additives, fragrances, and polymers. In this study, we proposed possible biosynthetic pathways for LA production from lignin and poly(ethylene terephthalate). We also created a genetically encoded biosensor responsive to LA, which can be used for screening and evolving the LA biosynthesis pathway genes, by employing an LvaR transcriptional regulator of Pseudomonas putida KT2440 to express a fluorescent reporter gene. The LvaR regulator senses LA as a cognate ligand. The LA biosensor was first examined in an Escherichia coli strain and was found to be non-functional. When the host of the LA biosensor was switched from E. coli to P. putida KT2440, the LA biosensor showed a linear correlation between fluorescence intensity and LA concentration in the range of 0.156-10 mM LA. In addition, we determined that 0.156 mM LA was the limit of LA detection in P. putida KT2440 harboring an LA-responsive biosensor. The maximal fluorescence increase was 12.3-fold in the presence of 10 mM LA compared to that in the absence of LA. The individual cell responses to LA concentrations reflected the population-averaged responses, which enabled high-throughput screening of enzymes and metabolic pathways involved in LA biosynthesis and sustainable production of LA in engineered microbes.