Particle Size Fractions (particle + size_fraction)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Powder Metallurgical Near-Net-Shape Fabrication of Porous NiTi Shape Memory Alloys for Use as Long-Term Implants by the Combination of the Metal Injection Molding Process with the Space-Holder Technique,

ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 12 2009
Manuel Köhl
Abstract A new method was developed for producing highly porous NiTi for use as an implant material. The combination of the space-holder technique with the metal injection molding process allows a net-shape fabrication of geometrically complex samples and the possibility of mass production for porous NiTi. Further, the porosity can be easily adjusted with respect to pore size, pore shape, and total porosity. The influence of the surface properties of powder metallurgical NiTi on the biocompatibility was first examined using human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). It was found that pre-alloyed NiTi powders with an average particle size smaller than 45,,m led to the surface properties most suitable for the adhesion and proliferation of hMSCs. For the production of highly porous NiTi, different space-holder materials were investigated regarding low C- and O-impurity contents and the reproducibility of the process. NaCl was the most promising space-holder material compared to PMMA and saccharose and was used in subsequent studies. In these studies, the influence of the total porosity on the mechanical properties of NiTi is investigated in detail. As a result, bone-like mechanical properties were achieved by the choice of Ni-rich NiTi powder and a space-holder content of 50,vol% with a particle size fraction of 355,500,,m. Pseudoelasticity of up to 6% was achieved in compression tests at 37,°C as well as a bone-like loading stiffness of 6.5,GPa, a sufficient plateau stress ,25 of 261,MPa and a value for ,50 of 415,MPa. The first biological tests of the porous NiTi samples produced by this method showed promising results regarding proliferation and ingrowth of mesenchymal stem cells, also in the pores of the implant material. [source]


How quality and quantity of organic matter affect polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon desorption from Norwegian harbor sediments

ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 5 2006
Amy M. P. Oen
Abstract The desorption behavior of phenanthrene, pyrene, and benzo[a]pyrene was investigated for three Norwegian harbor sediments and their respective particle size fractions using the Tenax desorption method. Rate constants for rapidly, slowly, and very slowly desorbing fractions were on the order of 10,1, 10,2 to 10,4, and 10,4 to 10,6/h, respectively. Relatively small amounts were present in the rapidly desorbing fractions (Frapid: <6% for phenanthrene, 3,19% for pyrene, and 1,12% for benzo[a]pyrene). With the exception of benzo[a]pyrene, these Frapid values were generally lower than median Frapid values obtained from more than 100 literature values for native polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (22% for phenanthrene, 29% for pyrene, and 8% for benzo[a]pyrene). To understand which parameters influence PAH desorption, relations between desorption behavior and the sediment characteristics were investigated. A significant positive correlation was found between the extent of slow and very slow desorption and the ratios of black carbon to total organic carbon, as well as the temperature at which 50 and 90%, respectively, of the organic matter was oxidized, as obtained from oxidation-only Rock Eval analysis. Thus, black carbon-bound PAHs probably desorb slowly and very slowly. Furthermore, significant positive correlations between desorption behavior and the average particle size were observed, which could be explained by retarded intraparticle diffusion. [source]


Sequestration and turnover of plant- and microbially derived sugars in a temperate grassland soil during 7 years exposed to elevated atmospheric pCO2

GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2007
MICHAEL BOCK
Abstract Temperate grasslands contribute about 20% to the global terrestrial carbon (C) budget with sugars contributing 10,50% to this soil C pool. Whether the observed increase of the atmospheric CO2 concentration (pCO2) leads to additional C sequestration into these ecosystems or enhanced mineralization of soil organic matter (SOM) is still unclear. Therefore, the aim of the presented study was to investigate the impact of elevated atmospheric pCO2 on C sequestration and turnover of plant- (arabinose and xylose) and microbially derived (fucose, rhamnose, galactose, mannose) sugars in soil, representing a labile SOM pool. The study was carried out at the Swiss Free Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment (FACE) experiment near Zurich. For 7 years, Lolium perenne swards were exposed to ambient and elevated pCO2 (36 and 60 Pa, respectively). The additional CO2 in the FACE plots was depleted in 13C compared with ambient plots, so that ,new' (<7 years) C inputs could be determined by means of compound-specific stable isotope analysis (13C : 12C). Samples were fractionated into clay, silt, fine sand and coarse sand, which yielded relatively stable and labile SOM pools with different turnover rates. Total sugar sequestration into bulk soil after 7 years of exposure to elevated pCO2 was about 28% compared with the control plots. In both ambient and elevated plots, total sugar concentrations in particle size fractions increased in the order sandparticle size fractions, total sugar amounts were higher under elevated pCO2 for coarse sand, fine sand and silt (about 274%, 17% and 96%, respectively) but about 14% lower for clay compared with the control plots, corroborating that sugars belong to the labile SOM pool. The fraction of newly produced sugars gradually increased by up to 50% in bulk soil samples after 7 years under elevated pCO2. In the ambient plots, sugars were enriched in 13C by up to 10, when compared with bulk soil samples from the same plots. The enrichment of 13C in plant-derived sugars was up to 13.4, when compared with parent plant material. After 7 years, the ,13C values of individual sugars decreased under elevated (13C-depleted) CO2 in bulk soil and particle size fractions, varying between ,13.7, and ,37.8, under elevated pCO2. In coarse and fine sand, silt and clay fractions newly produced sugars made up 106%, 63%, 60% and 45%, respectively, of the total sugars present after 7 years. Mean residence time (MRT) of the sugars were calculated according to two models revealing a few decades, mean values increasing in the order coarse sand[source]


Stocks and dynamics of SOC in relation to soil redistribution by water and tillage erosion

GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 10 2006
JIANHUI ZHANG
Abstract Soil organic carbon (SOC) displaced by soil erosion is the subject of much current research and the fundamental question, whether accelerated soil erosion is a source or sink of atmospheric CO2, remains unresolved. A toposequence of terraced fields as well as a long slope was selected from hilly areas of the Sichuan Basin, China to determine effects of soil redistribution rates and processes on SOC stocks and dynamics. Soil samples for the determination of caesium-137 (137Cs), SOC, total N and soil particle size fractions were collected at 5 m intervals along a transect down the two toposequences. 137Cs data showed that along the long slope transect soil erosion occurred in upper and middle slope positions and soil deposition appeared in the lower part of the slope. Along the terraced transect, soil was lost over the upper parts of the slopes and deposition occurred towards the downslope boundary on each terrace, resulting in very abrupt changes in soil redistribution over short distances either side of terrace boundaries that run parallel with the contour on the steep slopes. These data reflect a difference in erosion process; along the long slope transect, water erosion is the dominant process, while in the terraced landscape soil distribution is mainly the result of tillage erosion. SOC inventories (mass per unit area) show a similar pattern to the 137Cs inventory, with relatively low SOC content in the erosional sites and high SOC content in depositional areas. However, in the terraced field landscape C/N ratios were highest in the depositional areas, while along the long slope transect, C/N ratios were highest in the erosional areas. When the samples are subdivided based on 137Cs-derived erosion and deposition data, it is found that the erosional areas have similar C/N ratios for both toposequences, while the C/N ratios in depositional areas are significantly different from each other. These differences are attributed to the difference in soil erosion processes; tillage erosion is mainly responsible for high-SOC inventories at depositional positions on terraced fields, whereas water erosion plays a primary role in SOC storage at depositional positions on the long slope. These data support the theory that water erosion may cause a loss of SOC due to selective removal of the most labile fraction of SOC, while on the other hand tillage erosion only transports the soil over short distances with less effect on the total SOC stock. [source]


Soil restorative effects of mulching on aggregation and carbon sequestration in a Miamian soil in central Ohio

LAND DEGRADATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2003
G. S. Saroa
Abstract Soils play a key role in the global carbon cycle, and can be a source or a sink of atmospheric carbon (C). Thus, the effect of land use and management on soil C dynamics needs to be quantified. This study was conducted to assess: (1) the role of aggregation in enhancing soil organic carbon (SOC) and total soil nitrogen (TSN) concentrations for different mulch rates, (2) the association of SOC and TSN with different particle size fractions, and (3) the temporal changes in the SOC concentration within aggregate and particle size fractions with duration of mulching. Two experiments were initiated, one each in 1989 and 1996, on a Crosby silt loam (Aeric Ochraqualf or Stagnic Luvisol) in central Ohio. Mulch treatments were 0, 8, and 16,Mg,ha,1,yr,1 without crop cultivation. Soil samples from 0,5,cm and 5,10,cm depths were obtained in November 2000; 4 and 11 years after initiating the experiments. Mulch rate significantly increased SOC and TSN concentrations in the 0,5,cm soil layer only. The variation in the SOC concentration attributed to the mulch rate was 41 per,cent after 4 years of mulching and 52 per,cent after 11 years of mulching. There were also differences in SOC and TSN concentrations among large aggregate size fractions, up to 2,mm size after 4 years and up to 0,5,mm after 11 years of mulching. There were also differences in SOC and TSN concentrations among particle size fractions. Variation in the SOC concentration in relation to particle size was attributed to clay by 45,51 per,cent, silt by 34,36 per,cent, and to sand fraction by 15,19 per,cent. Bulk of the TSN (62,67 per,cent) was associated with clay fraction and the rest was equally distributed between silt and sand fractions. The enrichment of SOC and TSN concentrations in the clay fraction increased with depth. The C:N ratio was not affected by the mulch rate, but differed significantly among particle size fractions; being in the order of sand >silt >clay. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]