Advanced Materials Research Vols. 1025-1026

Abstract: Southern pine (Pinus sp.) is liquefied by microwave heating and PEG/lower alcohols mixtures in the presence of various acid catalysts at 150 °C. The reaction time is of 15 min, and the liquefaction solvent to wood ratio is of 2:1. The mixing of lower alcohols such as ethanol with PEG had a strong effect on the liquefaction process, especially for the liquefaction ratio. The catalyst, phosphoric acid, could improve the liquefaction yield and the value of hydroxyl in the biomass liquefaction process. Consequently, the use of PEG/ethanol mixtures and a catalyst of phosphoric acid was benefit to improve liquefaction efficiency and utilization of liquefied products.

Abstract: Corrosion of buried pipelines caused by aging process has taken serious problems. Pitting corrosion in underground pipelines may yield material damage causing great loss of economic value and therefore, this study has emphasized on carbon steel corrosion in three types of soil (laterite, yellow soil and kaolin). Yellow soil solution performed remarkable polarization behavior compared to laterite and kaolin solutions on the basis of Tafel plot. Corrosion potentials of – 0.36V, – 0.47V and – 0.35V were showed by carbon steel corrosion in laterite, yellow soil and kaolin solutions. Yellow soil solution also performed the most corrosive effect on carbon steel due to temperature effect (30^o – 90^oC). In addition, the corrosion of carbon steel in yellow soil solution posed the lowest enthalpy with regard to thermodynamic effect. This study also showed that the carbon steel corrosion in laterite solution referred to pitting corrosion based on linear adsorption isotherm. This investigation gives valuable information with respect to underground pipelines corrosion.

Abstract: The present study is aimed at deriving study factors appropriate for removal of heavy metals in a region with combined contamination of non-biodegradable organics or heavy metal ions in soil or underground water contamination or a region with underground water contamination using a composite alternating current electromagnetic field with combined modulation of an electric and a magnetic field. In addition, it is directed at deriving fundamental experiment, design factors that can be utilized in removing organic contaminants or metal-organic complexes having polarity of an electric charge. The continuous-type apparatus for fusion process in a composite alternating current electric field employed in the present study was designed to process a maximum of 260 L. Each configuration is provided with electrolytic decomposition apparatus, Magnetic Equipment, Power supply and Electrode plates with an adjustable distance between electrodes. By measuring oxidation and reduction processes of ions appearing in chemical reaction processes, electric potentials produced by injection of a negative reactivity electrode into an aqueous solution in a reversible redox equilibrium condition were measured.

Abstract: The anti-corrosive performances of aluminum and its alloys is the subject of considerable technological importance due to the increased industrial applications of these materials. This paper reports the results of the linear polarization (LP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements on the corrosion inhibition of Al-Mg-Si alloy in seawater using natural products (natural honey, vanillin and tapioca starch) as an inhibitor. The results show that the anti-corrosive performances increases with the increasing of natural products concentration. The energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) studies elucidated that the breakdowns of Al₂O₃ after exposed to seawater decreased with the presence of natural products. In all cases, the anti-corrosive performances can be given in the following increasing order: Natural honey < Vanillin < Tapioca starch.

Abstract: The paper discussed on a 3-dimensional porosity network in electroless nickel (Ni) - yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) composite coating. The important characteristics of Ni-YSZ composite such as high ceramic YSZ incorporation and adequate porosity up to 40 vol.% are used as the main parameters. The arrangement of the porosity that give a 3-dimensional porosity network within the composite was design in Pro-Engineer Wildfire 3.0 software. Three structures of 3-dimensional porosity network were used namely honeycomb, atomic sphere and rhombic dodecahedra. The calculated area and volume of one unit porosity, consequently the number of porosity were compared between the three structures. These were supported by the porosity in the electroless Ni-YSZ composite coating obtained experimentally. Two batches were produced, EN-YSZ and EN-YSZ-G representing samples without and with pore former respectively. The two batch samples were investigated and compared. The addition of graphite pore former was burnt out completely and left porosity in the coating.

Abstract: In Thailand, the ethanol production was produced from factory fermentation of many food crops such as sugar cane, molasses, and cassava. Thus, this alcohol is not required to be imported from abroad. Moreover, the advantages of ethanol over methanol are less toxic, and the fatty acid ethyl ester (FAEE) has higher heat content, cetane number and lower cloud point, pour point than the fatty acid methyl esters (FAME). In this study, the 95% commercial ethanol (as a low-grade ethanol) was used to reduce the acid value in the mixed crude palm oil (MCPO). The Response surface methodology (RSM), a 5-level 2-factor central composite design (CCD), was employed to optimize the ethanol, and sulfuric acid. The results showed that the 95% ethanol can reduced the acid value from 34.5 mgKOH/g to less than 2 mgKOH/g. Therefore, the esterified oil can be used to produce biodiesel by base-catalyzed transesterification when the optimal condition: 81.3 vol.% ethanol, 10 vol.% sulfuric acid, and 75°C reaction temperature are used. Moreover, the acid value in MCPO was sharply reduced to less than 7.477 mgKOH/g at 5 min, and to less than 1.621 mgKOH/g after 30 min of reaction time when the model of optimal condition was verified.

Abstract: The synthesis and characterization of copolymer emulsions of styrene with two types of N-substituted phenyl maleimide (N-p-Methyl–MPhMI and N-m-Methyl–MPhMI) were investigated and researched in this thesis, by varying the mole fraction of N-substituted phenyl maleimide and using a seed emulsion polymerization process. The emulsion was steady with high yield, low intrinsic viscosity, and high solid content (40%). In this thesis, we studied that the substituted position on the benzene ring of the N - substituted phenyl maleimide has significant influence on emulsion properties and thermal properties of copolymer emulsion copolymer. The result shows that: the polarity of N-p-MPhMI is higher than N-m-MPhMI, which can significantly improve the yield, and reduces the emulsion gel rate. N-p-MPhMI is more electronegative than N-m-MPhMI, and N-p-MPhMI-St copolymer emulsion has high zero shear viscosity and low surface tension than N-m-MPhMI-St. And N-m-MPhMI-St copolymer emulsion decreased the viscosity of Pst homopolymer emulsion. However, N-p-MPhMI-St copolymer emulsion rheology curve changes into pseudoplastic fluid. The addition of the N-substituted phenyl maleimide can improve the heat resistance of polystyrene, and N-p-methylphenyl maleimide with styrene copolymer can increase the glass transition temperature of copolymer more remarkably than copolymer N- m-tolylmaleimide with styrene can do.

Abstract: In this study, porous asphalt concrete (PAC) containing different levels of steel slag are constructed to evaluate the performance and the thermal properties of the pavement. There will be two types of steel slag used in this study, they are Baosteel's Slag Short Flow (BSSF) slag and blast oxygen furnace (BOF) slag. The previous research proved that using steel slag as aggregate can improve the performance of asphalt pavement. However, steel slag is able to store heat so that using steel slag as aggregates will affect the thermal properties of the pavement. The goal of this studies is to find the optimum percentage of steel slag as subtitutes for coarse aggregates in porous asphalt based on performance and thermal properties.

Abstract: OSB (Oriented Strand Board) is the most important development in the industry of wood products in recent years. However, mainly for reasons of cost industries use as adhesive resins that emit formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is considered a hazardous substance and its concentration indoors is restricted in many countries because of its reactivity, toxicity and pungent odor. This study aimed to attest the thickness swelling of the OSB manufactured from resin with part of your component derived renewable resource (castor oil-based polyurethane) and Pinus sp. The panels were produced technically evaluated by determining the thickness swelling property. In comparison to the minimum requirements of the European normative document EN 300 (2006), average values met the requirements for use of the panels and components for general use in dry environment (OSB/1).

Abstract: In this work, we present a series of electrostrictive polymer blend that can potentially be used as actuators for a variety of applications. This polymer blend combines an electrostrictive polyurethane with a conductivity polyaniline polymer. The effect of filler content has been investigated. The structures of the blends, the electrical and mechanical properties which affect electrostrictive behavior were studied. The results showed that both dielectric constant and glass transition temperature of the blends increase with increasing polyaniline contents. Moreover, it was noted that space charges distribution and hard-segment domain formation significantly related with electrostrictive coefficient of polymer blend. Therefore, electrostriction behavior in the polymer blends has been demonstrated, and optimal microstructure for electrostriction enhancement has been identified.