Aqueous processing

Scuiiy J C 1983 Corrosion Aqueous Processes and Passive Fiims (London Academic)... 

Temperatures range from 15 to 95°C, and the pressures from 0.45 to 3.55 MPa (65—515 psi). The temperatures used for the aqueous process are higher than those for the nonaqueous process. 

Moisture and Water Content. Resins are thoroughly washed with water upon completion of manufacture and conversion (if necessary) to another ionic form. Excess water is removed by vacuum draining or filtration. Nevertheless, a significant quantity of water associated with the functional groups and adhering to the outer surface of the resin particles remains with the resin as it is discharged into shipping containers. No effort is made to dry the resin, except in a few appHcation areas, since the resins are used in aqueous processes in most installations. 

Newer technology involves aqueous-processible photopolymer plates. Many plate-makers and printers are eager to switch to water processing in order to eliminate volatile organic solvents. The chemistry and process of use are similar to that of the solvent-processible plate except that in the aqueous plate, the elastomer has pendent carboxyl, hydroxyl, or other water-soluble groups to allow aqueous processing. 

Free radical polymerization is a key method used by the polymer industry to produce a wide range of polymers [37]. It is used for the addition polymerization of vinyl monomers including styrene, vinyl acetate, tetrafluoroethylene, methacrylates, acrylates, (meth)acrylonitrile, (meth)acrylamides, etc. in bulk, solution, and aqueous processes. The chemistry is easy to exploit and is tolerant to many functional groups and impurities. 

An overview is presented of plutonium process chemistry at Rocky Flats and of research in progress to improve plutonium processing operations or to develop new processes. Both pyrochemical and aqueous methods are used to process plutonium metal scrap, oxide, and other residues. The pyrochemical processes currently in production include electrorefining, fluorination, hydriding, molten salt extraction, calcination, and reduction operations. Aqueous processing and waste treatment methods involve nitric acid dissolution, ion exchange, solvent extraction, and precipitation techniques. 

Figure 1 shows a simplified flow sheet for plutonium-239 recovery operations at Rocky Flats. Impure plutonium metal is sent through a pyrochemical process, called molten salt extraction (MSE), to remove the elemental impurity americium. The product plutonium metal, if it meets plant purity requirements, is sent to the foundry. Metal that does not meet foundry requirements is processed further, either through an aqueous process using ion exchange, or through a pyrochemical electrorefining process. The waste chloride salt from MSE is... 

Dissolution media, aqueous—See also Aqueous media and Aqueous processing... 

Fig. 8.31 Left) In the Mossbauer spectrum taken in the Columbia Hills at a rock called Clovis the mineral goethite (GT) (a-FeOOH) could be identified. GT is a clear mineralogical evidence for aqueous processes on Mars. Right) The rock Clovis is made out of rather soft material as indicated by the electric drill-current when drilling the - - I cm deep hole seen in the picture. Drill fines are of brownish color. The pattern to the right of the drill hole was made by bmshing the dust off the surface by using the RAT...

Fig. 8.34 Lefty, outcrop rocks found at the crater wall of Eagle Crater, where the rover Opportunity landed on 24 January 2004. Clearly, the sedimentary structure is seen. Right) in the spectrum, taken on sol 33 (sol = Martian day) of the mission, the mineral Jarosite, an Fe -sulfate, could be identified at the Meridiani Planum landing site. It forms only under aqueous conditions at low pH (< 3 ) and is therefore clear mineralogical evidence for aqueous processes on Mars...

Battelle has developed an efficient process for the thermo-catalytic conversion of succinate into pyrrolidones, especially N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone. The process uses both novel Rh based catalysts and novel aqueous process conditions and results in high selectivities and yields of pyrrolidone compounds. The process also includes novel methodology for enhancing yields by recycling and converting non-useful side products of the catalysis into additional pyrrolidone. The process has been demonstrated in both batch and continuous reactors. Additionally, stability of the unique Rh-based catalyst has been demonstrated. 

Water is a highly polar - and hence protic - solvent, the presence of which may strongly influence the chemistry of two-phase aqueous processes. Of course, all components of the reaction mixture should be stable to water, and to this end care must be taken with the choice of catalyst. Today, aqueous organo-metallic catalysis has become a mature field of chemistry, and a very wide choice of water-soluble and water-stable hydrogenation catalysts is available. It should also be borne in mind that water is a reactive solvent and may take part... 

Ming, D.W. et al. 2006. Geochemical and mineralogical indicators for aqueous processes in the Columbia Hills of Gusev crater, Mars. Journal of Geophysical Research, 111, E02S12,... 

A. Kudo, K. Omori, H. Kato, A novel aqueous process for preparation of crystal form-controlled and highly crystalline BiV04 powder from layered vanadates at room temperature and its photocatalytic and photophysical properties,/. Am. Chem. Soc. 121 (1999) 11459-11467. 

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