Environmental application other applications

Although the majority of interest in remediation applications of corrodable metals revolves around Fe°, other possibilities have been investigated, including magnesium, tin, and zinc. The bulk of this work has used Zn° as a model system for comparison with Fe° (e.g., Refs. 95, 96, 125, and 126), but a few studies have surveyed a range of metals as possible alternatives to Fe° in environmental applications other than PRBs (e.g., Refs. 127 and 128). 

Environmental Applications Although ion-selective electrodes find use in environmental analysis, their application is not as widespread as in clinical analysis. Standard methods have been developed for the analysis of CN , F , NH3, and in water and wastewater. Except for F , however, other analytical methods are considered superior. By incorporating the ion-selective electrode into a flow cell, the continuous monitoring of wastewater streams and other flow systems is possible. Such applications are limited, however, by the electrode s response to the analyte s activity, rather than its concentration. Considerable interest has been shown in the development of biosensors for the field screening and monitoring of environmental samples for a number of priority pollutants. 

Equation (3.5) can be used to establish a one-to-one correspondence among all composition scales for which mass exchange is feasible. Since most environmental applications involve dilute systems, one can assume that these systems behave ideally. Hence, the transfer of the pollutant is indifferent to the existence of other species in the waste stream. In other words, even if two waste streams contain species that are not identical, but share the same composition of a particular pollutant, the equilibrium composition of the pollutant in an MSA will be the same for both waste streams. Hence, a single composition scale, y, can be used to represent the concentration of the pollutant in any waste stream. Next, (3.5) can be employed to generate Ns scales for the MSAs. For a given set of corresponding composition scales y,x, X2,..., xj,..., it is thermodynamically and practically feasible to transfer the pollutant from any waste stream to any MSA. In addition, it is also feasible to transfer the pollutant from any waste stream of a composition y/ to any MSA which has a composition less than the xy obtained from (3.5b). 

Those basic matrix selection factors are used as bases for comparing the four principal types of matrix materials, namely polymers, metals, carbons, and ceramics, listed in Table 7-1. Obviously, no single matrix material is best for all selection factors. However, if high temperatures and other extreme environmental conditions are not an issue, polymer-matrix materials are the most suitable constituents, and that is why so many current applications involve polymer matrices. In fact, those applications are the easiest and most straightforward for composite materials. Ceramic-matrix or carbon-matrix materials must be used in high-temperature applications or under severe environmental conditions. Metal-matrix materials are generally more suitable than polymers for moderately high-temperature applications or for modest environmental conditions other than elevated temperature. 

---