Beryllium Concentrations Research Articles

Flow stress softening with Be content increase in the hot compressed Cu-Be alloy

The increase in beryllium content in Cu-Be alloys results in an unexpected reduction of hot-compressed flow stress at 780 °C and a strain rate of 1 s−1, accompanied by grain coarsening. This phenomenon can be primarily attributed to the rising volume fraction of the hard and brittle β phase with increasing beryllium content, which enhances dynamic recrystallization and consequently contributes more significantly to softening deformation.

Modes of occurrence of beryllium in the Ge-rich coal deposit, Lincang, SW China: Theoretical insight into organic association and distribution

The coal-hosted germanium (Ge) deposit in Lincang, China, contains an abnormally high concentration of beryllium (Be), which is of significant organic affinity. However, the specific species of Be at the atomic scale remain unclear. In this study, thirteen model compounds representing O/S/N-containing functional groups in coal were calculated to probe the local environment of Be. The results indicate that hydroxyl and carboxyl groups are the primary acceptors of Be. Various Be-O complexes with a saturated four coordination of Be can achieve best stabilization. In contrast, the heteroatoms S and N are less likely to act as the acceptors for Be. In addition, the calculation results provide theoretical insights into the vertical distribution of Be. Unlike the upper coal seam, a fraction of Be in the middle and lower seams occurs in a mineral phase, which can be attributed to the limited capacity of organic matter to bond with all available Be. Furthermore, competition from other organically-associated metals, such as Ge and W, for bonding sites affects the local distribution of Be. This study reveals the molecular mechanism for Be enrichment in the organic matter of the Lincang Ge deposit, and suggests potential strategies for the removal of organically bonded Be in coal through the destruction of O-bridged complexes.

Impact of Chronic Beryllium Exposure on Liver and Lung Function and Hematologic Parameters

Beryllium is a lightweight metal that is toxic to humans. The critical health effects related to beryllium exposure are liver toxicity, immune system toxicity, and chronic beryllium disease (CBD). This study investigated the effects of occupational beryllium exposure on liver and lung function and hematologic parameters among beryllium smelter workers. A cross-sectional study was performed by comparing 65 exposed workers and 34 non-exposed workers. Health information was collected through questionnaire surveys and biochemical tests. The concentration of urinary beryllium was determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The findings indicated that the urinary beryllium levels of the exposed workers and the controls were 0.48 (0.115, 1.19) μg/mL and 0.0125 (0.005, 0.005) μg/mL, respectively (p < 0.001). Compared with the controls, the exposed workers showed a significant increase in serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level, hemoglobin (HGB) concentration, white blood cell (WBC) count, red blood cell (RBC) count, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP) (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the HGB concentration and ALT level were significantly correlated with the concentration of beryllium in urine (p < 0.05). The exposed workers had increased urinary concentrations of beryllium, in contrast to the control subjects. Moreover, the urinary beryllium levels among the exposed workers are much higher than that in the Chinese general population. Beryllium-exposed workers may be at risk of liver and hematologic impairments.

Blistering Behavior of Beryllium and Beryllium Alloy under High-Dose Helium Ion Irradiation.

Beryllium (Be) has been selected as the solid neutron multiplier material for a tritium breeding blanket module in ITER, which is also the primary option of the Chinese TBM program. But the irradiation swelling of beryllium is severe under high temperature, high irradiation damage and high doses of transmutation-induced helium. Advanced neutron multipliers with high stability at high temperature are desired for the demonstration power plant (DEMO) reactors and the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). Beryllium alloys mainly composed of Be12M (M is W or Ti) phase were fabricated by HIP, which has a high melting point and high beryllium content. Beryllium and beryllide (Be12Ti and Be12W) samples were irradiated by helium ion with 30 keV and 1 × 1018 cm-2 at RT. The microstructures of Be, Be12Ti and Be12W samples were analyzed by SEM and TEM before and after ion irradiation. The average size of the first blistering on the surface of Be-W alloy is about 0.8 μm, and that of secondary blistering is about 79 nm. The surface blistering rates of the beryllium and beryllide samples were also compared. These results may provide a preliminary experimental basis for evaluating the irradiation swelling resistance of beryllium alloy.

Full correction of the self-absorption of laser-induced plasma beryllium emissions via sample preparation

Self-absorption effect is always encountered in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and immediately distorts the calibration curves especially for the elemental determination of complex materials. With the aim to provide an expeditious approach for LIBS measurements susceptible to self-absorption effect, an exploratory study for sample preparation by powder mixing is implemented, and the self-absorption of laser-induced plasma beryllium emissions is investigated as a function of the dilution factor. For comparison, boric acid and wax powder are separately used as typical binding agent to mix with beryl powder to produce two sets of pressed pellets with sequential gradient of beryllium content variation. For the resonant lines most prone to self-absorption of Be II emission doublet at 313.042 nm and 313.107 nm, the beryllium spectral line shapes can be directly regulated and improved in the case of both sets of pellets as the dilution factor increases. In addition, the self-absorption effect for the strongly emitting beryllium spectral lines is further assessed by calculating the self-absorption coefficients based on the radiation transport equation. With regard to the both types of binder as diluent, when the dilution factor for beryl increases to 10 with a weight percent of 0.386% for beryllium in the pellet, the SA values may exponentially increase in general to around 0.8 and eventually asymptotically approaches to 1 without exception. Thus the self-absorption effect of laser-induced beryl plasma emissions can be readily overcome with sample preparation by powder mixing. By contrast with laser pulse irradiance in the present work, the dilution factor for powder mixing plays a dominant role in eliminating self-absorption effect. This research proposes a potentially effective approach to reduce self-absorption in laser-induced plasma emissions.

Accurate and precise in situ determination of beryllium contents in beryllium minerals using ablation spot size of 13 μm by LA–ICP–MS

Beryllium is a strategically critical metal, and its accurate in situ analysis in beryllium minerals is challenging in the field of earth science. High spatial resolution is also a difficult point in the analysis. A new analysis approach for the accurate and precise determination of beryllium contents in beryl using an ablation spot size of 13 μm by LA–ICP–MS was first achieved in this study. The control variables were used to optimise the instrument conditions and determine the laser ablation parameters suitable for determining beryl under an ablation spot size of 13 μm. The energy density was set at 5.5 J/cm2 with a repetition rate of 4 Hz, and the ablation time was 50 s. A new concept, the Relative Fractionation Index (RFI), was proposed to measure fractionation and matrix effects. Two potential beryl reference substances (B4–2 and Brl-3) were also assessed by determining their homogeneity to further improve the measurement accuracy. Other common beryllium minerals, including phenakite, chrysoberyl, and herderite, were identified in this study. By comparing the RFI values of different minerals and reference materials, appropriate reference materials and determination conditions were selected, and ideal analysis results were obtained. Therefore, the accurate and precise determination of beryllium contents in common beryllium minerals was achieved using an ablation spot size of 13 μm by LA–ICP–MS.

Sustainable non-plasticized polymer inclusion membrane containing an immobilizing optode ligand for in situ ultra-sensitive colorimetric measurement and pre-concentration of beryllium ions in environmental and biological matrices

Beryllium (Be2+) is a type of alkaline earth-divalent metal that enters many strategic industries. The work environment limits concentrations of beryllium is in the range of 0.01 – 1.0 μg mL−1 (ppm), where concentrations exceeding 5.0 ppm of Be2+ lead to acute toxicity, causing pulmonary edema and chemical pneumonitis. Herein, Be2+ was measured selectively in situ down to ultralow concentration levels utilizing a fabricated sensitive polymer inclusion membrane (PIM) as an immobilizing non-plasticized colorimetric optical sensor (optode). The PIM-sensitive optode has been created using an encapsulation method with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) as a polymer base, an (E)-6-(4-((2,5-dihydroxyphenyl)diazenyl)phenyl)-2-oxo-4-phenyl-1,2-dihydropyridine-3-carbonitrile (DDP-OPDC) as a selective ligand, and Aliquat 336 as an enhancer extractant. The linear dynamic range of the various standard measurements ranged between 5.0 and 145 ng mL−1 with excellent sensitivity down to 1.6 ng mL−1. Moreover, the manufactured optode was reusable and had sustainable mechanical strength. The method has also successfully quantified Be2+ in the livers and muscles of bovine, chicken, and pork (recovery %; 98.0–––102.3 %) in addition to Be2+ analysis in contaminated tap, mineral, and well water (recovery %; in the range of 93.6–––103.3 %). With an assessment duration of 10 min at a maximum absorbance of 622 nm, the colorimetric evaluations of Be2+ in various samples (water and biological) were rapid, reliable, and reproducible. Furthermore, the obtained results by the developed optode matched excellently those obtained by the comparison atomic absorption spectrometry method.

Anthropogenic Coal Ash as a Contaminant in an Underwater Search. II. Beyond Beryllium, Lanthanum, and Uranium

It has been shown that the Beryllium, Lanthanum and Uranium concentrations in the “BeLaU” spherules are in the expected ranges of coal ash. It is reported that the average elemental concentration of 12 microspherules can be found in the COALQUAL database in 98% (49/50) of the elements examined. The “BeLaU pattern” is found to be not unique, it can be reproduced using a coal ash standard (SRM1633a) and a chondritic normalization. The ratio of rare-earth elements in the “BeLaU” spherules and the SMR1633a sample is of order unity. Comparisons against SRM1633a return only two elements with abundances statistically significantly lower than the coal ash standard of reference (or fractions of order unity), agreeing in 96% (52/54) of the elements tested. No elements show higher abundance than 10× the reference standard. Terrestrial coal ash is curiously very similar to the collected spherules. Origin from a recent meteoritic event remains uncertain.

Accumulation of Beryllium in Bottom Sediments of Rivers in the Kizelovsky Coal Basin

The studies have been carried out on the accumulation of beryllium in bottom sediments of the river. Kosva (Western Urals, RF), which receives acidic waters from 8 water outflows, characterized by a sulfate iron-calcium composition, high mineralization and a significant beryllium content. It is concluded that a river suspension of colloidal size acts as a sorption barrier for beryllium, transported with the flow of water and gradually settling at the bottom. It is noted that the aggregation of particles among themselves with the formation of a larger suspension leads to the fact that, with distance from the source of pollution, a gradual increase in the beryllium content in coarse water suspension is observed with a decrease in the total beryllium content in water. It is recommended that the identified features of beryllium migration and accumulation be taken into account when developing environmental protection measures for the ecological rehabilitation of the river Kosvy.

Research of the application of nickel-chrome-silicon bronze BrNHK for the manufacture of helical compression springs

The results of a study of the mechanical characteristics of the BrNHK bronze alloy using the acoustic emission method are presented. The mechanical characteristics of BrNHK-2.5-0.6-0.7 wire were studied after various heat treatment modes. The widespread use of bronze alloy BrKMts3-1 is due to its low price, while the mechanical and operational properties satisfy both consumers and spring manufacturers, since the technology for manufacturing springs from this alloy is not fundamentally different from the technology for manufacturing springs from cold-worked wire. In turn, the BrB2 alloy is considered a scarce alloy and is used only for springs intended for special equipment, since the properties of this alloy after hardening heat treatment are not inferior to cold-worked carbon steels. Given the increased cost of beryllium, work is underway both to reduce the beryllium content and to switch to beryllium-free alloys.

Linking beryllium enrichment to crystal-melt separation in granitic magmatic systems: Insights from high-silica granites in the southern Great Xing’an Range, NE China

High-silica granites are significant carriers of highly incompatible elements and are closely associated with mineralization of the rare metal beryllium. Thus, understanding their origin and evolution is of paramount importance for comprehending the evolution of the continental crust and enrichment processes of beryllium. This study presents zircon U-Pb ages, whole-rock major and trace element compositions, and Nd-Hf-O isotopic data for Early Cretaceous high-silica granite porphyries, monazite U-Pb ages and Nd isotopic data for beryllium-rich quartz veins, and whole-rock and apatite Nd isotopic data for Permian tuffs in the Dongshanwan W-Mo-Be deposit in the southern Great Xing’an Range, northeastern China. Our aim is to elucidate the link between mineralization and magmatism and to further our insight into the processes of crystal-melt separation and the mechanisms driving beryllium enrichment in granitic magmatic systems. Zircon U-Pb dating of the high-silica granite porphyry yields a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 141 ± 1 Ma, which is consistent with the age of hydrothermal monazite (ca. 140 Ma) from the beryllium-rich quartz veins. Hydrothermal monazite from the intra-granite porphyry quartz vein has positive εNd(t) values (+0.76 to +1.63) that overlap broadly with whole-rock Nd isotopic compositions of the host granite porphyry [εNd(t) = +1.24 to +1.61]. These characteristics indicate that the Dongshanwan beryllium mineralization was temporally and genetically associated with magmatic-hydrothermal activity of the Dongshanwan high-silica granite porphyries. Our systematic studies suggest that both the Dongshanwan high-silica granite porphyries and coeval Be-barren high-silica granites in the study area are high-K calc-alkaline I-type granites. They originated from a shared magmatic system and formed by the partial melting of a predominantly juvenile medium- to high-K basaltic crustal source, with a minor addition of old crustal components. Rayleigh fractionation modeling indicates that the granitic magma underwent a two-stage crystal-melt separation process. During the first stage, the fractional crystallization of a large proportion of plagioclase, in which beryllium is compatible, not only effectively inhibited beryllium enrichment in the differentiated melt, but also removed a large amount of Ca. During the second stage, minerals in which beryllium is incompatible dominated the fractionating assemblage owing to the low Ca contents in the magma, resulting in a surge in beryllium concentration in the differentiated melt. Our findings reveal that beryllium cannot be appreciably enriched in calc-alkaline granitic magmatic systems until plagioclase fractionation has substantially removed Ca from the system.

Chemical composition and ecogeochemical assessment of water in quarry lakes of the Zavitinskоyе and Ermakovskoye beryllium deposits (Russia)

The study presents the results of research on the chemical composition of water in quarry lakes of the lithium-beryllium Zavitinskоyе and fluorite-beryllium Ermakovskoye deposits located in the Eastern and Western Transbaikalia, respectively. Currently, the mines are abandoned, and the quarry lakes are actively used by the population of nearby villages for domestic and recreational purposes. It was found that the water in the quarries of these deposits is brackish and fresh, belonging to the sulfate-magnesium-calcium and hydrocarbonate-sulfate-magnesium-calcium types with a neutral and slightly alkaline reaction and high contents of sulfates and certain metals (Li, Be, Zn, Al, Mn, Fe, Sr, etc.). Significant variations in the concentrations of trace elements in the identified types of water indicate the significant role of the hydrogeochemical environment (pH, Eh, mineralization, etc.) in their dispersion or accumulation. The beryllium content in the water of Zavitinskоyе deposit quarries ranges from 0.35 to 10.1 μg/l, while in the Ermakovskoye quarry it ranges from 0.024 to 0.026 μg/l. The content of some regulated components in the water exceeds the maximum permissible concentrations established for fishery ponds and sanitary-hygienic norms by several orders of magnitude.

Innovative photovoltaic approach: Cd1-xBexTe mixed semiconductor crystals for novel dye-sensitized solar cells

This paper deals with the synthesis and properties of new ternary mixed Cd1-xBexTe (cadmium beryllium telluride) crystal-based electrodes for photovoltaic cells which is a modified version of dye- sensitized solar cells. We determined the thermal stability and photovoltaic performance of the obtained devices. Cd1-xBexTe crystals are grown using the Bridgman technique at high temperatures and pressure for different compositions. Using the modified doctor blade method, we fabricated dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) using Cd1-xBexTe-based film as working electrodes. The mixed crystals with the highest beryllium content (10 %) and the lowest (1 %) are used. At the same time, the counter electrode and polymer electrolytes are common. Comparative studies with standard DSSC are also undertaken to compare the stability and charge mechanism. As prepared, DSSC using ternary Cd1-xBexTe showed efficiency as high as 3.11 % at 1 sun condition. The life span measurement indicated promising results, and DSSC is stable up to 720 h with a reasonable decrease in fill factor from 84 to 55.

Petrogenesis of Oligocene Granitoids and its Implications on Beryllium Mineralization at Pagele, Nianqingtanggula Mountain (Central Tibet)

AbstractThe newly discovered Oligocene granitoids (33.1–28.7 Ma) at Pagele are magmatic rocks related to beryllium mineralization during the India‐Asia late‐collisional stage. This discovery provides an ideal example to study the late‐collisional orogeny and beryllium prospecting in the Lhasa terrane. The Oligocene granitoids include porphyritic granodiorite, Stage I, II and III granites, and granitic pegmatite. Geochemical analysis shows that the porphyritic granodiorite is characterized by high SiO2, K2O, total ΣREE contents, and (La/Yb)N ratios; while the latter two by higher SiO2, lower ΣREE and (La/Yb)N ratios. Notably, the granitic pegmatite has extremely high Y/Ho, low K/Rb and Zr/Hf, and distinct REE tetrad effect (1.14–1.21). This study suggests that the porphyritic granodiorite may be derived from partial melting of beryllium‐rich materials composed of Lhasa ancient crust (70–80%) and enriched Lhasa lithospheric mantle (20–30%) under the tearing subduction of Indian slab. The three‐stage granites and granitic pegmatite, which contain higher beryllium contents or beryls, were likely generated by highly fractionation of the porphyritic granodioritic magma or other homologous magma. Considering the possible genetic and spatial link between Indian slab tear and rifts, we suggest that highly‐fractionated granites in rifting systems represent important Be prospecting targets in the Lhasa terrane.

Germanium connection with ash content and toxic elementsin coal on the example of c5 seamof the Blagodatna mine field

Purpose. To establish the nature and level of the statistical relationship between the concentrations of germanium and "toxic elements" in coal seam c5 of the "Blagodatna" mine and the main features of their distribution to assess possible environmental risks during the selective processing of coal enriched with this element. Methodology. The factual basis of the work was the results of 58 determinations of the spectral emission analysis of germanium, beryllium, fluorine, mercury and arsenic. To calculate basic statistical characteristics, all geochemical data were processed using STATISTICA 13.3 and IBM SPSS Statistics 22 programs.Construction of frequency histograms of germanium concentrations and coal seam thickness was performed, as well as determination of their distribution characteristics. Correlation and regression analyzes were performed using methods available in Micromine, one of the leading professional mining and geological information systems for 3D modeling, statistical data processing and mine planning. Findigs. The existence of an inverse and very weak correlation between the concentrations of germanium and the content of beryllium, fluorine, mercury and arsenic in coal seam c5 of the "Blagodatna" mine was established, which makes it possible to predict the minimal nature of possible environmental risks during the selective processing of germanium-enriched coal. All studied elements accumulated in several forms, which differed significantly in their genesis.Each of the elements that were studied in seam c5 of the "Blagodatna" mine accumulated in several forms, which differed significantly in their genesis. At the same time, the forms of their occurrence, which are responsible for the minimum contents, were jointly accumulated at the syngenetic stage. Scientific novelty. The existence of genetically different forms of germanium, arsenic, fluorine, mercury and beryllium in the coal seam was revealed. For all considered elements, the polymodality of the distributions was established with the same displacement of the distribution density to the left. It has been proven that the correlation between Ge and all "toxic" elements is inverse and very weak. Practical significance. A substantiated method of the most correct assessment of the central tendency of the distribution of a sample population of concentrations of germanium, arsenic, fluorine, mercury and beryllium in coal seam c5 of the "Blagodatna" mine.The presence of a very weak negative correlation between Ge content and toxic elements makes it possible to predict the minimal nature of possible environmental risks during the selective processing of Ge-enriched coal.

Elemental status and psychological predisposition of the Russian population to deviant behavior

BACKGROUND: One of the most crucial environmental factors is the geochemical structure and chemical composition of the soils and waters in a given area, as they directly influence the elemental status of the population residing there. However, there is currently a lack of data regarding the associations between the elemental status of Russian residents and the severity of indicators related to deviant behavior.
 AIM: To study the potential influence of chemical environmental factors on the development of deviant behavior in men and women residing in the Russian Federation.
 MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study involved 1815 students who were permanent residents of the 14 regions of Russia. The elemental status was determined by concentrations of 25 chemical elements in hair samples. A set of standard indicators of psychological status was employed to assess the risk of developing deviant behavior in the study participants. Associations between hair concentrations of the elements and psychological status were studied by correlation analysis.
 RESULTS: Reactive aggressiveness was negatively associated with the concentration of potassium (p=0.016), sodium (p=0.05) and beryllium (p=0.044) in men, while it was positively associated with the concentration of zinc (p=0.005) in women. Depression and the level of suicidal ideation were associated with lithium deficiency (p=0.018 and p=0.022) in men and with selenium deficiency in women (p=0.004 and p=0.001). The risk of alcoholism was inversely associated with the content of zinc (p=0.001), lithium (p=0.026), selenium (p=0.027) and calcium (p=0.049) in men while in women the significant associations were found for boron (p=0.02) and phosphorus (p=0.044). Drug consumption was positively associated with hair concentrations of silicon (p 0.001), nickel (p=0.002), magnesium (p=0.005), lead (p=0.007), selenium (p=0.011) and tin (p=0.012) in men and with aluminum (p=0.005), selenium (p=0.021) and iron (p=0.05) in women.
 CONCLUSION: Our study provide the evidence on the associations between chemical elements some prerequisites for the development of deviant behavior in Russia.

Assessing environmental and radiological impacts and lithological mapping of beryl-bearing rocks in Egypt using high-resolution sentinel-2 remote sensing images

Emerald and other beryls represent a family of the most valuable gemstone around the world and particularly in Egypt. Beryllium (Be) contents in beryl-bearing bedrocks in south Sinai (Wadi Ghazala and Wadi Sedri), and in central and south Eastern Desert of Egypt (Igla area, Zabara-Um Addebaa belt, Homret Akarem, and Homret Mukpid) were investigated in this study. The environmental risk levels of Be, associated major ions, and heavy metals in groundwater nearby to beryl-bearing mineralization were also evaluated. Results showed that Be contents ranged from 1 to 374 ppm in beryl-bearing bedrocks, while in nearby groundwater, Be content has a range of 0.0001–0.00044 mg/L with an average of 0.00032 mg/L, which is within the permissible levels and below (0.004) the U.S. EPA maximum contaminant level (MCL). Most levels of heavy metals (e.g., Be, B, Ni, V, Fe, and Al) in the investigated groundwater of central and south Eastern Desert and south Sinai are within the permissible levels and below their corresponding U.S. EPA MCLs. This study also investigated the radiological risk of natural radionuclides distributed in beryl-bearing bedrocks in the study area using gamma spectrometry; Sodium Iodide [NaI(Tl)] scintillation detector. Among the estimated mean 238U, 232Th, and 226Ra activity concentrations of the studied beryl-bearing rocks, Homret Mukpid (79, 87.15, 60.26 Bq kg−1) and Homret Akarem (111.6, 51.17, 85.1 Bq kg−1) contain the highest values. This may be attributed to their highly fractionated granitic rocks that host uranium and thorium reservoir minerals such as zircon, allanite, and monazite. The estimated data of multi-radiological parameters such as absorbed gamma dose, outdoor and indoor annual effective dose, radium equivalent activity, internal and external indices, index of excess cancer, and effective dose to human organs reflecting no significant impacts from the emitted natural gamma radiation.

A review on natural background concentration of beryllium prevalent in ambient air and different environmental matrices

Abstract Beryllium, the 44th most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, is found ubiquitously in environmental matrices, including air, soil, and water, as well as in a variety of food items such as grains, fruits, and vegetables. The typical concentration of Be in air is reported to be ~0.05 ng/m3, whereas in soil, its concentration varies from ~2 to 5 ppm. The prevalence of Be in soil leads to its presence in water as well as in plants, and various human activities such as burning of coal, petrol, diesel, mining, and other industrial activities may further increase the concentration of beryllium in environment and associated matrices. It needs to be mentioned that the typical concentration of Be in food items is of the order of few ppb, whereas in drinking water, the typical values are reported to be <1 ppb or so. Based on the literature survey including some of the most recent studies, the present paper provides summary on concentration of Be in air, soil, and other relevant matrices as concise and consolidated reports on beryllium are scarce. In addition, related information like Be in drinking water along with available guidelines is also provided. Information on the prevalence of other isotopes of beryllium, i.e., 7Be4 and 10Be4, which are radioactive and are produced by cosmic rays in atmosphere, is also included in the present paper.

Characterization, risk assessment, and potential utilization of fly ash from PLTSa Merah Putih at Bantargebang, Bekasi, Indonesia

Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) has been adopted in Indonesia to reduce the volume and mass of municipal solid waste. However, as a by-product of waste combustion, fly ash generation cannot be avoided. It can cause an environmental problem if not managed properly. Hence, this study aims to investigate the characteristics of fly ash generated from Indonesia’s first waste-to-energy incineration pilot plant and its potential utilization. Fly ash was characterized using X-Ray fluorescence (XRF), BET surface area measurement, pore size distribution (PSD), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The characterization results showed that calcium was predominant, around 28%, followed by titanium, silica, iron, and aluminum, with values of 7.10%, 5.70%, 4.40%, and 4.30%, respectively. These results demonstrated that MSW incineration fly ash was classified as a very active high-calcium fly ash. The surface structure of fly ash was flaky and complex, with some irregular material. The particle size distribution of fly ash shows that the diameters of most particles were nearly 12 μm. The specific surface area of fly ash was 3.06 m2/g, the total-pore volume was 0.01 cm3/g, and the average pore size was 11.82 nm. In addition, the environmental risk assessment was evaluated using the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP). TCLP concentrations of heavy metals, including arsenic, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium hexavalent, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, selenium, and zinc, were lower than the regulatory level, indicating a low environmental risk. Therefore, it has great potential for utilization as a paving block mixture material.

Preparation of porous calcium carbonate biochar and its beryllium adsorption performance

Wastewater disposal from beryllium production has become a significant problem in the industry. Therefore, this paper designed porous calcium carbonate biochar (CC-LBC) using Na2CO3 and CaCl2 to modify the biochar innovatively, after which we understudied the Be(II) adsorption effect of CC-LBC at different concentrations. The results from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and other characterization analyses showed that when CC-LBC particles were immersed in the Be(II) waste liquid, several O elements accumulated because of its loose and porous structure, generating more beryllium precipitates on the surface of the adsorbent. According to kinetic data fitting, investigations also revealed that both physical and chemical reactions controlled CC-LBC/Be(II) adsorption process, indicating that the CC-LBC/Be(II) adsorption system is suitable for the intraparticle diffusion model. Furthermore, when the beryllium on activated carbon was desorbed by 10% NaOH, the desorption effect was above 80%, and the saturation adsorption capacity of CC-LBC for Be(II) was up to 55 mg/g. However, when the initial concentration of Be(II) was equal to 0.5–1 mg/L, the concentration of beryllium after treatment was lower than 10 μg/L, confirming that CC-LBC had a better selective adsorption performance for beryllium in the binary system.