Liquid Slurry Research Articles

DEJETO DE SUÍNO MELHORA O DESEMPENHO PRODUTIVO DO EUCALIPTO E SUPERA A ADUBAÇÃO MINERAL

ABSTRACT The nutrients contained in the liquid pig slurry (PS) make this residue a potential organic fertilizer for the cultivation of tree species for the production of wood, which can promote the circular economy. This research aimed to evaluate soil chemical parameters, nutritional status, and development of hybrid eucalyptus clone urograndis from PS application for three consecutive years. The treatments evaluated were without fertilization (C); mineral fertilization (NPK) – 300 kg ha-1 year1 of the 02-30-10 formulation; fertigation with PS of 200 m3 ha-1 year1 (FPS200); and fertigation with PS of 400 m3 ha-1 year1 (FPS400). Macronutrients and micronutrients from leaves and soil were evaluated. Tree development was analyzed using stem diameter at breast height (DBH) and total height (Ht). PS treatments resulted in leaves with higher accumulation of K and P and lower accumulation of N, Ca, M, S, Cu, and Fe. The treatments FPS200 and FPS400 presented DBH and Ht equal or superior to the mineral fertilization. Fertilizations with NPK, FPS200, and FPS400 resulted, respectively, in DBH increments 16, 27, and 30% higher than the control. Regarding the chemical attributes of the soil, the use of PS reduced the pH of the soil and increased the levels of P in comparison with the other treatments. The micronutrient values were adequate for fertility and no accumulation of potentially toxic elements at a level considered harmful was observed. The application of PS in eucalyptus hybrid urograndis proved to be an attractive alternative to increase wood production.

Geopolymer beads and 3D printed lattices containing activated carbon and hydrotalcite for anionic dye removal

The use of geopolymers as adsorbent materials has been increasingly investigated in the last few years, thanks to their highly intrinsic mesoporosity and ion exchange capability. As they consolidate following a condensation reaction from a liquid slurry, they can easily be used as a binder for widely known adsorbents, such as zeolites or activated carbons. Such combination is very promising for applications in the field of water treatment. Geopolymer slurries consolidate at room temperature and can be easily shaped using different fabrication techniques.In this work, the performance of geopolymer composites with the addition of activated carbon and hydrotalcite for the removal of an organic anionic dye (Orange II) from water was investigated. Beads produced by freeze-drying were compared with lattices produced by Direct Ink Writing. For both beads and lattices, the geopolymer matrix had the following molar ratios: SiO2/Al2O3 = 3.8; Na2O/Al2O3 = 1. H2O/Al2O3 ratio was adjusted to the different process. The different fillers were added to the slurries up to an amount of 27%wt (dry basis).Beads were produced by dripping the slurries into a liquid nitrogen bath and by freeze-drying the resulting beads for two days; the geopolymerization was finally completed at 75 ºC and 100% relative humidity. The slurries prepared for Direct Ink Writing contained also sodium bentonite as a rheological agent to enhance the pseudoplasticity of the ink. The lattices were printed with a nozzle with a diameter of 840 µm and consisted of a 0º–90º stacking of layers of filaments with 0.8 mm spacing, which resulted in a design porosity of 50 vol%; the geopolymerization was completed at 75 ºC for 2 days and 100% relative humidity.Physical and chemical characterizations were performed on both beads and lattices (porosity, morphology and crystallinity, compressive strength); the removal efficiency of Orange II dye was evaluated focusing on the adsorption capacity and kinetics.

Increased vegetation ground cover reduces water, sediment and phosphorus losses in Cambisol treated with swine slurry

This study aims to evaluate the influence of the ground cover rate by crop residues and the rain time elapsed after the application of liquid swine slurry (LSS) under losses of water, sediments, and phosphorus (P). The study was carried out under a Humic Cambisols. Two areas were delimited: with and without the application of LSS. Each area was subdivided into four levels of crop residues: 5%, 35%, 65%, and 95%. Vegetable residues present in the area, from corn and black oat, were used. Three collecting gutters of 0.60 m² were installed in each subplot. Simulated rain was carried out on these, and the runoff volume collected for quantification and determination of losses. With LSS application, increase in the cover rate by crop residues reduces 0.3 mm h-1 the runoff volume and 1.67 mg m-2 reactive soluble P (H2O-P). The sediment losses in the first collection after the beginning of the rain were 23 times lower in the soil with 95% ground cover than in the soil with 5% ground cover. The loss of total P (total-P) decreases with the increase of the ground cover of the soil and increases in the same way with the increase of the time.

ZIF-67 metal-organic frameworks and CNTs-derived nanoporous carbon structures as novel electrodes for flow-electrode capacitive deionization

Capacitive deionization (CDI) has been attracting great interest as a promising desalination technology during the last decade because of its energy, cost effectiveness, and eco-friendly process. In particular, CDI using flowable electrodes (FCDI) offers a continuous desalination stream without the need for discharging and much better salt removal than that of conventional CDI desalination technologies. Nevertheless, FCDI desalination still suffers from the inherent low electrical conductivity of its liquid slurry electrode, which results in high internal and interfacial resistances and limits the salt-removal performance of the FCDI desalination system. In this study, in order to improve the electrical conductivity of flow electrodes, we synthesized zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF-67), made of the widely investigated Zn/Co-based MOFs, onto CNT templates ([email protected]) and investigated their FCDI desalination performance. The salt removal rate for [email protected] included flow electrodes reached 1.09 mmol/m2s, which is a 57% increase over that of pristine AC (0.69 mmol/m2s), with a salt-removal efficiency of 37.3%. Electrochemical analyses including CV and EIS measurements confirmed that such improved salt removal performance originates from the enhanced electrical conductivity by the formation of a conducting bridge between the suspended AC particles in the slurry electrodes.

Dragging a manure hose over corn at early growth stages does not reduce yield

AbstractSidedressing corn (Zea mays L.) with liquid manure slurry via a manure hose application system was recently shown to be a viable practice to apply manure to a growing crop. However, little is known about what growth stage different corn hybrids can be dragged with a manure hose before plant population and grain yield is affected. A small‐plot field study was conducted in 2019 and 2020 at both Saint Paul and Waseca in Minnesota to evaluate the effect of dragging a manure hose over corn on plant population, grain yield, and grain moisture of two hybrids with different mid‐season brittle stalk ratings (Pioneer P0339R and P0306AM). Plots were dragged in both directions along the row with a manure hose from the first through sixth leaf collar growth stages (vegetative [V] growth stage V1 through V6) and compared to a non‐dragged control. Plant population, grain yield, and grain moisture were generally not significantly affected by dragging corn between the V1 and V3 (third leaf collar) growth stages. Dragging at V4 reduced plant population and yield by 41% in 1 of 4 site‐years, while dragging after V5 significantly reduced yield by 21–79% and in most cases, increased grain moisture. Yield did not differ between hybrids in any site‐year except in Waseca 2019 when a July windstorm disproportionately affected hybrid P0306AM more than P0339R. These results suggest that when using a manure drag hose application system to sidedress corn, sidedressing should be completed before V4 to avoid damaging the crop, regardless of hybrid.

Application of magnetic liquid slurries and fuzzy grey analysis in polishing nickel-phosphorus coated SKD11 steel

This paper studies the influencing factors on the magnetic material (nickel-phosphorus coated SKD11 steel) polishing process were determined by investigating the distribution of magnetic iron (MIGs) and abrasive grains (AGs) in the working surface of magnetic liquid slurry (MLS). The influence of the factors, namely the diameters of the MIGs and the AGs and working distance (K), on the polishing surface quality was assessed by fuzzy gray analysis. Results showed that the values of the fuzzy gray relationships with the factors were 0.6361, 0.5181, 0.8804, and 0.6464. Result showed that the fuzzy gray relationship point of factors known as K exerted the most remarkable influence on the polishing effect, whereas the effect of MIG diameter was insignificant. The experimental results indicated that MLS containing MIGs with a diameter of 5 μm, AGs with a diameter of 1.5 μm and K = 1 mm should be prepared to create a mirror surface with nickel–phosphorus coated SKD11 steel. An extremely smooth mirror surface with Ra = 0.926 nm is produced under these experimental conditions, leaving no scratches and impurities on the machined surface. The proposed polishing method that uses MLS with MIGs and AGs (which are low-cost and commercially available) is suitable and effective for polishing the surface of magnetic materials with extremely high accuracy.

Real-Time Monitoring of Solid-Liquid Slurries: Optimized Synthesis of Tetrabenazine.

Solid-liquid slurries are vital and increasingly prevalent in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Despite the importance of these heterogeneous systems, process control and optimization are fundamentally hindered by a lack of compatible real-time analytical techniques. We present herein an online HPLC monitoring platform enabling access to real-time compositional information on slurries. We demonstrate the system by investigating the heterogeneous synthesis reaction of tetrabenazine. Furthermore, we integrated our online HPLC platform with the orthogonal monitoring techniques of a pH probe and a microscopic imaging probe to provide additional mechanistic insight. These combined insights enable the optimization of tetrabenazine synthesis in terms of reaction time, byproduct formation, and diastereomeric purity of the final product.

Fast and Accurate Quantification of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Constituents in Animal Slurries Using NMR Sensor Technology.

The optimal processing of animal slurry with a minimal environmental impact either as an organic fertilizer or as an energy source for biogas production fundamentally requires accurate, fast, cost-effective, and mobile analytical techniques for the measurement of nitrogen and phosphorus in large volumes of liquid animal slurry. Based on more than 300 different slurries from different species and origins, we provide here an extensive analysis of low-field NMR and standard laboratory measurements for animal slurry analysis. It is found that low-field NMR provides higher precision than wet chemistry laboratory measurements for ammonium nitrogen and total nitrogen, while it provides slightly lower precision for total phosphorus measurements. Low-field NMR may, through a square-root dependency between time and precision, be adapted for analysis at farms, in slurry tankers/transporters, in biogas digesters, or in laboratories.

A new tool developed for ultraprecision milling nickel by using magnetic liquid slurries

In developing a new milling technique that can produce high precision, smoothness, and gloss on nickel workpiece surfaces, a widely used material is in industrial applications, particularly in mold manufacturing, in which the production requires exceptionally high accuracy. In this work, the factors influencing the magnetic material milling process are determined by investigating the distribution of magnetic iron (MIGs) and abrasive grains (AGs) in the working surface of magnetic liquid slurry (MLS). The magnetic liquid slurry (MLS) contained commercially available MIGs successfully applied for milling the surface of magnetic materials with extremely high accuracy. Surface roughness ([Formula: see text] nm) without leaving scratches on the surface after milling.

Constructing LaxCoyO3 Perovskite Anchored 3D g-C3N4 Hollow Tube Heterojunction with Proficient Interface Charge Separation for Stimulating Photocatalytic H2 Production

LaxCoyO3 perovskite dispersed porous three-dimensional (3D) g-C3N4 hollow nanotubes to construct a Z-scheme nanocomposite were successfully synthesized via a wet impregnation assisted ultrasonic approach and were used for photocatalytic H2 generation in a liquid phase slurry photoreactor under visible light. A rhombohedral distorted LaCoO3 perovskite with 1.70 eV narrow band gap for improved optical properties was synthesized by the combination of coprecipitation and a hydrothermal method. Additionally, two-dimensional (2D) porous g-C3N4 with advantageous structural features was synthesized by a novel, facile, and cost-effective technique depicting exposed active sites with improved charge mobility and charge separation. A Z-scheme heterojunction by a wet impregnation assisted ultrasonic technique was constructed by LaCoO3 anchored onto hollow tubular porous g-C3N4 formed after the curling of flaked nanosheets into hollow tubes. Highest amount of H2 was generated by 15 wt % of LaCoO3 dispersed over porous g-C3N4 in the nanocomposite. The Z-scheme heterojunction generated H2 (800 μmol g–1) which was 1.41 and 1.77 times higher than pristine porous g-C3N4 and pristine LaCoO3, respectively, contributing to the improved visible light absorption and reduced band gap, mass transfer, charge mobility, and charge separation. The nanocomposite showed stability over three consecutive cycles. Also, the nanocomposite generated CH4 by the simultaneous occurrence of water splitting and photoreforming. The apparent quantum efficiency of the nanocomposite was also calculated and estimated to be 1.52 and 1.26 times improved over LaCoO3 and P-g-C3N4, respectively. Overall, this work gives insight into less costly and simple Z-scheme heterojunctions for solar to hydrogen conversion with high efficiency.

Soil CO2 emission in ‘Tifton 85’ bermudagrass pasture fertilized with liquid pig slurry

The application of liquid pig slurry (LPS) to pastures offers potential as a fertilizer but could have a direct influence on soil CO2 emissions. This study evaluated soil carbon dioxide emissions after successive LPS applications to soils under pasture cultivation. The experiment was carried out on ‘Tifton-85’ bermudagrass pasture cultivated in a red-yellow oxisol soil in the municipality of Lucas do Rio Verde-MT, Brazil. Two treatments were evaluated: the control and an application of 20 m3 ha-1 of LPS after each cut of the pasture. The CO2 emissions from the soil were determined using a high-precision infrared gas analyzer. Soil temperature and soil moisture were determined as were micrometeorological variables. The application of LPS had a significant effect on soil C-CO2 flow. The average flow of C-CO2 from the soil for the control treatment and with the application of LPS was 0.236 g C-CO2 m-2 h-1 and 0.291 g C-CO2 m-2 h-1, respectively. The application of LPS increased the accumulated CO2 emissions from the soil by 23.2%. Soil temperature and moisture are the main factors regulating the process of soil CO2 emission. These factors therefore need to be considered when evaluating the impact of LPS application on greenhouse gas emissions

West Africa Salt-Zone Cementing Best Practices: Laboratory Evaluation and 5-Year Field Application Review

Summary To determine which salt-based cement system (potassium chloride or sodium chloride) was suitable for cementing across halite and anhydrite salt sections in West Africa, eight slurry recipes were tested to assess how formation salt contamination would affect slurry properties. The formation salt used for testing was sampled from a deepwater, presalt well in Angola. The recommendations developed from the laboratory study were implemented in 10 projects across West Africa over 5 years with 100% operational and well integrity success. A candidate deepwater well was selected in which the surface and intermediate strings penetrated salt formations. Four slurry designs (a lead and tail slurry used on each casing string) were programmed. Each slurry was designed and tested as two distinct systems using potassium chloride and sodium chloride salt, respectively, yielding a total of eight slurry designs. Using the methodology and data presented by Martins et al. (2002), the mass of dissolved formation salt that each slurry may receive during placement was estimated and duly incorporated into each slurry design. Subsequently, the salt-contaminated slurries were tested and compared with the properties of the initial uncontaminated slurries. On the basis of these results, conclusions were then made on which salt slurry system (potassium chloride or sodium chloride) exhibited better liquid and set properties after contamination with formation salt. Subsequently, this knowledge was applied to 10 projects across three countries in West Africa. This study showed that when the contact time of liquid cement slurry to salt formation was low—typically when the salt-formation interval across which the cement slurry flowed was less than 100 m thick—the level of formation salt dissolution entering the slurry during placement was limited. In this case, a potassium chloride salt-based slurry delivered improved liquid and set properties as compared with a sodium chloride salt-based slurry. In the field, this knowledge was applied in all oilfield projects cemented by an oilfield service company between 2015 and 2020. This included deepwater, shallow offshore, and onshore wells. All related salt-zone cement jobs, including sidetrack plugs, placed across the salt formations were successful on the first attempt. In an absence of industry consensus around salt-formation cement slurry design, this paper validates a guideline for West Africa, based on results from laboratory testing and 5 years of field application. In contrast to current literature that recommends only sodium chloride salt-based slurry designs across halite or anhydrite salt intervals, this work demonstrates that potassium chloride salt-based slurry systems can effectively be used to achieve well integrity where a halite or anhydrite salt interval is less than 100 m (328.1 ft) thick.

Research on the gelling process of cement slurries for sealing boreholes drilling through shallow gas-bearing levels

The article presents issues related to the sealing slurry technology concerning gelling processes (i.e., static built-up of gel strength of cement slurries). Based on research conducted around the world, it can be concluded that the rate of gelling of the cement slurry has an important role in the process of preventing possible gas exhalations from the annular space. After the cement slurry is pumped into the borehole (especially in zones with shallow gas horizons), the so-called migration (exhalation) of the formation medium (i.e. uncontrolled outflow of e.g. gas from the annular space) may occur. The most important caused of gas migration from the shallow horizons after casings cementation are the inability to maintain a certain overpressure by the column of the binding cement slurry and too long binding of the cement slurry after pumping into the borehole. The initially liquid cement slurry, when pumped out of the casing, acts as a liquid, creating a certain hydrostatic pressure on the deposit. e.g. gas. However, after some time, the period of building the static gel strength (SGS) starts until the cement sets. The SGS building process, i.e. gelling of the cement slurry, reduces the ability to transmit hydrostatic pressure to the reservoir. The Oil and Gas Institute – National Research Institute has tested a number of cement slurry formulations characterized by different gelling and bonding times. Slurries were made on the basis of three typed of latex with the symbols L1, L2, L3, two types of water glass with symbols S1, S2, amorphous silica with the symbol CB, nano-components based on n-SiO2 and n-Al2O3 with the symbols NS and NA as well as high-molecular weight polymer with the symbol GS. Different amounts of setting accelerator were used with the tested slurries. Tests were carried out for eighteen cement recipes, which made it possible to select the optimal compositions of slurries with short gelling and setting times. The samples containing one of the types of latex in the appropriate concentration, the GS polymer, as well as those containing n-SiO2 and n-Al2O3, showed a very advantageous course of the gelation plot (static build-up of gel strength). Their TT transition times, reflecting the course of gelation, ranged from several to several tens of minutes (which is a proof of high ability to prevent gas migration from shallow gas accumulations). The cement slurries developed at the Oil and Gas Institute – National Research Institute, due to their good technological parameters, could be used in the process of cementing casing strings.

Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC) of Seaweed (Macroalgae) for Producing Hydrochar

Waste seaweed that is collected at coastal regions of maritime provinces in Canada is creating ecological problems as it promotes an anoxic event, which produces nearly zero dissolved oxygen in water along with hydrogen sulfide emission. The work done in this study attempts to address this issue by producing a coal-like solid hydrochar and nutritious liquid slurry (processed water) by employing a rather recent thermo-chemical process called hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) on the seaweed. The HTC was carried out in a batch reactor system for three different reaction temperatures, 180 °C, 200 °C, 220 °C, and three different reaction times, 30, 60, and 120 min. Each of the produced hydrochars was characterized by different analytical methods. The effects of the process conditions on the yield and the properties of the hydrochar and process water were examined. The hydrochar produced at 220 °C and 120 min showed the highest carbon content (48.5%) and heating value (18.93 MJ/kg). The energy density and carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio in the hydrochar increased significantly as compared to raw seaweed. Moreover, HTC reduced the ash yield and volatile compounds of the seaweed. Thus, hydrochar can be used as a fuel for direct combustion, in soil remediation, or in carbon sequestration applications.

Effect of Irrigation of River Water and Swine Slurry Liquid Fertilizer on Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) Growth Cultivated Using Soil Moisture Control System in Reclaimed Land

Effect of Irrigation of River Water and Swine Slurry Liquid Fertilizer on Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) Growth Cultivated Using Soil Moisture Control System in Reclaimed Land

SlurryNet: Predicting Critical Velocities and Frictional Pressure Drops in Oilfield Suspension Flows

Improving the accuracy of the slurry flow predictions in different operating flow regimes remains a major focus for multiphase flow research, and it is especially targeted at industrial applications such as oil and gas. In this paper we develop a robust integrated method consisting of an artificial neural network (ANN) and support vector regression (SVR) to estimate the critical velocity, the slurry flow regime change, and ultimately, the frictional pressure drop for a solid–liquid slurry flow in a horizontal pipe, covering wide ranges of flow and geometrical parameters. Three distinct datasets were used to develop machine learning models with totals of 100, 325, and 125 data points for critical velocity, and frictional pressure drops for heterogeneous and bed-load regimes respectively. For each dataset, 80% of the data were used for training and the rest 20% for evaluating the out of sample performance. The K-fold technique was used for cross-validation. The prediction results of the developed integrated method showed that it significantly outperforms the widely used existing correlations and models in the literature. Additionally, the proposed integrated method with the average absolute relative error (AARE) of 0.084 outperformed the model developed without regime classification with the AARE of 0.155. The proposed integrated model not only offers reliable predictions over a wide range of operating conditions and different flow regimes for the first time, but also introduces a general framework of how to utilize prior physical knowledge to achieve more reliable performances from machine learning methods.

Combined Pretreatment by Ultrasound and Struvite Precipitation of Raw Substrates: A Strategy to Overcome C/N Ratio Unbalance in Nitrogen-Rich Anaerobic Co-Digestion Systems

The present study aimed to optimize the struvite chemical precipitation process in nitrogen-rich anaerobic co-digestion systems. Struvite precipitation experiments were carried out using a mixture of cattle slurry liquid fraction and sewage sludge, with and without ultrasound pretreatment. Marine salt or MgCl2 were used as magnesium source in NH4+:Mg2+ stoichiometric proportions of 1:1.5 and 1:3. Under the tested conditions, ammonium nitrogen and orthophosphate were removed from the mixed liquor with a maximum observed efficiency of 43% and 92%, respectively, when the ultrasound treatment was applied prior to struvite precipitation, using MgCl2 as source of magnesium (NH4+:Mg2+ of 1:3). The operating time was 40 min. Different pretreatments were tested prior to the biomethanization experiments, struvite precipitation, ultrasound and a combination of both pretreatments. The application of ultrasound (with an energy input of 218 kJ L−1) and struvite precipitation (NH4+:Mg2+ of 1:3) increased the methane content in the biogas by 82% and reduced hydraulic retention time by 28%, when compared to the anaerobic co-digestion assays without pretreatment. The hydrolytic pretreatment increased the bioavailability of nitrogen by 5%, thus enhancing the removal efficiency of ammonium nitrogen by 20%. Consequently, an increase in the carbon to nitrogen ratio was observed, favoring the methanogenesis process.

Detonation properties of explosive proppants based on slurry nitromethane plus ammonium perchlorate mixtures

In this paper, the results of investigation on detonation properties of heterogeneous mixtures of ceramic proppants with slurry liquid explosives (LE) such as nitromethane (NM) plus ammonium perchlorate compositions are presented. The mixtures discussed are promised to be used for far field fracture stimulation of oil bearing formation subjected to hydraulic fracturing. Experimental results on detonation velocities of LE-proppant mixtures in long tubes up to 25 diameters versus internal diameters are presented. Results of experimental comparison of detonability of LE studied with pure NM in proppant matrix are also represented. The objective of the study was to assess detonability and detonation parameters of these mixtures at various initial conditions.

Use of polyacrylamide modified biochar coupled with organic and chemical fertilizers for reducing phosphorus loss under different cropping systems

Agricultural cropping systems involve the application of high fertilizer rates, which lead to phosphorus (P) losses via surface runoff to the aquatic environment, thereby resulting in severe eutrophication. Here, to evaluate the nutrient loss, we established three monitoring stations in Zhejiang Province, China, in each of which the crop types were double cropping rice, rice–wheat rotation, and vegetable cultivation. Field experiments were conducted with four treatments and three replications over a whole planting year. The four treatments at the same P application rate were: 1) no fertilization (control; CK), 2) chemical fertilization (CF), 3) substitution of 30 % chemical P in CF by organic P in solid sheep manure (OF) or in liquid biogas slurry (BS), and 4) substitution of 30 % chemical P in CF by organic P fertilizers (solid sheep manure or liquid biogas slurry) +1.5 t ha−1 polyacrylamide modified BC (PSB). The runoff losses of various P forms, that is, the total P, total dissolved P, particulate P, and colloidal P losses were analyzed. The total P concentration varied greatly with the crop growth stages. Compared with CF treatment, PSB treatment significantly reduced the concentration of P fractions in the runoff in all three cropping systems, while the OF treatment significantly reduced the particulate P and colloidal P concentrations by coating colloidal particles with organic carbon. However, BS treatment increased particulate P and colloidal P concentrations. Compared with CF treatment, PSB treatment reduced total P loss by 41.1 %, 29.7 %, and 37.8 % in the double cropping rice, rice–wheat, and vegetable systems, respectively. The PSB and OF treatments significantly reduced the particulate P and colloidal P losses, while BS treatment increased the loss of various P forms. Compared with the CF treatment, the PSB treatment significantly increased the available P contents by 12.7–85.4 mg kg-1, and decreased the colloidal P contents by 26.7 %–51.4 % in the soils examined. The results of the redundancy analysis confirmed that P loss via runoff was mainly caused by differences in the P inputs and crop types. The results of this study highlight the important role of PSB in reducing P loss via runoff from agricultural cropping systems.

Gallium-indium nanoparticles as phase change material additives for tunable thermal fluids.

One of the most critical limitations for high-power electronics today is thermal management and routing thermal energy efficiently away from thermally sensitive components. A potential solution to this problem is the integration of cooling channels in close proximity to thermally sensitive materials for increased heat removal efficiency. These channels typically use single phase fluids (liquid), dual phase fluids (vapor-liquid), or suspended organic/polymer phase change material particles in a fluid (PCM slurry). Expanding upon the latter, this work demonstrates the use of inorganic Ga-In alloy nanoparticles (NPs) suspended in a traditional thermal transport fluid to simultaneously (1) increase the overall thermal diffusivity of the fluid and (2) serve as a cyclable solid-liquid PCM slurry which provides a thermal sink that is definable over a wide range of relevant temperatures for power electronics. Herein, the relationship between particle size, composition, and volume fraction are explored as they relate to the PCM slurry optimum working temperature, total energy absorption, and rheological properties. A mere 0.10 volume fraction of Ga-In NPs is reported to increase the overall thermal conductivity by nearly 50% and can be optimized to melt at temperatures as low as -46 °C. Based on thermal measurements, it was observed that these nanoparticle systems lack the preference to form αGa and have a large thermal hysteresis due to exhibiting extreme undercooling, with crystallization temperatures near -130 °C, enabling opportunities within extreme environments such as space applications or low temperature imaging systems.