Low-temperature Thermal Treatment Research Articles

Unveiling the potential of (CoFeNiMnCr)3O4 high-entropy oxide synthesized from CoFeNiMnCr high-entropy alloy for efficient oxygen-evolution reaction

AbstractElectrochemical water-splitting is a promising green technology for the production of hydrogen. One of the bottlenecks, however, is the oxygen evolution half-reaction (OER), which could be overcome with the development of a suitable electrocatalyst. Recently, non-noble metal, high-entropy oxides (HEO) have been investigated as potential OER electrocatalysts, but complex synthesis approaches that usually produce the material in powder form limit their wider utilization. Here, an innovative synthesis strategy of formulating a nanostructured (CoFeNiMnCr)3O4 HEO thin film on a CoFeNiMnCr high entropy alloy (HEA) using facile electrochemical and thermal treatment methods is presented. The CoFeNiMnCr HEA serves as exceptional support to be electrochemically treated in an ethylene glycol electrolyte with ammonium fluoride to form a rough and microporous structure with nanopits. The electrochemically treated CoFeNiMnCr HEA surface is more prone to oxidation during a low-temperature thermal treatment, leading to the growth of a spinel (CoFeNiMnCr)3O4 HEO thin film. The (CoFeNiMnCr)3O4 HEO exhibits a superior overpotential of 341 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 50 mV dec−1 along with remarkable long-term stability in alkaline media. The excellent catalytic activity and stability for the OER can serve as a promising platform for the practical utilization of (CoFeNiMnCr)3O4 HEO. Graphical abstract

A Li-rich layered oxide cathode with remarkable capacity and prolonged cycle life

Introducing a facile ion-exchange method coupled with low-temperature thermal treatment, we have developed a strategy to enhance the cycling performance of Lithium-rich manganese-based layered oxides (LLOs). This approach results in the formation of a thin spinel phase layer, which is covered by a fast-ion-conducting Li3PO4 phase on the surface of pristine 0.5Li2MnO3·0.5LiMn1/3Co1/3Ni1/3O2 secondary particles of aggregated original nanoparticles, and an increase in oxygen vacancies. After undergoing 200 cycles at a rate of 1 C, the resulting cathode exhibits a high capacity of 204.7 mAh/g with a retention rate of up to 94.4 %, which is significantly superior to that of the original materials. The long-term cycling stability of the modified cathode is also evident at higher rates such as 2, 5, and 8 C. The electrochemical analysis suggests that the surface modification and oxygen vacancies can enhance the Li+ diffusion coefficient, improve anion redox reversibility and increase the capacity contribution from spinel oxidation, thereby improving the electrochemical performance of the cathode during cycling.

Microbiological stabilization of fresh cow’s milk (<i>Bos taurus</i>) by ultrasonic pretreatment and low temperature thermal treatment

The objective of this applied experimental research was to evaluate the microbial stabilization of pre-sonicated fresh milk by low temperature thermal treatment (≤60 °C), to reduce its perishability. Fresh milk was sonicated with an energy density of 0.5 kJ/mL before being thermally treated at low temperature (40 to 60 °C) for different times; The pre-sonicated and thermally treated milk was evaluated for its content of Total Mesophilic Aerobes (AMV) and Total Coliforms (TC), and the effect of the treatment on microbial populations was modeled using the Bigelow Model. It was determined that treatments between 40 and 45 °C generated population increases; but those treatments above 55.04 °C for AMV and 49.28 °C for CT initiated microbial inactivation processes, both temperatures being the lowest inactivation temperatures reported so far for fresh milk. The increase in thermal sensitivity would be linked to the production of sub-lethal damage to AMV and CT cells, which would allow fresh milk to be microbiologically stabilized at lower temperatures, reducing the deleterious effects of thermal treatments.

Heat and mass transfer based on the low-temperature thermal treatment of hydrocarbons-impacted soil: A numerical simulation and sandbox validation

Thermal treatment can be an effective method for soil remediation, and numerical models play a crucial role in elucidating the underlying processes that affect efficacy. In this study, experiments were conducted to examine the low-temperature thermal treatment for removing n-hexane and n-octane from soil. The results showed that the removal of two alkanes followed the pseudo-first-order kinetics. Additionally, a quantitative relationship between kinetics constant and temperature was established. Based on experimental results, a simple mathematical model was presented via COMSOL Multiphysics 6.0. The processes considered in the model incorporated conductive and convective heat transfer, the vaporization latent heat, and the removal of organic contaminants which was quantified using an advection-dispersion equation combined with a pseudo-first-order kinetic. The developed model was first validated by a thermal treatment in a soil column, demonstrating conformity with the measured temperature and concentration values. Subsequently, the temporal and spatial changes in soil temperature and contaminant levels were evaluated for different heating temperatures. It was found that thermal conduction dominated heat transfer, whereas thermal convection caused by the migration of liquid water intensified when the temperature was higher than the boiling point. The completion time exhibited a correlation with the heating temperature. It was predicted that the time required to achieve a 90% removal efficiency could be shortened from 14 h to 9.5 h by elevating the heating temperature from 80 ℃ to 120 ℃. The study also investigated the impact of the initial water content on heat transfer. It was observed that the saturated soil showed the slowest heating rate and the longest boiling stage.

Innovative method for rice straw valorization into nanocellulose, lignin and silica

Nanocellulose was extracted from rice straw biomass using alkaline pretreatment, H2O2 bleaching and acidic hydrolysis. A novel solution was come up with where the acidic liquid after hydrolysis was used for adjusting the pH of the black liquor from pretreatment to produce lignin- and silica-rich precipitates as functional byproducts. Following this method, crystalline nanocellulose with length < 300 nm and high crystallinity of >80 % can be attained. Silica-rich precipitate was refined using a low temperature thermal treatment process for increased silica purity while maintaining a high degree of amorphous (> 75 %). Economic assessment shows that only around $23 is needed to produce 920 g of crystalline nanocellulose, 1.2 kg of highly amorphous bio-silica and 330 g of soda lignin. Such results show that these novel production methods have high economic efficiencies and should be considered for scaling up or be studied for similar biomass materials.

Enhanced lanthanum-stabilized low crystallinity metal oxide electrocatalysts with superior activity for oxygen reactions

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are key electrochemical reactions for the development of rechargeable Zn-air batteries. However, due to the high cost of commercial noble metal-based catalysts and their limited bifunctionality, it is necessary the design of new electrocatalysts. In this study, stable electrocatalysts have been synthesized through a hydrothermal method and further low-temperature thermal treatment. The materials consist of La stabilized low crystallinity Mn and Co metal (hydro-)oxides. The electrocatalytic performance of these materials has been compared with counterparts calcined at higher temperatures. The findings demonstrate that materials synthesized at lower temperatures and with low crystallinity exhibit superior electrocatalytic activity for both ORR and OER. Moreover, the research highlights the favorable influence of the lanthanum cation, which enhances changes of surface morphology and oxidation states of other cations (Mn and Co). Additionally, the positive contribution of the carbon component to electrochemical activity and electrical conductivity has been elucidated. The best electrocatalyst was studied in a rechargeable Zn-air battery with a durability of up to 120 h. They exhibited better stability and performance than the commercial Pt/C + RuO2 catalyst currently used.

Promoting homogeneous lithium deposition by facet-specific absorption of CoIn3 for dendrite-free lithium metal anodes

Lithium metal is expected to be an ideal anode material for future high-energy density lithium batteries. However, the uncontrollable growth of lithium dendrites resulting in a short circuit inside the battery and battery failure has become an obstacle to commercializing lithium metal batteries. In this work, a surface with lithiophilic CoIn3 nucleation sites is developed to achieve a uniform lithium deposition by low temperature thermal treatment of super lithiophilic indium foil with three-dimensional (3D) cobalt foam (CoIn3 @CF). The CoIn3 @CF with 3D porous structure provide channels for rapid Li-ions (Li+) transport and inhibit the volume expansion, while the synergistic effect of lithiophilic CoIn3 alloys caused by the multi-facet orientation relationship promote the formation of homogeneous Li+ diffusion. As a result, the CoIn3@CF host exhibits long cycling over 2400 h at 40 mA cm−2/1 mA cm−2 in symmetric cells. Moreover, a full cell with the Li/CoIn3 @CF as anode and LiFePO4 as cathode delivers a columbic efficiency more than 99.3% over 800 cycles. This work provides a new perspective for the design of high energy Li anodes.

Simulating the Spatial Extent of Thermally Enhanced Reaction Zones for Low Temperature Thermal Treatment

AbstractLow temperature thermal treatment (LTTT) is a technology that can enhance aqueous‐phase degradation reactions for organic constituents in groundwater. Understanding heat transfer in groundwater is important for the design of LTTT applications. In this study, the effect of permeability heterogeneity on temperature distributions during and after the application of heat was investigated by numerical modeling. An enhanced reaction zone was determined for the hydrolysis of 1,1,1‐trichloroethane (1,1,1‐TCA) using an average half‐life considering the temperature history during and after heating. For hydrolysis reactions, the average half‐life could be reduced substantially by reaching a high temperature for a short period of time because their reaction rates increase exponentially with increased temperatures. Results showed that the enhanced reaction zone was shifted downstream of the heater well zone at high groundwater velocities. This suggests that heaters should be shifted upstream of the target treatment zone to fully utilize the applied heat. In addition, permeability heterogeneity leads to greater macroscopic dispersion at higher velocities. This resulted in higher spreading of heat and faster heat dissipation in the simulations with a heterogeneous permeability condition compared with a homogenous permeability condition. As a result, the enhanced reaction zone was smaller in simulations with higher levels of permeability heterogeneity at a mean velocity of 0.3 m/day.

Low-temperature thermal treatment’s impact on hydroxyapatite nanofiber characteristics

Bone fractures caused by trauma or injury have been a worldwide public health concern. Therefore, bone tissue engineering has emerged as a viable option for addressing these issues by providing a variety of novel scaffold construction approaches. Bone is composed primarily with hydroxyapatite and carbonated apatite, which is 65% of the total mass. Therefore, many strategies have been conducted in fabricating bone scaffold with hydroxyapatite as the main biomaterials. The combination of electrospinning procedure and sol–gel method in generating hydroxyapatite nanofibers has some advantages due to the ability in replicating the content or structure of natural bone's extracellular matrix (ECM). The fibers were electrospun from a mixture of sol formed from polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)as the carrier and the calcium phosphate (CaP) precursors, followed by a thermal treatment that alter the fiber characteristics. Based on previous studies, the thermal treatment of pure hydroxyapatite phase has been suggested at least 600 °C However, no studies have done the thermal treatment at low temperature. Thus, this study investigates the impact of low-temperature thermal treatment on hydroxyapatite nanofibers. Observation on diameter and porosity of the fabricated fibers was conducted based on SEM images. The diameter of the fibers was decreased form 35.23 nm to 24.69 nm after the thermal treatment. Besides, the Ca/P molar ratio of the fabricated nanofibers was decreased from 15 to 8.16 after thermal treatment showing the potential of this formulation in achieving hydroxyapatite phase stoichiometry of 1.67. For future study, formulation at different PVP concentrations and different temperatures also need to be done in achieving better hydroxyapatite nanofibers properties.

The development of Au-titania photoanode composites toward semiflexible dye-sensitized solar cells

Considering the widespread use of windows in modern urban landscapes, converting these substrates into photovoltaic devices would remarkably impact modern energy generation. A flexible dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) architecture is preferred for such applications. A key component of the DSSC is the dye-sensitized photoanode. Herein, we examine different nanoparticle composites within the semiconductor anode formulation and their effect on device performance. Mesoporous titania particles (TiO2) modified with Au-nanoparticles (TiO2@AuNPs) were synthesized using precipitation strategies to assess the solvent effect on the particle size and the efficiency of the devices. The materials were then fully characterized through SEM, XRD, and DRS before and after thermal treatment. A paste prepared from the synthesized semiconductors was applied onto the substrate using the doctor blading technique. The use of high thermal treatment for glass substrates (HTT), low-temperature thermal treatment (LTT), and LTT combined with 2 h of UV curing (LTT_UV) was explored. In the case of ITO/PET (flexible substrate) only low temperature thermal treatment were used (LTT and LTT_UV). After characterization (XRD and DRS), the anodes were loaded using a metal-free dye. To complete the comparison, several groups of cells were characterized: considering solvent (EtOH and EtOH:H2O), thermal treatment (HTT, LTT, and LTT_UV), and semiconductor material (TiO2 and TiO2@AuNP). Rigid (glass anode-glass cathode) and semiflexible (flexible anode-glass cathode) DSSCs were obtained with efficiencies from 0.03% to 2.4%, with a substantial performance difference seen using different thermal treatments, and a mild to low effect on semiconductor composition and the used substrate.

Surface Modification of Micro-Silicon Anode for High-performance Lithium-Ion Batteries

Advanced lithium-ion batteries are urgently needed in consumer electronic products, electric vehicles, and energy storage, while the traditional carbonaceous anode materials with relatively low specific capacity gradually become difficult to meet the practical requirements in the market. Silicon-based anodes are considered one of the most promising alternatives in LIBs with high specific energy due to their considerable theoretical specific capacities. However, the large volume variation and severe surface parasitic reactions still limit the practical application of silicon anode. In this work, to suppress the surface side reactions and great volume changes, the electrochemical inert Li3PO4 is proposed to be coated as the physical barrier between the silicon and electrolyte. The as-coated micro-silicon has been successfully prepared via a facile spray drying method with a low-temperature thermal treatment. Li3PO4 coating layer with high shear modules can not only passivate the surface but also enable to suppression of the severe volumetric expansion and shrinkage of the silicon particle, thus enhancing the initial columbic efficiency and structural integrity of the silicon materials during long-term cycling. The optimized silicon anode with the proper amount of Li3PO4 displays a superior initial columbic efficiency higher than 90% and a highly reversible capacity of 1394 mAh g-1 after charging and discharging 200 times. It is hoped this work should shed light on the modification of high-capacity anode materials.

Periodic Arrays of Dopants in Silicon by Ultralow Energy Implantation of Phosphorus Ions through a Block Copolymer Thin Film.

In this work, block copolymer lithography and ultralow energy ion implantation are combined to obtain nanovolumes with high concentrations of phosphorus atoms periodically disposed over a macroscopic area in a p-type silicon substrate. The high dose of implanted dopants grants a local amorphization of the silicon substrate. In this condition, phosphorus is activated by solid phase epitaxial regrowth (SPER) of the implanted region with a relatively low temperature thermal treatment preventing diffusion of phosphorus atoms and preserving their spatial localization. Surface morphology of the sample (AFM, SEM), crystallinity of the silicon substrate (UV Raman), and position of the phosphorus atoms (STEM- EDX, ToF-SIMS) are monitored during the process. Electrostatic potential (KPFM) and the conductivity (C-AFM) maps of the sample surface upon dopant activation are compatible with simulated I-V characteristics, suggesting the presence of an array of not ideal but working p-n nanojunctions. The proposed approach paves the way for further investigations on the possibility to modulate the dopant distribution within a silicon substrate at the nanoscale by changing the characteristic dimension of the self-assembled BCP film.

Removal of dioxins from municipal solid waste incineration fly ash by low-temperature thermal treatment: Laboratory simulation of degradation and ash discharge stages

Dioxins in municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWIFA) can cause significant risks to the environment and human health. In this study, the low-temperature thermal treatment of MSWIFA under industrial conditions was simulated in the laboratory to investigate the process parameters for dioxin degradation and ash discharge stages. Correlation analysis and dioxin fingerprint characterization were used to analyze the degradation and ash discharge processes. The degradation efficiency of low-temperature thermal treatment was influenced by multiple factors. At 400℃ for 90 min and 1% O2, the dioxin removal rate was 95.80%, the detoxification rate was 91.73%, and the residual dioxin toxicity in MSWIFA was 22.7 ± 17.8 ng I-TEQ/kg, which was in line with the limit value of 50 ng I-TEQ/kg in the “Technical specification for pollution control of fly-ash from municipal solid waste incineration” (HJ1134-2020). The increase in dioxins during ash discharge did not follow a linear relationship with the process parameters. This was assumed to be related to the MSWIFA composition, as some components containing P, Si, and Al at 150 °C may inhibit dioxin formation. The dioxin increased only by 0.79 ± 2.65 ng/kg, an increase in toxicity of 0.42 ± 0.10 ng I-TEQ/kg, when treated at 150 °C for 30 min and 10% O2.

Low Temperature Thermal Treatment of Incineration Fly Ash under Different Atmospheres and Its Recovery as Cement Admixture.

Municipal solid waste incineration fly ash is classified as hazardous waste because it contains dioxins and a variety of heavy metals. It is not allowed to be directly landfilled without curing pretreatment, but the increasing production of fly ash and scarce land resources has triggered consideration of the rational disposal of fly ash. In this study, solidification treatment and resource utilization were combined, and the detoxified fly ash was used as cement admixture. The effects of thermal treatment in different atmospheres on the physical and chemical properties of fly ash and the effects of fly ash as admixture on cement properties were investigated. The results indicated that the mass of fly ash increased due to the capture of CO2 after thermal treatment in CO2 atmosphere. When the temperature was 500 °C, the weight gain reached the maximum. After thermal treatment (500 °C + 1 h) in air, CO2, and N2 atmospheres, the toxic equivalent quantities of dioxins in fly ash decreased to 17.12 ng TEQ/kg, 0.25 ng TEQ/kg, and 0.14 ng TEQ/kg, and the degradation rates were 69.95%, 99.56%, and 99.75%, respectively. The direct use of fly ash as admixture would increase the water consumption of standard consistency of cement and reduce the fluidity and 28 d strength of mortar. Thermal treatment in three atmospheres could inhibit the negative effect of fly ash, and the inhibition effect of thermal treatment in CO2 atmosphere was the best. The fly ash after thermal treatment in CO2 atmosphere had the possibility of being used as admixture for resource utilization. Because the dioxins in the fly ash were effectively degraded, the prepared cement did not have the risk of heavy metal leaching, and the performance of the cement also met the requirements.

A novel scintillating material based on Cu+ doped borate glass

Luminescence glass is an inspiring scintillating material because of the unique merits including simple preparation process, mass production and low-cost. However, it is still a daunting challenge to explore the scintillating glass which can be applied in practical life. Herein, a novel Cu + doped borate glass scintillator was successfully fabricated under air atmosphere by introducing proper Si3N4 in melting process. The resultant glass exhibits broadband luminescence under ultraviolet (UV) light or X-ray excitation. Through the low temperature thermal treatment, both luminescence induced by UV and X-ray can be further enhanced. The quantum efficiency reaches as high as 74.2%. And the sample endows superior thermal stability with the emission intensity at 573 K still maintaining 62.5% of that at 303 K. The X-ray excited luminescence is 37.8% of that of the commercial Bi4Ge3O12 (BGO) crystal. Furthermore, the damaged sample even stimulated by high-energy X-ray can be restored to original level completely after heat treatment again. Besides, the sample presents outstanding optical thermometric performance based on the fluorescence decay lifetime. These findings confirm that the as-prepared Cu+ doped borate glass is a promising candidate applied in the areas of scintillator and temperature sensor.

Activation-induced bowl-shaped nitrogen and oxygen dual-doped carbon material and its excellent supercapacitance

Porous heteroatom-doped carbon materials exhibit promising electrochemical applications because of tunable porous structure and doping heteroatom-induced charge redistribution. Nevertheless, it is still a great challenge to develop porous heteroatom-doped carbon materials with both high-content active heteroatom species and facilitated diffusion route. Herein, we report a bowl-shaped nitrogen and oxygen dual-doping carbon (N, O-doped carbon) material based on low-temperature defluorination pyrolysis and alkali-etched activation of 3-fluorophenol-3-amino-4-hydroxypyridine-formaldehyde co-condensed resin and its excellent supercapacitance. This low-temperature thermal treatment strategy ensures high-content pyrrolic nitrogen (4.6 at.%) and oxygen species (15.9 at.%) to avoid high-temperature treatment-induced heteroatom loss and undesired configuration conversion. In these processes, the defluorination pyrolysis promotes the transformation from the resin to carbon material to some extent, and KOH activation also promotes the ordered arrangement of 002 planes, which together assure the appropriate conductivity of the final microporous carbon material. More importantly, KOH-etched activation partially removes an unstable nano/microscale domain of the intermediate carbon microspheres to form a unique bowl-shaped structure extremely facilitating the diffusion of the substitutes and/or electrolyte ions. As expected, N, O-doped carbon material displays a remarkable specific capacitance of 486.4 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 with nitrogen/oxygen species-dependant pseudocapacitance and good electrochemical durability.

Benign treatment and resource utilization characteristics of doramectin fermentation residues

Doramectin is a commonly used antiparasitic drug. The biopharmaceutical process to produce doramectin can generate substantial amounts of doramectin fermentation residues, causing environmental risks and increasing economic burden of pharmaceutical enterprises. In the present work, the residual doramectin in the fermentation residues was removed through a low-temperature thermal treatment (LTT) method with temperatures from 160 °C to 220 °C. The degradation products of doramectin and toxicity prediction were assessed, and the impacts of LTT on bioresource properties of doramectin fermentation residues were investigated. The high efficiency for doramectin degradation was achieved by the LTT method, and reached more than 97% at 180–200 °C for 30 min and at 220 °C for 15 min. The olefin, ether and ester groups of doramectin molecule were broken during the LTT process, and higher temperature promoted the production of degradation products with smaller molecular structure. The toxicity prediction demonstrated that the LTT method could mitigate overall acute toxicity for rats of doramectin, and the toxicity of all degradation intermediates was observably reduced at 180 °C. All things considered, the optimal condition for disposing doramectin fermentation residues was recommended at 180 °C for 30 min. The results of synchrotron-based Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that LTT had little influence on organic functional groups of solid components in doramectin fermentation residues. Under the optimal operating condition of LTT, the contents of soluble total organic carbon, soluble total nitrogen and soluble polysaccharides in doramectin fermentation residues increased by 45.83%, 19.76% and 117.87%, respectively, and the formation and release of humic acid-like matters were also promoted. Generally, the LTT technology may be a promising approach to practically and safely treat doramectin fermentation residues.

Effect of Low-Thermal Treatment on the Particle Size Distribution in Wood Dust after Milling.

The thermal treatment of wood can improve the appearance of the wood product's surface, its dimensional stability, and resistance to fungal attacks. However, the heat treatment changes the technological properties of wood, making it a new engineering material. This work investigates the effect of the low-thermal treatment of birch wood (Betula pendula Roth.), European beech wood (Fagus sylvatica L.), and alder wood (Alnus glutinosa L.) on the fine dust particles creation during woodworking. The samples of thermally treated wood with temperatures commonly used for the change of wood colour (105, 125, and 135 °C) were compared with reference samples made of natural wood. All 12 variants of the tested woods were milled using the 5-axis CNC machining center (20 mm diamond cutter, rotational speed 18,000 rev·min-1, the depth of cut 3 mm, feed rates of 2, 4 and 6 m∙min-1). A sieving analysis method allowed measuring the dust particle size distributions in all dust samples. The experiment's result analysis points out that wood type, thermal treatment, and feed rate meaningfully affect the size distribution of dust particles. Compared to birch wood and beech wood, the milling of alder wood samples created a much higher content of the finest dust particles, with particle sizes smaller than 0.032 mm. Increased temperatures in thermal treatment increase the share of fine dust particles with sizes smaller than 0.125 mm, compared to wood in its natural state. Milling with a lower feed rate (2 m·min-1) creates finer dust than processing with higher feed rates (4 and 6 m·min-1). Generally, the milling of alder in a natural or thermally treated state is a source of fine dust particles, particularly at low feed speed-rate milling, compared to birch and beech wood. In general, these results indicate that the low temperature thermal treatment parameters attribute new technological properties to all thermally modified types of wood tested.

Experimental investigation on electromagnetic induction thermal desorption for remediation of petroleum hydrocarbons contaminated soil

A novel electromagnetic induction low temperature thermal desorption treatment (EMI LTTD) for petroleum hydrocarbons contaminated soil was introduced in this work. The removal rate of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) under various factors, the morphology changes of soils as well as removal mechanism were investigated. Results suggested that increasing the heating temperature significantly increased the removal rate of TPH. At the beginning of 20 min, most of hydrocarbons (93.44–96.91 wt%) was removed with the temperature ranged from 200 °C to 300 °C. Besides, the initial contaminants concentration, particle size and thickness of soil slightly influenced the removal rate of TPH. Desorption kinetic study demonstrated that first-order model was well-described for desorption behavior. Response surface methodology analysis showed the temperature of 216 °C, the residence time of 21 min and the moisture content of 18% was an optimum condition recommended for potentially practical application. Under this condition, the results for the composition of hydrocarbons based on carbon number fractions indicated that the fractions of C10∼C16, C17∼C22 still existed in soil, while C23∼C28 was not detected after EMI LTTD treatment. Proposed mechanism was both hydrocarbons removed by evaporation at any temperature, while parts of heavy hydrocarbons was cracked within the soil close to induction medium, resulting in re-adsorption of light hydrocarbons. A buckwheat germination and growth test indicated that soil treated by EMI LTTD was potential in reutilization for planting.

Reclamation and reuse of graphite from electric vehicle lithium-ion battery anodes via water delamination

A simple approach to the delamination of PVDF bound graphite anode material from electric vehicle batteries is presented. This recovered graphite shows good electrochemical performance after a short low temperature thermal treatment.