Hydrogen entry into steel during atmospheric corrosion process

Hydrogen entry and permeation into iron were measured by an electrochemical method during atmospheric corrosion reaction. The hydrogen permeation was enhanced on passive films because the hydrogen adsorption increased by the hydrogen evolution mechanism which is different from that on a bear iron surface. The permeation rate during a wet and dry corrosion cycle showed a maximum in the drying process depending upon the surface pH and the corrosion potential. The pollutant such as Na2SO3 which decreases the pH and the corrosion potential causes an increase in the permeation rate. The mechanism of the change in the permeation rate during the wet and dry cycles is explained by the polarization diagram of the electrode covered by thin water layer. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preparação e estudo eletroquímico de zinco sobre aço CFF e efeito de hidrogênio gerado in situ

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

热浸镀钢材在海水中的氢渗透行为和脆性研究

氢渗透和拉应力的联合作用对海洋环境中的热浸镀钢材的安全构成潜在威 胁，本文以当前应用最广泛的三种商业化热浸镀钢材（热浸镀锌、锌-5%铝-稀土和锌-55％铝-1.6%硅）为研究对象，采用Devanathan-Stachurski双面电解池测试技术，测试了自渗氢电流密度曲线，研究了镀层与缺陷比例对氢渗透电流的影响，比较了镀层的氢渗透抑制性能及存在缺陷时的自渗氢能力，并结合镀层成分、结构及其腐蚀机理，探讨了其氢渗透机理；通过慢应变速率拉伸实验，获得了热浸镀钢材在不同充氢条件下的应力-应变曲线，比较了其力学性能参数，并配合断口的显微分析，评价了三种热浸镀钢材在海水中的氢脆敏感性，并对其氢脆机理进行了探讨。主要结果如下： (1) 热浸镀锌镀层的氢渗透抑制能力最弱，锌-5%铝-稀土镀层的氢渗透抑制能力较强，镀层存在缺陷时导致的阴极保护能促进氢渗透；锌-55％铝-1.6%硅镀层的氢渗透抑制能力最强，镀层存在缺陷时基本没有氢渗透电流。当镀层存在缺陷时，氢渗透电流密度的最大值随着镀层与暴露的钢材基体的面积比增大而增大。随着镀层中铝含量的增加，镀层结构越致密，镀层的耐腐蚀性能越好，完整镀层的氢渗透抑制能力越强，镀层存在缺陷时的自渗氢能力越弱。 (2) 热浸镀锌和锌-5%铝-稀土镀层钢材在海水中的氢渗透能明显降低材料的断后延伸率和能量密度，使其断裂方式由韧性转变为准解理；锌-55％铝-1.6%硅镀层在海水中对钢材基体进行阴极保护导致的氢渗透虽能显著降低其断后延伸率和能量密度，但其断裂方式以韧性为主，且断口存在局部的准解理撕裂形貌。随着预浸泡时间的增长，材料充氢量的增加，三种热浸镀钢材的氢脆敏感性提高。随着镀层铝含量的增加，热浸镀钢材在海水中的氢脆敏感性降低。

硫酸盐还原菌对热浸镀锌钢材在海水中的氢渗透行为和脆性的影响研究

硫酸盐还原菌(SRB)活动、拉应力和氢的联合作用将对海洋环境中热浸镀锌钢材构筑物的安全带来隐患。本文通过Devanathan－Stachurski双面电解池测试技术，检测了镀层完好及存在缺陷的热浸镀锌钢材在灭菌海水、灭菌培养基及接种SRB的培养基中的氢渗透电流曲线，探讨了镀层缺陷、培养基成分以及SRB对热浸镀锌钢材氢渗透行为的影响；采用电化学阻抗谱测试技术，研究了热浸镀锌钢材在上述介质中的腐蚀机制，并由此讨论了热浸镀锌钢材在不同条件下的氢渗透机制；通过慢应变速率拉伸试验(SSRT)，获得了热浸镀锌钢材在不同腐蚀介质中的应力-应变曲线，比较了其力学性能参数，进而通过断口分析，评价了热浸镀锌钢材在灭菌海水、灭菌培养基及接种SRB培养基中的氢脆敏感性。研究结果表明： (1) 镀层出现缺陷将对热浸镀锌钢材的氢渗透行为起促进作用，这类试样在灭菌海水和灭菌培养基中的平均氢渗透电流密度比镀层完好试样在相同介质中的平均氢渗透电流密度分别提高了250.76%和32.76%；培养基组分对热浸镀锌钢材的氢渗透行为起促进作用，镀层存在缺陷和镀层完好的热浸镀锌钢材试样在灭菌培养基中的平均氢渗透电流密度分别比其在灭菌海水中高181.22%和626.97%；SRB对热浸镀锌钢材的氢渗透行为起抑制作用，镀层存在缺陷及镀层完好的热浸镀锌钢材试样在接种SRB的培养基中的平均氢渗透电流密度分别比灭菌培养基中低90.84%、77.14%。 (2) 电化学测试结果表明，培养基组分能够加速热浸镀锌钢材的腐蚀，使试样表面更容易形成腐蚀缺陷，从而增加其自渗氢能力；活性SRB本身对热浸镀锌钢材的腐蚀和氢渗透起促进作用，但在本文实验条件下，SRB及其代谢产物形成的生物膜以及腐蚀产物组成的致密膜层能够通过阻挡层作用抑制腐蚀，并阻止氢的进入；扫描电镜(SEM)分析结果表明，暴露于接种SRB培养基中的热浸镀锌钢材试样表面有致密的产物膜层，而灭菌培养基中的试样表面没有明显腐蚀产物膜存在。 (3) 培养基组分对热浸镀锌钢材氢渗透行为的促进作用增加了其对氢脆的敏感性，热浸镀锌钢材在灭菌培养基中的断后延伸率和能量密度比在灭菌海水中分别降低了4.97%和5.59%；SRB对热浸镀锌钢材氢渗透行为的抑制作用降低了其对氢脆的敏感性，热浸镀锌钢材在接种SRB的培养基中的断后延伸率和能量密度比其在灭菌培养基中分别高7.78%和8.44%。

35CrMo高强度钢在海洋大气中的氢渗透行为与环境致脆机理研究

海洋大气腐蚀环境是海洋腐蚀环境之一。金属材料在海洋大气环境下会发生环境敏感断裂。在环境敏感断裂中，氢脆是其中的一个重要类型。氢脆是合金中存在过量的氢，并在拉应力协同作用下造成的一种脆断。氢渗透已被证明是金属材料失效的主要原因之一。氢脆导致了材料强度降低，在较低载荷下会导致材料的灾害性破坏，因此研究海洋用钢在海洋大气中的致脆机制与氢渗透行为是十分必要的。本文所做工作主要有以下几点： 一、 采用Devanathan-Stachurski氢渗透技术，研究了35CrMo高强度钢未受 力试样在海洋大气腐蚀环境中的氢渗透及腐蚀失重行为。主要分为两个部分：(1) 干湿循环实验；(2)模拟海洋大气腐蚀实验。实验结果表明，在海洋大气腐蚀环境中，35CrMo 高强度钢存在着明显的氢渗透现象，在不同腐蚀环境中现象有所不同。Cl-离子、H2S、SO2等污染物对氢渗透产生了明显的促进作用。另外，氢渗透量与腐蚀失重存在着明显的线性关系。 二、 采用慢应变速率拉伸实验法(SSRT)，在海洋大气腐蚀环境中对35CrMo试样进行力学性能测试，研究氢渗透对35CrMo应力腐蚀开裂敏感性的影响。实验结果表明，在各种腐蚀条件下，氢渗透会增加35CrMo的应力腐蚀开裂敏感性，使得最大载荷、断裂时间及应变值均减小。 三、 采用Devanathan-Stachurski氢渗透技术与慢应变速率拉伸实验法，进行了35CrMo高强度钢受力试样在海洋大气环境中的氢渗透实验，研究材料形变对氢渗透的影响。实验结果表明，在弹性变形阶段，氢渗透电流逐渐增大，在塑性变形阶段开始后，氢渗透逐渐减小，在塑性变形阶段后期，随着形变的增大，氢渗透电流增大。

Corrosion failure of marine steel in sea-mud containing sulfate reducing bacteria

The corrosion failure behavior of marine steel is affected by stress, which exists in offshore structures at sea-mud region. The sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) in the sea-mud made the steel more sensitive to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and weaken the corrosion fatigue endurance. In this paper, a kind of natural sea-mud containing SRB was collected. Both SCC tests by slow strain rate technique and corrosion fatigue tests were performed on a kind of selected steel in sea-mud with and without SRB at corrosion and cathodic potentials. After this, the electrochemical response of static and cyclic stress of the specimen with and without cracks in sea-mud was analyzed in order to explain the failure mechanism. Hydrogen permeation tests were also performed in the sea-mud at corrosion and cathodic potentials. It is concluded that the effect of SRB on environment sensitive fracture maybe explained as the consequences of the acceleration of SRB on corrosion rate and hydrogen entry into the metal.

Caratterizzazione di membrane metalliche e ionomeriche per applicazioni energetiche

The work of this thesis has been focused on the characterization of metallic membranes for the hydrogen purification from steam reforming process and also of perfluorosulphonic acid ionomeric (PFSI) membranes suitable as electrolytes in fuel cell applications. The experimental study of metallic membranes was divided in three sections: synthesis of palladium and silver palladium coatings on porous ceramic support via electroless deposition (ELD), solubility and diffusivity analysis of hydrogen in palladium based alloys (temperature range between 200 and 400 °C up to 12 bar of pressure) and permeation experiments of pure hydrogen and mixtures containing, besides hydrogen, also nitrogen and methane at high temperatures (up to 600 °C) and pressures (up to 10 bar). Sequential deposition of palladium and silver on to porous alumina tubes by ELD technique was carried out using two different procedures: a stirred batch and a continuous flux method. Pure palladium as well as Pd-Ag membranes were produced: the Pd-Ag membranes’ composition is calculated to be close to 77% Pd and 23% Ag by weight which was the target value that correspond to the best performance of the palladium-based alloys. One of the membranes produced showed an infinite selectivity through hydrogen and relatively high permeability value and is suitable for the potential use as a hydrogen separator. The hydrogen sorption in silver palladium alloys was carried out in a gravimetric system on films produced by ELD technique. In the temperature range inspected, up to 400°C, there is still a lack in literature. The experimental data were analyzed with rigorous equations allowing to calculate the enthalpy and entropy values of the Sieverts’ constant; the results were in very good agreement with the extrapolation made with literature data obtained a lower temperature (up to 150 °C). The information obtained in this study would be directly usable in the modeling of hydrogen permeation in Pd-based systems. Pure and mixed gas permeation tests were performed on Pd-based hydrogen selective membranes at operative conditions close to steam-reforming ones. Two membranes (one produced in this work and another produced by NGK Insulators Japan) showed a virtually infinite selectivity and good permeability. Mixture data revealed the existence of non negligible resistances to hydrogen transport in the gas phase. Even if the decrease of the driving force due to polarization concentration phenomena occurs, in principle, in all membrane-based separation systems endowed with high perm-selectivity, an extensive experimental analysis lack, at the moment, in the palladium-based membrane process in literature. Moreover a new procedure has been introduced for the proper comparison of the mass transport resistance in the gas phase and in the membrane. Another object of study was the water vapor sorption and permeation in PFSI membranes with short and long side chains was also studied; moreover the permeation of gases (i.e. He, N2 and O2) in dry and humid conditions was considered. The water vapor sorption showed strong interactions between the hydrophilic groups and the water as revealed from the hysteresis in the sorption-desorption isotherms and thermo gravimetric analysis. The data obtained were used in the modeling of water vapor permeation, that was described as diffusion-reaction of water molecules, and in the humid gases permeation experiments. In the dry gas experiments the permeability and diffusivity was found to increase with temperature and with the equivalent weight (EW) of the membrane. A linear correlation was drawn between the dry gas permeability and the opposite of the equivalent weight of PFSI membranes, based on which the permeability of pure PTFE is retrieved in the limit of high EW. In the other hand O2 ,N2 and He permeability values was found to increase significantly, and in a similar fashion, with water activity. A model that considers the PFSI membrane as a composite matrix with a hydrophilic and a hydrophobic phase was considered allowing to estimate the variation of gas permeability with relative humidity on the basis of the permeability in the dry PFSI membrane and in pure liquid water.

The Measurement of Current Efficiency in Zinc Sulphate Electrolytes Containing Antimony and Cobalt by Hydrogen Evolution

The measurement of current efficiency by hydrogen evolution is based on the assumption that the portion of the current which deposits no zinc will release hydrogen. This assumption is correct for solutions containing no impurities electropositive to zinc.

Reversed bias Pt/nanostructured ZnO Schottky diode with enhanced electric field for hydrogen sensing

In this paper, the effect of electric field enhancement on Pt/nanostructured ZnO Schottky diode based hydrogen sensors under reverse bias condition has been investigated. Current-voltage characteristics of these diodes have been studied at temperatures from 25 to 620 °C and their free carrier density concentration was estimated by exposing the sensors to hydrogen gas. The experimental results show a significantly lower breakdown voltage in reversed bias current-voltage characteristics than the conventional Schottky diodes and also greater lateral voltage shift in reverse bias operation than the forward bias. This can be ascribed to the increased localized electric fields emanating from the sharp edges and corners of the nanostructured morphologies. At 620 °C, voltage shifts of 114 and 325 mV for 0.06% and 1% hydrogen have been recorded from dynamic response under the reverse bias condition. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Platinum/graphene nanosheet/SiC contacts and their application for hydrogen gas sensing

Pt/graphene nanosheet/SiC based devices are fabricated and characterized and their performances toward hydrogen gas are investigated. The graphene nanosheets are synthesized via the reduction of spray-coated graphite oxide deposited onto SiC substrates. Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies indicate incomplete reduction of the graphite oxide, resulting in partially oxidized graphene nanosheet layers of less than 10 nm thickness. The effects of interfaces on the nonlinear behavior of the Pt/graphene and graphene/SiC junctions are investigated. Current-voltage measurements of the sensors toward 1% hydrogen in synthetic air gas mixture at various temperatures ranging up to 100. ° C are performed. From the dynamic response, a voltage shift of ∼100 mV is recorded for 1% hydrogen at a constant current bias of 1 mA at 100. °C. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

A hydrogen gas sensor based on Pt/nanostructured WO3/SiC Schottky diode

Pt/nanostructured WO3/SiC Schottky diodes were fabricated and applied for hydrogen gas sensing applications. The nanostructured WO3 films were synthesized from tungsten coated SiC substrates via an acid-etching method using a 1.5 M HNO3 solution for 1 hr, 2 hrs and 3 hrs duration. Scanning electron microscopy of the developed films revealed platelet crystals with thicknesses in the order of 20-60 nm and lengths between 100-700 nm. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the rate of oxidation of tungsten increases as the duration of acid-etching increases. The devices were tested towards hydrogen gas balanced in air at different temperatures from 25°C to 200°C. At 200°C, voltage shifts of 0.45 V, 0.93 V and 2.37 V were recorded for devices acid-etched for 1 hr, 2 hrs and 3 hrs duration, respectively upon exposure to 1% hydrogen, under a constant forward bias current of 500 µA.

Hydrogen gas sensing performance of a Pt/graphene/SiC device

In this work, we present the development of a Pt/graphene/SiC device for hydrogen gas sensing. A single layer of graphene was deposited on 6H-SiC via chemical vapor deposition. The presence of graphene C-C bonds was observed via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. Current-voltage characteristics of the device were measured at the presence of hydrogen at different temperatures, from 25°C to 170°C. The dynamic response of the device was recorded towards hydrogen gas at an optimum temperature of 130°C. A voltage shift of 191 mV was recorded towards 1% hydrogen at −1 mA constant current.

Performance evaluation of onsite sewage treatment : Evaluation of current research

Efficient management of domestic wastewater is a primary requirement for human well being. Failure to adequately address issues of wastewater collection, treatment and disposal can lead to adverse public health and environmental impacts. The increasing spread of urbanisation has led to the conversion of previously rural land into urban developments and the more intensive development of semi urban areas. However the provision of reticulated sewerage facilities has not kept pace with this expansion in urbanisation. This has resulted in a growing dependency on onsite sewage treatment. Though considered only as a temporary measure in the past, these systems are now considered as the most cost effective option and have become a permanent feature in some urban areas. This report is the first of a series of reports to be produced and is the outcome of a research project initiated by the Brisbane City Council. The primary objective of the research undertaken was to relate the treatment performance of onsite sewage treatment systems with soil conditions at site, with the emphasis being on septic tanks. This report consists of a ‘state of the art’ review of research undertaken in the arena of onsite sewage treatment. The evaluation of research brings together significant work undertaken locally and overseas. It focuses mainly on septic tanks in keeping with the primary objectives of the project. This report has acted as the springboard for the later field investigations and analysis undertaken as part of the project. Septic tanks still continue to be used widely due to their simplicity and low cost. Generally the treatment performance of septic tanks can be highly variable due to numerous factors, but a properly designed, operated and maintained septic tank can produce effluent of satisfactory quality. The reduction of hydraulic surges from washing machines and dishwashers, regular removal of accumulated septage and the elimination of harmful chemicals are some of the practices that can improve system performance considerably. The relative advantages of multi chamber over single chamber septic tanks is an issue that needs to be resolved in view of the conflicting research outcomes. In recent years, aerobic wastewater treatment systems (AWTS) have been gaining in popularity. This can be mainly attributed to the desire to avoid subsurface effluent disposal, which is the main cause of septic tank failure. The use of aerobic processes for treatment of wastewater and the disinfection of effluent prior to disposal is capable of producing effluent of a quality suitable for surface disposal. However the field performance of these has been disappointing. A significant number of these systems do not perform to stipulated standards and quality can be highly variable. This is primarily due to houseowner neglect or ignorance of correct operational and maintenance procedures. The other problems include greater susceptibility to shock loadings and sludge bulking. As identified in literature a number of design features can also contribute to this wide variation in quality. The other treatment processes in common use are the various types of filter systems. These include intermittent and recirculating sand filters. These systems too have their inherent advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore as in the case of aerobic systems, their performance is very much dependent on individual houseowner operation and maintenance practices. In recent years the use of biofilters has attracted research interest and particularly the use of peat. High removal rates of various wastewater pollutants have been reported in research literature. Despite these satisfactory results, leachate from peat has been reported in various studies. This is an issue that needs further investigations and as such biofilters can still be considered to be in the experimental stage. The use of other filter media such as absorbent plastic and bark has also been reported in literature. The safe and hygienic disposal of treated effluent is a matter of concern in the case of onsite sewage treatment. Subsurface disposal is the most common and the only option in the case of septic tank treatment. Soil is an excellent treatment medium if suitable conditions are present. The processes of sorption, filtration and oxidation can remove the various wastewater pollutants. The subsurface characteristics of the disposal area are among the most important parameters governing process performance. Therefore it is important that the soil and topographic conditions are taken into consideration in the design of the soil absorption system. Seepage trenches and beds are the common systems in use. Seepage pits or chambers can be used where subsurface conditions warrant, whilst above grade mounds have been recommended for a variety of difficult site conditions. All these systems have their inherent advantages and disadvantages and the preferable soil absorption system should be selected based on site characteristics. The use of gravel as in-fill for beds and trenches is open to question. It does not contribute to effluent treatment and has been shown to reduce the effective infiltrative surface area. This is due to physical obstruction and the migration of fines entrained in the gravel, into the soil matrix. The surface application of effluent is coming into increasing use with the advent of aerobic treatment systems. This has the advantage that treatment is undertaken on the upper soil horizons, which is chemically and biologically the most effective in effluent renovation. Numerous research studies have demonstrated the feasibility of this practice. However the overriding criteria is the quality of the effluent. It has to be of exceptionally good quality in order to ensure that there are no resulting public health impacts due to aerosol drift. This essentially is the main issue of concern, due to the unreliability of the effluent quality from aerobic systems. Secondly, it has also been found that most householders do not take adequate care in the operation of spray irrigation systems or in the maintenance of the irrigation area. Under these circumstances surface disposal of effluent should be approached with caution and would require appropriate householder education and stringent compliance requirements. However despite all this, the efficiency with which the process is undertaken will ultimately rest with the individual householder and this is where most concern rests. Greywater too should require similar considerations. Surface irrigation of greywater is currently being permitted in a number of local authority jurisdictions in Queensland. Considering the fact that greywater constitutes the largest fraction of the total wastewater generated in a household, it could be considered to be a potential resource. Unfortunately in most circumstances the only pretreatment that is required to be undertaken prior to reuse is the removal of oil and grease. This is an issue of concern as greywater can considered to be a weak to medium sewage as it contains primary pollutants such as BOD material and nutrients and may also include microbial contamination. Therefore its use for surface irrigation can pose a potential health risk. This is further compounded by the fact that most householders are unaware of the potential adverse impacts of indiscriminate greywater reuse. As in the case of blackwater effluent reuse, there have been suggestions that greywater should also be subjected to stringent guidelines. Under these circumstances the surface application of any wastewater requires careful consideration. The other option available for the disposal effluent is the use of evaporation systems. The use of evapotranspiration systems has been covered in this report. Research has shown that these systems are susceptible to a number of factors and in particular to climatic conditions. As such their applicability is location specific. Also the design of systems based solely on evapotranspiration is questionable. In order to ensure more reliability, the systems should be designed to include soil absorption. The successful use of these systems for intermittent usage has been noted in literature. Taking into consideration the issues discussed above, subsurface disposal of effluent is the safest under most conditions. This is provided the facility has been designed to accommodate site conditions. The main problem associated with subsurface disposal is the formation of a clogging mat on the infiltrative surfaces. Due to the formation of the clogging mat, the capacity of the soil to handle effluent is no longer governed by the soil’s hydraulic conductivity as measured by the percolation test, but rather by the infiltration rate through the clogged zone. The characteristics of the clogging mat have been shown to be influenced by various soil and effluent characteristics. Secondly, the mechanisms of clogging mat formation have been found to be influenced by various physical, chemical and biological processes. Biological clogging is the most common process taking place and occurs due to bacterial growth or its by-products reducing the soil pore diameters. Biological clogging is generally associated with anaerobic conditions. The formation of the clogging mat provides significant benefits. It acts as an efficient filter for the removal of microorganisms. Also as the clogging mat increases the hydraulic impedance to flow, unsaturated flow conditions will occur below the mat. This permits greater contact between effluent and soil particles thereby enhancing the purification process. This is particularly important in the case of highly permeable soils. However the adverse impacts of the clogging mat formation cannot be ignored as they can lead to significant reduction in the infiltration rate. This in fact is the most common cause of soil absorption systems failure. As the formation of the clogging mat is inevitable, it is important to ensure that it does not impede effluent infiltration beyond tolerable limits. Various strategies have been investigated to either control clogging mat formation or to remediate its severity. Intermittent dosing of effluent is one such strategy that has attracted considerable attention. Research conclusions with regard to short duration time intervals are contradictory. It has been claimed that the intermittent rest periods would result in the aerobic decomposition of the clogging mat leading to a subsequent increase in the infiltration rate. Contrary to this, it has also been claimed that short duration rest periods are insufficient to completely decompose the clogging mat, and the intermediate by-products that form as a result of aerobic processes would in fact lead to even more severe clogging. It has been further recommended that the rest periods should be much longer and should be in the range of about six months. This entails the provision of a second and alternating seepage bed. The other concepts that have been investigated are the design of the bed to meet the equilibrium infiltration rate that would eventuate after clogging mat formation; improved geometry such as the use of seepage trenches instead of beds; serial instead of parallel effluent distribution and low pressure dosing of effluent. The use of physical measures such as oxidation with hydrogen peroxide and replacement of the infiltration surface have been shown to be only of short-term benefit. Another issue of importance is the degree of pretreatment that should be provided to the effluent prior to subsurface application and the influence exerted by pollutant loadings on the clogging mat formation. Laboratory studies have shown that the total mass loadings of BOD and suspended solids are important factors in the formation of the clogging mat. It has also been found that the nature of the suspended solids is also an important factor. The finer particles from extended aeration systems when compared to those from septic tanks will penetrate deeper into the soil and hence will ultimately cause a more dense clogging mat. However the importance of improved pretreatment in clogging mat formation may need to be qualified in view of other research studies. It has also shown that effluent quality may be a factor in the case of highly permeable soils but this may not be the case with fine structured soils. The ultimate test of onsite sewage treatment system efficiency rests with the final disposal of effluent. The implication of system failure as evidenced from the surface ponding of effluent or the seepage of contaminants into the groundwater can be very serious as it can lead to environmental and public health impacts. Significant microbial contamination of surface and groundwater has been attributed to septic tank effluent. There are a number of documented instances of septic tank related waterborne disease outbreaks affecting large numbers of people. In a recent incident, the local authority was found liable for an outbreak of viral hepatitis A and not the individual septic tank owners as no action had been taken to remedy septic tank failure. This illustrates the responsibility placed on local authorities in terms of ensuring the proper operation of onsite sewage treatment systems. Even a properly functioning soil absorption system is only capable of removing phosphorus and microorganisms. The nitrogen remaining after plant uptake will not be retained in the soil column, but will instead gradually seep into the groundwater as nitrate. Conditions for nitrogen removal by denitrification are not generally present in a soil absorption bed. Dilution by groundwater is the only treatment available for reducing the nitrogen concentration to specified levels. Therefore based on subsurface conditions, this essentially entails a maximum allowable concentration of septic tanks in a given area. Unfortunately nitrogen is not the only wastewater pollutant of concern. Relatively long survival times and travel distances have been noted for microorganisms originating from soil absorption systems. This is likely to happen if saturated conditions persist under the soil absorption bed or due to surface runoff of effluent as a result of system failure. Soils have a finite capacity for the removal of phosphorus. Once this capacity is exceeded, phosphorus too will seep into the groundwater. The relatively high mobility of phosphorus in sandy soils have been noted in the literature. These issues have serious implications in the design and siting of soil absorption systems. It is not only important to ensure that the system design is based on subsurface conditions but also the density of these systems in given areas is a critical issue. This essentially involves the adoption of a land capability approach to determine the limitations of an individual site for onsite sewage disposal. The most limiting factor at a particular site would determine the overall capability classification for that site which would also dictate the type of effluent disposal method to be adopted.

Pt/Nanostructured RuO2/SiC Schottky Diode based hydrogen gas sensors

In this paper, we report the development of novel Pt/nanostructured RuO2/SiC Schottky diode based sensors for hydrogen gas applications. The nanostructured ruthenium oxide thin films were deposited on SiC substrates using radio frequency sputtering technique. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the sputtered RuO2 layer consists of nano-cubular structures with dimensions ranging between 10 and 50 nm. X-ray diffraction confirmed the presence of tetragonal ruthenium (IV) oxide, with preferred orientation along the (101) lattice plane. The current-voltage characteristics of the sensors were investigated towards hydrogen gas in synthetic air at different temperatures from 25 °C to 240 °C. The dynamic responses of the sensors were studied at an optimum temperature of 240 °C and a voltage shift of 304 mV was recorded toward 1% hydrogen gas.