Influence of plasma modification on surface properties and offset printability of coated paper

The properties of the paper surface play a crucial role in ensuring suitable quality and runnability in various converting and finishing operations, such as printing. Plasma surface modification makes it possible to modify the surface chemistry of paper without altering the bulk material properties. This also makes it possible to investigate the role of the surface chemistry alone on printability without influencing the porous structure of the pigment-coated paper. Since the porous structure of a pigment coating controls both ink setting and optical properties, surface chemical changes created by a plasma modification have a potential to decouple these two effects and to permit a better optimization of them both. The aim of this work was to understand the effects of plasma surface modification on paper properties, and how it influences printability in the sheet-fed offset process. The objective was to broaden the fundamental understanding of the role of surface chemistry on offset printing. The effects of changing the hydrophilicity/ hydrophobicity and the surface chemical composition by plasma activation and plasma coatings on the properties of coated paper and on ink-paper interactions as well as on sheet-fed offset print quality were investigated. In addition, the durability of the plasma surface modification was studied. Nowadays, a typical sheet-fed offset press also contains units for surface finishing, for example UVvarnishing. The role of the surface chemistry on the UV-varnish absorption into highly permeable and porous pigment-coated paper was also investigated. With plasma activation it was possible to increase the surface energy and hydrophilicity of paper. Both polar and dispersion interactions were found to increase, although the change was greater in the polar interactions due to induced oxygen molecular groups. The results indicated that plasma activation takes place particularly in high molecular weight components such as the dispersion chemicals used to stabilize the pigment and latex particles. Surface composition, such as pigment and binder type, was found to influence the response to the plasma activation. The general trend was that pilot-scale treatment modified the surface chemistry without altering the physical coating structure, whereas excessive laboratory-scale treatment increased the surface roughness and reduced the surface strength, which led to micro-picking in printing. It was shown that pilot-scale plasma activation in combination with appropriate ink oils makes it possible to adjust the ink-setting rate. The ink-setting rate decreased with linseed-oil-based inks, probably due to increased acid-base interactions between the polar groups in the oil and the plasma-treated paper surface. With mineral-oil-based inks, the ink setting accelerated due to plasma activation. Hydrophobic plasma coatings were able to reduce or even prevent the absorption of dampening water into pigmentcoated paper, even when the dampening water was applied under the influence of nip pressure. A uniform hydrophobic plasma coating with sufficient chemical affinity with ink gave an improved print quality in terms of higher print density and lower print mottle. It was also shown that a fluorocarbon plasma coating reduced the free wetting of the UV-varnish into the highly permeable and porous pigment coating. However, when the UV-varnish was applied under the influence of nip pressure, which leads to forced wetting, the role of the surface chemical composition seems to be much less. A decay in surface energy and wettability occurred during the first weeks of storage after plasma activation, after which it leveled off. However, the oxygen/carbon elemental ratio did not decrease as a function of time, indicating that ageing could be caused by a re-orientation of polar groups or by a contamination of the surface. The plasma coatings appeared to be more stable when the hydrophobicity was higher, probably due to fewer interactions with oxygen and water vapor in the air.

Målarpoeten Ellen Thesleff : teknik och konstnärligt uttryck

The aim of this thesis has been to illustrate the multifaceted talent in Ellen Thesleff's (1869 - 1954) work with particular emphasis on her technique and artistic expression. Why did Ellen Thesleff work withso many techniques? How did the technique affect the expression and what characterizes it? It would also be of interest to gather some idea of Ellen Thesleff's position among other artists. The investigation covers a representative selection of about 60 pictures, using nine different techniques, primarily as oils, woodcuts and monumental painting. The pictures illustrate three periods of time, the natural (1890 - 1905), the colourful (1906 - 1927) and the free period (1928 -1950). I describe the pictures in regard to their conception and subject matter and scrutinize their formal creation. Thereafter, I investigate the painting technique and artistic expression of each picture and position it, where applicable, in relation to other art. Ellen Thesleff's artistic quality is discussed in relation to her techniques and expression. Thesleff consciously chooses different techniques for related subjects in order to vary the expression. The progressing evolution within individual techniques and a cross-fertilization between them has evidently contributed to raising her artistic quality. I have studied how the techniques influence expression and found it possible to identify certain characteristic styles during the three periods: first a natural painting technique which reminds one of both French realism, paintings reflecting the Nordic mood and atmosphere, and symbolism, ascetism and synthetism; later an expressive Thesleff colourism with brilliant over- and underpainting in contrasting colours and last a free decorative painting in lines, with symbolistic undertones. Most characteristic is the lyrical expression which seems to be a common theme throughout Thesleff's entire artistry. I have found that Ellen Thesleff in her works had herown personal style compared to her contemporaries. Despite deep knowledge of styles and techniques she continually creates art from her inner self and with her own personal brush signature.

Alkylointiyksikön neutralointi- ja puhdistusprosessin kehittäminen

Tämä diplomityö käsittelee Neste Oilin Porvoon jalostamon HF-alkylointiyksikön alasajon ja huoltopysäytyksen rajapintaa. Työssä tarkastellaan erilaisia vaihtoehtoja alasajon aikaisen neutralointi- ja puhdistusprosessin kehittämiseen huomioiden materiaalitekninen näkökulma. Työn alkuosassa esitellään alkyloinnin perusperiaate, huoltopysäytysprosessi sekä eri neutralointi- ja puhdistusprosessit, joista tarkemmin nykyisin jalostamolla käytettävä EnvTech:n prosessi. Työssä on myös kerrottu alkyloinnin erityisvaatimukset materiaaleille, joista tarkemmin on esitelty perusmateriaaleina käytettävät hiiliteräs A106 sekä Monel® 400. Näiden perusmateriaalien kohdalla on myös esitelty kirjallisuuden pohjalta niiden käyttäytyminen fluorivety-ympäristössä. Työn loppuosassa on esitelty eri vaihtoehtoja, jotta käyttövarmuutta voitaisiin kehittää yhdessä mahdollisesti kasvavien tuotantomäärien kanssa. Putkistojen kohdalla työssä on käsitelty kehityskohteeksi valittua erästä pääkolonni-osaan kuuluvaa linjastoa. Eri vaihtoehtoja on vertailtu teknistaloudelliselta näkökulma ja putkiston kohdalla on työssä päädytty geometrian muuttamiseen sekä koon kasvattamiseen. Työssä on myös esitetty kuumatypetysvaiheen uudelleen aikataulutusta alasajovaiheen nopeuttamiseksi sekä jatkotutkimusehdotuksia putkiston passivoimisesta, rautafluoridikalvon paikalleen jättämiseksi ja huoltopysäytyssyklin kehittämiseksi.

Nopeaan pyrolyysiin perustuvan bioöljyn tuotantolaitoksen liiketoiminnallinen malli ja kannattavuuslaskenta Savonlinnan seudulla

Pyrolyysiöljy on biomassasta nopealla hapettomalla lämpökäsittelyprosessilla valmistettavaa nestemäistä polttoainetta. Kasvavien uusiutuvan energian käyttötavoitteiden myötä pyrolyysiöljystä on tullut varteenotettava vaihtoehto fossiilisille polttoöljyille. Suurimmat käytön haasteet ovat alhainen lämpöarvo, happamuus ja korkeahkot kiintoainepitoisuudet verrattuna fossiilisiin polttoöljyihin. Nämä haasteet ovat kuitenkin ratkaistavissa. Työssä tarkasteltiin bioöljyn tuotantolaitoksen liiketoiminnallista mallia ja kannattavuutta Savonlinnan seudulle sijoitettuna. Tätä varten selvitettiin alueellinen raaka-aineen saatavuus ja hinta, sekä potentiaaliset markkinat pyrolyysiöljylle. Kannattavuuslaskentaa varten luotiin exel – pohjainen laskentatyökalu, jolla laskettiin pyrolyysiöljyn tuotannon omakustannushinnat ja kannattavuudet eri laitosvaihtoehdoille. Saaduille tuloksille tehtiin herkkyysanalyysi, jolla selvitettiin merkittävimmät kannattavuuteen vaikuttavat tekijät. Laskettujen tulosten perusteella pienemmät 100 BDMTPD (Bone Dry Metric Ton per Day) tuotantolaitokset eivät ole kannattavia investointeja. Suuremmat 400 BDMTPD tuotantolaitokset ovat kannattavia, kunhan raaka-aine saadaan kohtuulliseen hintaan ja investointikustannukset pysyvät kurissa.

Performance of a diesel engine fueled with a preheated blend of soybean oil and petrodiesel

Brazil is doing a major effort to find alternatives to diesel oil as combustible. Some study lines are oriented to the development of vegetable oils used as fuel, as a source of getting cheaper and have higher energy density than the converted vegetable oils, and less risk of environmental contamination. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance, the useful life of the lubricant and some components of a Diesel Cycle engine, with an electronic injection system, in a long-term test operating with a preheated blend (65°C) of 50% (v v-1) of soybean oil in petrodiesel. There was a reduction of the useful life of the injectors which presented failure because of high wear with 264 hours of operation and showed an increase in emissions of particulate matter (opacity) which may be assigned to the failures occurred in the injection system. An increase in the useful life of the lubricant, when compared with the literature was also observed. The electronic injection system may favor the burning of the tested fuel. The test was interrupted with 264 hours because of failures in the injection system.

Selection of microorganisms producer of lipase for fat removal from biodiesel purification water

The objective this study has been the selection of lipase productor microorganism, for removal of oils and grease, in the pre-treatment of biodiesel wastewater washing. For this, analyses of the physicist-chemistries characteristics had been made with the wastewater of the biodiesel washing, and then it had been isolated and chosen, by means of determinations of the lipase activity. Following, it was made a test of fat biodegradation, in the conditions: pH (5.95), temperature (35 ºC), rotation (180 rpm) and ammonium sulfate as nitrogen source (3 g L-1) and establishing as variable the two microorganism preselected and the time (24; 48; 72; 96 and 120 h). The biodiesel purification wastewater had presented high potential of environmental impact, presenting a concentration of O of 6.76 g L-1. From the six isolated microbiological cultures, two microorganisms (A and B) had been selected, with enzymatic index of 0.56 and 0.57, respectively. The treatment of the wastewater using the isolated microorganism (Klebsiella oxytoca) had 80% of the fatty removal in 48 h.

Cloroplast pigments as indicators of lead stress

Plants respond to environmental adversities, becoming an indicator for assessing the environment quality. In this aspect, chlorophyll contents as well, carotenoids are used as a reliable indicator to associate environmental quality and pollution, mainly regarding the toxicity of heavy metals in higher plants. So, we aimed to evaluate the content of chlorophyll a, b, and total chlorophylls and carotenoids in plants vetiver [Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash], maize (Zea mays L.) cv. AG 1051, sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) cv. BRS 122/V-2000, and castor beans (Ricinus communis L. ) cv . Northeastern BRS grown in contaminated soil with lead, with and without correction of soil pH, so they were used as indicators of metal stress by the soil. From the biochemical point of view, the correction of soil pH values caused chlorophyll a, b and total statistically higher for vetiver species and castor beans in the analyzed periods, except for the analysis performed 60 days after transplanting where only the species vetiver benefited from the correction of soil pH on the content of chlorophyll b and total. On the other hand plants without correction of soil pH showed a decrease of all chlorophyll levels. In addition, the largest increase in the synthesis of carotenoids, indicated that under stress the plants have developed alternative routes of dissipation of energy in order to avoid problems of photo-inhibition and photo-oxidation.

Production of natural aroma by yeast in wastewater of cassava starch industry

ABSTRACT2-Phenylethanol (PE) is an aromatic alcohol with a characteristic odor of roses, widely used in food industry to modify certain aroma compositions in formulations with fruit, jam, pudding, and chewing gums, and also in cosmetic and fragrance industry. This compound occurs naturally in low concentrations in some essential oils from flowers and plants. An alternative to plants extraction are biotechnological processes. This study evaluated 2-phenylethanol’s production in cultivation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in cassava wastewater originated from starch industry. The substrate was supplemented with glucose and L-phenylalanine in order to obtain higher 2-phenylethanol concentrations and better efficiency in glucose/2-phenylethanol conversion. It was performed using Rotatable Center Composite Design and response surface analysis. Cultures were performed under aerobic conditions in a batch system in Erlenmeyer flasks containing 50 mL of medium in shaker at 150 rpm and 24 ± 1 ºC. The highest PE values ​​were obtained with supplementation of 20.0 g.L-1 of glucose and 5.5 g.L-1 of L-phenylalanine, which has been experimentally validated, obtaining a PE production of 1.33 g.L-1 and PE/glucose yield factor of 0.070 g.g-1, equivalent to 74.3 and 89.7% ​​of desirability values according to the validated model.

Steroidien selektiivinen erottaminen sähköavusteisesti mikroemulsioita käyttäen

Mikroemulsiosähkökineettinen kromatografia on sähköavusteinen erotusmenetelmä. Yhdisteiden erottuminen tapahtuu mikroemulsiopisaroiden vaikutuksesta, kun nanometrien kokoiset öljypisarat ovat dispergoituneena veteen valmistettuun puskuriliuokseen. Yleensä mikroemulsiot valmistetaan raakaöljynkin sisältämistä hiilivedyistä, joita ovat esimerkiksi oktaani ja heptaani. Työn kokeellisessa osassa perehdyttiin seitsemän hydrofobisen ja varauksettoman steroidihormonin erottamiseen mikroemulsioliuoksessa kapillaarielektroforeesitekniikalla. Työssä valmistettiin öljyistä koostuvia mikroemulsioita, joista osan koostumus valittiin kirjallisuuden perusteella. Työssä kokeiltiin myös uusia mikroemulsiokoostumuksia, joissa käytettiin luonnosta peräisin olevia öljyjä: rypsi-, oliivi-, pellavansiemen- ja saksanpähkinäöljyä. Seitsemästä steroidihormonista viisi yhdistettä saatiin erottumaan optimoiduilla menetelmillä. Steroidien erotus perustuu niiden oktanoli-vesi jakautumiskertoimien avulla saatavaan migraatiojärjestykseen. Mikroemulsiossa, jossa käytettiin 1-oktanolia, steroidihormonit erottuivat nopeammin, kuin saksanpähkinäöljyä käytettäessä. Lyhyimmät migraatioajat saatiin mikroemulsiolla, jossa öljyfaasina käytettiin 1-heksanolia ja viidentenä yhdisteenä asetonitriiliä. Selektiivisimmillään menetelmä on, kun erotus tapahtuu liuoksessa, joka koostuu etyyliasetaatista, natriumdodekyylisulfaatista, butanolista, asetonitriilistä ja natriumtetraboraatista. Toteamisrajat tutkituille steroidihormoneille olivat 0,20–0,43 mg/L mikroemulsioissa.

Survey of transportation of liquid bulk chemicals in the Baltic Sea

This study is made as a part of the Chembaltic (Risks of Maritime Transportation of Chemicals in Baltic Sea) project which gathers information on the chemicals transported in the Baltic Sea. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of handling volumes of liquid bulk chemicals (including liquefied gases) in the Baltic Sea ports and to find out what the most transported liquid bulk chemicals in the Baltic Sea are. Oil and oil products are also viewed in this study but only in a general level. Oils and oil products may also include chemical-related substances (e.g. certain bio-fuels which belong to MARPOL annex II category) in some cargo statistics. Chemicals in packaged form are excluded from the study. Most of the facts about the transport volumes of chemicals presented in this study are based on secondary written sources of Scandinavian, Russian, Baltic and international origin. Furthermore, statistical sources, academic journals, periodicals, newspapers and in later years also different homepages on the Internet have been used as sources of information. Chemical handling volumes in Finnish ports were examined in more detail by using a nationwide vessel traffic system called PortNet. Many previous studies have shown that the Baltic Sea ports are annually handling more than 11 million tonnes of liquid chemicals transported in bulk. Based on this study, it appears that the number may be even higher. The liquid bulk chemicals account for approximately 4 % of the total amount of liquid bulk cargoes handled in the Baltic Sea ports. Most of the liquid bulk chemicals are handled in Finnish and Swedish ports and their proportion of all liquid chemicals handled in the Baltic Sea is altogether over 50 %. The most handled chemicals in the Baltic Sea ports are methanol, sodium hydroxide solution, ammonia, sulphuric and phosphoric acid, pentanes, aromatic free solvents, xylenes, methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and ethanol and ethanol solutions. All of these chemicals are handled at least hundred thousand tonnes or some of them even over 1 million tonnes per year, but since chemical-specific data from all the Baltic Sea countries is not available, the exact tonnages could not be calculated in this study. In addition to these above-mentioned chemicals, there are also other high volume chemicals handled in the Baltic Sea ports (e.g. ethylene, propane and butane) but exact tonnes are missing. Furthermore, high amounts of liquid fertilisers, such as solution of urea and ammonium nitrate in water, are transported in the Baltic Sea. The results of the study can be considered indicative. Updated information about transported chemicals in the Baltic Sea is the first step in the risk assessment of the chemicals. The chemical-specific transportation data help to target hazard or e.g. grounding/collision risk evaluations to chemicals that are handled most or have significant environmental hazard potential. Data gathered in this study will be used as background information in later stages of the Chembaltic project when the risks of the chemicals transported in the Baltic Sea are assessed to highlight the chemicals that require special attention from an environmental point of view in potential marine accident situations in the Baltic Sea area.

Miksi Elektrol öljy on sopivin öljy uudenaikaiselle moottorille

kuv., 10 x 15 cm

Varför är Elektrol olja den rätta oljan för den moderna motoren

kuv., 10 x 15 cm

Varför är Elektrol-olja den rätta oljan för den moderna motorn?

kuv., 10 x 14 cm

Miksi Elektrol öljy on sopivin öljy uudenaikaiselle moottorille

kuv., 10 x 15 cm

Varför är Elektrol olja den rätta oljan för den moderna motorn

kuv., 10 x 15 cm