Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Thanks,
Why do you think that that was a lot of work.
O.k, I'm narrowing my project just on energy(electricity) production.
I would like to say another thing that in some of the links(of your's & others on g.scholar) contains very very complex terms. Just as being a 10th grade student, I am not able to understand some of those. I think, I will need to have very deep study on the theme.
Ashun

Hi Ashun,

You have obviously done some work on this, and you must have done a really great proposal to win at the state level.

Understanding the scientific articles is challenging sometimes because of the technical terms. However, try to learn as much as you can. The background sections that explain why the research project was done and the materials and methods sections includes the experimental details.

We would be happy to try to explain more if you have a specific question on one of the references. Or, you could e-mail the primary author and ask your questions.

Donna Hardy

Is it possible to convert Dioxin released(considering hydrocarbon) into some fuel using some chemistry.

Hi Ashun,

Dioxin is an organic molecule that would be destroyed by incineration. It is usually present as a trace contaminant, so would not be a significant source of energy. In addition, it is one of the most hazardous chemicals known, so you should not plan to use dioxin in your science project. And definitely avoid using any samples that might contain dioxin; it would be extremely hazardous.

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs225/en/

Donna

I could not find any efficient method to destroy dioxins perfectly.
Can these really be destroyed during incernation?
Thanks!

Hi Ashun,

Any organic molecule can be destroyed by heat, however, burning dioxins is very hazardous because they can be vaporized before they are destroyed. It would be great if you could design a system that would destroy the dioxin before it could be released into the atmosphere. You would need to find out what temperature would be required. In my experience, I know that organics will vaporize if heated at 600-800 degrees Centigrade for 24 hours, but I don't know the minimum temperature or time for this process.

Donna Hardy

Hi Ashun,

Here's a link with a little more information about dioxin incineration. There's information for contacting the dioxin organization and references at the bottom of the page. Apparently the key is to cool the gases quickly and avoid having metal ions in the sample, which can cause formation of dioxins.

http://www.dioxinfacts.org/sources_trends/the_way.html

So, you should be able to find out exactly what you need to do.

Donna

O.k, When some acidic elements are released while burnimg them, they are in gaseous state.Then how to get rid of these dangerous elements if I'm thinking about bases.

Infact this was the major objection aroused by one of the evaluators. They asked me how your scrubber will function if acids are in gases & dry.
Will u plz explain me in detail, what's this & what I should do for better project?

Hi Ashun,

A weakly basic anion exchange resin can be used to adsorb acids from solutions and will probably also work for gases: You would use a weakly basic anion exchange resin in the free base for to adsorb the hydrogen ions from the sample:

http://www.diaion.com/en/products/ion_04_01.html

http://www.amantech.com/anionwbm.htm

It would be helpful if you could post some more details about your project. Are you planning to do an experiment or are you designing a new process?

Donna Hardy

Hi,
It would be great for me to do experiment.
But I was thinking about cost.I would like to know the average cost to do experiment & for it's efficient functioning, if established.
If costs are not affordable for me, I would love to think about the new design.& It will be of great help!
Thanks!

Yes, the two links above are quite complex for me.
I couldn't understand most of the things in the above two links.
Thanks!

Hi Varun,

I apologize for not explaining the chemistry in more detail.

The two links describe typical weakly basic anion exchange resins. These products are ion exchange resins composed of a plastic bead with tertiary amino functional groups covalently attached to the resin matrix. If this resin is washed with a solution with a pH above 7, the functional group will be uncharged (free amine, NH2).

When acid is passed over the resin, the pH is lowered and the resin will absorb hydrogen ions from the resin. The resin now has a positive charge, which requires an anion to balance the positive charge, so the anionic component of the acid will also be absorbed onto the resin. The anion that associates with the positive charge on the resin is called the counterion. So the resin will absorb acids from the sample.

The capacity of anion exchange resins is typically 1 mM of acid per mL of resin. If you know how much acid is being released from the incinerator, then you will know how long a specific volume of resin will last in operation.

Let me know if you need additional explanation.

I don't know exactly what you can do for your science project. This is something that you have to choose on your own, based on what you can do. The links that I have posted on this topic have included a number of problems on your subject that would be suitable for a project. However, there is a problem because these samples are potentially toxic.

I know that you want to do a project that is low in cost. What equipment do you have available at your school to work with? Do you have a suitable location where it would be safe to actually do incineration experiments? With all of the research papers you have read, is there one problem that you are interested in working on? Incomplete incineration of plastics? Removal of acid from the emitted gasses? Go back and look at the ideas that we have covered here and let me know what idea appeals to you most. I will be happy to make additional suggestions.


Donna Hardy