Search

Nd, Pr and Dy are critical raw materials as major components for rare earth permanent magnets (REPM). These are integral for several components placed for example within electric vehicles and wind turbine generators. REE primary production is mainly realized in China (~80%) and no REPM recycling industry has been established. Hydrometallurgical recycling routes lead to iron dissolution (66 wt. % Fe in REPM), while pyrometallurgical approaches that utilize SiO2 risk contaminating the produced iron phase. A two-step process is presented that (i) creates an FeOx-CaO-Al2O3-REE2O3 molten slag at 1500 °C through oxidative smelting and (ii) separates an iron-depleted slag phase (CaO-Al2O3-REE2O3) and a molten iron phase via carbothermic or metallothermic reduction at 1700–2000 °C. The slag has been designed as a selective collector phase and the REE2O3 loading within the bulk slag can reach up 25 wt. % REE2O3 at 1700 °C. The contained minerals within the slag exhibit >40 wt. % REE (a higher REE concentration than in the initial REPM). The resulting phases are characterized via ICP-OES, CS and SEM-EDX. In addition, the first results with regard to the downstream hydrometallurgical processing of the CaO-Al2O3-REE2O3 slag are presented aiming at the recovery of REE2O3, as well as of CaO and Al2O3. The latter compounds are to be reused during the first process step, i.e., the oxidative smelting of REPM. Slag leaching with methane sulfonic acid (MSA) and separation with alternative methods, such as solvent extraction, seems promising. Future work will include slag filtration with the aim to separate REE-rich solid phases (minerals) from the slag and also molten salt electrolysis of the produced REE2O3 oxides.

The Tara Microplastics mission was conducted for 7 months to investigate plastic pollution along nine major rivers in Europe—Thames, Elbe, Rhine, Seine, Loire, Garonne, Ebro, Rhone, and Tiber. An extensive suite of sampling protocols was applied at four to five sites on each river along a salinity gradient from the sea and the outer estuary to downstream and upstream of the first heavily populated city. Biophysicochemical parameters including salinity, temperature, irradiance, particulate matter, large and small microplastics (MPs) concentration and composition, prokaryote and microeukaryote richness, and diversity on MPs and in the surrounding waters were routinely measured onboard the French research vessel Tara or from a semi-rigid boat in shallow waters. In addition, macroplastic and microplastic concentrations and composition were determined on river banks and beaches. Finally, cages containing either pristine pieces of plastics in the form of films or granules, and others containing mussels were immersed at each sampling site, 1 month prior to sampling in order to study the metabolic activity of the plastisphere by meta-OMICS and to run toxicity tests and pollutants analyses. Here, we fully described the holistic set of protocols designed for the Mission Tara Microplastics and promoted standard procedures to achieve its ambitious goals: (1) compare traits of plastic pollution among European rivers, (2) provide a baseline of the state of plastic pollution in the Anthropocene, (3) predict their evolution in the frame of the current European initiatives, (4) shed light on the toxicological effects of plastic on aquatic life, (5) model the transport of microplastics from land towards the sea, and (6) investigate the potential impact of pathogen or invasive species rafting on drifting plastics from the land to the sea through riverine systems.

Background Long-term prescriptions of strong opioids for chronic noncancer pain—which are not supported by scientific evidence—suggest miscalibrated risk perceptions among those who prescribe, dispense, and take opioids. Because risk perceptions and behaviors can differ depending on whether people learn about risks through description or experience, we investigated the effects of descriptive versus simulated-experience educative formats on physicians’ risk perceptions of strong opioids and their prescription behavior for managing chronic noncancer pain. Methods Three hundred general practitioners and 300 pain specialists in Germany—enrolled separately in two independent exploratory randomized controlled online trials—were randomly assigned to either a descriptive format (fact box) or a simulated-experience format (interactive simulation). Primary endpoints Objective risk perception (numerical estimates of opioids’ benefits and harms), actual prescriptions of seven therapy options for managing chronic pain. Secondary endpoint Implementation of intended prescriptions of seven therapy options for managing chronic pain. Results Both formats improved the proportion of correct numerical estimates of strong opioids’ benefits and harms immediately after intervention, with no notable differences between formats. Compared to description, simulated experience led to significantly lower reported actual prescription rates for strong and/or weak opioids, and was more effective at increasing prescription rates for non-drug-based therapies (e.g., means of opioid reduction) from baseline to follow-up for both general practitioners and pain specialists. Simulated experience also resulted in a higher implementation of intended behavior for some drug-based and non-drug-based therapies. Conclusions The two formats, which recruit different cognitive processes, may serve different risk-communication goals: If the goal is to improve exact risk perception, descriptive and simulated-experience formats are likely to be equally suitable. If, however, the goal is to boost less risky prescription habits, simulated experience may be the better choice. Trial registration DRKS00020358 (German Clinical Trials Register, first registration: 07/01/2020).

Предлагается методика генерации синтетических полей турбулентных пульсаций скорости, основанная на рандомизированном спектральном методе. Генерируемые поля обладают нулевой дивергенцией и заданными свойствами анизотропии и пространственной неоднородности. Расчет канонической задачи о развитом турбулентном течении в канале, использующий сгенерированные турбулентные поля, демонстрирует хорошее совпадение результатов с данными прямого численного моделирования.