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The extrusion process is very popular in industry. Nowadays, extrusion is also closely associated with the 3D printing process, but this article is focused on extrusion, as a process that is mainly associated with spheronization. The extrusion product is shaped in such a way that it is suitable for the ongoing spheronization process. With this two-step extrusion-spheronization (E–S) process, it is possible to create pellets with controlled high sphericity, which are desired in tablet and capsule production due to their easily characterized (and controlled) dosage profile and good flow properties. During extrusion, it is important to monitor several parameters. This post is dedicated to one of them and that is the length of the die and its effect on the extrusion pressure as well as the effect on the extrudate surface quality.

It was shown that the use of biochar provides many benefits to agriculture by improving the whole complex of soil properties, including soil structure. However, the diverse range of biochar effects depends on its physicochemical properties, its application rates, soil initial properties etc. The impacts of biochar, mainly its reapplication to soils and its interaction with nitrogen in relation to water-stable aggregates (WSA) did not receive much attention to date. The aims of the study were: (1) to evaluate the effect of initial application (in spring 2014) and reapplication (in spring 2018) of different biochar rates (B0, B10 and B20 t ha−1) as well as application of biochar with N-fertilizer (40 to 240 kg N ha−1 depending on the requirement of the cultivated crop) on the content of WSA as one of the most important indicators of soil structure quality, (2) to assess the interrelationships between the contents of soil organic matter (SOM) and WSA. The study was conducted in 2017–2019 as part of the field experiment with biochar on Haplic Luvisol at the experimental station of SUA in Nitra, Slovakia. Results showed that initial application as well as reapplication of biochar improved soil structure. The most favorable changes in soil structure were found in N0B20B treatment (with biochar reapplication) at which a significantly higher content of water-stable macro-aggregates (WSAma) (+15%) as well as content of WSAma size fractions of > 5 mm, 5–3 mm, 3–2 mm and 2–1 mm (+72%, +65%, +57% and +64%, respectively) was observed compared to the control. An increase in SOM content, due to both, initial biochar application and its reapplication, significantly supported the stability of soil aggregates, while organic matter including humic substances composition did not.

The aim of the work was to analyze the influence of process parameters of high shear granulation on the process yield and on the morphology of granules on the basis of dynamic image analysis. The amount of added granulation liquid had a significant effect on all monitored granulometric parameters and caused significant changes in the yield of the process. In regard of the shape, the most spherical granules with the smoothest surface were formed at a liquid to solid ratio of ≈1. The smallest granules were formed at an impeller speed of 700 rpm, but the granules formed at 500 rpm showed both the most desirable shape and the highest process yield. Variation in the shape factors relied not only on the process parameters, but also on the area equivalent diameter of the individual granules in the batch. A linear relationship was found between the amount of granulation liquid and the compressibility of the granules. Using response surface methodology, models for predicting the size of granules and process yield related to the amount of added liquid and the impeller speed were generated, on the basis of which the size of granules and yield can be determined with great accuracy.

In this paper we investigate the effects of biochar alone and its reapplication and combination with N-fertilizer (1) on the soil pH, and (2) sorption parameters. The soil samples were taken during growing period in 2018 from plots with different biochar (first application in 2014 – A, reapplication in 2018 – B) at application rates: 0 t.ha−1 (B0 control), 10 t.ha−1 (B10) and 20 t.ha−1 (B20) and different nitrogen fertilization: N0 (no nitrogen) and N40 (40 kg.ha−1). Our results showed that the first application of biochar at the rate of 20 t.ha−1 (B20A) without N-fertilizer significantly increased the values of soil pH in H2O, soil pH in KCl, the sum of base cations (SBC) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) compared to control (B0). Similar effects were observed also after reapplication of biochar (B10B). All investigated parameters in fertilized control treatment (B0N40) were worst and the first application, as well as the reapplication of biochar with N, caused significant increase of soil pH in H2O, soil pH in KCl, SBC, CEC, BS and decrease of hydrolytic acidity.

An interaction between the slope position and type of soil management practices could be one of the most important factor affecting several soil properties including soil structure. Therefore, we evaluated selected soil properties including soil structure parameters in relation to slope gradient and soil management practices between Trakovice and Bučany villages (western Slovakia). The sampling sites were located in two adjacent, gently sloping fields with a NW-SE orientation. The sites also differ in soil management type: Field No. 1 was used as arable land with intensive cultivation (IC) of crops, while a greening system (GS) had been established on Field No. 2. Soil samples were taken from five geomorphological zones at each slope: summit, shoulder, back-slope, toe slope and flat terrain under the slope. Results showed that soil pH, content of soil organic matter (SOM) and carbonates depended on land use of the slopes. In GS, the water-stable macro-aggregates (WSAma) 0.5–3 mm (favourable size fraction) displayed statistical significant quadratic polynomial trend along the slope gradient. In IC the values of mean weight diameter of dry sieved aggregates (MWDd) decreased significantly along the slope gradient, while in GS the opposite trend was observed. In IC significant correlations between carbonates content (r=-0.775, Pma, MWDd, mean weight diameter of wet sieved aggregates (MWDw) and stability index of aggregates. At the same time stabile and labile soil organic matter improved soil structure parameters in GS.

Refining our understanding of how soil structure develops is important because soil structure has a major influence on plant growth. Recent studies show positive correlations between soil organic matter and soil structure. However, the question remains: how are the relationships between soil organic matter (SOM) parameters and soil structure characteristics affected by the long-term fertilization of a sandy soil? In contrast to most other studies on SOM vs. soil structure, the present study is composed of long-term field experiments (a total of 3 experiments) with durations of 25, 41 and 94 years. In this paper, the impact of the long-term application of mineral fertilizers and manure on the SOM and soil structure of a sandy soil is quantified, and the relationships between the SOM and soil structure of a sandy soil with a dependence on the length of fertilizer application are determined. Soil samples were collected from all three long-term field experiments in central Poland, which were located at Skierniewice experimental station including a 94-year-old experiment with mineral fertilization, a 41-year-old experiment with mineral fertilization and a 25-year-old experiment with mineral fertilization + farmyard manure (FYM) in a 4-year cycle. In the spring of 2017, soil samples were collected (Co – no fertilizers, NPK – NPK fertilizers, CaNPK – CaNPK fertilizers). In the 94-year-old experiment, the content of soil organic carbon (SOC) in Co, NPK and CaNPK was 4.07, 5.89 and 5.99 g kg−1, respectively. An increase in the SOC content under fertilization was also found in the other two experiments. In the 25-year-old experiment, the SOC contents in FYM, FYM + NPK and FYM + CaNPK were 6.07, 8.36 and 7.63 g kg−1, respectively, and in the 41-year-old experiment, the SOC contents in Co, NPK and CaNPK were 6.38, 10.1 and 7.80 g kg−1, respectively. The content of labile carbon (CL) increased significantly in the fertilized treatments only in the 94-year-old experiment. The contents of humic substances significantly increased in the soil of fertilized treatments in the 25- and 41-year-old experiments. In all fertilized treatments, the humus quality significantly decreased. After 94 years of mineral fertilization, the content of water-stable macroaggregates (WSAma) in size fractions > 5 and 5–2 mm was significantly higher in the NPK than in the Co and CaNPK treatments. After 94 years of mineral fertilization, the mean weight diameter of aggregates for dry sieving (MWDd) differed between Co (0.41) and both treatments of mineral fertilization (NPK: 0.88; CaNPK: 1.70). The application of FYM with CaNPK resulted in a statistically significant decrease in aggregate stability (Sw) in the 25-year-old experiment. For Co and NPK treatments in the 41-year-old experiment, the contents of WSAma > 5 mm were 41% and 51% lower, respectively, whereas the content of WSAma 5–3 mm was lower by 40% and 50%, respectively, which was higher than that for the CaNPK treatment. The aggregate stability significantly decreased due to NPK application in the soil of the 41-year-old experiment. The number of correlations between SOM parameters and the soil structure decreased in the following order: 94-year-old experiment with mineral fertilization > 41-year-old experiment with mineral fertilization > 25-year-old experiment with mineral fertilization + FYM.

If we want to develop farming on soil effectively and ecologically, we have to know the soil characteristics, the reasons for the potential low fertility and the ways how to eliminate them. Only this approach allows the rational utilization of the soil fund and achievement of the high effectiveness of the costs needed for the stabilization and increase of fertility and land capability. Recently, many scientific teams have focused their attention on the biochar, a lot of recommendations have been published which are dealing with its application into soil. However, the principal attention has been drawn to the impact of biochar on the particular soils and under the particular conditions. Far less information has been presented about the mutual interactions between the further significant agronomical factors in the combination with biochar. In this primary study, we analyze two new experiments established in the southwest part of Slovakia at the 1 Dolná Streda (sandy soil) and 2 Veľké Uľany (loamy soil) Localities. We discussed (1) the impact of the individual factors on the changes of soil characteristics, and (2) the impact of the individual interactions, such as: soil class – fertilization – biochar on the changes of the soil characteristics. The results indicated that the most significant factor, which influences the monitored soil parameters, is the soil class. The fertilization proved to be a factor which has a negative impact on the humus parameters; on the other hand, it improved the soil sorption. Biochar increased the content of the organic substances in soil and also its environmental effect of retention and immobilization of harmful elements and its positive effect on the soil structure was indicated. The highest frequency of the interactions between the monitored parameters related to the changes of soil characteristics was recorded in the combination fertilization x biochar, and also the soil class x fertilization x biochar.

The aim of this work was to construct a new adsorption-desorption device based on the principle of separation of volatile organic compounds, e.g., ethanol. As an adsorbent, it is possible to use granulated activated carbon (GAC) in the adsorption and desorption process. In this study, two kinds of GACs were used and marked as GAC1 and GAC2. A particle size distribution and water vapour sorption for the selected GACs were measured. An experiment with distilled water was performed as a preliminary study of the new device’s functionality. After the determination of the time necessary for the adsorption and desorption, the experiments were carried out with a model mixture (5% v/v ethanol-water mixture), which resulted in a product with the ethanol content of 39.6 %. The main advantage of this device would be the potential competition of conventional distillation.

This work deals with the creation of a mathematical model which will predict with sufficient accuracy the size of granules in the high-shear granulation process. The aim of the paper was to create ...

Recent studies show that biochar improves physical properties of soils and contributes to the carbon sequestration. In contrast to most other studies on biochar, the present study comprise a long-term field experiment with a special focus on the simultaneous impact of N-fertilizer to soil structure parameters and content of soil organic carbon (SOC) since SOC has been linked to improved aggregate stability. However, the question remains: how does the content of water-stable aggregates change with the content of organic matter? In this paper we investigate the effects of biochar alone and in a combination with N-fertilizer (i) on the content of water-stable macro- (WSAma ) and micro-aggregates (WSAmi ) as well as soil structure parameters; and (ii) on the contents of SOC and labile carbon (CL) in water-stable aggregates (WSA). A field experiment was conducted with different biochar application rates: B0 control (0 t ha−1), B10 (10 t ha−1) and B20 (20 t ha−1) and 0 (no N), 1st and 2nd level of nitrogen fertilization. The doses of level 1 were calculated on required average crop production using the balance method. The level 2 included an application of additional 100% of N in 2014 and additional 50% of N in the years 2015–2016 on silty loam Haplic Luvisol at the study site located at Dolná Malanta (Slovakia). The effects were investigated after the growing season of spring barley, maize and spring wheat in 2014, 2015 and 2016, respectively. The results indicate that the B10N0 treatment significantly decreased the structure vulnerability by 25% compared to B0N0. Overall, the lower level of N combined with lower doses of biochar and the higher level of N showed positive effects on the average contents of higher classes of WSAma and other soil structure parameters. The content of SOC in WSA in all size classes and the content of CL in WSAma 3–1 mm significantly increased after applying 20 t ha–1 of biochar compared to B0N0. In the case of the B20N1 treatment, the content of SOC in WSAma within the size classes >5 mm (8%), 5–3 mm (19%), 3–2 mm (12%), 2–1 mm (16%), 1–0.5 mm (14%), 0.5–0.25 mm (9%) and WSAmi (12%) was higher than in B0N1. We also observed a considerably higher content of SOC in WSAma 5–0.5 mm and WSAmi with the B10N1 treatment as compared to B0N1. Doses of 20 t biochar ha−1 combined with second level of N fertilization had significant effect on the increase of WSAma and WSAmi compared to the B0N2 treatment. A significant increase of CL in WSA was determined for size classes of 2–0.25 mm and WSAmi in the B20N2 treatment. Our findings showed that biochar might have beneficial effects on soil structure parameters, SOC, CL in WSA and carbon sequestration, depending on the applied amounts of biochar and nitrogen.

Since biochar is considered to be a significant source of carbon, in this work we have evaluated the changes in soil organic matter (SOM) and soil structure due to application of biochar and biochar with N fertilization, and have considered the interrelationships between the SOM parameters and the soil structure. The soil samples were collected from Haplic Luvisol at the locality of Dolná Malanta (Slovakia) during 2017. The field experiment included three rates of biochar application (B0 - no biochar, B10 - biochar at the rate of 10 t ha-1, B20 - biochar at the rate of 20 t ha-1) and three levels of N fertilization (N0 - no nitrogen, N160 - nitrogen at the rate of 160 kg ha-1, N240 - nitrogen at the rate of 240 kg ha-1). The rate of biochar at 20 t ha-1 caused an increase in the organic carbon (Corg) content. The combination of both rates of biochar with 160 and 240 kg N ha-1 also caused an increase in Corg. In the case of B20 the extractability of humic substances carbon (CHS) was 17.79% lower than at B0. A significant drop was also observed in the values of the extraction of humic acids carbon (CHA) and fulvic acids carbon (CFA) after the addition of biochar at a dose of 20 t ha-1 with 160 kg N ha-1. However, both rates of biochar had a significant effect at 240 kg N ha-1. After application of 20 t ha-1 of biochar the content of water-stable macro-aggregates (WSAma) significantly increased compared to control. This rate of biochar also increased the mean weight diameter (MWDW) and the index of water-stable aggregates (Sw) and decreased the coefficient of vulnerability (Kv). The biochar at a rate of 20 t ha-1 with 240 kg N ha-1 the value of MWDW increased and value of Kv decreased significantly. The contents of Corg and CL correlated positively with WSAma, MWDW and Sw and negatively with WSAmi and Kv. The extraction of CHA and CFA was in negative relationship with MWDW. We conclude that the application of biochar and biochar combined with N fertilizer had a positive influence on SOM and soil structure.

The presented work focused on determination of derivatives of flavonols presented in American Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon), more specifically glycoside derivatives of quercetin: quercetin-3-O-β-d-galactoside (Q-gal), quercetin-3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (Q-glu), and quercetin-3-O-α-d-arabinoside (Q-ara), due to their anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antiviral, and antibacterial effects, by high temperature gas chromatography with mass spectrometry detector (HTGC–MS). For this purpose, two-step derivatization was applied to transfer the chosen glycoside derivatives of quercetin into a form suitable for further HTGC–MS analysis. The quality and quantity of chosen derivatives were determined in several nutritional supplements and teas with extract of American cranberry, cranberry juice, cranberry jam, cranberry syrup, dried cranberries, and fresh cranberries. The newly developed analytical procedure can serve as an alternative tool for the analysis of other polar and low-volatility chemicals present in nutritional supplement and herbal products. LOD values were in the range of 0.5 mg kg−1 for Q-glu to 0.6 mg kg−1 for Q-ara, while the LOQ ranged from 1.7 mg kg−1 for Q-glu to 1.9 mg kg−1 for Q-ara.

The effects of biochar and biochar combined with N-fertilizer on the content of soil organic matter in water-stable aggregates were investigated. A field experiment was conducted with different biochar application rates: B0 control (0 t ha-1), B10 (10 t ha-1) and B20 (20 t ha-1) and 0 (no N), 1st and 2nd levels of nitrogen fertilization on silt loam Haplic Luvisol (Dolna Malanta, Slovakia), in 2014. The N doses of level 1 were calculated on required average crop production using balance method. Level 2 included additional 100% of N in year 2014 and additional 50% of N in year 2016. The effects were investigated during the growing seasons of spring barley and spring wheat in 2014 and 2016, respectively. Results indicate that the B20N2 treatment significantly increased the proportion of water-stable macro-aggregates (WSAma) and reduced water-stable micro-aggregates (WSAmi). Aggregate stability increased only in the B20N1 treatment. The B20N2 treatment showed a robust decrease by 27% in the WSAma of 0.5-0.25 mm. On the other hand, an increase by 56% was observed in the content of WSAma with fractions 3-2 mm compared to the B0N0 treatment. The effect of N fertilizer on WSAma was confirmed only in the case of the B10N2 treatment. The proportion of WSAma with fractions 3-2 mm decreased by 42%, while the size fraction of 0.5-0.25 mm increased by 30% compared to the B10N0 treatment. The content of WSAma with fractions 1-0.5 mm decreased with time. On the contrary, the content of WSAma with particle sizes above 5 mm increased with time in all treatments except the B10N2 and B20N2 treatments. A statistically significant trend was identified in the proportion of WSA in the B10N2 and B20N2 treatments, which indicates that biochar with higher application levels of N fertilizer stabilizes the proportion of water-stable aggregates. In all treatments, the content of soil organic carbon (SOC) and labile carbon (CL) in WSAmi was lower than those in WSAma. A considerable decrease of SOC in the WSAma >5 mm and an increase of SOC in WSAmi were observed when biochar was applied at the rate of 10 t ha-1. Contents of SOC in WSAmi increased as a result of adding biochar combined with N fertilizer at first level. CL in WSA significantly increased in all size fractions of WSA.References Abiven S., Hund A., Martinsen V., Cornelissen G., 2015. Biochar amendment increases maize root surface areas and branching: a shovelomics study in Zambia. Plant Soil, 342, 1-11. Agegnehu G., Bass A.M., Nelson P.N., and Bird M.I., 2016. Benefits of biochar, compost and biochar–compost for soil quality, maize yield and greenhouse gas emissions in a tropical agricultural soil. Sci. Tot. Environ., 543, 295-306. Angers D.A., Samson N., Legere A., 1993. 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J. Soil Sci., 57, 426-445.

Soil structure and organic matter are important indicators of soil quality. In the literature it states that there is a linear relation between soil structure and the organic matter. Mechanisms of formation and stabilization of aggregates have also been described in the literature, but it is evident that not every mechanism is applicable to various soil-climatic conditions. Recently, the modern but not the new term has become a biochar. It is anticipated that biochar is a significant source of C, and its application to the soil will improve the aggregation process in the soil. Lately we have been working in this area and we wanted to provide an overview of this issue through this review. The aim of this review was to collate and synthesize available information on soil structure and SOM. The emphasis of this review is on biochar and its combination with other organic and mineral fertilizers in relation to soil structure.

Nowadays, the operating nuclear reactors are able to utilise only 1 % of mined out uranium. An effective exploitation of uranium, even 60 %, is possible to achieve in so-called fast reactors. These reactors commercial operation is expected after the year 2035. Several design configurations of these reactors exist. Fast reactors rank among the so-called Generation IV reactors. Helium-cooled reactor, as a gas-cooled fast reactor, is one of them. Exchangers used to a heat transfer from a reactor active zone (i.e. heat exchangers) are an important part of fast reactors. This paper deals with the design calculation of U-tube heat exchanger (precisely 1-2 shell and tube heat exchanger with U-tubes): water – helium.

At present, in a period of an industrial expansion great emphasis is placed on the environment. That means aiming for a reduced energy consumption, and also lessening dustiness from very fine powder material. This category also includes particulate material agglomeration processes. Because this process is very energy-intensive, it is necessary to correctly design these devices. The aim of this paper is to focus on a theoretical design of a production compactor with the rolls diameter for an experimental particulate material, based on Johanson’s theory and experimentally measured material properties. The material used for experimental measurements was an NPK-based industrial fertilizer consisting of several components. The results of this paper is the dependence of the ratio of the maximum compression pressure to the initial compression pressure from the rolls diameter of the proposed compactor.

This paper aims to develop a non-solvent microextraction technique using INCAT (Inside Needle Capillary Adsorption Trap) for GC-MS analysis of volatile metabolites in urine. INCATs with different sorbents were tested, resulting in an INCAT with 3 sorbent layers Chromosorb W+ 20% SE-54, Carbopack X and Carboxen 1000 (1 : 1 : 1), which proved to be the most suitable for differentiating and identifying volatile metabolites in urine samples of patients from those of healthy people.

Solvent-free chlorination of biphenyl and naphthalene was performed under mechanochemical stressing by high-energy ball milling (HEM) of a mixture of CuCl2 (95 wt %) and the hydrocarbon (5 wt %). The reactivity of the selected hydrocarbons towards CuCl2 during HEM partially correlates with their ionisation potentials (IP): hexadecane (9.91 eV) > biphenyl (8.27 eV) > naphthalene (8.14 eV).

Adsorption is one of the major industrial separation technique nowadays. Although adsorption is most commonly used as a separation method, in some cases cause harmful and undesirable effects such as capture odorant from natural gas onto soil. In the event of an accident, the gas can leak from pipes in two ways - either directly into the surrounding air, or the soil where the odorant can be mostly absorbed depending of type of soil, water content and temperature. Design of experimental apparatus for measurement of breakthrough curves is studied in detail. Alternative arrangement of experimental apparatus, calibration of measuring devices, method of measurement and processing the data are narrowly discussed. Moreover, experimental measurements of breakthrough curves are presented. The actual measurement was made to identify the equilibrium adsorption capacity of THT (tetrahydrothiophene) onto soils. Experimental data were evaluated using Linear, Freundlich, Langmuir and Koble-Corrigan model.