Entries Tagged 'analytical Equipment' ↓

Tuesday, September 13, 2011 by Deborah Sterescu

Toronto-based Lithium Americas Corp. (TSE:LAC)(OTCQX:LHMAF) said Monday that it has made significant progress with the development of its Cauchari-Olaroz lithium project in Argentina, having completed a number of critical engineering tests since the release of its preliminary economic assessment (PEA) in April.

“The PEA identified numerous initiatives for us to pursue in order to be in a position to complete a definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) prior to a production decision,” said president and CEO of the company, Dr. Waldo a. Perez.

“We have successfully completed several key engineering milestones that will allow us to finalize our brine processing route and to complete our DFS.”

The company has a staff of six full-time engineers working on the engineering process as it works to complete its definitive feasibility study for the lithium brine project.

So far, Lithium Americas has completed bench scale tests, a full cycle of evaporation from its industrial-scale ponds, an expansion of its laboratory, and a thermodynamic model to allow it to predict the brine processing route.

The company’s Cauchari-Olaroz Lithium project comprises a significant portion of two adjacent Argentinean salt lakes, Cauchari and Olaroz, covering 82,498 hectares located in the “Lithium Triangle” region of South America.

This region contains over 80% of the world’s lithium brine reserves, and an independent ranking said Lithium Americas’ property was the third largest known lithium brine resource in the world.

Information from the company’s bench scale tests were used to design the company’s lithium carbonate pilot plant, which is currently being constructed and is expected to become operational in the fourth quarter. Production from the plant is estimated to be roughly 30 kilograms of 99.5% purity lithium carbonate per day, to be used for industrial samples to potential customers for qualification purposes, Lithium Americas said.

The preliminary economic assessment in April provided for a 40,000 tonne per year lithium carbonate production facility built in two phase of 20,000 tonnes per year, with construction expected to begin in 2012.

The 180-day full cycle of evaporation the company completed from its industrial scale ponds was in line with estimates provided in the PEA, it said, producing 15 tonnes of concentrated lithium brine, which will be processed in the pilot plant in the fourth quarter. Lithium Americas will therefore continue producing concentrated brine through this process to feed the plant.

Meanwhile, the completion of the thermodynamic model allows the company to predict the brine processing route – from brine extraction at the wells to the evaporation ponds, through the evaporation cycle and finally to the lithium carbonate processing plant.

The model reconstructs the changes to the brine throughout the process route at different chemical and physical parameters, including weather, interaction with reagents, and time, for example, optimizing the design.

Lithium Americas has also finished an expansion of its on-site laboratory, which is now able to analyze 50 full samples a day for lithium, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, boron, sulphates and chlorides.

The PEA, which did not include potential additional value of potash or boric acid production, estimated capital costs of US$217 million for the first phase, and cash operating costs of $1,434 per tonne, believed to be one of the lowest in the industry. The project was estimated to have an after-tax net present value of a whopping US$715 million, at an 8% discount rate.

Mitsubishi Corp and Magna International are shareholders of the company, in addition to them both having off-take arrangements with Lithium Americas.

‘Gas chromatography is the analytical instrument of choice for arson investigation’ Discuss this statement with reference it the following points:-
• GC analysis conditions
• Use of internal and external standards
• Peak resolution
• Quantification of data
• Limitations of GC

I have two question considering the use of two lab equipment:

1.
Where and for what does someone use a reflux condenser
(an image for the equipment : helago-cz.cz/set/chladic-zpet… )

2.
Why does someone use grease on the point of connection of this equipment (don't know the name of it) nd01.jxs.cz/144/532/7b58ea6da1_49…
for a closer look see : verkon.cz/data/catalog/big/im…

cleaning validation needs surface area i need the exact formula of the equipmnts like sifter,rmg,fbd,fbdbowl comill,compression coating and exact location of sampling .

June 17, 2011, 7:25 pm

Alleged presence of Arsenic (As) in rice and pesticides in an article published in the ‘Vidusara’ news paper on 27th April 2011 has created a media sensation. The gist of the story based on an interview with Dr. Channa Jayasumana (MD) of Rajarata University was that the cause for Chronic Kidney Disease of Unidentified Etiology (CKDu) in the North Central and Uva provinces is deposits of high levels of as compound in kidney. It was implied that people get this as from eating high levels of as and the reason for high level of as in rice is the presence of high levels of as in commonly used pesticides in the area.

Although this allegation need to be investigated cautiously as it is the fifth hypothesis that has been put forward for the cause of CKDu by groups of scientists, the responsibility vested upon me as the Registrar of Pesticide (ROP) derived me to immediate action. first I wrote to every member of this group and requested them to give me a report of their findings including the names of pesticides that contain as, their points of sale, method used for detecting as, the accuracy and precision of the instrument used for analysis. It this allegation is true the remedial measures need to be taken immediately. therefore I faxed my request to the prominent members of the group and even contacted Dr. Jayasumana through his mobile phone. I am yet to receive an official reply to my request.

However, after several phone calls Dr. Jayasumana provided me just a list of 28 pesticides with no other information. Assuming these are the pesticides alleged to contain high levels of as the ROP office was directed to take samples from sales outlets in Padaviya, Sripura, Girandurukotte and Dehiattakandiya areas where CKDu incidence is high. The procedure to follow when taking samples is stated in the Pesticides Control Act No. 33 of 1980 (Amended by Act no ?? of 1994). accordingly pesticides in a single container was divided into three equal samples and sealed in front of the shop owner. one of the sealed samples was given back to the shop owner with written instruction keep it safely. Other two samples were brought to the ROP office and one of the samples is kept locked up and the other was sent for analysis to check for the presence of as and Mercury. The sample kept at the point of sale can be used by the affected party from with my permission from any laboratory they wish in case the analysis of ROP shows damaging results. Analytical results of the affected party, if contravene the results of ROP, can be used to challenge the ROP in a court of law and the court can order to release the sample kept in the ROP office to a laboratory of choice by the court for resolution of the conflict.

The ROP can accept analytical results only from an ‘authorized analyst’ defined in the Control of pesticides Act. accordingly samples of 28 pesticides were sent to locally and internationally accredited Industrial Technology Institute laboratory of the Ministry of Science and Technology for analysis.

We as a responsible government organisation did not want to respond to various allegations in the media on this as issue until the results of our investigations mature. However due to various misinformations that could mislead the public and harmful to our country were becoming rampant in the media the Department of Agriculture and the Ministry of Agriculture decided to reveal the analysis so far carried out. Armed with the results of 23 pesticide samples and 20 rice samples a press conference was convened by the Minister of Agriculture o 13th June 2011. Following are the results of pesticide analysis we have received so far.

According to above results Carbofuran (an insecticide) and Glyposate (herbicide) contain minute amounts of as.

The authorized standard Institutions in the world over including Sri Lanka set maximum the table 2 shows the maximum permissible as levels for some consumer items in Sri Lanka (Standards for Foot Contaminates, C.D.R.a. Jayawardene, Sri Lanka Standards Institute).

Unfortunately there is no maximum permissible level of Arsenic set for the two pesticides that are positive for presence of as either in local standards or FAO pesticide guidelines. However by comparison with the values allowed for some food items in the table 2 you will realize that the amounts found in the two positive samples are very minute.

The as upheaval in the country lead me to temporarily hold importation, distribution and sales of the as positive products. before ordering the restrictions ROP office has taken stock of the products in hand of these companies and ordered them to inform their agents around the country not to sell the products. ROP office also has directly informed the agents of companies and has taken steps to monitor retail sale shops through the ‘Authorized Officers’ throughout the country who have been appointed by the Director General of Agriculture according to the provisions of the Act. this monitoring is possible as all shops which sell pesticides are registered in the ROP office.

It is not possible for me to decide whether the levels of as detected is harmful for the human health and environment. to take such decisions there is a Pesticide Technical and Advisory Committee (PeTAC) appointed according to the Act. this committee, chaired by the Director General of Agriculture, consists of 15 members of which 10 members are ex-officio including the secretary to the Ministry of Health, Directors of Tea, Rubber, Coconut Research Institutions, the government analyst and representatives from Sri Lanka Slandered Institute and labour commissioner. Other five members are appointed by the Minister of Agriculture include respected professionals with experience in research and use of pesticides who do not have any commercial interest related to pesticide industry.

Once the complete analytical report of all concerned pesticides is received from ITI the results will be submitted to the PeTAC for the recommendation on action needed to be taken on Arsenic contaminated pesticides. if the committee decides that the levels of as found could harm human health or the environment the pesticides will be banned otherwise the restrictions will be removed.

These facts were presented at the press conference held at the Ministry of Agriculture on 13th June. However, we have noted that all the facts have not been presented to the public and some misinformation is infused by the media. therefore I kindly request the public to be aware and understand the following.

The story unfolded in the media on as in Rice and Pesticides has given the impression that Arsenic is not present in the unspoiled environment of Sri Lanka. this is fiction. Arsenic is the 20th most abandon element in the world and there is ample scientific evidence to show as is also present in Sri Lankas’ environment including soil, water. Living organisms and even in human body albeit in very minute quantities.

Of course chronic as poisoning can occur if considerably high amounts of as is accumulated in the body. most of the measurements on Arsenic is total as. It is also important to understand that only the inorganic as can accumulate and be poisonous. Organic as is usually excreted from human body.

The amount of as absorbed by different plants varies according to the species and the amount of as present in the soil. if there is elevated levels of as in the soil or ground water plants may absorb relatively higher amounts. The rice plant is known to absorb more as than other serials as it is grown in water. However, only 2-3% of as absorbed to the rice plant is deposited in the rice kernel both in organic and inorganic forms.

Milled rice may contain minute amounts of as. according to the research reports from around the world milled rice contain about 80-200 ug/kg as. since China produce Rice with high amounts of as in some areas it has developed a maximum allowable limit of 150ug/ka of rice. However Cordex Elementrious the World organisation for setting maximum residue levels (MRL) in food has not yet established a MRL for as. On behalf of the Director of the Rice Research and Development Institute of the Department of Agriculture I am happy to report that 20 rice samples tested so far out of 60 samples taken from all over the country including CKDu areas have not been positive for as.

It is important to be informed that not only rice but many food items including wheat flour contains minute amounts of as in them. Usually sea food has relatively higher amounts of as.

The gazette notification of 6th June 2001 has prohibited among others importation of pesticides with as or Mercury as the active ingredient. It does not provide any authority to prohibit importation of pesticides with as or Mercury as minute impurities. However the ROP office guarantees that no pesticide with high levels of as or Mercury has been registered in Sri Lanka.

There has been an attempt to compare the actions taken by the Customs department and the ROP office and point out that ROPs reaction was lethargic or half hearted. I am not aware of the customs Act but I can assure that the ROP office has acted swiftly within the framework of Pesticide Control Act and better reaction cannot be expected without amending the Act. The analytical report that has been accepted by the customs cannot be accepted by ROP for the reason already mentioned.

Before ending this article I would like to draw your attention to another aspect of the whole affair. as you are aware our country depends on export of many agricultural products. Loose tongues and irresponsible reporting could lead to irrevocable repercussions in the export sector and thereby adversely affect the whole economy of Sri Lanka.

One interested group has already termed this as as terrorism. yet close scrutiny of the fact and media sensation created points at wheat flour terrorism or even Biological Warfare, in my opinion.

Registrar of Pesticides

Instrumentation industry in recent years showing a trend of rapid development. a report from China Instrument Industry Association statistics show that China continues to instrumentation industry sales continued to rise after two years of high growth in first half of 2007 industrial output value of China’s 133.5 billion yuan instrument, an increase of 29.1%; product sales income of 128.9 billion yuan, an increase of 30.7%, are at historic highs; profit increase of more than 40% year on year, total assets of about 18% year on year increase in the industry as a whole in a healthy stage of development.

To this end, the reporter interviewed a special trip to China Instrument Industry Association Special Adviser to the Xi Jiacheng, asked him to talk about our development of the instrumentation industry. Xi Jiacheng told reporters, “are concerned about the instrumentation industry many people, is increasing efforts to support national policy, is willing to invest in the development of enterprises and more instrumentation, industrial development zones set up instruments of local government can have, our instrumentation industry is entering a new period of development. ”

Four Characteristics of the first half of industry

Significant structural changes in product demand. Number of instruments covering products, industrial automation, instrumentation and control systems remain a high growth rate is greater than the industry growth, sales growth of 34%, reflecting the country is still energy, rapid development of heavy industry, but the increase over the previous 38 % decline, indicating that the thermal power, metallurgy and other applications of structural adjustment has an impact. Environmental monitoring equipment up 40%, reflecting the environmental management, energy saving and emission reduction requirements of the relevant instruments appeared. Optical instruments, for the supply of instrumentation, test machines, geological exploration and earthquake-specific instruments, teaching instruments and other products remained the industry average. Electrical instruments, surveying instruments, test analysis equipment, automotive instrumentation, navigation, meteorological marine equipment, nuclear measuring instruments, electronic measuring instruments, timing devices, scales, medical equipment, and other industry-wide average increase of less than, some of which demand a smooth, capacity is too large; some product technology gap between large, medium and high-end market is occupied by imported products, significant structural adjustment.

Gas Shielded Welding Wire

Regional ranking quietly changed. Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and other major cities was the birthplace of the instrumentation industry and focused, good condition, long-term top. with the change of regional industrial structure adjustment, although a good foundation but growing fast, about 10% in the first half of this year, Beijing, Shanghai and the production scale has been relegated to the fifth, sixth. the Soviet Union, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Shandong will come from behind, the output value has gone beyond Beijing and Shanghai. Jiangsu and Guangdong provinces gathered in foreign investment, a larger proportion of instrumentation industry, has leapt to the national provincial instrumentation industry for one or two. In recent years the rapid development of private enterprises in Zhejiang Province, has formed a regional industrial cluster. a wide range of products, both the formation of large scale production, but also a model of high-tech achievements in industry, has been ranked the third.

Faster export growth, import growth small. First half of the instrumentation industry exports increased 36.4%, industrial automation, instrumentation systems, electronic measuring instruments, testing machine, laboratory analytical instruments, medical equipment and other exports were more than 40% increase in the past, not exports of industrial automation instruments, electronic measurement instruments, such as increases of 76.9% and 104.5%, and some products such as pressure / differential pressure transmitter, the semiconductor component test and communication equipment, precision scales, spectrophotometer, X-ray instrument, such as doubled. In the traditional export products, in addition to water other than the 65.5% growth, power meter, gas meter, optical components, telescopes, microscopes, thermometers and so much growth. Import growth has dropped to 7.2%. Optical instruments, most of the electrical instrumentation and medical equipment, etc., have turned negative.

Innovation have made progress, significant breakthroughs in engineering applications. Digital oscilloscope, spectral absorption optical fiber detection system of gas pollution, pesticide residues on-site testing devices, voltage and current transformers on-site verification device, 10000kg electric vibration test systems, automatic shaft straightening machine (integrated measurement and processing equipment), three-phase multi-function standard power meter, environmentally friendly multi-channel atomic fluorescence spectrometer, a virtual microscope system, X-ray real time imaging inspection system, the entire drilling apparatus, the first batch of complete systems process analysis of new product research and development projects successfully, and began to enter the industrial stage.

Particularly exciting is the distributed control system as an important instrument industry products, and constantly in the national key projects in the breakthrough. January 2007, Beijing Guodian Zhishen company developed distributed control system in Hebei Longshan Power Plant Units and 600MW sub-critical success, and to enter commercial operation; August 2007, and over 600MW power plant in Liaoning Zhuanghe Units and critical success. Zhejiang control with independent intellectual property rights of Distributed Control system in Lunan Chemical Fertilizer Plant 30 million tons of synthetic ammonia / 52 tons of urea a successful bid for the project; April 2007, also signed Sinopec Wuhan refinery project to 500 million tons / year four a master device to provide control system will effectively break the breakthrough in the national key projects of foreign companies in the important instruments, control devices and automation systems monopoly. Second half of the growth rate will slow down

Second half of the overall instrumentation industry trend continued in the first half, demand and sales are still high, but growth will slow down, growth will be slightly higher than expected sales last year, or basically the same. Instrumentation industry as a reflection of more indirect macroeconomic, lag, so some products will appear in the next year saw a drop in the second half of the overall steady upward trend in the development, will have the following characteristics:

Industrial automation and instrumentation and control devices and environmental monitoring instruments the fastest-growing, and other instruments will not change the trend of steady growth. at the national implementation of circular economy, environmental protection and emission reduction, energy efficient, “great pressure on the small” and other policy measures, the thermal power, metallurgy, building materials and other medium-sized devices and the “five small businesses” and demand for instruments will be significantly reduced. Large-scale industrial installations, complex and new applications and equipment needs, domestic enterprises will face the level of product technology, application adaptation, barriers to entry and many other issues, foreign companies have a comparative advantage, will have an impact on market structure .

Changes in corporate profits is the existence of two different situations, on the one hand some companies increase the production of proficiency, increase the technological content of products and other reasons, labor productivity and margins; the other hand, prices of raw materials, manpower and utility costs rose , exchange rate changes and other factors, rising costs of many products, too much production capacity of its enterprise products among middle and low, medium and high grade products in the foreign-funded enterprises and between foreign and domestic enterprises increasingly fierce price competition between, and some corporate profits have been signs of decline.

“fast export growth, import growth of small” state in the second half will not change. From the continuation of high growth in exports for many years, based on level of technology to enhance and accelerate industrial development. another important factor in this year’s macro-economic situation of business-measures and responses. China-funded enterprises and enterprises are competitive in the use of existing facilities, to increase export efforts to address the possible slowdown in the domestic economy. First half of the export delivery value of industrial output value accounted for 28.6%, an increase of up to 41.3%, in fact, the industry growth rate higher than the same period in industry mainly from export growth, domestic market growth was essentially flat. In exports, the upward trend of foreign capital was commissioned production. Disparities due to the import and export base, export deficit will remain as high as 80 billion U.S. dollars, but this year there may be instruments of China’s reform and opening up the first year of import and export of deficit reduction.

Nickel Alloy Welding Wire

Speaking of China instrument industry to achieve a breakthrough in major projects, Xi Jiacheng image to be called “the difficult times ahead,” to promote and improve the instruments have been put on the agenda. Instrumentation and control systems important in the application of major projects will point to the surface, breaking the single-class products by DCS extended to other important products, from individual products to a wider area and more complex device development, the promotion has been a breakthrough product and to a higher level will be the focus of the second half.

Fortunately, the National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Science and other departments at the “Eleventh Five-Year” plan and the spirit of the State Council Document no. 8, on the instrumentation, control systems, and intelligent support of high technology and its industrialization efforts have been strengthened, National Development and Reform Commission focused on the areas of support, to speed up project approval. Large thermal power DCS, a large petrochemical DCS, nuclear power instrumentation, high-precision pressure / differential pressure transmitter, and other projects have been approved pending the implementation of or has been reported.

Ministry of Science and a number of intelligent instruments, control systems, India a, wireless communications, scientific instruments of the R & D project has been approved, and some have been implemented. Guodian, Sinopec, CNPC, Yanzhou Mining Group, the units have a significant impact are actively taking measures to promote domestic instrumentation and control systems in the application of major projects, and research to increase investment to support its R & D and industrialization . Chongqing, Tianjin, Shenyang, Ningxia, Hunan and other provinces and cities in the light of the development of the region, research and instrumentation to support the development of the industry measures.