State-of-the-art poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based polymer electrolytes have a <mml:math display="inline"><mml:msub><mml:mi>t</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Li</mml:mi><mml:mo>+</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:msub></mml:math>tLi+ much lower than 1; it is typically around 0.2-0.3. Thus, the development of single-cation-conductive, solvent-free polymer electrolytes is considered of prime importance for the progress of the technology of lithium batteries. Attempts mainly directed at immobilization of the anion in the polymer architecture have been reported in the past, but with only modest success because this approach generally depresses the conductivity to unacceptably low values. In this work, we report an alternative, new approach based on the addition to the PEO-LiX blend of an anion-trapping supermolecular component. In this way, polymer electrolytes with unity values of <mml:math display="inline"><mml:msub><mml:mi>t</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Li</mml:mi><mml:mo>+</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:msub></mml:math>tLi+ but still maintaining a true solid configuration combined with appreciable conductivity have been obtained. To our knowledge, this strategy has never been used, and we believe that this breakthrough result is associated with the immobilization of the anion <mml:math display="inline"><mml:mo stretchy="false">(</mml:mo><mml:msup><mml:mo>X</mml:mo><mml:mrow><mml:mo>−</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:msup><mml:mo stretchy="false">)</mml:mo></mml:math>(X−) by the additive and, possibly, by an ordering of the PEO-LiX system. © 2004 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.

The efficiency and mechanism of orthophosphate—soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP)—inactivation in eutrophic lakes using controlled resuspension and calcite application into the sediment were investigated in this study. Two calcite materials, industrially produced precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) and natural ground limestone (GCC), were tested in short-term batch experiments and long-term sediment incubations under oxic and anoxic conditions. Maximum SRP adsorption capacity calculated using Langmuir model for PCC (3.11 mg PO₄³⁻ g⁻¹) was 6 times higher than of GCC (0.43 mg PO₄³⁻ g⁻¹), reflecting substantial difference in the surface area of calcite materials (12.36 and 1.72 m² g⁻¹, respectively). PCC applied into the sediment during controlled resuspension reduced SRP release by 95% (oxic) and 78% (anoxic incubation) at medium dose (0.75 kg m⁻²) and suppressed it completely at high dose (1.5 kg m⁻²) for at least 3 months, irrespectively of incubation conditions. The maximum achieved reduction of SRP release using GCC was also meaningful: 78% under oxic and 56% under anoxic conditions, but this required very high doses of this material (6 kg m⁻²). Mechanisms of SRP inactivation by calcites were: (1) adsorption of SRP during application into the resuspended sediment and (2) precipitation of calcium-phosphate compounds (Ca-PO₄) during subsequent incubation, which was reflected in a substantial increase in the HCl-P fraction (phosphorus extractable in 0.5 M HCl) in sediments enriched with calcite, irrespectively of oxygen presence. However, anoxia strongly promoted the formation of this fraction: the rise of HCl-P was 2–6 times higher in anoxic than in oxic conditions, depending on the dose and form of calcite applied. The results showed that SRP inactivation using the controlled resuspension method is only successful if highly efficient reactive materials are used, due to large amount of SRP being released from sediment during resuspension. Thus, calcite materials exhibiting high adsorption capacity should be used in this lakes’ restoration technology to ensure fast and sufficient SRP inactivation. The rise in the HCl-P fraction in sediment suggests SRP inactivation through precipitation of relatively stable Ca-PO₄ minerals, which makes calcite a suitable agent for sustainable, long term SRP inactivation. As anoxic conditions promoted formation of these compounds, calcite seems to be a promising SRP inactivation agent in highly reductive sediments.

In response to the growing threat to the quality of the soil environment, new technologies are being developed to protect and remediate contaminated sites. A new approach, namely, assisted phytostabilization, has been used in areas contaminated with high levels of potentially toxic elements (PTEs), using various soil additives. This paper determined the effectiveness of biochar-assisted phytostabilization using Dactylis glomerata L. of soil contaminated with high concentrations of the selected PTEs (in mg/kg soil): Cu (780 ± 144), Cd (25.9 ± 2.5), Pb (13,540 ± 669) and Zn (8433 ± 1376). The content of the selected PTEs in the roots and above-ground parts of the tested grass, and in the soil, was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). The addition of biochar to the contaminated soil led to an increase in plant biomass and caused an increase in soil pH values. Concentrations of Cu, Cd, Pb and Zn were higher in the roots than in the above-ground parts of Dactylis glomerata L. The application of biochar significantly reduced the total content of PTEs in the soil after finishing the phytostabilization experiment, as well as reducing the content of bioavailable forms extracted from the soil using CaCl₂ solution, which was clearly visible with respect to Cd and Pb. It is concluded that the use of biochar in supporting the processes of assisted phytostabilization of soils contaminated with PTEs is justified.

In the present paper the effectiveness of biochar-aided phytostabilization of metal/metalloid-contaminated soil under freezing–thawing conditions and using the metal tolerating test plant Lolium perenne L. is comprehensively studied. The vegetative experiment consisted of plants cultivated for over 52 days with no exposure to freezing–thawing in a glass greenhouse, followed by 64 days under freezing–thawing in a temperature-controlled apparatus and was carried out in initial soil derived from a post-industrial urban area, characterized by the higher total content of Zn, Pb, Cu, Cr, As and Hg than the limit values included in the classification provided by the Regulation of the Polish Ministry of Environment. According to the substance priority list published by the Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Agency, As, Pb, and Hg are also indicated as being among the top three most hazardous substances. The initial soil was modified by biochar obtained from willow chips. The freeze–thaw effect on the total content of metals/metalloids (metal(-loid)s) in plant materials (roots and above-ground parts) and in phytostabilized soils (non- and biochar-amended) as well as on metal(-loid) concentration distribution/redistribution between four BCR (community bureau of reference) fractions extracted from phytostabilized soils was determined. Based on metal(-loid)s redistribution in phytostabilized soils, their stability was evaluated using the reduced partition index (Ir). Special attention was paid to investigating soil microbial composition. In both cases, before and after freezing–thawing, biochar increased plant biomass, soil pH value, and metal(-loid)s accumulation in roots, and decreased metal(-loid)s accumulation in stems and total content in the soil, respectively, as compared to the corresponding non-amended series (before and after freezing–thawing, respectively). In particular, in the phytostabilized biochar-amended series after freezing–thawing, the recorded total content of Zn, Cu, Pb, and As in roots substantially increased as well as the Hg, Cu, Cr, and Zn in the soil was significantly reduced as compared to the corresponding non-amended series after freezing–thawing. Moreover, exposure to freezing–thawing itself caused redistribution of examined metal(-loid)s from mobile and/or potentially mobile into the most stable fraction, but this transformation was favored by biochar presence, especially for Cu, Pb, Cr, and Hg. While freezing–thawing greatly affected soil microbiome composition, biochar reduced the freeze–thaw adverse effect on bacterial diversity and helped preserve bacterial groups important for efficient soil nutrient conversion. In biochar-amended soil exposed to freezing–thawing, psychrotolerant and trace element-resistant genera such as Rhodococcus sp. or Williamsia sp. were most abundant.

This article introduces an innovative approach to the investigation of the conductive–radiative heat transfer mechanism in expanded polystyrene (EPS) thermal insulation at negligible convection. Closed-cell EPS foam (bulk density 14–17 kg·m⁻³) in the form of panels (of thickness 0.02–0.18 m) was tested with 1–15 µm graphite microparticles (GMP) at two different industrial concentrations (up to 4.3% of the EPS mass). A heat flow meter (HFM) was found to be precise enough to observe all thermal effects under study: the dependence of the total thermal conductivity on thickness, density, and GMP content, as well as the thermal resistance relative gain. An alternative explanation of the total thermal conductivity “thickness effect” is proposed. The conductive–radiative components of the total thermal conductivity were separated, by comparing measured (with and without Al-foil) and simulated (i.e., calculated based on data reported in the literature) results. This helps to elucidate why a small addition of GMP (below 4.3%) forces such an evident drop in total thermal conductivity, down to 0.03 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹. As proposed, a physical cause is related to the change in mechanism of the heat transfer by conduction and radiation. The main accomplishment is discovering that the change forced by GMP in the polymer matrix thermal conduction may dominate the radiation change. Hence, the matrix conduction component change is considered to be the major cause of the observed drop in total thermal conductivity of EPS insulation. At the microscopic level of the molecules or chains (e.g., in polymers), significant differences observed in the intensity of Raman spectra and in the glass transition temperature increase on differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) thermograms, when comparing EPS foam with and without GMP, complementarily support the above statement. An additional practical achievement is finding the maximum thickness at which one may reduce the “grey” EPS insulating layer, with respect to “dotted” EPS at a required level of thermal resistance. In the case of the thickest (0.30 m) panels for a passive building, above 18% of thickness reduction is found to be possible.