Ceramic electrolytes and secondary recovery

离子导电陶瓷的两个重要应用是高温原位传感器和固体氧化物燃料电池。不幸的是，在炼钢操作中用于测定溶解氧的稳定氧化锆因部分分解而在低氧浓度下变得不准确。目前正在研究两种更稳定的新固体电解质Y2O3-CaO和Dy2O3-CaO，以努力开发更准确的氧传感器。与污染和温室气体(如CO2、SO2、NOx)气体传感器相关的主要问题是响应迟缓、灵敏度差和浓度范围有限。为了帮助克服这些困难，使用微电子技术和一种新的气相沉积方法进行小型化，极化电化学气相沉积技术正被应用于含氧盐或B“-Al_2O_3电解液的传感器。气相沉积技术已得到扩展，以提高固体氧化物燃料电池中复合阳极的电化学活性和稳定性。氧化钛稳定的氧化锆沉积在先前的丝网印刷镍上，以提供独特的复合微结构--两种相是连续的，以最大限度地减少阻力损失。这项工作包括在镍上沉积氧化铈以改善催化性能，并用天然气进行测试，以确定陶瓷涂层是否限制了麻烦的碳沉积。对油砂飞灰在焦炭燃烧和较小程度上形成过程中发生的矿物学变化进行了详细的研究在用添加剂焙烧的过程中，部分地导致了从这种废物中回收钒和几种副产品的过程。此外，还提出了一种利用另一种废物--油砂焦炭将油砂尾矿中的锆石转化为更有价值的氧化锆石的过程。通过使用添加剂焙烧实现的矿物转化正被扩展到处理其他复杂和潜在危险的废物产品，以回收有价值的金属或使有毒元素对环境无害，如锌铁氧体残渣、电弧炉炼钢粉尘、铜镍砷硫化物废物。

Two important applications for ionically conducting ceramics are high temperature in situ sensors and solid oxide fuel cells.  Unfortunately, stabilized zirconia used for determining dissolved oxygen during steelmaking operations becomes inaccurate at low oxygen concentrations due to partial decomposition.  Two new solid electrolytes that are more stable, Y2O3-CaO and Dy2O3-CaO, are being studied in an effort to develop a more accurate oxygen sensor.  Major problems associated with gas sensors for polluting and greenhouse gases, e.g., CO2, SO2, NOx, are sluggish response, poor sensitivity and limited concentration range.  To help overcome these difficulties, miniaturization using microelectronic techniques and a new vapour deposition method, polarized electrochemical vapour deposition, are being applied to sensors involving oxysalt or B"-Al2O3 electrolytes.  The vapour deposition technique has been extended to improve the electrochemical activity and stability of the composite anode in the solid oxide fuel cell.  Yttria stabilized zirconia is deposited on previously screen printed nickel to provide a unique composite microstructure - both phases are continuous to minimize resistance losses.  Included in this work are ceria deposition on nickel to improve catalytic behaviour and testing with natural gas to see if the ceramic coating restricts troublesome carbon deposition.   A detailed investigation of oil sands fly ash on mineralogical changes occuring during its formation from coke combustion and, to a lesser extent, during roasting with additives has, in part, led to a process for the recovery of vanadium and several byproducts from this waste product.  Also, a process has been proposed to convert zircon from the oil sands tailings to much more valuable zirconia using another waste product, oil sands coke.  Mineral transformations, achieved by roasting with additives, are being extended to treat other complex and potentially hazardous waste products either to recover valuable metals or make toxic elements environmentally benign, e.g., zinc ferrite residue, electric arc furnace steelmaking dust, copper-nickel-arsenic sulphide waste.