I got an assignment to do with an industrial process, iv been thinking about researching the haber process or something to do with sulfate or catalytic cracking because i already have done stuff on them in chem, but when i asked my teacher he said that i would then have to go into extraordinary deatil into something like the haber process to account for the knowlege which i already know, so im starting to think i shouldnt, anyone know any industrial process which are easy to do with lots of information on it? THANKS!!!
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Industrial processes (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Abyss
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grimreaper
Member
You could do the solvay process if you havent done industrial chemistry as your option topic - it should be in any textbook that has industrial chemistry (which most do)
If you wanted to extend Haber, you could look at the Ostwald process, which is the start point for making HNO<sub>3</sub> from NH<sub>3</sub>.
Alteranately, the Frasch Process and sulfuric acid production.
For an older, and more exotic, process, you could look at the refining of nickel using the Mond process, or aluminium refining using cryolite, or ...
Perhaps the purification of Mo-99 from the fission of UO<sub>2</sub>?
Overall, I'd suggest going for something that isn't what everyone else will do - it's easier to stand out that way.
Alteranately, the Frasch Process and sulfuric acid production.
For an older, and more exotic, process, you could look at the refining of nickel using the Mond process, or aluminium refining using cryolite, or ...
Perhaps the purification of Mo-99 from the fission of UO<sub>2</sub>?
Overall, I'd suggest going for something that isn't what everyone else will do - it's easier to stand out that way.
I definately agree with that, by doing something less people are doing its easier to top the section which you are doing and ultimately get a competitive mark. the purification of Mo-99 from the fission of UO2? iv never heard of that before, can you give me a brief rundown of what it involves so i can refine my search on search engines and books? THANKS!!!
UO<sub>2</sub> pellets are placed inside a reactor - like the HIFAR reactor that ANSTO has a Lucas Heights. Fission occurs, producing a variety of fission products, including Mo-99. The pellets are dissolved into nitric acid, and a series of extractions performed to separate the Mo-99 from the other fission products. The Mo-99 is then concentrated onto an alumina column, and placed inside a Brookhaven Tc-99m generator, and sent to hospitals, where it is used to provide Tc-99m for a variety of diagnostic nuclear medical procedures.
You could start searching at the ANSTO website, or by googling for Brookhaven Tc-99m generator, or something like Tc-99m production, or ... Conquering Chemistry by Smith also has spme general information on the process, including a picture of a Tc-99m generator (section 3.11).
It is probably worth checking with your teacher that s/he feels that this is an acceptable industrial process for you to research.
You could start searching at the ANSTO website, or by googling for Brookhaven Tc-99m generator, or something like Tc-99m production, or ... Conquering Chemistry by Smith also has spme general information on the process, including a picture of a Tc-99m generator (section 3.11).
It is probably worth checking with your teacher that s/he feels that this is an acceptable industrial process for you to research.
CrashOveride
Active Member
Sorry to bother you chem ppl but CM can u come back to MX2 forums 
OK, in dealing with Mo-99 purification, we have molybdenum in an oxidation state of +VI. At around neutral pH, this means that molybdenum is present as the molybdate ion, MoO<sub>4</sub><sup>2-</sup>. As pH decreases, this oligomerises to a number of different species such as the hexmolybdate and heptamolybdate forms. (I don't remember the formulae off hand, but I can easily check them.) So, knowledge of the pH is important as it provides knowledge of the molybdate speciation. Knowledge of the concnetration is also important, as speciation is also dependant on concentration at low pH, and if the concentration becomes too high the molybdenum is precipitated fron solution as insoluble molybdenum(VI) oxide, MoO<sub>3</sub>. This is bad, as purification requires the molybdenum species remain in solution.
The purification involves sorbing (sticking) the molybdenum onto an alumina column. The column is then washed with various acid and weakly basic solutions to wash off other impurities - under these conditions, the molybdenum stays stuck to the column. It is then desorbed (removed) with a concentrated base wash. (There are a few purification steps, but you get the idea.) The solution is then boiled down, to reduce the volume (concentrating the molybdenum), whilst simultaneously removing the iodine impurities.
The wastes removed under acidic conditions includes both low-level and high-level radioactive wastes, and include unreacted uranium isotopes, as well as other nasty isotopes such as strontium-90. The need for monitoring when dealing with such systems is (hopefully) obvious.
This should be enough to get you started. You will need some sort of reference on molybdenum speciation if you are going to talk about how it changes with pH. I would suggest (from memory - I don't have either of these at home, but they are good sources of information) a textbook like Chemistry of the Elements by Greenwood and Earnshaw, or Cotton and Wilkinson's Advanced Inorganic Chemistry. I know there are also some good 'net sources, but I don't have any at hand. I'll have a talk to a colleague of mine that works in the area for some suggestions. Post any further questions you may have.
The purification involves sorbing (sticking) the molybdenum onto an alumina column. The column is then washed with various acid and weakly basic solutions to wash off other impurities - under these conditions, the molybdenum stays stuck to the column. It is then desorbed (removed) with a concentrated base wash. (There are a few purification steps, but you get the idea.) The solution is then boiled down, to reduce the volume (concentrating the molybdenum), whilst simultaneously removing the iodine impurities.
The wastes removed under acidic conditions includes both low-level and high-level radioactive wastes, and include unreacted uranium isotopes, as well as other nasty isotopes such as strontium-90. The need for monitoring when dealing with such systems is (hopefully) obvious.
This should be enough to get you started. You will need some sort of reference on molybdenum speciation if you are going to talk about how it changes with pH. I would suggest (from memory - I don't have either of these at home, but they are good sources of information) a textbook like Chemistry of the Elements by Greenwood and Earnshaw, or Cotton and Wilkinson's Advanced Inorganic Chemistry. I know there are also some good 'net sources, but I don't have any at hand. I'll have a talk to a colleague of mine that works in the area for some suggestions. Post any further questions you may have.
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It depends on how much detail you plan to put into the assignment, but I'd probably include examples of uranium-235 fission, showing (separately) the formation of the desired molybdenum-99 product, as well as other (problem) products such as strontium-90 and various iodine isotopes. I may include equations to describe how pH is changed by washes with acid, ammonia and concentrated base. I would include the decay of molybdenum-99 to technetium-99m to explain why we care about this process. How much you include in the extraction process - uranium dioxide to the uranyl ion, for example - as well as changes in molybdenum speciation - MoO<sub>4</sub><sup>2-</sup> and Mo<sub>7</sub>O<sub>24</sub><sup>6-</sup> and Mo<sub>6</sub>O<sub>19</sub><sup>2-</sup> - is your call. Good luck with the assignment.