The Versatile Substance That Is Carbon Black
I suspect very few of us think much about carbon black.
In an over fifty-year working life, I have only come across carbon black indirectly and no-one has actually shown me any carbon black.
This is the first sentence of the Wikipedia entry for carbon black.
Carbon black (with subtypes acetylene black, channel black, furnace black, lamp black and thermal black) is a material produced by the incomplete combustion of coal tar, vegetable matter, or petroleum products, including fuel oil, fluid catalytic cracking tar, and ethylene cracking in a limited supply of air.
It doesn’t sound the most appetising of substances and the next sentence reinforces that view.
Carbon black is a form of paracrystalline carbon that has a high surface-area-to-volume ratio, albeit lower than that of activated carbon. It is dissimilar to soot in its much higher surface-area-to-volume ratio and significantly lower (negligible and non-bioavailable) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content.
The text is illustrated with what looks like a small pile of soot.
I first came across carbon black, in my first job after leaving Liverpool University at ICI Mond Division at Runcorn.
For a time, I shared an office with Peter, who was part of a number of engineers, who were trying to get a new plant, that had been purchased from BASF to make commercial quantities of acetylene. All the plant seemed to make was large quantities of soot, which it then proceeded to spread all over the town of Runcorn.
If I remember correctly, the process worked by burning ethylene in a limited supply of air and then quenching it with naphtha. The similarities between the BASF process and the method for producing carbon black lead me to believe, that ICI’s process was probably producing a lot of carbon black.
Peter was working on an instrument that measured the quantity of acetylene in the off-gas from the burners and he succeeded, but unfortunately proved that the plant was going into explosive limits. For this reason, ICI shut their process, although BASF persevered.
Ethylene is a hydrocarbon which has the formula C2H4 or two carbon and four hydrogen atoms. So if you can get them to stop tightly holding hands with no oxygen around, the hydrogen will pair off as H2 and the carbon will exist as a lot of single C atoms or carbon black.
BASF and ICI were trying to produce acetylene or C2H2, where there is a powerful triple bond between the two carbon atoms. All that energy in the acetylene makes it useful for activities like welding.
Common Uses Of Carbon Black
The Wikipedia entry for carbon black, has this summary of its uses.
The most common use (70%) of carbon black is as a pigment and reinforcing phase in automobile tires. Carbon black also helps conduct heat away from the tread and belt area of the tire, reducing thermal damage and increasing tire life. Its low cost makes it a common addition to cathodes and anodes and is considered a safe replacement to lithium metal in lithium-ion batteries. About 20% of world production goes into belts, hoses, and other non-tire rubber goods. The remaining 10% use of carbon black comes from pigment in inks, coatings, and plastics, as well as being used as a conductive additive in lithium-ion batteries.
The entry then gives a list of other uses, some of which are still being developed.
Global Production Of Carbon Black
This paragraph is from the Wikipedia entry for carbon black.
Total production was around 8,100,000 metric tons (8,900,000 short tons) in 2006. Global consumption of carbon black, estimated at 13.2 million metric tons, valued at US$13.7 billion, in 2015, is expected to reach 13.9 million metric tons, valued at US$14.4 billion in 2016.
So we have the useful paradox, that we don’t want to emit more carbon dioxide, but extra carbon black could probably be usefully used.
Conclusion
Using the HiiROC process to extract hydrogen could even give us a biproduct ; carbon black, that has uses.
Trump Will Fix It
I can’t believe that I’ve just seen the title of this post, emblazoned across Trump’s stage.
The phrase doesn’t have the same connotations and odious ring, that it does in the UK, but because of its associations with Jimmy Saville, it is probably better not used.
All the world can now do, is wait for the result.
- It does appear that in the US, female voters have a high turnout.
- According to the Guardian, nearly a third of voters are black.
Certainly, if I were black or female, I wouldn’t feel, I could vote for Trump.
UK And Germany To Upgrade Some Sea Kings For Ukraine
Yesterday, the UK government issued a press release, which is entitled Landmark UK-Germany Defence Agreement To Strengthen Our Security And Prosperity.
This is the sub-heading.
A landmark defence agreement will be signed by Defence Secretary John Healey MP and German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius in London today in a major moment for NATO, and European security and prosperity. It is the first-of-its-kind agreement between the UK and Germany on defence.
This introductory paragraph, lays down the tone and objectives of the agreement.
The signing of the Trinity House Agreement marks a fundamental shift in the UK’s relations with Germany and for European security. This agreement between Europe’s two biggest defence spenders will strengthen national security and economic growth in the face of growing Russian aggression and increasing threats.
It is a wide-ranging document, but in this post, I will concentrate on one topic; Sea King helicopters, which are talked about in this paragraph.
New Ukraine support – new joint work to enable German Sea King helicopters to be armed with modern missile systems as well as work on capability coalitions.
As Ukraine is a mainly landlocked company, I do think it must be a compliment to the Sea Kings’ capabilities that the Ukrainians find the naval helicopters useful.
These three paragraphs from the Wikipedia entry for the Westland Sea King, document the history of operations of the Sea King in the Ukrainian Naval Aviation.
In November 2022, in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine the United Kingdom announced they were donating three former Royal Navy Sea Kings to Ukraine. In January 2023, the first Sea King was videoed being used by the Ukrainian Naval Aviation.
In April 2023, the BBC did an interview with one of the co-pilots of a UK donated Sea King to Ukraine. These helicopters served in the Falklands War so they are at least some 40 years old. The co-pilot has said that the Sea King is used for rescuing pilots who have ejected, delivering soldiers, and conducting reconnaissance, among other tasks. One engineer also told the BBC: “They are old…but they have gone through modernisation, and we need them very much. I believe this is just the start of our work together.” The BBC also reports that a third Sea King is being prepared to be sent to Ukraine in the “coming weeks”. The third Sea King HU.5 was delivered to Ukraine in May 2023.
In January 2024, Germany agreed to send 6 further Sea Kings to Ukraine.
I feel the Ukrainians, with their initiative, will find the elderly Sea Kings very useful.
3rd October 2024 – A Day In Liverpool
A Three-Leg Journey North
This is the second time, I’ve bought one of there journeys North and they are a pain, unless you want to guarantee seats.
I suppose, I should buy my tickets earlier, but if I can buy my rickets on the day on other train companies, I would prefer to do it on Avanti West Coast.
Avanti West Coast’s problem is that they haven’t got their new Class 807 trains into service yet, which will double the services to Liverpool.
T arrived at Warrington Bank Quay on time and the transfer to Newton-le-Willows went smoothly, but then, I waited thirty minutes for my train to Liverpool Lime Street.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the route I took.
Note.
- Liverpool Lime Street station is at the Western side of the map.
- Newton-le-Willows station is marked by the blue arrow in the top right corner of the map.
- Warrington Bank Quay station is in the bottom right corner of the map.
It does seem a round about route, But I got there. Although, I was late.
Hopefully, in a couple of years, you’ll be able to take a local train between Liverpool Lime Street and Newton-le-Willows stations to link up with FirstGroup’s low-cost Lumo Open Access service between Euston and Rochdale.
A Single Journey Home
I was booked home on the 18:43 train from Lime Street, but as you can often do, I asked and was allowed to board the 17:43.
A Crowded And Crazy Euston
I arrived back at Euston at 20:00, but it was crowded, as the station is very much a building site for High Speed Two.
I felt I would treat myself to a taxi, but I couldn’t find any.
So I took a 205 bus along Euston Road to King’s Cross, where I jumped on the the Circle Line for Moorgate.
From there I took my usual 141 bus home.
A friendly station guy at Moorgate, indicated, there might not be any taxis at Euston.
I’d also found earlier, that there were no escalators to the Underground.
Perhaps more than ever, care should be taken at Euston, when getting to and from the station.
It Looks To Me That High Speed Two Has Got Their Planning Wrong At Euston
The big problem at Euston is getting to and from the National Rail station from East or West,
Compare Euston in this respect with Liverpool Street, King’s Cross, St. Pancras or Paddington.
In The New Step-Free Entrance At Euston Square Station, I show the plans for step-free access to the sub-surface lines.
This new entrance to Euston station, should be built first.
All the dithering about High Speed Two seems to have delayed it!
World-First Operation To Treat Rhino’s Broken Leg
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A rhinoceros with a broken leg is back on its feet after a world-first operation.
These are the first three paragraphs.
Amara, a southern white rhino at Knowsley safari park, was given keyhole surgery and had to wear a cast for four weeks.
Surgeons took what they knew about operating on horses and applied it to Amara because there was so little information about rhinos which had been injured in this way.
A team of 10 vets was involved in the operation, which they described as “unlike anything we’ve experienced previously”.
I bet it wasn’t like a horse, as equines in my experience don’t have a bodger on their bonce.
The BBC featured the story in BBC Breakfast this morning and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it turn up later or on the Internet.
Some may say, is the expense worth it to operate on a rhino.
But I would say, that the experience gained by the University of Liverpool, will be applied to the treatment of other large animals, like buffalo, bison, draught horses, elephants and hippotami.
Also, knowing Scousers as I do, I suspect that some of the techniques used, will be scrounged by Liverpool’s medics and applied to humans.
Recently Opened In Dalston
This shop has recently opened at Dalston Junction.
Is the name a bit cheeky?
Sadiq Khan: Prisoners Should Jump Queue For Housing
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article from The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
The mayor of London said prioritising those released would help to cut reoffending
I know politicians can make rash and barmy statements, but this must surely be one of the most ridiculous.
But then Khan likes wasteful, ridiculous policies like renaming all the lines of the London Overground, that I wrote about in Khan’s Stupid Plan To Rename The Overground Lines.
This is a comment to the article.
Do time for violent offences or drug trading. Obtain early release to make space in prisons for people who have posted hurty words on social media. On early release, jump the housing queue.
Surely this is stating the obvious.
The Anonymous Widower 