Search results for: single carbon bioconversions

Authors: Ahmed M. El-Araby, Ibrahim Sabry, Ahmed El-Assal

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The relationships between the industrial facilities, the capacity available for these facilities, and the costs involved are the main factors in deciding the correct selection of a facility layout. In general, an issue of facility layout is considered to be an unstructured problem of decision-making. The objective of this work is to provide a survey that describes the techniques by which a facility planning problem can be solved and also the effect of these techniques on the efficiency of the layout. The multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) techniques can be classified according to the previous researches into three categories which are the use of single MCDM, combining two or more MCDM, and the integration of MCDM with another technique such as genetic algorithms (GA). This paper presents a review of different multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) techniques that have been proposed in the literature to pick the most suitable layout design. These methods are particularly suitable to deal with complex situations, including various criteria and conflicting goals which need to be optimized simultaneously.

Keywords: facility layout, MCDM, GA, literature review

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Authors: A. Melka, N. Slater, A. Mualem, Y. Louzoun

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Networks are often presented as containing a “core” and a “periphery.” The existence of a core suggests that some vertices are central and form the skeleton of the network, to which all other vertices are connected. An alternative view of graphs is through communities. Multiple measures have been proposed for dense communities in graphs, the most classical being k-cliques, k-cores, and k-plexes, all presenting groups of tightly connected vertices. We here show that the edge number thresholds for such communities to emerge and for their percolation into a single dense connectivity component are very close, in all networks studied. These percolating cliques produce a natural core and periphery structure. This result is generic and is tested in configuration models and in real-world networks. This is also true for k-cores and k-plexes. Thus, the emergence of this connectedness among communities leading to a core is not dependent on some specific mechanism but a direct result of the natural percolation of dense communities.

Keywords: cliques, core structure, percolation, phase transition

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Authors: Asiful Hossain Seikh, Mohammad Asif Alam, Ubair Abdus Samad, Jabair A. Mohammed, S. M. Al-Zahrani, El-Sayed M. Sherif

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In this current investigation, aliphatic amine-cured diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) based epoxy coating was mixed with certain weight % hardener polyaminoamide (1:2) and was coated on carbon steel panels with and without 1% nano crystalline Al powder. The corrosion behavior of the coated samples were investigated by exposing them in the salt spray chamber, for 500 hours. According to ASTM-B-117, the bath was kept at 35 °C and 5% NaCl containing mist was sprayed at 1.3 bars pressure. Composition of coatings was confirmed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Electrochemical characterization of the coated samples was also performed using potentiodynamic polarization technique and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) technique. All the experiments were done in 3.5% NaCl solution. The nano Al coated sample shows good corrosion resistance property compared to bare Al sample. In fact after salt spray exposure no pitting or local damage was observed for nano coated sample and the coating gloss was negligibly affected. The surface morphology of coated and corroded samples was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Keywords: epoxy, nano aluminium, potentiodynamic polarization, salt spray, electrochemical impedence spectroscopy

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Authors: Luong A. Nguyen, Elihu Deneke, Thomas L. Harman

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This paper describes a multibody dynamics algorithm formulated for parallel implementation on multiprocessor computing platforms using the divide-and-conquer approach. The system of interest is a general topology of rigid and elastic articulated bodies with or without loops. The algorithm is an extension of Featherstone’s divide and conquer approach to include the flexible-body dynamics formulation. The equations of motion, configured for the International Space Station (ISS) with its robotic manipulator arm as a system of articulated flexible bodies, are implemented in separate computer processors. The performance of this divide-and-conquer algorithm implementation in multiple processors is compared with an existing method implemented on a single processor.

Keywords: multibody dynamics, multiple processors, multithreading, divide-and-conquer algorithm, computational efficiency, flexible body dynamics

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Authors: Dibu Dave Mbako, Bin Cheng

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This paper study the stress variation of the welded joints in the rib-to-deck connection structure, the influence stress of the deck plate and u-rib thickness at different positions. A Finite-element model of orthotropic steel deck structure using solid element and shell element was established in ABAQUS. Under a single wheel load, the static response was analyzed to understand the structural behaviors and examine stress distribution. A parametric study showed that the geometric parameters have a significant effect on the hot spot stress at the weld toe, but has little impact on the stress concentration factor. The increase of the thickness of the deck plate will lead to the decrease of the hot spot stress at the weld toe and the maximum deflection of the deck plate. The surface stresses of the deck plate are significantly larger than those of the rib near the joint in the 80% weld penetration into the u-rib.

Keywords: orthotropic steel bridge deck, rib-to-deck connection, hot spot stress, finite element method, stress distribution

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Authors: Yuchao Hua, Lingai Luo

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Thermal energy storage is of critical importance for the highly-efficient utilization of renewable energy sources. Over the past decades, single-tank thermocline technology has attracted much attention owing to its high cost-effectiveness. In the present work, we investigate the influence of the filler porosity’s non-uniform distribution on the thermal performance of the packed-bed sensible heat thermocline storage tanks on the basis of the analytical model obtained by the Laplace transform. It is found that when the total amount of filler materials (i.e., the integration of porosity) is fixed, the different porosity distributions can result in the significantly-different behaviors of outlet temperature and thus the varied charging and discharging efficiencies. Our results indicate that a non-uniform distribution of the fillers with the proper design can improve the heat storage performance without changing the total amount of the filling materials.

Keywords: energy storage, heat thermocline storage tank, packed bed, transient thermal analysis

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Authors: Madiha Tariq, Hena Rabbani

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Recently, cavity-optomechanics becomes an extensive research field that has manipulated the mechanical effects of light for coupling of the optical field with other physical objects specifically with regards to dynamical localization. We investigate the dynamical localization (both in momentum and position space) for a vibrational mirror in a Fabry-Pérot cavity driven by a single mode optical field and a transverse probe field. The weak probe field phenomenon results in classical chaos in phase space and spatio temporal dynamics in position |ψ(x)²| and momentum space |ψ(p)²| versus time show quantum localization in both momentum and position space. Also, we discuss the parametric dependencies of dynamical localization for a designated set of parameters to be experimentally feasible. Our work opens an avenue to manipulate the other optical phenomena and applicability of proposed work can be prolonged to turn-able laser sources in the future.

Keywords: dynamical localization, cavity optomechanics, Hamiltonian chaos, probe field

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Authors: Yehuda Roth

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In quantum theory, a system’s time evolution is predictable unless an observer performs measurement, as the measurement process can randomize the system. This randomness appears when the measuring device does not accurately describe the measured item, i.e., when the states characterizing the measuring device appear as a superposition of those being measured. When such a mismatch occurs, the measured data randomly collapse into a single eigenstate of the measuring device. This scenario resembles the interpretation process in which the observer does not experience an objective reality but interprets it based on preliminary descriptions initially ingrained into his/her mind. This distinction is the motivation for the present study in which the collapse scenario is regarded as part of the interpretation process of the observer. By adopting the formalism of the quantum theory, we present a complete mathematical approach that describes the interpretation process. We demonstrate this process by applying the proposed interpretation formalism to the ambiguous image "My wife and mother-in-law" to identify whether a woman in the picture is young or old.

Keywords: quantum-like interpretation, ambiguous image, determination, quantum-like collapse, classified representation

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Authors: Dimitrios Karanatsis

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Non-crimp fabrics (NCFs) allow for high mechanical performance of a manufacture composite component by maintaining the fibre reinforcements parallel to each other. The handling of NCFs is enabled by the stitching of the tows. Although the stitching material has negligible influence to the performance of the manufactured part, it can affect the ability of the structural fabric to shear and drape over the part’s geometry. High resistance to shearing is attributed to the high tensile strain of the stitching yarn and can cause defects in the fabric. In the current study, a correlation based on the stitch tension and shear behaviour is examined. The purpose of the research is to investigate the upper and lower limits of non-crimp fabrics manufacture and how these affect the shear behaviour of the fabrics. Experimental observations show that shear behaviour of the fabrics is significantly affected by the stitch tension, and there is a linear effect to the degree of shear they experience. It was found that the lowest possible stitch tension on the manufacturing line settings produces an NCF that exhibits very low tensile strain on it’s yarns and that has shear properties similar to a woven fabric. Moreover, the highest allowable stitch tension results in reduced formability of the fabric, as the stitch thread rearranges the fibre filaments where these become packed in a tight formation with constricted movement.

Keywords: carbon fibres, composite manufacture, shear testing, textiles

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Authors: N. Balamurugan, N. V. Mahalakshmi

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Compression ignition (CI) engines are known for their high thermal efficiency in comparison with spark-ignited (SI) engines. This makes CI engines a potential candidate for the future prime source of power for transportation sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to shrink carbon footprint. However, CI engines produce high levels of NOx and soot emissions. Conventional methods to reduce NOx and soot emissions often result in the infamous NOx-soot trade-off. The injection parameters are one of the most important factors in the working of CI engines. The engine performance, power output, economy etc., is greatly dependent on the effectiveness of the injection parameters. The injection parameter has their direct impact on combustion process and pollutant formation. The injection parameter’s values are required to be optimised according to the application of the engine. Control of fuel injection mode is one method for reduction of NOx and soot emissions that is achievable. This study aims to assess, compare and analyse the influence of the effect of injection characteristics that is SOI timing studied on combustion and emissions in in-cylinder combustion processes with that of conventional DI Diesel Engine system using the commercial Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) package STAR- CD ES-ICE.

Keywords: variation of injection timing, compression ignition engine, spark-ignited, Computational Fluid Dynamic

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Authors: Touil Djamal, Fergani Zineb

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In this study, an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) with Cyclohexane working fluid is proposed for cogeneration in the cement industry. In this regard: first, a parametric study is conducted to evaluate the effects of some key parameters on the system performances. Next, single and multi-objective optimizations are performed to achieve the system optimal design. The optimization considers the exergy efficiency, the cost per exergy unit and the environmental impact of the net produced power as objective functions. Finally, exergy, exergoeconomic and exergoenvironmental analysis of the cycle is carried out at the optimum operating conditions. The results show that the turbine inlet pressure, the pinch point temperature difference and the heat transfer fluid temperature have significant effects on the performances of the ORC system.

Keywords: organic rankine cycle, multi-objective optimization, exergy, exergoeconomic, exergoenvironmental, multi-objective optimisation, organic rankine cycle, cement plant

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Authors: S. Guruprasad, M. Z. Kurian, H. N. Suma

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Medical imaging modalities are becoming life saving components. These modalities are very much essential to doctors for proper diagnosis, treatment planning and follow up. Some modalities provide anatomical information such as Computed Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), X-rays and some provides only functional information such as Positron Emission Tomography (PET). Therefore, single modality image does not give complete information. This paper presents the fusion of structural information in CT and functional information present in PET image. This fused image is very much essential in detecting the stages and location of abnormalities and in particular very much needed in oncology for improved diagnosis and treatment. We have implemented and compared image fusion techniques like pyramid, wavelet, and principal components fusion methods along with hybrid method of DWT and PCA. The performances of the algorithms are evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively. The system is implemented and tested by using MATLAB software. Based on the MSE, PSNR and ENTROPY analysis, PCA and DWT-PCA methods showed best results over all experiments.

Keywords: image fusion, pyramid, wavelets, principal component analysis

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Authors: R. Sulakshana, R. Lakshmi

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Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, CRISPR associate (CRISPR/Cas) is an adaptive immunity system found in bacteria and archaea. It has been modified to serve as a potent gene editing tool. Moreover, it has found widespread use in the field of genome research because of its accessibility and low cost. Several bioinformatics methods have been created to aid in the construction of specific single guide RNA (sgRNA), which is highly active and crucial to CRISPR/Cas performance. Various Cas proteins, including Cas1, Cas2, Cas9, and Cas12, have been used to create genome engineering tools because of their programmable sequence specificity. Class 1 and 2 CRISPR/Cas systems, as well as the processes of all known Cas proteins (including Cas9 and Cas12), are discussed in this review paper. In addition, the various CRISPR methodologies and their tools so far discovered are discussed. Finally, the challenges and issues in the CRISPR system along with future works, are presented.

Keywords: gene editing tool, Cas proteins, CRISPR, guideRNA, programmable sequence

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Authors: Mustapha Bouhoun Ali, Ahmed Yacine Badjah Hadj Ahmed, Mouloud Attou, Abdel Hamid Elias, Mohamed Amine Didi

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The extraction of uranium(VI) from aqueous solutions has been investigated using 1-hydroxyhexadecylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid (HHDPA) and 1-hydroxydodecylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid (HDDPA), which were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and by FT-IR, 1H NMR, 31P NMR spectroscopy. In this paper, we propose a tentative assignment for the shifts of those two ligands and their specific complexes with uranium(VI). We carried out the extraction of uranium(VI) by HHDPA and HDDPA from [carbon tetrachloride + 2-octanol (v/v: 90%/10%)] solutions. Various factors such as contact time, pH, organic/aqueous phase ratio and extractant concentration were considered. The optimum conditions obtained were: contact time = 20 min, organic/aqueous phase ratio = 1, pH value = 3.0 and extractant concentration = 0.3M. The extraction yields are more significant in the case of the HHDPA which is equipped with a hydrocarbon chain, longer than that of the HDDPA. Logarithmic plots of the uranium(VI) distribution ratio vs. pHeq and the extractant concentration showed that the ratio of extractant to extracted uranium(VI) (ligand/metal) is 2:1. The formula of the complex of uranium(VI) with the HHDPA and the DHDPA is UO2(H3L)2 (HHDPA and DHDPA are denoted as H4L). A spectroscopic analysis has showed that coordination of uranium(VI) takes place via oxygen atoms.

Keywords: liquid-liquid extraction, uranium(VI), 1-hydroxyalkylidene-1, 1-diphosphonic acids, HHDPA, HDDPA, aqueous solution

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Authors: Hesham A. Elkaranshawy, Amr Abdelrazek, Hosam Ezzat

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This paper analyzes a single point rough collision in three dimensional rigid-multibody systems. A set of nonlinear different equations describing the progress and outcome of the impact are obtained. Specifically in case of the tangential, referred to as sliding, component of impact velocity is of great importance. Numerical methods are used to solve this problem. In this work, all these possible sliding behaviors during impact are identified, conditions leading to each behavior are specified, and an appropriate numerical procedure is suggested. A case of a four-degrees-of-freedom spatial robot that collides with its environment is investigated. The phase portrait of the tangential velocity, which presents the flow trajectories for different initial conditions, is calculated. Using the coefficient of friction as a control parameter, few phase portraits are drawn, each for a specific value of this coefficient. In addition, the bifurcation associated with the variation of this coefficient will be investigated.

Keywords: friction impact, three-dimensional rigid multibody systems, sliding velocity, nonlinear ordinary differential equations, phase portrait

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Authors: Khaled A. Madi, Abdulalhakim O. Naji, Hassouna A. Aalaoh, Elmahdi Eldeeb

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Solar energy is one of the cleanest energy sources with no environmental impact. Due to rapid increase in industrial as well as domestic needs, solar energy becomes a good candidate for safe and easy to handle energy source, especially after it becomes available due to reduction of manufacturing price. The main part of the solar inverter system is the inverter where the DC is inverted to AC, where we try to minimize the loss of power to the minimum possible level by the use of microcontroller. In this work, a deep investigation is made experimentally as well as theoretically for a microcontroller based variable frequency power inverter. The microcontroller will provide the variable frequency Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signal that will control the switching of the gate of the Insulating Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) with less harmonics at the output of power inverter which can be fed to the public grid at high quality. The proposed work for single phase as well as three phases is also simulated using Matlab/Simulink where we found a good agreement between the simulated and the practical results, even though the experimental work were done in the laboratory of the academy.

Keywords: solar, inverter, PV, solar inverter system

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Authors: M. G. Dirodi, G. Gugliotta, C. Leonardi

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The member states shall establish zones and agglomerations throughout their territory to assess and manage air quality in order to comply with European directives. In Italy decree 155/2010, transposing Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe, merged into a single act the previous provisions on ambient air quality assessment and management, including those resulting from the implementation of Directive 2004/107/EC relating to arsenic, cadmium, nickel, mercury, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ambient air. Decree 155/2010 introduced stricter rules for identifying zones on the basis of the characteristics of the territory in spite of considering pollution levels, as it was in the past. The implementation of such new criteria has reduced the great variability of the previous zoning, leading to a significant reduction of the total number of zones and to a complete and uniform ambient air quality assessment and management throughout the Country. The present document is related to the new zones definition in Italy according to Decree 155/2010. In particular, the paper contains the description and the analysis of the outcome of zoning and classification.

Keywords: zones, agglomerations, air quality assessment, classification

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Authors: Andrii Natochii

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We are currently presenting the recent results from the CERN accelerator facilities obtained in the frame of the UA9 Collaboration. The UA9 experiment investigates how a tiny silicon bent crystal (few millimeters long) can be used for various high-energy physics applications. Due to the huge electrostatic field (tens of GV/cm) between crystalline planes, there is a probability for charged particles, impinging the crystal, to be trapped in the channeling regime. It gives a possibility to steer a high intensity and momentum beam by bending the crystal: channeled particles will follow the crystal curvature and deflect on the certain angle (from tens microradians for LHC to few milliradians for SPS energy ranges). The measurements at SPS, performed in 2017 and 2018, confirmed that the protons deflected by the first crystal, inserted in the primary beam halo, can be caught and channeled by the second crystal. In this configuration, we measure the single pass deflection efficiency of the second crystal and prove our opportunity to perform the fixed target experiment at SPS accelerator (LHC in the future).

Keywords: channeling, double-crystal setup, fixed target experiment, Timepix detector

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Authors: Mandeep Kaur, Fatehgarh Sahib

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The purpose of economic load dispatch is to allocate the required load demand between the available generation units such that the cost of operation is minimized. It is an optimization problem to find the most economical schedule of the generating units while satisfying load demand and operational constraints. The multiobjective optimization problem in which the engineer’s goal is to maximize or minimize not a single objective function but several objective functions simultaneously. The purpose of multiobjective problems in the mathematical programming framework is to optimize the different objective functions. Many approaches and methods have been proposed in recent years to solve multiobjective optimization problems. Weighting method has been applied to convert multiobjective optimization problems into scalar optimization. MATLAB 7.10 has been used to write the code for the complete algorithm with the help of genetic algorithm (GA). The validity of the proposed method has been demonstrated on a three-unit power system.

Keywords: economic load dispatch, genetic algorithm, generating units, multiobjective optimization, weighting method

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Authors: M. Heidari, A. Safekordi, A. Zamaniyan, E. Ganji Babakhani, M. Amanipour

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Perovskite-type membrane Ba_0.5Sr_0.5Ce_0.9Y_0.1O_3-δ (BSCY) was successfully synthesized by liquid citrate method. The hydrogen permeation and stability of BSCY perovskite-type membranes were studied at high temperatures. The phase structure of the powder was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to characterize microstructures of the membrane sintered under various conditions. SEM results showed that increasing in sintering temperature, formed dense membrane with clear grains. XRD results for BSCY membrane that sintered in 1150 °C indicated single phase perovskite structure with orthorhombic configuration, and SEM results showed dense structure with clear grain size which is suitable for permeation tests. Partial substitution of Sr with Ba in SCY structure improved the hydrogen permeation flux through the membrane due to the larger ionic radius of Ba²⁺. BSCY membrane shows high hydrogen permeation flux of 1.6 ml/min.cm² at 900 °C and partial pressure of 0.6.

Keywords: hydrogen separation, perovskite, proton conducting membrane.

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Authors: Mookyada Mankrut, Manit Nithitanakul

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An increase in the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) resulting from anthropogenic CO2 emission has been a concerned problem so far. Adsorption using porous materials is feasible way to reduce the content of CO2 emission into the atmosphere due to several advantages: low energy consumption in regeneration process, low-cost raw materials and, high CO2 adsorption capacity. In this work, the porous poly(divinylbenzene) (poly(DVB)) support was synthesized under high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) polymerization then modified with polyethyleneimine (PEI) by using solution plasma process. These porous polymers were then used as adsorbents for CO2 adsorption study. All samples were characterized by some techniques: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron spectroscopy (SEM), water contact angle measurement and, surface area analyzer. The results of FT-IR and a decrease in contact angle, pore volume and, surface area of PEI-loaded materials demonstrated that surface of poly(DVB) support was modified. In other words, amine groups were introduced to poly(DVB) surface. In addition, not only the outer surface of poly(DVB) adsorbent was modified, but also the inner structure as shown by FT-IR study. As a result, PEI-loaded materials exhibited higher adsorption capacity, comparing with those of the unmodified poly(DVB) support.

Keywords: polyHIPEs, CO2 adsorption, solution plasma process, high internal phase emulsion

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Authors: Chaimaan Benhsinat, Amal Tazi, Mohammed Azzi

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Synthetic azo-dyes are widely used in food industry, they product intense coloration, high toxicity and mutagenicity for wastewater; Causing serious damage to aquatic biota and risk factors for humans. The treatment of these effluents remains a major challenge especially for third world countries that have not yet all possibilities to integrate the concept of sustainable development. These aqueous effluents require specific treatment to preserve natural environments. For these reasons and in order to contribute to the fight against this danger, we were interested in this study to the degradation of the dye Ponceau Red E124 'C20H11N2Na3O10S3' 'used in a food industry Casablanca-Morocco, by the super iron ferrate (VI) K3FexMnyO8; Synthesized in our laboratory and known for its high oxidizing and flocculants. The degradation of Ponceau red is evaluated with the objectives of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon (TOC) and discoloration reductions. The results are very satisfying. In fact, we achieved 90% reduction of COD and 99% of discoloration. The recovered floc are subject to various techniques for spectroscopic analysis (UV-visible and IR) to identify by-products formed after the degradation. Moreover, the results will then be compared with those obtained by the application of ferrous sulfate (FeSO4, 7H2O) used by the food industry for the degradation of P4R. The results will be later compared with those obtained by the application of ferrous sulfate (FeSO4, 7H2O) used by the food industry, in the degradation of the P4R.

Keywords: COD removal, color removal, dye ponceau 4R, oxydation by ferrate (VI)

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Authors: Hu-Cheng Weng, Jhen-Ting Huang, Chia-Chia Chang, An-Ya Lo

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In this study, carbon mesoporous material, CMK-3, was adopted as supporting material for electroactive polymerspolyaniline (PANI), polyaniline, for supercapacitor application, where hydroquinone (HQ) was integrated to enhance the redox reaction of PANI. The results show that the addition of PANI improves the capacitance of electrode from 89 F/g (CMK-3) to 337 F/g (PANI/CMK-3), the addition of HQ furtherly improves the capacitance to 463 F/g (PANI/CMK-3/HQ). The PANI provides higher energy density and also acts as binder of the electrode; the CMK-3 provides higher electron double layer capacitance EDLC and stabilize the polyaniline by its highly porosity. With the addition of HQ, the capacitance of PANI/CMK-3 was further enhanced. In-situ analyses including cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronopotentiometry (CP), electron impedance spectrum (EIS) analyses were applied for electrode performance examination. For materials characterization, the crystal structure, morphology, microstructure, and porosity were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and 77K N2 adsorption/desorption analyses, respectively. The effects of electrolyte pH value, PANI polymerization time, HQ concentration, and PANI/CMK-3 ratio on capacitance were discussed. The durability was also studied by long-term operation test. The results show that PANI/CMK-3/HQ with great potential for supercapacitor application. Finally, the potential of all-solid PANI/CMK-3/HQ based supercapacitor was successfully demonstrated.

Keywords: CMK3, PANI, redox electrolyte, solid supercapacitor

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Authors: T. M. Agbede, A. O. Adekiya

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An experiment was carried out for three consecutive years at Owo, southwest Nigeria. The objective of the investigation was to determine the effect of Cocoa Pod Ash (CPA) and Poultry Manure (PM) applied solely and their combined form, as sources of fertilizers on soil properties, leaf nutrient composition, growth and yield of cocoyam. Three soil amendments: CPA, PM (sole forms), CPA and PM (mixture), were applied at 7.5 t ha-1 with an inorganic fertilizer (NPK 15-15-15) at 400 kg ha-1 as a reference and a natural soil fertility, NSF (control), arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Results showed that soil amendments significantly increased (p = 0.05) corm and cormel weights and growth of cocoyam, soil and leaf N, P, K, Ca and Mg, soil pH and organic carbon (OC) concentrations compared with the NSF (control). The mixture of CPA+PM treatment increased corm and cormel weights, plant height and leaf area of cocoyam by 40, 39, 42, and 48%, respectively, compared with inorganic fertilizer (NPK) and 13, 12, 15 and 7%, respectively, compared with PM alone. Sole or mixed forms of soil amendments showed remarkable improvement in soil physical properties compared with NPK and the NSF (control). The mixture of CPA+PM applied at 7.5 t ha-1 was the most effective treatment in improving cocoyam yield and growth parameters, soil and leaf nutrient composition.

Keywords: Cocoa pod ash, cocoyam, poultry manure, soil and leaf nutrient composition.

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Authors: Patcharee Pripdeevech, Sarunpron Khruengsai

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Thirty fungi were tested for their degradation ability on low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic film. Biodegradation of all fungi was screened in mineral salt medium broth containing LDPE film as the sole carbon source for 30 days. Diaporthe italiana, Thyrostroma jaczewskii, Colletotrichum fructicola, and Stagonosporopsis citrulli were able to colonize and cover the surface of LDPE film in media. The degradation test result was compared to those obtained from Aspergillus niger. LDPE films cocultured with D. italiana, T. jaczewskii, C. fructicola, S. citrulli, A. niger, and control showed weight loss of 43.90%, 46.34%, 48.78%, 45.12%, 28.78%, and 10.85%, respectively. The tensile strength of degraded LDPE films cocultured with D. italiana, T. jaczewskii, C. fructicola, S. citrulli, A. niger, and control also reduced significantly by 1.56 MPa, 1.78 MPa, 0.43 MPa, 1.86 MPa, 3.34 MPa, and 9.98 MPa, respectively. Analysis of LDPE films by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy confirmed the biodegradation by the presence of morphological changes such as cracks, scions, and holes on the surface of the film. These fungi have the ability to break down and consume the LDPE film, especially C. fructicola. These findings showed the potential of fungi in Thailand that play an important role in LDPE film degradation.

Keywords: plastic biodegradation, LDPE film, fungi, Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscopy

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Authors: L. Foudia, K. Haddadi, M. Reffas

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First principles study of structural, elastic, electronic and optical properties of the monoclinic perovskite type ScRhO₃ has been reported using the pseudo-potential plane wave method within the local density approximation. The calculated lattice parameters, including the lattice constants and angle β are in excellent agreement with the available experimental data, which proving the reliability of the chosen theoretical approach. Pressure dependence up to 20 GPa of the single crystal and polycrystalline elastic constants has been investigated in details using the strain-stress approach. The mechanical stability, ductility, average elastic wave velocity, Debye temperature and elastic anisotropy were also assessed. Electronic band structure and density of states (DOS) demonstrated its semiconducting nature showing a direct band gap of 1.38 eV. Furthermore, several optical properties, such as absorption coefficient, reflectivity, refractive index, dielectric function, optical conductivity and electron energy loss function have been calculated for radiation up to 40 eV.

Keywords: ab-initio, perovskite, DFT, band gap.

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Authors: P. Lestinsky, D. Jecha, V. Brummer, P. Stehlik

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Scrubbing by a liquid spraying is one of the most effective processes used for removal of fine particles and soluble gas pollutants (such as SO2, HCl, HF) from the flue gas. There are many configurations of scrubbers designed to provide contact between the liquid and gas stream for effectively capturing particles or soluble gas pollutants, such as spray plates, packed bed towers, jet scrubbers, cyclones, vortex and venturi scrubbers. The primary function of venturi scrubber is the capture of fine particles as well as HCl, HF or SO2 removal with effect of the flue gas temperature decrease before input to the absorption column. In this paper, sulfur dioxide (SO2) from flue gas was captured using new design replacing venturi scrubber (1st degree of wet scrubbing). The flue gas was prepared by the combustion of the carbon disulfide solution in toluene (1:1 vol.) in the flame in the reactor. Such prepared flue gas with temperature around 150 °C was processed in designed laboratory O-element scrubber. Water was used as absorbent liquid. The efficiency of SO2 removal, pressure drop and temperature drop were measured on our experimental device. The dependence of these variables on liquid-gas ratio was observed. The average temperature drop was in the range from 150 °C to 40 °C. The pressure drop was increased with increasing of a liquid-gas ratio, but not as much as for the common venturi scrubber designs. The efficiency of SO2 removal was up to 70 %. The pressure drop of our new designed wet scrubber is similar to commonly used venturi scrubbers; nevertheless the influence of amount of the liquid on pressure drop is not so significant.

Keywords: desulphurization, absorption, flue gas, modeling

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Authors: Guijie Sang, Geo Davis, Momchil Terziev

Abstract:

Geological CO2 storage has been regarded as a promising strategy to mitigate the emission of greenhouse gas generated from traditional power stations and energy-intensive industry. Caprocks with very low permeability and ultra-fine pores create viscous and capillary barriers to guarantee CO2 sealing efficiency. However, caprock fractures, either naturally existing or artificially induced due to injection, could provide preferential paths for CO₂ escaping. Seeking an efficient technique to seal and strengthen caprock fractures is crucial. We apply microbial-induced-calcite-precipitation (MICP) technique for sealing and strengthening caprock fractures in the laboratory scale. The MICP bio-grouting technique has several advantages over conventional cement grouting methods, including its low viscosity, micron-size microbes (accessible to fine apertures), and low carbon footprint, among others. Different injection strategies are tested to achieve relatively homogenous calcite precipitation along the fractures, which is monitored dynamically based on laser ultrasonic technique. The MICP process in caprock fractures, which integrates the coupled flow and bio-chemical precipitation, is also modeled and validated through the experiment. The study could provide an effective bio-mediated grouting strategy for caprock sealing and thus ensuring a long-term safe geological CO2 storage.

Keywords: caprock sealing, geological CO2 storage, grouting strategy, microbial induced calcite precipitation

Procedia PDF Downloads 173

Authors: Diogo Ferreira Lima Filho, José Roberto Amazonas

Abstract:

Nanotechnology opens the door to new paradigms that introduces a variety of novel tools enabling a plethora of potential applications in the biomedical, industrial, environmental, and military fields. This work proposes an integrated node model by applying the same concepts of TCNet to networks of nanodevices where the nodes are cooperatively interconnected with a low-complexity Mealy Machine (MM) topology integrating in the same electronic system the modules necessary for independent operation in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), consisting of Rectennas (RF to DC power converters), Code Generators based on Finite State Machine (FSM) & Trellis Decoder and On-chip Transmit/Receive with autonomy in terms of energy sources applying the Energy Harvesting technique. This approach considers the use of a Graphene Composite Substrate (GCS) for the integrated electronic circuits meeting the following characteristics: mechanical flexibility, miniaturization, and optical transparency, besides being ecological. In addition, graphene consists of a layer of carbon atoms with the configuration of a honeycomb crystal lattice, which has attracted the attention of the scientific community due to its unique Electrical Characteristics.

Keywords: composite substrate, energy harvesting, finite state machine, graphene, nanotechnology, rectennas, wireless sensor networks

Procedia PDF Downloads 89

Authors: Yo-Sheng Lin, Jen-How Lee, Chien-Chin Wang

Abstract:

A 60-GHz receiver front-end using standard 90-nm CMOS technology is reported. The receiver front-end comprises a wideband low-noise amplifier (LNA), and a double-balanced Gilbert cell mixer with a current-reused RF single-to-differential (STD) converter, an LO Marchand balun and a baseband amplifier. The receiver front-end consumes 34.4 mW and achieves LO-RF isolation of 60.7 dB, LO-IF isolation of 45.3 dB and RF-IF isolation of 41.9 dB at RF of 60 GHz and LO of 59.9 GHz. At IF of 0.1 GHz, the receiver front-end achieves maximum conversion gain (CG) of 26.1 dB at RF of 64 GHz and CG of 25.2 dB at RF of 60 GHz. The corresponding 3-dB bandwidth of RF is 7.3 GHz (58.4 GHz to 65.7 GHz). The measured minimum noise figure was 5.6 dB at 64 GHz, one of the best results ever reported for a 60 GHz CMOS receiver front-end. In addition, the measured input 1-dB compression point and input third-order inter-modulation point are -33.1 dBm and -23.3 dBm, respectively, at 60 GHz. These results demonstrate the proposed receiver front-end architecture is very promising for 60 GHz direct-conversion transceiver applications.

Keywords: CMOS, 60 GHz, direct-conversion transceiver, LNA, down-conversion mixer, marchand balun, current-reused

Procedia PDF Downloads 436